The SREC is an invitation-only group comprised of 100 Stanford alumni who represent a collection of senior executives at the highest level of the real estate industry.
Stanford Alumni Real Estate Council (SREC)
AJ Agarwal (MBA '92)
Senior Managing Director
Blackstone
AJ Agarwal is a Senior Managing Director in Blackstone’s Real Estate Group and leads Blackstone’s U.S. Core+ real estate business. AJ joined Blackstone in 1992 and is a member of the firm’s Real Estate Investment Committee.
AJ oversees Blackstone Property Partners, Blackstone’s institutional core+ fund, with over $25 billion of assets as well as Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust, Blackstone’s private REIT, with over $12 billion of assets. Prior to launching and leading Blackstone’s Core+ business in 2014, AJ was co-head of U.S. Acquisitions and oversaw more than $15 billion of equity commitments and $50 billion of transactions across all real estate asset classes.
AJ graduated from Princeton University, where he graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, and received his MBA from Stanford University Graduate School of Business.
Fred Allen ('61)
Senior Partner
Allen Matkins
Fred is one of the premier real estate and finance attorneys in America. He is a Founder and the Senior Partner of Allen Matkins, a full-service business and litigation law firm with 225 attorneys in five offices in California. For 45 years, he has been counsel to many of the nation’s most prominent development and investment companies in connection with hundreds of successful major projects in California, Hawaii, throughout the country, Asia and the Pacific Rim. He is active in Urban Land Institute (ULI), Real Estate Roundtable in Washington D.C., and Board of Overseers of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. After Stanford, Fred was a Naval Officer aboard an aircraft carrier before attending law school at UC Hastings.
Don Ankeny (MBA '83)
President & Chief Executive Officer
Westcore Properties
As President and CEO of Westcore Properties, Don Ankeny has overseen the acquisition and management of more than $4 billion in industrial and office assets comprised of more than 750 buildings totaling more than 35 million square feet. Prior to joining Westcore Properties in 2005, Don founded the real estate group at Robertson Stephens, an investment banking firm acquired by Bank of America, and later by Bank Boston. Don also served as a partner with Trammell Crow Company in Minneapolis. A member of the IOPC Black Council of the Urban Land Institute, Don is a former Trustee at The Bishop’s School in La Jolla, California, where he served as Treasurer and Chair of the Finance and Investment Committee. He still serves as chair of the Endowment Campaign. Don graduated cum laude from Dartmouth College with a distinction in economics and holds an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Loryn Dunn Arkow (JD '95)
Partner
Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP
Loryn Dunn Arkow is a partner in the Los Angeles office of Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP. A member of the Real Estate Practice Group, Ms. Arkow has handled a broad range of acquisition, disposition and development transactions; joint ventures, lending and other finance transactions; recapitalizations and workouts. She has represented a diversity of clients, including large public pension funds, pension fund advisors, private equity funds and other investors, lenders, developers and sponsors in a variety of sectors, including retail, office, industrial, multifamily, condo development, homebuilding, medical and mixed use projects. Ms. Arkow has particular expertise in structuring complex transactions and entities and also in finding creative solutions to get deals done. Ms. Arkow received her JD from Stanford Law School and her undergraduate degree from Harvard College. She is active in a number of charities, served as a Los Angeles Regional Director of SPIRE, and currently serves on its Board of Directors.
Michael Armstrong (MBA '09)
Director
GI Partners
Mike Armstrong is a Director in the GI Partners real estate group. He is responsible for co-heading the group’s technology real estate acquisitions effort. Mike is a member of the TechCore and DataCore Investment Committee.
Prior to joining GI Partners, Mike was a Vice President at J.P. Morgan Asset Management in San Francisco, most recently in its Global Real Assets division and prior to that, in its Junius Real Estate Partners division, where he held acquisitions and investment roles for real estate and infrastructure. Early in his career, he worked for Financial Security Assurance Inc., a financial guaranty company, in New York. Mike is a past board chair of an Oakland-based youth/education non-profit organization. He received his MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and his AB in Economics from Harvard College.
Sean Arnold (MBA '03)
Co-Founding Partner
Crosstree Real Estate Partners LLP
Sean Arnold is a Co-Founding Partner of Crosstree Real Estate Partners. Crosstree, based in London, was launched in 2011 to invest in property-related assets with an initial focus on the UK market. Our portfolio includes office, retail and hotel assets and residential development around London with a gross asset value in excess of $1 billion. Prior to setting up Crosstree, Sean was with Starwood Capital Group, most recently as Head of European Acquisitions based in London. Since joining Starwood in 2003, he played a key role in transactions for the firm valued at over $3 billion in enterprise value. Prior to joining Starwood, Sean worked in mortgage and asset backed finance. Sean received an AB in Economics from Dartmouth College and an MBA from Stanford University.
John Atwater (MBA '87)
Founder, Co-Chairman, CEO
Prime Group
John Atwater is founder, co-chairman, and chief executive officer of Prime Group. Founded in 1989, Prime Group now owns and manages more than $10 billion in real estate assets nationwide. The firm comprises Prime Residential, which is among the largest private owners of multifamily assets in the Western United States, and Prime Finance, which is a leading provider of commercial real estate debt in the United States. John is a graduate of Brown University (1983) and Stanford School of Business (1987) and serves or has served on a variety of for-profit and non-profit boards, including the California Academy of Sciences, where he served as Chairman from 2010 to 2014, and the Corporation of Brown University. His nonprofit engagement focuses on education and the environment. He is married to Diana Nelson and they have five children.
Henry Bandet ('85)
Founder and Partner
HG Capital
Henry Bandet founded the HG Capital funds in 1995, and is a Partner in the firm. He has originated and structured more than $1.5 billion of value add and opportunistic real estate investments in the Western U.S. Prior to founding HG Capital, Mr. Bandet was the President of the Hunting Gate group of companies, a diversified real estate business with offices in California and England. He holds a California real estate broker's license. Mr. Bandet graduated from Stanford University with a B.A.S. degree in Economics and a B.A.S. degree in Applied Earth Sciences, both with honors.
Ryan Barnes ('97)
Managing Director
American Infrastructure Funds
Ryan Barnes is a Managing Director at American Infrastructure Funds, a $3 billion investment firm with a focus on non‐traditional real property such as toll bridges, marinas, cemeteries, landfills, cell towers, mobile home parks, gas stations, and education facilities. Ryan has over 20 years of experience and has executed more than 75 transactions worth over $5 billion. Previously, he was a Partner at SkyBridge Capital, a $12 billion global alternative investment firm. He was also a Director of Strategic Development at Soleil Securities Group, an institutional brokerage firm backed by Bain Capital and Bessemer Venture Partners. Ryan began his career in the leveraged finance group at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette and was later an investment banker at Wit Capital where he oversaw the operations of its 140‐person Japanese joint venture. He holds a BA in Economics and a minor in Asian Languages from Stanford University. Ryan currently serves on the Boards of Safe Harbor Marinas (Chairman), Inspire Communities (Chairman), American Education Properties (Chairman), Empire Petroleum Partners and Tunnel Hill Partners.
Gary Beasley (MBA '93)
CEO and Co-Founder
Roofstock
Gary Beasley is currently co-founder and CEO of Roofstock, a technology-enabled marketplace and transaction platform for the $3 trillion Single-Family Rental (SFR) sector. Previously he was co-CEO of publicly-traded Starwood Waypoint Residential Trust (NYSE ticker: SFR), and is known as a pioneer in the development of the SFR sector as an institutional asset class. Prior to joining Waypoint, Gary served as CEO of boutique hotel company Joie de Vivre Hospitality and award-winning solar technology start-up Greenvolts. Between 2001 and 2007 Gary was CFO of ZipRealty, where he led the innovative Internet-based residential brokerage through its successful IPO before eventually being named its President. Gary also spent six years with KKR-backed KSL Resorts where he was instrumental in acquiring and integrating over $800 MM of resort properties. Earlier in his career, Gary worked for leading real estate industry firms LaSalle Partners (now Jones Lang LaSalle) and Security Capital Group. Gary earned a BA in Economics from Northwestern University and an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he serves as a regular guest lecturer.
Mike Biggar ('81, MBA '94)
Managing Partner
Orchard Partners, LLC
Mike Biggar is Managing Partner of Orchard Partners, LLC. He began his career in Bay Area commercial real estate in 1981. Prior to co-founding Orchard Partners in 2007, Mike co-founded Orchard Investors, LLC in 1994 to continue the investment and development activities of its predecessor company, Orchard Properties, a major Silicon Valley developer. Orchard Partners and Orchard Investors have been responsible for the acquisition, development, financing, and operation of over 4 million square feet of R&D/office product and over 360 acres of land in Silicon Valley. Mike received his bachelor’s degree from Stanford University and his MBA from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.
Ethan Bing (MBA '06)
Managing Director
Starwood Capital Group LLC
Ethan Bing is a Managing Director in the Acquisitions Group at Starwood Capital Group. In this role, Ethan focuses on investments in the United States across multiple sectors and has led acquisitions in excess of $7B. Ethan's experience includes direct real estate asset investments, corporate acquisitions and purchases of distressed loan pools. He also serves as co-manager of the Starwood Value Add Fund. Ethan is based in Atlanta, Georgia.
Prior to joining Starwood Capital in 2010, Ethan was a Vice President at Embarcadero Capital Partners and an Associate in the real estate group at Stanford Management Company. Ethan received a BA in Economics from Princeton University and an MBA from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.
Jeffrey Birdwell ('82, MS '83)
President, Commercial Development
Sares Regis Group of Northern California
Jeff Birdwell joined Sares Regis Group in 1994 and manages the Northern California commercial division, overseeing office, R&D, industrial and retail developments. Prior to moving to Northern California, Jeff was employed with the affiliate Sares Regis Group in Irvine, California for seven years, responsible for development activity in the Los Angeles/ Ventura County regional office. Jeff has a bachelor's of science in mechanical engineering and a master's in construction engineering and management from Stanford. He is also a consulting associate professor in civil environmental engineering at Stanford and a member of the Urban Land Institute.
Craig Blanchard (MBA '02)
Managing Director
Makena Capital Management
Craig Blanchard, a Managing Director, is responsible for real estate investments and portfolio construction. Prior to joining Makena, Craig was a Managing Director at the Stanford Management Company where he oversaw the Real Estate portfolio and served on the Investment Committee. Prior to Stanford, Craig was a Principal at the Townsend Group and Head of Special Situations investing where he led a significant component of Townsend’s real estate business. Craig began his career with capital deployment and asset management roles at Broadreach Capital Partners, a Palo Alto based real estate private equity firm, and AMB Properties Corporation, a global logistics REIT. He earned an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a BA with highest honors from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Julia Boyd Corso (MBA '05)
President
Interstate Equities Corporation
Julia Boyd Corso is Co-President and COO of Interstate Equities Corporation (IEC). IEC invests in value-add, multifamily communities in California on behalf of institutional and high net worth investors via commingled, discretionary funds. Julia leads asset management, property management and repositioning of all portfolio investments. As a member of the Executive Investment Committee, she is involved in property acquisition, financing, and capital formation. Prior to joining IEC, Julia worked in management consulting for Accenture. She graduated summa cum laude in Economics from Emory University and holds an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Julia is a member of the Stanford Real Estate Council, Women in Real Estate, and the Urban Land Institute.
Wayne Brandt ('84)
Managing Director
Wells Fargo
Wayne Brandt is a Managing Director and the National Originations Director of the Real Estate Capital Markets Group at Wells Fargo Bank where he directs the origination activities of Wells Fargo’s CMBS and balance sheet lending businesses. Wayne's previous positions include head of real estate lending and debt investments for the Buchanan/TCW Funds, Managing Director of RBS Greenwich Capital, Managing Partner at Menlo Equities and Managing Director at Nomura Securities. He is presently on the Board of Advisors of Everest Properties, a 5,100 unit multi-family owner. He has authored several industry articles and served as a guest lecturer at the USC Lusk Center, UC Irvine, UCLA Anderson School of Business, and the MIT Center for Real Estate. Wayne holds a MS in Real Estate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and received his undergraduate degree from Stanford University.
Jim Buie (MBA '80)
Senior Managing Director / Chief Executive Officer - West & Asia Pacific Regions
Hines
Jim Buie is the CEO of the West & Asia Pacific Regions for Hines. He is a member of the Hines Executive Committee. Since joining Hines in 1980, Jim has been responsible for the development, acquisition, and/or management of more than 100 million square feet of commercial real estate in 50 cities representing over $23 billion in value. Highlights of his career with Hines include the development of 101 California and Salesforce Tower in San Francisco, Figueroa at Wilshire in Los Angeles, Embassy House in Beijing and One Museum Place in Shanghai. Jim is a long time member of the Stanford Alumni Real Estate Council and was inducted into the Stanford Real Estate Hall of Fame in 2017. Jim earned his bachelor of arts in economics from the University of Virginia in 1974 and his master of business administration from Stanford Graduate School of Business in 1980.
Mark Burger ('80)
Co-Founder, Co-Owner, and Managing Member
Pacific Development Partners, LLC
Mark Burger is co-founder, co-owner, and managing member of closely held Pacific Development Partners, LLC (PDP). PDP is a 32 year old diversified real estate investment and development company whose investment activities are primarily self-funded by its two principals. During the past 32 years PDP has developed, repositioned, and owned one hundred (100) investment properties having a total value well in excess of $1billion. Currently the firm owns 30 high quality properties that are conservatively leveraged and provide strong recurring cash flow and diversification. As managing member of PDP, Mr. Burger directs the investment and development activities of the firm and is responsible for managing its lending relationships. Mark graduated from Stanford University in 1980 with a BA in Political Science.
Malin Burnham ('49)
Vice Chairman
Cushman & Wakefield
Malin Burnham has been Chairman of John Burnham & Company Insurance and Burnham Real Estate and has remained involved since 1949. In 2008, Burnham Real Estate was acquired by Cushman & Wakefield. In addition to his involvement with the Burnham Companies, he has been active as a board member of several major corporations. His present involvements include: Board Member of Sanford|Burnham Medical Research Institute, UCSD Foundation, Rady School of Management, SDSU Campanile Foundation and the USS Midway Museum, and is Chair of the Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine. Mr. Burnham served as Trustee of Stanford University from 1985 to 1995. He co-established the Burnham-Moores Center for Real Estate at University of San Diego.
John Burns ('85)
Founder
John Burns Real Estate Consulting
John founded John Burns Real Estate Consulting in 2001. He has advised real estate executives since 1989, beginning with 8 years in KPMG Peat Marwick’s Real Estate Consulting practice after 2 years as a CPA. His team of 60+ consultants across the country advise executives in the for-sale and rental housing industries. They produce subscription research and advise executives on strategies for their firms and specific assets. More than 600,000 people follow John’s LinkedIn Influencer column, 30,000 subscribe to his free Building Market Intelligence emails, and media sources quote the company several hundred times per year. John has a MBA from UCLA and a BA in economics from Stanford University.
David Butler ('96)
Managing Partner
Argosy Real Estate Partners
David is Managing Partner of Argosy Real Estate Partners, a real estate opportunity fund manager with ownership interests in approximately $1 billion of real estate assets. He has general management responsibilities for the firm's investment strategy, asset management, operations, and fundraising. He is a member of the firm’s Investment Committee and Management Committee. Previously, he was Vice President and head of the San Francisco office for the real estate investment group of J.P. Morgan Investment Management. David joined JPM from AIG Global Real Estate, a global opportunistic real estate private equity investor, where he was a Vice President. David is a member of ULI’s National Small Scale Development Council and is also a member of the Policy Advisory Board for the Fisher Center at UC Berkeley. Mr. Butler earned a BS in Civil Engineering and a BA in Economics from Stanford University as well an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.. David is a member of the Board of Directors for the Boys and Girls Club of St. Helena and Calistoga and serves as Co-Chairman of the capital campaign to build a new Calistoga facility.
Hector Calderon ('01)
Managing Director
Encore Capital Management
Hector Calderon heads Encore’s West Coast acquisitions and asset management team, primarily focused on expanding the firm's position in the major California markets. Prior to Encore, Hector was at JMP Securities as an advisor in 20 homebuilding mergers and acquisitions and 42 debt and equity issuances for both publicly traded and private real estate companies. Previously, Hector worked as a consultant to Pacific Gas and Electric (NYSE: PCG) through its Chapter 11 bankruptcy and reorganization and as an investment banker in the Mergers and Acquisitions group at Thomas Weisel Partners. Hector is a member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and serves on ULI’s Residential Neighborhood Development Council. He holds an AB in Economics from Stanford University.
Don Casto ('66, JD '69)
Partner
CASTO
Don Casto is managing partner of CASTO, a multi-state development and asset management company based in Columbus, Ohio with offices in Sarasota, Raleigh, Charlotte and Cincinnati. The company specializes in retail and mixed use developments as well as historic rehab and luxury multifamily. It currently has under development three mixed use projects in Raleigh, Tampa and Daytona Beach in addition to eight multifamily projects in Central Ohio and Orlando comprising 7,000 units. The company’s current portfolio includes 30,000,000 sf of retail, 5,000 apartment units and one million sf of downtown office. Don is a graduate of Stanford (‘66, JD ‘69) and George Washington (LLM ‘70).
Jonathan Cheng ('00, MBA '07)
CEO
Tourmaline Capital
Jonathan Cheng is the CEO of Tourmaline Capital, a real estate investment firm focused on acquiring and operating retail properties across the West Coast. Before starting Tourmaline Capital in 2011, Jonathan was responsible for acquisitions at Merlone Geier Partners, which is an investment company focused on purchasing and redeveloping retail and mixed-use real estate on the West Coast. Prior to Merlone Geier Partners, Jonathan was an Associate at Cruzan Monroe, a real estate investment firm that targets office and industrial acquisitions and developments in Southern California. He also was previously a financial analyst in the investment bank division of JPMorgan. Jonathan is on the Board of Directors of Sunwest Bank and holds a BS in Industrial Engineering from Stanford University and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Richard Cisakowski (MBA '88)
President
RCCD, Inc.
Richard Cisakowski has more than 25 years of experience in land development, large-scale real estate financing and homebuilding. Recently, his related companies completed over $250 million in equity transactions, which they currently manage. Richard is also the Managing Executive of the NMC consortium which is developing 4,000 acres in the City of Ontario, California. Before creating his own companies, Richard was a Partner with Paragon Homes, SVP for Lennar Partners/LNR Properties and COO of Young America Homes. He also held several key positions with KB Home Corp., including Division President, and commercial real estate developer, Trammel Crow Company. Richard is a former Board Member of RJ America Homes for Rent and Alexandria Realty. Richard earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a focus on finance from Georgetown University and an MBA from Stanford University.
Alfred Clark ('76)
Partner
Locke Lord LLP
Alfred Clark represents investors, landowners and commercial users in a wide variety of real estate transactions, with particular focus representing institutional lenders in commercial mortgage transactions, including the restructuring and workout of troubled real estate investments. He regularly advises clients in the acquisition and disposition of real estate assets, leasing, land use issues and transactions involving property contaminated by hazardous materials. He also represents tenants’ associations and community-based nonprofits in the preservation of affordable housing projects, as well as borrowers and lenders in complex financing transactions involving personal property collateral. Alfred earned his JD from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles in 1981, where he served on the Law Review, and earned his undergraduate degree from Stanford University in 1976.
Joshua Dapice ('98)
Managing Director
Farallon Capital Management LLC
Josh Dapice joined the real estate investment group of Farallon Capital Management in 2003 and became a Managing Director in 2011, with responsibility for acquisitions, repositionings, financings and dispositions of various assets within Farallon’s real estate portfolio. Farallon is a global institutional asset management firm, founded in 1986, which manages equity capital for institutions, including college endowments, charitable foundations and pension plans, and for high net worth individuals. Farallon’s real estate group has invested over $3 billion in income producing properties in multiple asset classes and sectors. Prior to joining Farallon Josh worked in the real estate investment banking group at Lazard Frères & Co. LLC. He graduated with an AB in Economics from Stanford University and has served on the Board of Directors of USA Triathlon.
Steve Dostart (MBA '90)
President
Dostart Development Company, LLC
Steve Dostart is the President and Founder of Dostart Development Company, LLC (DDC). Prior to founding DDC, he was a Partner at the Mozart Development Company. Steve is a leader in Transit-Oriented Design and in utilizing the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards for efficient and sustainable design. He has overseen the development and acquisition of nearly three million square feet of commercial properties in Redwood City, Palo Alto, Mountain View and Sunnyvale to serve as the corporate homes of professional service and technology-oriented clients.
Earlier in his career, Steve worked in the Investment Banking Division of Goldman Sachs in New York, for the Trammell Crow family at the Trammell Crow Company in Dallas and for the Centre City Development Corporation in San Diego.
Steve is a trustee of the Menlo School, chairs the Civic Center Advisory Committee for the Town of Atherton, and is a member of the Stanford Real Estate Council, the Policy Advisory Board for the Fisher Center for Real Estate & Urban Economics and the Grand Boulevard Initiative. He was previously the President of NAIOP Silicon Valley, a national board member of Reading Partners, a member of the Leadership Council of New Schools Venture Fund and the Management Board at the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University, where he was an Arjay Miller Scholar. He also graduated Magna Cum Laude from Harvard College.
Dean Egerter ('83)
Principal
Harrison Street Real Estate Capital, LLC
Dean Egerter is a founder and Senior Managing Director of Harrison Street Real Estate Capital, LLC and serves on its Executive and Investment Committees. As Head of Corporate Development, Dean works with the firm’s CEO to build out Harrison Street’s platform which focuses on Education, Healthcare and Storage real estate and real assets and currently has $15.6 billion in AUM across a multitude of strategies spanning geography & risk return. In addition, Dean serves as the Chairman of Harrison Street’s Capital Markets Committee, managing lender and institutional capital relationships, and also is involved in the development of new product/sector initiatives. He is an active member of PREA and its Capital Markets group and NMHC. In addition to his Stanford degree in economics, Dean also received an MBA from the Kellogg School at Northwestern.
Melinda Ellis Evers (MBA '93)
Managing Principal
Ellis Partners
Melinda Ellis Evers is a co-founder and Managing Principal of San Francisco based Ellis Partners, founded in 1993 as a value-add investor and developer of office, industrial and retail properties in Northern California with particular interest and expertise in the renovation and repositioning of in-fill properties. Since inception, Ellis Partners has invested over $2 billion of private and institutional equity capital in over 60 projects. Melinda’s current and past industry affiliations include the Bay Area Mortgage Association, Foundation for San Francisco’s Architectural Heritage, Fisher Center Policy Advisory Board, Urban Land Institute, and Lambda Alpha Land Economics Honor Society. Melinda received a BA in Economics from University of California at Berkeley and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
S. Osborn "Oz" Erickson (MBA '75)
Chairman
Emerald Fund
Oz Erickson is the Chairman of Emerald Fund. He has 30 years of experience developing and managing residential and commercial projects. He identifies new projects, is involved with the initial design, financing, securing of governmental approvals and sales and marketing. Emerald has built over 3000 units in San Francisco, plus two shopping centers, four office buildings, and the Vitale hotel. Oz received a BA from Harvard University and an MBA from Stanford University.
Scott Eschelman ('89)
Principal, Capital Markets & Operations
BUILD
Scott Eschelman is a real estate professional and investor/entrepreneur with extensive experience in acquisitions, strategic planning, business development, and capital markets. At BUILD, Scott and the Capital Markets team have raised in excess of $500mm of debt and equity for the company’s projects. Scott is also responsible for managing BUILD’s operating company. Prior to BUILD, Scott was at Preferred Capital Advisors, where he opened the company’s Los Angeles office and closed more than $350mm of debt and equity placements. Prior to PrefCap, Scott was the CEO and Founder of OneService International, a multinational logistics company that included 9 offices and 100+ employees in Europe, Asia and the Americas. At OneService, Scott sourced and negotiated multiple rounds of debt & equity financing, developed several joint ventures, and ultimately negotiated the sale of the company in 2005 to G4S, a London based FTSE 100 company. Prior to OneService, Scott worked at Nike Inc. where he managed contractors throughout the United States and Asia.
Cameron Falconer (MBA '97)
Senior Managing Director
Hines
Cameron Falconer shares responsibility for Hines’ acquisition, development and investment management activities in Northern California, where over the past decade he has overseen acquisitions on behalf of various Hines funds and joint ventures totaling over 7 million square feet. Mr. Falconer’s current responsibilities also include oversight of several current Hines development projects – 400|450 Concar, a transit-oriented office project in San Mateo; 525 Harrison, a high-rise residential project and Parcel F/Block 4, a new mixed-use project including an 800’ tower and 500’ tower, all in San Francisco. Other career highlights include two landmark developments in San Francisco - The JPMorgan Chase Building, completed in 2002, and Salesforce Tower, which upon completion will be the tallest office building in the Western U.S.
Raymond Flores, Jr. ('86)
Co-Founder & Senior Managing Director
Calzada Capital Partners
Raymond Flores co-founded Calzada Capital Partners, an $8.2 billion private equity real estate firm with offices in Chicago, San Francisco, Mexico City and Santiago. Calzada’s portfolio includes real estate operating companies in the United States, Australia, French Polynesia and Latin America, with investments in multifamily, retail, industrial, manufactured housing, hospitality, self-storage and debt. Prior to Calzada, Raymond was the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Corporate Properties of the Americas, a $2.5 billion industrial real estate company in Mexico. Raymond received a BA in Economics from Stanford University, a JD from the UCLA School of Law and an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management.
Bob Foley ('81)
Managing Director
TPG Real Estate
Bob Foley is Managing Director, Chief Financial and Chief Risk Officer of TPG Real Estate Finance Trust (“TRTX”), an NYSE-traded commercial mortgage REIT with total assets of $5.0 billion and equity capitalization of $1.45 billion. Previously, Bob was with TPG Sixth Street Partners LP (“TSSP”), where he directed credit-based investment activity in United States commercial real estate for the $25 billion AUM special situations platform of TPG. Bob was a co-founder, Chief Financial Officer and later Chief Operating Officer of Gramercy Capital Corp. (NYSE: GPT), a real estate investment trust with debt and net lease investments throughout the United States. Previously, he was co-head of high yield commercial real estate debt investing for Goldman, Sachs & Co.’s special situations group, and led the domestic commercial real estate capital markets business at Bankers Trust Company (since merged with Deutsche Bank). He began his career with Touche Ross & Co. in its San Francisco office. Bob earned B.A. degrees in Economics and Political Science from Stanford University and an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He is a member of many real estate trade groups.
4.17.19
Sam Freshman ('54, JD '56)
Chairman
Standard Management Company
Sam Freshman is Board Chairman of Standard Management Company which performs real estate acquisitions, bridge finance, and property management. Active in real estate investment for 60 years as an attorney and investor. He has been an expert witness in real estate, legal matters, finance, lecturer at the Stanford, UCLA and USC law and business schools, chairman of a bank, title company and a theatre exhibitor. Author of books and over 20 published articles, Mr. Freshman is working on a series on saving entitled, “The Smartest Way to Save,” and “The Smartest Way to Save More” about becoming rich on a modest income. His book “Principles of Real Estate Syndication” is considered the bible on the subject. Sam received a Stanford BA (pre-legal, 1954) and a JD (1956). Sam is also the Founding Chairman of Stanford Professionals in Real Estate (SPIRE).
Brad Geier ('79)
Co-Managing Partner
Merlone Geier Partners
Brad Geier is a founder, co-owner and co-managing partner of Merlone Geier Partners, a private real estate investment firm focused on the acquisition and redevelopment of retail and mixed-use properties on the west coast. The firm has raised $4.3 billion of discretionary equity capital over the past 24 years, acquiring over 150 properties. Mr. Geier is a member of the Urban Land Institute and ICSC. He is a trustee of Stanford University, an honorary lifetime trustee of The Bishop's School, a director of H.G. Fenton Company, and a member of the Policy Advisory Board of the University of San Diego Burnham-Moores Center for Real Estate. Mr. Geier holds an AB in History from Stanford and an MBA from Harvard.
Cathy Greenwold (MS '89)
Vice Chair
TMG Partners
Cathy Greenwold joined TMG Partners in 1992, a real estate company focused on infill projects in the San Francisco Bay Area. As vice chair, she is a member of the company’s investment committee, which oversees the expansion of company’s portfolio through the acquisition of projects with emphasis on development opportunities and value enhancement. Cathy has managed more than $3.5 billion in project financing and development activity. She earned her bachelor’s degree with honors at UCLA. She received her master’s degree as a Sloan Fellow at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. She is also a member of the Urban Land Institute and serves on the Board of Vincent Academy, an elementary charter school in West Oakland.
Tiffany Griego ('98, MBA '04)
Managing Director, Asset Management
Stanford Real Estate
Tiffany Griego is Managing Director of Asset Management for Stanford Real Estate. She leads strategic planning, real estate development and asset management of Stanford University’s preeminent income-producing real estate asset, the Stanford Research Park, a 700-acre $13 billion submarket comprised of approximately 10 million square feet of commercial space. During her tenure, Tiffany has produced more than a half billion dollars in income for Stanford University. Tiffany was previously Vice President at IHP Capital Partners. She is a recipient of the Jefferson Award from the U.S. Congress for public service, an inductee to Stanford Associates for volunteer service to Stanford University, and a “Silicon Valley 40 Under 40” honoree. Tiffany received a BA degree from Stanford University and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
John Griggs ('95)
Co-Founder and Co-CEO
Presidium Group
John Griggs is Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Presidium Group, a vertically integrated real estate investment and development firm focused on growth markets, primarily in the southern United States. Based in Dallas, TX and founded in 2002, Presidium owns and operates 11,000 apartment units in Texas, Maine and Oklahoma. John has personally led transactions totaling over $1.5 billion at Presidium. Presidium’s core business has been acquiring and renovating existing properties. It is also developing 700 units in Austin and Jacksonville, FL, is actively entitling and permitting another 1000 units in Texas and is planning to develop several other prime infill sites comprising over 100 acres in Austin, Dallas and Houston. Presidium has been a leader in sustainability, and is one of the largest producers of solar energy in the multifamily industry. Before launching his real estate career, John was a corporate lawyer at Milbank and Wilson Sonsini. He received an AB from Stanford University in 1995 and a JD from the University of Michigan in 1998.
Shallene Cua Gross ('06, MBA '10)
Senior Vice President, Investments
Equity Commonwealth
Shallene Cua Gross is responsible for sourcing and executing investment opportunities for Equity Commonwealth, a commercial office REIT (NYSE: EQC) based in Chicago. Prior to joining EQC in 2014, she was an investment professional at Equity Group Investments, where she focused on opportunistic real estate investments. Earlier in her career, she was a member of the investment teams at Dune Real Estate Partners and Walton Street Capital. Her experience includes roles in acquisitions, restructurings, asset management and fundraising. In addition to the management takeover of CommonWealth REIT (now EQC), she has been involved in over $1 billion in acquisitions and over $1.9 billion in refinancings and dispositions across a variety of real estate sectors. Shallene holds an MBA from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business and graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a BA in Economics with Distinction from Stanford University.
Julie Gutzwiller ('90)
CFO
Bridge Partners
Julie Gutzwiller is a Principal of Bridge Partners, a private real estate investment firm specializing in opportunistic multi-family housing and hospitality investments, where she sits on its investment committee. As its CFO since 2001, her responsibilities include shaping the direction and profitability of the company through the development of new business strategies to source and execute opportunistic investment opportunities; tax strategy, reporting and compliance; investor relations, and; capital formation. In addition to her Bachelor of Arts degree earned from Stanford University in 1990, Julie holds a Masters in Business Administration from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley earned in 1999.
Chad Hagle ('98)
CEO
Aventine Development Corporation
Chad Hagle is a third-generation commercial developer with life-long experience. He is a Founding Board Member and President of SPIRE, and he is CEO of Aventine Development. Chad has developed retail projects across the country. He graduated from Stanford with degrees in Economics and Biology. Prior to founding his real estate development firm, Chad worked as Chief Operating Officer of GetFit Technologies, a Silicon Valley start-up, and as a Venture Capital Associate with Windmere Venture Partners. Chad’s commitments to Stanford University include a seat on the Humanities and Sciences Council advising the dean, as well as Chair of the Alumni Advisory Council for the Center for Spatial and Textual Analysis (CESTA). Chad is a Trustee for the California Science Center in Los Angeles and has served as a Trustee for St. John’s Episcopal School in Orange County.
Mike Halper (MBA '88)
Founder, CEO, Managing Partner
ATC Partners, LLC
Michael Halper founded ATC Partners, LLC in 1992 and currently serves as its chief executive and managing partner. ATC Partners, LLC is an investment firm specializing in the acquisition, renovation and operation of commercial office buildings throughout California. Michael graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 1984 and he received an MBA from Stanford University in 1988.
Brian Heafey ('90)
Partner
PCCP, LLC
Brian is a Partner in PCCP. He is responsible for the management of PCCP’s debt platform, which includes implementation of fund and individual client strategies as well as portfolio management. Prior to joining PCCP, Brian was a Consulting Manager for E&Y Kenneth Leventhal Real Estate Group throughout Asia and the United States specializing in the acquisition and sale of loan portfolios. Brian earned his bachelor’s degree from Stanford University. He is a Trustee of St. Ignatius College Preparatory, a director of St. Rose Court, a low-income, non-profit housing community and a past director of the Guardsmen, a San-Francisco based charity for at-risk youth. He is a member of the Urban Land Institute (counsel member and volunteer for Urban Plan), International Council of Shopping Centers and Stanford Professionals in Real Estate (SPIRE).
Robert Hollister (MBA '96)
President
The Sobrato Organization
Robert Hollister has overall responsibility for The Sobrato Organization’s real estate activities, including 15 million square feet of existing properties and a development pipeline valued at more than $1 billion. Prior to joining TSO in 2013, Robert served Hines for 17 years, as Senior Managing Director for Asia and previously, the Pacific Northwest. At Hines he contributed to the development of more than 14M square feet of commercial and residential real estate, representing more than $3B in value. Robert earned his AB degree from Dartmouth College in 1989 and his MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business in 1996 and is a member of the Stanford Real Estate Council.
Rick Holmstrom ('79)
Co-Founder and Vice Chairman
Menlo Equities
Rick is Co-Founder and Vice Chairman of Menlo Equities, a real estate investment and development company headquartered in Menlo Park, CA. Rick is a Director of MB Financial, a publicly traded bank holding company based in Chicago, Illinois. Rick serves as a Trustee of the Haas School of Business and as a member of the Executive Committee of the Fisher Center at UC Berkeley. Rick has served as President of the Silicon Valley Chapter of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties and as a Director of the Stanford Alumni Association. In addition to his undergraduate degree from Stanford, Rick holds an MBA from UC Berkeley. He lives in Woodside, California.
Drew Hudacek (MS '99)
Chief Investment Officer, Development Properties
Sares Regis Group
Drew is a partner and owner in Sares Regis Group of Northern California (SRGNC), a closely held real estate developer, investor, contractor and manager of residential and commercial property. He oversees development investments including land acquisitions, debt and equity/JV structuring. Since its inception in the early 1990’s SRGNC has acquired or developed approximately 19,000 multi-family and residential housing units and 14 million square feet of commercial and civic properties. We currently have a residential pipeline of over 2,500 residences of both for sale and for rent valued at over $1.5 billion and over $4.0 billion of commercial activity in the Bay Area. Drew is a frequent speaker at industry events and Stanford’s coach for the annual Golden Shovel challenge. He is a ULI Bay Area Board member and former co-chair of ULI Silicon Valley as well as a ULI National Product Council Member. Drew holds a BSE from Princeton University and a Masters in Civil Engineering from Stanford.
William Jackson ('86, JD '89)
Partner
Pircher, Nichols & Meeks
William H. Jackson III joined the firm in 1989 and is a partner in the firm’s real estate department. William’s practice focuses on the formation and organization of real estate equity investment funds and the representation of real estate private equity investment fund sponsors in real estate joint ventures, acquisition, disposition and financing transactions. William received his JD from Stanford Law School in 1989 and his undergraduate degree in economics from Stanford in 1986.
Jeff Jacobson ('83, MA '84)
Global CEO
LaSalle Investment Management
Jeff Jacobson is Chief Executive Officer of LaSalle Investment Management, responsible for a 730 person team managing $59 billion of investments in both private and public real estate across all major markets within Europe, North America and Asia Pacific. Jeff is a member of Jones Lang LaSalle’s Global Executive Board, and a member of the Jones Lang LaSalle Co-Investment Capital Allocation Committee. Prior to his appointment as Global CEO in January 2007, Jeff was Regional CEO for LaSalle’s European operation based in London. Jeff has more than 25 years of property investment and transactions experience across the globe. Jeff holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Stanford University and a Master’s degree from Stanford University’s Food Research Institute. Mr. Jacobson is a member of INREV, PREA, and AFIRE.
Jason Taubman Kalisman (MBA '10)
Founder & Chief Executive Officer
The Talisman Group, L.L.C.
Jason Taubman Kalisman, CFA is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of The Talisman Group. Jason is also an Investment Committee Member of Taubman Ventures Group and a Director of Delfin Midstream LLC. He earned his Masters of Business Administration degree from the Stanford Graduate School of Business where he was also a recipient of their Certificate in Global Management, and his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Harvard College. Jason is an active alumnus of these two institutions, and is a Charter Member of the Stanford Real Estate Council and was a Founding Advisory Board Member of the Real Estate Academic Initiative at Harvard University.
Alvin Katz (JD '77)
Partner
Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP
Alvin Katz is a partner in the Chicago office of Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP with a widely diversified practice representing real estate investors and developers in joint ventures and partnerships, acquisitions and dispositions of real property, debt and equity financings, and management and leasing transactions. During his more than 40 years as an attorney, Alvin has been involved in virtually every aspect of the real estate industry; in recent years his practice has focused on the formation of joint ventures for real estate transactions. Alvin served on the Stanford Law School Board of Visitors for 12 years, and sits on the boards of directors of several non-profit organizations. He is the proud parent of a 2012 Stanford graduate and has been selected for membership in Stanford Associates. Alvin received his JD from Stanford Law School and his BA with high distinction and honors in Economics from the University of Michigan.
R. David Kelly (MBA '89)
Founder and Managing Partner
StraightLine Realty Partners
R. David Kelly has over 35 years of investment and operating experience in the real estate and financial services sectors.
He is the founder and managing partner of StraightLine Partners - an alternative investment platform with investments in real estate, financial services and venture capital. Portfolio holdings include: Croesus and Company, an international real estate advisory firm with over $500 million in AUM; BKL Partners, an alternative lender to real estate developers; Serra Capital; which provides project finance capital to rated governmental and corporate borrowers; and Sanford Electrical, an electrical contractor and construction manager.
Currently, David serves on the Croesus and Company board of directors, where he is chairman and CEO; and is lead director on the board for TCW Direct Lending VII.
He served as Chairman of the $150 billion Teacher’s Retirement System of Texas (TRS) from 2007 to 2017, appointed by Governor Perry and reaffirmed by Governor Abbott. He holds the distinction of the longest tenure of any Chairman and the largest increase in fund value in the systems history. During his term he also served on the Risk Management, Investment Management, Compensation and Policy Committees.
David’s previous corporate directorships include: gubernatorial appointee to the Texas Public Finance Authority (TPFA) from 2001-2006, serving as Chairman from 2002-2006; Croesus Merchants International Singapore (Special Advisor); Hong Kong-based Everglory Financial Holdings (Chairman); Dubai-based Al Masah Capital Limited.
He is also a contributor to causes that support education and children’s health. He currently sits on the Children Health System of Dallas Governing Board and Finance Committee, and the Advisory Board of Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO).
David graduated as a John Harvard Scholar in Economics from Harvard University and completed an MBA at Stanford University Graduate School of Business Administration. He lives in Dallas with his wife and son.
Eli Khouri ('82)
Strategic Advisor
Probis Strategic Solutions
Eli Khouri was most recently President and CEO of Equity Office – an affiliate of the Blackstone Group (NYSE: BX) – which is one of the nation’s largest office real estate owner/operators. Eli oversaw the strategic direction of the company as well as all day-to-day operations. Prior to Equity Office, Eli served as Executive VP and Chief Investment Officer at Kilroy Realty. From 1991 to 2001, he served in several capacities at Spieker Properties (formerly NYSE: SPK), including Chief Investment Officer, where he was involved with the acquisition and development of over $5 billion of office and industrial assets. In 2002, Eli co-founded and served as Managing Director of Broadreach Capital Partners, a private real estate investment firm. From 2007 to 2010, Eli served as a Director of Vesta Industrial, a leading developer and operator of state-of-the-art industrial and distribution properties across Mexico. Eli received his Civil Engineering degree from Stanford University.
Matt Khourie (MBA '80)
CEO
Trammell Crow Company
Matt Khourie is Chief Executive Officer of Trammell Crow Company (TCC), the development subsidiary of CBRE Group, Inc. (NYSE: CBG). In this role, he is responsible for the management and day-to-day operations of the company. He is also the chairman of the TCC Executive Committee, and a member of the TCC Investment Committee and CBRE Global Operating Committee. Prior to being named CEO of TCC in 2016, Matt served as CEO of CBRE Global Investors, the real estate investment management affiliate of CBRE, where he was responsible for the global management of the firm and served as chairman of the firm’s Global Executive Committee, Global Investment Committee and Global Leadership Team.
With more than 35 years of experience in the commercial real estate industry, Matt previously served as President, Southeast Operations for TCC and was a member of the firm’s Executive and Investment Committees. During his original 29-year tenure at TCC, Matt worked in various management positions including leadership roles that focused on development, investment strategy, portfolio management, and institutional investor relations. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from the University of California - Davis, where he was named The Wall Street Journal's Outstanding Economics Student, and his Master of Business Administration degree from Stanford University School of Business. Active in industry associations and his community, Matt is a member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI), International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), Stanford Alumni Real Estate Council (SREC), and the Fischer Center for Real Estate. He is also a member of the Monterey Peninsula Country Club, The US Seniors Golf Association and the Houston Country Club.
David L. Knowles ('77, MBA '79)
Managing Director
Stanfield Partners
David is responsible for the dedicated team at Stanfield Partners and its capital formation, strategic partnership, and investing activities in real estate technology companies. Stanfield is one of the earliest participants in this rapidly evolving, potentially huge market. They have reviewed hundreds of real estate technology startups representing and investing in several promising companies.
His career has been focused on capital raising and strategy for the world’s most prominent real estate companies including serving as the Co-Manager of the Global Real Estate Investment Banking Group at Salomon Brothers and as the Head of Western U.S. Real Estate Investment Banking at Merrill Lynch. David was a leader in the creation of the CMBS market together with being central to establishing the global REIT market including responsibility for the IPO’s of CB Commercial and Essex Property Trust.
David has over thirty years of experience in global investment and merchant banking. In addition to having represented many of the nation’s most prominent real estate companies in connection with merger/advisory services and public/private capital raising, he has been closely associated with many of Wall Street’s first and most significant transactions involving securitization of commercial real estate.
He is a founding board of directors member and CFO of Stanford Professionals in Real Estate, a cofounder of the Stanford Alumni Real Estate Council, an inaugural member of the Urban Land Institute’s Technology Council, a former policy advisory board member of the U.C. Berkeley Fisher Center for Real Estate and Urban Economics, a former advisory board member of the Los Angeles Sports & Entertainment Commission, a board member of the Los Angeles Stanford Business Advisory Council, and a licensed California real estate broker.
David received a BA degree with honors from Stanford University and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He has securities registration licenses Series 7, 24, 63, 66, and 79.
Bill Koman ('81)
President
The Koman Group
Bill Koman is President of The Koman Group. The Company, founded by Bill, has been a well-known name in Midwest construction, development and investment for 35 years. In that time, The Koman Group has developed over $1.5 billion in new projects for the St. Louis and Midwest region including Class A office, retail, mixed-use, student housing and multi-family. Bill has professional affiliations with Young President’s Organization (YPO), Barnes Jewish Hospital Foundation, UCSD Moores Cancer Center and the USCD Medical Advisory Board. Over the last decade, Bill has been active with many different philanthropic causes with an emphasis on fundraising for cancer research. Bill is involved in numerous philanthropic and community organizations in the Midwest and West Coast with a particular focused effort on cancer research. In 2010, Bill founded Pedal the Cause, a multi-city cycling challenge that has raised approximately $20 million thus far for cancer research in St. Louis and San Diego. Bill and his wife, Amy Koman, are very focused and passionate on overall health and wellness. Bill is the founding investor of Yoga Six, a multi-city yoga chain.
Ling Kong ('03)
CEO
KE Finance
Ling Kong is CEO of Ke Finance, a leader in providing housing related financial services in China. Beike handled about 10% of China’s consumer real estate transactions in 2017, totaling in 300+ billion RMB in escrow, 600+ billion RMB in mortgage recommendations, and 60+ billion in consumer loans.
Ling has 16 years of strategic and technology management experience. Prior to Beike, he was part of the founding team of two Silicon Valley start-ups. Ling also led international teams at NetApp and Microsoft as a product manager for large-scale cloud platforms supporting millions of active users and generating over US$100 million in revenue.
Afterwards, In China’s rapid development in mobile applications and innovations, Ling was the founding team and Chief Product Officer of a Sequoia backed mobile entertainment startup, again acquiring over a million active users and generating over a hundred million RMB in revenue in less than two years. After a successful exit, he was the founding team of Dianrong, a marketplace lending platform that stands today at the forefront of financial technology innovation. Today, he brings his technical and strategic management capabilities to help scale Beike towards a techfin driven ecosystem.
Ling holds a Bachelor of Science in Symbolic Systems and Human-Computer Interaction from Stanford University, which composed of interdisciplinary majors from Computer Science and Psychology. He was also a guest lecturer at Peking University.
Kyle Ladewig ('08)
Founder & CEO
Out Of Office
Kyle is the founder of Out Of Office, a venture-backed startup based in San Francisco. The company is building a software platform for anyone, anywhere to instantly find affordable workspace. Prior to Out Of Office, Kyle ran a real estate technology consulting firm called Tech & Timber, with clients like ClassPass, Lyft, Auction.com, and Comfy. He was also Head of Product Strategy for Ten-X Commercial, the nation’s largest online real estate marketplace. Kyle began his career as an investment sales broker with Newmark Knight Frank in San Francisco, after receiving a degree in Management Science & Engineering from Stanford.
Hanns Lee ('91)
Managing Director
Hines
Hanns Lee is a Managing Director with Hines in its Office of Innovation where he is leading strategic gig-economy initiatives within Hines’ global portfolio. Hanns has nearly 20 years of experience in acquiring, developing and managing Class A office buildings, office campuses and office-anchored mixed-use projects. Previously he served as the Irvine Company's and Lowe Enterprises’ top executive for their respective Northern California regions. Hanns earned his MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania after serving as a military officer in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and earning his B.S. in civil engineering from Stanford University.
Jonathan Lischke ('97)
Executive Managing Director
Merlone Geier Partners
Jonathan Lischke is an Executive Managing Director responsible for acquisitions and dispositions at Merlone Geier Partners, a private real estate investment firm focused on the acquisition and redevelopment of retail and mixed-use properties on the West Coast. The firm has raised $4.3 billion of discretionary equity capital over the past 25 years, acquiring more than 150 properties representing in excess of 27 million square feet. Prior to joining Merlone Geier, Jonathan was the Chief Investment Officer and a Partner at GPI Companies, an owner, developer, and operator of office, retail, multifamily, and mixed-use properties in Southern California. Jonathan helped to launch GPI in 2008, build the portfolio to over $550 million in total project capitalization, and establish a $200 million separate account on behalf of a state pension fund. Prior to joining GPI, Jonathan worked in acquisitions and development at Trammell Crow, MRP Realty, and The JBG Companies in Washington, DC. He is an active participant in ULI, ICSC, and NAIOP. Jonathan graduated with an AB in Economics with honors from Stanford University (where he was a four-year letterman on the varsity swimming team that won a NCAA championship) and an MBA from Harvard University.
Tom Lockard ('79)
Co-Founder
280 Securities
Tom Lockard is a co-founder of 280 CapMarkets, a best execution technology platform for bonds. He previously was Vice President of Real Estate and Institutional Investments for Fundrise and continues to serve as investor representative to the Fundrise eREITs. Tom was a partner at the California investment bank Stone & Youngberg and then a managing director at Stifel Nicolaus after a sale of Stone & Youngberg to Stifel in 2011. Over his 30 year banking career Tom structured more than 500 California municipal bond issues representing more than $6 billion in financings. Tom earned an AB at Stanford and an MBA at Wharton.
Robert J. "Bob" Lowe (MBA '64)
Founder & Chairman of the Board
Lowe
Bob Lowe is Founder and Chairman of Lowe, a privately owned diversified national real estate company active in commercial, hospitality and residential property investment, development and management. Headquartered in Los Angeles, the firm maintains regional offices in Denver, Irvine, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington D.C. Over the past 46 years, Lowe Enterprises has developed, acquired or managed more than $28 billion of real estate assets. Through its hospitality management affiliate, the firm oversees the management of more than 17,000 hotel rooms/units nationwide.
Bob is a Trustee and past Chairman of the Board of the Los Angeles Metropolitan YMCA; Chairman Emeritus of the Real Estate Roundtable; Life Trustee and Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Claremont McKenna College; Chairman and Co-Founder of the Lowe Institute of Political Economy of Claremont McKenna College; and Director of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce. Bob is past Chairman of the New Los Angeles Marketing Partnership; past member of the California Economy Strategy Panel; and past Director and member of the Executive Committee of the Economic Development Corporation of Los Angeles County. Bob's honors include City of Hope "Spirit of Life" Award; National Entrepreneur of the Year for Real Estate and Construction; Los Angeles Mayor's "City of Angels" Award; "Distinguished Citizen Award" presented by the Boy Scouts of America and the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce Distinguished Business Leader Award and Bob was recently inducted into the Stanford University Real Estate Hall of Fame.
Bob earned a BA, Cum Laude, from Claremont McKenna College and an MBA from the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University.
Mike Lowe ('91, MBA '97)
Co-Chief Executive Officer
Lowe
Mike Lowe is a co-CEO and chief investment officer of Lowe Enterprises. Mike shares overall leadership for the firm with his brother and co-CEO Rob Lowe. As CIO of Lowe, Mike focuses primarily on the firm’s national investment activities. He is responsible for new business development, investment strategy and performance, transactions and capital relationships. In addition, he serves on the investment committee for Lowe Enterprises Investors, and on the Boards of Lowe Enterprises, Lowe Enterprises Investors and Two Roads Hospitality. He is an active member of the Urban Land Institute and the Real Estate Roundtable. Mike earned his BA from Stanford University and his MBA from Stanford University Graduate School of Business.
Robert J. "Rob" Lowe, Jr. ('88)
Co-Chief Executive Officer
Lowe
Robert J. Lowe, Jr., is co-CEO of Lowe Enterprises, a national real estate investment, development and management firm formed in 1972. Over the past 46 years, Lowe has developed, acquired or managed more than $28 billion of real estate assets nationwide as it pursued its mission to build value in real estate by creating innovative, lasting environments and meaningful experiences that connect people and place. Lowe is currently responsible for more than $8.5 billion of commercial, hospitality and residential assets and has more than $2 billion in commercial real estate projects in the pipeline or under development. Rob serves as co-Chairman of affiliate Two Roads Hospitality, an international lifestyle company that operates more than 86 properties in nine countries with approximately $2 billion in total property revenues under management. He is a past Trustee and President of the Palisades Presbyterian Church, is currently on the Board of Managers at the Palisades-Malibu YMCA, is an Advisory Board member of the UCLA Ziman Center for Real Estate, and is an active member of the Urban Land Institute. Rob received his AB from Stanford University and his MBA from UCLA.
Mark MacDonald ('93, MS '07)
Co-Founding Principal
DM Development
Mark MacDonald is a co-founding principal of DM Development. Combining his passion for architectural design and real estate development, Mark founded DM Development in 2010 to create exceptionally designed urban infill properties that revitalize communities and promote sustainable development. Mark is actively involved in all phases of the development process with an emphasis on acquisitions, underwriting, finance, partnerships, design, entitlements, marketing and sales. Mark is an active member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI), SPUR and the San Francisco Housing Action Coalition (SFHAC), and he has been a featured speaker at numerous local and regional real estate industry events. Mark received his bachelor’s in computer systems engineering with distinction from Stanford University.
Chris Mahowald (MBA '89)
Managing Partner
RSF Partners
Chris Mahowald is the managing partner of RSF Partners, a series of real estate private equity funds totaling over $1 billion in equity. Prior to forming RSF in 1997, Mr. Mahowald was a partner with the Robert M. Bass Group where he was a founding principal in several real estate-related private equity funds, including the Brazos Fund, the Lone Star Opportunity Fund and Colony Capital. Prior to joining the Bass Group he was a principal for the Trammell Crow Company. Chris serves, or has served, on the Board of Directors for a number of private and public companies including American Security Products, Capstead Mortgage (NYSE: CMO), IMPAC Commercial Holdings (NYSE: ICH) and Omega Healthcare (NYSE: OHI). He serves on several non-profit boards, including Stanford University’s DAPER Investment Fund and Teach for America (Dallas/Fort Worth region). He received a BS in Mathematics and Computer Science from Santa Clara University and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He is a lecturer in finance at the Stanford Graduate School of Business where he co-teaches the Real Estate Investment course.
Ashley Marks (MBA '05)
Partner
Cordillera Investment Partners
Ashley Marks is a Partner at Cordillera Investment Partners. Prior to founding Cordillera, Ashley was a Partner at Makena Capital Management where she was the Portfolio Manager responsible for a Makena private fund focused on distressed real estate credit and assets. She was also a senior member of Makena’s Real Estate investment team responsible for investments in office, multifamily, hotels, residential, industrial, real estate credit, and REITs. She was also a member of the firm’s Investment Committee. Prior to the formation of Makena, Ashley was an Associate at MacFarlane Partners, a real estate private equity firm in San Francisco. Prior to joining MacFarlane Partners, she worked at the Stanford Management Company where she focused on portfolio management and risk analytics as well as hedge fund investing. Ashley also served as an Analyst at Robertson Stephens in the Technology Investment Banking group. Ashley earned a BBA in Finance from University of Michigan and an MBA from Stanford's Graduate School of Business.
Drew McCourt (MBA '11)
President
MG Properties, McCourt Global
Drew McCourt is a co-founder and principal at McCourt Global and heads McCourt Properties, the firm’s real estate investment and development arm. As president of McCourt Properties, Drew leads all real estate investment and development activity, and plays a key role in the creation and maintenance of many of the firm’s critical business partnerships and joint ventures. He is responsible for the identification and assessment of new real estate investment opportunities, the deployment of capital, and the ultimate development of properties. He sits on the Board of ThinkCure!, an innovative, community-based nonprofit that raises funds to accelerate collaborative research to cure cancer. Drew earned an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a BA from Columbia University.
Bowen "Buzz" McCoy ('58)
Buzz McCoy was a General Partner of Morgan Stanley where he developed and ran the commercial real estate finance unit for many years. In 2000 he was named a “20th Century Icon” in commercial real estate by National Real Estate Investor for his work integrating commercial real estate finance into the capital market system. He has served as Executive-in-Residence at both the Stanford and Notre Dame Graduate Schools of Business; and as Adjunct Professor, Pacific School of Religion, UCLA Anderson School of Management and the Graduate Real Estate Program at USC. He has published ninety magazine articles on the subjects of business ethics or real estate finance, and he has published two books. He currently spends his time as a real estate counselor, teacher and philanthropist.
Gary McKitterick ('81)
Partner
Allen Matkins Leck Gamble Mallory & Natsis
Gary S. McKitterick is a career real estate lawyer handling some of the largest and most complex real estate transactions in the country. Gary is a partner in the firm's Orange County office and is the former Vice-Chair of Allen Matkins Real Estate Practice Group. He handles real estate transactions of all sizes on a national basis representing large technology companies and office, retail, industrial, medical and residential developers and investors in a wide range of projects. Gary has been selected as one of the top real estate lawyers in America by Best Lawyers in America from 2003 to 2019.
Public and privately held companies rely on Gary to structure and negotiate complex transactions. For example, he was the lead lawyer for the acquisition of a skyscraper in Chicago that was, at the time, the largest single asset transaction in the history of Chicago. He also handled one of the largest land transactions in the history of California when Gary structured the sale of over 437,000 acres of land to the Bureau of Land Management and a private conservancy.
In the last three years alone, Gary has structured development, acquisition, disposition and investment deals valued at more than $10 billion. Gary is also involved in active construction projects across the United States and Canada with total project costs of more than $5.5 billion.
Gary is one of the leading transactional development and construction experts on the West Coast and has authored a chapter on construction management issues for legal publisher Mathew Bender. He has lectured on construction matters for graduate schools at USC, UCLA and UCI and has written numerous articles covering such subjects as "Organizing and Planning a Project" and "The Role of Construction and Development Management."
Susan Meaney ('82)
Managing Director
Makena Capital Management
Susan Meaney is a Managing Director at Makena Capital Management and a member of the firm’s Management Committee.
Susan has been with the firm since its founding in 2006 where she has been responsible for managing the firm’s real estate investments totaling over $3 billion as well as contributing to the real assets portfolio. Makena is a global, multi-asset class investment manager with $18 billion of capital under management. The firm offers a range of pooled investment vehicles designed to achieve long term capital appreciation.
Prior to joining Makena Capital, Susan was the Director of Real Estate and Real Assets Investments for the William & Flora Hewlett Foundation where she was responsible for the investment and oversight of the Foundation’s real assets portfolio.
She served as a Managing Director at the Stanford Management Company from 1993-2001 where she was responsible for the development and management of 700 acres of Stanford University’s commercial real estate holdings and the development of one million square feet of office space.
She currently serves as an Overseer of the Tuck School at Dartmouth and a member of the Stanford Bing Overseas Study Program Advisory Council. She has recently served on the Dartmouth Investment Committee as well as the Investment Committee of the Hewlett Foundation.
Susan graduated from Stanford University in 1982 with an AB, with Honors and earned an MBA from The Tuck School at Dartmouth in 1986.
Randy Miller (MS '03)
President and CEO
RAD Urban
Randy Miller is President and CEO of RAD Urban, a vertically integrated design-build contractor, modular manufacturer and real estate developer. Randy leads the company in its development and implementation of industry-transforming industrialized building system technology and has general management responsibility for real estate, design, engineering, construction and manufacturing operations. RAD Urban focuses exclusively on urban in-fill development and focuses on innovation in design, building methods and sustainability strategies. Currently, the company is developing three modular high-rises that will be the first of their kind in a high-seismic region. Upon completion, they will be the three tallest modular buildings in North America. The first of these innovative structures is schedules to begin construction in mid-2018. Randy earned a BS in mechanical engineering from UC Berkeley and an MS in construction engineering and management from Stanford University.
O'Malley Miller ('73)
Partner
Allen Matkins
O’Malley M. Miller is a real estate partner in the Los Angeles office of Allen Matkins. O'Malley maintains a sophisticated transactional practice including finance, land use and development matters with expertise in matters relating to workouts and debt restructurings. He frequently lectures and authors publications in the areas of real property finance and development, portfolio acquisitions, land use and construction related issues. In 2014, the Daily Journal named him as one of “California’s Top 50 Development Lawyers.” He was also named to the Daily Journal’s Top 20 Real Estate Transactional Lawyers in California list in 2013. O'Malley is a member of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers.
Hamid Moghadam (MBA '80)
Chairman of the Board & CEO
Prologis
Hamid Moghadam is Chairman and CEO of Prologis. In 1983, Hamid co-founded the company's predecessor, AMB Property Corporation, and led it through its initial public offering in 1997, as well as its merger with ProLogis in 2011. He has been a board member since the company’s inception and serves on the board’s executive committee. Hamid has served as a trustee of Stanford University. He remains active with Stanford, currently serving on the board of the Stanford Management Company, where he was formerly chair. He also serves on Stanford’s FSI Council (Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies) and the Stanford Graduate School of Business’ Advisory Council. Previously, he served as a trustee and as a member on the board’s executive committee for the Urban Land Institute, chairman of NAREIT and REITPAC, and as a member of several other philanthropic, community, and corporate boards. Hamid received the 2013 Ernst & Young National Entrepreneur of the Year Overall Award and is a recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. He has been named CEO of the Year and received multiple lifetime achievement awards from leading publications and industry organizations. Hamid received an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a Bachelor and Master of Science in engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Daniel Neidich (MBA '74)
CEO
Dune Real Estate Partners
Dan Neidich is founder and chief executive officer of Dune Real Estate Partners LP. Dune manages real estate private equity funds with over $4.3 billion of equity capital under management. The funds target opportunistic investments in the United States and Europe. Prior to founding Dune, Dan was at Goldman Sachs where he was a member of the Management Committee, co-head of the Merchant Banking Division, and Chairman of the Whitehall Investment Committee. Dan joined Goldman Sachs in 1978, became a partner in 1984 and became head of Goldman’s Real Estate Department in 1990. In 1992, he formed the Real Estate Principal Investment Area, in 1998 he became co-head of the Merchant Banking Division, and in 1999 he joined the firm’s Management Committee. He received an MBA from Stanford University Graduate School of Business and a BA from Yale University.
Patrick Orosco ('98)
Partner
The Orosco Group
Patrick Orosco is co-founder of SPIRE and an ex-officio member of the Board of Directors. Patrick is a Partner at The Orosco Group, a second generation real estate development firm that specializes in value-add investments and commercial developments throughout California. Through relationships built within SPIRE, Patrick is a joint venture partner of fellow co-founder, Chad Hagle. Together, Orosco/Aventine targets portfolio acquisitions of distressed, predominantly retail assets nationwide. Patrick has served on multiple land use advisory, business development, educational, and arts promotion boards and committees in home county of Monterey CA. Patrick received a BA degree from Stanford in Urban Studies with emphases in social psychology and the built environment and now guest lectures within the department.
Mario J. Palumbo, Jr. (JD '97, MBA '98)
Partner
Millennium Partners
Mario Palumbo is the managing partner responsible for directing and managing the day-to-day operations of Millennium Partners. In addition, he oversees Millennium Partner's largest investment vehicle- the Completed Asset Fund, with over $2.75 Billion in assets. The portfolio contains Millennium's office, retail, theater, extended-stay and parking assets throughout the country. Mario joined Millennium Partners in 1997. He initially oversaw the development of Millennium's mixed-use Ritz-Carlton developments in Washington, DC, Georgetown and Battery Park City in lower Manhattan. Mario received his JD from the Stanford Law School and his MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He holds an undergraduate degree in economics from Princeton University, from which he graduated summa cum laude. He attended Phillips Exeter Academy for high school. Mario is board chair of The Friends of the High Line and a member of the Board of Governors of the Real Estate Board of New York Board.
Gabriela Franco Parcella (JD '94)
Executive Managing Director
Merlone Geier Partners
Gabriela Franco Parcella joined Merlone Geier in 2018. Her primary responsibility is to work with Messrs. Merlone and Geier on the furtherance of the firm’s investment management activities. Prior to joining Merlone Geier, Gabby was the Chairman, President and CEO of Mellon Capital, a $380 billion institutional investment management firm focused on index and multi-asset strategies. For seven years, Gabby oversaw and coordinated the fully integrated company including Investments, Operations, Distribution, Legal, Regulatory and Compliance. During her 20-year career at Mellon Capital, Gabby held numerous other leadership roles, including Chief Operating Officer, General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer. Prior to Mellon Capital, Gabby was a tax attorney at Orrick. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 1991, earning a M.A. in Professional Accounting and a B.A. in Business Administration, both with High Honors. In 1994, she earned a J.D. with Distinction from the Stanford Law School and was elected Business Manager of the school’s Law Review. She is admitted to the California State Bar and is fluent in Spanish. Gabby is a director of Terreno Realty Corporation (NYSE:TRNO), an industrial REIT with a strategic focus in six major U.S. coastal markets. Additionally, she serves on the Stanford Law School Board of Visitors and chairs the Board of Schools of the Sacred Heart, San Francisco. Gabby was named one of the area’s “Most Influential Women” by the San Francisco Business Times in 2016. In 2017, Fortune and ALPFA ranked her third on their “50 Most Powerful Latinas in Corporate America.”
Andrea Nicholas Perdue (MBA '08)
Senior Vice President
Colony NorthStar
Andrea Nicholas Perdue, Senior Vice President of Colony NorthStar, Inc., is responsible for capital formation and investor relations interfacing with the Firm’s current and prospective investor base across the Firm’s various platforms. Prior to her current role, Andrea was responsible for the identification, evaluation, and consummation of new investments for Colony Capital, LLC, primarily in North America. Prior to joining Colony Capital, Andrea was an Associate at Goldman Sachs International in London where she worked for four years for the Securities Division in Sales and Trading. Andrea received her MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business with a focus in global management and her BS from the University of California, Berkeley.
Tricia Peterson (MBA '00)
Managing Partner and Chief Operating Officer
Accord Group Holdings
Tricia Peterson is a Managing Partner and Chief Operating Officer of Accord Group Holdings, which provides strategic advisory and capital formation services to the real estate private equity industry. Accord also makes principal investments in real estate platforms and has an investment management arm. Her real estate experience includes senior roles with Pacific Urban Residential, Macquarie Capital, Presidio Partners and Compass Equity Advisors. Previously, she was an investment banker with Lehman Brothers, covering real estate, healthcare, media & telecom and municipal finance clients. Tricia has served as a consultant to the International Finance Corporation in Beijing, China. She holds a BA in Political Economy from UC Berkeley and an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Bill Powers (MBA '83)
General Partner
The Strand Partners
Bill Powers currently manages The Strand Partners, the vehicle for Powers Family wealth investments. Bill serves as a general partner of Encore Housing and of Sandbridge Capital. Bill is a senior advisor to JRK Multifamily Platform and is Managing Director at Aspen Highland Partners. Bill worked for PIMCO for 19 years as a fixed-income portfolio manager and managing director. He oversaw PIMCO’s global portfolio management operations in London, Tokyo, Sydney, Toronto, Munich, and Singapore. Prior to PIMCO, Bill was a Senior Director at Bear Stearns and a Mortgage Specialist at Salomon Brothers. At Princeton he was chosen to the All-Ivy league team and made the naming gift for its football field. Mr. Powers received an AB in Economics from Princeton University and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Lauren Pressman ('95, MBA '01)
Director of Investments
Hillspire LLC
Lauren Pressman joined Hillspire LLC in June 2013 and focuses on real estate investments. Prior to Hillspire, Lauren’s roles included Director of Investment Research at Aspiriant, LLC, a wealth management firm where she was responsible for managing the firm’s discretionary real estate funds; Senior Vice President at MacFarlane Partners, where she was responsible for the firm’s urban investment activities in the Bay Area and Pacific Northwest; and Project Manager at Hines Interests. In 2013, Lauren served as President of the San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of NAIOP. She has been a co-chair of the NAIOP Golden Shovel Challenge for over 15 years and was the 2018 co-chair of PREA’s fall conference. She earned an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where she graduated as an Arjay Miller Scholar. Lauren also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Latin American Studies from Stanford University, where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa.
Jeffrey S. Quicksilver (JD '86)
Co-Founder and Managing Principal
Walton Street Capital
As Co-Founder and Managing Principal, Walton Street Capital, L.L.C. Jeff oversees the global investments of Walton Street Capital, which has invested approximately $10.0 billion of equity in transactions with a gross acquisition cost of approximately $25.0 billion since its inception in 1995. Jeff is a member of the Firm’s Investment and Management Committee. Walton Street has offices in Chicago, Illinois, Mexico City, Mexico, and Mumbai, India. Prior to joining Walton Street, Jeff was a Managing Director of JMB Private Capital Group, which was formed in 1992 and successfully focused on opportunistic and value-added real estate investments. Prior thereto, Jeff was a Managing Director at JMB Realty Corporation. He is a member of the Real Estate Roundtable and the Urban Land Institute. He is also a Policy Advisor Board Member of the Fisher Center for Real Estate and Urban Economics. Jeff earned a BA from the University of Michigan and a JD from Stanford University.
Andy Richard ('91)
Senior Managing Director
Evercore
Andy Richard is a Managing Director in Investment Banking and Capital Markets at Credit Suisse. As Head of U.S. REITs, he is responsible for the bank’s coverage of public and private real estate companies. During his career, he has originated and executed as lead coverage banker strategic transactions for many of the leading REITS and financial sponsors in the U.S., as well as for companies in such countries as Canada, Mexico, U.K., France, Germany, Finland, Russia, Greece, and Egypt. Before joining Credit Suisse in 2011, he spent ten years at Goldman Sachs in New York and London, where he was Head of EMEA Real Estate; and four years at Lehman Brothers in real estate and in mergers and acquisitions. Andy graduated from Stanford with an AB in English with Honors, and earned an MBA in Finance from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he was a Palmer Scholar. He lives in Greenwich, Connecticut with his wife and two daughters.
Charlie Rose ('03)
Senior Director of Structured Investments
Invesco Real Estate
Charlie Rose is Senior Director of Structured Investments of Invesco Real Estate in Newport Beach. At Invesco, Charlie is primarily responsible for strategic planning and business development within Invesco’s credit-focused lines of business, which includes sourcing and structuring new debt investments, managing external relationships, and working with the broader Invesco platform to expand Invesco’s credit business. Prior to joining Invesco Real Estate, Charlie worked for Canyon Partners LLC, originating, structuring and executing direct and indirect real estate debt and equity transactions in the Western United States. Charlie also previously worked for The Marcus & Millichap Companies (TMMC) in the Capital Markets and Pacific Urban Residential Acquisitions groups, as well as Vice President at Rosen Consulting Group, where he was responsible for national real estate market research, covering the office, retail, industrial, and residential sectors. He is a graduate of Stanford University (BA, English) and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania (MBA, Honors, with a concentration in Real Estate). He is an active member of the Urban Development Mixed Use Council of the Urban Land Institute (ULI), a member of the board of directors of the Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust, and a member of the Building Hope board of the City of Hope.
Ralph Rosenberg (MBA '90)
Global Head of KKR Real Estate
KKR & Co. L.P.
Ralph F. Rosenberg (New York) joined KKR in 2011 and is the Global Head of KKR's Real Estate Platform. Prior to joining KKR, Mr. Rosenberg was a Partner at Eton Park Capital Management and also managed his own firm, R6 Capital Management, which later merged into Eton Park. Previously, he was a Partner at Goldman Sachs. He holds an undergraduate degree from Brown University where he was magna cum laude and an M.B.A from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Ralph is Chairman of the Board of Directors of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Inc., a Global and U.S Trustee of the Urban Land Institute, a Governor of the Urban Land Institute Foundation, a Board Member and Treasurer of the Pension Real Estate Association and the PREA Foundation. He also serves as a Trustee of Brown University and is an Honorary Trustee of the Francis W. Parker School in Chicago, Illinois. He is a former Trustee of the Stanford Graduate School of Business Trust and a former Trustee of the Masters School in Dobbs Ferry, New York.
Bill Rothacker ('74, MS '74, MBA '80)
Chairman & Founder
Cadence Capital Investments
William Rothacker oversees a firm specializing in single tenant retail development and shopping center investment repositioning and development. Projects are primarily located in California, Colorado and Washington State. Prior to founding Cadence Capital Investments in 2001, he was with Trammell Crow Company for 21 years where he served in numerous capacities including executive committee member, President and CEO TCC Retail, and Partner. Bill received his MBA, MS (Engineering), BS (Engineering) from Stanford and a BA from Claremont McKenna College.
Eric Samek (MBA '03)
Founder
Brasa Capital Management
Eric Samek is the founder of Brasa Capital Management and is responsible for deal origination, transaction execution, portfolio management and overall management of the firm’s operations. Prior to forming Brasa in 2018, Eric worked with AEW Capital Management for over 10 years, most recently as Head of the Western US for AEW’s opportunity fund. While at AEW Eric invested over $1 billion in the office, multi-family, industrial and retail sectors. Prior to joining AEW, Eric served as Director for real estate private equity investments at Broadreach Capital Partners. During his tenure at Broadreeach, he sourced and closed $750 million of acquisitions. Eric started his career as an investment banking analyst at Goldman Sachs in New York. He earned a BS in Economics from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Nicole Sermier (MBA '05)
Senior Principal, Head of Residential Investments
Oz Real Estate (OZRE)
Nicole Sermier is a Senior Principal and Head of Residential Investments at Oz Real Estate (OZRE). In this role, Nicole oversees OZRE’s investment activity across various residential strategies, including multifamily, senior housing, and affordable housing. Nicole's experience includes both debt and equity transactions, and investments in stabilized assets as well as development projects. Prior to joining Oz Management in 2008, she worked at AIG Global Real Estate where she was responsible for acquisitions and asset management across a range of property types. Nicole received an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, graduated phi beta kappa from Wesleyan University, where she received a BA in Government, and was a Fulbright Scholar.
Mark Shoberg (MBA '03)
Managing Director, Real Estate
Stanford Management Company
Mark Shoberg is a Managing Director with Stanford Management Company and is responsible for SMC’s global real estate investment portfolio. Prior to joining SMC in 2016, Mark spent over ten years with the University of Texas Investment Management Company in Austin, Texas. At UTIMCO, Mark served as Managing Director responsible for the firm’s real estate, technology, and healthcare investments. Mark’s prior work experience has provided him with broad exposure to a number of industries including Information Technology, Oil & Gas, Consulting, and Real Estate. Prior to joining UTIMCO, Mark worked in the consulting division of Accenture (NYSE: ACN) and in the strategic development group of VerticalNet Inc., a software provider of on-demand supply chain management solutions and business- to-business procurement portals. Mark received an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and BE in Mechanical Engineering from Vanderbilt University.
Ron Sturzenegger ('82)
Ron Sturzenegger was Enterprise Business & Community Engagement executive for Bank of America. In his role overseeing Enterprise Business & Community Engagement, Ron was responsible for driving global integration opportunities across the enterprise. In addition, Ron led the company’s strategy through which leaders representing all the company’s various businesses in a given market or community worked together to integrate the delivery of products and services for customers and clients; including the oversight of the Market Presidents Organization. Ron also oversaw ReconTrust, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bank of America that provides document custody services and processes reconveyance (lien release activities) in all states. Previously, Ron led Legacy Asset Servicing for the bank. Prior to Bank of America, he served as managing director and global head of Real Estate, Gaming & Lodging Corporate & Investment Banking for Bank of America Merrill Lynch, a managing director and head of Real Estate and Lodging Mergers & Acquisitions for Bank of America and a principal at Morgan Stanley. Ron is a member of The Real Estate Roundtable and on the policy advisory board for the Fisher Center for Real Estate & Urban Economics. Ron and his wife are Vice Chairs of the Parents’ Advisory Board for Stanford University.
Lydia Tan (MBA '91)
Managing Director, Real Estate
Oakland A’s
Lydia Tan is Senior Vice President, Head of Development of Bentall Kennedy in the United States, overseeing real estate development activity for the company, which is comprised of a variety of asset types throughout the U.S. Lydia also serves on the U.S. Management Committee. Prior to joining Bentall Kennedy in 2014, Lydia was EVP, Director of Northern California Operations at Related California where she spearheaded the development of a $2 billion pipeline of mixed income, mixed use projects. Prior to that, she was EVP in charge of Development at BRIDGE Housing Corporation, where she oversaw the production of $2.4 billion in assets, participated as part of the executive management team, and co-led an investment partnership with CalPERS. With more than 30 years' experience, she has had key involvement in conceptualizing, entitling, financing and constructing several large-scale public/private redevelopment efforts in the Western U.S. Lydia holds an AB Architecture degree from University of California, Berkeley and an MBA from Stanford University, and is a registered Architect in California. She is a member of the Stanford Real Estate Council and ULI, and serves on the board of directors of Habitat for Humanity Greater SF, SPUR, and the S.H. Cowell Foundation.
Tad Taube ('53, MS '57)
Founder and Chairman
Woodmont Companies
Tad Taube is Founder and Chairman of Woodmont Companies, a diversified real estate investment and management organization. Since its founding in 1963, the Company has been involved in the acquisition, development, and management of income properties exceeding $5 billion in valuation. Until its acquisition by Cushman Wakefield in 2015, Woodmont’s holdings included BT/Cassidy-Turley. He is a founder and advisory board chair of the Taube Center for Jewish Studies. He is a past member of the Board of Overseers of the Hoover Institution, and was founder and past chairman of the advisory board of the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR). In 2014, Hoover Institution awarded Taube the Uncommon Commitment Award; and Stanford’s President John L. Hennessy awarded him the Remarkable Generosity Acknowledgment. His involvement in Stanford Athletics includes his family’s gift to Stanford’s Taube Family Tennis Stadium, Stanford’s Football Stadium, and his endowment for the Taube Director of Men’s Tennis. He formerly served as Chair of the Stanford Athletic Board. Tad is a recognized philanthropist having served for 32 years as President of the Koret Foundation and currently serves his global philanthropic endeavors through Taube Philanthropies. In 2018, Tad received an honorary doctorate from Jagiellonian University in Krakow for his work, during the past two decades, rebuilding Jewish cultural and academic life throughout Poland. He is the only philanthropist among the four non-academics—including the Dalai Lama, Mother Teresa, and President Woodrow Wilson—who have received this honor. Tad Taube’s father earned a Doctor of Law from Jagiellonian University, which was awarded in the same renaissance room as Tad's honorary doctorate in 1928, 90 years earlier.
Claire Cormier Thielke ('08, MS '08)
Chief Operating Officer
Hines Investment Management
Claire Thielke is Chief Operating Officer of Hines Investment Management, the institutional/private equity and REIT fund management division of Hines Interests.
She manages the activities of the Hines Investments & Performance Committee, has served on the firm’s Strategy Committee, and serves as an advisor to the Hines IT Steering Committee. She has also held positions in construction management for the Hines Southwest Region and portfolio management for the Hines Emerging Markets Funds.
Claire earned her undergraduate degree in Urban Planning and Design from Stanford University, graduating Phi Beta Kappa in 2.5 years as captain of the track and field team and Stanford BCSC Valedictorian.
After completing her Masters in Construction Management from Stanford’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering as the program’s youngest graduate, Claire continued on to earn her post-masters Degree of Engineer (Eng.) from Stanford’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in 2009, conducting dissertation research on green retrofitting and seismic upgrades for historic buildings.
In January 2019, Claire will relocate to Hong Kong to focus on the expansion of Hines’ development, acquisitions, and asset management business into new markets throughout Asia.
Patrick Tooley (MBA '98)
Managing Partner
Tooley Interests, LLC
Patrick Tooley founded and serves as Managing Partner of Tooley Interests, LLC (“TI”) a firm focused on the acquisition, development, and longterm ownership of strategic real estate in Southern California’s coastal urban markets. Prior to founding TI Patrick was a Senior Vice President at Wilson Meany where he was responsible for investment and commercial development activities in Southern California. His experience includes advisory work for CalPERS and other pension investment funds. Patrick previously served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of SPIRE and is a past Board Member of the Westside Urban Forum where he served as Treasurer. He is active in ULI and ICSC and holds a BS in Business Administration from the University of Southern California and an MBA from Stanford University.
Kenneth Valach (MBA '89)
Chief Executive Officer
Trammell Crow Residential
Ken Valach is the Chief Executive Officer of Trammell Crow Residential and Crow Holdings Industrial. After joining Trammell Crow Residential in 1989, he served in a variety of positions including overseeing development, finance and construction for Trammell Crow Residential in all major markets in the western half of the U.S. In 2009, Ken assumed the CEO role of Trammell Crow Residential when the Crow family charged him with leading the company through the 2008-2010 economic recession. In 2015, Ken was named CEO of Crow Holdings Industrial to help build a national platform for development of speculative and build-to-suit industrial projects.
Prior to attending business school, Ken served as chief financial officer of a private company in Southern California and as a management consultant with Price Waterhouse.
Ken received his BA in Economics and Math, cum laude, from Claremont McKenna College, where he currently serves as a member of the Board of Trustees. He received his MBA degree from Stanford Graduate School of Business. Ken is the Treasurer of National Multifamily Housing Council, a Director of Kimble Senior Housing, a Director of New Hope Housing, and is active in the Boy Scouts of America organization.
Diane Vrkic (MBA '04)
Founder & CEO
Waypoint
Diane is the Founder & CEO of Waypoint. Waypoint is the Real Estate Industry’s first Performance Management platform. Waypoint provides previously unavailable real estate financial indices within a modern asset management platform that drives transparency, performance and value for real estate teams and portfolios. Leading real estate investors and owners have adopted Waypoint which now has over two billion square feet on its platform. Prior to Waypoint, Diane launched and managed Jones Lang LaSalle’s Global Energy business. Diane received her MBA at Stanford and her BS at Fordham University, Summa Cum Laude. She also attended Georgetown School of Medicine before leaving to start her first real estate technology startup. Diane is passionate about driving improvement in the day to day work of real estate professionals and building a great company alongside her Waypoint colleagues. She lives in San Francisco with her husband and 3 year old daughter.
Andy Walburger ('00)
Vice President
Ten-X Commercial
Andy Walburger, Vice President at Ten-X Commercial, is responsible for leading company-wide customer engagement for institutional clients. With over $20B in sold transactions since 2009, Ten-X is the leading online end-to-end real estate marketplace. Investors in the company include Thomas H. Lee, Google Capital and Stone Point Capital. Current clients include Blackstone, Oaktree, LNR, Colony, KIMCO, and Starwood Property Trust. Ten-X is leveraging technology and big data to innovate how the industry markets and transacts real estate assets. Prior to joining Ten-X Andy co-founded and served as Executive Director of Stanford Professionals in Real Estate (SPIRE) which he built into a global association of Stanford alumni and students involved in the real estate industry and he remains a board member of SPIRE. Andy graduated from Stanford University with an economics degree and was a member of the NCAA Champion water polo team.
Ross Walker ('98, MBA '05)
Managing Partner
Hawkins Way Capital, LLC
Ross Walker is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Hawkins Way Capital and its affiliated funds. Since co-founding the company, Ross has served on the Investment Committee where he leads the firm's real estate acquisition and development, asset management and property management activities. Prior to forming Hawkins Way Capital, Ross served as a Partner at Wolff Urban Development, a real estate-based family office, which included professional sports team ownership activities (Oakland Athletics and San Jose Earthquakes). Ross graduated from Stanford University and earned an MBA from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business. Subsequently, he served on Stanford University’s Board of Trustees and now serves as Trustee Emeritus. Ross is also a member of the Stanford Real Estate Council and YPO.
Joshua Waltzer ('95)
Managing Partner
North Street Finance
Josh Waltzer is a Managing Partner at North Street Finance, which provides financing and advisory services to the single family residential investment industry. Prior to co-founding North Street, Josh was a director at Bank of America Merrill Lynch where he was the senior investment banker on the West Coast for the Real Estate Investment Banking Group. During his 10+ year career at BofAML, he raised over $25 billion of capital for public and private real estate clients and advised on over $15 billion of M&A transactions. Prior to BofAML, Josh was an Asset Manager at Newmark & Co. Real Estate, Inc.in New York, NY where he was responsible for managing the operations of over 1.5 million square feet of office properties.
Lili Wang ('03, MS '03)
Founder
New City Group
Lili Wang is a Founding Partner of New City Group, a cross-border real estate private equity platform. Prior, Lili was a portfolio manager at Seneca Capital, where she focused on emerging markets and global financials. Lili began her career at Goldman Sachs in investment banking and private equity. She graduated from Stanford University with a BA in Economics and an MS in Management Science and Engineering. She is fluent in English and Mandarin, and proficient in Spanish, French, and Arabic.
Mark Whiting ('78, MBA '82)
Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO
Drawbridge Realty
Mark Whiting is currently the CEO, Co-Founder and Chairman of the Board of Drawbridge Realty Trust, LLC. In late 2011, Drawbridge Partners (founded in 1999) recapitalized with a major institutional investor and became Drawbridge Realty Trust. Prior to the formation of Drawbridge, Mark served as co-founder, President, and Director of TriNet Corporate Realty Trust, Inc., a NYSE REIT which he took public in May 1993. Mark serves as a board member of Capstead Mortgage Corporation (NYSE: CMO) and The Marcus & Millichap Companies. He also recently served as a member of the Stanford University Athletic Board, and the Board of Trustees of the Cate School. Mark holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Stanford University and an MBA from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.
Howard Wolf ('80)
President
Stanford Alumni Association
Howard Wolf, who has led the Stanford Alumni Association and its staff since 2001, earned his bachelor's degree in psychology, with distinction, from Stanford in 1980 and his MBA from Harvard in 1985. Before his appointment as Vice President for Alumni Affairs and President, Stanford Alumni Association, he worked as both an entrepreneur and business manager in the publishing and commercial real estate development and management industries. An active alum and volunteer, as well as an avid Stanford athletics fan, he received the Stanford Associates Outstanding Achievement Award in 2000. In addition to his Alumni Association role, Howard is one of ten officers of the University and part of its senior management team, with particular responsibility for advising the University's President and the Provost on alumni affairs.
Dick Wollack (MBA '69)
Founder and Managing Principal
Fulton Capital Advisors
Fulton Capital Advisors has been a REIT investment manager since 1985 and soon will launch a wholly innovative institutional REIT strategy. Dick has been a principal in $7 billion of R.E. funds and founded Global Real Analytics (GRA) a real estate research firm that had an 11-year JV with Alliance Bernstein supporting their REIT strategy before selling GRA to Schwab in 2007. Dick's other business is wine and vineyards, cofounding two wine brands - Expression (Pinot Noir) and Tetra (Proprietary Red). Congressman Mike Thompson named Dick to 'Vintners Hall of Fame Stewards.' He also served on the California Senate's 'Commission on Shareholder Rights. Academically, Dick has authored two real estate investment books and was an adjunct real estate professor at both Stanford and UC Berkeley business schools.
Education: University of Illinois B.A., graduating Phi Beta Kappa, and Stanford MBA.
Kenneth Woolley (PhD '71, MBA '71)
Founder & Executive Chairman
Extra Space Storage
Kenneth M. Woolley is the founder and Executive Chairman of Extra Space Storage Inc. Ken served as the CEO from Extra Space Storage’s formation through March 2009 and as Chief Investment Officer (“CIO”) from July 2012 to July 2013. He has been involved in the self-storage industry since 1977. Early in his career he was a management consultant with the Boston Consulting Group. From 1979 to 1998, he was an Associate Professor, and later an Adjunct Associate Professor of Business Administration at Brigham Young University, where he taught undergraduate and MBA classes in Corporate Strategy and Real Estate. Ken has also developed more than 14,000 apartment units through his Las Vegas entity, Nevada West Partners. He has also founded several companies in the retail, electronics, food manufacturing and natural resources industries. Ken currently serves as a trustee and a member of the compensation committee of American Homes 4 Rent. He holds a BA in physics from Brigham Young University and an MBA and Ph.D. in business administration from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Carol Wyant ('61)
President
Pathfinder Consulting
The Pathfinder Consulting corporate focus is urban and architectural design and historic preservation. As President, Carol draws on her experience in commercial mixed-use development during the 80s, and leadership of a statewide historic preservation organization followed by inauguration of a new program for a national preservation organization in the 90’s. Early into the 21st century Carol co-founded and directed the Form-Based Codes Institute. An alternative to zoning, Form-Based Codes are the implementation tool for walkable, mixed-use urban design. Pathfinder Consulting is active in ongoing projects in Madrid, Spain; The U.S. Virgin Islands, Washington, D.C., Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, and Illinois. Carol has been the President of Pathfinder Consulting since 1999.
Gregg Young (MBA '79)
Advisory Board Member
VIATechnik
Gregg Young recently served as Chief Investment Officer and Chief Operating Officer at Karney Properties, a 60 year old privately owned real estate investment company in Los Angeles (2011 to 2017). Gregg's duties included portfolio repositioning through 1031 exchanges involving over 20 separate acquisition and disposition transactions, project and portfolio debt financing, coordinating and master planning the re-purposing of larger sites, supporting the related entitlement process, and working with ownership on long-term strategy. Currently, he serves as a consultant on selective engagements and is an active member of the Board of Advisors of VIATechnik, a real estate and construction technology consulting and implementation firm offering solutions for reducing construction costs / schedule and supporting design decisions. With over 1000 engagements completed in 6 years, VIATechnik is a market leader in applying new technology to the built environment. Gregg began his real estate career in 1979 in the Dallas office building division of Trammell Crow Company, as part of the development team for three downtown office buildings and five suburban office buildings. In 1985, Gregg was asked to found the company's National Marketing division which later became Corporate Services. In 1994, after leaving Trammell Crow Company, he co-founded Essex Capital with the former managing partner of Trammell Crow Company, serving as chief executive officer of that privately-held Dallas-based investment firm. During this time, Gregg oversaw a three million SF portfolio with properties in 13 states, while also raising funds through private placement to acquire land and office investments in Houston and Charlotte. Prior to working with Karney, in 2003, he joined IDS, a Los Angeles real estate development and investment firm and led the acquisition of a two million square foot industrial portfolio in Southern California. Gregg earned a bachelor’s degree magna cum laude with a major in government/urban economics from Dartmouth College and an MBA degree from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Charles Young ('91, MBA '03)
Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President
Invitation Homes
Charles Young is the Chief Operating Officer of Starwood Waypoint Homes, which is a rapidly growing public REIT. The company acquires, renovates, leases and manages approximately 35,000 single-family rental homes in the United States. The company recently announced a merger with Invitation Homes to form an 82,000-home portfolio.
Prior to Starwood Waypoint, Charles was an EVP at Mesa Development, a national real estate developer. Prior to Mesa, he worked for Goldman Sachs and Company. He currently serves as an Independent Director of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago and on Stanford’s Graduate School of Business Management Board.
Charles has a BA in Economics from Stanford University and MBA from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business. After undergrad, Mr. Young spent several years as a professional football player in the National Football League and the World Football League.
Ron Zeff (MBA '88)
CEO
Carmel Partners
Ron Zeff serves as the Chief Executive Officer at Carmel Partners, a real estate development and investment management firm based in San Francisco specializing in the acquisition and renovation of multi-family properties in high barrier to entry markets. Ron is responsible for all aspects of the business including development and acquisitions, construction, financing, management and capital formation. Throughout its history, Carmel Partners multi-family portfolio has led to the successful execution of over $5 billion in multifamily investments. Prior to forming Carmel Partners, Ron was a partner with Trammell Crow Residential in San Francisco. He is a member of the Executive Committee of the National Multi Housing Council, is on the Board of Trustees for the California Academy of Sciences, is a member of the Stanford Graduate School of Business Advisory Council and holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Berkeley and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He also has received numerous philanthropic and industry awards throughout his career, including the City of Hope, Spirit of Life Award in 2015.
Dale Zeitlin ('77)
Owner
Zeitlin & Zeitlin
Dale Zeitlin graduated from Stanford University with a BA in economics in 1977 and received his law degree from Arizona State University in 1980. He is the founder of Zeitlin & Zeitlin, a boutique real estate firm in Phoenix, Arizona. Dale is a trial lawyer who specializes in eminent domain cases representing property owners whose properties are condemned for government projects. He has handled condemnation cases throughout Arizona, Maryland, the District of Columbia, Utah and California. Dale, with his son Harry Zeitlin (Stanford 2010) and wife Dawn (JD ASU 1980), own a real estate company, Zeitlin Capital, which develops and owns residential subdivision land, and retail and industrial properties in Arizona and Texas. Zeitlin Capital is currently working on a master plan for a 640 acre property located in the Dallas suburbs. In 2018, Zetlin Capital purchased an 80,000 square foot vacant office building in an on-line auction hosted by Ten-X Commercial and sold fully improved industrial land. Zeitlin Capital is currently in escrow to purchase a retail shopping center. All of these transactions are in the Phoenix metropolitan area. On the legal side, Dale is handling an eminent domain class action case on behalf of the 590 homeowners for the diminution of value caused by the construction of a new freeway.
Mark Zytko ('89)
Co-Founder and Co-Chief Executive Officer
Mesa West Capital
Mark Zytko co-founded Mesa West Capital in 2004. Mesa West, based in Los Angeles with offices in Chicago and New York, is a real estate investment management firm that operates a series of funds that have financed over $10 billion of commercial real estate nationwide since inception. Prior to founding Mesa West, Mark spent five years with Credit Suisse First Boston as head of its West Coast commercial real estate finance office located in Los Angeles. Previous to CSFB, he was a Vice President with GE Capital Real Estate. Previous to that Mark was a Manager of mortgage lending with SunAmerica Investments in Los Angeles. He received a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Stanford University.