Real Estate Institute Faculty

Shawn Amsler is the founding principal of Amsler Advisors, a real estate development advisory firm in New York.  He has consulted on real estate finance and development for projects in the United States, Latin America and Europe, and has raised equity capital from institutional investors for real estate funds in the United States and Canada.  He has over 20 years experience in real estate development and construction management with such firms as Kor Realty Group and Turner Construction Company.  Amsler has taught at Columbia University GSAPP, NYU, and the NYC Architecture Program of Syracuse University.  He holds an M.S. in Real Estate Development from Columbia University, as well as a Bachelor of Architectural Engineering Degree from the Pennsylvania State University.

Eric Anderson is a real estate development professional with 30 years of experience directing the design and construction of real estate projects nationally through his company, ARED/Anderson Real Estate Development (andersondevelop.com). Current projects include lead responsibility for a 40-unit condominium project in Brooklyn and for renovations and new construction of over 500,000 square feet of office buildings in the Chicago metro area.  Past work includes overseeing the design and construction of scores of buildings including high-profile projects such as the Jenga Building (56 Leonard) in New York City and the Philadelphia Eagles football stadium (Lincoln Financial Field). He is a licensed architect and an American Association of Arbitrators arbitrator. He teaches the Planning and Design for Development course at the Fordham University Real Estate Institute.  Mr. Anderson has an MBA from the Wharton School, a Master of Architecture from the Harvard Graduate School of Design, and a BA from the University of California / Berkeley.

Randy Apfelbaum is chief facilities and administrative officer for Yeshiva University. Prior to Yeshiva University he was a senior vice president at the New York office of Jones Lang LaSalle. He has more than 25 years of experience in the construction industry, providing construction project management services to nonprofits, schools, cultural facilities, and performing arts centers. Apfelbaum teaches Construction Project Planning and Scheduling and Real Estate Development Project Delivery at the Fordham Real Estate Institute at Lincoln Center. Randy has a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania.

Orsolya Bartha is the founding member of Bartha Law, P.C., a New York-based law firm specializing in residential and commercial real estate transactions. She has extensive expertise in property sales, financing, and leasing and brings in-depth knowledge of cooperative and condominium board governance. Orsolya also focuses on advising boards to ensure compliance with New York City’s Climate Mobilization Act (Local Law 97). She is an active member of the New York City Bar Association’s Small Law Firm Committee, where she co-organizes symposiums and Continuing Legal Education courses for attorneys. Orsolya is also the founder and co-host of Rock the Closing, a podcast dedicated to insights on New York City real estate transactions. Before launching her practice, Orsolya had a distinguished career in international law and human rights, leveraging her experience as a diplomat and advocate. Orsolya teaches Real Estate Legal Concepts and Contracts and Real Estate Legal Principles for the Fordham Real Estate Institute. She holds an LL.M. in Real Estate from Fordham University, a J.D. from Eötvös Loránd University, and a European Master’s Degree in Human Rights.

Ravi Bhatia, PE, DBIA, PMP, has 30 years of proven construction, operations and project leadership experience spanning complex commercial construction, core and shell, high-technology, critical systems and design-build infrastructure projects (including P3) for real estate developers, multinational corporations, technology providers, private investors, contractors and large public institutions. Bhatia has substantial expertise in construction finance, estimating, scheduling, supply chain, contracts management, procurement, operations, program management and business unit leadership. He is a cost control expert, contracts negotiator, risk manager and project delivery leader. Bhatia teaches pre-construction project planning for the Fordham University Real Estate Institute and has taught at NYU and Georgetown. Ravi is a registered Professional Engineer (PE), a certified Design-Build (DBIA) and a Project Management Professional (PMP).  Ravi holds a Master of Science in Telecommunications and Information Management from New York University and a Master of Business Administration from Hofstra University. Ravi earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Polytechnic University and completed Stanford University's, Graduate School of Business, Professional Certificate program in Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Cornell University's Certificate in Project Leadership and Harvard University's Advanced Real Estate Finance program.

Stephen W. Bialkowski is the founding partner at the Law Offices of Stephen Bialkowski, LLC and has been practicing law since 1986.  He is a graduate of Seton Hall University School of Law where he was a member of the Law Review.  Recently, Mr. Bialkowski was selected as a Super lawyer (an honor reserved for less than 5% of the bar) and became a Fellow with the Construction Law Society of American (an honor limited to 1,200 practicing Fellows from the United States and internationally). His law firm is a boutique practice concentrating on all matters involving real estate.  The firm has extensive experience with purchasing and selling real property; financing real property transactions; leasing; development; construction contract drafting and negotiation; and the litigation, arbitration and mediation of disputes.  In addition to his active legal practice, Mr. Bialkowski serves as the General Counsel for the Construction Roundtable of New Jersey; is a regular speaker at Bar Association events and has been teaching at colleges and universities since 1993.  Mr. Bialkowski’s clients include large corporate owners for which he drafts and negotiates multi-million-dollar construction contracts; developers building sustainable high-end units and commercial spaces in New York and New Jersey; commercial multi-state landlords with hundreds of rental units; and large Contractors and Subcontractors.

George Braun is the Corporate Safety Officer and member of the Executive Committee at Cauldwell Wingate, one of New York’s most experienced and respected construction and development companies. With a comprehensive background in construction safety, he proactively plans and administers safety policies and procedures helping maintain a high level of compliance. His responsibilities require that he perform educational training and on-site inspections, heightening project staff safety awareness. His duties further require regular interface with insurance carriers, various regulatory authorities, client representatives, and subcontractors on jobsite safety and health matters. George teaches construction safety at the Fordham Real Estate Institute. George has a Master of Science, Technology Management and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering.  Among his many registrations and certifications, George is an OSHA Authorized Trainer (Construction Industry), Certified Demand Side Manager (CDSM), Certified Measurement & Verification Professional (CMVP), Certified Building Commissioning Professional (CBCP),  LEED AP Certified Energy Manager (CEM),  Construction Risk Management & Insurance Specialist (CRIS), Certified Risk Management Professional (CRMP), and WELL AP Certified Instructional Trainer (CIT), and Certified Energy Auditor (CEA).

Peter Buckey is a real estate transaction specialist for Yale New Haven Health System (“YNHHS”) in southwestern CT where he leases and manages 2 million square feet of healthcare properties. He has more than 25 years of commercial real estate transaction and portfolio management experience having served as a portfolio manager, tenant rep broker, listing agent and financial analyst for several prominent New York City owners, occupiers and service providers. Prior to YNHH, he worked for the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, Colliers ABR (later Cassidy Turley and now Cushman & Wakefield) and Morgan Stanley managing large, complex portfolios requiring a wide range of acquisition and disposition skills in the areas of leasing and investment sales.  He teaches Real Estate Asset Management for the graduate program at the Fordham Real Estate Institute at Lincoln Center. He received his M.P.A in Finance from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University and his B.A in Government from Hamilton College.  

Chris Caltabiano is senior vice president of asset management at Shorenstein where he is responsible for overseeing asset management activities and developing and executing investment strategies for a portfolio of assets in Atlanta and Pittsburgh. Prior to joining Shorenstein, Caltabiano was a vice president at AIG Global Real Estate, where he was responsible for sourcing new equity investments and managing the East Coast asset management team. Caltabiano teaches Real Estate Development Principles and Process at the Fordham Real Estate Institute at Lincoln Center. He has taught at NYU, the New York Institute of Finance, the Technical University of Berlin and the University of Amsterdam. A graduate of NYU with an M.S. in real estate, Caltabiano also earned a B.S. from St. Johns University and has published research in the Real Estate Review.

John Cantirino has been involved with structural engineering, project management, construction management, facilities management, and real estate procurement for over 30 years. John has worked on projects of all types including core and shell construction, interiors fit out, critical infrastructure, and historic restorations. His depth of experience and knowledge is local, national and international. In his career John has worked for a major structural engineering firm and several major financial services firms, including JPMorgan, AIG, and MetLife. His positions have included Americas Head of Project and Facilities Management, Senior Vice President of Project Management, Head of Design and Construction and Global Head of Real Estate Procurement. John teaches Construction Methods and Materials for the graduate program at Fordham REI. John holds a Bachelor of Engineering from CCNY and a Master of Science from Columbia University. Additionally, he has been published in the Journal of Corporate Real Estate and brings 20 years of teaching experience to Fordham.

Jeffrey A. Chester is a partner at Schoeman, Updike, Kaufman and Gerber LLP and has more than 30 years of experience counseling and assisting real estate and business clients. His clientele includes state agencies and authorities, Fortune 500 Companies, locally prominent real estate development companies, as well as smaller closely held businesses. Chester has also served as counsel to several not-for-profits. Chester handles transactional work (real estate sales, purchases, leases, business organization agreements, and asset purchases and sales); zoning, land use, real property tax abatements, environmental law issues related to real estate development, as well as general business advice. Recent projects include the sale of two parcels of state land in Brooklyn to be developed with 1200 units of affordable housing; negotiating the restricted sale of 69 acre former state correctional facility to be developed as a film and television production studio; received multiple zoning variances for a client to build a 200,00 sq. ft. mixed-use real estate project (affordable housing/community facility); the redevelopment of landmark vaudeville theater on Manhattan’s west side; the sale and redevelopment of a former public facility for an 800,000 sq. ft. affordable housing project in Brooklyn; the rezoning of a six acre industrial site for a mixed-use development (including a 1,650 student high school facility and two residential apartment buildings); and the sale of two industrial buildings on Long Island. Chester is a founding and current member of the City Bar Association’s Zoning and Land Use Committee and acts as General Counsel for the New York State Restaurant Services. Chester teaches Land Use for the graduate programs at Fordham Real Estate Institute. Bar Admissions New York, 1986 and U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, 1986. He earned his J.D. at Yeshiva University Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, New York, New York and a B.A. at Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts. Chester is a contribution writer for the Real Estate Weekly and New York Construction News. Honors and Awards include New York Super Lawyers List, 2014 – 2017.

Kevin Clark has 20 years of proven investment, asset management, brokerage, and investment advisory experience across all asset types including commercial, multifamily, retail and industrial. Mr. Clark worked in asset management at ING Clarion Real Estate and then as a real estate broker at Massey Knakal in NYC. He is the founder of Realty Advisors Group LLC, an investment brokerage and advisory firm based in New York City where he has worked with small and large investors investing in real estate throughout the United States. He also works with institutional clients including banks and hedge funds needing portfolio evaluation and expert witness services. Mr. Clark is also the founder of Cribdilla, a tenant-first apartment virtual listing platform that launched simultaneously in NYC and Boston. Kevin teaches Real Estate Economics and Market Analysis for the Fordham REI graduate program.  He also taught at NYU. Kevin holds an MS in Real Estate Finance from NYU and a BS in Political Science and Sociology from Michigan State University. He has also completed coursework at the University of Michigan.

David Cohen is a real estate development and construction executive with over a 10+ years of project management experience executing $500M worth of contracts successfully in eight states by leading up to 100 people. Over his tenure at Thor Equities, he rose to become the youngest executive vice president in company history, rising from an assistant project manager position during 2009 financial crisis. In his last role, he oversaw eleven direct reports nationwide with individual projects ranging in $20M-$100M of value and transformed business by creating repeat relationships with complex stakeholders and innovated previously manual processes to slash time inefficiencies.  Cohen teaches various graduate construction, development, and management courses for the Fordham Real Estate Institute. He has completed Stanford University’s Graduate Certificate in Advanced Project Management and Harvard University’s Graduate Certificate in Real Estate Finance, and he earned a Bachelor of Science in Architecture and Construction Management from Drexel University.  Cohen is an active member of the Community Impact Committee at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), the Urban Land Institute (ULI), and the Construction Management Association of America (CMAA).

Elyssa Cohen serves as Senior Associate General Counsel for SOM, a leading architecture and engineering firm responsible for some of the world's most technically and environmentally advanced buildings and significant public spaces. She serves as an advisor to all domestic and international offices and senior leadership on legal, business and project risk. She has over fifteen years of experience in the construction and A/E industry, negotiating agreements for large, public and private projects and representing design professionals, contractors and owners as both a litigator and as in-house counsel.  She has extensive experience in Design-Build and P3 delivery and has been involved in the negotiation of some of the region's most transformative projects of the last decade. Elyssa teaches Construction Contracts, Claims and Dispute Resolution for the Fordham Master of Science in Construction Management. She has also taught at NYU. Bar Admissions include New York and Florida. She earned her J.D. at Hofstra University and an Honors B.A at the University of Delaware. 

Stacey Ross Cohen is an award-winning marketing expert with a career built on Madison Avenue and major television networks. She specializes in brand strategy and impactful communications, helping clients amplify their unique voices. Stacey is founder of Co-Communications, a marketing agency serving clients across education, hospitality, healthcare, real estate, and more. Stacey’s leadership has earned her recognition, including the Forbes Enterprise Award, PRSA Practitioner of the Year, and Crain's New York Business' Notable Leader in Advertising, Marketing, and PR. Stacey is a Marketing instructor in Fordham University's hospitality program. A TEDx speaker, she contributes to Entrepreneur and HuffPost, has been featured in Forbes, Inc., USA Today, and Newsweek, and speaks regularly at Fortune 500 companies and global educational institutions. She holds a B.S. from Syracuse University, an MBA from Fordham University, and a certificate in Media, Entertainment, & Technology from NYU. A lifelong entrepreneur, she started her first business at 14 and is an active angel investor. Her best-selling book Brand Up helps teens succeed in college admissions, and her next book, Brand Up 2.0, releases in January 2025, focusing on early career success.

John Confrey is currently a manager with Mazars USA - a top global audit, tax, and advisory firm, where he specializes in both audit and advisory. His areas of expertise include SEC Registered Investment Advisors, real estate private equity funds, separate accounts for institutional investors, Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs), and residential building owners and managers. Confrey teaches real estate financial modeling at the Fordham Real Estate Institute. He holds a B.S. from SUNY Oneonta and is a certified public accountant (CPA).

Garland deGraffenried is a senior development officer at Continuum Company, a boutique real estate development firm headquartered in NYC that focuses on ground-up developments that create value for both the consumer and investor. Prior to joining Continuum Company, deGraffenried was principal at JMH Development and managing director of development at SHVO. deGraffenried teaches real estate development at the Fordham Real Estate Institute. He earned his Bachelor of Architecture degree from Syracuse University’s School of Architecture. As a recipient of an inaugural SU Engagement Fellowship, deGraffenried worked post-graduation in his first architectural role as a designer at King + King Architects studying architecture’s impact on real estate value and success. In 2010, deGraffenried began his development career with Alloy Development, where he led the design, planning, and project management of several luxury residential buildings in Brooklyn, New York. Between 2013–19, he worked at Toll Brothers as director of development and at DDG leading design-driven residential developments in New York City and Miami. deGraffenried is the founder and board president of The deGraffenried Foundation (The dF), a nonprofit organization that supports students in need within the design industry. Focused on creating award and scholarship programs for aspiring designers facing financial barriers, The dF connects talented students with industry leaders.

Jerrod Delaine is chief executive officer at Legacy Real Estate Development. As a seasoned real estate developer, Jerrod has amassed a uniquely diverse skill set that includes design, construction, finance, and asset management. Jerrod spent the first five years of his career at Forum Architecture and Interior Design where he focused on managing affordable housing projects in the Southeast region of the United States. He then parlayed that experience into the role of director of development at Carthage Advisors, a black-owned, Harlem-based development firm. The Carthage business model concentrated on preserving and developing affordable housing in the Metro New York Area through low-income housing tax credits and tax-exempt bonds. After eight years as development director at Carthage, Jerrod joined Donahue Peebles III to build Legacy, a value-based company committed to utilizing access to capital markets and improving communities through real estate finance and development, where he is now the CEO. Delaine teaches planning and design for development at the Fordham Real Estate Institute.  He also teaches at NYU and Pratt Institute. Delaine holds a B.A. in Architecture from Florida A & M University School of Architecture and Environmental Technology as well as a Master of Science in Real Estate Development from New York University.

Christopher Deutsch is a vice president and relationship manager at Popular Community Bank. Christopher has 25 years of CRE valuation and banking experience having worked as a general real estate appraiser, senior real estate appraiser, underwriting and loan originator at several banks including Independence Community bank, Doral Bank and Metropolitan National Bank. His valuation background includes the appraisal of real estate for lending, tax certiorari, and estate planning and condemnation purposes. His lending background includes origination and underwriting of real estate loans for property types such as multifamily, retail, office and industrial uses. Deutsch teaches various commercial real estate finance courses at the Fordham Real Estate Institute at Lincoln Center. He received his B.S. in business management from St John’s University and a M.S. with a concentration in Real Estate Finance and Investment at NYU. He is a past president of the Community Bankers Mortgage Forum and the Columbia Society or Real Estate Appraisers on Long Island.

Johnny Din is chief executive officer at Cycamore, a Live-Work-Play-Create platform with a mission to curate spaces for artists, entrepreneurs, millennials, and global citizens. Prior to Cycamore, he was a principal at Clarett International, a division of The Clarett Group focusing on cross-border real estate transactions. Mr. Din has also spent time at Lippo Realty and Silverpeak in New York, and Deloitte and The Walt Disney Company in Los Angeles. He began his career in the investment banking division of Lehman Brothers where he advised fortune 500 companies and private equity clients on M&A and financing efforts. Din teaches real estate financial modeling at the Fordham Real Estate Institute at Lincoln Center. He graduated honors with a B.A. in Business Economics from University of California Los Angeles, and a Riordan MBA Fellow from the UCLA Anderson School of Management. He holds a Certificate in Hotel Operations from NYU and a Master of Science in Real Estate Development from Columbia University, where he was the President of the MSRED Student Council, a Pension Real Estate Association Scholar, a Wells Fargo GDS Scholar, a William Kinne Fellow, and a recipient of the Scholastic Performance Award for the top three graduates.

Alan Di Sciullo, Esq. is the retired Director of Global Real Estate for Shearman & Sterling LLP. In that capacity, he directed the firm’s worldwide real estate portfolio. Prior to Shearman, a large portion of his career was with Morgan Stanley where as First Vice President and Senior Counsel he was responsible for its real estate transactions and related litigation including leases at the World Trade Center totaling over 1.2 million sf, the claims and relocations following the attack on the Towers, the development of the 600,000 sf Discover Card Headquarters in Riverwoods, Il., and over 200,000 sf for Dean Witter Trust’s headquarters in Harborside Plaza in NJ. Alan teaches commercial leasing and real estate legal concepts and contracts at Fordham University’s Real Estate Institute. He taught at NYU where he received Outstanding Teaching and Service Awards. He has also served on CoreNet Global’s MCR program faculty. He also teaches law classes at Texas A&M University School of Law. Mr. Di Sciullo has served as an executive, council and planning member of the American Bar Association’s (ABA). He is currently an officer in the ABA’s Senior Lawyer Division. He has served as President of the New York chapter of the International Association of Corporate Real Estate Executives (NACORE) as well as an advisory member on the New York chapter of its successor organization, CoreNet Global. He presently serves on the Lawrence Township Planning Board in NJ. He also serves as an advisory director for the Georgetown University Wall Street Alliance.  Alan is a co-author of Negotiating and Drafting Commercial Leases and author of Casualty and Insurance Issues in Commercial Leases published in 2022 by the ABA. He has been a frequent author and speaker on commercial real estate issues. He has been listed as a Super Lawyer and in Who’s Who in America and the World and in companion publications for American Lawyers, Finance and Emerging Leaders. Mr. Di Sciullo has an undergraduate degree in Government and Economics (cum laude) from Georgetown University and his J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center in law. He also received an M.B.A. in finance from New York University.

Troy Doll is a counsel in Alston & Bird’s Real Estate Finance & Investment Group. He represents lenders in structuring, negotiating, and documenting first mortgage loans, mezzanine loans, and subordinate debt. He also represents lenders, rating agencies and servicers with securitization and structured finance, primarily commercial mortgage-backed and CLO securitization transactions, and the workout and restructuring of securitized and other financial assets. Previously, Troy was Of Counsel with Carlton Fields. Doll has been involved in the real estate markets since 1997. Troy founded Ravens Wood Capital Corp., a commercial real estate advisory firm, advising clients on real estate valuations and capital markets. He was a managing director and head of CMBS surveillance at Kroll Bond Rating Agency and developed the underwriting criteria for Realpoint LLC (a new rating agency, now DBRS Morningstar). Troy led the CRE CDO group at Lehman Brothers where he was charged with building a CDO business as well as running large loan and other CMBS securitizations. Prior to that, he was a director in the CMBS group at Standard & Poor’s, focusing largely on CRE CDO’s. Troy began his career as a commercial real estate lawyer at firms such as Tenzer Greenblatt LLP (now Blank Rome) and Dechert LLP, as well as in-house counsel for Marriott International. Doll teaches legal contracts and real estate finance courses at the Fordham Real Estate Institute. He holds a B.S. in economics from NYU Stern School of Business and a J.D. from the Columbia University School of Law.

George Donohue has over 30 years of professional experience in commercial real estate and currently serves as president of International Properties Group (IPG) in New York, a full service commercial real estate company specializing in investment sales, office and retail leasing, asset management and sourcing financing. Prior to joining IPG Donohue managed one of the world’s largest real estate portfolios, which included the World Trade Center in New York and many other office buildings, shopping centers, office parks and industrial parks. He is a renowned negotiation expert having negotiated with executives from major global companies and countries. He is the author of a critically acclaimed book Real Estate Dealmaking: A Property Investors’ Guide to Negotiating. George has been on various boards of directors such as the National Kidney Foundation. He has been a member in several professional organizations and chambers of commerce, including CoreNet Global, formerly the National Association of Corporate Real Estate Executives (NACORE); The Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY); the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors (SIOR); the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC); and the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce. Donohue earned a B.S. in Architectural Technology from the New York Institute of Technology  and  an M.S. in Real Estate Development and Finance from New York University. 

Richard P. Dyer is a retired partner at the law firm Duane Morris LLP. Prior firms include Thelen LLP, HRH Construction Corporation and the George A. Fuller Company. Dyer has extensive experience in a broad range of construction, transactional and dispute resolution matters, including preparation and negotiation of construction contracts, turnkey/design-build contracts, EPC contracts, construction management contracts, architect and engineer agreements, consultant agreements and trade contracts/subcontracts; contract administration; EEO and OSHA matters; surety bonding, mechanic's lien and insurance matters. He advises on the resolution of construction, engineering, and other commercial disputes through litigation, arbitration, including AAA and ICC administered proceedings, and mediation. Representative projects include stadiums, aquariums, waste-to-energy facilities, power projects, LNG/LPG facilities, paper mills, casino resorts, infrastructure/transportation facilities, telecom loops, hospitals, institutional buildings, research facilities, schools, manufacturing facilities, assisted living facilities, museums, hotels and high-rise commercial and residential buildings. Dyer has advised and represented owner/developers, contractors, and subcontractors on matters involving the total construction process from the pre-construction phase through the construction phase and beyond involving matters such as contract formulation, claims, dispute avoidance and resolution, suretyship, liens, insolvency, default, and termination. He has been directly involved in some of the most visible construction projects in the New York metropolitan area including Rockefeller University; Lincoln Center; World Trade Center Memorial and Museum; Four Seasons Hotel; Baruch College; United Nations; Foxwoods Resort; Guggenheim Museum Expansion; Trump Tower; Jacob Javits Convention Center; Trump International Hotel and Tower; Metropolitan Tower; World Wide Plaza; The Grand Hyatt Hotel; Roosevelt Island; Battery Park City; Broad Financial Center; Financial Square; and a host of other prominent projects. Richard teaches Construction Contracts at the Fordham University Real Estate Institute. Mr. Dyer has been recognized as a leading New York construction lawyer in the Best Lawyers in America, New York Super Lawyers, and Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business. A member of the American Bar Association, Mr. Dyer is a graduate of Villanova University School of Law and a graduate of Villanova University School of Engineering (B.S.C.E., with honors).

Kevin Foley, Jr. is responsible for managing Center Court Partners’ current portfolio and oversees underwriting and due diligence on new investment opportunities. Foley has more than a decade of real estate experience, including strategic consulting, investment advisory, acquisitions, development, and asset management. Prior to joining CCP, Foley held positions at JLL and iStar Financial where he underwrote and closed more than $3 billion of transactions. Foley teaches Real Estate Valuation and Investment at the Fordham Real Estate Institute at Lincoln Center. He is a graduate of Providence College and NYU’s Wagner School of Public Policy. Mr. Foley currently serves as a commissioned officer in the US Navy Reserve.

Bharat Gami is an architect and code/zoning consultant. As Stamford’s Chief Building Official, Bharat Gami, RA oversaw a talented team of code officials and administrators.  Prior to assuming this role in 2018, Bharat worked with the New York City Department of Buildings in various roles for ten years.  He is licensed as an architect in CT, NY, and NJ.  Many of his built projects have garnered awards for design excellence, smart growth and innovations in construction.  They have also been published in professional magazines such as Environmental Design and Construction, Design Cost Data, and Remodeling News.  Bharat teaches Land Use and Planning and Design for Development for the Fordham REI Master of Science in Real Estate Development degree. Bharat’s scholarly articles have been published in Architecture + Design, Journal of Architectural and Planning Research and Journal of Architectural Education.  Bharat holds master’s degrees in architecture from MIT, Cambridge MA and Business Management from CUNY, New York NY.

Derek Gardella has 20 plus years of institutional real estate experience in leading and shaping investment platforms across a variety of property types.  Derek is currently Chief Investment Officer of United Hampshire US REIT Manager Pte Ltd, the management entity of United Hampshire US REIT which is publicly traded on the Singapore stock exchange.  Derek was deeply involved in UHREIT's IPO in 2020 and works closely with the CEO and other members of the management team on corporate strategy and planning initiatives in addition to overseeing the strategic execution of the portfolio management, acquisitions and asset management activities of UHREIT.  He joined The Hampshire Companies in 2011 and has held a diverse range of positions over the last 12 years. Derek was a portfolio manager for Core-Plus and Value-Add Closed-End Institutional Real Estate Funds, and also previously served as a Director of Acquisitions and Financing where he managed a team in structuring and negotiating acquisitions and financings for a variety of property types. Prior to joining The Hampshire Companies, he spent most of his career with JPMorgan where he held a variety of roles in the investment management and investment banking divisions. Derek teaches real estate finance and REITS for the graduate program at the Fordham Real Estate Institute. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Fairfield University with a Dual Major in Finance and Information Systems, as well as a Master of Science degree in Real Estate from New York University. He is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers.  

Jon Giman is currently a compliance manager at MetLife. Prior to his compliance role, he was on the management team at Stuyvesant Town/Peter Cooper Village. Giman teaches Real Estate Financial Analysis I at the Fordham Real Estate Institute at Lincoln Center. He has taught real estate finance courses at NYU. An MBA graduate from Columbia Business School, Giman graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture from Illinois Institute of Technology and has over 20 years in real estate management and commercial development experience.

Tom L. Grassi, FAIA, NCARB, is an associate vice president at HNTB, an infrastructure and transportation design firm. Tom has worked as an architect and project manager for over thirty-five years in both the public and private sectors in NYC. For thirty years and prior to HNTB, Tom served as planner, designer, and project manager at the Port Authority of NY & NJ for some of the region's most significant transportation-related construction projects. From the earliest days of planning through construction, Tom worked on both the Newark and JFK Airport AirTrain systems. Since the days immediately following 9/11, and for the following fifteen years, he served as project manager for the WTC's Temporary PATH Station and the Transportation Hub. Tom teaches principles of construction project management for the Fordham University Real Estate Institute. He also teaches at NYU. Grassi is a licensed architect in the states of New York, New Jersey, Illinois, and Connecticut, and a certified Project Management Professional (PMP), as recognized by the Project Management Institute. In recognition of his unique contributions to the profession and to society, Tom was elected to the American Institute’s College of Fellows in 2017. 

Paul Hanau has been practicing law in New York City for more than 35 years, both at law firms and as an in-house attorney. Throughout his career, Hanau has been involved in a wide-range of real estate matters including transactions, facilities management, litigation and operational issues. For a large part of his career (nearly 20 years), he was responsible for legal issues associated with company-occupied real estate on a global basis for a Fortune 100 Corporation. That experience allowed him to become most familiar with large real estate transactions in New York City, throughout the United States and internationally. These transactions included purchases, sales, commercial leases and subleases, net leases, “build to suit” arrangements, space-sharing arrangements, and tax incentives. During that time, his responsibilities increased to include legal issues related to the operation and management of a large (100 + buildings) company-owned residential facility and for legal issues associated with the company’s Procurement, Travel, Sports Marketing, Corporate Security and Aviation departments. That experience included contract development, negotiation, and management, outsourcing and procurement. Hanau teaches Real Estate Legal Concepts and Contracts for the Master of Science in Real Estate and Master of Science in Real Estate Development programs at the Fordham Real Estate Institute. Hanau has also taught at NYU. Hanau earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting at NYU and a JD at NYU. 

Dr. Joshua Harris serves as the Vice President of Strategy for Skanska USA Commercial Development, a leading developer of high-rise office, multifamily, and mixed-used projects in urban cores nationwide. Dr. Harris serves as an advisor to the Senior Leadership Team and acts as the head of strategy and research coordinating all business planning, market analysis, and research initiatives. Prior to joining Skanska, Dr. Harris served as a Managing Partner with the Lakemont Group, a boutique real estate and economic consultancy with offices in Orlando and New York. Dr. Harris primary areas of expertise include economic development, market research, expert testimony, and financial/project consulting. His prior clients included national real estate developers, real estate investment trusts, private equity firms, law firms, and hospitality institutions as well as local governments and real estate companies. Dr. Harris is a member of the Fordham Real Estate Institute Real Estate Development Curriculum Committee and teaches Real Estate Development Feasibility for the graduate program. He has taught at St. John’s University, NYU and University of Central Florida. Harris also served as the Academic Director for both NYU and the University of Central Florida. Dr. Harris holds a Ph. D. in Finance from the University of Central Florida with a research emphasis in institutional real estate and capital markets. Dr. Harris holds the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst designation, has been named an Honorary Kentucky Colonel, a NAIOP Research Foundation Distinguished Fellow, a Counselor of Real Estate (CRE), a Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM), awarded the 2020 Practitioner-Scholar Award from the American Real Estate Society (ARES), and served by gubernatorial appointment to the Florida Real Estate Appraisal Board. Dr. Harris has been routinely called on as an expert witness and for media interviews in the field of real estate, finance, and economics and serves as an associate editor for two peer reviewed journals, Real Estate Issues and the Journal of Real Estate Literature.

Rafi Hovsepian is director of asset management with Starrett Companies, focusing on portfolio oversight for market and affordable residential properties in New York City. Previously, he worked at Sentinel Real Estate Corporation, where he managed New York-based rental buildings and national garden-style residential communities owned in conjunction with global institutional investors and corporations. Prior to Sentinel, he was a member of ING Clarion’s portfolio management team, where he was responsible for commercial real estate held on behalf of New York state’s employee pension funds. Hovsepian teaches Real Estate Finance: Private Equity, Real Estate Financial Modeling, and Real Estate Financial Analysis for the Fordham Real Estate Institute at Lincoln Center. He teaches real estate finance and investment at NYU. An MBA graduate of the Yale School of Management, he holds a B.S. in finance and marketing from the NYU Stern School of Business.

Veli Ivanic is a project/risk management expert at Leidos Innovations Corporation. He is an accomplished professional with more than 25 years of engineering and management experience. During his career, he has held key positions involving domestic and international project/risk management, construction engineering and management, and quality assurance. Ivanic teaches Pre-Construction Project Planning and Development for the Master of Science in Construction Management degree at the Fordham Real Estate Institute. Ivanic also teaches construction management at NYU. He holds an M.S. in civil engineering/construction management from NYU-Poly, and a B.S. in civil engineering from University of Zagreb, Croatia. As a published researcher, Veli has co-authored three papers for internationally recognized conferences focusing on composite materials and risk assessment in construction and infrastructure management. He also researched political risk and opportunity in managing new projects, as well as the critical decision-making process during project planning, executing, controlling, monitoring, and closing.

Marion Jones is a managing director in the investment sales and advisory practice at Ackman-Ziff. An investment sales executive, Ms. Jones has over 15 years of experience advising clients on some of the most complex New York City transactions. She possesses underwriting and transactional experience across all property types and is best recognized for her expertise in large-scale multi-family and affordable housing transactions, and the sale of development/re-development opportunities. Prior to joining Ackman-Ziff, Ms. Jones played integral roles in the investment sales teams at both Eastern Consolidated and CBRE. She graduated with honors from Tulane University and received a Master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania. Ms. Jones is a member of WX (New York Women Executives in Real Estate) and the Urban Land Institute where she is Vice-Chair of the Women’s Leadership Initiative (WLI). She has twice been named a Power Woman in NYC Real Estate by Bisnow as well as a Woman of Influence by GlobeSt. 

Hugh F. Kelly, PhD, CRE is a leading real estate economist, consultant, teacher, and public speaker. Hugh heads his own consulting practice, Hugh F. Kelly Real Estate Economics. He was the chief economist for Landauer Associates, where he authored the annual Real Estate Market Forecast and developed its statistical tools for projecting cycles and quality ratings for commercial property markets. He was also the principal author for SIOR's annual "Comparative Statistics of Industrial and Office Markets", and developed its Commercial Property Index (now published by NAR). He was the founding author and project manager for the CCIM "Investment Trends Quarterly." A member of the Counselors of Real Estate since 1989, Hugh has served in numerous capacities, including a year as its Chair (2014). He teaches Urban Economics, Market Analysis, and Risk and Portfolio Management at the Fordham Real Estate Institute and was a clinical professor for 32 years at NYU's Schack Institute of Real Estate's Masters degree program. He has twice won its award for teaching excellence. Consulting clients have included large corporations such as General Motors and Lend Lease, public agencies including the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, private developers such as Silverstein World Trade Center Properties, investors such as Murray Hill Properties and Real Estate Capital Partners, and analytical firms including NPV Advisors and Real Capital Analytics. Hugh has authored more than 300 articles for industry professional and academic publications. He writes a quarterly column for Commercial Property Executive and a bi-monthly column for Real Assets Advisor magazine. He has been the principal writer of the ULI/PwC publication, Emerging Trends in Real Estate for the past four years (annual editions for 2015 - 2018). He has spoken to virtually every major US real estate industry group, and has addressed international audiences at the United Nations, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, Cannes, Istanbul, and Athens.

Kiwesa King, PE, CCM, DBIA, PMP, is the principal of Expanded Resources LLC, a NYC-based firm providing expert witness services and construction management consulting to organizations, programs, and projects.  She is a Certified Construction Manager with over twenty-five years of experience in the construction industry, where she has accumulated a wealth of knowledge in managing major construction projects for the public and private sectors. Kiwesa has held positions as a designer, contractor, and owner’s construction manager, providing her with a diverse perspective and a comprehensive understanding of the industry. Kiwesa teaches Construction Project Delivery for the Fordham Real Estate Institute. She a has a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in mechanical engineering. She is a Licensed Professional Engineer, Certified Design-Build Professional, Project Management Professional. In addition, she has a Site Safety Manager License, and a Certificate of Competence as Master Fire Suppression Contractor issued by the NYC Department of Buildings. Kiwesa is passionate about teaching and has enjoyed teaching continuing education, undergraduate, and graduate construction management courses for over ten years.

Edward Kohler has 30 years of experience as a real estate developer, owner and investor. He has closed $4B in equity and debt financing and overseen 3MM square feet of construction throughout North America.  His varied experience spans projects in multifamily, office, retail, hospitality, golf course and parking assets.  Currently a principal and the Chief Financial Officer of The Pegasus Group, he manages the firm’s debt and equity originations, financial reporting, risk management, human resources and corporate administration.  Ed teaches real estate asset management at Fordham University’s Real Estate Institute where he leverages his broad and deep experience structuring complicated transactions and solving unique problems. He earned a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Michael H. Krupa serves as senior advisor to Crow Holdings.  He also serves as senior advisor to Gemdale USA Corporation, a unit of Gemdale Corporation, one of Asia's largest and leading real estate companies where he brought a wealth of real estate investment, business development and operations experience to the company as president for eight years. Prior to joining Gemdale, Krupa served as managing director at The Milestone Group where he also served on Milestone's Investment Committee. Prior to Milestone, he was an executive director in two divisions within UBS, including the UBS Investment Bank Real Estate, Lodging & Leisure Group, as part of the group’s Real Estate Private Equity Fundraising team, and at UBS Global Asset Management Real Estate, one of the largest global real estate fund managers. Krupa was instrumental in the creation and growth and later served on the Board of Directors of Mitsubishi Corp.-UBS Realty Inc. (‘MCUBSR’), the externally advised asset manager to two Tokyo Stock Exchange listed J-REITs, Japan Retail Fund as well as Industrial and Infrastructure Fund. Prior to UBS, Krupa served in various real estate investment banking capacities at Salomon Smith Barney and one of its predecessors, Salomon Brothers, Inc., as well as at Kidder, Peabody and Company. Krupa teaches global real estate investment at the Fordham Real Estate Institute at Lincoln Center. He has taught at other universities including NYU and CUNY. He received his B.S. from Northeastern University and his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. He is a CPA. He is the author of numerous articles for leading real estate trade publications including, "Wall Street's Perspectives on the Self-Storage Industry", "Wall Street's Infatuation with the Assisted Living Industry", "Multifamily REIT M&A: When Will the Wave Begin" and "Marina Industry Consolidation: When Will the Wave Begin" and has spoken at numerous leading real estate industry conferences on such topics as global real estate capital flows, REITs around the world, the Self-Storage Industry and the Senior Housing Industry. He serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of China Institute, the Board of Directors of Harvard Alumni Real Estate Board, the Board of Directors of First Workings and is a past member of the Board of Directors of the National Multi-Housing Council as well as AFIRE.

Alexandra Litvin, Esq. currently serves as General Counsel of PureTek Group, an edutainment technology company specializing in the design and integration of lighting and audio-visual systems for K-Collegiate educational spaces (such as theaters, tv studios, multi-purpose rooms, and e-sports arenas). In that role, Alexandra advises senior management on all legal matters, drafts and negotiates contracts, and handles all aspects of corporate governance and compliance. She is also an Associate Member of the Construction Roundtable of New Jersey and pro bono attorney for Volunteer Lawyers for Justice. Alexandra teaches negotiation and ethics at the Fordham Real Estate Institute.  She earned her B.A. in behavioral science from Drew University and Juris Doctorate from Seton Hall Law School, and is a member of the bar in New Jersey and New York.

Susan LoGiudice is a leasing manager for Brown Harris Stevens Development Marketing, a professional firm of real estate experts offering services such as sales and rentals, retail and commercial, relocation, new development marketing, and property management services. LoGiudice teaches Residential Leasing, Marketing, and Property Management online and in person at the Fordham University Real Estate Institute at Lincoln Center. LoGiudice has more than 20 years of experience in the residential leasing industry, having worked as a leasing director, manager, on-site agent, property manager, NYC coop board president, real estate agent and broker, and university adjunct instructor for Fordham and NYU. She obtained an M.A. in strategic real estate management from NYU and a B.A. in marketing and international language/business from the University of Scranton. She is a New York licensed real estate broker.

Peter Lukas is a financial markets veteran with over 35 years of professional experience serving national and multinational companies in the alternative investment, real estate, and commercial banking industries.  He is the President/founder of Ascend Advisory LLC, a financial advisory firm specializing in finance community relations, cash management, capital structure, valuations and resource allocation.  Peter is a retired Senior Partner with KPMG LLP where he led the firm’s New York Real Estate audit practice and served nationally as Practice Leader of the firm’s Alternative Finance Practice.  Peter’s real estate experience includes all aspects of the real estate industry including public, private and non-traded real estate investment trusts, partnerships, real estate investment funds and property managers.  Peter also has extensive experience in mortgage banking, debt and distressed funds. Peter’s range of experience includes positions in the assurance, risk consulting and forensic practices and also includes a four-year assignment in the KPMG’s Tokyo office and a two-year rotation with KPMGs National Office, the Department of Professional Practice.  Previously, Peter was a Partner with Arthur Andersen LLP. Peter is an adjunct instructor at the Fordham University Real Estate institute. He also teaches at NYU. Peter is a graduate of the NYU Stern School of Business with degrees in accounting and in finance.  Peter has also completed the International Banking School executive program at INSEAD, Fontainebleau France. 

Neil Madsen is the founding principal of Madsen Advisors, LLC, a New York-based real estate consulting and asset management firm. Prior to forming Madsen Advisors in 2013, Madsen was Executive VP and Head of Private Equity at AEGON USA Realty Advisors.  He also serves as a board director for Fife Capital, an Australian real estate investment management firm, and as an Executive Advisory Council member at Fordham Real Estate Institute. Madsen teaches Real Estate Finance: Private Equity at the Fordham Real Estate Institute at Lincoln Center. He has taught at NYU and the Graduate REALTOR Institute. He holds a master’s degree from NYU and a postgraduate certificate in applied finance from Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. He holds the MAI and CRE designations, is a certified general appraiser in New Jersey and a registered valuer in Queensland, Australia. Madsen has more than 30 years of commercial real estate experience on five continents, in areas such as valuation, consulting and advisory work, institutional investment, asset management, and fund management.

David Martinson is the Global Head of Workplace Experience, Design and Construction Management for Corporate Properties Group (CPG) at Wells Fargo, responsible for the oversight and delivery of more than $4B in capital projects across the firm's occupied portfolio, consisting of more than 5,600 locations and 70 million square feet of managed space worldwide. Martinson has more than 20 years of experience in the construction and real estate industry, managing projects for contractors and advising companies that engage them. A native of Massachusetts, he earned a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Tufts University and an MBA from Boston College. He also studied civil engineering at Queen Mary University of London and has real estate brokerage licenses in both New York and Massachusetts. Based in New York City, he's taught graduate level courses in construction management as an adjunct professor at the Fordham University Real Estate Institute and New York University for more than a decade. Before joining Wells Fargo, Martinson held similar executive-level positions in New York and London at other real estate service providers and occupiers including CBRE, JP Morgan Chase, EY and PwC.

Desmond F. McGowan is a partner and chief financial officer at Alpine Grove Partners, a private equity firm specializing in real estate operating company investments in Europe and Japan. He has over three decades of experience as a senior executive in the real estate, investment banking, and investment management industries. McGowan teaches Real Estate Finance and Real Estate Portfolio Management
at the Fordham Real Estate Institute at Lincoln Center. He received his B.A. from Yale University and has an M.A. in theology. McGowan is a chartered financial analyst (CFA), a CIPM certificant and a licensed real estate broker in New York State.

Richard McMillan is an architect with MTA New York City Transit. He has over 20 years of experience in all project phases with an emphasis on sustainable design and the transportation and education sectors. McMillan teaches Reading Construction Documents and Sustainability at the Fordham Real Estate Institute at Lincoln Center. He also teaches at NYU. McMillan is a member of the Construction Specifications Institute and the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards. He is the author of two books; 101 Cool Buildings and 101 More Cool Buildings. 

Anthony Meo is a specialist in commercial real estate finance, project finance, construction lending, and distressed asset workouts. He has expertise across international, commercial, and community banks, as well as private equity firms, and has provided a range of creative financing at various points along the capital stack. In addition, he has expertise launching de novo banks and repositioning failing banks, and he has been actively involved within the FinTech sector of merchant payments and services. Meo teaches several real estate finance and investment courses at the Fordham Real Estate Institute. He holds an M.S. in real estate finance from NYU and an M.B.A. in financial management from City University of Seattle. He performs a wide range of consulting for a broad base of domestic and international clientele and has mentored many successful professionals.

Naomi Mirsky is principal and cofounder of Willow Street Capital (WSC), a hotel real estate investment and development company, and Willow Street Capital Advisors (WSCA), a consulting and advisory company. Prior to founding WSC/WSCA, Naomi held senior management positions with Denihan Hospitality Group, DLJ/Credit Suisse & Morgan’s Hotel Group, and Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide. Mirsky teaches Real Estate Development Project Delivery at the Fordham Real Estate Institute at Lincoln Center. She teaches hotel real estate development and investment courses at NYU. In her various roles, she focused on hotel development, design/construction project and cost management, and sustainable business practices. Mirsky holds an M.B.A. from Cornell University, an M.A. from the University of London, and a B.A. from Boston University.

Trevor Munson is vice president of operations at Reidy Contracting Group in New York where he oversees the successful execution of construction projects and the operational efficiency of the company. Previously, he served as a project executive at the NYC office of Shawmut Design and Construction, a national construction management firm renowned for completing extremely complex and logistically challenging projects for high-profile clients.  With nearly two decades of experience in the construction industry, Trevor has managed a variety of projects in New York City, including complex commercial lobby renovations, tenant fit-outs, and façade re-claddings. His career includes both project and operational roles at Plaza Construction and WeWork. At these firms, he developed and led teams to execute high-profile projects, designed infrastructure and processes to scale business lines, and utilized technology for growth and efficiency. Munson teaches Construction Budget and Cost Management at the Fordham University Real Estate Institute. He received his M.S. in Construction Management from New York University and his B.S. in Architecture from the New Jersey Institute of Technology. He's also actively involved on the Board at Pajama Program, a national non-profit.

Amy Neu has been an active participant in real estate for 20 years, chiefly as an asset manager and real estate developer. She has managed over 4 million SF of industrial and Class-A office space, as well as ten land development sites in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and California. Amy’s professional real estate development experience includes ground-up development of commercial and residential properties, acquisitions, dispositions, entitlements, design, and construction. She has obtained entitlements for 2 million SF of commercial projects and developed plans for thousands of new market rate housing units in Hudson, Morris, and Somerset Counties of New Jersey. She has gained particular acclaim for redeveloping and revitalizing buildings in areas that are in transition into higher and better uses. Projects completed under Amy’s leadership include a 283,000 SF built-to-suit automated customer fulfillment center for Tiffany & Co. in Hanover, N.J. and mission critical warehouses for companies such as Home Depot, Iron Mountain, Nestle, Staples, Weyerhaeuser, and Brinks. Amy has been recognized by Business News New Jersey as being one of the ‘Top 40 under 40’. Neu teaches Ethical Issues in Real Estate for the Fordham Real Estate Institute Master of Science in Real Estate program. She attended The London School of Economics and graduated cum laude with a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from Boston University.

Ryan O’Connor serves as the President and CEO of Clinton Management, the management arm of The Douglaston Companies. In his role at Clinton Management, O’Connor oversees the entirety of operations of nearly 6,000 residential units, both market and affordable. Prior to joining Clinton Management, O’Connor served as a Senior Vice President at Douglas Elliman where he
oversaw the growth of a rental property management division. Over the course of his career, O’Connor has held various functions in Property Management, first working in the industry at the age of 16.  O'Connor teaches property management courses for the Fordham University Real Estate Institute. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Fordham University’s
Gabelli School of Business.

John Olert is a current board member, senior advisor, and C-Suite executive with 30 years of industry experience in capital markets and information services. He is known as a leader, mentor, and problem solver with a deep understanding of crisis management, capital markets, global risk, risk management, credit research, compliance, cyber security and corporate governance. John qualifies as an audit committee financial expert. Olert serves on the advisory board of TREX, the investment committee of Yard Ventures, is a director and chair of the governance committee for Miracle League of Westchester, a director and finance committee member of the Jack DeVito Foundation, and chairs the curriculum committee for Geneseo’s Business Advisory Council. Olert currently teaches Real Estate Capital Markets for Fordham University’s Master of Science in Real Estate program. John retired from Fitch in 2017 as Group Chief Risk Officer and Executive Vice President reporting directly to the CEO and managing a team of 100+ personnel.  He was tapped for this newly created role in 2015 in response to increasing threats of a diversifying company with over 3,000 employees, 150 offices, operating in 34 countries. While at Fitch Group, Inc., John advanced rapidly, and in 2008, was named Global Head of Structured Credit and charged with delivering critical restructuring in the early stages of the financial crisis.  Following this success and those in his earlier analytical and managerial roles, he was appointed Chief Credit Officer in 2010, and later Executive Committee Member in 2012.  Earlier roles held at Fitch Ratings include Co-Head North American Corporate Finance (New York), Co-Head North American Financial Institutions, Head of REITs, and Director U.S. Banks.Prior to joining Fitch Group Inc., John held progressive credit administration, sales, and operation analyst roles at Chase Securities Inc., Metropolitan Life, and Chase Manhattan Bank. John completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School, obtained his Master of Business Administration at Fordham University, and his Bachelor of Science in Management Science and Finance at the State of University of New York at Geneseo.

Luis D. Pagán is a project management expert, business executive, and university adjunct instructor. Currently, he is a senior project manager at the CNY Group (CNY). In his role at CNY, Pagán leads project teams as they plan, organize and control the life cycle of building projects from start to finish. He also manages departmental staff throughout the organization. Known throughout the industry for managing projects with positive results, Pagán is a modern day master builder working with clients to help them realize their business objectives by successfully managing their construction projects and by providing needed leadership for troubled projects. Pagán’s professional experience is with all types of project delivery methods. He currently teaches construction methods, materials and technology at the Fordham University Real Estate Institute and has taught at NYU and CUNY Baruch College. Pagan earned a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering at Inter-American University and a Master of Science in Construction Management at NYU. 

Nicholas Pasquenza is the Senior Vice President of Development and Construction for LCOR, covering Boston to Miami. His responsibilities include oversight of the A/E/C Team during the pre-development and construction phases of multiple large scale mixed-use and mixed-income projects. Nicholas has over 25 years of commercial construction management experience as both a construction manager and owner’s representative. He has worked on large scale projects in Boston, Washington, DC, Philadelphia, New Jersey and New York City. Prior to his current role at LCOR, Nicholas worked for Midwood Investment and Development, a NYC based mixed-use developer. He also worked for Archstone, a national apartment company in Boston and DC, and began his career with Turner Construction in Boston. In addition to residential experience, he has experience building pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities. Nicholas teaches the capstone project course in the Master of Science in Construction Management at the Fordham Real Estate Institute. He earned an MBA from Boston College and BS in Civil Engineering from Lafayette College.

Anthony Pastore is a first vice president with Tishman AECOM, a world-leading builder of high-profile projects including the 1,776-foot-high One World Trade Center, Hudson Yards and One Bryant Park. Known for successfully managing complex projects, Tishman is responsible for the construction of more than 500 million square feet of space, incorporating facilities of every size and type, including arts and culture, commercial, convention centers, education, gaming, government, health care, hospitality, residential, retail, sports and leisure, technology and transportation. Since joining Tishman in 1999 Anthony’s responsibilities include project executive oversite, construction project management, procurement, cost management, and budget and cost control for multiple programs. Anthony, has served on major projects across the east coast, including the new World Trade Center Transportation Hub for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, designed by world-renowned architect Santiago Calatrava. He possesses extensive experience in projects requiring advance planning, coordination, logistics and scheduling. His project experience encompasses new construction and mixed-use facilities including hotel, casino, high-rise residential and retail with particular emphasis on transportation including an historic ferry terminal, airport terminal and train station. Pastore teaches a number of construction project management courses at the Fordham Real Estate Institute. Anthony holds an M.B.A and B.S. in Business Administration and a PMI certificate from Villanova University. He also serves as a New Jersey Planning official and town of Oradell planning board member with affiliations that include the Municipal Society of NY and Carpenters Union Local.

Stephen P. Peca is a senior real estate professional who has invested and guided global investment decisions and transactions well in excess of $100 billion. During his career at firms like Moody’s Analytics, Fleet Securities/Bank of America, Fuji Bank, and notable real estate firms, he has undertaken many senior staff management and client-facing roles. Peca is currently managing director and senior partner of Concourse Realty Group and Windy Acres Capital & Advisory where he provides transaction, asset, and portfolio strategy and business solutions to clients globally. Peca also teaches and has taught at Fordham University, Baruch College (CUNY), New York Law School, and NYU, while also teaching in various other venues around the world. In addition to Peca’s academic credentials, he is a chartered management consultancy surveyor (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors UK) and a certified public accountant (Illinois). Peca speaks often at conferences and is frequently quoted in publications. His book, Real Estate Development and Investment: A Comprehensive Approach, has been adopted by numerous universities and industry professionals globally.

Michael Petryczenko is a Managing Director at PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP and has over 25 years of professional experience focusing on accounting and tax issues related to private equity. Previously, Michael was a senior vice president and chief financial officer for Strategic Partners, Blackstone's secondaries investing business, where he oversaw the financial reporting, accounting and tax structuring for the secondary private equity fund of funds that invests in LBO, real estate and infrastructure asset classes. Prior to joining Strategic Partners, he was a tax manager at the Peabody Fund, an opportunistic real estate fund jointly managed by J.P. Morgan and The O' Connor Group. Earlier in his career, Michael was a tax manager at Ernst & Young, LLP in the real estate group. Michael teaches Real Estate Accounting and Taxation for the master of science in real estate at Fordham Real Estate Institute. He also teaches undergraduate taxation and accounting classes at Brooklyn College. Michael received a B.S. degree in Accounting from St. Francis College, New York and a M.S. degree in Taxation from Pace University, New York. He also earned the C.P.A. designation.

Robert Piazza has over 45 years in the real estate and construction industry. He has a diverse background in all phases of construction, including office interiors, theaters, multifamily, condominiums, and hotels. These projects have been lump sum, CM GMP and CM as agent. He has worked for small general contracting (GC) firms in the office interior space which allowed him to learn all phases of the business, large construction management (CM) firms like Bovis Lend Lease, and developers Schrager Hotels, Equity Residential and Rockefeller Group. He has led teams on some of New York City’s landmarks, such as the renovation of Radio City Music Hall, the Hudson Hotel, 40 Bond St, the Mandarin Oriental Hotel at Columbus Circle and the renovation of Gramercy Park Hotel as well as many new residential buildings in the tristate area. He also has experience in construction projects in the Dominican Republic and Boston. Bob is currently a senior consultant for PDCo, a construction and development consulting firm in NYC and is a member of the construction advisory committee at REBNY. Bob leads a popular graduate special topics course covering the C-Suite Perspective on the construction and development industry and projects. Bob earned a liberal arts degree from Fairfield University.

Kristina Raevska is Senior Counsel of STV Incorporated, an award-winning professional firm offering engineering, architectural and construction management services. Raevska teaches Understanding Construction Contracts online and in-person at the Fordham Real Estate Institute at Lincoln Center. Raevska has over a decade of experience in the construction industry, representing design professionals, construction managers and owners, both as a litigator and as in-house counsel. She obtained her Juris Doctorate from Suffolk University Law School in Boston, MA and is admitted to practice both in New York and Massachusetts.

Yasin Rahman has over 15 years of experience in project and program management, construction management, project controls/scheduling and cost management/cost estimating.  He has experience working on several mission critical projects and programs across multiple sectors including transportation (aviation, subways, bus and bridges), hyperscale data centers, commercial/corporate real estate, hospitality, residential, water, pharmaceutical, municipal/government, utilities & power generation, industrial, and higher education.  Some of the notable projects that Yasin has worked on in the past include LaGuardia Airport Redevelopment Program, JFK Airport Redevelopment, LIRR Penn Station Concourse, MTA System-Wide ADA Stations Upgrades, International Monetary Fund HQ1 Renovation, Westchester Medical Center Renovation and Google's Global Data Center Construction Portfolio. Yasin brings his practical expertise in project controls, scheduling, cost management and construction management having managed high performance teams and projects throughout his career.  He teaches construction scheduling and cost estimating courses for the Fordham University Real Estate Institute.  Yasin holds a Master of Science in Civil Engineering from University of Missouri Science & Technology and a Bachelor of Engineering from City College of New York (CUNY).

Serge Reda is a highly experienced real estate executive and real estate technologist. Previously, he worked in the development and construction division of Cedar Realty Trust, a publicly traded REIT, and prior to that led the joint venture investment programs for Wellsford Real Properties, a real estate merchant bank, where he created, managed, and ultimately wound down (post-recession), numerous real estate investment programs. He has broad and deep experience in the real estate industry ranging from development and construction to finance and investment, and technology. Reda is the chair of the real estate development curriculum committee and teaches Real Estate Development Process, Real Estate Development Feasibility Study, CRE Technology, and Real Estate Structures and Capital Markets for the Fordham Real Estate Institute. He has also taught Real Estate Capital Markets in the Fordham Graduate School of Business. He holds an M.B.A. in Finance from Fordham University as well as a Master of Architecture degree from the University of Colorado.

Justin Redmond, P.E., is the Director of Mechanical Engineering and partner at a design, commissioning, and engineering management firm headquartered in New York City. He has extensive experience in scope and budget development, design/construction document preparation, bidding, and the construction process, as well as in building operations and program management from his time in the commercial real estate division of a large investment bank. Outside of work, Redmond previously served on the board of trustees as the vice president of facilities for his condominium association, where he was responsible for the programming and execution of a multiyear, multimillion-dollar capital renovation project. Redmond teaches Fundamentals of Building Systems and Adaptive Reuse & Sustainability at the Fordham Real Estate Institute at Lincoln Center. He also teaches at NYU. Redmond holds a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Rutgers University and an M.S. in construction management from Stevens Institute of Technology.

Jerome Sanzo has over three decades of experience in managing, originating, investing in, and financing over $50 Billion in commercial real estate properties. During his career in the United States, Europe, Asia, and Australia, he worked for major U.S. and international banks such as JPM Chase, Commerzbank, Indosuez, and ICBC.  He has also worked in the fund industry, investing in securities throughout the capital structure for public and private commercial real estate entities. He was the Managing Board Director for two closed end real estate investment funds based in the Netherlands. Additionally, he served as President of Conference Center Interests, Inc, a company organized on behalf of several foreign institutional equity partners. Jerome brings over 16 years of teaching experience to the Fordham Real Estate Institute and has guest lectured at several universities throughout the U.S. about Real Estate Finance. He holds a B.A. from Colgate University and an M.B.A. from the Thunderbird School Division of Arizona State University. He was a former Board Director of the Association of Foreign Investors in U.S. Real Estate, and he is a member of ARES. He has also authored several published articles about Commercial Real Estate Investments and Finance and appears regularly on many real estate industry conference panels. Jerome was named one of the Top 50 Most Important Figures in Commercial Real Estate Finance by the publication Commercial Observer in 2016, 2017, 2018 and again in 2019. Jerome is also currently serving on the Board of Directors of Hampton Hall Club, Inc.

Joan Sapinsley has 35 years of commercial real estate, primarily debt, experience. Notably, she spent 15 years at TIAA, purchasing and structuring commercial mortgage backed securities.  She recently retired after 11 years at a mortgage REIT, Resource Capital Corp., where she was responsible for not only CMBS but also led its capital markets efforts, structuring, documenting and marketing CLOs comprised of floating rate transitional commercial mortgage loans.  Sapinsley currently teaches real estate capital markets at the Fordham Real Estate Institute.  She was a governor of CREFC for many years, including not only governance, and many speaking engagements, but its DC lobbying efforts, and she was a founding member of its Women’s Initiative.  She currently serves as a mentor/job coach to women who are in the First Step Program, through which the Coalition for the Homeless provides job training to women seeking to re-enter the workforce.  She has an MBA in Real Estate and Finance from Columbia University and a BA from Oberlin College.

Zack Secilmis is a project executive at Reis Contracting. Secilmis teaches Construction Cost Estimating and Construction Planning and Scheduling at the Fordham Real Estate Institute at Lincoln Center. He also teaches at NYU. During his career he has built many high-end commercial properties and luxury homes, restored numerous landmark properties and renovated large hotels. His areas of expertise include project coordination, schematic budgeting, scheduling, site logistics, permitting, value engineering, material sourcing and constructability. He regularly acts as a consultant and expert witness in construction claims that require his level of expertise.

Efrat Sharon is the owner and founder of 48 Capital LLC, a commercial real estate debt and equity advisory firm, providing clients with capital solutions for their development, acquisition, and refinance transactions. Sharon has been involved in the debt markets since 2000, nationally and locally, with a special focus on New York. Previously, Efrat established and headed the debt department at TerraCRG, a commercial brokerage firm based in Brooklyn. Prior to that, she served as a loan originator at CB Richard Ellis (CBRE), where she was involved in the placement of over $1 billion in debt and equity nationwide. Sharon teaches Real Estate Finance: Mortgage Debt for the Fordham Real Estate Institute at Lincoln Center. She has taught real estate finance at NYU. Efrat served in the Israeli Defense Forces and holds an Executive M.B.A. from Columbia Business School and a B.A. in Philosophy and Film-Making from Tel Aviv University.

Robert Smith joined Apple Bank in July 1992 and is currently its Executive Vice President, Chief Real Estate Advisor. He is responsible for all activities within the Real Estate Valuation and Advisory Division (REVAD) as well as various related commercial real estate activities throughout the bank. With a career spanning over four decades, he has been involved in commercial real estate since 1980 working with leading real estate companies and financial institutions. He has experience as a real estate advisor and as a real estate reviewer/appraiser. Bob teaches graduate-level real estate economics and market analysis for the Fordham Real Estate Institute and has taught graduate commercial real estate courses at NYU. He continues to serve as an instructor for the Appraisal Institute (AI) and is a Certified USPAP instructor for the Appraisal Foundation (AF). He also writes articles and serves as a guest lecturer/speaker for various organizations. Bob’s professional designations include MAI and AI-GRS from the Appraisal Institute, CRE from the Counselors of Real Estate, Fellow of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, FRICS, Certified RE General Appraiser from the State of New York, and USPAP Certified Instructor - Appraisal Foundation (AF). Bob earned a B.S. degree from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Brockport and a M.A. degree in Business and Policy Studies from SUNY - Empire College.

Eric Stern is a managing director and cofounder of Stern Properties and specializes in the multifamily and mixed-use sectors of real estate. With a recent emphasis on affordable housing, Stern has overseen the acquisition and stabilization of well over a thousand units. Stern has redeveloped blighted neighborhoods with purchases of entire city blocks and is a pioneer of gentrification in different cities along the East Coast. Within the high-end market, Stern has built ground-up condominium projects as well as many various rental loft conversions. Stern’s experience in property management spans from managing New York City-owned properties for the EDC to luxury rentals and affordable housing. Stern teaches Developing Multifamily Properties and Real Estate Market and Feasibility Analysis at the Fordham Real Estate Institute at Lincoln Center. He teaches real estate development at NYU. Stern has an M.S. in real estate from the NYU Schack Institute of Real Estate.

Jonathan Stern is a vice president in the Business Banking Group at Flushing Bank. He has more than 25 years of CRE lending and banking experience having served as a senior lender and portfolio manager for several banks including TD Bank, owned and operated a commercial and residential real estate mortgage brokerage/bank, and managed a non-for-profit SBA consulting firm. His background includes commercial real estate and business lending, credit, underwriting and portfolio management. He has originated, placed and closed over $1 billion of commercial mortgages including CMBS, conventional, bridge-mezzanine and SBA transactions. He teaches Real Estate Financial Analysis and Real Estate Development Finance at the Fordham Real Estate Institute at Lincoln Center. He received his M.B.A. in Strategic Management from the Lubin School of Business at Pace University and his B.B.A. in Finance and Economics from the Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College.

Nicholas E. Stolatis is a principal of EPN Real Estate Services, Inc., a property management, leasing and development firm located in Westchester, NY.  He leads the asset management and sustainability practice for the firm.  He previously served as Senior Director-Global Sustainability and Enterprise Initiatives at TIAA, where he created the award winning Global Real Estate Sustainability Initiative, and supported the firm’s Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact Investing platforms on a domestic and international level.  Prior to that role, Nicholas was a Regional Director, in charge of asset and portfolio management for a diverse national portfolio of investments.  Nicholas is active in numerous industry education and advocacy groups, currently serving as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of BOMI International, a global provider of education and certification to the real estate management industry.  He is also a member of BOMA, as well as the current Treasurer, and Past President, of the Greater NY Chapter of IREM.    He is one of 19 subject matter experts from around the world selected by the World Bank’s International Property Measurement Standards Coalition to serve on its Standards Setting Committee.  Nicholas currently teaches Real Estate Asset Management for the Fordham Real Estate Institute MSRE program and has taught real estate courses for BOMI, BOMA NY, and BOMA China, has lectured, moderated and presented on numerous panels for a variety of industry groups, and authored several articles and a white paper on industry related matters.  Nicholas has earned a BBA, Magna Cum Laude, from Baruch College, and an MBA, Cum Laude, from New York University.  He holds a New York State Brokers License.  He has also earned the Certified Property Manager (CPM), Real Property Administrator (RPA), and LEED-Accredited Professional BD&C designations.  On a personal level, Nicholas serves as the Treasurer on the Parish Council of the Greek Orthodox Church of Our Saviour in Rye, NY, and is the Scoutmaster Emeritus of Troop 12, Pleasantville.  

Michael Sullivan has been in the commercial real estate industry for over 30 years involved in asset management, property management, facilities management, and project management.  Michael has worked on acquisitions, due diligence, dispositions and managing portfolios that included Office, Residential, Retail and Industrial assets. In his career, he has managed over 57 million square feet of space with major firms including Avison Young, Edward J. Minskoff Equities, Inc., Rockefeller Group, Cushman & Wakefield, Reckson Associates and Jones Lang LaSalle. Sullivan teaches real estate asset management for the Fordham Real Estate Institute at Lincoln Center. He has been a member of BOMA’s Board of Directors as well as a member of the Management Board of Directors for the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY). Michael received his Master of Science in Real Estate Finance from New York University and his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Pace University.

George Tockstein recently retired from the Sapir Organization, where he was the portfolio manager. Prior to Sapir, Tockstein held senior asset management positions with the Olnick Organization and Wien and Malkin LLP, and was director of aational administration at Coopers & Lybrand. Tockstein teaches Commercial Property Budgets and Financial Management and Commercial Property Management Plans at the Fordham Real Estate Institute at Lincoln Center. He also teaches commercial real estate lease analysis and property management courses at NYU. Tockstein received his B.A. in economics from Fordham University.

Ciro Trotta is a consultant on commercial finance-investment business areas providing educational seminars, as well as acquisition-investment and credit-finance analysis to industry clients, partnerships, law firms, government agencies, and financial services companies (both domestic and foreign). Trotta teaches Real Estate Financial Analysis I and II at the Fordham Real Estate Institute at Lincoln Center. He has also taught noncredit and graduate real estate finance and investment courses at NYU and has received awards for teaching excellence for his years of outstanding instruction.

David J. Varoli, Esq, DBIA, has over 30 years of experience in construction law which includes transactional as well as claims-based. In addition, he has over three decades of experience in government procurement laws, rules, and policies, focused on design services, construction services, and various project delivery methods. David is an attorney and is certified by the Design Build Institute of America (DBIA). The DBIA recognized David’s contributions with the prestigious “Distinguished Leadership Award”. David has testified in front of a Congressional sub-committee on New York City’s cleanup of the World Trade Center site in which David was the General Counsel of the agency responsible for the clean-up. Since 2004, David has assisted and advised on over 12 NYS laws being enacted to streamline and improve government procurement and contracting in the City. David has participated in national panels discussing design and construction issues, as well as providing guidance to a national association on drafting contractual templates. In addition to serving as the Deputy Commissioner for Legal Affairs and General Counsel for the City’s Department of Design and Construction for over 25 years, David teaches construction legal issues in Fordham University’s Master of Science in Construction Management program.  He also teaches business law at Manhattan University and has lectured at Columbia University and NYU. David earned his undergraduate degree at Fordham University where he was on the Varsity Tennis and Squash teams; his Juris Doctor (JD) degree from the Elizabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University; and his Masters of Law (LL.M.) degree from the Quinnipiac University School of Law.

Paul Walsh is a director of real estate finance at Trinity Wall Street which is a not-for-profit with a substantial commercial real estate portfolio.  In his role at Trinity, Walsh is responsible for the accounting and financial reporting for a 12-building office portfolio of approximately 6 million rentable square feet as well as 4 development sites and 2 ground leases. Walsh previously held the role of chief accounting officer at the 11,252-unit multifamily property Peter Cooper Village Stuyvesant Town where he oversaw the $5.3 billion property sale and transition to Blackstone and Ivan Cambridge.  In addition, Walsh has held roles at Clarion, Black Rock and RREEF. Paul teaches Real Estate Accounting and Taxation for the Fordham Real Estate Institute graduate progam. He earned a master’s degree in Real Estate Finance from New York University, a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Ramapo College of New Jersey and is a CPA in New Jersey.

Lev Yagudayev has over 20 years of experience in different facets of commercial real estate and is a specialist in the area of valuation for financial reporting purposes. He has valued real estate and instruments secured by real estate in nearly every major market in the U.S. and comprising most property types. Prior to joining Level Valuation, Yagudayev worked for approximately two years in the appraisal practice at Situs RERC, where he served as a director and Northeast practice leader. While at Situs RERC, he was responsible for managing Situs RERC’s Northeast practice and delivering the following services: portfolio valuation services, purchase price allocation studies, International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) valuation services, investor reporting, and due diligence services. Prior to Situs RERC, he worked for nine years in the real estate consulting practice at Deloitte. In his latest role, he served as senior manager and portfolio valuation services leader for the East region. While at Deloitte, Yagudayev provided valuation and due diligence services to alternative investment managers; advised and consulted clients on a variety of issues relating to commercial real estate and real estate instruments; worked with clients to improve their processes relating to valuation, financial reporting, and investor reporting; and interacted daily with senior executives and decision makers at many real estate firms. Prior to Deloitte, he worked at Emigrant Bank, where he focused on commercial real estate valuation, REO management/disposition, mortgage underwriting, loan origination, and foreclosures. Lev teaches real estate finance at the Fordham Graduate School of Business and real estate financial modeling at the Fordham University Real Estate Institute.  He also is a faculty advisor for the Gabelli real estate club. Lev holds an M.B.A. in finance and professional accounting from Fordham University and a B.S. in biochemistry from Hofstra University.