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Stephen Blank, Senior Fellow, The Urban Land Institute
Stephen Blank is responsible for assisting the Urban Land Institute, a non-profit education and research institute which studies land use and real estate development policy and practice, in expanding its real estate capital markets information and education programs, participating in ULI's conferences on finance, participating as a principal researcher and adviser for the Emerging Trends in Real Estate series of publications, researching and writing papers on finance issues; and participating at ULI events and industry related meetings and seminars.
Geoffrey Dohrman, President and CEO, Institutional Real Estate, Inc.
Geoffrey Dohrmann, CRE, is president and chief executive officer of Institutional Real Estate, Inc. — a San Ramon, California-based publishing and consulting company focused on meeting the information needs of the commercial real estate investment community. In this capacity, he also serves as publisher and editor-in-chief of several leading industry publications, including The Institutional Real Estate Letter, High Return Quarterly, Global Quarterly, European Real Estate Quarterly, Institutional Real Estate Newsline and IREI Weekly (Institutional Real Estate, Inc.'s weekly e-mail newsletter), as well as numerous special reports on the industry. Geoff is also be the editor-in-chief of the company's newest publication, The Institutional Real Estate Letter — Europe, launched in January 2007.
Edward Lipkin, CEO and Founder, EBL&S Development
Edward B. Lipkin is CEO and founder of EBL&S Development, one of the largest privately held real estate development, acquisition, and management firms in the United States. Over the past 35 years, Mr. Lipkin has developed, redeveloped, and managed over 200 projects across the country. His company has a current pipeline of over $1 billion of mixed-use, transit-oriented projects intended to spur urban revitalization and trasnform grefield sites into sustainable town centers. Mr. Lipkin has bee included among a select group of developers chosen by the U.S. Green Building Council to develop a method for projects under the LEED ND Pilot Program. This program seeks to encourage developers to create environmentally responsible neighborhoods that integrate the principles of Smart Growth, New Urbanism, and Green Building.
Steven Lydenberg, Chief Investment Officer, Domini Social Investments
Steven D. Lydenberg is Chief Investment Officer of Domini Social Investments and Vice President of the Domini Funds. He has been active in social research since 1975. Mr. Lydenberg was a founder of KLD Research & Analytics, Inc. and served as its research director from 1990 to 2001. From 1987 to 1989, he was an associate with Franklin Research and Development Corporation (now known as Trillium Asset Management). For 12 years he worked with the Council on Economic Priorities, ultimately as director of corporate accountability research.
Ron Roberts, Executive Vice President, Kennedy Associates Real Estate Counsel
Ron Roberts, Executive Vice President, joined Kennedy in 1989. He is a principal and senior member of the Kennedy team, serving on both the Executive Management Committee and the Investment Committee. He directs all activities associated with portfolio management, research, client relations, and marketing. Mr. Roberts has 34 years of investment experience, including over 25 years in the funding, acquisition, and management of over $10 billion of income-producing real estate.
Gary Pivo, Professor, University of Arizona
Dr. Gary Pivo works in the areas of responsible property investing, land use planning, growth management, and sustainable cities. He is currently Advisor to the Property Working Group of the United Nations Environment Program Finance Initiative and the Center for Corporate Citizenship-Institute for Responsible Investment Responsible Property Investment Project. At the University of Arizona, he holds full professorships in Planning Degree Program and School of Natural Resources and is a Senior Fellow with the Office of Economic Development. Dr. Pivo teaches courses on land development and managing growth near conservation areas.
Robert A. Ratliffe, Executive Vice President, Portfolio Management, Kennedy Associates Real Estate Counsel
Bob Ratliffe joined Kennedy in July 2003 as Senior Vice President -- Capital Markets and became a principal of the firm in 2005. He assumed responsibility for Separate Account Portfolio Management, marketing, client relations, and research in 2008. He serves on the firm's Executive and Investment Committees and its Board of Managers as well as serving as Chairman of Kennedy's Sustainability Committee. He has become a frequent speaker in the real estate industry on the role that institutional capital plays in sustainable real estate, the importance of responsible property investing and real estate's impact on the planet.
Kirk Sykes, President, New Boston-USA Fund
A passionate and seasoned leader with 25 years of combined finance, development, architecture, and community-based experience, Kirk Sykes, leads the partnership equity placement, identifies investments and developments, and manages the day-to-day business operations of the Urban Strategy America Fund. With a bottom-line sensibility garnered during his experience as a member of FleetBank and BankBoston's First Community Bank Advisory Board, Mr. Sykes is adept at bridging the competing concerns that sometimes hinder the progress of urban projects. He combines his professional training and hands-on experience to create customized responses to the complex issues of urban real estate development.