James Ray is a Director at MetLife Investment Management in Dallas, Texas. He oversees regional commercial real estate acquisitions and has sourced, negotiated, and closed investments totaling $2.5 billion across all major product types. Prior to joining MetLife’s Dallas team, he worked in MetLife Investments headquarters and focused on portfolio management, loan sales, and portfolio acquisitions. Since moving to Dallas in 2010, James has invested significant time and energy into improving local education systems. After Dallas ISD elections were cancelled in 2011 due to a lack of candidate interest, James co-founded DallasKidsFirst, which helped spur voter engagement. DKF has scored 40+ school board candidates, raised more than $800,000, knocked on 30,000 doors, sent 80,000 mailers and registered hundreds of new voters. James has served as an adjunct faculty member at New York University, UNT, and SMU and currently teaches undergraduate and MBA classes at SMU. Additionally, he co-founded CRE Analyst, an open-enrollment commercial real estate training program aimed at giving women, people of color, and ex-military members tools to enter and thrive in commercial real estate. James received a B.S. in Economics from Arizona State University and an M.S. in Real Estate with a finance major from New York University. James is a member of ULI, The Real Estate Council of Dallas and has been a member of TREC’s PAC board, education committee and ALC steering committee. James has been to Dallas Business Journal’s 40 Under 40, D CEO's Dallas 500, and the Dallas Regional Chamber's Leadership Dallas.

Tony Ruggeri joined Republic Property Group in 2005 and currently serves as the Co-President and Partner responsible for political affairs, city entitlements, commercial development, construction, legal and human resources. Tony is also the project manager for the Phillips Creek Ranch and Light Farms communities. During his tenure at RPG, Tony has successfully negotiated multiple municipal development agreements, 380 agreements and planned development districts. He has also petitioned and conducted as local option election, negotiated a special taxing overlay district and added legislative powers to MUDs and FWSDs. Prior to joining RPG, Tony worked in retail brokerage for CB Richard Ellis in Dallas. Tony graduated cum laude from Boston College. He attended high school at St. Mark’s School in Dallas.

With over 25 years of experience, David Pettit oversees economic development and real estate development projects for David Pettit Economic Development, LLC. David focuses on public/private partnerships for medium to large size real estate projects. His efforts include conducting feasibility analysis, contract negotiations and financing mechanisms such as TIF, abatements, and rebates, for both public and private sector clients. David’s extensive experience with multifaceted complex projects provides him with unique insight and creative solutions for complex problems. His previous projects include the successful development and redevelopment of The Tower, Midtown, Montgomery Plaza, West 7th and corporate headquarters for RadioShack, Pier One, and Acme Brick in Fort Worth. Additionally, he has both managed and created multiple tax increment reinvestment zones and public improvement districts addressing a wide range of issues throughout the state of Texas.

Lou has 30 years of experience in the construction industry, including project management and estimating. As vice president of estimating, Lou oversees the estimating department and collaborates closely with the team to develop budgets and proposals, manage schedules, and balance workloads. Additionally, he provides mentoring, fosters personnel development, motivates, and empowers individuals to reach their highest potential. Clients and colleagues trust Lou to identify concerns, overcome obstacles, generate solutions, and deliver exceptional results.

As a Managing Director for Agency Leasing at Cushman & Wakefield, Matt Schendle represents more than 4 million square feet of property in the company’s Investor Services portfolio. He has more than 15 years of commercial real estate experience, all in Dallas. Previous positions include Vice President Leasing, Cousins Properties; Senior Associate, Stream Realty Partners; Real Estate Representative, Opus South; and Leasing Associate, The Avex Group.

For nearly 30 years, Paris Rutherford has had a consistent track record in the creation of market-leading mixed-use, residential and transit-oriented districts. His focus is delivering profitable urban investment that capitalizes on the broader community’s desire for Great Places as defined through design, market and social success. He has worked on hallmark destinations across the United States, and was instrumental in the rejuvenation of urban communities in Dallas, Houston, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Denver, Atlanta and other cities through walkable urbanism. Since Catalyst’s inception, Mr. Rutherford has guided the company’s award-winning development and strategic planning efforts following a methodology that generates innovative investment, successful relationships, and enhanced market demand. Prior to forming Catalyst, Mr. Rutherford was a managing partner at RTKL Associates where he lead the firm’s planning division across eight global offices and served on its Board of Directors. His work has received over 95 awards including ULI’s Impact Award, and he has been published or highlighted in such publications as The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Urban Land Magazine. He has been asked to speak at a host of venues including the National Press Club, ULI, ICSC, CNU and others, and been featured on national broadcasts such as CNBC’s Closing Bell and PBS’s News Hour. Mr. Rutherford is a graduate of the University of Southern California and Harvard University.

Mr. George Huang, Ph.D., CFA, is a partner at Bridge Tower Management. Mr. Huang served as Senior Vice President of Business Development at Retrophin Inc. He served as Senior Analyst at Sabretooth Capital. He is a precocious and multi-faceted individual with successful track records in finance, healthcare, research and real estate. He started out in graduate school doing his thesis research in the lab of Chemistry Nobel Laureate Professor Peter Agre MD at the Johns Hopkins University. After graduating with his PhD in 2006, he became an Editor with Stansberry Research and wrote an investment research newsletter which had a loyal following among biotech-savvy Wall Street institutional clients. In 2014, George left New York to co-found Bridge Tower, a real estate investment fund.

Paige Shipp has been a real estate professional for over 20 years. As a land planner and landscape designer, Paige played an instrumental role in creating communities for some of DFW’s largest developers and builders. Paige also spent two years working as Sales Director for Ashton Woods Homes. She then joined Mercedes Homes where she ultimately assumed the role of Vice President of Land Acquisition and Development for the state of Texas. Later, as a Project Director for Hines, she oversaw all aspects of a complex residential and commercial project. Prior to Metrostudy, Paige worked as a Senior Manager at John Burns Real Estate Consulting where she conducted feasibility studies and strategic planning engagements for home builders, developers and investors. At Metrostudy, Paige served as the Regional Director for Metrostudy in Dallas-Ft. Worth. Paige worked with homebuilders, developers and lenders to make informed decisions by interpreting extensive market data and research. Currently, Paige is the Vice President of Market Research for CDCG Asset Management where she is underwriting and managing over $1.5 billion in residential real estate. Additionally, Paige is a Licensed Broker in the State of Texas and received her Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from the University of Illinois.

As Director of Land, Wes Homeyer’s current responsibilities include site selection, land acquisition, design, and disposition of current and future projects. Prior to joining ECM, Wes worked at David Weekley Homes as Land Acquisition Manager where he was responsible for site selection, land acquisition and design for over $467 MM in development. Before David Weekley Homes, Wes gained early career experience at Pulte Group in multiple roles including land acquisition, resource planning, sales and marketing, and purchasing. WesAs Director of Land, Wes Homeyer’s current responsibilities include site selection, land acquisition, design, and disposition of current and future projects. Prior to joining ECM, Wes worked at David Weekley Homes as Land Acquisition Manager where he was responsible for site selection, land acquisition and design for over $467 MM in development. Before David Weekley Homes, Wes gained early career experience at Pulte Group in multiple roles including land acquisition, resource planning, sales and marketing, and purchasing. Wes received his B.B.A. from the University of North Texas and his M.B.A. from Southern Methodist University. He is an active member of the Urban Land Institute and the Folsom Institute at SMU Cox School of Business. He and his wife, Kacee, live in Arlington, Texas and are the proud parents of one daughter. received his B.B.A. from the University of North Texas and his M.B.A. from Southern Methodist University. He is an active member of the Urban Land Institute and the Folsom Institute at SMU Cox School of Business. He and his wife, Kacee, live in Arlington, Texas and are the proud parents of one daughter.

Tim Glass, AICP is the Director of Planning for the Las Colinas Association (LCA), the property management and business marketing association for one of the world's premier master-planned communities located in Irving, Texas. Tim has been involved in the full range of economic development planning activities in the Dallas-Fort Worth region since 2007. Prior to joining LCA, as manager of the Research and Information Division for the City of Dallas Office of Economic Development, where he led the research, technology, and planning efforts required to successfully conduct economic development policy and practice in a large, maturing urban center. Current areas of focus include transit-oriented development policy, Salesforce integration, digital marketing strategy, and redevelopment strategy in low-income Dallas neighborhoods. Tim was instrumental in the creation of the City of Dallas EB-5 Regional Center through his work in economic modeling. During Tim’s tenure, the City of Dallas has created innovative public-private partnerships through national leadership in EB-5, New Markets Tax Credits, tax-increment financing, and other programs designed to catalyze development in underserved markets. Prior to joining Dallas, Tim worked in East St. Louis, IL and New Orleans, LA on urban revitalization projects. Tim has been a member of the ULI North Texas District Council’s Advisory Board since 2010, was chair of the 2016 ULI Fall Meeting Local Marketing & Messaging Committee, previously serving as chair of the local Membership & Communications committee. He is a member of the national Public-Private Partnership Product Council (Blue Flight). A Detroit-area native, Tim holds a Masters in Urban Planning from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Planning and Public Administration from Miami (OH) University.

Todd is a Senior Managing Director in the Dallas office of JLL Capital Markets, Americas. He joined JLL as part of the HFF acquisition and has more than 20 years of experience in commercial real estate finance and property advisory. He has worked on numerous investment brokerage, sale/leasebacks and joint venture arrangements on behalf of institutional and corporate clients in the southwestern United States. Over the course of his career, he’s been involved in more than $18 billion in commercial real estate transactions.

David Gunderson is an entrepreneurial business leader with founder and executive management experience of several commercial real estate companies, integrating finance, design, construction, and development. He has over twenty-five years of experience representing income-producing real estate investors, owners, and developers, managing a variety of investment real estate projects with overall performance responsibility. Mr. Gunderson uses his real estate experience as an architect, FINRA-licensed investment banker, and developer, creating opportunities for Texas real estate investors. He is currently developing a modular multifamily project in the Cedars.

David Leininger Strategic Advisor Sasaki Associates Dallas, TX Leininger affiliated with Sasaki as Strategic Advisor in April, 2018 where he provides advice and counsel in regard to public private partnership investments, urban mobiity strategies, and transit oriented development. In addition to his affiliation with Sasaki, Leininger founded Leininger Analytics, a personal consultancy vehicle through which he advises technology firms specializing in mobility and multimodal mobile ticketing and payments solutions. He retired from Dallas Area Rapid Transit in July,2018 where he had served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer since 2008. During his tenure DART issued over $2 Billion in bonds and added nearly 30 miles of light rail. Under his direction in 2013 DART introduced one of the first comprehensive mobile ticketing and payment platform for a public transit agency in North America. The platform is called GoPass, serves three regional transit agencies and has subsequently integrated access to UBER and LYFT ridesharing services and a real time, on demand bus service called GoLink. In 2011 Leininger was recognized by the Dallas Business Journal as CFO of the Year for Governmental Agencies. He is past Chair of the American Public Transportation Association Financial Management Committee; a member of ULI’s TOD Product Council; and the co-chair of the North Texas TOD Product Council. Prior to joining DART, Leininger was associated with the City of Irving for five years, serving initially in the capacity of CFO and subsequently as Managing Director of Development Services and Economic Initiatives. His previous public sector experience includes positions as Budget Director and Director of the Office of Economic Development for the City of Dallas and Fiscal Services Administrator for the City of Garland. Leininger spent nearly twenty-five years in the private sector in a variety of real estate development roles, including Senior Vice President and Managing Director of the Recreational Real Estate practice of Economics Research Associates, Chief Executive Officer of ClubCorp Realty, Chief Operating Officer of Triland International, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Network Security, Founder and Chairman of MultiNet Communications Corporation, Founder and Chairman of Community Management Associates, and Vice President and General Manager of the Las Colinas Association which serves the 6,500-acre Las Colinas development in Irving, Texas. June 2018

Dr. Michael Hinojosa has served over 26 years as a superintendent/CEO of six public education systems, including two of the 25 largest school systems in America, Dallas ISD in Texas and the Cobb County School District in suburban Atlanta, Georgia. His career in public education, from teacher and coach to superintendent/CEO, spans more than four decades. With a firm belief that education and not environment is the key to a student’s success, he has led several school districts to improved student achievement. Dr. Hinojosa’s recognitions include being named 2002 Superintendent of the Year by the Texas Association of School Boards and 2005 Superintendent of the Year by the University of Texas at Austin. He was honored as Distinguished Alumnus by the College of Education at Texas Tech University and as the Outstanding Latino Educator by the Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents in 2014. In 2019, D Magazine named Dr. Hinojosa the “Best Public Official” in Dallas. The Council of the Great City Schools recently awarded him the Green-Garner Award, the highest honor in urban education, as the 2020 Urban Educator of the Year. Dr. Hinojosa is also a past president of the Texas Association of School Administrators. Dr. Hinojosa, a proud graduate of Dallas ISD, holds a doctorate in education from the University of Texas at Austin. He and wife Kitty have two sons, graduates of Princeton University and Harvard University. He has a son from a previous marriage who graduated from Texas Tech University. All three attended Dallas ISD for a significant portion of their K-12 careers.

Marc A. Nivet, EdD, MBA, has served as the Executive Vice President for Institutional Advancement at UT Southwestern Medical Center since September 2016. A nationally-renown thought leader and highly regarded change agent, Dr. Nivet leads an extensive team which works to elevate awareness, improve engagement, and build relationships to advance the academic medical center’s mission. During his tenure at UT Southwestern, he has led a transformational shift, shaping disparate departments into the Institutional Advancement administrative area. This more cohesive and matrixed team works within a coordinated strategic plan and provides the foundational elements needed to better position the institution on the national and international levels. Noteworthy achievements since his arrival include UT Southwestern being ranked by U.S. News & World Report as the #1 Best Hospitals in Dallas-Fort Worth and #2 in Texas for four consecutive years; an increase in donor support year over year, even during the pandemic, resulting in $1.2 billion raised over five years; and an optimization of Technology Development & Commercialization, which increased the number of licenses and spun out three biotech companies with deals totaling more than $2 billion. To engage the base of former UT Southwestern Medical School graduates more effectively, Dr. Nivet also worked to create the Office of Alumni Relations, resulting in the growth of both donations and active participation by former students. Concurrently, he led the development team in the creation of a grateful patient initiative that continues to recognize exceptional clinical care while also cultivating a strong donor base. Among his enhancements in the marketing and communication areas, he restructured teams to improve the patient experience through increased use of digital mediums, personalized approaches to interaction, and new technologies. Further, to ensure that UTSW optimizes its potential as a highly diverse, inclusive, and equitable organization, Dr. Nivet elevated and expanded the work of the Office of Institutional Equity and Access, including enhancing the performance and training metrics to better measure success. In addition to his administrative roles, Dr. Nivet is an Associate Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine, lecturing on health equity, diversity and inclusion, and underrepresented populations in academic medicine, and conducting research on the demographic and distribution of the physician workforce. He has an extensive publication record on health care manpower issues, with a specific focus on geographic and demographic makeup, and is a highly sought-after speaker on health and healthcare issues. Dr. Nivet works collaboratively with faculty and key leadership in the UT Southwestern Medical School, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, and School of Health Professions on these and other important issues. He is also the program lead/executive sponsor for the combined UT Dallas/UT Southwestern MBA degree program partnership, a degree program focused on healthcare management, and serves as the principal mentor and advisor for students throughout their final “capstone” research project. Dr. Nivet has spent over 25 years in academic medicine, developing creative program initiatives and innovative approaches in support of research, medical education, and patient care. Prior to his role at UT Southwestern, Dr. Nivet was Chief Diversity Officer for the Association of American Medical Colleges, consulting with medical schools and teaching hospitals on community engagement, diversity, and health equity. He also served as the COO and Treasurer for the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation, which aligns workforce training with the dynamic needs of patients, and he was special assistant to the Senior Vice President for Health at New York University. He previously held management positions with the Sallie Mae Fund and the Associated Medical Schools of New York. Dr. Nivet earned his Doctorate in Higher Education Management from the University of Pennsylvania and his Master of Business Administration degree with a focus on health care management from George Washington University’s School of Business. Dr. Nivet is a Fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine, and a former President of the National Association of Medical Minority Educators. He currently serves the academic medicine community on a variety of boards and commissions. He is a member of The Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine Board of Directors, The Samuel DeWitt Proctor Institute for Leadership, Equity, and Justice at Rutgers University, and the Southern Connecticut State University Alumni Association. He is an advisor to the ETS Policy Evaluation and Research Council, as well as an advisor to the President of The Hastings Center in Garrison, NY. He is a former trustee of both the Arnold P. Gold Foundation and the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Institute of the Health Professions. In the local community, he also serves on the North Dallas Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and the board of KERA, the local not-for-profit public media organization which is a National Public Radio (NPR) and Public Broadcasting (PBS) member station.

Robby Rieke is a Director in Cushman & Wakefield’s Dallas office with over fifteen years’ experience in commercial real estate. With a primary focus on industrial investment sales, Robby has handled industrial real estate sales for major corporate, institutional and entrepreneurial owners. During the course of his career, Robby has been involved in the sale of more than 34 million square feet in industrial real estate totaling $1.8 Billion in transaction volume. Robby joined Cushman & Wakefield in September 2015. Prior to that, he was a Director in Holliday Fenoglio Fowler’s Dallas office. He was with Comerica Bank-Texas where he worked in the Real Estate and Middle Market lending groups.

Ramsey March is a Managing Director and Partner at Stream Realty Partners in the Dallas-Ft. Worth office. Ramsey oversees Stream’s office and mixed-use development and investment activities in the DFW market along with expansion of Stream’s third-party leasing and development services platform. Ramsey’s prior experience includes more than 8 years with Rockwood Real Estate Advisors in New York where he was involved in all aspects of $2 billion in capital market transactions throughout the United States. He began his career in Dallas with Archon Group, where he supervised a portfolio of non-performing loans, mezzanine/preferred equity investments and REO on behalf of investment funds controlled by Goldman Sachs. Ramsey is a graduate of Baylor University where he received a BBA in Finance and Columbia University where he received an MS in Real Estate Development.

Randy is an Executive Vice President of JLL Industrial Services Division. Randy’s client services include landlord and tenant representation, development and land, asset acquisitions and dispositions. As a 27 year Dallas/Fort Worth market veteran, Randy has completed lease transactions totaling more than 14 million square feet and developed over 900 acres of industrial and residential land. Randy received his Bachelor of Science from the University of Texas at Austin, his Master’s in Business Administration from Southern Methodist University and his Ranch Management Certificate from Texas Christian University. He is involved with the North Texas Commercial Association of Real Estate Professionals, the North Texas Chapter of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP), a member of the Salesmanship Club of Dallas serving children in South Dallas, he has been on the board of the Highland Park Presbyterian Day School, a Founding Family and past president of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Kurt Griffin is the co-lead for Cushman & Wakefield’s Industrial Agency Leasing team in Dallas-Fort Worth. He is a veteran of the commercial real estate business whose specialties include agency leasing, tenant representation, site selection, building sales, land sales and build to suits. Kurt is widely recognized as a Dallas-Fort Worth market expert with a deep knowledge and understanding of industrial real estate. He and his team determine a customized facility solution for each client by conducting supply chain analyses and carefully considering their logistics strategies. Over the course of his successful career, he has built his business around a client-centric, best-in-class service model. He has closed over 50 million square feet of transactions totaling in excess of $1 billion in value and has been the recipient of numerous Top Producer awards. Prior to joining Cushman & Wakefield, Kurt was an Executive Vice President with JLL where he helped establish the firm’s Agency Leasing team. During his time with JLL, his team’s portfolio of industrial commercial real estate totaled more than 15 million square feet. In the last two years alone, Kurt and his team at Cushman & Wakefield have closed more than 8 million square feet of leasing transactions, sold 2.6 million square feet of buildings, sold nearly 1,000 acres of land, and been involved in 10.5 million square feet of new industrial developments.

Bill Seery is the Vice President of Business Development and Marketing at SurePods. SurePods is the leading producer of pre-fabricated modular bathrooms in North America. Bill was one of the original founders of this technology, helping to introduce it as Eggrock starting in 2004 in Concord MA. Bill has successfully ramped up the business by introducing SurePods’ technology into new construction projects with some of the largest and preeminent developers, contractors and architects. Bill has also overseen SurePods being approved by virtually every hospitality brand including Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, Intercontinental, Omni and others. He is currently working on expanding the product's utilization in Multi-Family, Student Housing and other new markets. Bill has built a national team of Sales executives skilled at conceptually selling disruptive technology into an industry that is extremely resistant to innovation. SurePods has been implemented into over 100 new construction projects in the U.S., Canada and elsewhere in North America with over 30,000 "pods" in current use. Bill is a former winner of the Shingo prize while at Aspect Medical Systems and speaks nationally on both modular and lean construction. His background also includes significant roles of rapidly expanding businesses for both The MathWorks (Software) and Aspect Medical Systems (Med Device and Software).

Steve Modory Co-Managing Partner Champion Partners Steve Modory joined Champion Partners in 1993, bringing to the company transactional, financing, asset/portfolio management, and other experience in a variety of real estate investment endeavors. At Champion, Modory is responsible for managing various investment, finance, and ongoing debt and equity capital relationship activities within the company. These duties are primarily for principal-related investments and developments, both on a speculative and build-to-suit basis, as well as property/asset dispositions. Prior to joining Champion, Modory was affiliated with Trammell Crow Ventures in Dallas from 1987 to 1993. At Trammell Crow, Modory was initially involved with the analysis and closing of principal investments for two institutional investment funds with in excess of $2 billion in assets. For these same investment funds, he later handled all fund-level portfolio management and finance activities. Outside of ULI, his civic and professional affiliations have included the Red Cross North Texas Chapter (past Board Chair), the Real Estate Council of North Texas (past Foundation Board Chair), and the NAIOP North Texas Chapter (past Board Chair). Currently within ULI, Modory is a member of the Office Development Council (and past Council Chair) and is the current chair of the Dallas - Fort Worth District Council. Modory is a 1987 graduate of Stanford University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics.

Donald R. Powell, Jr., AIA has been working in the architectural industry for years, recently celebrating 43 years with BOKA Powell in Dallas, TX. Mr. Powell is a founding principal of BOKA Powell. Since graduating from Ball State University with an architecture degree, he has worked to expand on his craft and has become an expert master planner and designer. He has master planned and designed over 50 million square feet of major projects including shell building and interior design. Mr. Powell has completed designs for a variety of building types including office, hospitality, retail, industrial, high tech and government. He has served as chairman of the City of Parker Planning and Zoning Commission and has served on the Board of Directors for the Make a Wish Foundation of North Texas.

Farukh Aslam is a commercial real estate developer based in Fort Worth focusing on hotels, office buildings and upscale apartments. In 1999 he started in Telecom infrastructure and focused on VOIP when it was still in its infancy. At that time he started a company overseas to set up Asia’s 3 rd largest FTTH (Fiber to the Home) network which today has grown to over 800 employees. Lately his focus is “Digital Building” and “IOT” in commercial buildings. A pioneer for use of PoE technology, he has been key in working with companies to make products such as PoE window shade and drapery motors, in-room mini bars, smart mirrors, and custom lighting. He is also working very closely with LG to make 55” OLED TVs and VRF AC units to be powered using PoE. In addition, Mr. Aslam currently owns the only UL 924 rated Lithium Ion Battery in the world that has replaced a diesel generator for emergency back up building power. After success in the development world, Farukh has now started a brand new design and consulting company called Sinclair Digital which will continue to help innovate and facilitate smart building design.

Penny Diaz is the founding Principal of DOMUS Studio Group Inc. and directs the firm's design, operations, and client relations. She is responsible for translating the client's vision into a responsive solution while staying within budget. Penny Diaz is committed to the architecture profession and its ability to provide sustainable built solutions. Her dedication to “exceptional service by design” has earned her loyal clients in multifamily and mixed-use. She delivers design solutions for a wide scope of projects creating built environments for single lots, urban centers, and suburban rejuvenation. She is constantly pushing forward to utilize new technologies to benefit her client, the end user, and the surrounding environment. She translates a client's program into a responsive design solution - all while staying within budget and on schedule. Through this experience Penny has gained extensive experience working with governmental entities at the federal, state, county and city levels. She provides a voice of reason even in the most chaotic of meetings. Penny approaches projects with excellent insight and clear direction. She has the unique ability to manage the project on a macro scale and foresee future complications on all areas of design. She is licensed in six states and holds a certificate from the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards. Through her designs, she endeavors to elevate the dwelling from refuge, shelter or commodity architecture to a source of vitality. Penny believes that affordability should be the cornerstone to a sustainable and socially responsible multifamily project.

Drew is a member of Winstead's Public Finance Practice Group. Drew’s practice focuses on the use of special districts (public improvement districts, tax increment reinvestment zones, municipal utility districts, municipal management districts and the like) and development incentives (380 Agreements) as tools for the development of master planned residential and mixed use communities. She has experience representing issuers, underwriters, and developers in municipal bond and economic development transactions for governmental capital projects, residential real estate development, utility projects, education projects and healthcare projects. Drew’s experience ranges from traditional general obligation bonds to development bonds, with a particular emphasis on complex special high-yield revenue monetization tools. She frequently represents underwriters in municipal bond public offerings, and counsels on securities law disclosure issues, and MSRB and SEC rules. Drew also has experience negotiating and implementing economic development incentive packages with state and local governments for companies that are relocating or expanding.

Dr. J.H. Cullum Clark is the Director of the Bush Institute-SMU Economic Growth Initiative where he is responsible for managing various aspects of the new partnership between the Department of Economics and the Bush Institute and leads the Initiative's work on domestic economic policy and economic growth. His chief research interests are macroeconomic policy, economic geography and urban economics, and modern economic history. Dr. Clark worked for 24 years in the investment industry, serving since 2002 as President of Prothro Clark Company, a Dallas investment firm. In addition to his time in the PhD program, his involvement with SMU includes serving since 2008 on the University’s Investment Committee, since 2010 on the Tate Lecture Series Board of Directors, and since 2017 as a Tower Center Fellow. He also serves on the boards of the Eugene McDermott Foundation and Uplift Education, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Dallas Committee on Foreign Relations, and the Dallas Assembly. He and his wife Nita have three daughters: Lili (21), Annabel (19), and Charlotte (15).

Marty Wieder is the City of Grand Prairie’s Economic Development Director. Prior to joining Grand Prairie in May 2016, he served as Director, Economic Development with the City of Colleyville for almost 7 years. Marty also previously worked with GSBS Architects’ Texas Office (where he earned his American Institute of Certified Planners credentials) as Director of Marketing, Planning & Project Development, as well as in economic development-related positions with the City of North Richland Hills (NRH), the Northeast Tarrant and Arlington Chambers of Commerce and at the North Central Texas Council of Governments. Marty grew up in Arlington, Texas—where he observed the work (and very early in his career got the opportunity to work with) historic Mayor Tom Vandergriff. Marty attended the University of Texas at Arlington, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Communication (1983) and later a Master’s Degree in Urban Affairs (1988). Marty is a member of the International Economic Development Council, the American Planning Association and its Economic Development Division, the Urban Land Institute and the International Council of Shopping Centers (which tapped him as a Delegate on their P3 Retail Program Advisory Committee in 2015). He is a Director on the North Texas Commission Board and is a Class 4 (2012-13) graduate of the North Texas Commission’s Leadership North Texas program. He is a Service Lead Deacon at the Gateway Church NRH campus. Fort Worth Business selected Marty to be among its first “Top 40 under 40” List in 1994. The Texas Career and Technology Council & Vocational-Technical Education Foundation of Texas recognized him and other NRH officials in 1999 as "Best in Texas" for backing the Birdville Independent School District. The Northeast Tarrant Chamber granted him Chairman’s Awards in 1994 and 2001 for fostering economic development programs (which the Texas Chamber of Commerce Executives recognized in 2001 as “Best in the State”) and its Gertrude Tarpley Director of the Year Award in 2003. The University of Texas at Arlington selected him to be among the Recognized Alumni of the School of Urban & Public Affairs in 2013 and the Colleyville Area Chamber of Commerce granted him their Leadership Award in 2015. Marty and his wife Bonnie have four children—Casey (who's married Tracie Calhoun Wieder and has one daughter named McKenzie), Carleigh (who's married Scott Long), Collin (who recently married Jillian England) and Christian.

Steve Aldrich serves as Senior Vice President of Office Development at Hillwood, the developer of AllianceTexas. He is responsible for leading the marketing, leasing and development strategy for the office, mixed-use and hotel product within the 27,000-acre AllianceTexas project. During his 23 years at Hillwood, Aldrich has been involved with over 25 million square feet of speculative development, build-to-suit and leasing activities representing over $950 million in aggregate value. Since joining Hillwood, Aldrich has been a key player in the development of AllianceTexas which has grown from approximately 10 million square feet to over 53 million square feet. Aldrich has worked with some of the world’s largest corporations including Mercedes-Benz Financial Services, Charles Schwab, TD Ameritrade, DynCorp International, Textron, Marriott International, Amazon, LG Electronics, Grainger, and Walmart.com. Aldrich’s extensive marketing and development experience includes all aspects of real estate transactions including building development, leasing, sales, planning and large master-planned business park development. Aldrich is a member of the Salesmanship Club of Dallas. He was awarded the Young Citizen’s Award by NTCAR in 2006 and he received the Heavy Hitters top industrial leasing broker award in 2008 and 2010 from the Dallas Business Journal.

Nadia Christian serves as a Partner for Wolverine Interests. Nadia transitioned into real estate after a 15-year career in behavioral health. In 2014, she founded a very successful construction company, Petersen Construction, specializing in building custom homes and construction management services. That eventually led to a partnership with Wolverine Interests. Nadia focuses on mixed-use development projects and supports asset management with cloud-based building performance tracking and project management tracking software. Nadia has exceptional knowledge of construction management and oversees multifamily development projects and works closely with FHA MAP Underwriter on the 221 (d) (4) New Construction. Firmly committed to the philosophy, enriching peoples lives through communities; Nadia enjoys being involved in mixed-use developments where she can enrich the lives of others by creating environments and experiences, valued community assets that we call mixed-use developments. Nadia’s sphere of influence expands beyond real estate and into the community at large. She is actively involved in and understands the value of communities, it’s schools, and it’s different neighborhood dynamics. Her community involvement proves her to be not just a real estate professional, but also a trusted advisor. She is known for her integrity and equanimity in difficult situations. As a tech enthusiast, Nadia creates and implements strategic road maps and tech recommendations to ensure the company is optimizing technology in the most efficient manner. She is an active member of the nonprofit Urban Land Institute (ULI) both on the Small-Scale Development Council and UrbanPlan for Public Officials. She also served as a board member of the Dallas Builders Association and was active on the Government Relations Committee. Nadia grew up in East Texas where she received her Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing and Management from the University of Stephen F. Austin then achieved her Masters in Professional Counseling from Argosy University. In her free time you can find Nadia staying active by participating in Ironman events, and, of course, exploring great dining venues with her husband and three children.

Spence Sowa is a Managing Director and Asset Manager for the Clarion Partners Texas office portfolio and Office Sector Head. During his career, Spence has been involved in over $1.5 billion worth of transactions in various capacities, with concentrations in asset management, acquisitions, development, capital markets and construction management globally. Spence joined Clarion Partners in 2015 and began working in the real estate industry in 1999. Education University of Texas at Austin, B.S. (1998)

Selected as the seventh chancellor of the former Dallas County Community College District, Dr. Joe May assumed his duties in late February 2014. Throughout his career, May has expanded opportunities for students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree by starting at a community college. At the same time, he brings a strong commitment to improving the Dallas economy by helping to grow middle-class jobs. He is known both nationally and internationally as a result of his relentless advocacy for the role of community colleges in solving today’s most challenging social issues.

Branden is the COO/CIO for BB Living Residential, focusing on overseeing the day to day activities as it relates to acquisitions, development and operation of BB Living’s “Build to Rent” communities. Since joining BB Living in 2015, Branden has concentrated on devising an investment strategy focused on high-quality locations in Metropolitan Phoenix, specifically within master-planned communities and expanding this investment thesis to new markets. Branden oversees all entitlement and planning efforts for the communities as well as the product design process in conjunction with the construction team. Branden led the adaptation of a new strategy for property management in the SFR world, leading to the hiring of Mark-Taylor Residential, the top Class “A” multi-family property manager in Metro Phoenix, as leasing and property manager for BB Living communities.

In late 2015, Peter Braster was named the City of Plano’s Director of Special Projects. Located in the Office of the City Manager, the Special Projects position was created to bridge economic development and real estate development in Plano. Specifically, the goal of the department is to find and add value in each special project, keeping Plano the city of excellence. Currently, Mr. Braster oversees the ongoing redevelopment of Downtown Plano; is the ombudsman for the special projects (i.e. Legacy West, Cotton Belt Regional Rail Corridor Project, etc.); and leads the City’s retail redevelopment program – the first project being the Collin Creek Mall. The Collin Creek Redevelopment is a 99-acre mixed-use urban center with single-family, multifamily, independent living, office, hotel and retail. It is the largest public private partnership in Plano’s history and uses all the economic development tools available. Mr. Braster has over 30 years of public and private experience. He began his career in civil engineering by working on large transportation projects including several highway, airport, and light rail systems in New York and California. Peter is a member of the Urban Land Institute, Co-Chair of the North Texas Urban Land Institute Public-Private Partnership Product Council, member of the International Council of Shopping Centers and their Texas State Public Chair for Public-Private Partnerships, and the International Economic Development Council.

Harry Lake Chief Executive Officer 500 E John Carpenter Fwy, Suite 450 hlake@koapartners.com Phone: 855-562-2407 Harry Lake serves as the Chief Executive Officer at Koa Partners (Koa) and is responsible for the overall strategy of the privately-held firm. In this capacity, Mr. Lake leads a character-driven team focused on delivering real estate solutions to clients it is called to serve. Prior to founding Koa, Mr. Lake was the Chief Investment Officer for Neal Richards Group (NRG) and was responsible for the investment strategy of the firm as it organically grew its diversified portfolio beyond $1 Billion in asset value. Mr. Lake oversaw acquisition, asset management, disposition, and capital market activities as the firm interfaced with individual and institutional stakeholders. Prior to joining NRG, Mr. Lake served ten years with the Trammell Crow Company (TCC) and was the Principal responsible for the US acquisition strategy for the firm, a wholly owned development-and-investment subsidiary of CB Richard Ellis (CBRE). Mr. Lake led a central team to manage the investment of acquisition capital on behalf of TCC and its partners across 15 nationally distributed offices. Mr. Lake was also responsible for supporting the capital markets function within TCC in order to raise debt financing and deploy programmatic capital focused on commercial real estate development. Mr. Lake has worked in the real estate investment industry since 1998 and honorably served six years in the Hawaii Army National Guard. Mr. Lake is a triple-major graduate from the University of Hawaii (UH) and earned his MBA from Harvard Business School (HBS). Mr. Lake is active in the communities that he serves. He is active in the Urban Land Institute’s Redevelopment & Reuse Council (RRC), Pension Real Estate Association (PREA), The Real Estate Council (TREC), and the Chamber of Commerce. He is a member of the American Red Cross Blood Services Board in Dallas as well as a graduate of the Associate Leadership Council (ALC), Leadership Dallas, and Leadership SoCal. Mr. Lake is a licensed broker in both California and Texas and is a LEED Accredited Professional focused on advancing sustainable real estate practices.

Ryan serves as president of development and managing partner of Dodson Management, Inc. (DMI), a role he has held since beginning his real estate career in 2002. DMI is an active owner, manager and developer of commercial real estate throughout North Texas via various entities collectively referred to as Dodson Companies. Since 2002, Ryan has participated in hundreds of millions of dollars worth of acquisitions, developments and dispositions. Ryan’s roles at DMI include project feasibility, entitlement, acquisitions, development management and project capitalization. Notable projects include 404 Border, downtown Arlington’s first class A urban apartment project which consists of 135 units; Urban Union, an eight acre assembly and adaptive reuse of former automotive facilities; and 1455 Magnolia, a ground-up mixed-use project on Fort Worth’s prestigous Magnolia avenue. Ryan is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma (1999), current board member and past Chair of Downtown Arlington Management Inc, served 8 years on the City of Mansfield Planning & Zoning commission, two years as Vice Chairman, served ten years as board member of the non-profit Arlington Children’s Toys Inc., and has recently been accepted into the North Texas chapter of the Urban Land Institutes small scale development product council.