Kimo Gandall is a Professional Registered Parliamentarian, a 3L at Harvard Law, and CEO of
Fortuna-Insights. Gandall has almost a decade of experience in AI, law, and institutional
decision-making, publishing his first machine learning models in 2018. Gandall has since built
various AI applications, including the consumer legal research application Casecraft, which has
over 15,000 users, and Lex.Pe, a legal research application for Peru. Gandall's newest project,
Arbitrus.ai, brings together years of experience to create the first AI private court system.
With almost 30 years of experience, Todd has led the industry in the in the development of urban
infill housing and mixed use developments. He has diligently worked with cities, housing
authorities, redevelopment agencies and property owners to entitle more than 10,000 homes in
over 90 different cities throughout California. Todd is particularly proud of the contributions he
has made providing hundreds of ownership affordable homes in the coastal urban areas where
they are needed most.
Prior to joining The Olson Company, Todd worked in the technology industry providing
integrated networking solutions to businesses and university across the country. Recognized as a
leader in urban housing he has been involved in state and local housing policies for most of his
career. Todd is a graduate of the University of Southern California.
Sonja Trauss is the founder and Executive Director of YIMBY Law, the legal arm of the prohousing
movement, working to end the housing shortage and achieve affordable, sustainable, and
equitable housing for all. YIMBY Law has won four lawsuits recently against LA, and recently
initiated an action to enforce LA's housing element. YIMBY Law engages hundreds of
volunteers to monitor city and county compliance with pro-housing laws, providing public
comments and reporting on public meetings through its work leading the Campaign for Fair
Housing Elements. They have been at the forefront of enforcement of California's Housing
Accountability Act, ensuring that cities approve projects that are consistent with the objective
standards in their zoning and general plans.
Ryan Leaderman is a Los Angeles environmental attorney who focuses his practice on obtaining and negotiating land use entitlements for complex land use planning and mixed-use developments. Mr. Leaderman also handles securing project approvals for all types of major developments in California.
Mr. Leaderman represents clients in all aspects of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). He has extensive experience in guiding high-profile residential, commercial, mixed-use and medical/hospital development projects through the approval process. Mr. Leaderman's experience encompasses all types of land use permits, such as variances and conditional use permits, as well as general plan and zoning amendments. He also interacts regularly with governmental agencies at all levels, including local governments and California's Housing and Community Development Department (HCD). Mr. Leaderman assists developers in complying with CEQA, and planning and zoning regulations throughout California, with a particular emphasis on mixed-use housing development projects in the Los Angeles area.
Mr. Leaderman has successfully navigated projects to completion by balancing community concerns with the rights and needs of clients. Mr. Leaderman is well versed in assisting with variances, general plan amendments, zone changes, conditional use permits, site plan reviews, subdivision maps, development agreements and other entitlements or permits necessary to move a project forward. He also utilizes recent state law changes, such as the State Density Bonus Law, Housing Accountability Act (HAA) SB 35, AB 2011, Surplus Land Act and Housing Crisis Act (SB 330), to further clients' interests. He advises clients with regard to any exaction or dedication requirements that governments may impose.
Mr. Leaderman has a wealth of knowledge with the preparation of environmental impact reports (EIRs) and mitigated negative declarations (MNDs) detailing the expected impacts of a project on the environment and assists with all aspects of mitigation measures. He is also well versed and experienced in CEQA streamlining options, such as sustainable communities environmental assessments (SCEAs), addenda to previous environmental review documents, and categorical or statutory exemptions. He has reviewed and supervised the preparation of many EIRs and other environmental review documents, and possesses extensive experience in CEQA compliance and provides counsel with regard to the air quality, coastal, climate change/greenhouse gases, historic resources, noise, transportation and wildfire issues that may confront clients and their projects. In addition, Mr. Leaderman handles water rights and supply issues, analyzes water rights issues and water supply sufficiency in order to aid clients in the project development.
In addition, Mr. Leaderman deploys his wealth of land use knowledge to conduct numerous complicated land use due diligence analyses.
Mike Bedke represents clients in all aspects of real estate and commercial financing work. He has significant domestic and crossborder experience with transactions involving data centers, public-private partnerships and infrastructure projects. His experience includes data centers, rail, ports, airports, marinas, toll roads, renewable energy, university housing and research facility related matters as well as stadium, ballpark and arena projects. His clients include institutional lenders, investors, developers/owners, and management companies in the hospitality, transportation and technology sectors.
Mike has been involved in a number of PPP and private concession deals, including serving as local counsel in the Alligator Alley and Poinciana Toll Road transactions; lead counsel in the Miami Heat American Airline Arena Project; and various "Great Wheel" Projects (iconic observation wheels to be constructed around the World).
Ben Vandebunt was the longtime CEO of Guthy|Renker and has been instrumental in launching
and growing numerous successful businesses. Ben has had founding roles in Nestidd, Cypress
Creek, GoodLeap, GoodFinch, Rosewood Homes, Aspen Creek, along with being an early
employee (Guthy|Renker) and investor (Inspire Energy, Paramount Solar, Omni Energy). He has
served on numerous governing boards in the corporate and nonprofit sectors, including
HOULIHAN LOKEY, Solar City, Beachbody, St. John’s hospital, Guthy|Renker, Rosewood
homes, Inspire Energy, and the Alliance for Children’s Rights. Ben’s entrepreneurial approach to
solving social problems stems from his experience building globally thriving businesses
providing clean energy solutions and housing for adults with developmental disabilities. His core
philosophy involves starting and growing businesses that maximize outcomes on a risk adjusted
basis, and this has led him to pursuing opportunities that “do good while doing well” which he
believes increases consumer support and decreases third party risk. Ben now shares and builds
on this philosophy with college students as an Adjunct Professor at the USC Marshall school of
business, where he teaches Social Entreprenuership with his wife, Laura Fox. Ben received an
undergraduate degree from UCLA and a law degree from Harvard Law School.
Pamela Westhoff is a partner in the Real Estate, Energy, Land Use & Environmental Practice Group in the firm's Los Angeles office.
Pam has a broad-based and versatile transactional real estate practice, with an emphasis in acquisitions, dispositions, commercial leasing, technology and insurance issues affecting real estate. She also has extensive experience in build-to-suit, ground lease and sale-leaseback transactions, including for life science, healthcare and industrial projects. Pam has worked on all types of real estate development and lending transactions, including workouts, restructures and joint ventures.
Pam represents tenants and landlords in substantial commercial lease transactions, including for global corporate headquarters. She also represents developers and equity investors in commercial developments, including hotel, condominium, retail, office, industrial, data center, entertainment venue and television and movie studio projects. She also represents owners and providers in connection with telecommunication issues affecting commercial, residential and retail properties, as well as university campuses. She has extensive experience representing radio and television broadcasters in real estate-related matters, including broadcast and communications tower licensing.
Pamela currently serves on the Board of Governors of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers (ACREL) and is Chair of the ACREL Leasing Committee. She was recently recognized as a North America Global Elite Thought Leader in Commercial Real Estate by Who’s Who Legal, and is rated by Chambers USA as a Leading Real Estate Lawyer.
With over ten (10) years of experience in the investment and finance sector, Mr. Jubran is a
senior director at Nuveen Green Capital, the leading provider of sustainable and green financing
solutions for commercial real estate projects. Mr. Jubran is passionate about creating positive
social and environmental impact through innovative and responsible lending practices, and
brings a diverse and global perspective to the team, having lived and worked in different
countries and cultures. Mr. Jubran's core competencies include investments, lending, structured
finance, and real estate, and has a bachelor's degree in International Studies-Economics from the
University of California, San Diego.
As a senior director at Nuveen Green Capital, Mr. Jubran leads the C-Pace originations efforts
covering various asset types, such as multifamily, office, industrial, retail, and hospitality, across
the West Coast region. Mr. Jubran is responsible for sourcing, underwriting, closing, and
monitoring deals, as well as developing and maintaining relationships with clients, partners, and
stakeholders. He leverages his skills in financial analysis, risk assessment, due diligence, and
negotiation to deliver optimal results for the company and the borrowers. Mr. Jubran also
contributes to the company's strategy, vision, and culture, and mentors and coaches junior staff
members. Prior to joining Nuveen Green Capital, Mr. Jubran was a Senior Vice President at
Bank OZK, where he led a team of four in originating, underwriting, and managing senior
secured construction facilities, bridge loans, and note financing for commercial real estate assets.
Mr. Jubran has direct transaction experience of approximately $7 billion, including some of the
largest and most complex deals in the US real estate market.
Chris Lynch represents California public agencies as bond counsel in Mello-Roos special tax, tax
increment, property assessed clean energy (PACE), assessment and 501(c)(3) financings. Chris
regularly represents public agencies on master plan projects.
Prior to joining Jones Hall in 1994, Chris practiced real estate and land use law, and served as a
law clerk to Justice Stanley Mosk on the California Supreme Court (1989-1990). Beginning in
2000 and continuing until mid 2003, Chris served as general counsel for two private companies.
Chris graduated from Stanford University and Stanford Law School.
Karen Lorang is a partner in the Real Estate Department in Willkie’s Los
Angeles office. Her practice is focused on representing investors and
developers in connection with complex real estate developments. Her
transactional practice includes purchase and sale, finance, leasing, land
use and environmental issues. She also advises clients in connection with
large-scale, complex development projects. Among her other accolades,
Karen is ranked in the Southern California: Real Estate category by
Chambers USA (2024), where she is cited as, “very easy to work with and
collaborative.”
Andrew Whitman provides property and casualty insurance and risk
management advisory services. Andrew focuses on industrial companies and
their private equity sponsors. He is a member of the Risk Management
Advisory practice of the Global Insurance Services group.
Andrew provides strategic commercial P&C insurance and risk management advisory and
outsourcing to clients’ on-going & strategic risk profile. He has extensive experience leading
all components of client service delivery, including program design, placement,
administration, benchmarking, and program restructuring and right-sizing. He has
significant global M&A and vendor selection experience. He has helped dozens of
organizations mature their risk management profile, mitigate risk, and safeguard assets,
while creating significant cost-efficiencies and tremendous shareholder value.
Andrew has significant mergers and acquisitions experience with regards to P&C insurance,
risk management, and claims profiles including, program due diligence, and integration,
carveout, and tuck-in work for buyers and sellers and their private equity sponsors.
Additionally, he has guided several organizations through the initial public offering process,
including SPACs, and the resultant changes to their D&O coverage.
Andrew works closely with client insurance risk management vendors, providing oversight,
coordination, selection, implementation, and accountability of risk management vendors,
including brokers, third party administrators, risk management information systems, and
actuarial, loss control, and property engineering services. He has conducted dozens of
vendor competitive processes on behalf of his clients.
Prior to joining FTI, Andrew worked at a boutique risk management consulting firm. Andrew
holds a B.A. in History from Brigham Young University, an M.B.A. from The University of
Akron, and a J.D. from The University of Akron School of Law. He is a Chartered Property
Casualty Underwriter (CPCU), Associate in Risk Management – Enterprise Wide Risk
management (ARM-E), and Associate in Claims (AIC).
Tony Yousif joined SVN back in 2008 and currently serves as the Executive Managing Director and principal in SVN Elevate. He also serves as the Managing Director and principal of SVN Senior Living Advisors and the Director of National Accounts for SVN Vanguard specializing in the management and sale of investment properties and acts as single point of contact for several institutions.
Tony continues to work with receivers, banks, private equity firms, and servicers, assisting with the valuation and strategy from pre-foreclosure through post foreclosure and eventual disposition. He works with JPMorgan, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, US Bank, KeyBank, Principal, Midland/PNC, Rialto, Trimont, Goldman Sachs, Fannie Mae and several others, acting as a national single point of contact for SVN.
Tony is a member of several professional and community-based organizations including the Chair for the CREFC Special Assets Forum, the real estate committee for the SD Foundation, ULI, ICSC and others.
Dave Rand specializes in land use law and governmental regulatory matters. His expertise
includes various aspects of the planning and entitlement process and navigating residential,
industrial and commercial clients through the often difficult and cumbersome local land use
approval and California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) compliance process.
Dave’s practice has grown in recent years with a strong focus on mixed use and multi-family
housing development. Dave has used his knowledge of constantly changing state and local
housing regulations, including density bonus law, SB 35, SB 330, the Housing Accountability
Act, and the City of Los Angeles’ Transit Oriented Communities program, to lead his clients’
housing projects through the dense regulatory thicket. Dave has obtained governmental
approvals for thousands of market rate and affordable housing units throughout Southern
California.
Grant Geisen is responsible for Pacific Urban Investor’s Southern California investment activity
and has acquired over $1.5 billion of multifamily product. Prior to joining Pacific’s Investments
Group, he spent 2 years in Portfolio Operations and was an Asset Manager overseeing over
4,800 units and over $900 million of multifamily assets in Southern California. Mr. Geisen
served in the United States Navy as a Special Operations Officer where he deployed to Iraq twice
and earned a Bronze Star. He is a Southern California native and holds a BA from the University
of Pennsylvania and an MBA from the Marshall School of Business at the University of
Southern California.
Ty Newland is the CEO and Managing Partner at Newland Capital Group. Mr. Newland, over
the years, has focused on industrial real estate in the major port markets of the United States. He
started his industrial real estate investment and development company in Southern California and
has grown it into a national company. Before concentrating on Newland Capital Group, Mr.
Newland worked in brokerage where the assets in his portfolios and the transactions he
completed exceeded $5B over his career.
Susan J. Booth is a Los Angeles real estate attorney with a national practice focused primarily on purchase, sale and capital market transactions involving data centers, hotels, office buildings, multifamily developments, shopping centers, industrial parks, senior-living centers and mixed-use projects. Ms. Booth represents domestic and international commercial banks, pension funds, private equity funds, debt funds, real estate investment trusts (REITs) and family offices and has closed more than $1 billion in transactions in each of the past several years.
Ms. Booth's extensive capital markets experience includes both commercial mortgage-backed security (CMBS) and portfolio loans (acquisition, development, construction, revolving, bridge, term, permanent, mezzanine, EB-5 and Sharia compliant), syndication and participation arrangements, joint venture agreements and mortgage loan portfolio sales/acquisitions. Even in the best of times, a portion of her practice is dedicated to assisting mortgage and mezzanine lenders, equity players and borrowers in developing and implementing strategies to resolve the issues arising from non-performing real estate assets. She has written and spoken extensively on loan workouts, options for handling troubled real estate assets, considerations in foreclosure and navigating through California's anti-deficiency laws.
Ms. Booth also has almost three decades of experience representing clients in the acquisition and financing (as both lender and borrower) of data centers. She uses her understanding of the unique elements of the data center business to help guide clients towards a successful outcome.
Ms. Booth spent many years on the Director's Committee of Holland & Knight and also spent more than a decade as the head of the firm's West Coast Real Estate Group.
Carter Ewing is a co-owner and managing partner overseeing all investment activities for CT
Realty (CTR). CTR, founded in 1994, is a leading national developer of Class A industrial
logistics properties in many major markets across the US. Carter is responsible for sourcing,
evaluating, and closing on all development opportunities, including interfacing with CTR’s
institutional equity partners and lenders.
Prior to joining CTR, Carter served in various development, financing, and leasing roles for
several prominent national and regional development organizations, including The Koll
Company, Arnel & Affiliates, Nexus Development, and Brighton Homes. Carter also founded
Ewing Development Company, which has served as his personal real estate investment vehicle
since 1986.
As Managing Partner of CTR, Carter has orchestrated the development of more than 20 million
square feet of logistics properties in the western and midwestern United States, successfully
partnering with such institutional investors as Invesco, American Realty Advisors, Carlyle,
Mitsubishi, USAA, Harvard Management Company, New York State Common Retirement
Fund, Artemis, Prudential, and others.
Carter attended the University of Southern California where he earned a Certificate in
Entrepreneurship from the School of Business Administration. He currently serves on the
National Board of Directors of NAIOP and is also on the board of the Inland Empire Chapter. As
well, Carter is a member of the Urban Land Institute and Society for Industrial and Office
Realtors and is married with two children.
As a Co-Founder and Managing Partner for Outrigger Industrial, he is responsible for the
Development Department in the West Region of the United States. Main job responsibilities
include setting strategic goals for the western region, recruiting/managing a regional team,
ensuring execution of corporate goals, sourcing development sites and serving as the primary
point of contact for Brokers and Tenants. Mr. Lu previously served as Senior Vice President with
CenterPoint Properties and Vice President with Connor Development. Mr. Lu also serves on the
Board of Director for Outrigger Industrial and is manages the west coast for Centris Industrial (a
private REIT).
Responsible for supervision of pursuing acquisition opportunities, obtaining equity/debt funding,
under-writing, supervision of the entitlement / construction process, supervision of CEQA/SEPA
approvals, negotiating complex environmental approvals on contaminated sites, negotiations
with Community Groups, marketing of assets to tenants, working with joint venture equity
groups and negotiation of leases / sales of facilities.
Over 20 years of real estate experience, and has developed over 9 MSF of Class A Industrial
Facilities worth over $800 Million in the western states (Washington, Nevada, and California),
with a focus on in-fill development and environmentally challenged sites. Background includes a
MBA from the University of California, Irvine, Civil Engineering Degree from the University of
California, Los Angeles, LEED AP Accreditation, and Professional Engineer (Civil) Certification
from the State of California.
As a former US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
senior attorney, Greg uses his agency experience to
resolve difficult environmental matters. He brings over 20
years of practice in environmental law and has particular
knowledge of PFAS, CERCLA/Superfund, TSCA, FIFRA, and
RCRA. According to Chambers USA, “Greg has an
exceptional ability to make complex issues
understandable” (2024).
Greg co-chairs the firm’s chemical regulatory and PFAS
practices and advises clients across diverse industries—
including chemical, pesticide, oil and gas, electric utility,
food and beverage, electronics and semiconductors,
financial services, private equity, retail, mining, rail, airline,
and marine transport—in environmental regulatory,
counseling, enforcement defense, litigation, and
transactional matters. Greg was involved in shaping and
framing some of the earliest site remediation enforcement
actions involving PFAS and analyzing EPA’s statutory and
regulatory authorities to address PFAS contamination
under existing law. His experience in both private and
public practice helps him navigate the regulatory process
with an informed understanding of government decisionmaking
and strategies for efficiently resolving complex
legal and policy issues. Drawing on his EPA experience, he
has negotiated settlements saving clients millions of
dollars in penalties in EPA enforcement actions, particularly
under TSCA and FIFRA. He also has significant experience
related to the acquisition and sale of environmentallyimpaired
property, conducting voluntary cleanups,
negotiating environmental liability transfers, and the redevelopment
of brownfield sites, including for renewable
energy projects.
Greg practiced CERCLA at the highest levels in the federal
government and relies on that experience in his defense of
clients facing government enforcement or private party
contribution actions. Greg previously served as the lead
EPA Headquarters attorney on cleanup enforcement cases
at Superfund sites with remedies exceeding $1 billion. He
not only worked on national CERCLA matters, but also
authored national guidance documents and drafted
model settlement documents used by EPA nationwide.
During his EPA tenure, Greg received numerous EPA and
DOJ awards, including for his work on the Administrator’s
Superfund Task Force and the development of EPA’s
national enforcement response to the US Supreme Court’s
landmark decision in Burlington Northern & Santa Fe
Railway v. United States.
Greg is an adjunct professor at William & Mary Law School,
teaching Environmental Law and the Regulation of Toxic
Substances and Hazardous Waste.
Lindsay is a partner in the Los Angeles office where she focuses her practice on land use, environmental law, and general litigation matters. She advises clients on land use entitlements, transactional matters, real estate disputes, environmental issues, California Environmental Quality Act compliance and local government law matters.
Prior to joining Allen Matkins, Lindsay worked at a Southern California law firm serving as the primary contract city attorney for a number of cities, including Cypress, San Dimas and Carson, California. During this time she also represented many other cities and public agencies advising on various issues related to land use, entitlements and environmental law.
With a decade of experience Lindsay has built a sophisticated and well-rounded land use practice with a general focus in the following three areas:
GENERAL LAND USE & ENTITLEMENT WORK
Lindsay guides projects from diligence to entitlement, including development of project strategy, resolution of disputes involving local government maters and public agency law, and compliance with CEQA. Her familiarity with city and agency politics and her network of municipal contacts of both staff and City officials adds value to her clients. Lindsay has entitled a variety of development projects including mixed-use, industrial, residential, retail, medical and medical office, master-planned, and commercial developments.
TRANSACTIONAL MATTERS
Lindsay routinely represents clients in connection with the preparation and negotiation of complex agreements required to finalize projects and close deals. The transactional portion of her practice has included work in land use (Development Agreements, CC&R's, easements, and licenses), environmental law (ECC&R's, Land Use Covenants, and CLRRA Agreements), litigation, and construction management.
LAND USE & ENVIRONMENTAL LITIGATION
Lindsay also has substantial litigation experience predating her time with Allen Matkins while serving as a contract City attorney with an emphasis in land use and general municipal law, including significant litigation and trial experience. Lindsay's litigation experience includes trials involving land use disputes, environmental/CEQA compliance, water rights, contaminated real estate and redevelopment. Should a project end up in litigation, Lindsay has the experience to help her clients through the process.
Ramzi Awwad serves as Director of Public Works for the City of Rancho Palos Verdes.
Mr. Awwad joins the City from Arlington County, Virginia, where he serves as engineering
bureau chief. He originally assumed the Deputy Director of Public Works position that had
been vacant for more than two years.
Mr. Awwad brings 16 years of experience in planning, engineering, constructing, and
maintaining public works infrastructure in Virginia, Arizona, and Indiana. He holds a master
of science degree in transportation engineering and a bachelor of science degree in
engineering from Purdue University.
John Cruikshank is President & CEO of JMC2, a California civil and structural engineering corporation he founded in 1996. Because of his involvement with hundreds of unique engineering projects, John leverages that experience to successfully support his client’s critical projects. His current responsibilities include corporate leadership, client relations, business development, community outreach, project management, and work as an expert witness.
John started his career working for Caltrans (Los Angeles) then two civil engineering firms prior to starting his own. His company was involved with an extreme engineering event, Heaven Sent, in 2016 where a sky diving world record was broken. He is currently working on the 2nd of a series of Extreme Engineering events. Also, his team represents two premiere technology companies – Sensequake and Raise the Roof – that leverage their engineering capabilities.
John attended the University of Southern California (USC) where he received his Bachelor of Science in Building Science in 1988. He became a Registered Civil Engineer in the State of California in 1993. He is a licensed professional engineer in more than 30 states. He obtained his Master of Science in Engineering Management from USC in 1994.
In addition to his many years as a civil engineer, John is currently a Board Member and Past President of the Harbor Association of Industry and Commerce where he formed their Workforce Development Committee. In 2017, he was named a Fellow with the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), awarded Alumni of Year from USC’s School of Civil Engineering, and elected as a City Councilmember for the City of Rancho Palos Verdes. He served as the Mayor of Rancho Palos Verdes in 2020 and 2024, and he also represented his city as Chair of the South Bay Cities Council of Government. He recently ran for Los Angeles County Supervisor and is a Board Member of the Los Angeles County Taxpayers Association.
John lives in Rancho Palos Verdes with his wife, Jennifer and son, Sean, who is a graduate from Arizona State University.
Ara Mihranian, a veteran urban planner and longtime employee of the City of Rancho Palos
Verdes, was appointed City Manager in February 2020.
Soon after graduating from Arizona State University in 1994 with a Bachelor of Science degree
in urban planning from the School of Architecture, he began his career in the public sector as an
unpaid intern in the Planning Department for the City of Malibu and the Chief Executive Office
for the City of Culver City. Three months into his internship, he was hired as an Assistant
Planner for the City of Malibu and served the City from 1995 to 1998.
Ara’s first day at the City of Rancho Palos Verdes was September 28, 1998, when he started as
an Associate Planner in the Planning Division of the Community Development Department. He
went on to hold the positions of Senior Planner, Principal Planner, Deputy Director, and was
named Director of Community Development in 2016. During his tenure in the Community
Development Department, Ara was responsible for overseeing some of the most high-profile
development projects in Rancho Palos Verdes, including Terranea Resort, the Marymount
College Campus Master Plan, the creation of the Palos Verdes Nature Preserve and adoption of
the City’s Natural Community Conservation Plan/Habitat Conservation Plan, and the 2018
General Plan Update, to name a few. He was also involved in various residential construction
projects, the renovation of the Golden Cove Shopping Center, park improvement projects, and
Citywide trails, including the City’s segment of the California Coastal Trail.
Ara was appointed Interim City Manager in November 2019. Shortly after being named
permanent City Manager a few months later, he led the City’s emergency response to the
COVID-19 pandemic. Over the years, he has built many close relationships in the community.
He is a familiar face to residents at homeowners association meetings, Chamber of Commerce
functions, and local events.
He is a member of the International City Managers Association (ICMA), California City
Management Foundation (CCMF), American Planning Association, and American Institute of
Certified Planners (AICP), and has served as chairperson for the South Bay City Councils of
Governments (SBCCOG) City Managers Group since February 2022.
Ara is the son of Armenian immigrants and was raised in Santa Monica and Northridge. He is
active in the Armenian community and was honored by the Los Angeles County Board of
Supervisors during Armenian History Month in April 2019. When not in the office, he can be
found at the gym, enjoying a run on some of the most beautiful trails in the City and Los
Angeles, on a plane traveling to obscure places around the world (time permitting), baking
sugary delights, or cooking traditional Middle Eastern dishes from his mom’s recipe box.
Mr. Wynder is one of two named partners instrumental in
forming the Firm in 2003. For some 21 years since then, Mr.
Wynder has dedicated his practice to public service,
representing and advising a host of cities, planning
commissions, successor agencies, housing authorities, and
special districts. Over the span of his 40-plus-year legal career,
Mr. Wynder has specialized in the fields of municipal
governance, land use & zoning law, general public law,
municipal litigation, constitutional torts, and election matters.
Mr. Wynder has served as City Attorney in five cities, with an
average tenure of close to 15 years providing legal advice to
these communities. Prior to December 2023, Mr. Wynder
served as the City Attorney for the cities of Glendora, nestled at
the base of the scenic San Gabriel Mountains, and Rancho Palos
Verdes, located on the Palos Verdes Peninsula overlooking the
Pacific Ocean (you may have read about the landslide
devastating this beautiful community). Last December, Mr.
Wynder stepped down as a "full-time" partner. While he
continues in his role as City Attorney for the City of Rancho
Palos Verdes, Mr. Wynder will work on special projects for the
Firm, including such matters as assisting the City of Carson in
the enforcement and collection of its Oil Industry Business
License tax involving that city's major oil refineries. Mr. Wynder
is looking forward to enjoying more time pursuing his outside
interests. He, and his wife Carol, are the parents of seven
children and the grand-parents of 17 perfect grand-children.
David Waite has substantial real estate transactional and project
development expertise providing strategic counsel to public entity,
developer, and corporate clients at the local, state and federal level on
land use, environmental and regulatory matters. David’s practice
broadly encompasses regulatory and administrative compliance
proceedings, including navigating complex land use approvals and
environmental clearances under the California Environmental Quality
Act. David’s land use practice includes development agreements,
annexations, discretionary land use permits, infrastructure
agreements, public-private partnerships, subdivisions, variances,
zoning, environmental, regulatory compliance, and legislative
matters.
Representative projects include multifamily development, affordable
and market-rate housing, master-planned communities, regional
shopping centers, industrial, high-rise development, transit-oriented
mixed-use development, senior housing, assisted living, hospitals,
medical office buildings, cemeteries and mortuaries, concert venues,
schools, golf courses, hotels, resorts, Brownfields redevelopment, and
solid waste facilities.
Beth Newman is a Managing Partner and Associate General Counsel at Affinius Capital
where she heads legal and operations for credit. Beth is responsible for overseeing all legal
matters as it relates to credit investments for Affinius, including, the structuring,
negotiation, origination and ongoing management of credit investments. In addition, Beth
overseas operational matters among the credit investments team. Before joining Affinius
Capital in 2017, she was Special Counsel at Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP in the firm’s Real
Estate group, where her practice focused on debt and equity financing, property sales and
acquisitions, and development projects.
Affinius Capital LLC , formerly d/b/a USAA Real Estate Company, LLC and Square Mile
Capital LLC, is a U.S.- based real estate investment firm offering real estate equity and debt
investment strategies spanning the capital stack and risk spectrum. Affinius Capital
manages an aggregate portfolio of approximately more than $30.92 billion ($64 billion
gross) for over 125 foreign and domestic partners. Its real estate portfolio is diversified
across U.S. and international markets (Europe, U.K. and Mexico) and includes
industrial/logistics, data centers, multi-family and other housing, life sciences, media
content production studios, office, retail, hotel, mixed-use properties, land and land
development, and other real estate or infrastructure assets.
Megan co-leads KCB’s real estate platform. She is responsible for executing the Partnership’s
investment strategy, including the deployment of capital and management of real estate portfolio,
which comprises $1.5 billion of real estate assets. During her tenure at KCB, Megan has closed
over 35 deals with an asset value of over $800 million.
Megan services as a member of the Board of Directors of several companies including Spiral
Binding (largest independent business-to-business supplier of document finishing and binding
supplies and equipment in the U.S.), ThriftBooks (the largest e-retailer of used books), and
Intellectual Holdings (a managed service organization for 10 men’s concierge healthcare centers
branded as Revibe Men’s Health).
Prior to joining KCB, Megan was an Associate at Grayhawk Capital, where she was responsible
for acquisitions and portfolio management of early to growth stage technology companies.
Megan earned a BS in Finance from the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State
University and holds a certificate in International Business.
Jennifer is a real estate partner in the Orange County office, and represents institutional investors,
public and private REITs, and investment funds, as well as owners, managers, and developers on
the structuring, documenting, and closing of complex commercial real estate transactions.
Allen Matkins
Jennifer regularly advises clients on complex joint ventures (including platform joint ventures),
asset-level and entity-level acquisitions and dispositions, development, construction, mortgage
and mezzanine financings, loan acquisitions and sales, and equity recapitalizations and financings.
She has extensive experience across a variety of real estate sectors, including data center, retail,
office, industrial, self-storage, multifamily, manufactured housing, and hotel assets. Jennifer also
has significant recent experience in workouts, restructurings and other distressed asset
transactions.
Additionally, Jennifer has unique understanding of PropTech, and helps clients navigate this
emerging digital landscape throughout the entire lifecycle of a transaction.
Prior to joining Allen Matkins, Jennifer practiced at a prominent AmLaw 100 firm in Los Angeles,
and served as General Counsel for a major real estate firm.
Jeff Mulrennan serves as the Senior Vice President of Business Development at Landmark
Dividend, where he has been a pivotal force since joining the company in 2011. With over 25
years of extensive experience in telecommunications leadership, real estate development, and
program management, Jeff has established a robust foundation for driving innovation and growth
within Landmark.
In his current role, Jeff spearheads the company’s development and global partnership initiatives,
focusing primarily on Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging and Battery Energy Storage. As the
executive leader for new project origination, he excels in technical consulting, strategic alliances,
and channel partnerships, all aimed at propelling the revenue growth of the Landmark Vertex
program. Additionally, he is responsible for shaping the global strategy of Landmark Vertex,
particularly in the Telecom, IoT, and Smart City sectors.
Driven by a vision to position Landmark Dividend as an industry pioneer, Jeff has become a
transformative leader in the emerging asset class of Electric Vehicle infrastructure and energy
investments. His commitment to solving complex business challenges is central to his mission,
ensuring that all industries can leverage Landmark Dividend’s investment capital for sustainable
growth.
Jeff is dedicated to sharing his wealth of knowledge, experience, and vision with customers,
partners, shareholders, and investors, ultimately enhancing value for all stakeholders involved.
His innovative approach and strategic foresight continue to make a significant impact in the
industry and beyond.
Fernando Villa has significant land use, regulatory, real estate and litigation
experience helping clients secure entitlements while mitigating development
risk. He advises clients on entitlements and California Environmental Quality Act
(CEQA) review for complex development projects and on reducing exposure to
environmental liabilities.
Fernando’s entitlement work spans industrial, mixed-use, residential,
commercial and retail developments. He is particularly experienced with
Brownfield redevelopment, merging his knowledge of real estate development
with a deep understanding of environmental regulation to help clients complete
projects while mitigating environmental risks.
Elisabeth Freinberg is Chief Legal Officer & General Counsel at LA28, the Los Angeles
organizing committee for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Before joining LA28,
Freinberg served as vice president of business and legal affairs at Warner Bros. Entertainment
Inc., having previously served as a director of legal affairs for Warner Bros. Television and as
senior counsel to TMZ, which was owned and operated by a division of Warner Bros. Television
Group. From 2007 through 2011, Freinberg litigated cases as an associate at the Los Angelesbased
law firm Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP. While at the firm, she had the opportunity to
litigate cases on behalf of her clients in both state and federal courts at the trial and appellate
levels, including before the Supreme Court of the United States.
Freinberg began her legal career as a law clerk, first to the Hon. Margaret M. Morrow of the
United States District Court for the Central District of California, and then to the Hon. Joseph A.
Greenaway, Jr. of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey (and now of the
United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit).
Freinberg earned her BA in history with honors from Columbia University, and her JD cum
laude from the University of Michigan Law School. She is admitted to practice in both California
and New York, as well as before a number of federal courts, including the Supreme Court of the
United States.
As a lecturer in law at USC Gould School of Law, Freinberg teaches courses on federal courts
and entertainment law.
Misty Sanford is a partner in the Real Estate Department in Willkie’s Los
Angeles office, where she serves as Chair, Real Estate – West Coast. Her
sophisticated and broad-based real estate transactional practice involves
all aspects of real estate, with an emphasis on loan workouts,
public/private partnerships (PPPs), real estate financing (including CMBS),
complex mixed-use developments, purchase and sale, joint ventures,
environmental issues, land use, leasing and reciprocal easement
agreements, which allows her to assist with the full lifecycle of real estate
assets.
Whether leading transformational real estate transactions or creating
innovative diversity programs, Misty is a mover and shaker in real estate
law and the legal community. Misty’s work includes representation of some
of the world’s leading institutional investors, private equity firms,
developers, multinational corporations, REITs, foundations, non-profits and
individual entrepreneurs. Clients turn to her with their most complex
transactions. She regularly advises clients on the risk allocation and due
diligence areas of all types of real property developments and
transactions.
Chambers USA (2024) ranks Misty among a leading practitioner in
Southern California for Real Estate, citing her as a “fierce advocate for her
clients.” Her pro bono practice has included representation of park
development, homelessness and affordable housing organizations such as
Homeboy Industries, Community Coalition, the Downtown Women’s
Center, T.R.U.S.T. South LA and the Los Angeles River Revitalization
Corporation.
Mr. Grazioli is a vice president in Brailsford & Dunlavey’s southern California PK-14 practice.
In this role, he leads strategic initiatives, working closely with clients to develop initiatives to
evaluate and repurpose underutilized educational assets to support school priorities and needs,
particularly in the area of affordable housing. His focus on creating impactful solutions for the
PK-14 market aligns with B&D’s ongoing efforts to shape communities and foster long-term
success through thoughtful planning and development.
Mr. Grazioli brings over 20 years of experience in real estate and business development, with
deep expertise in educational facility development and management. Most recently, as LAUSD’s
Director of Real Estate and Business Development, he led facilities real estate, and asset
management for the second-largest school district in the nation. In this senior leadership role,
Mr. Grazioli managed complex lease and joint-use agreements, developed medical clinics, and
led the district’s initiative to provide more affordable housing for employees and families. He
also played a key role in the acquisition of land for new school construction, managed
relocations, and oversaw special projects that benefited both the district and the broader
community.
During Mr. Grazioli’s tenure at LAUSD, his key accomplishments included managing multifamily
housing joint ventures that provided 185 affordable apartments for district staff;
negotiating over $50 million in joint ventures, lease agreements, and legal settlements; and
leading the program management of a $75 million initiative for new and expanded district
medical clinics.
Recognized as a statewide leader in surplus land and resource management, Mr. Grazioli’s
extensive expertise —including in workforce housing, real estate asset strategies, and
educational facility development—will help deliver transformative outcomes for PK-14 districts
and community colleges across the region.
Alex is an accomplished commercial real estate attorney who
focuses his practice on real estate finance, as well as
traditional real estate matters, including acquisitions,
dispositions, equity investments, syndications, development,
leasing, note purchases, workouts, receiverships and
foreclosures across all asset classes. Alex's clients include
international, national and local real estate lenders, funds,
syndicators, private equity firms, owners and developers who
value his counsel on a full-range of commercial real estate
matters. His practical, conservative and authentic approach
to addressing the business concerns of his clients makes
Alex a reliable and trusted advisor.
Alex most recently lectured at UCLA's Anderson School of
Business and was a panelist at the USC Gould School of Law,
Real Estate and Business Law Forum. In addition, Alex has
handled pro bono adoption matters for Alliance for Children’s
Rights.
Jake Adams was appointed Deputy Executive Director at Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA)
in November 2018 and is currently serving as the Program Executive for LAWA’s $5.5 billion
Landside Access Modernization Program.
Mr. Adams has over 26 years of experience in the development and delivery of airport and heavy
civil infrastructure programs. He has led programs and projects from concept through planning,
entitlement, procurement, design, construction, commissioning, activation and close-out. Mr.
Adams joined the City in 1990 and served LAWA from 1994 – 2011 in progressively
responsible positions as part of the Airports Development Group. After providing remote
consultation, he returned to LAWA in 2016.
Mr. Adams holds a license as a registered Professional Engineer in California. He has a Bachelor
of Science in Engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and an
Associate Degree in Project Management from George Washington University.
BRIAN SAENGER, J.D. is the president and chief executive officer of The Ratkovich Company
(TRC), a Los Angeles-based real estate development company specializing in urban landfill that
is known for their historic rehabilitation of landmark properties. Brian is a well-respected business
and civic leader, bringing a unique perspective as a real estate executive who is also an attorney.
He sits on a variety of local and national boards and is often sought after by news outlets and
industry conferences to share his insights on real estate trends. For the past four years, the Los
Angeles Business Journal has listed Brian as one of the 500 most influential people in Los Angeles.
Prior to being named president and CEO in 2021, Brian served as TRC’s chief operating officer
and general counsel, overseeing the company’s operations, including development management,
property management, and legal and administrative functions.
Brian played a leading role in TRC’s acquisition of The Bloc, a 1.8 million square foot mixed-use
property in downtown Los Angeles. He also represented TRC during its successful negotiation of
a 66-year ground lease for the development of West Harbor, a $150 million transformation of a
42-acre site along the Los Angeles waterfront in San Pedro.
Brian is a member of the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles County Business Federation (LA
BizFed). He currently serves as co-chair of the BizFed Strategic Leadership Council, a high-level
advisory body composed of CEOs, senior executives, and key political insiders. The council
provides critical guidance and strategic insight into significant political issues, emerging trends,
and key relationships, helping shape BizFed’s public policy priorities.
Brian is a 21-year member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and serves on the Urban Development
and Mixed-Use Council. ULI is the oldest and largest network of cross-disciplinary real estate and
land use experts in the world. He is also a member of the LAUSD Superintendent’s Business
Advisory Council.
He previously served as a founding member of the UCLA Anderson Forecast Board of Advisors,
one of the most widely watched and often-cited economic outlooks for California and the nation.
He has previously served on the Board of Directors for the California YMCA Youth &
Government program and was a past Chair of the Board.
Prior to joining TRC, Brian served as the Company’s outside counsel when he practiced with the
international law firms of DLA Piper and Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman.
Brian received his Juris Doctorate from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, with honors, where he
served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review. He received his Bachelor
of Arts degree from the University of California, Los Angeles. Brian is a member of the State Bar
of California and a licensed California real estate broker.
Mr. Curtis is an owner and principal of Cedar Street Partners, LLC. He has over 25 years of
professional experience in the real estate investment, transactional and development business.
Mr. Curtis has held various positions with other companies, including serving as Executive Vice
President and General Counsel for a large private holding Partnership, with a focus on
investment, real estate and aviation. As part of the senior management team, he provided
strategic business and legal advice, including: corporate and regulatory compliance; corporate
governance; corporate finance; governmental relations; policies and procedures to ensure
compliance with state and federal statutory and regulatory compliance; and structuring and
negotiating complex commercial transactions, including partnerships with publicly traded
companies and banks, as well as acquisitions and dispositions.
Mr. Curtis was also a Partner and Practice Group Leader at the international law firm of
Sheppard, Mullin Richter and Hampton, LLP. In addition to his leadership responsibilities, his
practice included representation of owners, managers, investors, pension fund advisors, banks
and other lenders, businesses and developers in all aspects of corporate, transactional and
administrative matters.
Mr. Curtis was Mayor and currently serves on the City Council of the city of La Canada
Flintridge. In addition, he was elected to represent the cities of Pasadena, South Pasadena and La
Canada Flintridge on the Regional Council for the Southern California Association of
Governments, which is the largest Master Planning Organization in the United States (covers
over 19 million citizens).
Mr. Curtis is a National Member of the Urban Land Institute and serves on the Executive
Committee of UL! Los Angeles District Council, and was past Co-Chair of the Healthy
Communities Initiative and past Chair of Technical Advisory Panel Services.
Mr. Curtis received his Juris Doctorate from Loyola Law School (Cum Laude) and graduated
from UCLA with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics. He has received an AV rating by Martindale
Hubbell, the highest rating an attorney can receive for quality and ethics. Mr. Curtis has been a
lecturer and guest speaker on corporate investment and real estate at many seminars and
conferences.
Matt Gelfand is the in-house litigator for Californians for Homeownership, a nonprofit impact
litigation organization founded by the California Association of REALTORS®. Californians for
Homeownership uses impact litigation to address California’s housing crises, including by
litigating against cities and counties that fail to comply with state housing laws. He has appeared
before city councils and other governmental bodies as well as in court litigation where at least
one issue was the applicability of the “Builder’s Remedy.” Before leaving to help build the
organization, Matt was a litigator in private practice at McKool Smith Hennigan. He has a JD
from Harvard Law School and an undergraduate degree in Neuroscience from Brown University.
Leo specializes in identifying areas of arbitrage within real estate and resolving special situations
encumbering real estate assets. In 2013, he founded SLH Investments which acquired in
partnership with another developer the Sears Building in Boyle Heights, the Alexandria Hotel
and the Rialto Theater in South Pasadena.
Since then, he has acquired dozens of assets throughout the LA region. He was the first
developer in California to utilize the colloquially called builders remedy to seek entitlements in
difficult to develop areas such as Beverly Hills and Redondo Beach where he owns numerous
assets including a 49-acre former power plant on the coast. Most recently, he acquired the
remnants of the most troubled assets within the former Skid Row Housing Trust portfolio.
Larissa Gotguelf is an accomplished real estate and restructuring consulting professional with more than 25 years of experience in commercial real estate, restructuring, interim management, business strategy and operations and litigation consulting.
Ms. Gotguelf has provided transaction and financial advisory services in consulting, restructuring and litigation settings to real estate investors, developers, lenders, loan servicers, receivers, corporate real estate users and commercial mortgage-backed securities (“CMBS”) investors. She also brings extensive experience in interim management, real estate leasing and negotiations, acquisition and disposition, site selection, corporate finance, business strategy and portfolio analysis.
Throughout her career, Ms. Gotguelf has advised clients in matters involving a variety of property types, including retail, hotel and leisure, land, office, multifamily, healthcare, senior housing and fractional ownership. Her work on these assignments involved financial modeling, market research, debt restructuring, damages analysis and valuation, as well as claims analysis, disposition strategy and liquidation, CMBS transactions, underwriting review and due diligence. In addition to real estate,Ms. Gotguelf has worked with organizations in investment management, healthcare, financial services and education sectors.
Ms. Gotguelf’s clients have included such organizations as Aequitas Capital Receivership, MidlandLoan Services, Loma Linda University Medical Center, LNR, ORIX, Bank of America, JPMorganChase, Ambac, Residential Capital, Diablo Grande and Beazer.
Ms. Gotguelf has been invited to speak on restructuring and real estate industry topics by the Turnaround Management Association (“TMA”), the American Bankruptcy Institute (“ABI”) and several other professional associations and firms. Prior to joining FTI Consulting, she was a senior consultant in the Strategy and Operations practice of Deloitte Consulting. Preceding this role, Ms. Gotguelf served as a real estate advisor and a vice president of The Western Group.
Richard K. Green, Ph.D., is the Director of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate. He holds the
Lusk Chair in Real Estate and is a Professor at the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy and
the Marshall School of Business.
Prior to joining the USC faculty, Dr. Green spent four years as the Oliver T. Carr, Jr., Chair of
Real Estate Finance at The George Washington University School of Business. He was Director
of the Center for Washington Area Studies and the Center for Real Estate and Urban Studies at
that institution. Dr. Green also taught real estate finance and economics courses for 12 years at
the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he was Wangard Faculty Scholar and Chair of Real
Estate and Urban Land Economics. He also has been principal economist and director of
financial strategy and policy analysis at Freddie Mac. More recently, he was a visiting professor
of real estate at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, and he continues to retain an
affiliation with Wharton. He is or has been involved with the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy,
the Conference of Business Economists, the Center for Urban Land Economics Research, and
the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties. Dr. Green also is a Weimer Fellow
at the Homer Hoyt Institute and a member of the faculty of the Selden Institute for Advanced
Studies in Real Estate. He was recently President of the American Real Estate and Urban
Economics Association.
Dr. Green earned his Ph.D. and M.S. in economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
He earned his A.B. in economics from Harvard University.
His research addresses housing markets, housing policy, tax policy, transportation, mortgage
finance and urban growth. He is a member of two academic journal editorial boards, and a
reviewer for several others. His work is published in a number of journals including the
American Economic Review, Journal of Economic Perspectives, Journal of Real Estate Finance
and Economics, Journal of Urban Economics, Land Economics, Regional Science and Urban
Economics, Real Estate Economics, Housing Policy Debate, Journal of Housing Economics, and
Urban Studies. His book with Stephen Malpezzi, A Primer on U.S. Housing Markets and
Housing Policy, is used at universities throughout the country. His work has been cited or he has
been quoted in the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, the
Christian Science Monitor, the Los Angeles Times, Newsweek and the Economist, as well as
other outlets. He recently gave a presentation at the 31st annual Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas
City Economic Symposium, where his work was cited by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben
Bernanke. The National Association of REALTORS, the Ford Foundation, and the Lincoln
Institute for Land Policy have funded grants to support some of Dr. Green’s research. He
consults for the World Bank.
In 1995, Dr. Green was honored as “Teacher of the Year” by the University of Wisconsin
Graduate Business Association, and soon thereafter was inducted into that University’s Teaching
Academy.
Glenn A. Sonnenberg is President of Latitude Real Estate Holdings. He has been directly
responsible for the acquisition, management and/or disposition of over US $6.0 billion of real
estate and debt investments in the United States and Canada, as well as the issuance of over $1.0
billion in collateralized debt obligations.
Glenn is also Executive Chairman of LaSalle Debt Investors where he has also served as
President and CEO. Prior to joining LaSalle Debt Investors, Glenn served as Managing Director
of Prudential Carbon Mesa, where he was co-CEO and the senior executive for funds
management and served as acting-COO of the parent (NASDAQ:WMFG). Previously, he was
President of ING Real Estate Investors and Executive Vice President of Kearny Street Real
Estate Company (a subsidiary of Morgan Stanley), both opportunistic real estate investors and
managers.
Glenn serves on the Board of Directors of Bet Tzedek—the House of Justice, Wayfinder Family
Services, the Children’s Institute, the USC Libraries Board of Counselors, the Jewish Federation
of Greater Los Angeles, deToledo High School, Wise Readers to Leaders, and the USC Gould
School of Law Board of Counselors. He previously served on the Board of Trustees of the
University of Southern California, Para los Ninos, and the L.A. Men’s Place.
A graduate of the University of Southern California, B.A. 1977, History, magna cum laude, phi
beta kappa, Glenn also received his J.D. in 1980 from the University of Southern California. He
began his career as a real estate and finance partner in the Los Angeles law firm of Allen,
Matkins, Leck, Gamble and Mallory. He is a member of the State Bar of California and the Los
Angeles County Bar Association. He frequently speaks on real estate investment and finance. He
received the USC Alumni Service award in 2004 and the Bet Tzedek Lainer Award in 2005, the
Jewish Federation Maimonides Torch of Justice Award in 2015, and the USC Real Estate
Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020.
Dr. Christopher Thornberg has been called many things throughout his career, but his favorite thing to be called is correct.
Notably, he predicted the collapse of the sub-prime real estate bubble in 2006 and the Great Recession that followed. During the Covid-19 pandemic he was one of the few economists on record to correctly push back against the forecasting community’s panicked predictions of a depression. In the past two years, he has again stood against the grain, and stood out, for accurately forecasting that there would be no recession.
Dr. Thornberg left a teaching position at UCLA’s Business School in 2006 to found Beacon Economics, and under his leadership, the fifi rm has become one of the nation’s most respected economic research organizations. He consults globally for private industry, cities, counties, and public agencies. A dynamic public speaker, he challenges audiences to question popular narratives – and to ask the right economic questions.
Please join me in welcoming Dr. Christopher Thornberg.
Victor Coleman serves as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Hudson Pacific Properties.
Prior to the formation of Hudson Pacific, Coleman founded and served as managing partner of
Hudson Pacific’s predecessor, Hudson Capital, LLC, a private real estate investment company
based in Los Angeles, California.
Coleman is an active community leader, is on the Founding Board of Directors for the Ziman
Center for Real Estate (from 2004 to the present) at the UCLA Anderson School of Management,
and also serves on the Boards of the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, the Fisher Center
for Real Estate and Urban Economics, Los Angeles Sports & Entertainment Commission, the
Los Angeles Chapter of the World Presidents’ Organization, and Nareit’s Advisory Board of
Governors.
In 2015, Coleman was awarded the City of Hope’s 2015 Spirit of Life Award presented by the
Los Angeles Real Estate & Construction Industries Council, and the 2019 Real Star of
Hollywood Award from the Friends of the Hollywood Central Park. Coleman’s experience as a
director also includes service on the board of other publicly traded real estate investment trusts,
or REITs, such as Douglas Emmett, Inc. (from 2006 to 2009) and Kite Realty (since 2012),
where he currently serves as a member of its compensation committee. Coleman is also an
investor in the Vegas Golden Knights, a National Hockey League team.
Coleman holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Golden Gate University and a
Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of California, Berkeley.
Lewis C. Horne is President for Advisory Services for CBRE’s Greater Los Angeles, Orange
County and Inland Empire region.
In this role, Mr. Horne leads the strategic direction and performance of the firm’s Advisory
Services business, which includes Advisory & Transaction Services, Asset Services, Capital
Markets, Local Project Management and Valuations.
Mr. Horne is passionate about collaboration and actively promotes the integration of multiple
disciplines to ensure well-conceived, strategic solutions for complex client assignments. This
passion led him to becoming an early adopter and champion for workplace transformation,
including Workplace Strategy, Experience Consulting, Change Management and Occupancy
Management.
Mr. Horne is an active and well-respected leader in the Greater Los Angeles community,
regularly lending his voice, experience, and time to help create meaningful solutions for a
wide variety of business and social issues, including the complex challenges regarding the
homelessness crisis.
Prior to his current role, Mr. Horne held a variety of leadership positions at the company after
his start as an industrial brokerage professional in 1984 and successfully growing his career
at CBRE for more than 30 years.
Alex Fisch currently serves as Special Assistant Attorney General for housing, overseeing the
California Department of Justice Housing Justice Team and coordinating the Attorney General’s
housing-related initiatives. Alex was previously a Deputy Attorney General in the DOJ’s Natural
Resources Law Section, representing agencies like the California Air Resources Board, Water
Boards, CAL FIRE, CalRecycle, and Department of Fish and Wildlife. Before entering state
service, Alex was a shareholder at the bankruptcy law boutique Stutman, Treister & Glatt
Professional Corporation. Before that, Alex clerked for the Honorable Arthur L. Alarcón of the
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Alex was also a city council member in Culver City from 2018 through 2022, and was the city's
mayor from 2020 to 2021. While in elected office, Alex served on the Southern California
Association of Governments Regional Council, the Housing Economic and Community
Development Committee, and the Legislative Communications & Membership Committee, and
chaired the Next Generation Infrastructure Subcommittee. He was recognized as 2022's "Local
Elected Official of the Year" by the California Home Building Alliance.
Alex graduated from the UCLA School of Law with a specialization in Business Law and Policy
focused on corporate finance, and was elected to Order of the Coif. He received his bachelor’s
degree from U.C. Berkeley.
Olga Shevorenkova is Chief Executive Officer at Loop Global, a turnkey provider of EV
charging solutions. With a career spanning both the finance and EV charging sectors,
Shevorenkova brings deep industry knowledge and experience that will accelerate growth and
extend Loop's leadership position in the EV charging space.
Shevorenkova joined Loop from EVgo, one of the largest EV charging networks in the US,
where she served as Chief Financial Officer. At EVgo, she played a pivotal role in steering the
company through substantial growth phases, including the transition to a public company in
2021, and overseeing revenue growth from $17.5M in 2019 to $161M in 2023. Prior to EVgo,
she served as Vice President of Greentech Capital Advisors, an investment bank solely focused
on sustainable infrastructure. With her expertise in financial management and deep
understanding of the complexities of the EV charging landscape and infrastructure,
Shevorenkova is uniquely positioned to lead Loop into its next phase of growth.
Mr. Schwartzman has over 30 years of real estate experience beginning his development career
in 1992 as a residential home builder. To date he has successfully developed over 6,000 homes
including condominiums, PUDs, and single-family developments as well as mixed-use
developments in Central and Southern California. In 1999 Mr. Schwartzman expanded his
organization to focus on the development of urban, in-fill locations primarily in Hollywood, the
Westside of Los Angeles, Pasadena and the west San Fernando Valley.
David formed Harridge Development Group, LLC in 2010, to pursue real estate investment and
development opportunities in Southern California. With a proven track record of entitling and
developing unique and sometimes complicated projects in Los Angeles, David Schwartzman is
the majority owner and managing member. Harridge Development Group currently controls a
portfolio of approximately 4,600 residential home lots for sale, 2500 build for rent homes, 3,000
developable multifamily units, 1 hotel site, 76,000 square feet of mini-storage space, 1,500,000
feet of planned and existing retail and 700,000 feet of industrial warehouse.
Jocelyn has over 12 years of experience in the data center, cloud and telecommunications
sectors. As the Vice President of Hyperscale Leasing for Corscale Data Centers, she is
responsible for overseeing client relationships, the execution of new leases and expanding
Corscale’s overall market presence.
Before joining Corscale, Jocelyn was the Vice President of Global Sales at Switch where she
developed a hyperscale program and managed the start-to-finish transactions with clients. Prior
to Switch, Jocelyn was the Director of Business Development at RagingWire Data Centers,
driving strategic Fortune 100 client growth. Additionally, she held leadership roles at IO Data
Centers and CenturyLink.
As Managing Director of Acquisitions, Adrian oversees CEI’s national acquisitions strategy and
is responsible for sourcing and analyzing new land development and investment opportunities
across the US, as well as fostering and growing CEI’s network of equity partners, lenders and
brokers.
Adrian’s acquisitions focus includes: (a) land for multifamily development, (b) value-add retail
and life science properties; and (c) GP Equity co-investments with multifamily sponsors.
Adrian brings over 20 years of business development and acquisitions experience in roles in New
York, Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia. Prior to joining CEI in 2015, Adrian lived in New
York where he grew a successful real estate brokerage business focused on investment sales and
retail leasing.
Adrian is originally from Sydney, Australia and completed his MBA at the Macquarie Graduate
School of Management in Sydney in 2004. He also has an Advanced Diploma in
Telecommunications Engineering from the Lidcombe College of TAFE in Sydney.
Randall Winston’s career spans law, architecture, and military service. Randall serves as Deputy
Mayor of Infrastructure for the City of Los Angeles, where he leads Mayor Karen Bass’ efforts to repair
our streets, sidewalks, parks and public spaces, including developing the first comprehensive,
multi-year plan for maintaining and funding the City’s capital infrastructure in preparation for the
Olympic and Paralympic Games and other major events. Randall also helps drive rebuilding efforts
following the Palisades Fire, the most destructive wildfire in Los Angeles’ history. He oversees the
Board of Public Works – including the Bureau of Sanitation, Bureau of Street Services, Bureau of
Engineering, Bureau of Street Lighting, and Bureau of Contract Administration – as well as the
Department of Transportation and the City of Los Angeles’ representation on the Los Angeles County
Metropolitan Transportation Authority. In addition to his role in the Bass administration, Randall is a
Lieutenant and Judge Advocate in the US Army National Guard Reserve, where he provides legal
counsel to soldiers, officers, and their families.
Previously, he was an attorney at O’Melveny & Myers, where he represented government and
environmental organizations facing complex litigation and state and federal investigations. Prior to
private practice, Randall was appointed by Governor Jerry Brown to serve as Executive Director of
the California Strategic Growth Council, a state agency integrating efforts to achieve the state’s
climate and sustainable community goals. Under his leadership, SGC invested over $1.3 billion in
transit-oriented housing, land conservation, and community-driven projects in historically
underserved neighborhoods throughout California. Before serving in the Brown administration,
Randall worked for Pritzker Prize-winning architect Norman Foster, collaborating with
interdisciplinary teams on design, urban planning, and infrastructure projects throughout the world.
Randall serves on the boards of UCLA’s Institute of the Environment & Sustainability and UC
Berkeley’s Center for Law, Energy & the Environment. He received a B.A. in Government from
Harvard University, a Master of Architecture degree from the University of Virginia, and a Juris
Doctorate degree from the UC Berkeley School of Law.
Brandon Burns is in the Downtown Los Angeles office of Cushman & Wakefield, where he
advises clients on investment, development, sales and leasing of industrial properties in the
Central Los Angeles market. He has 25 years of transactional experience and a long track
record negotiating underused and obsolete properties, particularly with zoning challenges.
John Schellhase is Assistant Vice President of Development Investments at Peachtree Group, an
investment firm driving growth with a diverse set of commercial real estate assets and other
ventures. Prior to joining Peachtree, John was Vice President of Hotel Lifecycle & Growth at
IHG Hotels & Resorts. John received his B.S. from the University of South Carolina and his
MBA from the Emory University Goizueta Business School.
| Module Title | Speaker | Credits | Duration | Course Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
AI and Your Practice: A Primer on Tools for Your Practice and Ethical Considerations
|
Total Credits: 1.0 MCLE (Attorney) | 1 Hour 03 Minutes | More info » | |
|
How Macro Events Are Influencing the Southern California Market
|
Christopher Thornberg
Richard Green
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Total Credits: 1.0 MCLE (Attorney) | 1 Hour 03 Minutes | More info » |
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Rebuilding LA to Make it Better and Stronger
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Total Credits: 1.0 MCLE (Attorney) | 1 Hour 01 Minutes | More info » | |
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Local Control vs. State Control: Evolution and the Future of Land Use in Our State
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Total Credits: 1.0 MCLE (Attorney) | 1 Hour | More info » | |
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Slip Sliding Away: The Portuguese Bend Landslide Complex, Issues and Solutions
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Total Credits: 1.0 MCLE (Attorney) | 1 Hour | More info » | |
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Building Toward the Games – An Insider’s Perspective on the 2028 Olympics and Paralympics
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Elisabeth Freinberg
Misty Sanford
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Total Credits: 0.5 MCLE (Attorney) | 39 Minutes | More info » |
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EV Charging Infrastructure – A Brave New World for Sustainability
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Jeff Mulrennan
Olga Shevorenkova
Fernando Villa
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Total Credits: 1.0 MCLE (Attorney) | 1 Hour 07 Minutes | More info » |
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Equity Workouts: Resolving Disputes Concerning Real Estate Partnerships and Equity Investments in Real Estate
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Total Credits: 1.0 MCLE (Attorney) | 1 Hour 01 Minutes | More info » | |
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Public / Private Partnerships: Creating Exceptional Places and Addressing Critical Needs
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Total Credits: 1.0 MCLE (Attorney) | 1 Hour | More info » | |
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Data May Be Power, But Power Fuels Data: Energy and Environmental Issues in the Development and Growth of Data Centers
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Total Credits: 1.0 MCLE (Attorney) | 1 Hour 05 Minutes | More info » | |
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Deal-Making in a Volatile Environment: Investment Strategy & Competitive Fundraising
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Total Credits: 1.0 MCLE (Attorney) | 1 Hour 02 Minutes | More info » | |
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When David Becomes Goliath: The Exercise of Builder’s Remedy
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Total Credits: 1.0 MCLE (Attorney) | 1 Hour | More info » | |
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The Future of Last-Mile Development in California
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Total Credits: 1.0 MCLE (Attorney) | 1 Hour 04 Minutes | More info » | |
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The Increasing Pace of CPACE: Creative Financing Solutions to Fill the Gap
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Cory Jubran
Christopher Lynch
Karen Lorang
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Total Credits: 1.0 MCLE (Attorney) | 1 Hour 02 Minutes | More info » |
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Quick Hits 2025: Roundtable Discussion - Current Issues Facing Real Estate Investors, Developers and Practitioners
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Total Credits: 1.0 MCLE (Attorney) | 1 Hour | More info » |
