Josh currently serves as the Senior Housing Policy Advisor for Housing for Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, leading the development and implementation of the Mayor’s affordable housing agenda. Recent initiatives include leading the acquisition and redevelopment of 2 Peachtree, a 41-story office-to-residential conversion that jumpstarted the City’s office conversion efforts, launching the Housing Help Center a one-stop housing resource shop for residents, creating the new public entity Atlanta Urban Development to leverage public land by building European-style social housing in Atlanta, and delivering 40-unit project the Melody in just four months as phase I of the Mayor’s Rapid Housing initiative to deliver quick-delivery housing for Atlanta residents experiencing homelessness. Josh is president of the board for the Atlanta Municipal Market and a board member for HouseATL. Josh previously served as the Director of the Office of Housing and Community Development for the City of Atlanta. Prior to joining the City of Atlanta, Josh worked as a community organizer and community development leader in Los Angeles and New York City. Josh has a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Kennesaw State University and a master of divinity from Fuller Theological Seminary.

Courtney English is the Senior Advisor to Atlanta Mayor, Andre Dickens, and Chief Policy Officer for the city of Atlanta. His policy portfolio includes some of Atlanta’s most pressing challenges, including affordable housing, economic development, youth engagement, neighborhood revitalization, and closing Atlanta's long-standing equity gaps. Courtney was the youngest Chairman in the history of the Atlanta Board of Education and currently serves on the boards of the Westside Future Fund, Star-C, Greenlight Fund, and the Fort MacPherson Redevelopment Authority. An Atlanta native, English is a former classroom teacher who earned his BA degree in political science from Morehouse College and a MA degree from Columbia University.

John R. Williams is President and Chief Operating Officer of Avanath Capital Management (“Avanath”), an institutional fund manager that specializes in affordable and workforce housing investments throughout major U.S. cities. In his role, Mr. Williams spearheads the firm’s portfolio acquisitions, capital formation, investor relations and fund management. Since joining Avanath, Mr. Williams has directed the closing of five institutional investment funds totaling over $2.0 billion of capital, comprised of equity commitments from some of the most prestigious and astute investors, including US pension funds, European pension funds, US university endowments, UK endowments, investment banks, foundations, banks, life insurance companies, and family offices. Since its inception, Avanath has acquired and renovated over 104 affordable housing communities (over 15,000 units) and expanded its national portfolio into 14 states. The firm currently manages over $3.0 billion in assets, employs over 400 people, and focuses on generating attractive risk-adjusted returns, with an emphasis on fulfilling its investor’s ESG objectives. Mr. Williams graduated from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design Executive Program and earned his B.S. in finance from Duquesne University. He is active in the real estate industry, serving as a Governor of the Urban Land Institute (ULI); Past Chairman of the ULI Silver Multi-Family Council; a member of the Executive Committee of the National Multi Housing Council (NMHC); and an Advisory Board Member of the Duquesne University Business School. Mr. Williams is also a frequent speaker at national real estate conferences sponsored by ULI, Pension Real Estate Association (“PREA”), Harvard

Cindy Chance, PhD, is Founder and Principal at FosterChance, a consulting firm specializing in advancing ethical program, project and management practices to improve results including the bottom line.  Cindy's background includes faculty and administrative roles in higher education, notably at Georgetown University, where she was Assistant Provost for Faculty Affairs  and Senior Associate Dean in the School of Professional Studies for non-degree programs ranging from global custom education to workforce development and the well known coaching program. Prior to launching her own firm,  Chance was CEO of the Appraisal Institute where she led change, championing the critical role of real property valuation professions in protecting the economy, transparency for members and governance reform.  Prior to that, Chance was Executive Vice President of the  Urban Land Institute where she grew and diversified Product Councils, launched ULI Learning, and stewarded UrbanPlan and the Awards programs.  Chance is an expert in ethical issues in real estate including real property valuation, diversifying real estate professions, and housing attainability. 

As the newly appointed President and CEO of Atlanta Housing, Terri builds on her success as the Chief Operating Officer for the organization. Her passion is to engage, develop and align talent to maximize potential and achieve outstanding results through creating an internal culture dedicated to continuous improvement. She started her career with the City of Jackson, MS in the Department of Planning and Development and then brought her considerable experience and talents to the City of Atlanta Department of City Planning as the Director of the Office of Housing. She continued her work for the City of Atlanta as a Deputy Commissioner and Chief Housing Officer. Joining the Atlanta Housing Authority in 2020, she now leads the organization and continues to champion the mission to open doors to safe, quality affordable housing for Atlanta residents.

Dr. Raphael W. Bostic took office June 5, 2017, as the 15th president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. He is responsible for all the Bank's activities, including monetary policy, bank supervision and regulation, and payment services. In addition, he serves on the Federal Reserve's chief monetary policy body, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC). The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta serves the Sixth Federal Reserve District, which covers Alabama, Florida, and Georgia, and parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee. The Bank has branches in Birmingham, Jacksonville, Miami, Nashville, and New Orleans.

Lisa oversees Greystar’s growing third-party Single-Family Rental | Build-to-Rent platform of over 31,000 homes nationally. Prior to taking over the SFR/BTR sector, Lisa was responsible for business development and client services for the Southeast portfolio of approximately $13.5B in 5 states. She has 20+ years of successful property management, business development experience with an extensive background in portfolio management, operations, and strategic positioning of conventional assets.  Lisa’s expertise includes new constructions, acquisitions, value-add renovations, and asset  repositions.  She is a CPM® through Institute  of Real Estate Management and Certified Apartment Portfolio Supervisor (CAPS) through NAA. Lisa is highly engaged in multifamily industry organizations. She is currently the Apartment Association of North Carolina, Immediate Past Chair 2025 & 2026 and was a North Carolina Hall of Fame inductee. Lisa also serves as a Regional Vice-President for the National Apartment Association Region IV and frequently speaks on industry panels. Lisa holds a Broker-in-Charge license for North Carolina.

Dennis C. Shea is the Executive Director of the J. Ronald Terwilliger Center for Housing Policy. His past work with the Bipartisan Center (BPC) includes serving as a consultant to the BPC’s blue-ribbon Housing Commission and its Senior Health and Housing Task Force. In these roles, he contributed to two landmark reports, Housing America’s Future: New Directions for National Policy and Healthy Aging Begins at Home. During the Administration of President George W. Bush, Shea served as Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Immediately prior to joining the BPC, Shea served as Deputy U.S. Trade Representative and U.S. Ambassador to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva, Switzerland. At the WTO, Shea led an interagency team charged with advancing U.S. interests on issues ranging from trade in goods and services to e-commerce, intellectual property protection and agriculture. He also spearheaded U.S. efforts to achieve meaningful WTO reform. Earlier in his career, Shea served as deputy chief of staff and counsel to Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole and as policy director for the 1996 Dole for President campaign. Shea has a strong record of working with colleagues from both sides of the aisle to achieve positive results. In 2003, he was named as Executive Director of the bipartisan President’s Commission on the United States Postal Service. Many of the Commission’s recommendations were later reflected in the 2006 postal reform law. For more than 10 years, Shea was a member of the bipartisan and influential U.S.–China Economic and Security Review Commission and served as either Chairman or Vice Chairman of the Commission from 2012 to 2017. Shea received a J.D., an A.M. in History and an A.B. in Government, all from Harvard University.

Abe Kruger honed his expertise in sustainable construction over the last 20 years as a contractor, educator, and consultant in the residential construction industry. Abe is the cofounder of SK Collaborative, which provides green building, healthy housing, and building enclosure consulting nationwide. SK Collaborative has delivered testing and certification services for more than 58,000 apartments and homes, with nearly 40,000 additional units currently underway. They have completed projects across 20 states, US territories, and countries. He is the coauthor of the first residential green building textbook, Green Building: Principles and Practices in Residential Construction (Delmar/Cengage Learning).

Mark Ethridge is the Managing Principal of Ascent Housing. Ascent Housing is a leader in the preservation of Naturally-Occurring Affordable Housing (NOAH), leveraging over $250 million to preserve almost 2,000 units since 2019. The company has developed new private-sector solutions and public policy tools to create impactful affordable housing strategies. In 2020, it co-founded and established itself as the operating partner for Housing Impact Fund, which was raised $125 million of social impact capital from the private-sector for NOAH preservation in Charlotte. In this role, Ascent helped pioneer the creation of new rental subsidies for 30% AMI and below households by working with local governments to channel property tax revenues into the hands of those most vulnerable to housing insecurity. Prior to joining Ascent, Mark was a Vice President at Bellwether Enterprise Real Estate Capital where he arranged debt and equity financing for multi-family, mixed-use, office and retail projects. Mark currently serves on the boards of Housing Impact Fund and Housing Collaborative. He has served on a variety of multi-sector initiatives addressing housing affordability and homelessness in the Charlotte region. Mark is a Charlotte native and graduated from Princeton University in 2010.

Dr. Gina Merritt is an award-winning, experienced real estate developer specializing in community development. She has been involved in over 8,000 units of housing in various stages of development, managing the entitlement process, structuring and securing the required financing, managing the design, and the overall construction process. Dr. Merritt has won over 30 awards, 11 in the last year. Her work has also impacted more than 19,000 residents across the country. Dr. Merritt has expertise in managing large development projects with complicated financing and ownership structures. She has also underwritten over $5.0 billion in real estate transactions. Her real estate development expertise includes mixed-use development, apartments, condominiums, single-family homes, and public-private real estate transactions. NREUV's recent real estate advisory engagements include consulting for the University of Virginia on its Affordable Housing Initiative and consulting for the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority on their Sustainability Study. NREUV is also managing over $550M in development for its own account. The firm’s projects in Cleveland are valued at $200M, while the balance is located in the DMV. Project Community Capital®(PCC), an award-winning economic empowerment platform, was founded by Dr. Merritt in 2008 and redesigned in 2021 to include the Collective Impact Model. PCC is an innovative platform that bridges the social capital required to connect residents and businesses of underestimated communities with employment and economic opportunities. PCC works with developers, contractors, and public agencies to place individuals in the construction field and permanent general employment. PCC also hosts Heighten the Hustle™, an entrepreneurship accelerator that helps stand-up businesses that operate informally within a neighborhood we serve with our real estate projects. Dr. Merritt earned her BBA from Howard University and her MBA from the Darden School at the University of Virginia. Dr. Merritt recently earned her Doctorate in Social Innovation at the University of Southern California. Dr. Merritt's recent industry recognitions include the Stevie Award for Changemaker of the Year-Race, Baltimore Business Journal's Leaders in Diversity Award 2022, Enterprising Women of the Year Award 2022, and the Social Innovation Summit Award-Economic Empowerment 2022. She resides in Baltimore, Maryland, with her husband and daughter.

Shannon Nazworth is President and CEO of Ability Housing, a position she has held since 2003. Ability Housing is dedicated to building strong communities where everyone has a home. Its vision is a society where housing is a right, not a privilege, and all individuals have safe, affordable housing in vibrant communities. Nazworth brings more than 19 years of experience in the affordable housing sector, having held executive positions with Habitat for Humanity’s international headquarters and local affiliates. In addition to leading Ability Housing, Nazworth is Chair of the State of Florida Council on Homelessness, immediate past president of the Florida Supportive Housing Coalition, and was a gubernatorial appointee to both the Florida Affordable Housing Workgroup and Affordable Housing Study Commission. She also serves on the Chase Community Advisory Board, National Low Income Housing Coalition Policy Committee, and many other state and national organizations. In 2020, she earned national recognition as Multifamily Executive Magazine’s “Executive of the Year.” Nazworth is a native of Massachusetts, but has resided in Northeast Florida for over 20 years. She has a B.S. in Political Science, having graduated magna cum laude from Boston College; a Certificate in Executive Leadership from Harvard Business School; and a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Duke University.

Adam Ducker is Chief Executive Officer of RCLCO and oversees the firm’s Real Estate Economics and Management Consulting practices. Adam joined RCLCO in the mid-1990s as an associate directly after graduate school and learned the trade with the firm. He is a recognized expert in planning for organizational growth and talent management, capital strategy, investment analysis, market and financial analysis, and marketing of real estate assets. He has particular depth of expertise in high-density housing, retail/entertainment, and hotel/resort development.

Egbert L.J. Perry was born in Antigua, West Indies and migrated to the U.S. in 1970, two weeks after his 15th birthday, to complete his education. Two years later, after completing high school at Riverdale Country School in New York City, Egbert continued his educational career at the University of Pennsylvania. An honors graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Perry received both a Bachelor of Science (1976) and Master of Science degrees (1979) in Civil Engineering from the University's Towne School, and a Master of Business Administration degree in Finance and Accounting (1978) from Wharton School of Business. In 1990, he was elected as the eleventh graduate to be named to the "Gallery of Distinguished Engineering Alumni" of the University's Engineering School. At the end of 1992, Perry left his position at Russell and founded The Integral Group, LLC ("Integral"), with a thoughtful and deliberate focus on (re)building urban centers, and implementing revitalization strategies. Today, Integral is a holding company with subsidiaries that specialize in real estate development, construction management, property management and asset management. The Company and its subsidiaries are committed to, and remain focused on, being a premier urban developer by creating value in cities and rebuilding communities. In Integral's first eight (8) years of existence, the company, under Perry's leadership, has developed a reputation as an innovator in the field of urban infill mixed-use development. Integral has also earned special recognition for a number of significant accomplishments.

Dan Magder is the Managing Partner of Center Creek Capital Group and CEO of Center Creek Homes. He created Center Creek to demonstrate that private capital and expertise can advance social impact, while also providing strong financial returns to investors. Center Creek renovates distressed single-family homes to create affordable rentals and acquires build-to-rent (BTR) communities to expand workforce housing; Center Creek Homes develops infill housing specializing in efficient land use and creative design to naturally bring down housing prices. Previously, Dan was a Director of Investments for Lone Star Funds, a $70B private equity fund specializing in distressed debt, where he sourced assets through partnerships with government agencies including Treasury, the Federal Reserve, the GSEs and HUD. He was also a Managing Director of Carrington Holdings and a Director of Corporate Development at Capital One. He has spoken at the White House National Economic Council, Harvard Business School, George Washington University School of Business and numerous industry conferences. Dan lives in Washington DC with his wife and two children, and spends his free time driving his son to hockey practices and his daughter to dance lessons.

Eric Kronberg is a zoning whisperer. He specializes in balancing and blending the often competing needs of urban design, architecture, and development in a potent cocktail for better places. He specializes in breaking down and demystifying regulations to find ways to make great projects possible while helping others navigate the redevelopment maze. He uses his skills for the force of good as a principal at Kronberg Urbanists + Architects (KUA), leading the firm’s skilled practitioners to help our development partners create better places for all. His seven years teaching for the Incremental Development Alliance motivated him to co-found Inc Codes, an incremental code reform company helping mid-sized cities take the next step towards legalizing better places.  All this work is directed towards making healthy neighborhoods -- places that are vibrant, lasting, AND inclusive. He recently joined the board of the Seaside Institute to help the leading think tank for the New Urbanism strategically focus on how to integrate attainable housing into our great, walkable places.

Margot is an associate on the Acquisitions Team at Jonathan Rose Companies, where she focuses on sourcing and executing property investments that align with the firm’s mission to preserve and transform affordable housing across the United States. Over the past two years, she has acquired more than $130 million in multifamily investments, including the acquisition and conversion of a 331-unit market rate property to affordable rental housing in San Jose, CA. She holds a Master of Public Administration from NYU Wagner and was a Teach for America – Mississippi Delta Corps Member. 

Scott is a Managing Director in JLL’s Southeast Land Investment Advisory Team in Atlanta and is responsible for growing the practice in the southeastern United States. The Land Investment Advisory practice advises corporate and investor clients on land and development transactions, conducts market research, performs financial and development analysis, values land and underutilized assets, and conducts site searches. He has experience with acquisition, disposition and advisory projects for clients such as Georgia Power, AT&T, the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority, General Motors, Bank of America, Comcast, Georgia-Pacific and Whirlpool Corporation. In addition, Scott has marketed and consulted on development and redevelopment projects in Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Louisiana, Texas, New Jersey and Bermuda. Before joining JLL, Scott was a project manager for the St. Joe Company in the Florida panhandle, managing the development of residential resort communities. He also served as the development manager for a golf and beach resort owner, overseeing all aspects of development. He previously practiced real estate law with the firm of Dwyer & Cambre in New Orleans where he advised real estate developers on various opportunities and transactions, and he litigated real estate -related disputes. Scott earned an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, with concentrations in real estate and finance. He earned a Juris Doctorate and a BS in Accounting from Louisiana State University

Carmen Chubb is a Principal and President of Columbia Residential, an integrated real estate development and management company specializing in mixed-income, mixed-financed housing. Carmen possesses a strong track record of leadership, an exemplary career in public service, and a passion for quality affordable housing. In her previous role as the Chief of Staff to former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, she served as one of the highest-ranking advisors to the mayor, overseeing essential city functions, top personnel, policy, and legislative matters. Prior to her appointment by Mayor Bottoms, Carmen served as Deputy Commissioner for Housing at the Georgia Department of Community Affairs. During her 25-year tenure there, Carmen oversaw all statewide policy, programs, and financing resources for affordable housing, including HUD and Treasury funding, Housing Tax Credits, and Mortgage Revenue Bonds. Under Carmen’s leadership at DCA, the agency financed the development of over 50,000 affordable apartment homes. DCA issued over $5 billion in mortgage revenue bonds to fund over 20,000 below-market-rate mortgages for first-time homebuyers. Further, the agency maintained a AAA bond rating from Standard & Poor’s on its housing bonds and implemented a successful legislative campaign to more than triple the agency’s bond issuance capacity. Carmen is a graduate of the University of Georgia and received her Executive MBA from Kennesaw State University. Carmen serves on several boards that align with her passion for housing and community development, such as UGA’s Center for Housing and Community Research, the Kennesaw State University Foundation, Open Doors-Atlanta, Georgia City Solutions and the ULI Livable Communities Council.

John Majors serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the Atlanta Urban Development Corporation (AUD), a partnership between Atlanta’s Mayor Andre Dickens Housing Innovation Lab and Atlanta Housing. AUD was organized to accelerate the redevelopment of publicly-owned land into mixed income housing without reliance on the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program, and explore innovative solutions to the financing, design, and construction of these communities. Over his career, John has led or participated in the development of more than $28 million in real estate transactions. Previously, John served as a Senior Vice President at Brinshore Development where he led transformational mixed-income housing development throughout the Southeast. Before Brinshore, John was Vice President at Purpose Built Communities where he implemented holistic community revitalizations within communities around the nation. John also served as Executive Vice President of The Dawson Company, a mixed-use commercial development firm. Currently, John serves on the board of Drew Charter School, Fearless Dialogues, a non-profit organization that facilitates conversations among community members, and his alma mater, The Aquinas Institute in Rochester, NY. John received his Bachelor of Science(BS) degree in Computer Science from Morehouse College. Additionally, John holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a Master of Religion in Public Life (MRPL) from the Candler School of Theology at Emory University.

Executive Director of NYC based non-profit Bricks and Mortals, Kate Toth is a leading player in the world of New York City housing, government, and faith-based real estate. At Bricks and Mortals, Kate Toth directs an organization dedicated to providing houses of faith the tools they need to navigate the challenges of operating in New York, and optimize sustainable solutions unique to the five boroughs. Under Kate’s leadership Bricks and Mortals has grown from inception to servicing hundreds of congregations throughout NYC providing research, material support and public policy advocacy. Kate is the co-creator and driving force behind Venuely (venuely.org) a beta phase space sharing platform for houses of faith in NYC. Venuely’s mission is to generate unrealized revenue streams for faith-based and non-profit organizations while opening up entirely rental space in New York. Kate serves as Chair of the Mayor’s Working Group on Faith-Based Affordable Housing and Community Development, which is a group that has been advocating for the mobilization of the faith community in the affordable housing crisis. She is a graduate of NYU and The London School of Economics.

Wesley E. Myrick is the Executive Director of the Georgia Interfaith Public Policy Center (The Center), where he leads a statewide mission to unite Georgia’s diverse faith communities in advocating for the common good. Known for his strategic insight and ability to connect seemingly unrelated people and processes, Wesley works tirelessly to amplify faith voices in critical policy discussions on issues ranging from affordable housing to justice reform. Before joining GIPPC, Wesley served in Atlanta’s city government, where he specialized in housing policy and collaborated closely with faith-based organizations under the leadership of Mayor Andre Dickens. His work focused on building community-driven solutions, preparing him to take on broader public policy challenges at the Center. As Executive Director, Wesley is committed to mobilizing coalitions that reflect the shared values of love, justice, mercy, and hospitality, bringing together faith leaders across denominations to create a unified voice in the halls of government. An Atlanta native and advocate for community engagement, Wesley serves on several boards, including Common Market Southeast, where he helps connect small and mid-sized family farms to sustainable markets, and the Interdenominational Theological Center, supporting historically Black theological education in Atlanta’s AUC Center. Wesley holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Georgia State University, a master’s degree in international affairs from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and a master's of legal studies from Arizona State University Law School. Wesley combines his academic and professional experiences to drive impactful change. Through his leadership, the Georgia Interfaith Public Policy Center continues to be a unifying force in public policy, advocating for a more informed and engaged Georgia.

Nadine leads our Housing Systems team in improving the utilization of local resources to close housing supply gaps in communities. The Housing Systems team works directly with the Built for Zero, Real Estate and Policy teams to develop and scale efforts to accelerate access to housing in prioritized communities. Nadine most recently served as the Executive Director of Capital Projects for the New York City Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice. In this role she was responsible for NYC justice-related capital projects, including advancing plans to close the Rikers Island jail. Nadine is an active member in the social justice design community, and believes that design can support equitable and healthy communities. She comes to this role with over 15 years of working on social justice issues in the built environment.

Mr. Toomey is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of UDR, Inc., an S&P 500 company with an enterprise value of approximately $21 billion, having served as Chief Executive Officer and a member of the board since joining the Company in 2001. Over his tenure, Mr. Toomey has been instrumental in repositioning UDR's portfolio, including the acquisition and disposition of more than $22 billion in multifamily communities and development of more than $5 billion in multifamily communities, which has led to an above average annual return of 11% for the Company's shareholders. As of June 30, 2024, UDR owned or had an ownership position in 60,126 apartment homes in select markets across the U.S. Prior to heading UDR, Mr. Toomey held various senior positions, including Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer with AIMCO, a multifamily REIT peer which in 2020 underwent a separation and became two public companies, Apartment Income REIT Corp. (which has since been acquired by Blackstone) and AIMCO (NYSE: AIV). At AIMCO, Mr. Toomey was instrumental in transforming the company into the largest apartment owner in the U.S., growing its portfolio ten-fold over his tenure. Prior to AIMCO, Mr. Toomey served as a Senior Vice President with Lincoln Property Company, a multifaceted, national real estate firm, for five years. As a leader in the real estate industry, Mr. Toomey is a Trustee and the Global Chair of the Urban Land Institute (ULI), a Board member of the ULI Foundation, a member of the Advisory Board of Governors of the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (NAREIT), on the Executive Committee of the National Multi Housing Council (NMHC), a member of The Real Estate Roundtable, and is past Chair and former Trustee of the Oregon State University Foundation.

Richard M. Gollis is a Co-Founder and Principal of The Concord Group based in the Newport Beach office. As a founding partner, Richard has crafted and cultivated the firm’s unique approach to advisory services, integrating deep market knowledge with creative analytics to provide best-in-class solutions to a diverse range of clients. Richard’s expertise in strategic market analysis, development programming, transaction due diligence and valuation extends across all real estate asset classes. With a career beginning in Atlanta and spanning the country Richard offers an exceptional breadth of experience that makes him a trusted advisor. He works frequently with investors, developers and public agencies solve complex development challenges. Across the country, Richard has led TCG teams on projects that have positively influenced infrastructure and development patterns including transit-oriented nodes and corridor plans; new redevelopment in the urban core; redevelopment of suburban retail to mixed use; and master planned communities. Respected as a thought leader in real estate, Richard is often quoted in major publications and he is frequently sought after as a speaker at key industry events. Richard was elected a Trustee to the Urban Land Institute in 2012 and has been a Governor of the ULI Foundation since 2006. Richard is the founding Chair of ULI’s Suburban Development and Redevelopment Council which focuses on best practices in the transformation of communities and transportation corridors. He recently served as the Jury Chair for the Hines Student Competition, the leading urban design and development “ideas competition” for graduate schools. Prior roles at ULI include Chair of the Community Development Council, Juror for the Awards for Excellence and Chair of the Orange County, CA District Council. Richard has also participated on and chaired several national Advisory Services Panels. Richard serves on the Advisory Board of Jamboree Housing Corporation, a leading community development organization specializing in affordable housing. In addition, he serves on the Leadership Board of The Department of Urban Planning and Public Policy at the University of California, Irvine. A native of Boston, Richard is a graduate of Brown University with a degree in international relations

Dana Barrett is the Fulton County Commissioner representing District 3 which includes all of Buckhead, and parts of both Sandy Springs and Midtown. Elected to office in November 2022, Commissioner Barrett is committed to serving the people of Fulton County by focusing on key issues and communicating regularly with the public. Her priorities include addressing criminal justice reform, public safety, public health, and ensuring that our county government is transparent, accessible, ethical, and efficient. A former tech executive, small business owner, award-winning TV, radio, and podcast host, and working single Mom, Dana has always been an outspoken advocate for equality and ethics and a determined self-starter. A graduate of Cornell University, Dana moved to Atlanta in 1988 and began her career in technology working with clients. She quickly became a self-taught programmer and eventually worked her way up to Vice President. With few options for women in tech leadership, Dana became an entrepreneur, starting her own tech consulting firm and later opening a bookstore/coffee shop on Canton Street in Roswell. In 2010, when her daughter left for college, Commissioner Barrett felt called to do work that had a bigger impact, so she switched gears again parlaying her business and technology experience into a daily talk radio show where she used her platform to tackle difficult conversations around ethics, gender, and race. Passionate about supporting women and minority led businesses and exposing workplace inequities, Dana included regular interview segments on her show and appeared several times as a guest on HLN to discuss sexual harassment and the gender pay gap. She has written for Forbes, hosted a TV show on Atlanta’s NBC affiliate, and in 2020 she was the Democratic nominee for Congress in Georgia’s 11th District. Active in the community, Dana serves on the board of Inspiredu, a non-profit that works to bridge the digital divide, and after surviving breast cancer herself became the official spokesperson for TurningPoint Breast Cancer Rehabilitation where she now also serves on the board.

As Senior Vice President of Capital Markets, Thomas McElroy is responsible for developing and overseeing an institutional framework for the company’s existing debt and equity relationships, along with the creation and development of new programmatic relationships that lead to a portfolio-wide strategy for financing both the equity and debt by focusing on efficiency and innovation. McElroy is also responsible for negotiation of specific deal terms and the closing of individual financing of the projects subject to the needs of the development team leads, along with coordination of interim financings with the company’s internal Polaris Capital group, and the direction of Dominium’s investment sales effort. Prior to joining Dominium, McElroy most recently served as a senior associate at Castlelake, a global private investment firm managing more than $19 billion in assets on behalf of institutional investors. As a member of Castlelake’s North American Assets investment team, McElroy was responsible for identifying and executing private market investments in affordable housing and the acquisition, development and construction of single-family residential, mixed-use properties and master planned communities. Prior to joining Castlelake, McElroy was a development associate for Dominium where he was responsible for generating and analyzing new affordable housing investments. McElroy also spent five years playing professional hockey in the AHL, ECHL and in Europe. McElroy holds a Master of Business Administration in Real Estate from the University of St. Thomas, Opus College of Business and a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Real Estate from St. Cloud State University.

Tatiana Gutierrez is a Managing Director and the Head of Corporate Impact at Pretium. Since joining the firm in 2021, Tatiana has led the creation and development of ESG risk infrastructure. She serves as the co-chair of the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion committee and acts as an advisor to investment and operations teams across the platform. ​Prior to joining Pretium, she practiced law for more than 15 years at Nixon Peabody, the last eight years as partner, focused on Federally assisted affordable housing projects with an intersection on housing impact on residents and communities. Tatiana started her career in affordable housing in landlord-tenant legal services and then at the Harrison Institute for Public Law within the Georgetown University Law Center. She has leadership positions in previous roles related to diversity, women, and pro bono service. She currently sits on the ESG Steering Committee of RET Ventures, on the Wells Home Advisory, on the Advisory Council to the National Housing Conference, on the Board of New Partners Community Solar, and on the Customer Advisory Board of Measurabl. ​She earned a Bachelor's from the Edmund E. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and a JD from the Georgetown University Law Center.

Jung Hyun Choi is a principal research associate with the Housing Finance Policy Center at the Urban Institute. She studies urban inequality, focusing on housing, urban economics, real estate finance, and disadvantaged populations in the housing market. Before joining Urban, Choi was a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Southern California Price Center for Social Innovation, where her research examined innovative housing and social policies to enhance quality of life for low-income households. Choi holds a PhD in public policy and management from the Price School of Public Policy at the University of Southern California.

Dr. Lesli Gooch is the Chief Executive Officer of the Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI). Dr. Gooch has been at MHI for ten years. During her tenure she has assembled a strong team that has secured a number of key legislative and regulatory accomplishments for the industry. Under her leadership, MHI has made strides in elevating manufactured housing within Congress and the Administration. For example, in 2023 MHI was able to secure a delay in poorly constructed Department of Energy standards and continues to push to pass legislation to ensure HUD is the sole regulator of the construction of manufactured housing. MHI was successful in elevating the Office of Manufactured Housing Programs in the HUD hierarchy, putting it on par with the offices for single-family and multi-family. In September, HUD released the first comprehensive update to the construction code (HUD Code) in over a decade. HUD also expanded the range of homes to be built under the HUD Code, by allowing for single-section duplexes and multi-unit designs. In June, MHI was a co-presenter of HUD’s Innovative Housing Showcase and facilitated the display of two duplex manufactured homes on the National Mall. In Congress, manufactured housing was a key topic during all of Congress’ hearings about housing supply. At the state level, MHI helped states accomplish some key zoning wins and supported them as they combatted state legislation that could negatively impact owners of land lease communities. Dr. Gooch joined MHI after serving across a variety of vantage points in Washington – including as a congressional staff member, congressional candidate, lobbyist, and political scientist focused on Congress. She has served on both Fannie Mae’s and Freddie Mac’s Affordable Housing Advisory committees. Dr. Gooch has been recognized for three consecutive years as one of HousingWire’s Women of Influence for her efforts to elevate housing innovation and expand attainable homeownership. She has been ranked as one of The Hill’s top lobbyists in the United States and was a finalist for the Women in Government Relations’ Advocate of the Year Award in 2020. In 2018, Dr. Gooch was a nominee for the Professional Women in Advocacy’s Excellence in a Federal Issue Campaign award. In 2017, she was named in M Report’s “Wonder Women of Housing” as one of the top females impacting the housing industry. Dr. Gooch has a Ph.D. in Political Science from the Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center at the University of Oklahoma.

Althea Broughton is a partner in Arnall Golden Gregory’s Real Estate Practice. Ms. Broughton represents developers, government agencies and tax credit investors in affordable and workforce housing transactions, mixed-use and urban redevelopment transactions, transactions and conventional real estate transactions. Through her work, Ms. Broughton has played a critical role in the creation or preservation of tens of thousands of units of affordable and workforce housing. Ms. Broughton has held several leadership positions in the firm including serving as Hiring Partner, Chair of the Real Estate Practice Group and as Chair of the Diversity Committee. Ms. Broughton is active in her community and serves on the Board of Directors for National Church Residences, Drew Charter School, Atlanta Habitat for Humanity and the Atlanta Community Food Bank. She a graduate of the 2013 class of Leadership Atlanta and is a member of and the immediate past Chair of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta Affordable Housing Advisory Committee. She is also a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She is a member of the ULI Atlanta Capital Markets Council and the National ULI Affordable Housing Product Council. Ms. Broughton has been recognized as an Atlanta 500 Leader by Atlanta Magazine, a Best Lawyers in America for Real Estate Law, a Globe St. Woman of Influence (CRE Counsel), a Atlanta Business Chronicle Woman Who Means Business, a Georgia Super Lawyer in the area of Real Estate, a 2018 Law and Justice Woman of the Year (Law and Justice Awards), the Most Effective Deal Maker (Fulton County Daily Report/ Georgia Legal Awards) and an Atlanta Tribune Women of Influence. She is a recipient of the National 2014 CREW Network Impact Award for Economic and Community Improvement for her work on the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, and she is also the recipient of the Hyperion Award from the Women’s Affordable Housing Network. Ms. Broughton received her J.D. from the University of Virginia, where she was a Hardy Cross Dillard Scholar, and is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Emory University, where she was the Senior Class Marshall. Ms. Broughton is a fellow in the American College of Real Estate Lawyers, an organization which recognizes national preeminence in the practice of real estate law, and recently completed a term on the Governing Committee for the American Bar Association Forum for Affordable Housing and Community Development Law.

Ken Rosen is Chairman of Rosen Consulting Group, a real estate market research firm, Chairman of the Fisher Center for Real Estate and Urban Economics, and Professor Emeritus and California State Chair of Real Estate and Urban Economics at the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley. Mr. Rosen is a trustee of the Urban Land Institute and is a member of the board of directors of several non-profit and for-profit entities that deal with real estate finance and development. He was appointed to the Economic Advisory Board to the Secretary of the department of Commerce by President Ronald Reagan. He has testified on numerous occasions before various United States Senate and United States House of Representatives committees, and the California Senate Judiciary Committee on housing policy issues. He has appeared on CNBC, CNN, the Today Show and PBS discussing real estate issues. He has been widely quoted in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg Businessweek, San Francisco Chronicle and San Francisco Business Times. He has authored over 100 articles and four books on real estate and real estate finance. He was formerly the Chairman and founder of Rosen Real Estate Securities LLC (RRES), and Chairman, founder and portfolio manager of Lend Lease Rosen Securities, both REIT money management firms. Also, Mr. Rosen served as the special real estate advisor to The Davos World Economic Forum, and from 1985-1990 he was Consultant/Managing Director of Salomon Brothers’ Real Estate Research Department. Mr. Rosen received his Ph.D. in Economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a B.A. with highest honors from the University of Connecticut in 1970. He was a Professor of Economics at Princeton University. Ken has played in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament thirteen times and made the cut three times.

Lisa Y. Benjamin, CPA, is a partner at Atlanta-based consultant firm Lexicon Strategies that specializes in public affairs, media, marketing, and strategic consulting engagements for national and international firms. She is the former Chief Operating Officer for the City of Atlanta where she was the highest-ranking public official appointed by Mayor Andre Dickens. She previously led a staff of 8,500 and was responsible for city operations including public safety, transportation, water and sewer, capital infrastructure, convention hospitality, small business development, information technology, innovation, and operation of the world’s busiest airport Hartsfield Jackson International. The City has financial oversight for over $11 billion in funds. She served as the Vice Chair of the City’s Pension Investment Board with close to $4 billion in institutional investments. The city won numerous awards during her tenure, including Money Magazine naming the City of Atlanta the Best Place to Live. Financial stewardship led to city reserves exceeding $200 million and Moody’s and Fitch affirmed Aa1 and AA+ bond ratings for its general obligation debt. Prior to this role, she served as President and CEO of Atlanta Habitat for Humanity and led one of the country's highest-producing and impactful affiliates, serving over 1,000 families in five years. The organization was recognized as the Atlanta Journal Constitution’s Best Charity in Metro Atlanta and the Best Place to Work by the Atlanta Business Chronicle. She is a strategic leader and consensus builder who enjoys working on complex business issues that leverage technology and creating opportunities for robust client-focused solutions. She has a strong acumen for complex financial transactions, public-private partnerships, and small business development. She was appointed as a Global Governing Trustee Board after serving on the Americas Executive Committee of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and Chair for ULI Atlanta, the leading commercial real estate and development organization serving 45,000 members globally. She also serves on the Advisory Board for ULI’s Terwilliger Center of Housing. Lisa was recently recognized for her leadership by Syracuse University with the 2023 Orange Circle Award for distinguished service, 100 Most Influential Women in Georgia Engineering 2023, the Atlanta Business Chronicle as a 2021 Power 100 - Most Influential Atlantans, and Women Who Mean Business. Other noteworthy awards include Atlanta Magazine’s Top 500 Leaders, and Bisnow magazine’s Top 40 most influential women in commercial real estate. Lisa graduated from The Maxwell School at Syracuse University, is a Georgetown University alum, and received her second master’s degree from Nova Southeastern in Accounting. She is a licensed CPA in the State of Florida. She is an avid golfer who lives in Atlanta, Georgia and enjoys spending time with her family.

American Enterprise Institute (AEI) senior fellow Edward J. Pinto is the codirector of AEI Housing Center. The Center monitors US markets using a unique set of Housing Market Indicators. Pinto is currently researching the use of light-touch density and Livable Urban Villages to increase the supply of naturally occurring affordable housing across the United States. Active in housing finance since 1974, he was an executive vice president and chief credit officer for Fannie Mae until the late 1980s.

Sarah Kirsch manages the affordable housing investment portfolios for the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, both impact and philanthropic funds, as a key pillar for advancing equitable growth in our region. In support of TogetherATL’s neighborhood and housing goals, the funds are designed to provide gap funding and deeper and longer-term affordability for rental and ownership homes. Prior to joining the Foundation, Sarah spent ten years with the Urban Land Institute and served as Executive Director of the Atlanta District Council. Her work at ULI focused on advancing inclusive walkable urban places with a specific focus on housing affordability and the connections between transportation and land use. Sarah’s civic leadership is deeply rooted in housing affordability and community development, serving on the HouseATL board, as Neighborhood Empowerment subcommittee chair for Mayor Dickens’ transition team, and was recently named to the Board of Commissioners for Atlanta Housing. Kirsch is a native of Atlanta and continues to live in the city where she and her husband are raising their three sons. Most weekends you will find her at a baseball field, track meets, and cross-country events supporting her boys. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy from Duke University’s Terry Sanford School of Public Policy.

Brian Allan Jackson (AJ) is the President of LEO Impact Capital, an investment management platform dedicated to the creation and preservation of affordable workforce housing using an impact framework designed to drive financial returns and positive outcomes for residents. LEO is a subsidiary of JBG SMITH (NYSE: JBGS). Previously he was a partner with EYA, LLC, a Washington, DC area urban infill development company, where he led more than one billion dollars of double and triple bottom line social impact investments. Earlier in his career, AJ served as Chief of Staff to the Administrator of the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA). AJ is a Trustee of the Urban Land Institute, where he serves on the Advisory Board of ULI’s Randall Lewis Center for Sustainability in Real Estate and chaired the ULI working group that created the 10 Principles for Embedding Racial Equity in Real Estate Development. He also serves on the Workforce Housing Committee of NMHC, the Affordable Housing Advisory Council for Fannie Mae, and the Board of Up For Growth, a national, cross-sector member network committed to solving the housing shortage and affordability crisis through data-driven research and evidence-based policy.

Tyler Epps, Senior Vice President – American South Capital Partners (ASCP), has been a key member of the firm since 2018. He oversees the origination of preferred equity and limited partner equity investments, focusing on workforce and affordable housing projects across the southern United States. In this capacity, Mr. Epps leads the identification, structuring, and execution of complex real estate transactions that align with ASCP's mission to address housing affordability challenges while achieving strong, risk-adjusted returns for investors. His role also includes cultivating strategic relationships with sponsors, financial institutions, and community stakeholders to ensure ASCP remains at the forefront of addressing housing and economic development needs throughout the region. With a steadfast commitment to creating equitable opportunities, Mr. Epps continues to advance ASCP's vision for transformative real estate investments across the southern United States.

Mr. Rachal is President of Urban Key Capital Partners which is a mission-driven, specialty finance advisory services platform with expertise in providing a range of financial services to highly-impactful real estate development projects in distressed communities and development authorities. Mr. Rachal is also a Principal of Red Rock Global and President of Red Rock Global Capital Partners where he has specific responsibility for directing all financial advisory services and private placement activity. Prior to forming Urban Key Capital Partners and re-joining Red Rock Global, Mr. Rachal was Managing Director of Redevelopment at Invest Atlanta. He had specific responsibility for managing, marketing and overseeing the City of Atlanta’s tax allocation district program and served as director for commercial, retail and mixed-use projects applying for tax increment finance funding. Mr. Rachal also created and had the responsibility of directing Invest Atlanta’s controlling entity interest as President of Atlanta Emerging Markets, Inc., a New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) program Certified Community Development Entity (CDE) and multi-round allocatee ($353 million). Mr. Rachal joined Invest Atlanta from Red Rock Global, which is an Atlanta-based real estate advisory services and commercial brokerage company he co-founded in 2001. Prior to that, Mr. Rachal served with the Private Equity Group of Merrill Lynch & Co. in New York where he had the responsibility of advising financial sponsors in the private placement of over $7 billion of limited partnership interests to institutional investors. He also served within the Mergers & Acquisitions Group at Merrill Lynch & Co. in New York where he provided advisory assistance to Fortune 500 companies and financial sponsors in over $5 billion of both acquisitions and divestitures. Mr. Rachal is a graduate of Dartmouth College with degrees in Economics and Government, as well as the University of Chicago Law School and Booth School of Business, where he received his Juris Doctor and Master of Business Administration degrees, respectively. Mr. Rachal currently serves as District Council Chair of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Atlanta District Council, past Chair of the Public-Private Partnership Council of ULI, Global Governing Trustee of ULI and is a current member of the Americas Executive Committee. Mr. Rachal proudly serves on the boards of directors of Southface Institute, CaringWorks, Sadie G. Mays Health and Rehabilitation Center, Health 1st Foundation, Main Street America and Ebenezer Baptist Church. He has also chaired the boards of directors of the Development Authority of DeKalb County (Decide DeKalb), the DeKalb Private Hospital Authority and the Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly Authority. In addition, Mr. Rachal is a graduate of the 2012 Class of Leadership Atlanta, the 2013 Class of Leadership Georgia and the 2013 Atlanta Regional Commission Leadership Institute.

Shelynda Burney Brown, M.B.A. is the Vice President Real Estate Development at Enterprise Community Development (formerly CPDC), and she is responsible for business development as well as all aspects of acquisitions and redevelopment projects undertaken by ECD. Mrs. Brown has worked in the affordable housing finance industry for over 20 years and has managed projects comprising over 4000 units totaling over $425 million in development costs. She has particular expertise and familiarity with Low Income Housing Tax Credits, HUD affordable housing programs, tax-exempt bond financing, the Arlington Housing Initiative Fund, DC Housing Production Trust Fund, Maryland CDA Rental Housing Production Programs and the Montgomery County Housing Initiative Fund. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Nevada Las Vegas and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Georgia. She also holds a Certificate in Project Management from Georgetown University Continuing Education; and was awarded a certificate of completion for the NeighborWorks Achieving Excellence Program, August 2016 - September 2017, John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, Executive Education.

Shannon Hersker joined Northmarq in January 2023 as senior vice president and is responsible for originating debt and equity solutions through bank, debt fund, life company and direct Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac financing. With a specialty in financing build-to-rent (BTR) projects, Shannon assists clients with sourcing equity, construction lending, bridge debt and permanent financing and co-leads Northmarq’s National Build-to-Rent Advisory Group. She collaborates with the Northmarq Investment Sales team on BTR acquisitions and dispositions. Entering the BTR space in its infancy allows Shannon to offer a unique perspective and knowledge of the product type. Shannon prides herself on her ability to connect with others, her competitiveness, persistence and integrity. She enjoys problem solving and taking a creative approach to find solutions for her clients. Prior to joining Northmarq, Shannon was director of Capital Markets at Walker & Dunlop for five years where she was responsible for nationwide loan originations for multifamily, BTR and commercial assets. She worked with developers, investors and owners to provide debt solutions through various lending sources. In her role, Shannon created a national dedicated build-to-rent platform and became a leader in the BTR financing space. In 2022, Shannon earned the “Rainmakers in CRE Debt, Equity and Finance” industry award by GlobeSt. Real Estate and was featured as a “Top 22 Emerging Leader” by AZRE (AZ Big Media) Magazine. She was named a “Women in Power” by Commercial Executive Magazine in 2021 and received a “Women in Real Estate in 2021 Award” by Connect CRE. Shannon is involved in several industry organizations, including NAIOP, REIAC, and Urban Land Institute (ULI). She has taken on many leadership roles within ULI, including serving as a ULI NEXT Group Facilitator for four years, a Partnership Forum Group Leader for seven years, and sitting on the Arizona Trends Day Committee. Currently she is Chair of the Membership Committee for the Arizona District and sits on the Local Capital Markets Product Council. Additionally, she volunteers as a classroom facilitator through the Urban Plan classroom curriculum program, serves on the committee for the Arizona Humane Society’s annual fundraising event, and has participated in philanthropy events for under privileged children in the Phoenix area. Shannon graduated from the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in marketing and a minor in communications.

Mike Kingsella is the founder and chief executive officer of Up for Growth, a Washington DC based organization whose mission is to achieve housing equity, eliminate barriers, and create more homes. Mike earned a Bachelor of Science in Community Development and Real Estate Development from the Toulan School of Urban Studies and Planning at Portland State University in Portland, Oregon, and has worked in real estate development and housing policy since 2003. 

Sharon D. Guest has been working in the affordable housing arena for more than 25 years. She has been directly involved in the financing and development of more than 50 housing projects totaling nearly $850MM in total development costs. In her various roles, Sharon has partnered with Churches, Non-profits, and Public Housing Authorities. She has worked in partnership with local municipalities, community development departments, housing finance agencies, as well as local community groups in and around metro Atlanta, other areas of Georgia and the Southeast. Prior to launching Radiant Development Partners in January 2023, a real estate development company whose focus is developing obtainable & equitable diverse housing options, Sharon held various leadership roles during her career, including President of Affordable Housing for the Vecino Group, a national development company, Senior Vice President of the Benoit Group, dual roles as President of the Housing Development Corporation of DeKalb County and Vice President of the Housing Authority of DeKalb, Regional Director of Development for Mercy Housing, and Senior Project Manager at Columbia Residential. She is a 2020 ULI Center for Leadership graduate. She has been recognized as the Atlanta Business League 2021 Women of Influence, as well ULI's Atlanta WLI 2021 Class of Leaders. She is a member of ULI, WAHN and serves on the Board of Directors for Vanguard Leadership Academy and Historic Hills CDC. Sharon is a native of Atlanta and has served as a C.A.S.A for Fulton County. She spends much of her time mentoring others who wish to expand their careers in affordable housing.

Atticus has been an entrepreneur since 2005 and founded PadSplit, the country’s largest co-living marketplace, in 2017. He structured PadSplit as a Public Benefit Corporation with a social impact mission to help solve the affordable housing crisis for the 50% of US households who can't afford their rent. Through its shared housing model, PadSplit has aligned incentives between property owners, cities and those who seek affordable housing, which allows residents to save more money and dramatically improve their lives. PadSplit offers thousands of affordable rental units throughout the U.S. without any government subsidy, which has resulted in more than $100M in savings for renters, and over $3.5 billion dollars saved for taxpayers. Before founding PadSplit, Atticus served as an affordable housing developer and contractor for more than a decade, starting with $10k in savings and scaling to over $100M in real estate assets. He still serves as co-founder and co-managing partner of Stryant Investments and Stryant Construction, which specialize in unique real estate investments & adaptive re-use of historic buildings. A recognized thought leader on housing solutions, he has presented at MIT, Yale, UC Berkeley, Georgia Tech, Emory, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, and been featured in the New York Times, Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and TechCrunch. He has served as the chair of ULI’s UrbanPlan Education Initiative, co-chaired ULI’s Design For Affordability Task Force in 2018, and serves in multiple civic and volunteer capacities. He was named a Corporate Citizen of the Year in 2021 by the Atlanta Business Chronicle. Atticus graduated from Yale University with a BA in Architecture, and lives in Decatur, GA with his wife, their 4 boys, 2 dogs, and lots of chickens.

Ashani Collins O’Mard serves as Senior Vice President of Strategic Housing Investments at the Atlanta Neighborhood Development Partnership (ANDP), where she grows strategic partnerships needed to enhance ANDP’s ability to acquire, develop, and invest to achieve its mission and sustainability. Previously, O’Mard served as Founding Executive Director of Atlanta Affordable Housing Fund, a $15MM closed-end, social impact fund, which served as a proof of concept for how innovative investment vehicles can help address Atlanta’s housing crisis. In 2022, AAHF merged under the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta in efforts to scale this model and in 2023 announced its $100 Million GoATL Housing Impact Fund. Ms. O’Mard is a graduate of Wellesley College and the Harvard Kennedy School. She serves on the Boards of Directors for Next Generation Men & Women (Board Chair Emerita), Atlanta Urban Development Corporation (Vice Chair), Georgia Social Impact Collaborative, Women of Color in Community Development (Founding Board Member), and Emory University’s Board of Visitors.

Audra is a senior real estate executive who transitioned into tenant representation following a 23-year career in telecommunications including time with BellSouth and Earthlink. She performed in several senior management roles, including call center management, marketing, product management and national special projects. Audra has worked in tenant representation with JLL, CBRE and Newmark between Atlanta and Washington DC. She represents law firms, non-profits, corporations and government contractors nationally. Prior to joining T. Dallas Smith & Company, Audra worked with Physician’s Realty Trust, where she was responsible for leasing over three and half million square feet of medical office space throughout the southeast. As the Executive Vice President & Chief Administrative Officer at T. Dallas Smith & Company. Audra is committed to diversifying the commercial real estate industry and mentoring young people in the CRE industry. She is a mentor for OnBoard, SheLeads Atlanta Hawks and the Black Corporate Board Readiness program. Audra is on the board Zoo Atlanta, Georgia Chamber of Commerce (Vice Chair Operations Council), Midtown Alliance (Finance/Audit Committee), Council for Quality Growth (Executive Committee) and the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce. She is a Board Director with SmartPath. Mercer University, Studied Business Administration.

Craig Robinson is an experienced independent board director, c-suite executive and advisor for commercial real estate, professional services and technology companies. Craig currently serves as an independent director for Lessen, Roofstock, and Second Nature. He is also a Strategic Advisor to Dunes Point Capital, a private investment company. Over the course of his career, Craig has led business units within both large global public companies and private mid-cap growth businesses. He was most recently the Chief Growth Officer for Industrious (now CBRE) and prior to being a CGO, built and led Powered By We, a hyper-growth business unit at WeWork providing real estate technology, development, and management services. Previously he was the CEO of Global Corporate Services at Newmark Knight Frank (NASDAQ: NMRK) where he led all sales, operations and platform investments for their corporate real estate outsourcing business. Prior to Newmark, he was President of Colliers International Group Inc. (NASDAQ: CIGI), U.S. Region, where he was responsible for $1B+ in annual revenue, 5,600 real estate professionals, and 150 offices. He is a member of the Harvard Business School Alumni Board and has served as advisor to several growth companies, including StateBook International, Climate-X and Pacific Program Management (now Cresa). Craig earned his MBA from Harvard Business School, and his BS from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Outside of work, Craig is a founding member of the Leadership Now Project where he is a passionate advocate for working and fair democracies.

Geoff Koski owns and operates the 10-person, Atlanta-based, real estate and economic development consulting firm KB Advisory Group. Geoff has over 25 years of experience researching, analyzing, and reporting real estate and community development trends across the U.S. His expertise facilitates clients’ wide-ranging real estate and economic development advisory needs. Geoff and his team typically focus on work in Georgia and the Southeast, assessing local housing markets as well as economic and fiscal impacts of new real estate projects and strategies for their implementation. Projects include numerous types of residential, commercial, and mixed-use development. Geoff often assists public and private sector clients in maximizing the value of their real estate and development opportunities and helps Georgia cities create and use tax allocation districts (TADs), which is Georgia’s version of Tax Increment Financing (TIF). Geoff’s work is often related to analyzing economic development and housing opportunities at the site, city, and regional level. He has directed numerous KB engagements for local governments and authorities related to identifying development issues and providing solutions. Geoff is frequently cited in the press and at professional events as a local real estate development expert. He has also participated as the market analyst on prestigious Urban Land Institute (ULI) Advisory Service Panels in Montgomery County, MD, Georgetown, SC, Denver, CO, Edmund, OK, Norwalk, CT, and Indianapolis, IN. Outside of leading KB Advisory Group, Geoff is a member of the ULI Atlanta Advisory Board, ULI Atlanta Livable Communities Council, ULI National Redevelopment and Reuse Product Council, the Atlanta Regional Affordable Housing Forum Advisory Board, and is a 2016 graduate of ULI Atlanta’s Center for Leadership. Prior to joining KB, formerly Bleakly Advisory Group, Geoff was Director of Consulting at Robert Charles Lesser & Co. (RCLCO), founded two companies: Market Transects and Decatur News Online, and a lifetime ago, taught at the high school and post-secondary levels.

Amanda Rhein is Executive Director of the Atlanta Land Trust, a non-profit committed to creating and stewarding permanently affordable housing to support inclusive, equitable communities throughout the city of Atlanta. Prior to joining the Atlanta Land Trust Ms. Rhein led the transit-oriented development (TOD) initiative at MARTA, resulting in the redevelopment of over 35 acres of underutilized surface parking at eight heavy rail stations. Ms. Rhein spent almost 10 years at Invest Atlanta, Atlanta’s Development Authority and the economic development agency for the City of Atlanta. While at Invest Atlanta, Ms. Rhein managed the City’s primary economic development tools which catalyzed over 30 projects, resulting in the investment of $3.5 billion in Atlanta’s most underserved communities. A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Ms. Rhein graduated from Boston College with a bachelor’s degree in sociology in 2002. She earned a Master of City and Regional Planning from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2004. Ms. Rhein is active in the Urban Land Institute where she is Chair of Mission Advancement at the Atlanta District Council and a member of the Livable Communities Council.