Cofounder & CEO, Rising Realty Partners
Christopher Rising manages the day-to-day business activities of Rising, while also serving on its Investment Committee. Drawing on his experience as Senior Vice President, Asset Transactions at MPG Office Trust, Inc. (NYSE: MPG), Christopher is skilled at managing acquisitions and creative development. At MPG, he worked directly with the CEO to improve finances through debt reduction and restructuring.
In 2003, he founded his own company, The Rising Real Estate Group (RREG). As the company grew, he seized the opportunity to partner with BPG and created Hamilton Capital Partners (HCP), an equity fund vehicle. RREG is also a principal in 626 Wilshire Blvd, a 156K square foot office building located in downtown Los Angeles.
He began his professional career as an associate at Pillsbury Madison & Sutro. He worked at Cushman Realty Corporation (CRC) under brokerage legend John C. Cushman, III. Christopher then served as a Director at Cushman & Wakefield of California, Inc. (C&W), joining C&W after its merger with CRC in 2001.
Christopher received his J.D. Law, Real Estate from Loyola Law School and his B.A. in History and Political Science from Duke University.
Christopher currently serves as a member of the Board of Regents of Loyola High School and chairs the Investment Committee. He is also Treasurer and a member of the Board of River LA and he chairs the Finance and Fundraising Committee. He is a member of the San Gabriel Valley Chapter of the Young Presidents Organization. Christopher is also a member of the board of LA Phil and the Board of Overseers at Loyola Law School.
Executive Vice President, Director of Innovation and Community Impact, The Swig Company
Deborah Boyer is Executive Vice President, Director of Innovation and Community Impact for The Swig Company, a privately held, real estate investor operator based in San Francisco with a venerable 80-year history of investment, development, partnership and management of commercial properties in major U.S. markets. Deborah leads the company’s future focused initiatives in key areas including evolving workplace, sustainability, wellness, and community impact, through a comprehensive platform called h3experiences.
Prior to taking on her current role, Deborah was The Swig Company’s Director of Asset Management, responsible for the company’s assets nationally. Deborah joined The Swig Company in 2005 with over 20 years’ experience with major real estate owners and investors, providing her with a broad background in mixed-use commercial real estate. Her strategic management and positioning of Swig portfolio assets have been instrumental in placing the company at the forefront of emerging trends in the industry.
Deborah’s current board affiliations include SPUR, Global Workspace Association, CRETech, Liquid Space, and the Uptown/Downtown Oakland Community Benefit Districts. Additional memberships in industry organizations include Lamda Alpha, ULI, BOMA, CoreNet, WiPT.
Executive Vice President, Business Development, L&B Realty Advisors, LLP
Eric R. Smith leads the business development effort for the firm and is responsible for consultant relations and product development for L&B’s fund and separate account strategies. He previously led the office/industrial asset management group, overseeing $3.5 billion in office and industrial assets, while directly managing $850 million in office assets. He directly negotiated two retail leases that won the REBNY deal of the year award for Manhattan in 2008 & 2010 and has closed $118 million in acquisitions and $160 million in office dispositions. Eric is a member of the Management Committee and has over 26 years of commercial / investment real estate experience, 20 years of which with L&B.
Prior to joining L&B, Eric was a founding member and managing principal of Humphrey & Smith, L.L.C., a commercial real estate appraisal firm in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. He served as Vice President of the Board of Directors for the Boys and Girls Club of Northwest Florida and was appointed a member on the Board of Adjustment for the City of Destin, Florida. Eric holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Central Florida (1994).
Managing Partner, Trinity Investments
As a Managing Partner, Greg Dickhens is responsible for overseeing and managing Trinity’s investment strategies. With 25 years of hospitality experience, Greg has a highly diverse and complementary skillset, a wealth of longstanding relationships and an intimate understanding of the global marketplace. Before joining Trinity, he served on the Board of Directors of Seibu Properties, one of the largest private land owners in Japan and was Vice President of Prince Resorts Hawaii where he was responsible for coordinating the repositioning, redevelopment and value enhancement strategies of Prince’s portfolio in Hawaii, including the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, the Hapuna Beach Hotel and the Hawaii Prince.
Prior to joining Prince Resorts Hawaii, Greg was President and Senior Advisor of Kyo-ya Company LLC and a member of the Board of Directors of Kyo-ya Pacific Company, LLC and each of its subsidiaries. Kyo-ya owns seven hotels in Hawaii, California and Florida, including the Sheraton Waikiki and Royal Hawaiian Hotel. Prior to joining Kyo-ya, Greg served as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Vail Resorts Development Company in Vail, Colorado and oversaw the financing and development of hotels, condominiums, single family homes and retail space. Greg also spent seven years with Hilton Hotel Corporation in Beverly Hills, California, as Vice President of Managed Development and Director of Feasibility and Investment Analysis. Prior to Hilton, Greg was with Marriott International, first as Senior Manager of Market Planning and Feasibility for North America and Latin America in Washington, D.C., then as Vice President of Hotel Development Planning for Asia/Pacific Region, based in Hong Kong.
Greg received a Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration with a concentration in real estate finance and property development, and a master’s degree in business administration from the Anderson School of Business at UCLA, graduating with honors. He is a member of YPO and serves on the board of the Straub Hospital Foundation, and on the Board of Trustees of Punahou School. Greg also served on the Host Committee for APEC 2011 and the Hawaii Business Roundtable, and is a past board member of the Waikiki Improvement Association, Historic Hawaii Foundation, The Nature Conservancy’s Corporate Council for the Environment, Gift Foundation of Hawaii, Guenoc Winery, and After-School All-Stars.
Managing Director, Asset Management, Ohana Real Estate Investors
James oversees Asset Management of Ohana’s investments including business plan implementation, value creation and optimization, capital management, financial planning, reporting, loan servicing and team leadership. James has over 15 years of hotel operations experience, particularly with Club Corporation, Dorchester Collection, and most recently with The Ritz-Carlton. Prior to Ohana, James held senior leadership roles with multiple brands in several unique hospitality environments, including boutique, city, resort, and international hotels. James graduated from The George Washington University with a BA in Economics.
Director, AEW Direct Investment Group
Maureen A. Joyce is a Director of the firm and Senior Portfolio Manager for AEW Value Investors Funds and value add separate accounts. Maureen also serves as Director of Asset Management for AEW’s Direct Investment Group. Maureen is a member of AEW’s Investment Committee and Risk Management Committee. She is a founding member of AEW’s ESG Steering Committee and sponsor of AEW’s Technology Council. She has over 31 years of diversified real estate experience that encompasses structuring and underwriting new investments, financing properties, managing existing assets and portfolios as well as completing workouts with lenders and real estate operators. Prior to joining AEW in 2002, Maureen worked for CB Richard Ellis Investors, where she managed a large portfolio of value real estate assets for a separate account client. She has also held positions at Spaulding & Slye, where she served as a Vice President in the Capital Markets Group and at Copley Real Estate as Principal/Senior Portfolio Manager. Maureen is a member of the National Association of Industrial and Officer Parks (NAIOP). She is also a member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and sits on its Technology and Real Estate Council (TREC). Maureen is co-chair of The Honor Roll committee for Boston’s Campaign for Catholic Schools. She is a graduate of Trinity College (B.A.) and The Carroll Graduate School of Management at Boston College (M.B.A.).
EVP, Office, Ventas REIT
President and CEO, Lillibridge Healthcare Services
Peter J. Bulgarelli is the Executive Vice President, Office, of Ventas, Inc., an S&P 500 company and real estate investment trust that owns approximately 1,200 healthcare, life science and senior living properties in North America and the United Kingdom and serves as the primary capital provider to leading healthcare companies. In addition, Peter serves as President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Lillibridge Healthcare Services (LHS), a fully integrated medical office building (MOB) operating company, and wholly-owned subsidiary of Ventas.
As a member of the Ventas executive leadership team, Peter is responsible for the Company’s growing integrated Office platform which represents 26% of the Company’s Net Operating Income (NOI) and combines the LHS MOB and university-based life science and innovation center portfolios. Life science and innovation is the Company’s #1 capital priority; a portfolio that has grown by 40% since inception in 2016 and continues to have a robust development pipeline with its exclusive development partner Wexford Science + Technology. LHS is a premier MOB operating company focused on property management, leasing, construction management and advisory services, supporting more than 15,000 physician tenants daily in 24 million managed sq. ft. of MOB space across 32 states.
Peter joined Ventas in 2018 following a successful 28-year career at Jones Lang LaSalle, Inc. (“JLL”), a global professional services firm specializing in real estate, and most recently leading their industry focused businesses including life sciences, higher education and academic medical centers. Peter was responsible for the establishment and management of JLL’s integrated healthcare services business, one of their fastest growing business units which averaged a compound annual growth rate of 40 per cent annually over an eight year period.
Peter sits on the Board of PMB Real Estate Services (PMB RES), and is a member of the Urban Land Institute Healthcare and the Life Sciences Council. He serves as the Chair Emeritus of the Chicago Board of the American Diabetes Association.
A Chicago native, Peter earned his B.S. in civil engineering from the University of Illinois and received his M.B.A. from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Business. He is married with three children
Executive Vice President, Gencom
Phil Keb joined the Gencom team in 2017 as Executive Vice President. In this role, he is responsible for overseeing the firm’s investments in Bermuda as well as leading the development activities of new projects around the world. He also acts as liaison for the Gencom subsidiary, Benchmark, a global hospitality company.
Prior to joining Gencom, Phil managed global development for well-known hospitality groups including Langham Hospitality Group, Commune Hotels & Resorts, Kiawah Partners and Capella Hotel Group, in addition to 10 years at the Ritz Carlton Hotel Company where he served as Vice President. With a background in engineering and a passionate commitment to finance and development, Phil has had the opportunity to tackle complex deals and resulting challenges for premiere international luxury, business and lifestyle brands. His experience ranges from Sharia financing to millennial focused development, including the financing or development of over 50 luxury hotels with an investment value of over $4 billion.
Phil began his hospitality career with Hyatt Hotels Corporation where he held various management positions in the design and construction group. He is a graduate of The Georgia Institute of Technology and a long time active member of the Recreational Development Council of the Urban Land Institute.
Vice President, Goldman Sachs
James Idol is a Vice President, based in Los Angeles, where he focuses on MBD Real Estate’s acquisition efforts on the west coast. He joined the team in 2015, after beginning his career as a mergers and acquisitions attorney in the New York office of Jones Day. He received a BA in Accounting and Finance from the University of Maryland and a JD, cum laude, from Georgetown University Law Center.
Managing Director, Goldman Sachs
Joseph Sumberg is a Managing Director in MBD Real Estate and Chair of the Investment Committee for all funds and separate accounts previously managed by GSAM Private Real Estate, which he managed prior to the group’s integration into MBD in August 2019. He joined Goldman Sachs in 2007 and became a Managing Director in 2016. Joseph began his real estate career in 2003 at LNR Partners, where he was involved in acquiring, structuring, and working-out real estate credit. Joseph received a B.A., with honors, from Washington University in St. Louis and is a member of ULI’s Industrial and Office Park Development Council.
Director, Atelier Ten
As Director of Atelier Ten’s San Francisco office and a professional mechanical engineer, Allan brings over 20 years experience in the building design and construction industry. Allan’s technical skills are built on a solid foundation of academic training, research, and challenging professional experience. He has substantial expertise using complex building and system analysis and simulation software to predict building energy consumption, thermal performance, natural ventilation, and occupant comfort.
Allan has successfully produced high-quality, meaningful work that exceeds clients expectations, while also prioritizing healthy, productive indoor environments and energy-efficient designs. His inclusive communication style effectively translates highly technical solutions to a broad range of stakeholders.
Allan holds a MS in Architecture and a MS in Civil Engineering from the University of California Berkeley, and a BS in Civil Engineering and a BA in Drama from Stanford University. He has taught at the Rural Studio at Auburn University, Parsons School of Design and Pratt Institute in New York City. He has taught courses at both UC Berkeley and Stanford University, and frequently presents at ASHRAE and national conferences in all branches of the building industry.
Staff Scientist and Deputy of Research Programs, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Dr. Jessica Granderson is a Staff Scientist and the Deputy of Research Programs for the Building Technology and Urban Systems Division at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. She is a member of the Whole Building Systems Department. Jessica holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from UC Berkeley, and an AB in Mechanical Engineering from Harvard University. Her research focuses on building energy performance monitoring and diagnostics, advanced measurement and verification, and intelligent lighting controls. She is the recipient of the 2015 Clean Energy Education and Empowerment (C3E) Award for Leadership in Research.
Vice President and Engineering Manager, Bank of Hawaii
Dan Mestas is Vice President & Engineering Manager for Bank of Hawaii where he is responsible for the reliable operations & maintenance of all critical infrastructure & building systems in the Bank’s CRE portfolio. Dan is the Energy Manager and also a member of the Safety Committee.
Prior to joining Bank of Hawaii, Dan worked for PepsiCo in various manufacturing plant operations, maintenance, & engineering roles in Arizona and Hawaii where he delivered in the areas of production efficiency, energy conservation, raw ingredients & packaging yield, and the development of the Total Productive Manufacturing Early Management & Focused Improvement programs.
Born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, Dan graduated from Arizona State University with a BS in Mechanical Engineering. He is a Certified Maintenance & Reliability Professional and a Certified Energy Manager. Dan is a Board Member & Sustainability Committee Co-chair for the Hawaii chapter of American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and VP of Oahu for Association of Energy Engineers (AEE), Hawaii chapter.
Research Scientist, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Dr. Dev Millstein is a Research Scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, who uses atmospheric science tools, specifically meteorological, climate and air quality modeling and satellite observations, to inform policy and economic decision making processes. Dev has expertise in pollutant transport modelling and atmospheric chemistry. Currently, he conducts research on the integration of variable generation into the electric power system, evaluating the costs, benefits, and institutional needs of renewable energy transmission and other supporting infrastructure. Dev received a PhD in Environmental Engineering at UC Berkeley in 2009.
