*SOLD OUT* ULI Washington: 14th Annual Learn from the Best

When

2025-01-28
2025-01-28T18:00:00 - 2025-01-28T21:00:00
America/New_York

Choose Your Calendar

    Where

    Gensler 220 Montgomery St Suite 200 San Francisco, CA 94104 UNITED STATES
    Elevate your career in 2025 with industry leaders and executives during a night of mentorship "speed dating"! See below for individual and group pricing.

    Ready to take your career to the next level in 2025? ULI Washington’s 14th Annual "Learn from the Best" is the opportunity for young professionals and those changing careers to gain valuable insights during a night of mentorship ‘speed dating’ with top leaders in real estate and land use in the Washington Metropolitan Region!

    This event is all about professional development, with mentors not only showcasing their professional journey, but also provide guidance on how to meet your goals, overcome challenges, and continue growing in the industry. The small group, roundtable format allows you to have meaningful, informal conversations with 2-3 industry leaders, getting tailored advice that will help you navigate the year ahead and ask question you have always wanted to but haven’t had the chance.

    Grab your colleagues, classmates and peers to start the year off with valuable perspectives, new connections, and concrete steps towards your goals—register today! 
     
    Note: Please select "Register Yourself" for all registrations. Only one individual needs to register for a half table, full table, or Mentor's Circle sponsor table.
    • Mentor's Circle Sponsor Table: $750 (Limited Availability). Includes: 6 tickets, company logo on event marketing material & signage, and company name on event recap shared on social media
    • Full Table: $325 (6 tickets)
    • Half Table: $150 (3 tickets)
    • Individual: $60

    Additional sponsorship opportunities available. Contact [email protected] for more information.

     
    THANK YOU TO OUR EVENT SPONSORS
     
    VENUE SPONSOR 
     
     
     
     
     

    Speakers

    Mentor

    Art Russell

    Managing Director, Government Investor Services, JLL

    Mr. Russell serves as a Managing Director that lead’s JLL's Government Investor Services (GIS) Practice Group. Under his leadership, Mr. Russell is responsible for driving growth and strategic direction for the firm’s national platform that services government-focused landlord clients. Arthur Russell is a seasoned executive with over 25 years of experience in corporate and government real estate and public finance. Art has been successful in delivering solutions to operations, cost management, leasing, marketing and risk reduction issues. He also demonstrates proficiency in client management, staffing, business development, budgeting, financial analysis, strategic planning and program management. Prior to joining JLL, during his most recent stint with GSA, Mr. Russell served as a senior lease contracting specialist for the General Services Administration. On behalf of GSA, he oversaw the National Capital Region (NCR) lease acquisitions for the National Institutes for Health, Health and Human Services, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Veterans Administration. As a tenant and landlord representative on federal lease transactions since 1995, Art played a direct role in the completion of over 200 government lease transaction exceeding 20 million square feet servicing approximately 40 GSA client agencies. Art received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Banking and Finance from Morehouse College. He resides in Potomac, Maryland and has five children.

    Mentor

    Bob Peck

    Gensler

    Robert A. Peck is a Principal, senior workplace strategist and firmwide Government + Defense practice co-leader at Gensler, a global architecture and design firm. Bob helps public and private sector clients get the maximum performance out of their workplaces, whether leased or owned buildings or an entire real estate portfolio. An experienced commercial real estate, nonprofit and public sector executive, he is a nationally recognized advocate for high-quality design, active work environments, smart growth and sustainable building. Bob’s expertise includes leading complex real estate portfolio strategy and public-private development projects. For five years in the Clinton Administration and nearly three in the Obama Administration, Bob was Commissioner of GSA’s Public Buildings Service. With an annual budget of more than $9 billion and a workforce of 7,000, PBS conducts nationwide asset and property management, design and construction, leasing, and disposals for 375 million square feet of space accommodating more than 1.1 million federal workers. As PBS Commissioner, Bob was known for launching the Design Excellence program, instituting real estate metrics and contemporary workplace design and creating a Green Proving Ground sustainability program. In the Federal government, Bob also worked at the Office of Management and Budget, the National Endowment for the Arts, the White House and the Federal Communications Commission. On Capitol Hill, he was associate counsel to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works and chief of staff to the late U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-NY). He was a Special Forces officer in the U.S. Army Reserve. He received his B.A. cum laude with distinction in economics from the University of Pennsylvania, and his J.D. from Yale Law School. He was a visiting Loeb Fellow at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design and a visiting lecturer at Yale College. The American Institute of Architects and American Society o

    Mentor

    Brian Murphy

    Executive Vice President, CBRE

    rian Murphy joined CBRE, Inc. in 1980 and is an Executive Vice President in the Washington, DC office. Brian has built a standard of expertise in acquisition, property re-development, portfolio optimization, procurement, disposition, valuations and project management services. He is a Global Corporate Services professional and was part of CBRE’s leadership team in the creation of our Public Sector Practice and has served as the CBRE’s Senior Account Executive on some of our largest and most geographically diverse client portfolios, including the following: • Provided healthcare procurement services as CBRE’s National Account Executive for the United States Department of Veterans Affairs since 2010. • Performed over 1100 assignments in over forty countries for the U.S. Department of State serving as CBRE’s Senior Global Account Executive for almost two decades. • Served as CBRE’s Senior Account Executive from 1998-2019 for the U.S. Postal Service’s portfolio of 36,000 assets. In addition to providing leasing, acquisition, disposition and valuation services, Brian was directly responsible for the repositioning and monetization of USPS’ high-valued, but obsolete, properties in core urban areas. Examples include the 3M square foot Old Post Office in Chicago, 1.7M square feet in downtown San Francisco, 2M square feet at the South Boston Annex, 800,000 square foot merchandise mart in Los Angeles and 700,000 square feet in Houston. • Served as CBRE’s Co-Senior Program Manager for the District of Columbia’s 320,000 square foot planned development of the Department of Transportation headquarters. • Served as CBRE’s Senior Executive in the U.S Government Publishing Office’s strategic planning of its 1M square foot headquarters site at Union Station in Washington DC. • Spearheaded CBRE’s responsibilities in the highest and best use redevelopment study for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs politically charged 400 acre West Los Angeles Medical campus in Brentwood, California. Brian has also represented several foreign governments in Washington DC and nationally, including the Governments of Northen Ireland, Ireland and the British Foreign Commonwealth Office. In addition to his public sector experience, he has served as CBRE’s Senior National Account Manager for SAP America, General Dynamics, Thales, and Towers Watson as well as providing tenant advisory services in the Washington DC region for such firms as The Walt Disney Company, Johnson & Johnson, WTW, Kraft Heinz, ABC News, Charles Schwab, PPHC and Langan Engineering, to name a few. Amongst numerous firm and industry awards over the course of his career, Mr. Murphy received CBRE’s highest honor as the recipient of the William H. McCarthy Award, bestowed to one individual worldwide in recognition of integrity, loyalty and dedication to the service of our clients, community and company. Brian holds a Bachelor of Arts from Santa Clara University and currently serves on the Advisory Board of Santa Clara University’s Leavey School of Business.

    Mentor

    Ebony Stocks

    Interim President & CEO, Prince George's County Economic Development Corporation

    Ebony Stocks, CEcD, is Interim President and CEO of Prince George’s County Economic Development Corporation. With over 11 years of dedicated service to PGCEDC, Ebony brings a wealth of experience, strategic vision, and a deep commitment to advancing economic growth and prosperity in Prince George's County. As Executive Vice President for the past six years, Ebony has been instrumental in driving PGCEDC's mission and initiatives. Her leadership has shaped programs like Grow Prince George's, Step Forward Initiative, and the Pathways Series, empowering local businesses and fostering inclusive economic development. She also played a pivotal role in the distribution of ARPA funds to strengthen the local business community during challenging times. Ebony's expertise extends beyond local initiatives. She has spearheaded international efforts, including a successful trade mission to Nairobi, Kenya, and hosting the EmpowerHer Global Business Summit, which celebrated and supported women entrepreneurs. Her experience managing the County's $50 million Economic Development Incentive Fund and various tax credit programs further underscores her ability to deliver impactful results. A Certified Economic Developer (CEcD), Ebony holds a Master of Real Estate Development from the University of Maryland and a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Strayer University. She is also an Economic Development Finance Professional and an active Maryland Economic Development Association (MEDA) member.

    Mentor

    LaMarr Datcher

    Feldman Ruel Urban Property Advisors

    Mr. Datcher specializes in the marketing and sale of urban properties in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan area. These unique assignments often include real estate with historic designations, adaptive re-use, covered land plays, and development sites. Mr. Datcher works diligently to provide clients with as much information as possible to increase the value of their assets. Mr. Datcher was born and raised in Washington, D.C., which has had a significant impact on his perspective of the local market. His technical training and background give him a unique advantage navigating the nuances of various submarkets throughout the District. Prior to joining Feldman Ruel, Mr. Datcher worked in a similar capacity for one of the nation’s largest commercial real estate brokerage companies. He has also excelled in sales within the financial services and legal industries. With a proven track-record of attracting and retaining clients and developing customized solutions to fit their needs, Mr. Datcher is able to provide clients with comprehensive advisory services that best protects their assets. Combining his joy of connecting with people and his passion for commercial real estate, he is committed to helping every client achieve their objectives at every stage of their assets’ real estate investment lifecycle. Mr. Datcher holds a Juris Doctorate from Valparaiso University School of Law, as well as a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Colgate University, where he played NCAA Division I basketball. Mr. Datcher is also a real estate investor, an avid cyclist, cigar enthusiast and proud father who enjoys spending time with his family.

    Mentor

    Evan Goldman

    EVP, Land Acquisition & Development, EYA

    Evan is Executive Vice President of Acquisition and Development at EYA, LLC. He brings a decade of mixed-use and multi-family experience to the EYA development team and works on sourcing new deals as well as shepherding projects through the development process. Prior to joining EYA, Evan was Vice President of Development at Federal Realty Investment Trust, where he was primarily responsible for managing the development of Pike & Rose a 3 million square foot mixed use project in North Bethesda, Maryland. Evan regularly guest lectures about real estate, planning, and development at local universities. He currently serves on the Advisory Board of the Urban Land Institute Washington and is a Trustee of the Milton Gottesman Jewish Day School of the Nation’s Capital. In 2012, Evan received the Livable Communities Leadership Award from the Washington, DC based Coalition for Smarter Growth. Evan earned a BS in Design and Environmental Analysis from Cornell University and a MBA in Real Estate and Finance from the Wharton Business School. He lives in Washington, DC with his wife and three young children.

    Mentor

    Katie Bucklew

    VP Development and Mixed Use, AvalonBay Communities, Inc.

    Katie Bucklew, Vice President of Mixed Use, joined AvalonBay Communities, Inc in 2019. Katie is responsible for identifying, structuring, entitling and developing ground up Mid-Atlantic multifamily opportunities as well as sourcing portfolio Mixed Use opportunities. She is responsible for overseeing the 10-person Mixed Use platform consisting of approximately 1M sf including all development activities, ongoing operations and portfolio management. Prior to AvalonBay, Katie spent over 13 years with EDENS, a retail owner, operator and developer of retail centers focused on high density, high income markets throughout the East Coast and Texas. She held numerous high-profile roles in EDENS giving her a broad perspective of the retail real estate industry including managing over $300M of (re)development activity, leading an $861M public company acquisition, directing the daily activities of and executing strategic plans for a 35-center portfolio comprised of more than four million square feet and $1B in asset value as well as leasing 11 retail centers totaling over 1.2 million square feet. Katie holds a Masters of Business Administration from The Wharton School, a Masters of Accounting from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler Business School, and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler Business School. As a dedicated contributor to the community of real estate professionals, Katie is a member of ICSC, Women in Retail Real Estate and The Urban Land Institute. She is an active leader in the Urban Land Institute (ULI) sitting on the ULI Washington Governance Board (2017-present), ULI Washington Advisory Board (2016-present), ULI Washington Women’s Leadership Initiative committee (2013 – present) and ULI Urban Mixed Use Blue National Product Council (2012-present, Vice Chair 2017-21, Chair- 2021-23). Katie is also a board member of Aubuchon Realty Corporation, a 5th generation retail real estate company with assets predominantly located in the Northeast.

    Mentor

    Stan Wall

    HR&A Advisors, Inc.

    Stan Wall joined HR&A as a Partner in our Washington D.C. office in August 2015 after holding several senior positions in the mid-Atlantic region. In his previous posts, Stan worked across the entire real estate project lifecycle including strategy, planning, finance, development, and construction. Prior to joining HR&A, Stan was the Director of Real Estate and Station Planning at the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), the second busiest transit system in the United States. In this role, he reinvigorated the agency’s transit oriented development (TOD) program by helping them leverage their transit infrastructure to support housing and economic development. In the past three years, Stan helped to secure Board approval to pursue 16 new TOD projects. Eight of the 16 approved locations are now in the negotiation and/or solicitation stages; four more are in the final stages of pre-solicitation planning; and the remaining four are in the early planning stages. As these projects are implemented in the next 3-4 years, they will begin to yield significant financial and ridership benefits for the agency. Stan also helped to enhance WMATA’s relationship with local jurisdictions, which in turn served to ensure a responsiveness to the local communities and to present a consistent, unified message to interested developers. Through these efforts, coupled with a refinement to the agency’s development policies and procedures, WMATA became known as a better business partner to the development community. This extended beyond TOD solicitations to include an increased responsive to developer inquiries in all other aspects of the office such as permits, easements, and other information requests. Stan is also owner and founder of Wall Development Group, a Washington, D.C. based development firm focused on sustainable development, urban infill, and community-oriented projects. With Wall Development, Stan led a multi-disciplinary team to

    Mentor

    Jessie Ponce de Leon

    Managing Partner, GORDON

    As Managing Member of GordonDC, Jessie Ponce de Leon, PE, is responsible for all design, entitlement and engineering operations within the District of Columbia. Her consulting and engineering judgment have earned her loyal clients with numerous residential, commercial, mixed-use, adaptive reuse, and redevelopment projects. As a licensed civil engineer in DC, Virginia and Maryland, Ms. Ponce de Leon provides site programming and planning, civil engineering and general client consulting services. GordonDC’s clientele consistently rely on Ms. Ponce de Leon’s DC-specific design and regulatory savvy to keep projects on-schedule and within budget. Jessie presently serves on the Gordon Board. She is a member of ULI Washington and is currently co-chair of the WLI Steering Committee. She is an active alumna of Virginia Tech (VT); a member of the Civil Engineering Alumni and Land Development Executive Boards, and recently awarded the “VT Outstanding Alumni” achievement award. In 2022, Jessie was recognized as one of Washington DC’s “40 Under 40” by the Washington Business Journal.

    Mentor

    Hope Richardson

    EastBanc, Inc., EastBanc, Inc.

    Hope Richardson joined EastBanc in 2015. She is responsible for the entitlement, design, and execution of EastBanc’s ground-up development and redevelopment projects. A native Washingtonian, she volunteers with ULI Washington and is a member of ULI’s national council on affordable and workforce housing. B.A., Brown University – Urban Studies and Architectural Studies M.C.P, University of Pennsylvania – Public Private Development

    Mentor

    Kaleena Francis Lee

    Development Manager, Jair Lynch Real Estate Partners

    Ms. Lee is a Development Manager at Jair Lynch Real Estate Partners. She is responsible for providing management services on sponsored investment development and construction projects, including direct interaction with owners, subcontractors and funders. Since joining Jair Lynch in 2003, Ms. Lee has provided essential support on multiple projects, including providing specific expertise on environmental issues and regulation. Ms. Lee has been a USGBC LEED Accredited Professional since 2005. Currently, Ms. Lee is focused on the development of the mixed-use project on Half Street, SE, Washington, DC.

    Mentor

    Uwe Brandes

    Executive Director, Urban & Regional Planning Program, Georgetown University

    Uwe S. Brandes Brandes is a scholar-practitioner with over 25 years of experience in urban development and applied research, including having formerly served as Senior Vice President of the Urban Land Institute. He is a professor of practice at Georgetown University and the faculty director of the Urban & Regional Planning program and the university-wide Georgetown Global Cities Initiative. He maintains a private practice advising public and private clients on complex urban development challenges. He serves as chair of the District of Columbia Commission on Climate Change Resiliency and the NoMa Parks Foundation. Brandes holds a Master of Architecture from Harvard University and A.B. in Engineering Science from Dartmouth College.

    Mentor

    Kristin Connall

    Vice President, Akridge

    Kristin Connall is vice president of development for Akridge. She is responsible for coordinating all aspects of commercial real estate development activities from acquisition to completion, including financing, entitlements, design, construction, marketing, and leasing. Kristin has nearly 15 years of experience in the commercial real estate industry. She oversees The Stacks, a 2.1 million-square-foot mixed-use development located in the Capitol Riverfront neighborhood, Buzzard Point. Kristin is an active member of Urban Land Institute (ULI) and National Association for Industrial and Office Parks (NAIOP), a former member of ULI’s NEXT program, a past participant in the ULI Young Leaders Mentorship program, and served as both a team mentor and judge for NAIOP’s annual Capital Challenge. Kristin earned her Master of Business Administration in Finance and Economics from The University of Chicago, Booth School of Business and graduated Magna Cum Laude from Boston College with a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Marketing.