Yale Alumni Real Estate Conference 2019

The Yale Alumni Real Estate Association Conference, which has convened annually at Yale since 2008, provides alumni, students, and faculty a chance to engage with leading thinkers in real estate—and with one another. The purpose of the conference is broader than simply “an industry gathering.” Instead, it is a venue to focus on new ideas and trends shaping a field that has a potential impact on the fabric of our communities.

#YaleAREA

Conference Agenda

Speakers

• Jonathan Gray

  President and Chief Operating Officer, Blackstone 
  Keynote Speaker 
   

  Jonathan (“Jon”) Gray is President and Chief Operating Officer of Blackstone, and is a member of Blackstone’s Board of Directors. He sits on its Management Committee and most of its investment committees, including serving as Chairman of the Real Estate group’s investment committee. Mr. Gray previously served as the firm’s Global Head of Real Estate, which he helped to build into the largest real estate platform in the world. He joined Blackstone in 1992. Mr. Gray currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Hilton Worldwide. Mr. Gray and his wife, Mindy, established the Basser Center for BRCA at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine focused on the prevention and treatment of BRCA related cancers. They also established NYC Kids RISE in partnership with the City of New York to accelerate college savings for low income children. Mr. Gray received a BS in Economics from the Wharton School, as well as a BA in English from the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania.

• Francis Lively

  Chief Executive Officer & President, The LCP Group, L.P. 
  Conference Chair 
   

  Mr. Lively is the Chief Executive Officer & President, a private investment firm specializing in hospitality investments. Prior to LCP, Mr. Lively served as Vice President and Counsel to Landesbank Baden-Wuerttemberg (LBBW) from 2011-2013. In his role, Mr. Lively led the restructuring and partial disposition of an approximately $4 billion commercial real estate loan portfolio and structured approximately $1 billion in commercial real estate loan originations. Before LBBW, Mr. Lively practiced law at Shearman & Sterling LLP advising on approximately $7.5 billion in commercial real estate transactions. Mr. Lively has a J.D. from Fordham University School of Law, an MBA from Yale School of Management and a BA from Georgetown University.

• Alex Bergstein

  Speaker 
   

  State Senator Alex Bergstein is the first woman and the first Democrat in 88 years to represent the 36th District of Connecticut - Greenwich, New Canaan and Stamford. She is the Deputy Majority Leader, Chair of the Banking Committee and Vice Chair of both the Judiciary and the Transportation Committees. A graduate of Wesleyan University and University of Chicago Law School, Alex began her professional career as a lawyer at the firm of Skadden Arps and then pivoted to advocate for public policy on three critical issues – the Environment, Children’s Health and Gender Equality. As Chair of the Mount Sinai Children’s Environmental Health Center, she helped establish the world’s leading research lab to study the impact of environmental toxins on human health. In 2015, Alex founded The Parity Partnership, a non-profit that uses economic data to illustrate gender equality as smart economic policy. While raising three children, Alex earned a Masters in Environmental Law & Policy at Yale University in 2014 and was working on her PhD dissertation when she pivoted from academia to politics. With an unprecedented amount of volunteer support, Alex unseated a 5-term incumbent with her nonpartisan, fiscally responsible plan for Connecticut’s economic growth. Alex is actively changing the narrative about Connecticut by focusing on problem-solving, evidence-based solutions, a positive vision and a real plan of action.

• Andrew Caplin

  Silver Professor and Professor of Economics, New York University 
  Speaker 
   

  Andrew Caplin is Silver Professor and Professor of Economics at New York University, with previous academic appointments at Harvard, Princeton, and Columbia Universities. He is a Fellow of the Econometric Society and Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research and co-leader of its Behavioral Macroeconomics program. He is also Principal Investigator for the Sloan-Nomis Program on Attentional and Perceptual Foundations of Economic Behavior and for the Vanguard Research Initiative. He co-authored the book "Housing Partnerships" (MIT Press 1997) which elaborated on the high potential of shared equity finance. He has also conducted research on reverse mortgages as well as on the high costs of long-term care and its implications for wealth accumulation and decumulation.

• Chris Cayten

  Principal, CodeGreen Solutions 
  Conference Organizer 
   

  Mr. Cayten is a Principal at CodeGreen Solutions, a leading sustainability and energy efficiency consulting firm based in New York City. Mr. Cayten has more than 18 years of experience in sustainability consulting, architecture and development in commercial real estate in New York City and overseas. Mr. Cayten has vast experience creating and implementing sustainability initiatives for more than 300 million sf of commercial property around the U.S. including for some of the largest commercial portfolios in New York City. Mr. Cayten has also worked closely with the New York City Mayor's Office to develop and analyze the impacts of some of the country's most aggressive energy efficiency regulations for buildings (The Greener, Greater Buildings Plan) and to identify a cost effective road map for all buildings in NYC to achieve "80x50" an 80% carbon footprint reduction by 2050. Mr. Cayten holds a master’s degree from the Yale School of Architecture and has spoken on a number of panels regarding energy efficiency and energy efficiency legislation in New York, DC, and California. He is on the Advisory Council to the Climate Museum, a new museum being developed in NYC to engage the public on the environment and climate change. He is an active member of Urban Green (the New York City chapter of the US Green Building Council), and serves on the sustainability committees of BOMA-NY and REBNY as well as the board of ScaleAfrica, a non-profit which develops and builds schools in Africa.

• Marcio DaCosta

  Head of Emerging Technology & Innovation, Cushman & Wakefield 
  Speaker 
   

  Marcio DaCosta leads the exploration and evaluation of evolving, new and emerging technologies to enhance and support the delivery of our services to clients. His team, CREATE Labs, spearheads innovation by developing partnerships with technology companies and incubating concepts into production-ready solutions. The overall focus is on practical and viable business applications of research in new technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotic process automation, IoT, autonomous workplace bots, drones, and blockchain. Prior to his current role, Mr. DaCosta led the Technology Account Management team at a large commercial real estate firm and was responsible for strategy, adoption, and deployment of technology for all corporate clients. Previously, he was the Director of IT Service Delivery at a Top 20 Global Law firm responsible for global Project Management, Quality Assurance, Technology Education, Desktop Engineering, and Help Desk services. Mr. DaCosta has led multiple geographically dispersed teams in delivering critical and emerging technologies to achieve significant value and revenue in various organizations. Mr. DaCosta earned a Bachelor of Science degree in International Business from Widener University. Marcio is a certified ITIL professional. He is fluent in English and Portuguese, and conversant in Spanish and French.

• Thomas Emmons

  SVP and Co-Head, Direct Infrastructure Investments, Voya Investment Management LLC 
  Speaker 
   

  Thomas Emmons is SVP and Co-Head, Direct Infrastructure Investments at Voya Investment Management, the asset management business of Voya Financial Inc., a Fortune 500 company that serves investment and retirement needs of over 13 million customers in the US. Voya reported $560 bn in assets under management and administration as of June 30, 2019. Voya has invested in infrastructure for over 25 years across a full spectrum of subsectors. Tom has over 30 years’ experience in financing infrastructure projects globally, including power generation, oil and gas production and distribution, roads/bridges/tunnels, and water. Since 2003, Tom has specialized in renewable energy, having financed over 150 wind, solar and biomass projects amounting to over $30 bn in capital investment. He has worked for Citibank in New York and Hong Kong, Bankers Trust, Banque Paribas, Credit Suisse First Boston, and Rabobank. Tom has served on the boards of SkyPower Corporation, SunEdison LLC, BrightFarms Inc., and Solar Energy Industries Association. He is a member of the Leadership Council of the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. He holds a BA from Yale College and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

• Thomas Goren

  Co-Founder, Home In Trust 
  Speaker 
   

  Tom brings 40+ years of financial and wealth management acumen as a CPA and CFO. With a M.S. degree in Taxation, Tom launched his career in Estates and Trusts with Price Waterhouse. At PwC, Tom recognized the untapped potential and power of the 800-year-old life estate / remainder as an estate and investment asset. The inherent design flaws in the prevailing HUD reverse mortgage product, set Tom to innovate Remainders as an answer to the growing demographic surge of baby boomers and the certain need for retirement security. Tom’s first work was the successful drafting, lobbying and adoption of IRC Sec. 121 (Sec. 121(d)(8)) of the IRS tax code, thus assuring that the sale of the home with the reservation of the life estate will attain the same tax-free treatment as a fee simple sale of a personal residence. Intensive pursuit and research led to Tom to co-founding HomeInTrust, a first-of-its-kind, tax-advantaged program to implement innovative Grantor Remainder Trusts as a financing tool for senior homeowners combined with superior investment returns to incent high-net worth Impact Investors to help put a dent in this daunting world-wide problem.

• Kevin Gray

  Lecturer, Yale University & Principal, Kevin D Gray Consulting (USA) 
  CONFERENCE ORGANIZER 
   

  Kevin D. Gray, FRICS, is Lecturer in the Practice of Real Estate at Yale University and principal of Kevin D Gray Consulting (USA), a real estate advisory firm. He received his M. Arch from the University of Pennsylvania and his MBA from the Yale School of Management. Mr. Gray is a former managing director of real estate investment banking for PricewaterhouseCoopers Securities, and the editor, with John R. White, of Shopping Centers and Other Retail Properties as well as a licensed real estate appraiser and broker, and a registered architect. Recent publications include: “The Marine Etablissement: New Terrain for Central Amsterdam” (Yale 2016), with Isaac Kalisvaart published by the Yale Bass Studio Fund. Mr. Gray is a Fellow of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, and a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers. Mr. Gray is on the faculty at both the Yale School of Management and the Yale School of Architecture where he teaches courses on real estate finance and investment and the history of real estate patronage and ownership.

• Ben Gruita

  Director of Emerging Technologies, Groove Jones 
  Speaker 
   

  Ben Gruita graduated from college (many moons ago) full of student loan debt and a desire to put his knowledge to use. He’s led many sales teams to success while not losing his mind or religion. After a successful real estate career as a commercial realtor, he began to focus on Information Technology and how it will influence the future. Ben currently serves as the Director of Emerging Technologies at Groove Jones, a creative technology company that is recognized as industry leaders in the development of unique digital experiences leveraging the latest in AR (Augmented Reality), VR (Virtual Reality) and MR (Mixed Reality). His professional achievements include working with global brands to create viral campaigns that attract new customers while strengthening the bond between current customers and client branding. He’s collaborated on countless award-winning experiences and social media trending filters. He’s traveled globally, at the request of foreign national governments, to speak at tech events and be part of AR/VR think tanks. Ben currently spends his days scouring the Internet for new tech trends that integrate with AR/VR. His current focus is working with commercial real estate owners on AR/VR campaigns that have shown a dramatic increase in properties leasing out in record time. A bucket list moment was realized when his kids told him he was cool, upon hearing the news that he will be on a panel at Yale University. Their proclamation was quickly rescinded when he made a “dad joke”.

• Brian Hong

  Senior Investment Manager, Korea Investment Corporation (KIC) 
  Speaker 
   

  Brian Hong is a Senior Investment Manager at Korea Investment Corporation (KIC), a $132 BN AUM sovereign wealth fund of South Korea. Brian leads sourcing and managing global real estate and infrastructure investments ($8.8 BN AUM, FY’18), primarily focusing on infrastructure co-investments and fund investments. Prior to KIC, Brian was the Director of Acquisition and Development with Twining Properties, a real estate development company, where he launched a 12-acre waterfront development in New Rochelle. Brian also worked at Crow Holdings Capital, a $9 BN real estate private equity firm. He was instrumental at launching Crow’s multi-family built-to-hold investment vehicle with Trammell Crow Residential. Brian previously worked at Hines, where he focused on structuring joint ventures with Middle Eastern and Asian sovereign wealth funds. Brian started his career in transportation architecture out of the Bay Area, designing the BART extension to San Jose and the California High Speed Rail. Brian holds an MBA from Yale School of Management, M.Arch from Yale School of Architecture, and a BA from University of California at Berkeley.

• Bart Johnson

  CEO, Home In Trust 
  Speaker 
   

  Bart Johnson has enjoyed a 50+ year career as an ‘intrapreneur’ driving ventures (start-ups, builds, turnarounds) to create earnings and market value for a series of mega-mortgage companies (Manufacturers Hanover, Mellon Bank, GE Capital, Lehman Brothers) in leadership positions across the full spectrum of the mortgage business. He ran staff functions (CPA-CFO, Strategic Planning, Risk Management, Business Engineering, Total Quality) before gravitating into line positions (National Production Manager, Securities Operations, Servicing, Off-Shoring, Settlement Services) that resulted in executive responsibilities (CEO, President, COO) with full P & L responsibility. He has served as a board member for several companies, and has deal experience with (buy and sell) M&A transactions totaling nearly $6 billion. Bart is a balanced business executive, an innovative thought leader and transformational change agent with a strategic, futuristic vision… and a team builder and business operator with the appetite for relentless execution. Bart previously served as President of Financial Freedom Senior Funding Corporation, at the time the largest reverse mortgage company in the world, unrivaled in scale and business results in the industry’s history. During his 4-year leadership tenure from 2003 through 2006, the Company experienced 7X growth in unit volume (7,000 loans to 49,000) and 12X growth in dollar volume ($415.7 million to $5.0 billion) in achieving a 64% market share, converted a net loss to a $52+ million after tax profit, and increased market value by $650 million. He assumed a critical reverse mortgage industry leadership role and served as Chairman (2007-2009) of the industry trade group in Washington, D.C. (NRMLA-National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association), and he continues to participate on its Board of Directors today. Bart is currently CEO of HomeInTrust, a new and innovative alternative (non-loan) home equity release product.

• Sonny Kalsi

  President of BentallGreenOak 
  Speaker 
   

  Sonny Kalsi is the President of BentallGreenOak (BGO). He is based in New York and has oversight responsibility for the firm’s global business. BGO is a global real estate investment and management platform with approximately $50BN under management, 22 offices worldwide and over 1,200 employees. Sonny co-founded GreenOak Real Estate in 2010 and together with the team, grew the business from the ground up to $12BN of AUM in 10 countries, with over 100 employees. Sonny was previously the Global Co-Head of Morgan Stanley’s Real Estate Investing (MSREI) business and President of the Morgan Stanley Real Estate Funds until 2009. At its peak, the platform had approximately $100 billion of assets under management in 33 countries. Sonny spent almost 10 years in Asia while at Morgan Stanley, helping build that business into a market-leading platform. Prior to managing MSREI globally, Sonny was based in Asia where, beginning in late 1997 and through his tenure into 2006, he and his team led the formation of Morgan Stanley’s property business and built the leading real estate platform in the region. Sonny is a graduate of Georgetown University with a BS degree in Finance, and is a former member of the Board of Regents of Georgetown University. He serves on the boards of a number of portfolio companies and has been cited in numerous publications for his profile in the real estate industry, including Private Equity Real Estate magazine as one of the “30 Most Influential” people in private equity real estate globally. He is also a board member of Oberoi Realty, a member of the Young Presidents Organization and an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University in the Master of Real Estate Program.

• Nancy Lashine

  Managing Partner & Founder, Park Madison Partners 
  Speaker 
   

  Nancy Lashine is Managing Partner and Founder of Park Madison Partners, a boutique real asset private equity placement firm. Since its formation in 2006, Park Madison has raised over $12 billion in equity for investment strategies in the US, Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Park Madison is currently in the process of raising capital for several best-in-class managers, both in the US and internationally. Park Madison is headquartered in New York City and is a FINRA regulated broker dealer. Ms. Lashine has over 30 years of real estate and investment marketing experience. Prior to forming Park Madison Partners, Ms. Lashine was a strategic consultant advising leading institutional real estate investment managers on product development and the implementation of institutional marketing initiatives. Clients included Lehman Brothers, Angelo Gordon, ING Clarion, Sentinel Real Estate and JER Partners. Ms. Lashine was an early member of The O'Connor Group (1985-1995) and began her finance career at LF Rothschild, Unterberg and Towbin (1981-1985). Ms. Lashine earned her MBA at Columbia University Graduate School of Business, and a BFA, cum laude, from Case Western Reserve in Dance Theatre. She serves on the Columbia MBA Real Estate Advisory Board, the Gibney Dance Center Board, and is a past board member of the Pension Real Estate Association. She is a member of ULI and WX (Executive Women in Real Estate). She holds the Series 7, 63, 24, 79 securities licenses.

• Ben Myers

  Director of Sustainability, Boston Properties 
  Speaker 
   

  Ben Myers is the Director of Sustainability at Boston Properties, one of the largest owners, managers and developers of first-class office and mixed-use properties in the United States. He is an engineer and non-routine project manager with a passion for resource efficiency, healthy workspaces and urban ecosystems. His primary responsibilities include enterprise energy and water management, green building development strategy, distributed generation and storage, energy conservation measure implementation, resiliency planning, sustainability education, communication and public reporting. Prior to joining Boston Properties, Ben was a green building services coordinator at Harvard University and construction project manager. He is a LEED AP BD+C and a Certified Energy Manager. He holds an M.A. in Urban Environmental Leadership from Lesley University and a B.S. in Civil & Environmental Engineering from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

• Toby Moskovits

  Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Heritage Equity Partners 
  Speaker 
   

  Toby Moskovits is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Heritage Equity Partners, a woman-owned real estate and development firm specializing in mixed-use development in the New York metro region. The company’s fast-growing portfolio is comprised of unique, contextualized buildings in some of New York’s outer borough neighborhoods. In addition to the two-million square feet of commercial and residential properties the firm and its partners already completed. Heritage currently has a number of major projects in various stages of development: 25 Kent Avenue, an innovative light industrial and office development in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, targeting tech, creative, and maker tenants; a 190-unit residential rental development at 564 St. John’s Place in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn; a 100,000-square-foot light industrial and office project at 215 Moore Street in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Other successful projects include: conversion of the old St. Vincent de Paul Church, rectory, and school in Manhattan into the Spire Lofts, a 100- unit residential rental building that preserves the original facade and ecclesiastical aesthetics; development of Grand Living, a five- story, 75,000-square-foot building in North Williamsburg, Brooklyn that is fully leased; conversion of the Quarry Building into a 40,000-sf, mixed-use property; and pre-development of 170-unit residential project at 41-21 28th Street in Long Island City, Queens. Since 2009, Toby has been involved in the management of four residential buildings including over 120 units as well as 10,000 square feet of office space. In the coming 6 months, upon completion of additional of her projects she will increase her portfolio of properties under management to include an additional approximately 200 residential units and an additional 60,000 square of office space. Prior to founding Heritage, Ms. Moskovits served as managing director of private equity and venture capital investment activity at Cammeby’s Capital Group, where she also developed a merchant banking practice. Ms. Moskovits, who holds an MBA from Bar Ilan University, also serves on the National Advisory Board of Springtime Enterprises, a nonprofit supporting women’s access to capital markets.mature growth and middle market private equity opportunities. Ms. Moskovits is an active member of Community Board 1 in Brooklyn. She serves as a Chair of the Innovation Committee at the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce and is a member of the advisory council of St Nicks Alliance, supporting their efforts to create job opportunities for residents of North Brooklyn. In addition, she runs a mentorship program at the Williamsburg High School for Architecture & Design, a local public school in Williamsburg whose students learn CAD and are focused on architecture and development. Ms. Moskovits resides in Queens with her three children.

• John Nelson

  Managing Partner, Wall Street Without Walls 
  Conference Organizer 
   

  John Eric Nelson is the managing partner of the Wall Street Without Walls initiative, providing financial technical assistance from finance professionals to community-based organizations and public agencies in order to access the capital markets and for transactions over $3M. Funded by major foundations, WSWW provides capital markets orientation and training programs nationally through the individual banks of the Federal Reserve Bank system and financial technical assistance to community development organizations and public agencies through teams of volunteer finance professionals, including retired and active investment bankers volunteering their expertise as a new form of philanthropy. He recently organized a WSWW exchange between China and the US on “Next Generation Philanthropy.” He earlier served as director of the Corporate Partnership Program at the National Congress for Community Development. Funded as part of the Ford Foundation's Corporate Involvement Initiative, the program facilitated market-driven, business case opportunities with community-based development organizations and minority entrepreneurs in joint venture business investments. He has been involved in comprehensive environmental policy as a senior advisor to the Resource Renewal Institute’s international “Green Plan” initiative and as a consultant to the President’s Council for Sustainable Development during the Clinton administration. Mr. Nelson has over thirty years experience in community economic development, management consulting, and collaborative environmental policy. He designed and managed the Small Business Opportunity Project for HUD to assist public housing residents plan and run their own businesses. He founded the national urban land trust program for the Trust for Public Land and managed non-profit liaison for the Chevrolet-Geo environmental program. Much of his consulting activity has been in the area of multi-sectoral collaboration on behalf of clients in business, government, and the public interest and the design and implementation of corporate social responsibility programs. He is senior advisor for strategic relations at the Institute for Building Technology and Safety. He is Chairman of the Board of Directors for the National Disability Institute, a board member of the Institute for Local Innovation, and previously served on the Board of Overseers of the School of Community Economic Development at Southern New Hampshire University. He is currently on the CRA Advisory Board for BB&T's Washington DC area; the Advisory Board for Impact Community Capital, Waveleand Ventures and for Partners for the Common Good; and a member of the Economic Development Assistance Consortium. Mr. Nelson was the founding President of the William James Foundation, promoting the development of socially responsible businesses by young adults, including a nationwide business plan competition among business and graduate schools. He has spoken as a panelist or keynote speaker before national and regional audiences for numerous conferences over the past 30 years and authored articles in various national publications on innovations in public private partnerships, community development finance, and corporate social responsibility. Mr. Nelson graduated from Yale College and recently co-chaired the class reunion; received his MA degree from the University of Michigan where he also taught social psychology; and has a certification in Community Development Finance from the Milano Graduate School of New School University. He has been a guest lecturer in community development finance at the McDonough Business School at Georgetown University from 2001 to 2012. He was honored by Civic Ventures as a “Purpose Prize” semifinalist in 2009. Married to Kimberly Ballard Nelson for 45 years with two grown children and three grandsons. Likes to play golf and tennis.

• Jim Rehlaender

  Chief Executive Officer, Jaguar Listed Property LLC 
  Speaker 
   

  Jim has 37 years’ experience in the real estate industry including over 20 years managing global real estate securities portfolios. Prior to founding JLP, formerly known as Northwood Securities, Jim spent 14 years with EII Capital Management, Inc. (EII) where he was responsible for all non-US investments and was the co-portfolio manager for global portfolios. He was also on the board of EII’s direct property business and assisted in the development of this business. Prior to EII, Jim had established Global Property Advisors together with Munich Re to focus on global real estate securities, which was ultimately merged into EII when Munich Re decided to exit the business. Jim’s real estate career began when he joined LaSalle Partners (now JLL) where he was involved in the financing, development and management of a variety of property types – hotels, industrial, office, retail and student housing. Jim also was instrumental in establishing the US REIT business at LaSalle as well as their hotel group. Prior to starting his real estate career, Jim was involved in venture capital and international banking. He has lectured in property finance at Yale, Wharton, NYU and his alma mater, Northwestern University, where he received his MBA in finance and marketing.

• Jonathan F.P. Rose

  President, Jonathan Rose Companies 
  Speaker 
   

  Jonathan F.P. Rose’s business, public policy and not-for-profit work all focus on creating more environmentally, socially and economically resilient cities. In 1989, Mr. Rose founded Jonathan Rose Companies LLC, a multi- disciplinary real estate development, planning, and investment firm, which creates real estate and planning models to address the challenges of the 21st century. Jonathan has lead the firm’s vision, program and growth, developing award winning new projects, investment funds and city plans to model solutions to the issues of housing, economic development and the environment. The company’s mission is to develop communities that enhance opportunity for all.The firm’s work touches many aspects of community health; working with cities and not-for-profits to build affordable and mixed-income housing, cultural, health and educational infrastructure, and advocates for neighborhoods to be enriched with parks and open space, mass transit, jobs and healthy food. The firm’s innovative development, planning, investment, and owners representation work has won awards from a wide range of notable organizations including: the Urban Land Institute, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the American Planning Association and the American Institute of Architects. Mr. Rose frequently lectures on affordable housing, community development, smart growth and the environment. Mr. Rose’s book on how to create resilient cities, The Well-Tempered City:What Modern Science, Ancient Civilizations and Human Nature Teach Us About the Future of Urban Life, was published by Harper Wave in 2016, and won the 2017 PROSE Award for Outstanding Scholarly Work by a Trade Publisher. Mr. Rose frequently lectures at graduate schools of business, environment and architecture. In 2015, he held the Yale School of Architecture’s Edward P. Bass Distinguished Visiting Architectural Fellowship. Mr. Rose has testified before U.S. Senate and House Committees on housing, infrastructure and environmental issues, and served as an Advisor to the White House Office of Urban Affairs. Mr. Rose is a Trustee of Enterprise Community Partners and the Brooklyn Academy of Music and the Capital Institute. He serves on the Yale FES Leadership Council. He and his wife Diana Calthorpe Rose are the co-founders of the Garrison Institute and he serves as co-chair on its Board. The Institute connects inner transformation with outer solutions to relieve suffering in the fields of trauma, education and the environment. He is an Honorary Member of the American Institute of Architects and Honorary Trustee of the American Museum of Natural History and Jazz at Lincoln Center. Mr. Rose chaired the Metropolitan Transit Authority’s Blue Ribbon Sustainability Commission, which developed the nation’s first green transit plan, and was a commissioner on Governor Cuomo’s NYS 2100 Commission, tasked with identifying strategies for the long-term resilience of NewYork State’s infrastructure post-Hurricane Sandy. Mr. Rose graduated from Yale University in 1974 with a B.A. in Psychology and Philosophy, and received a Masters in Regional Planning from the University of Pennsylvania in 1980.

• Lindsay Ross

  Senior Analyst, Four Twenty Seven 
  Speaker 
   

  Lindsay Ross is a Senior Analyst covering macroeconomic risks on the client services team at Four Twenty Seven, where she helps clients, including asset managers, asset owners, multilateral development banks and real estate investment trusts understand the economic and financial impacts of physical climate change. Previously she worked for the U.S. International Trade Commission, assisting with macroeconomic research on the impacts of international trade on the U.S. economy. Lindsay studied at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, focusing on energy, resources, and the environment, as well as international finance and economics.

• Murat Sagman

  Founder, Sagam Strategy Consultancy 
  Speaker 
   

  Murat Sağman was born in 1972, in Paris. He was graduated from Galatasaray High School in 1992. He completed University of Sorbonne in France with a bachelor degree on economics and finance with honours. Also he had a master degree from University of Sorbonne in the area of banking and finance. After getting short experience at the Treasury Department of Paris Credit Lyonnais and the Paris Stock Exchange in 1997, he began to work Treasury Department of Alfa Securities in Turkey, in 1998. In 2000, he worked as a trader in Broadway trading firm that is in the U.S. Nasdaq Stock Exchange. After being the head of U.S. Markets in Paris Refco in 2002, he joined to Akbank Private Banking as the investment manager who is responsible of the international capital markets and equities in 2004. Between December 2005 and August 2011 he served as Director of Finansbank Private Banking. Between 2011 and 2015 he served as Founding Partner and General Manager of AZ Notus Asset Management. In 2006, he was awarded prize by Private Banking Conference which was sponsored by LM Investment Management in Dubai and attended by 100 professional in the banking sector. In 2008, he has been called to the European Private Banking Conference as the first speaker from Turkey. He also served as moderator of the conference and session chair. Between 2008 and 2014, he was a lecturer at Galatasaray University and give lectures of “Financial Markets”. Since 2016, he is a lecturer at Bilgi University. In 2011, he was elected by a registered instructor of Banks Association of Turkey. He is a frequent commentator in news and economic channels and has been frequently invited to provide his views on economy and financial markets on conference and panels, organized especially by the trade and commerce chambers of Aegean and Anatolian cities. He is a member of Young Businessman and Managers Association (GYİAD), Certified Financial Accountant (CFA) and Financial Literacy Association (FODER). He is a member of the Club of Galatasaray and Galatasaray High School Alumni Association. He has been awarded in 2017 “The Best Commentator in Economy in Turkey” by Ekonomize Magazine and Ege University. He speaks Turkish, English, German, French and İtalian.

• Cherie Santos-Wuest

  Managing Partner, Celadon Venture Advisors, LLC 
  Conference Organizer 
   

  Cherie Santos-Wuest is the Managing Partner at Celadon Venture Advisors, LLC, a Real Estate Advisory Service that provides investment strategy and real estate portfolio marketing consultation. Prior to this she served as the Principal Investment Officer with the CT State Pension funds, where she managed $2.5 billion in real estate investments, and integrated ESG policies into underwriting for portfolio investments. Previously, she served as Director of Global Social and Community Investments at TIAA-CREF, where she launched a $50 million green building venture capital fund and managed a $600 million SRI real estate portfolio. In other positions at TIAA-CREF, Ms. Santos-Wuest served as a Director in TIAA’s Global Private Markets group, responsible for originating over $1.2 billion in large loan investments in various territories across the United States and Canada. A full member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI), she was responsible for helping to launch ULI’s Responsible Property Investment Product Council, which she chaired between 2010 and 2012. Ms. Santos-Wuest has spoken at numerous industry panels and seminars on investment management, urban revitalization, sustainable development, ESG integration and climate change finance. Cherie holds a BS in Architecture from the University of Virginia, an MS in Architecture from Yale University, and an MS in Real Estate Development from MIT. Ms. Santos-Wuest currently serves as a Board Trustee for the NHP Foundation, a not-for-profit affordable housing development firm, with offices in NYC and Wash., D.C., where she serves on various committees. Ms. Santos-Wuest was recently awarded the Vanguard Leader of the Year by the Council of Urban Real Estate (CURE) in NYC, for her work in fostering diversity and social equity in the Real Estate industry.

• Peter Stelian

  CEO & Co-Founder, Blue Vista 
  Speaker 
   

  Peter Stelian is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Blue Vista. Peter is responsible for the development of the firm’s investment strategies, as well as the formation of Peak Campus, Blue Vista’s student housing management and development platform. Peter sits on the firm’s Board of Directors, Management Committee and Investment Committees, and the board of Peak Campus Companies. Prior to forming Blue Vista, Peter was the President of OurHouse.com, the outsourced home improvement and services ecommerce platform for Ace Hardware. In this role, Peter raised $125mm in venture capital funding for OurHouse and ultimately sold the operations to Amazon. Prior to OurHouse.com, Peter spent 11 years at LaSalle Partners (now JLL), where he co-developed the firm's CMBS investment platform and ultimately ran the firm’s domestic capital markets platform. During his tenure, Peter completed over $6 billion of real estate transactions at LaSalle Partners/JLL in either a principal or advisory capacity. Prior to that, Peter was a financial analyst in Brown Brothers Harriman's in their M&A group. Peter earned an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a BS in Economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Peter sits on the NMHC National Student Housing Advisory Council and is a member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI).

• Karen Whitt

  President of Real Estate Management Services US, Colliers International 
  Speaker 
   

  Ms. Whitt oversees a management portfolio of 575 million square feet throughout the United States and leads business development activities. She is responsible for ensuring professional, competent management in all of Colliers markets. She focuses on strategically connecting Colliers’ retail, industrial, office and multifamily, brokerage investment sales, project management and property management groups to provide investor clients with complete real estate solutions. Based in Washington, DC, Ms. Whitt specializes in the delivery of holistic real estate solutions that leverage the strengths of working with one company to add value to client assets. Ms. Whitt has more than 20 years of experience in property management on both coasts. Prior to joining Colliers, Ms. Whitt served as the President of Management Services/Strategic Accounts with Grubb & Ellis for four years. Before working there, she was a Principal with Trammell Crow Company (TCC) for nine years. She began her career in San Diego and she has directly managed office, retail and mixed-use portfolios for large institutional clients like TIAA-CREF, Clarion Partners, UBS and Principal. She holds a BA from Villanova University.

Additional Information

• Helpful Conference Information:

  
  HOTEL

  Hotels rooms are available on a limited basis due to several citywide events during the conference.  Rooms remain available at The Study at Yale Hotel, The Omni New Haven Hotel at Yale, The Blake Hotel,  and the Courtyard by Marriott New Haven at Yale Hotel .

  TRANSPORTATION

  • SOM’s Edward P. Evans hall is located at 165 Whitney Avenue, New Haven, CT.
  • New Haven Union Station is about one mile from SOM Evans Hall and is served by Amtrak and Metro North trains.  Please check the Metro North website for the most current schedule.
  • Taxis are available at Union Station and cost about $10.00 to get to Evans Hall.
  • Uber is also available in New Haven.

  
  Local Taxi Companies:

  • Yellow Cab: (203) 777-7777
  • Quick Taxi: (203) 777-7778
  • City Wide Taxi: (203) 777-0007