Kenneth F. Bernstein is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Acadia Realty Trust, which he co-founded in 1998.  Acadia Realty Trust is a real estate investment trust specializing in the acquisition, redevelopment and management of open air retail properties.  Acadia owns, or has ownership interest in over 100 properties totaling approximately $4 billion dollars in value. 

Acadia is also the manager of a series of discretionary institutional acquisition funds.  Acadia recently launched Fund V which is capitalized to acquire $1.5 billion dollars of retail properties. 

Along with his responsibilities at Acadia, Mr. Bernstein sits on the Board of Trustees of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) and served as the 2017/2018 Chairman. 

Mr. Bernstein served as Chief Operating Officer of RD Capital until its merger with Mark Centers Trust in 1998, creating Acadia Realty Trust.  Prior to that, Mr. Bernstein was an associate with the New York law firm of Battle Fowler, LLP. 

Mr. Bernstein received his BA from the University of Vermont and his JD from Boston University School of Law.  In addition to being a member of the World President’s Organization (YPO-WPO), where he was the founding chairman of the Real Estate Network, he currently sits on the Board of Advisors.  He is a member of the Board of Trustees of Golub Capital (NASDAQ:GBDC).

Jim Sullivan is President of Green Street's Advisory Group, which provides strategic advice to commercial real estate owners and investors located in the U.S. and around the globe. He has managed the Group since 2014. Clients of Green Street Advisory include private real estate companies considering IPOs, publicly traded and non-traded REITs seeking strategic advice, C-corps considering REIT conversions/spin-offs, operating companies evaluating real estate monetization strategies, as well as investment vehicles including hedge funds, long-only funds, pension funds, private equity firms, and family offices.

Jim joined Green Street in 1994. During the subsequent 20 years, he was Green Street's lead research analyst covering REITs in a variety of property sectors including office, industrial, malls, strip centers, self-storage, health care and manufactured housing. Jim managed Green Street's North American Research, comprised of 30+ analysts covering 80+ REITs, from 2010-2013. Throughout his 24-year career at Green Street he has been quoted widely in the financial media and has been recognized as an All-Star REIT analyst by The Wall Street Journal. He is a member of the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (Nareit), the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), and the Association of Foreign Investors in Real Estate (AFIRE).

Prior to Green Street, Jim worked for ten years as a real estate investment banker and construction lender at Bank of America in Los Angeles and Manufacturers Hanover Trust in New York. He earned his MBA in Finance & Real Estate from Columbia University and his B.A. in Economics from Duke University. Jim is a member of the Board of Directors at Bixby Land, a private real estate company.

Jim Collins is the founder, owner and operator of Town Kitchen and Grill in Montrose, CA, a 100 seat new American restaurant that recently won 10 best new American restaurants in Los Angeles. But that’s just his night job. During the days Jim has CEO’d a series of national, venture-backed distributed enterprises including Affinity Internet, a hosting company with more than 500,000 websites and Pictage, a B2B2C enterprise connecting professional photographers and their clients. Today Jim is CEO of Pasadena, CA based Kitchen United, a commercial kitchen outsourcer and operator serving the delivery, restaurant and entrepreneurial food community.

Scott Rechler is the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of RXR Realty LLC (“RXR”), a multi-billion dollar private real estate company which was formed subsequent to the sale of Reckson Associates Realty Corp (“Reckson”) to SL Green in January 2007, one of the largest public Real Estate management buyouts in REIT history.

Mr. Rechler served as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board during Reckson’s dynamic growth throughout New York City, Long Island, New Jersey, Westchester and Connecticut.  Mr. Rechler was the architect of Reckson’s $300 million IPO in 1995 and $6.0 billion sale in 2007 generating over 700% total return to Reckson shareholders.

Since its formation in January 2007, Mr. Rechler has led RXR in becoming one of the largest owners, managers, and developers in New York City and the surrounding region.  The RXR platform manages 74 commercial real estate properties and investments with an aggregate gross asset value of approximately $17.7 billion, comprising approximately 23.7 million square feet of commercial operating properties and approximately 6,000 multi-family and for sale units in various stages of development in the New York Metropolitan area as of September 30, 2017, adjusted for transactions through October 18, 2017.

In June 2011, Mr. Rechler was appointed by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to serve on the Board of Commissioners of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and served on such Board until October 2016.  During his Board tenure Mr. Rechler served as Vice Chairman of such Board, and as Chairman of the Port Authority’s Capital Planning Committee with responsibility for the Port’s $30 billion capital budget, including the World Trade Center redevelopment.  In May 2013, Mr. Rechler was appointed to represent Governor Cuomo on the Board of The National September 11 Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center Foundation, Inc.  In June 2017, Mr. Rechler was appointed by Gov. Cuomo to serve on the Board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and served as commissioner until March 2019. 

Mr. Rechler prides himself on enhancing the communities where RXR operates.  As such, he serves as Chairman of the Regional Plan Association, is a member of the Real Estate Board of New York, a Board member of The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, and a member of the NYU Real Estate Institute Advisory Committee.  In addition, Mr. Rechler serves on the Board of many of the region’s top cultural institutions such as the Tribeca Film Institute where he serves as its co-Chairman of the Board, 9/11 Memorial & Museum Board of Directors, serving as Co-Chair of the Finance & Investment Committee, the Long Island Children’s Museum, and the Performing Arts Center at the World Trade Center.  He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Drum Major Institute, Board of Directors for Convene and Chairman of the Center for Social Innovation.

Mr. Rechler is a graduate of Clark University.  He also earned a Masters of Science degree in Real Estate at the New York University Schack Institute.

David M. Sherman is a Co-founder and Managing Director of Metropolitan and Chairman of Metropolitan’s investment committee. Mr. Sherman has more than 30 years of real estate finance and analytical experience. In 2000, Mr. Sherman founded D. Sherman & Company, Inc., an advisory firm focused on strategic issues and transactions in the real estate securities industry.

Previously, Mr. Sherman was Managing Director of Salomon Smith Barney’s REIT research team, which covered more than 60 stocks and supported the firm’s $15 billion of REIT offering activity. At Smith Barney, Mr. Sherman created a new approach to evaluate global real estate securities and initiated global coverage of the sector. The team received recognition from Institutional Investor Magazine in 1998 and 1999. Mr. Sherman also held other positions in real estate finance, investment banking, and strategic planning at Smith Barney, The Harlan Company, First Boston, and Paine Webber, including acting as the Chief Financial Officer of Paine Webber Properties.

In addition, Mr. Sherman is the Co-Director of the Paul Milstein Center for Real Estate at the Columbia University Graduate School of Business Administration and the former Chairman of the Pension Real Estate Association (PREA) Institute Committee. Previously, Mr. Sherman was an Adjunct Professor of Real Estate Finance at Columbia Business School for seven years. Over the years, Mr. Sherman has published numerous articles in periodicals including American Banker, PREA Quarterly, Shopping Center Business, and National Real Estate Investor. Mr. Sherman served as a panelist for Institutional Limited Partners Association for its first member educational webcast on private equity real estate. Mr. Sherman currently serves as an independent director on the board of Brookfield Residential Properties.

Mr. Sherman received an A.B. in Mathematical Economics (magna cum laude) from Brown University and an M.B.A. in Finance from Columbia Business School.

Zach Aarons has been working at the intersection of real estate and venture capital for the past decade.  Zach is the most active early-stage PropTech investor in the United States, having funded over 60 startups in the space as an individual as well as 40 startups (and counting) through MetaProp NYC's venture capital funds.  In addition to early-stage investing, Zach has worked on large scale mixed-use development projects in cities like Boston and Los Angeles with Millennium Partners.  He has experience with real estate development, commercial asset management, property marketing, and commercial leasing. 

Prior to joining Millennium and founding MetaProp NYC, Zach was a Senior Associate at ENIAC Ventures, a seed stage mobile technology fund and the founder of Travelgoat, an online and offline walking tour business. He began his career as an analyst at boutique investment bank Peter J. Solomon Company.

Outside of work, Zach currently serves on the Board of Trustees of The Tenement Museum.  Zach is an Assistant Adjunct Professor at the Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation.  He is the author of the bestselling book, PropTech 101: Turning Chaos Into Cash Through Real Estate Innovation.  He serves on the Technology Committee for the Real Estate Board of New York and the Technology and Real Estate Technology Council for the Urban Land Institute.

He graduated Magna Cum Laude with an A.B. from Brown University in Ancient Studies and earned an MBA from Columbia Business School. Zach has been featured in dozens of international publications and media, including The Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, The Real Deal, Curbed, Commercial Observer, Propmodo, The Information, TechCrunch, Bisnow, Forbes, The Real Estate Weekly, Crain's, and Cheddar.  He is a frequent speaker at global PropTech events including the Urban Land Institute, MIPIM, Realcomm, ICSC ReCon, Argus Connect, SuperReturn International, and the Columbia/Goodwin Real Estate Capital Markets Conference.

Zach Aarons has been working at the intersection of real estate and venture capital for the past decade.  Zach is the most active early-stage PropTech investor in the United States, having funded over 60 startups in the space as an individual as well as 40 startups (and counting) through MetaProp NYC's venture capital funds.  In addition to early-stage investing, Zach has worked on large scale mixed-use development projects in cities like Boston and Los Angeles with Millennium Partners.  He has experience with real estate development, commercial asset management, property marketing, and commercial leasing.  
Prior to joining Millennium and founding MetaProp NYC, Zach was a Senior Associate at ENIAC Ventures, a seed stage mobile technology fund and the founder of Travelgoat, an online and offline walking tour business. He began his career as an analyst at boutique investment bank Peter J. Solomon Company.

Outside of work, Zach currently serves on the Board of Trustees of The Tenement Museum.  Zach is an Assistant Adjunct Professor at the Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation.  He is the author of the bestselling book, PropTech 101: Turning Chaos Into Cash Through Real Estate Innovation.  He serves on the Technology Committee for the Real Estate Board of New York and the Technology and Real Estate Technology Council for the Urban Land Institute. 

He graduated Magna Cum Laude with an A.B. from Brown University in Ancient Studies and earned an MBA from Columbia Business School. Zach has been featured in dozens of international publications and media, including The Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, The Real Deal, Curbed, Commercial Observer, Propmodo, The Information, TechCrunch, Bisnow, Forbes, The Real Estate Weekly, Crain's, and Cheddar.  He is a frequent speaker at global PropTech events including the Urban Land Institute, MIPIM, Realcomm, ICSC ReCon, Argus Connect, SuperReturn International, and the Columbia/Goodwin Real Estate Capital Markets Conference.

Professional Expertise
Louis D’Avanzo brings over 27 years of experience to Cushman & Wakefield. Based in the firm’s Midtown Manhattan office, Mr. D’Avanzo has been one of the firm’s leading brokerage professionals and is currently Managing Principal - Manhattan.

Mr. D’Avanzo began his career with Cushman & Wakefield in 1991, and he has since advised many of the world’s most prestigious companies on their real estate occupancy requirements worldwide. With a primary focus on New York City, he has completed transactions on behalf of clients throughout North and South America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia Pacific.

Clients Served
A partial list of clients he has acted on behalf of include: AT&T; AXA; Gartner, Inc.; Goldman, Sachs & Co.; Hearst Corporation; Hudson’s Bay Company, Industrial & Commercial Bank of China (ICBC); M&T Bank; Moelis & Company; National Football League; Stifel Financial Corp, and Union Investment.

Professional Affiliations
Mr. D’Avanzo most recently served as Chairman of New York City Chapter of CoreNet Global and remains on the board as an advisor.
Mr. D'Avanzo is a member of The Real Estate Circle of the Paul Milstein Center for Real Estate at Columbia Business School.

Community Leadership
Mr. D’Avanzo is active in civic and non-profit communities, including serving as a trustee of the Franklin Lakes Education Foundation.

Education
He received his BA in Economics from Boston College and his MBA in Real Estate/Corporate Finance from Columbia Business School.

Ronald is President and Founder of Madison International Realty, a global, fully integrated real estate private equity firm providing joint venture and preferred equity to commercial real estate owners and investors within all major asset classes who are looking to recapitalize investments, restructure balance sheets, provide existing partners with an exit strategy or redeploy capital for new investments. His primary responsibilities include investment strategy, capital formation and risk management. Since its founding in 2002, Madison has raised more than $5.4 billion in capital commitments for investment in commercial real estate under Ronald’s guidance.

Mr. Dickerman has over 30 years of experience focused on the analysis, acquisition, financing, management and disposition of income-producing assets such as real estate, mortgage products, healthcare properties, leased equipment, media properties, oil & gas, as well as other specialty assets. Prior to founding Madison in 2002, Mr. Dickerman was President and Founder of First Equity Realty, LLC, a real estate investment firm specializing in the acquisition of under-performing real estate assets from financial institutions. He is an active member of numerous real estate industry trade organizations and a frequent speaker on the topic of secondary investments and liquidity at real estate conferences and universities throughout the country.

During the period from 1987 to 1991, Mr. Dickerman was an investment banker in the Real Estate / Partnership Finance Group at Smith Barney, Harris Upham & Co., Inc., where he was responsible for the origination, analysis, structuring, acquisition, asset management, disposition and marketing of real estate and other limited partnerships.

Mr. Dickerman serves on the board of directors of the Association of Foreign Investors in Real Estate (AFIRE) and is an active member of INREV, the Zell Lurie Institute, and a frequent speaker on the topic of secondary investments and liquidity at real estate conferences throughout the world. Mr. Dickerman earned a MBA degree from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business and a BA degree from Tufts University.

Biography to come.

Jacob Feingold is a Vice President at Canyon Partners Real Estate, the direct real estate investments platform of Canyon Partners. Based in New York, Mr. Feingold is the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic investments region head responsible for deploying debt and equity capital across property types. Prior to joining Canyon, Mr. Feingold was a member of the investments group at iStar where he focused on structured real estate investments, development of REO assets, and restructuring distressed investments. Mr. Feingold is a graduate of Columbia Business School (M.B.A., Honors) and the University of Michigan Ross Business School (B.B.A., Honors). Mr. Feingold is a member of the Columbia Business School Real Estate Circle.

Edward is an entrepreneur with big-company skills and a start-up spirit. He started two companies before graduating from college. He then spent a decade in the fertile training ground of General Electric as a corporate finance professional and private equity investor, from which 3i (a FTSE-100 company) recruited him to be the CFO of its North American division. His experiences span numerous industries and over ten countries. He has held leadership positions as a manager with direct reports and as a board member with less formal influence. A consummate relationship builder with strong ties to his community, Edward currently serves on the Boston University Alumni Council, actively mentors graduates from his high school and college, & recently assisted in a private equity course at Columbia Business School.
An early entrepreneur, Edward started his 1st business, a lawn-mowing and yacht cleaning service, as a teenager. He used the proceeds from the business to finance his tuition in prep school and college. Edward made the transition from landscaping to high-tech with a website he co-founded from his dorm room. The site, BUbooks.com, created a market for students to buy and sell their used textbooks. The site was later sold.

At GE, Edward learned finance and accounting rigor that professionalized his entrepreneurial intuition. Within three years of starting as a finance analyst in a chemical plant, he was appointed finance manager for a $45MM P&L with 215 employees globally. He then graduated to GE’s internal consulting and auditing group, where he ultimately managed 21 people across 3 continents in engagements that ranged widely from auditing the securitization of mortgage backed securities to investigating a $3MM embezzlement with the FBI to creating the Transition Services Agreements (TSAs) for a $725MM corporate disposition.

Edward combined his functional expertise in corporate finance with his intuitive entrepreneurial insight as a private equity investor in GE Equity. In that role he sourced, underwrote, negotiated, and managed minority equity investments. These included such bespoke situations as a $500MM PIK preferred instrument in a chemical LBO and a $25MM debt-for-equity-restructuring in a logistics firm. He eventually concentrated his focus on the midmarket energy sector. There he closed deals in the Oil & Gas and Renewable sectors while serving on the board of directors for company that provided safety equipment and training to various industrial companies.

As CFO and Corporate Vice-President for 3i North America, Edward applied his unique mix of minority investing experiences and operational finance skills to source/underwrite deals while optimizing the firm’s back-office operations. On the deal side, he led the underwriting of a $1B CLO and sourced the pre-eminent SmartGrid transaction from his personal network. On the finance side, he used the principles of LEAN 6 sigma and SOX404 to improve organizational efficiency while cutting costs from 2.25% of AUM to 1.5%. In addition, he led the subsidiary to profitability and through its first successful 3rd party audit in a decade.

Since leaving 3i, Edward has further demonstrated his ability to work across asset classes by starting Workforce Partners LLC, a real estate investment and management firm. His empirical investment approach uncovers neglected properties at attractive prices and his process oriented management runs them with strictly monitored controls that deliver recurring returns with low volatility. The result is a risk/return profile that far exceeds the Sharpe Ratio available from the NACREIF and NAREIT indices.

Edward earned his MBA from Columbia Business School’s Executive Program and his B.A., magna cum laude, in Sociology and Education from Boston University’s interdisciplinary University Professor’s Program. He is currently a twice selected member of Boston University’s Alumni Council and has funded scholarships there and at his Jesuit high school, Fairfield Prep, for students with economic need. In his free time he enjoys teaching Tae Kwon Do, sailing with his wife, cycling, reading (particularly behavioral economics), and working on his house.

Gentry Ashmore Hoit is a Senior Advisor to Finback Real Estate, the CEO and Founder of GAH Real Estate LLC and an independent contractor to K Capital LLC.  Her specialties are structuring complex transactions, raising equity capital for deals, finding capital solutions, structuring and investing in Opportunity Zones, and advising companies on best practices and how to grow. She is also an investor in real estate throughout the US with a recent focus on work force housing in the Southwestern US.

Previously Gentry was a Partner and Head of Strategic Business Development (2016-2018) at GreenOak Real Estate, a global real estate private equity investment and advisory firm.   GreenOak is a value investor investing in mid-market assets in gateway cities around the world through separate private equity funds in the US, Asia, and Europe.  Based in New York, Gentry helped to capitalize funds and co-investments, evaluate and launch new business strategies and further build GreenOak’s brand. 

Earlier Gentry was a Partner of Park Madison Partners (2012-2016), a boutique real estate advisory firm. She led the firm’s Capital Advisory practice, which included direct equity investments comprised of individual deals, co-investments, joint ventures and separate accounts and worked with the Park Madison team in the fund raising and manager due diligence side of the business. 

Prior to joining Park Madison Partners, Gentry was a Partner at Atlantic Assets Group (2006-2012), a private investment company dedicated to mixed-use and residential investment and redevelopment in Brooklyn, New York. Gentry led capital transactions: acquisitions, dispositions and financings. She oversaw all investor participation in deals: raising equity, finalizing structures and negotiating terms. In addition, she oversaw execution of all retail leasing.

Gentry was a Senior Partner at Rubenstein Partners (while also running Atlantic Assets Group 2009-2010), a private real estate investment fund focused on the acquisition and redevelopment of office properties in the Eastern Time Zone. She advised them on New York and Florida office acquisitions and helped build relationships with strategic operating partners.

Gentry served as Managing Director of Shorenstein Company, LLC (1993-2006). She was with Shorenstein at the inception of their investment management business through seven funds (Funds I-VII) which totaled $2.2 billion. While at Shorenstein, Gentry was responsible for running east coast acquisitions for the firm’s Capital Transactions Group and served as a member of the Executive Committee. She acquired approximately 16 million sf of office properties valued.
 
Prior to Shorenstein, Gentry worked for Hines as Assistant Project Manager (1990-1993) where she coordinated planning, approvals and construction of a $100 million complex for Bristol Myers Squibb Company in Princeton, NJ.
Education
Georgetown University – BA – History/Computer Science – 1986
Columbia University – MBA – Real Estate and Finance – 1990
Professional Interests and Activities

• Full member of Urban Land Institute.  Vice Chairman of UDMUC Blue Product Council and former Chairman.  Past member of ULI NY District Council Executive Committee and former Co-Chair of Programming Committee.
• Member of WX (Women Executives in Real Estate).  Former mentor.
• Member of the Columbia Business School Real Estate Advisory Board and Columbia Business School Real Estate Circle Board. Former Chairman of Marketing and Communications Committee.
• Member of Sundance Bay Advisory Board
• Member of Trinity Wall Street Vestry

Christopher Mayer is the Paul Milstein Professor of Real Estate at Columbia Business School. His research explores a variety of topics in real estate and financial markets, including housing cycles, mortgage markets, debt securitization, and commercial real estate valuation. Dr. Mayer is also CEO of Longbridge Financial, an innovative reverse mortgage company focused on delivering responsible home equity products to older Americans to help finance retirement. Professor Mayer serves as a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research, a Director of the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association, and a member of the Academic Advisory Boards for Standard and Poor's and the Housing Policy Center at the Urban Institute. His research has received funding from the National Science Foundation and the Pew Charitable Trusts.

Dr. Mayer is active in the media and advising policymakers, testifying six times before committees of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, writing a paper for the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, and authoring numerous op-ed articles in major publications. Dr. Mayer previously served as Senior Vice Dean at Columbia Business School and held positions at The Wharton School, the University of Michigan, Harvard Business School, and the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.  He earned a BS in Math and Economics from the University of Rochester with highest honors and a PhD in Economics from MIT. 

Tom Ortinau is the Head of Acquisitions at GFP Real Estate where he leads the firm’s investment efforts.  At GFP, Tom has handled 12 property investments comprising more than 3.0 million square feet and $1.6 billion.  Tom also handles leasing, asset management and development activities for GFP’s projects.  Sponsored by the Gural family, the firm currently owns and manages 76 properties comprising 16.7 million square feet in New York City. 

Prior to joining GFP Real Estate, Tom was a member of the US Transactions group at PGIM Real Estate. As such, he was involved in northeast acquisitions and development activities for the firm’s US funds.  At PGIM, Tom was involved in 34 entity and property-level investments comprising over $5.5 billion via common equity, preferred equity and mezzanine debt positions both on a direct basis and through joint ventures. 

Tom began his career at WSP Group, a leading design and construction firm in New York.  At WSP, Tom worked on the design and construction of approximately 50 properties in New York including The Hearst Building, The New York Times Building, The Plaza Hotel, 184 Kent and Atlantic Yards.

Tom holds a BSE from the University of Kansas, an MS from New York University, and an MBA from Columbia Business School. He is also an Adjunct Professor at New York University.

Mark Portner joined Shorenstein in 1999.  He oversees the Eastern United States Investment Group which includes Capital Transactions, Asset Management, Leasing, and Development.  His responsibilities include overseeing the sourcing of investment opportunities and directing the underwriting, due diligence, structuring and closing of capital transactions.  In addition, he is responsible for the investment performance of assets in the East through oversight of the development and execution of asset specific strategies during the company’s ownership. 

Mr. Portner is a member of the Urban Land Institute.

Prior to joining Shorenstein, Mr. Portner was a vice president at Carey Winston Company in Washington, D.C. where he specialized in the disposition of distressed loans.

Mr. Portner graduated from University of Richmond with a B.S., and from Columbia University with an M.B.A.

David M. Sherman is a Co-founder and Managing Director of Metropolitan and Chairman of Metropolitan’s investment committee. Mr. Sherman has more than 30 years of real estate finance and analytical experience. In 2000, Mr. Sherman founded D. Sherman & Company, Inc., an advisory firm focused on strategic issues and transactions in the real estate securities industry.

Previously, Mr. Sherman was Managing Director of Salomon Smith Barney’s REIT research team, which covered more than 60 stocks and supported the firm’s $15 billion of REIT offering activity. At Smith Barney, Mr. Sherman created a new approach to evaluate global real estate securities and initiated global coverage of the sector. The team received recognition from Institutional Investor Magazine in 1998 and 1999. Mr. Sherman also held other positions in real estate finance, investment banking, and strategic planning at Smith Barney, The Harlan Company, First Boston, and Paine Webber, including acting as the Chief Financial Officer of Paine Webber Properties.

In addition, Mr. Sherman is the Co-Director of the Paul Milstein Center for Real Estate at the Columbia University Graduate School of Business Administration and the former Chairman of the Pension Real Estate Association (PREA) Institute Committee. Previously, Mr. Sherman was an Adjunct Professor of Real Estate Finance at Columbia Business School for seven years. Over the years, Mr. Sherman has published numerous articles in periodicals including American Banker, PREA Quarterly, Shopping Center Business, and National Real Estate Investor. Mr. Sherman served as a panelist for Institutional Limited Partners Association for its first member educational webcast on private equity real estate. Mr. Sherman currently serves as an independent director on the board of Brookfield Residential Properties.

Mr. Sherman received an A.B. in Mathematical Economics (magna cum laude) from Brown University and an M.B.A. in Finance from Columbia Business School.

Ross L. Smotrich joined Barclays in September 2008 and is a managing director and senior research analyst responsible for the US real estate investment trust (REIT) and commercial real estate securities sectors. Previously, Mr. Smotrich joined Lehman Brothers in June 2008 after 10 years as a senior managing director at Bear Stearns and four years as a senior equity analyst at Merrill Lynch.
Mr. Smotrich has ranked in Institutional Investor’s “All-America Research Team” survey nine times and has twice been named to The Wall Street Journal’s “All-Star Analysts” survey (earnings forecasting). Before moving to sell-side research, Ross was a real estate banker for Chemical Bank doing lending, investment banking, and workout.

Mr. Smotrich earned an MBA from Columbia University in Finance/Real Estate and a BA from the University of Pennsylvania in Diplomatic History/International Economics. He currently serves as an Adjunct Professor at the Columbia Business School and on the MBA Real Estate Program Advisory Board.