Mike Acton

Managing Director and Head of Research
AEW

Mike Acton is Head of Research at AEW, with 30+ years of experience in economic analysis. He leads investment strategies, contributed to AEW’s listed securities business, and helped create the AEW Relative Value Index. Acton received the 2023 PREA Graaskamp Research Award and holds a B.A. from Bates College and is a CFA charterholder.

Paul J. Amrich

Vice Chairman
CBRE

Paul J. Amrich is Vice Chairman of CBRE’s NYC Advisory & Transaction Services Group with 29 years in commercial real estate. A top performer since joining CBRE in 2006, he was the youngest Vice Chairman in 2012 and now chairs the CBRE Investor Leasing Advisory Board. Paul has led over 20 million sq. ft. in transactions, representing top landlords and tenants, and is a recognized industry expert.

Max Beekmann

Deputy Head of Global REIM
Bayerische Versorgungskammer (BVK)

Peter Braffman

Managing Director
GCM Grosvenor

Mr. Braffman leads GCM Grosvenor’s real estate practice, overseeing investment activities, product development, and growth. Previously, he was a Senior Vice President at Zurich Alternative Asset Management, and a Vice President at Goldman Sachs. Mr. Braffman holds an MBA from Kellogg School of Management, a JD from Northwestern University School of Law, and a BA from the University of Rochester.

Martin Bramsen

Investment Manager
PFA Pension

Daryl J. Carter

Chairman and CEO
Avanath

Tony Charles

Global Head of Research and Strategy
Morgan Stanley

Tony Charles is a Managing Director and Global Head of Research and Strategy for Morgan Stanley Real Estate Investing.  Tony works with the global investment teams to integrate market research into investment decisions and strategy and serves on global fund investment and valuation committees.

Ziv Cohen

Chief Information Officer
The Resmark Companies

For over 30 years, Mr. Cohen has been involved in the financing and development of more than 70,000 residential units in the U.S. and Israel. He joined Resmark in 2001 and currently oversees all of Resmark’s investment, underwriting and asset management activities. Mr. Cohen sits on the National Association of Home Builders Multifamily Leadership Board.

Dayton Conklin

Managing Director
Clarion Partners

Dayton Conklin is a Managing Director and Portfolio Manager the Clarion Partners Industrial Property Group. He has extensive experience executing real estate transactions (acquisitions, dispositions, and developments) over the course of his career in markets across the U.S.  Dayton joined Clarion Partners in 2007 and has been active in the industrial real estate sector since 1992.

Hubert Eisenack

Partner
Ernst & Young GmbH Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft

Hubert Eisenack is a tax partner at EY Munich and leads EY Germany’s US real estate tax team. Hubert is specialized in advising German institutional investors on US real estate investments, from both a US as well as a German tax perspective. Hubert is admitted as a German Rechtsanwalt and Steuerberater, as well as an Attorney-at-Law in New York.

Dr. Bernhard Eschweiler

Senior Advisor
Beta Economics

Bernhard Eschweiler holds a doctorate in economics and has been advising financial institutions on economic and strategic issues for 16 years. His clients are banks as well as asset and currency managers. Previously, Mr. Eschweiler worked at JPMorgan for 18 years with positions in New York, London, Frankfurt and Singapore, where he was Chief Economist and Head of Market Research for Asia.

Matt Fitzpatrick

Senior Partner
McKinsey & Company

With a passion for technology, Matt is the global Leader of QuantumBlack Labs, McKinsey's AI software development group, which builds all of the firm’s sector-based machine learning products (e.g., PMPx, GemX, InsureX), horizontal ecosystem tooling (e.g., Horizon, Kedro, Brix, Iguazio), and GenAI solutions (e.g., LegacyX), all designed to enable digital transformation at scale.

Richard Flohr

Managing Director
CrossHarbor

Richard Flohr is a Managing Director and Portfolio Manager of CrossHarbor’s Strategic Debt Funds. In this role he oversees operations and serves as a member of the Fund’s IC.  Prior to joining CrossHarbor, Richard was a MD with the Prudential Mortgage Capital Company where he worked for 28 years, serving as a member of PMCC’s Senior Management Group and as Head of Capital Markets and CMBS.

Paul Galiano

Senior Managing Director
Tishman Speyer

Paul Galiano is jointly responsible for Tishman Speyer’s acquisition program throughout the United States, as well as its global debt & global equity capital markets, and joint venture programs. He is a member of the company’s Investment Committee. Prior to joining Tishman Speyer in 1993, Paul was with Arthur Andersen & Co. for seven years, where he specialized in real estate taxation.

Jay Glaubach

Partner and Co-Head of U.S. Investments
Ares Real Estate

Mr. Glaubach is a Partner and Co-Head of U.S. Investments in Ares Real Estate and a member of the Ares Real Estate Global Investment Committee. He joined Ares in 2014 from DLJ Real Estate Capital Partners, where he ran the Los Angeles office. Mr. Glaubach has served on the Board of Directors of Montage Hotels & Resorts and as an Adjunct Professor of Real Estate at the University of Southern California. He holds degrees from Harvard College, Harvard Law School, and Harvard Business School.

Johannes Kinzinger

Investment Manager
SOKA-BAU

Johannes Kinzinger started his career working in project management before joining SOKA-BAU at the end of 2015. There he initially worked in real estate controlling and later in portfolio management, where he manages real estate investments in the USA, Canada and Latin America. At the beginning of 2023, he moved to the USA and takes up his duties for SOKA-BAU from there.

Joel Kotkin

Presidential Fellow in Urban Futures
Chapman University

Joel Kotkin is author, The Coming of Neo Feudalism: A Warning to the Global Middle Class. Presidential fellow at Chapman University in California; executive director, Chapman's Center for Demographics and Policy; senior fellow, University of Texas's Civitas Institute. Writes for Spiked, National Post, American Mind, Unherd, Spectator, Telegraph, Quillette, National Review, City Journal, LA Times.

Ryan Krauch

Senior Managing Director
Affinius Capital

Ryan Krauch is Senior Managing Director at Affinius Capital, leading strategic initiatives and relationships. He is on the Investment Committee and Board of Directors. Previously, Ryan was a principal at Mesa West Capital and headed joint venture equity acquisitions at Somera Capital Management. He chairs NAREIM and serves on the boards of DCREC, ULI, and YPO.

Derek Lopez

Chief Investment Officer
GEM Realty Properties

Mr. Lopez is the Chief Investment Officer of GEM Realty Properties and leads the acquisitions team.  He also serves on the Investment Committee, where he is involved in setting firmwide investment strategy. Previously, Mr. Lopez was Head of U.S. Acquisitions for LaSalle Investment Management. Mr. Lopez received an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management and a BBA from Texas A&M University.

Brian McCarthy

Head of Alternatives
Ampega

Brian McCarthy joined Ampega in 2014 and leads the Alternative Investment team, which is responsible for global indirect investments in private debt, private equity, infrastructure and real estate. Previously, he was responsible for the Yield Enhancement and Infrastructure Investment teams, among other roles. Ampega is the asset manager of the Talanx-Group, one of Germany´s largest insurance groups.

Kristin Millington

Managing Director
Crow Holdings Capital

Kristin Millington is a Managing Director in the Manufactured Housing and Self-Storage groups of Crow Holdings Capital, where she oversees investment activity throughout the United States. Kristin is a CPA and is a member of The Real Estate Council, Manufactured Housing Institute, and the Self Storage Association. She resides in Dallas, Texas with her husband and two young sons.

Suzanne E. Mulvee, CFA

Chief Strategie Officer
GID

Suzanne E. Mulvee is Chief Strategy Officer at GID. Ms. Mulvee is a member of the firm’s Executive and Multifamily and Credit Investment Committees. She oversees the firm’s Research and Data Analytics teams and is responsible for guiding the firm’s investment strategies through the evaluation of economic drivers, capital market trends, real estate fundamentals, and real-time operating data from GID’s properties.

Christopher Muoio

Director of Data & Research
Madison

Allison O’Rourke

Partner
TA Realty

Ali O’Rourke is a member of TA Realty’s Portfolio Management Team and is responsible for overseeing the achievement of the goals and objectives for the Firm’s Digital Platform. Ali has been responsible for TA Realty’s Data Center program since 2020. Ali also served on the Board of the Data Center Coalition and is a Founding Member of the ULI Data Center Product Council.

David Pahl

Managing Director
GTIS Partners

David Pahl opened GTIS Partners’ Atlanta office in 2015. As Managing Director, he is responsible for investment strategies in the office, retail and residential sectors. In more than 30 years, Mr. Pahl has realized over 170 transactions with a volume of USD 7 billion. Previously, as Managing Director at PGIM, he was responsible for real estate investments in North America, including the USPF series.

Anja Ritchie

Managing Director
StepStone 

Mrs. Ritchie is Managing Director in the real estate team. Prior to joining StepStone, Mrs. Ritchie was responsible for Private Equity and Real Estate fund selection at Cara Investment GmbH, a Germany-based Family Office. Prior to that, she held positions with Bank of Oklahoma and ClearRidge Capital. Mrs. Ritchie is an alumnus of HHL-Leipzig Graduate School of Management and the European University Viadrina. She is also a CAIA charterholder.

Jason Rothenberg

Head of Real Estate
State of Wisconsin Investement Board

Jason Rothenberg is the Head of Real Estate for the State of Wisconsin Investment Board, leading the team tasked with developing and executing SWIB’s real estate investment strategy.  He holds degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Duke University and the University of Virginia and is a CFA and CAIA charterholder.

David Rueckel

Managing Partner
PIA Pontis Institutional Advisors

David Rueckel founded PIA in 2025 and manages all aspects of the business. PIA is a leading German and European placement advisor for real estate and infrastructure investment managers. PIA also creates real estate club structures, predominantly for family offices. He chairs the USA Conference and Real Estate Debt Conference and is Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the German American Exchange.

Walter Schmidt

Senior Partner
Rockwood Capital

Mr. Schmidt is one of the founders of Rockwood and has 38 years of experience in the real estate industry. During his tenure with the firm he has served in lead acquisition and asset management roles. Mr. Schmidt is a member of PREA, AFIRE and InREV. Mr. Schmidt currently serves on advisory boards serving youth development programs in the United States and Central America.

Jason Schwartz

Managing Principal, Co-Head of Equity Group
Blue Vista

Jason Schwartz is a Managing Principal at Blue Vista and Co-Head of the firm’s Equity Group. He oversees the firm’s residential activities and is a member of the Equity Investment and Management Committees. He has been on the Board of Directors for affiliate, PeakMade Real Estate, since 2011. He earned an MBA from Wharton, a BBA from the University of Michigan Business School and is a member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI).

Drew Spitler

Principal, Partner
The Dermot Company

Mr. Spitler joined Dermot in August 2002 and has been at the company for over 20 years. Mr. Spitler led Dermot’s development activities in New York City before relocating to Florida in 2020 to oversee Dermot’s expansion in the region and head the firm’s new office in West Palm Beach. Mr. Spitler holds a BSBA from The University of Arizona and an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business.

Nick Stein

Managing Director
Sentinel Real Estate

Nicholas Stein is a Managing Director and Portfolio Manager at Sentinel. He is a member of the Investment Committee and chairs the ESG Committee. Prior to joining Sentinel in 2007, he was an Associate at White & Case, LLP. Mr. Stein received a BS degree from Georgetown University and a JD degree from Georgetown University Law Center. He is a member of the New York State Bar.

Oliver Strumpf

Initiator of the USA Conference
FondsForum Platform

Oliver Strumpf studied business information management and real estate economics at the European Business School. In addition to start-ups, he gained professional experience at international fund and consulting companies. Since 2002, he has initiated various platforms and event formats in the institutional real estate sector. He joined HEICO Group in 2015 and was managing partner of the investment section until May 2021.

Jonathan Turnbull

Head of Canada
Harrison Street

As Head of Canada, based in Toronto, Jonathan is responsible for sourcing Canadian transactions and forming joint venture relationships across the country. In addition, he is responsible for developing Canadian focused business strategies, leveraging local relationships and Harrison Street’s global capabilities into new targeted product offerings for our global and Canadian investors.

Max von Below

Managing Director
Affinius Capital

Max von Below serves as Managing Director for Affinius Capital. He is based in Amsterdam and responsible for establishing and maintaining relationships with institutional investors, their managers, advisors and consultants both domestically and internationally. Prior joining Affinius Capital he worked in similar positions on the Manager but as well on the Investor side and brings close to 20 years of work experience.

Liora Walter

Director
Nuveen Real Estate

In her role, she is responsible for providing investment solutions in the real estate segment for the asset allocation needs of institutional clients in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Liora graduated with a Master of Science (MSc.) in Real Estate from CASS Business School in London.

Pamela West

Portfolio Manager, Impact Investing
Nuveen Real Estate

Dana Wooderson

Senior Housing Fund Series Portfolio Manager
Senior Housing Practice Leader
PGIM Real Estate

Duncan Woodard

Managing Director
Boston Capital Real Estate Partners

Mr. Woodard is responsible for the funds’ portfolio management, and contributes to BCRE’s acquisition efforts. In addition, Mr. Woodard is involved in fundraising and investor relations.
Prior to BCRE, Mr. Woodard was a Vice President at Spaulding & Slye, and Director of Acquisitions at Colony Capital. Mr. Woodard holds an MBA from the U. of WA, and a B.A. in Economics from Lafayette College.

Andrew Zgutowicz

CEO
High Street

As CEO, Andy is responsible for the overall management of the company, its funds, capital strategy and investment activities. Mr. Zgutowicz joined High Street in 2008 as the Head of Acquisitions. Prior to High Street, Andy spent 12-years at First Industrial Realty Trust. Andy holds a BS in finance from the University of Dayton and an MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business.