As Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Greystar, Bob leads the Company’s Investment Committee, Operating Committee, and Board of Directors.  He is responsible for the strategic planning and growth of the Company and maintains oversight over all aspects of the Company, working closely with business leaders while emphasizing Greystar’s Six Pillars of Excellence – People, Customer Satisfaction, Operational Excellence, Profitability, Growth, and Community.  

After receiving a BS in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Oklahoma and an MBA from Harvard Business School, Bob began his real estate career with the Trammell Crow Company and served as a partner in their Charlotte, NC office. In 1991, he co-founded Starwood Capital Partners, LP, a private investment company. In 1993, Bob founded Greystar Real Estate Partners, LLC in Houston, TX. From February 1996 to December 1997 he founded and served as CEO of Homegate Hospitality, Inc. Bob also served from December 2002 until February 2006 as the Secretary of Commerce for the State of South Carolina.

Bob is a member of the National Multifamily Housing Council, the Pension Real Estate Association, YPO and the Urban Land Institute. Bob and his family reside in Charleston, SC.

Ivy Zelman is Chief Executive Officer of Zelman & Associates holding roughly 30 years of experience covering housing and housing-related industries. In 2007, Ivy co-founded Zelman & Associates. The firm provides analyses across all aspects of the housing spectrum. Ivy’s concept for the firm remains strongly rooted in the ability to perform thematic research overlaid with proprietary surveys to produce unparalleled differentiated value-added research.

Ivy has been widely known and respected for her bold thinking and accurate assessments where others failed, helping industry players avoid costly mistakes and capture game-changing opportunities. In 2005, she called the top of the housing market. Ivy famously asked Toll Brothers CEO Bob Toll on the Q4 2006 Toll Brothers conference call “Which Kool-Aid Are You Drinking?”

From there Ivy called the bottom of the housing market in January 2012, thus reinforcing her dominant reputation within the industry. She helped best-selling writer, Michael Lewis with research related to the mortgage crash. This became a part of his best-selling book turned movie, Liar’s Poker. Michael wrote in the book “all roads led to Ivy.”

Her convictions have been recognized by Institutional Investor ranking her as one of the most preeminent figures within the housing industry. Most notably, Institutional Investors - America Research Team rankings placed Ivy and her team with eleven 1st place rankings (1999 – 2004, 2006 – 2007 and 2010 – 2013). Additionally, Hanley Wood, a leading real estate media firm, ranked Ivy as 14th of the Top 50 most influential persons in housing. In 2020, Ivy was included in Barron's Top 100 Women in U.S. Finance.

As one of the most powerful women on Wall Street, Ivy Zelman is a sought-after expert on the housing sector, and what the overall housing market means for investors, homebuilders, industry executives and the economy at large. She frequently appears on television shows such as CNBC, in major publications including The Wall Street Journal, and has acted as a key witness in a congressional hearing.

Jim Cramer, host of the CNBC’s show Mad Money, said “Ivy is the Ax of the homebuilders – the analyst who understands the group better than anyone else on Wall Street.”

Ivy’s speaking requests by conferences, board meetings, podcasts or special events have included: Bloomberg, CNBC, TD Ameritrade Network, Bloomberg’s Master’s in Business, International Builder Show, MBS Highway, National Association of Homebuilders, NFX, National Association of Realtors, National Organization of Investment Professionals, Mortgage Banking Association, Moody’s, AmeriCatalyst, PropTechCEO Summit, Reality Alliance.

She received a Bachelor of Science from George Mason University and currently lives in Cleveland, Ohio with her husband David and their three children, Zoey, Zachary and Zia. Ivy is a special advisor to Laurel School, BBYO, NCJW Cleveland as well as mentors’ high school and college students.
You can follow Ivy via Twitter - @Ivy_Zelman and LinkedIn - Ivy Zelman

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.

Ravi Bhalla was elected Hoboken’s 39th Mayor on November 7, 2017 out of a field of six candidates. Born and raised in New Jersey, Mayor Bhalla is a 17 year resident of Hoboken and eight year member of the Hoboken City Council.

He received his undergraduate education from the University of California at Berkeley, where he received a B.A. in Political Psychology. Upon graduation, he attended the London School of Economics (L.S.E.) in the United Kingdom and received a Master of Science degree in Public Administration and Public Policy, and also earned a Juris Doctor Degree from Tulane Law School in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Ravi first set his roots in Hoboken at the age of 26, a bachelor fresh out of law school starting his first job at a small law firm in Newark, New Jersey.  Ravi earned national recognition in the New York Times for his legal advocacy after suffering a violation of his own constitutional and civil rights during a jail visit to a client. The incident motivated Ravi to lead a successful campaign to reform the federal government’s visitation policies at correctional facilities nationwide.

Ravi married his wife Bindya, and they had two children, Arza and Shahbegh.  It was during this time that Hoboken’s local government was in dire straits. He observed and witnessed mismanaged government at the local level, including a government budget that was underfunded and overspent by $12 million, a state takeover of Hoboken, and a 70% spike in municipal taxes in a single year.
Ravi ran for Council alongside Mayor Zimmer and worked tirelessly to get their message out of restoring honesty, professionalism and fiscal responsibility to Hoboken.  Out of twelve candidates vying for 3 council-at-large positions, Ravi received the highest number of votes, as a first time candidate for office.

Once in office, Ravi worked hard alongside Mayor Zimmer and his council colleagues to establish tangible reforms to the way government is run in Hoboken. Municipal taxes were reduced and Hoboken’s finances were put on a responsible long-term path.  The City’s bond rating was improved from junk bond status in 2009 to AA+ in 2013, the second highest rating, and had a responsible cash surplus for the first time in years.

Ravi was a leading voice on the council for securing the necessary funding for Hoboken’s second flood pump in Northwest Hoboken, advocated with Mayor Zimmer for the addition of 9 acres of open space, ensured our parks were built with detention systems to help alleviate flooding, voted to add progressive transportation options including corner cars and bike share, and played a large role in saving the hospital from closing in 2013, preserving more than 1,200 jobs and relieving taxpayers of a $52 million bond guarantee.  Ravi currently sits as a co-chair of the City’s Rebuild by Design project, in which the City was awarded $230 million to comprehensively protect Hoboken from storm surge events like Superstorm Sandy.

Ravi served as Council President from 2011-2012 and Council Vice-President from 2010-2011 & 2013-2014 and was Chairman of the Hoboken Democratic Party from 2010-2011. Prior to his service as a Councilman, Mr. Bhalla served as a local Democratic Committeeman for the 2nd Ward, 3rd District of Hoboken from 2007-2009.

Ravi and his wife Bindya reside on Garden Street with their two children, Arza Kaur, age 10 and Shabegh Singh, age 5.

Jodie W. McLean is Chief Executive Officer of EDENS, one of the nation's leading private owners, operators and developers of retail real estate. With a more than 25-year tenure at EDENS, she has established herself as a key player in the company's growth and expansion to its current marketplace leadership, capitalized by blue chip investors and assets valued at $6.5 billion.

McLean is responsible for EDENS' strategy to move the portfolio to major urban centers, creating a portfolio of assets that are the center of community life. She was named Chief Investment Officer in 1997, President in 2002 and CEO in 2015. Overall, she has been responsible for the development, redevelopment, acquisition and disposition of more than $15 billion in retail assets.

McLean passionately believes that retail should evolve beyond a shopping experience, and advocates for connectivity to the communities  surrounding  the company's  retail centers. To ensure this, each EDENS development is crafted to serve as an authentic gathering place, including a unique merchandising mix and welcoming design elements, fostering a sense of engagement with its neighbors.

A native of Chicago, IL, McLean holds a B.S. in Finance and Management from the Moore School of Business, University of South Carolina and a degree from South Carolina Honors College. McLean serves as Trustee and Executive Board Member of the International   Council of Shopping Centers and Trustee of Urban Land Institute. She serves on the boards of Cushman & Wakefield, The Real Estate Round Table, Wofford College and Extended Stay America, as well as boards of several other institutions and charities. McLean is a member of the Liberty Fellowship (Aspen Institute) Class of 2009.

Prior to joining Dune in 2007, Ms. Buckley Marakovits was the President of the U.S. Fund Business for JER Partners, an affiliate of the J.E. Robert Companies. Before joining JER, Ms. Buckley Marakovits spent nine years in the Real Estate Investment Banking Group at Bankers Trust, where she was on the principal investing team, focusing on the acquisition of a broad range of real estate assets.
Ms. Buckley Marakovits is a member of the Urban Land Institute where she has served as a Trustee, Chairman of the Investment Committee and Treasurer of the ULI Foundation. She is a member of the Pension Real Estate Association, serves on the Columbia Business School’s MBA Real Estate Program Advisory Board and is a member of the Executive Committee of the Samuel Zell and Robert Lurie Real Estate Center at the Wharton School.

Ms. Buckley Marakovits is a member of the Board of Directors of Taubman Centers, Inc., a NYSE-listed Real Estate Investment Trust. Her responsibilities there include serving on the Nominations and Governance Committee as well the Compensation Committee. She is currently a Trustee of Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, NH and a Trustee and Treasurer of Collegiate School in New York City. Ms. Buckley Marakovits received an M.B.A. from Columbia University in 1993 and a B.A. from Lafayette College in 1988.

Biography to come.

Mr Gallistel leads GIC RE’s real estate equity and debt investment activities in the Americas. He is a member of GIC RE’s Investment Committee which has oversight for GIC RE’s global real estate investments. Mr Gallistel also chairs GIC’s Latin America business group. The LatAm business group coordinates GIC’s efforts in the public and private markets throughout Latin America.
Prior to GIC, he held positions at LaSalle Investment Management and The Concord Group. Adam holds a BA in History from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from Columbia Business School.

Mr. Packard joined MSD in January 2018 as a Partner to co-lead the Real Estate Group. Prior to joining MSD, he was a Partner at Apollo Global Management, overseeing the investment activities for its U.S. Real Estate Private Equity group. Prior to joining Apollo in 2010, he led the investment activities of Ridgeline Capital Group, an independent real estate investment management company, and was a Senior Vice President of Lehman Brothers Real Estate Partners, where he focused on real estate private equity investing in the Americas from 2000 through 2008. He began his career in Lehman Brothers’ Real Estate Investment Banking Group.
 
Mr. Packard received a B.A. in Ethics, Politics and Economics from Yale University. Mr. Packard is a member of Real Estate Roundtable, Urban Land Institute and the Real Estate Finance & Investment Center at the McCombs School of Business University of Texas at Austin.

Ms. Payne is an equity owner and Managing Director of Clarion Partners. She is a Portfolio Manager with responsibility for several billion in assets under management. Ms. Payne currently sits on Clarion’s Career Management Committee, and previously served on Clarion’s Investment Committee (2018-2020).  Ms. Payne joined the firm in 2003 and began working in the real estate and finance industries in 1997. 
Ms. Payne has portfolio oversight of several separate account and co-mingled investment mandates covering all major property types and markets throughout the United States. In overseeing Clarion’s Mexico platform, Ms. Payne manages the firm’s asset management, dispositions, structuring, restructuring, arbitration, litigation and risk management activity in the country, where Clarion has invested $1 billion since 2006.  
 
Ms. Payne is a magna cum laude graduate of Harvard College, from which she received an A.B. in 1997. She received an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School (“HBS”) in 2003, where she was a Robert Toigo Foundation (“RTF”) Fellow.  Ms. Payne is fluent in Spanish. 
 
Ms. Payne currently serves as Vice Chair of the RTF Alumni Endowment Board.  She is also a member of the Harvard Alumni Real Estate Board; WX New York Women Executives in Real Estate; the Urban Land Institute, where she sits on the Commercial Retail Council and the ULI NY Advisory Board; the Advisory Board of Building Cyber Security; and the board of the Mark Morris Dance Group.
Ms. Payne was featured in the Pace Common Ground Campaign for Gender Equality in 2017, and in HBS’ “why do you do what you do?” portrait project honoring the 50th anniversary of women students at the school in 2013. That year she was also named one of the Toigo Foundation’s inaugural “40 Under 40”.  She was recognized as one of Real Estate Forum Magazine’s “Women of Influence 2010” and has co-authored research articles published in relevant industry periodicals, including The Institutional Real Estate Letter and Inmobiliare Magazine.  

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.

Matthew M. Baron is the President of Simon Baron Development.  Since 2005, when Mr. Baron joined forces with Jonathan Simon, their company has grown from a few hundred million to over $1.5 billion of assets under management.
Mr. Baron currently sits on the Board of Directors of the Long Island City BID, and is also a member of the Board of Directors of Doorkee.  Mr. Baron was also an Adjunct Lecturer at New York University’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies where he taught a course on Real Estate Development.

Mr. Baron holds a BS in Finance from NYU Stern and an MBA from Columbia Business School.

Ms. Julie Brenton brings over 25 years of experience in the real estate investment management industry to the investor relations function at Dune, where she is responsible for investor relations, business development and communications with current and prospective investors and consultants.

Prior to joining Dune in 2014, Ms. Brenton was a Managing Director at Ranieri Real Estate Partners overseeing the firm’s capital raising and investor services functions since the firm’s inception in 2010.  Prior to joining RREP, Ms. Brenton held positions within the real estate investment industry including business development and investor relations roles at Olympus Real Estate Partners, Guggenheim Partners and O’Connor Group/JP Morgan Investment Management and investment positions at AT&T Investment Management.

Ms. Brenton is a member of the Pension Real Estate Association, serving for a decade as the Chair of the PREA Quarterly Committee and currently serving on the New Programs Committee. She is a Board Member and Chair of the Investment Committee of The Brenton Arboretum and former Trustee and Investment Committee Member of The Taft School.  Ms. Brenton received her M.B.A. in Finance and Real Estate from Columbia University Business School and a B.A. in Economics from Carleton College.

Lisa is responsible for Enterprise Solutions across EMEA. In her role Lisa is dealing with corporate clients helping them find flexible solutions that meet their changing occupational needs.

Lisa is a seasoned real estate professional with 15+ years of international experience working with global enterprise and investor clients. She has extensive commercial real estate strategy, portfolio and transaction management track record with the top global occupier clients, including Microsoft, Goldman Sachs, Unilever, Coca Cola, Barclays, Deutsche Bank, and Standard Chartered Bank.

​​Lisa is a globally recognised industry expert and influencer with publications on WeWork and the flex sector. She is a visiting lecturer on the topics of proptech, flex and agile workplace and the future of the office sector.
Lisa has MBA degrees from Columbia Business School and London Business School, MRICS and MSc in Real Estate from the University of Reading. Lisa is passionate about hospitality and making a difference to people's wellbeing through built environment.

ROLE & RESPONSIBILITIES
Gideon Gil serves as an Executive Managing Director in Cushman & Wakefield’s Capital Markets Group focused on raising debt and equity for client properties and development projects throughout New York City, and the Eastern Seaboard.  Mr. Gil has been an advisor to or a principal investor in over $10.0 billion of commercial real estate transactions throughout his career.  Mr. Gil joined C&W in 2012.

WORK EXPERIENCE
Mr. Gil began his real estate career at Clarion Partners, working in the Acquisitions and Development Group rising to the level of Vice President.  From 2004 through 2008, Mr. Gil was a Portfolio Manager and Lead Originator at RCG Longview, a private equity fund focused on high-yield debt positions in commercial real estate.  Mr. Gil was a Managing Principal at Madison Realty Capital from 2008 through 2010 focused on purchasing distressed debt from financial institutions and originating high-yielding mortgage loans.  In 2010, Mr. Gil co-founded Columbia River Capital Advisors (“CRCA”) an advisor to Family Office clients and advised on the investment of over $100 million of equity into opportunistic debt and equity investments in commercial real estate.

EDUCATION, MEMBERSHIPS AND AWARDS
Mr. Gil holds a Bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and an MBA from Columbia Business School. He is a member of The Advisory Board of the Paul Milstein Center for Real Estate at Columbia Business School, a co-Chair of the REBNY Finance Committee and serves as a Board Member of the Friends Seminary School in New York City.

Musashi Liu ’20 is a Senior Associate at Tishman Speyer in their Leadership Development Program in New York City and focuses on Acquisitions, Development and Asset Management. Prior to joining Tishman Speyer, Musashi worked as a Senior Associate in M&A, capital markets, and strategy for Mill Creek Residential Trust (spin-off from Trammell Crow) of Boca Raton Fl., a vertically integrated real estate developer/investment manager/operator ranked as the 2nd largest apartment developer in the US. He spearheaded Mill Creek’s $650MM M&A transaction with the Arizona State Retirement System and, in the past, has completed US and foreign capital investments in multifamily, retail, office, and land development. He has prior experience in real estate investment banking and global foreign exchange at Bank of America Merrill Lynch and BlueGate Partners. Musashi serves on the steering committee for the Columbia Business School Alumni Real Estate Symposium, is an active member of the Urban Land Institute, the Columbia Real Estate Circle, the Georgetown Real Estate Finance Initiative, The Real Estate Council, and a core volunteer for Habitat for Humanity. He holds his BA in Chinese and Business Administration from Georgetown University, and his MBA from Columbia Business School.

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. 

Atif Qadir founded REDIST, a proptech startup based at Columbia Startup Lab, in 2020 and Amanat Properties, a development company focusing on the renovation of historic real estate in New Jersey, in 2017. Previously, he was at Extell Development, where he was on the acquisitions and development teams for deals across the United States and Canada. Prior to that, he was at Turner Construction and at Gwathmey Siegel Kaufman & Associates Architects. He is a licensed architect and a member of the American Institute of Architects. He also is the host of “American Building” a new podcast with Michael Graves Architecture & Design that will be launching this summer. He has previously spoken on real estate and entrepreneurship at Columbia, Harvard, Michigan, MIT and Yale. Atif serves as a city planning commissioner in Hoboken, where he also lives. He is on the boards of The Hudson School, Haven Adolescent Community Respite Center and En Garde Arts. Atif received his bachelor's degrees in architecture and in urban planning from MIT and his MBA from Columbia Business School.

As a Managing Director and the Chief Investment Officer, Quentin leads The Davis Companies’ investment team and is responsible for the origination, underwriting, closing and monitoring of the investments made on behalf of the company’s value-add investment funds.

Quentin serves on the Investment Committee for each of the active funds and also shares the responsibility for setting investment strategy and overseeing fund level portfolio construction and overall risk management.

Prior to joining TDC, Quentin spent more than 15 years in real estate finance and investment management at Silverpeak Real Estate and its predecessor, Lehman Brothers Real Estate Partners where he was involved in the acquisition, financing and management of opportunistic real estate investments across a broad array of markets, property types and capital structures.

Quentin joined TDC in 2013 and has led the company’s investment team during the investment periods for funds II, III and IV. Quentin received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Virginia and a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from Columbia Business School.

Mr. Sherman is Senior Advisor and Chairman of the Investment Committee at Metropolitan, a real estate investment management company that he co-founded in 2002 and of which he served as President through 2018. (Metropolitan became part of the Investment Solutions Division of The Carlyle Group in 2013). In addition, Mr. Sherman is Co-Director of the Paul Milstein Center for Real Estate at the Columbia University Graduate School of Business Administration. Mr. Sherman has more than 35 years of real estate investment, finance and analytical experience.

Previously Mr. Sherman was Managing Director of Salomon Smith Barney’s REIT research team, where he initiated coverage of the sector and received recognition from Institutional Investor Magazine in 1998 and 1999. Mr. Sherman also held other positions in real estate finance, investment banking, consulting, and strategic planning at D. Sherman & Company, Smith Barney, The Harlan Company, First Boston, and Paine Webber. In addition, 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 received an A.B. in Mathematical Economics (magna cum laude) from Brown University and an M.B.A. in Finance from Columbia Business School.

Walter Stackler has over 26 years of real estate related experience, including 20 years focused on capital raising for funds and joint ventures sponsored by private investment firms, real estate operating companies and public REITs. Investors in these vehicles have included public and corporate pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, foundations, endowments, insurance companies, commercial banks, family offices and other institutional and accredited investors. Prior to founding Shelter Rock, he was a Managing Director and co-founder of Greenhill’s Real Estate Capital Advisory group where he led project management and origination. Walter was previously a Managing Director, Co-Head and a founding member of the Credit Suisse Real Estate Private Fund Group (“REPFG”), which he joined in 2000 at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette (“DLJ”) prior to its merger with Credit Suisse. Prior to the formation of REPFG in 2000, he was with DLJ’s Commercial Mortgage Group where he focused on the origination, underwriting and structuring of multi-family and commercial mortgages. Earlier in his career, Walter was with the Ernst & Young Kenneth Leventhal Real Estate Group where he specialized in distressed debt valuation, feasibility studies and strategic planning.

Walter holds a BS from the University of Richmond and an MBA from Columbia Business School.