Davon Barbour
President & CEO, City of New Orleans Downtown Development District, New Orleans, LA, United States
Davon is President and CEO of the Downtown Development District for the City of New Orleans. He has led economic development for several cities, including Los Angeles, Miami, Orlando and Baltimore. During the COVID-19 global pandemic, he led the development and administration of more than $150M in COVID-19 economic recovery programs for small businesses.
Davon has created and administered retail attraction and retention programs to expand opportunities in under-retailed and underserved markets. He established the first retail incentive program for Downtown Orlando. His strategic recommendations led to the creation of The Commissary in Downtown Rochester, New York. As Director of the City of Hollywood’s Community & Economic Development Department, he led the city to win three consecutive annual awards from the National Community Development Association. Davon has served in numerous volunteer leadership roles, including ICSC’s Western Division P3 Public Chair, past Eastern Division P3 Public Sector Chair, and a former University of Shopping Centers faculty member. Davon also serves on the Board of Directors of the International Downtown Association.
Laura Barr • ICSC Next Generation Trustee
Retail Leader, Advisory & Transaction Services, CBRE Americas, San Francisco, CA, United States
Laura Barr is CBRE’s Americas Retail Leader for its Advisory & Transaction Services responsible for CBRE’s Retail growth strategy and client delivery across the firm’s retail leasing professionals. Prior, Laura led a San Francisco-based retail team with a keen eye on real estate strategies that drew from her passion for urban planning and consumer trends. Laura is an established thought leader and advisor to her clients, consistently leading her team to deliver innovative solutions for an extensive list of top-tier investors and occupiers.
Laura was the inaugural winner of CBRE’s Darla Longo Award, which recognizes the best and brightest producers in the organization. She served in numerous leadership positions, including sitting on the Americas Producer Advisory Board and co-chairing the Futures Committee, which produced compelling research on the impact of autonomous vehicles on real estate values, and is involved in the CBRE Women’s Network.
Laura serves on the boards for La Cocina, an incubator for food-and-beverage businesses, Health Hospitality Partners, a real estate development and operating company focused on healthcare, and Onsights, a retail intelligence company. Laura earned her master’s degree in city planning and a certificate in real estate design and development from the University of Pennsylvania.
Lacy Beasley
President, Retail Strategies, Birmingham, AL, United States
Lacy Beasley is the President of Retail Strategies, a full-service advisory firm that works with municipalities on business recruitment through commercial real estate connections. Her experience with The Shopping Center Group and the Dickson County Chamber of Commerce prior to joining Retail Strategies provides her with the insight to understand the connections needed between the public and private sectors.
A graduate of Lipscomb University, Lacy earned her bachelor’s degree in business management. She has served in many ICSC volunteer roles, including the National Advisory Committee for P3 Retail, the PAC Board, Alabama Government Relations Co-Chair, Tennessee P3 Co-Chair and Southeastern Conference Co-Chair. The Birmingham Business Journal named Lacy to the “Top 40 under 40,” nationwide “Top 100 Influencers in Commercial Real Estate,” one of Birmingham’s “Eight Emerging Influencers,” “Top 40 under 40 for the Decade,” “Who’s Who of Commercial Real Estate” and “Women to Watch.” Lacy has spoken on retail at hundreds of events across the U.S. and Canada and her articles have been published in Shopping Centers Today, Site Selection Magazine and the Alabama Retail Federation.
Thomas Bolen III • ICSC Next Generation Trustee
Director of Leasing and Brokerage, Rappaport, McLean, Virginia, United States
Thomas Bolen III plays an integral role in the day-to-day prospecting, canvassing and business development of Rappaport’s portfolio and brokerage assets. Prior to Rappaport, Thomas played an instrumental role in the growth and development of Florida-based Crossman and Company. With over seven years in the retail real estate industry, he has closed over $75M+ in lease and sales value. Thomas received his bachelor’s and master’s in Business Administration from Florida A&M and was a percussionist for the Florida A&M University’s Incomparable Marching 100 Band. He has earned the distinguished 2015-2016 ICSC Foundation Fiala Fellowship, where he helped increase ICSC Student Memberships among diverse student populations. Thomas is committed to growing and influencing the Commercial Real Estate industry. Locally, Thomas serves on the Young Leaders Committee with DCBIA and is very active with AAREP and DMV Black Restaurant Week. Thomas is professionally licensed in Virginia, Washington, DC, Maryland and Florida.
Joe Brady
Partner, LRG Investors, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, United States
Joe Brady is a US-based Commercial Real Estate expert with extensive experience in retail and office real estate. As the former CEO-Americas of The Instant Group and former head of real estate for Walgreens, Brady has been on the forefront of accelerating technology, changing consumer behavior and real estate.
Brady led The Instant Group's growth through the COVID-19 pandemic in both North and South America, with offices across the United States, Canada, Mexico and Argentina. Instant grew 4x under Brady’s leadership. Prior, Brady was the head of real estate for Walgreens, managing a 150-million-square-foot portfolio with an annual operating budget exceeding $4 billion and annual capex budget of $1 billion. This role gave him in-depth experience in managing high-volume retail environments and implementing strategies for efficiency and growth. Earlier in his career, Brady held senior positions at Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL), one of the world’s leading professional services firms specializing in real estate and investment management. He was also a founder and partner of The Standard Group, a company that was later acquired by JLL in 2008.
Brady serves as an ICSC Trustee and is a member of ULI and CoreNet, guest lecturer at The University of Florida, Warrington School of Business, speaker and author. He earned a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering from Villanova University and an MBA from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Anthony F. Buono
CEO, Buono Family Office, San Diego, CA, United States
Anthony F. Buono is currently the CEO of Buono Family Office, a private investor focusing on commercial real estate, retail brands and real estate operating companies. Prior to that, he was the Global President of Retail for CBRE, the world’s largest commercial real estate services company. He led more than 800 professionals in providing advisory and transaction solutions to 1,300 retailers and larger institutional real-estate investors across the globe. Since joining in 1985, Mr. Buono is credited with catapulting CBRE into a diverse group of successful retail business sectors, including logistics-supply chain, predictive science, food and beverage, luxury, street and urban environments, retailer restructuring, consumer experience and international cross border expansion.
Mr. Buono received his B.S. in Business Administration from San Diego State University. He is an active member of the ICSC PAC and an Independent Director of JC Resorts in La Jolla, CA.
Jenny Chang McMullen
SVP, Store Development, Lululemon Athletica Inc., Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Jenny Chang McMullen has over 25 years of experience in Retail Real Estate and currently is responsible in leading lululemon’s North American store portfolio, with revenues over $6B. Since she has been at the helm, she has been leading impressive growth for the company, delivering year-over-year, double-digit growth in comp sales, square footage and store count. She has a wealth of experience in North America (as well as EMEA and Asia) and has led real estate and store development for large-scale retailers including Levi’s, Dockers, Gap, Athleta, Old Navy, Banana Republic and Intermix. Jenny is known in the industry for her ability to drive and manage strategic growth, which includes developing experiential store concepts, managing a portfolio of brands in a mix of retail formats as well as being able to asset manage and restructure lease terms ensuring fleet profitability.
She is recognized as a compassionate people leader who supports her team in achieving their own personal goals and potential. In addition to her experience, she identifies as a member of the BIPOC community and one of the few female leaders in her industry who happens to also be a working mom.
Steve Cogan
SVP, Real Estate & Store Development, Albertsons Companies, Inc., Boise, ID, United States
Steve Cogan is Senior Vice President of Real Estate and Store Development for Albertsons Companies, which has grown from 192 stores in 2012 to nearly 2,300 stores in 2021. He oversees Real Estate, Design and Store Planning, Construction and Property Administration for all retail and non-retail facilities.
Prior to joining Albertsons in 2013, Steve was Senior Vice President of Real Estate and Store Development for OfficeMax in Chicago, overseeing all aspects of a multinational real estate portfolio, store design and construction. An ICSC member since 1993, Steve entered the corporate real estate business in 1988 with Fred Meyer in Portland, Oregon, as a site selection and market research analyst. Steve holds a bachelor’s degree from Portland State University in Finance, Law and International Business.
Ross Cooper
President & Chief Investment Officer, Kimco Realty, Jericho, NY United States
Ross Cooper is President and Chief Investment Officer of Kimco Realty Corporation. In this role, Mr. Cooper works closely with Kimco’s Investment Committee, risk team, and regional leadership in overseeing the development and implementation of Kimco’s acquisition and disposition strategy. Mr. Cooper is also a voting member of the company’s Investment Committee, which approves all new investments, development projects and property dispositions. Mr. Cooper joined the company in 2006 and prior to his current role, he served as an Executive Vice President of the company and as Vice President of Acquisitions, Dispositions and Asset Management for the Southern Region.
Mr. Cooper holds a B.S. degree from the University of Michigan and a master’s degree in Real Estate from New York University.
Christopher Conlon
CEO, wpg, Columbus, OH, United States
Christopher Conlon is the Chief Executive Officer of wpg. He is a leading retail real estate executive with over 30 years of experience. Previously, Chris held the role Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer of Acadia Realty Trust, where he led a differentiated strategy of owning and operating high-quality urban, suburban and street retail assets across the United States.
Prior to joining Acadia Realty Trust, Chris was a partner at Ripco Real Estate Corporation, successfully executing expansion plans for retailers including Target, Best Buy, Home Depot, Starbucks, DICK’S Sporting Goods, Michaels, Bed Bath and Beyond, the TJX Companies and others.
A highly respected and recognized thought leader in the industry, Chris regularly appears on CNBC, Bloomberg, The Stoler Report and is often quoted in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, New York Post and other publications. Chris obtained his J.D. from St. John’s University School of Law and he holds a B.A. from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He is also a captain licensed by the United States Coast Guard.
Charles P. DiGiovanna
VP, Real Estate, Macy’s, Inc., Cincinnati, OH, United States
Charles P. “Chuck” DiGiovanna was named Macy’s, Inc., Vice President, Real Estate, in April 2016, leading the real estate team and overseeing the real estate interests on all Macy’s retail, distribution and office properties nationally. DiGiovanna has 14 years of experience at Macy’s, Inc., and its predecessor companies. He has held various roles, including regional real estate positions for Macy’s divisions as well as Bloomingdale’s, Macy’s office portfolio and Macy’s Logistics and Operations. DiGiovanna has held numerous real estate positions throughout his 28-year career in the industry, including Senior Vice President, Region Leader for Westfield USA in New York City (2005-2010). In that role, he was responsible for development, leasing, operations and marketing for six regional malls in the northeast as well as the redevelopment of the retail mall at the World Trade Center.
DiGiovanna is a member of ULI’s Gold Retail Product Council and The Network and serves on ICSC’s Board of Trustees. He is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and received his M.B.A. from the University of North Carolina. In the community, DiGiovanna has served as a board member for the Downtown Cincinnati Improvement District, the Cincinnati Regional Economic Development Initiative and on the Finance Committee for 3CDC (the Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation).
Andrea Drasites
Senior Managing Director, Real Estate Group, Blackstone, New York, NY, United States
In her role as Senior Managing Director in the Real Estate Group at Blackstone, Ms. Drasites is responsible for the asset management and oversight of retail, gaming, digital infrastructure, and
tradeshow investments in the US including ShopCore, Edens, QTS, Phoenix Towers and International Market Centers. Prior to joining Blackstone, Ms. Drasites was responsible for asset management, acquisitions, and dispositions at Equity One, Inc. She began her real estate career at Woolbright Development.
Ms. Drasites received a BA in International Business from Rollins College and an MBA from the University of Florida. Ms. Drasites is a leader in the Blackstone Diversity & Inclusion Task Force and a member of the University of Florida’s Real Estate Advisory Board as well as the ICSC Board of Trustees and Executive Board. She is a Founding Member of the Board of Core Giving.
Jeffrey S. Edison
Chairman & CEO, Phillips Edison & Company, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
Jeff Edison co-founded Phillips Edison & Company and has served as a principal since 1995. He currently serves as Chairman and CEO. Mr. Edison received his bachelor’s degree in mathematics and economics from Colgate University in 1982 and a master’s degree in business administration from Harvard Business School in 1984. In addition to serving on ICSC’s Board of Trustees, he is also a board member of the Utah Chapter of The Nature Conservancy.
Jordan M. Fried • ICSC Next Generation Trustee
Principal, Investments, Sterling Organization, West Palm Beach, FL, United States
Mr. Fried is a Principal for Sterling Organization and its related companies. Mr. Fried is responsible for the identification, analysis and execution of new retail real estate investment opportunities and the disposition of retail properties. Additionally, he oversees the capital markets group, which spearheads the firm's debt financing and refinancing efforts. Mr. Fried sits on the Investment Committees for all the firm’s investment vehicles.
Previously, Mr. Fried served as Senior Vice President of Operations for Sterling, a role in which he was responsible for the operations and property management activities for Sterling’s shopping center portfolio. Prior to joining Sterling in 2013, Mr. Fried worked for Wells Fargo Securities in its Investment Banking group and in FTI Consulting’s Real Estate Financial Services practice in New York City. Mr. Fried holds a BBA from George Washington University and received an MBA with honors from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School.
Ted Frumkin
SVP, Store Development, Heritage Grocers Group, Ontario, CA, United States
As Senior Vice President of Store Development for Heritage Grocers Group (HGG), Ted Frumkin leads a team responsible for store development strategy, site selection, lease negotiation, asset management and subtenant leasing for all brands that are part of HGG. HGG currently operates in 4 states: California, Nevada, Arizona and Illinois, with a total of 58 stores under the Cardenas Markets banner, 19 stores under the Tony’s Fresh Market banner and 7 stores under the Los Altos Ranch Market banner.
Prior to joining HGG, Ted was the President/CEO of TBF Strategic Realty Advisors, Inc., a consulting company he founded in 2020 that provided advice, guidance and best practices to companies looking to develop a new strategy for, or to ramp up, new store expansion. Before that he was Group Vice President of Real Estate, Development & Construction for The Fresh Market. Sprouts Farmers Market’s. Other roles he fulfilled in his career were Chief Development Officer for Sprouts Farmers Market; Vice President of Real Estate for Staples, Inc.; Vice President of Real Estate and Construction for Rubio’s Restaurants, Inc., a fast-food retailer; Director of Real Estate for Office Depot; Real Estate Manager for Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.; and Real Estate Manager for Taco Bell. Ted has been part of the planning committee for ICSC+OAC for the past three years. He is a licensed real estate broker in Massachusetts. Ted holds an MBA in Finance from Florida International University and a BFA from Texas Christian University.
Ivy Greaner
EVP & COO, Bedrock, Detroit, MI, United States
As Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President at Bedrock, Ivy Greaner leads the company’s day-to-day administrative and operational functions, ensuring a seamless experience for visitors, residents and tenants. Bedrock’s portfolio totals more than 18 million square feet of office, retail and residential space. Ivy’s career as a real estate executive and investment leader spans more than 30 years and includes broad experience in the retail, commercial and multifamily industries across U.S. Prior Bedrock, Ivy served as the EVP and COO of Chicago-based InvenTrust Properties. She was also Partner and COO of Ram Realty Services, Detroit, and was on the leadership team that developed the city’s first Whole Foods Market in Midtown. Previously, Ivy was Regional Vice President of FivePoint from 2016 to 2018 and served as the EVP and COO of Lennar Commercial. She merged her company, Gadinsky and Greaner, with Ram in 1999.
Ivy attended Boston University. She is an active member of ICSC, serving on the National Economic Committee and its Infrastructure Task Force. She has served as the Government Chair for ICSC’s Florida Government Relations Committee and was a member of ICSC California. Ivy serves on Florida State University’s Real Estate Advisory Board, is a founding member of 100+ Women Who Care’s South Florida chapter, and supports a variety of other charitable causes.
David Henry
Co-Founder, Peaceable Street Capital, Greenwich, CT, United States
David B. Henry is the retired Vice Chairman (2001–2016) and CEO (2009–2016) of Kimco Realty Corporation, a NYSE REIT that is North America’s largest publicly traded owner and operator of open-air shopping centers. Prior, Mr. Henry was Senior Vice President & Chief Investment Officer at GE Capital Real Estate, where he spent 23 years, responsible for pension advisory activities and investment policies and strategies in the U.S. and international markets. He was also chairman of the Investment Committee and a member of the Credit Committee.
Mr. Henry graduated from Bucknell University with a B.S. in Business Administration and received his M.B.A. from the University of Miami. He currently serves on the boards of Healthpeak Properties, Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Starwood Real Estate Income Trust, and Fairfield County Bank. He has served on the boards of VEREIT, Inc., from September 2015 to November 2021, and Columbia Property Trust from January 2016 to December 2021.
Mr. Henry is the Co-Founder of Peaceable Street Capital, a preferred equity lender for income-producing commercial real estate properties. He served as the 2011–2012 Chairman of ICSC and is a former Vice Chairman of the Board of Governors of NAREIT and a former member of the Executive Board of the Real Estate Roundtable. Mr. Henry received NAREIT’s 2016 Edward H. Linde Industry Leadership Award and currently serves on the real estate boards of New York University, Bucknell University, Baruch College, ALTO Real Estate Funds, Grupo Patio, Orangewood Partners, and Pine Tree, LLC.
Paul Hilliard
VP, Global Real Estate, Whole Foods Market, Austin, TX, Unites States
Paul Hilliard is Vice President of Global Real Estate for Whole Foods Market, the leading all natural and organic supermarket chain in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. His team’s responsibilities include real estate strategy, site selection and repositioning for all retail and non-retail locations, lease negotiations, acquisitions, asset management, real estate research and sales forecasting and lease administration. Mr. Hilliard has been with the company for 24 years, starting his career there in corporate finance, and has held several roles. He’s been an instrumental part of the company’s expansion from 75 stores in 1997 to 530 stores today.
Prior to joining Whole Foods Market Paul spent 10 years as a banker with JP Morgan Chase and holds a BBA in Finance. He has held several advisory board positions with local Austin non-profit organizations. He has been a member of ICSC since 2003.
Christopher P. Hoffmann
Managing Director, Eastdil Secured, Santa Monica, CA, United States
Mr. Hoffmann joined Eastdil Secured in 1988 and is a senior member of the firm’s retail group. Mr. Hoffmann is one of the nation’s leading intermediaries in retail real estate capital markets, with over 400 transactions totaling over $150 billion, including some of the most significant sales, mergers and joint ventures to have occurred in the retail industry over the last three decades.
Mr. Hoffmann has held various positions with ICSC, including Western Region Conference Co-Chair and Southern California Government Relations Chair. He is currently a member of ICSC’s Board of Trustees. He is a member of ULI and is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin with a Bachelor of Science degree in English and Economics.
Salvatore Iacono
President & CEO, Operations, Cadillac Fairview, Toronto, ON, Canada
Sal Iacono brings more than 30 years of experience to Cadillac Fairview with senior roles in real estate development, investments and asset management.
Prior to becoming CEO, Sal held the position of Executive Vice President, Operations at Cadillac Fairview. Sal is responsible for the continued operation and management of Cadillac Fairview’s portfolio and its growth strategy to support the long-term investment focus of the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan. Sal holds a Master of Business Administration degree from McGill University and a Bachelor of Engineering degree from Concordia University.
Naveen Jaggi
President, Retail Advisory Services | Americas, JLL, Houston, TX, United States
Naveen joined JLL in 2014 and leads retail tenant rep and agency leasing business for the United States and Canada. He is responsible for the overall strategy, business development and growth of the platform. Naveen is instrumental in driving JLL’s retail business to produce effective best-in-class connections and collaborations. Additionally, Naveen is Chairman of the Global Retail Board that oversees JLL’s retail cross-border initiatives.
Prior to joining JLL, Naveen served as Senior Managing Director, Retailer Services at CBRE where he oversaw and managed all tenant representation matters for CBRE’s retail division for the United States, Canada and Mexico. Throughout his career, Naveen has represented a diverse client base from big-box retailers, apparel and lifestyle clients including Walgreens, Ikea, JC Penny, Staples and Dollar General to global corporate service firms, such as Shell Oil Company, Ford Motor Company and AT&T.
Naveen earned a bachelor's degree in finance from Stephen F. Austin State University.
Parham Javaheri
Chief Property Development Officer & EVP, Life Time, Inc., Chanhassen, MN, United States
Parham Javaheri, Life Time’s Chief Property Development Officer and Executive Vice President, is the driving force behind the location growth of the nation’s premier healthy lifestyle brand. As Life Time continues to differentiate itself with its one-of-a-kind model for healthy living, healthy aging and healthy entertainment, PJ is guiding real estate acquisitions, developments, partnerships and government relations to bring the company’s athletic resorts, Life Time Work shared workspace and Life Time Living high-end residences to cities across the U.S. and Canada. He leads a team of talented professionals in real estate, development, architecture, design and construction out of the company’s corporate headquarters in Chanhassen, MN.
PJ, who studied civil engineering and applied mathematics at McGill University in Montreal, joined Life Time in 2004 and has led the real estate and development team since 2014, becoming Executive Vice President in 2017.
Chris Johnson
SVP, Principal Financial Officer, Dillard’s, Inc., Little Rock, AR, United States
Chris Johnson is a CPA and has served as Senior Vice President, Principal Financial Officer for Dillard’s, Inc., since January 2015. He oversees the Finance, Real Estate, Risk Management, CDI Contractors and Maintenance departments. He has served as Vice President of Real Estate for Dillard’s from 2012 to 2015, and from 2006 to 2012 he served as Vice President of Accounting for Dillard’s. Chris has also served as CFO for CDI Contractors, LLC, since 2008, a wholly owned subsidiary of Dillard’s.
Prior to joining Dillard’s, Chris was a Senior Manager for Ernst & Young in their Northwest Arkansas office. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for Baptist Health Foundation, Easterseals Arkansas and the University of Arkansas’ Walton College of Business Advisory Board for the Accounting Department. Chris received his BSBA degree in Accounting from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville in 1994. He also serves on the Board of Directors of Encore Bank, a privately owned community bank in Central Arkansas.
John A. Kite
Chairman & CEO, Kite Realty Group, Indianapolis, IN, United States
John A. Kite is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Kite Realty Group Trust. Mr. Kite is responsible for the strategic direction and operating results of the company. He serves as the head of the company’s capital allocation committee, which is responsible for major capital transactions.
Prior to becoming Chief Executive Officer of Kite Realty Group upon its initial public offering in August 2004, Mr. Kite was President of Kite Companies from 1997–2004. In 1994, Mr. Kite was named President of KMI Realty Advisors, an affiliate of the Kite Companies. KMI Realty Advisors is a full-service, SEC-registered real estate advisory firm. Mr. Kite joined the Kite organization as Chief Financial Officer of Kite Development in 1990. Mr. Kite was a Business Development Officer in the Commercial Lending Department of Harris Trust and Savings Bank in Chicago, Illinois, from 1987–1990. Mr. Kite holds a BA in Economics from DePauw University.
David G. Krueger
SVP, Growth and Development, ULTA Beauty, Inc., Bolingbrook, IL, United States
David Krueger is Senior Vice President of Growth and Development at Ulta Beauty, the largest beauty retailer in the United States with more than 1,350 stores, 350 Ulta Beauty at Target shops and 14 million square feet of retail. In his role, Mr. Krueger is responsible for leading Ulta Beauty’s store development strategy, site selection, lease negotiation, construction, remodeling, maintenance, energy management and corporate real estate planning. Prior to joining Ulta Beauty, Mr. Krueger was Vice President of Real Estate at Carter’s and Senior Vice President of Corporate Real Estate at Calere's (Brown Shoe Company).
Mr. Krueger received his bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and his MBA from Cardinal Stritch University.
David J. Larcher
President & CEO, Vestar, Phoenix, AZ, United States
David Larcher is President and Chief Executive Officer of Vestar, a fully integrated real estate operating company focused on retail and mixed-use projects in the western U.S. He is a founding principal of Vestar and responsible for some of the most dynamic and popular retail projects in the region.
Vestar is one of the largest privately held owners, developers and operators of shopping centers in the United States with nearly 30 million square feet of retail centers. Since its founding in 1989, Vestar has earned a reputation for creating high-quality shopping and entertainment destinations that serve as essential community focal points. Vestar has been active in acquiring and repositioning large open-air centers, acquiring nearly $2 billion of assets from Texas to California and has several million square feet of development projects underway.
David is a member of the Commercial and Retail Council of the Urban Land Institute and is on the Board of Trustees of The Nature Conservancy of Arizona. In addition, he is on the Board of Governors of the Greater Scottsdale Boys & Girls Club and was formerly Co-Chairman of the Arizona State University President’s Club. David is a graduate of Arizona State University and is in the W.P. Carey School of Business Hall of Fame.
Shannon Letts
SVP, Growth & Development, Ulta Beauty, Bolingbrook, IL, United States
Shannon Letts is currently Senior Vice President of Growth and Development at Ulta Beauty. In her role, she leads the teams for real estate and construction for the new store growth, as well as facilities maintenance and energy, for approximately 1,300 existing store locations.
Prior to Ulta Beauty, Shannon was Senior Vice President at Big Lots, Inc., leading real estate, construction, sustainability, facilities and corporate procurement. Prior to Big Lots, Shannon was the Head of Property Management for Walton Enterprises, the family office of the Walton Family. In this role, she led a team managing acquisition, construction, property management, insurance and security. Shannon started her career at Walmart, where she spent 23 years primarily in real estate roles as Director, Vice President and Senior Vice President overseeing new store real estate growth, procurement and facilities maintenance.
Shannon has a degree in finance and real estate from the University of Arkansas, Walton College of Business. She is on the board of the Boys and Girls Club of Benton County, and leader of the safety committee of
Whitney Livingston
President, Centennial Real Estate, Dallas, TX, United States
After joining Centennial in 2018 as Chief Operating Officer, Whitney was named President in 2021, leading the company’s strategy, growth initiatives and operations. Whitney works closely with the executive and property teams to develop and execute accretive operating, repositioning and redevelopment plans that create long-term value for Centennial’s partners and clients.
Prior to Centennial, Whitney spent nearly 13 years at Madison Marquette in various leadership roles. Most recently, she served as head of management and property services overseeing over 20 million square feet of real estate. During her tenure at Madison Marquette, Whitney successfully project managed the visioning, branding, merchandising and redevelopment or repositioning process for assets owned by the company’s highest priority clients and partners, including PGIM, Blackstone, Principal Financial and UBS. She has a proven track record of building, motivating and leading teams to achieving property and corporate strategic plans.
Whitney holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Psychology from Wesleyan University, NE. She currently serves as State Director for Texas and on the Red River States Conference planning committee. She is a past Chair of the ICSC Texas Convention and in 2019 was named by ICSC as a 4 Under 40 honoree.
Terrence Maiden
CEO & Managing Partner, Russell Glen, Dallas, TX, United States
As Chief Executive Officer for Russell Glen Company, Terrence Maiden draws on over two decades of real estate experience to lead the company’s growth and implementation of real estate development/investment strategy.
Terrence is widely recognized as a rising leader within the development industry. His most signature projects include the award-winning Shops at RedBird, Glen Oaks Crossings, Canyon in Oak Cliff, Alexan West Dallas and The Avenida. Before launching Russell Glen, Terrence served as Executive Vice President of Development at Corinth Properties. He subsequently managed the development and expansion strategy for Panda Express and Panera Bread throughout the central United States as Director of Real Estate.
Terrence received a Bachelor of Science and Engineering degree from Texas Christian University. He is Chairman of the Maiden Foundation, which invests in educational and community revitalization projects, and is involved in many charitable/civic organizations. For three consecutive years, D CEO listed Terrence as Dallas 500 most influential leaders and “Power Broker of the Year” in 2019. For 10 successive years, Terrence has been named to D Magazine real estate's Power Broker list.
Melvin Mance
Founder & CEO of Enrichment Partners, LLC, Tampa, FL, United States
As Founder and CEO of Enrichment Partners, Melvin leads the development company’s growth strategy, while directing the daily operations. Previously, he served as US Development Director for McDonald’s Corporation. As a U.S. Development Director, his role combined providing construction direction, executing national program rollouts, strategic sourcing, and people development. Melvin played a vital role supporting teams throughout the U.S., accelerating new development and modernization as part of the corporate initiative Bigger Bolder Vision.
Prior to joining McDonald’s, Melvin served in the U.S. Navy Reserve, Construction Battalion. He has an array of construction and development experience in educational, retail and industrial manufacturing. Previous organizations that Melvin has led construction/development projects include Proctor & Gamble, Mead Johnson, Chicago Public Schools and Waffle House Corporation. Melvin graduated from Michigan State University with a Bachelor of Science degree. He serves on the board of Michigan State University, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources Alumni Association. He is involved in his community and is an active supporter of Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) of Tampa.
Manuel Martin
Managing Partner, Azora, Miami, FL, United States
Manuel Martin joined Azora in 2023 to lead all Commercial Real Estate verticals across the United States. Previously, he was heading Nuveen Real Estate’s retail vertical globally. As a member of the Nuveen Investment Committee and the Executive Leadership Team, he was involved in the firm growth for the past decade.
During his 20 years experience, Manuel oversaw investment activities and asset operations across the United States and Europe, structured large portfolio deals, and started up and grew several investment platforms and teams. Manuel has also been active in capital raising for individual investments and long-term mandates across several jurisdictions, gaining equity and debt support for the platform.
Manuel has an MBA from the Bradford University School of Management and is a lecturer at the Madrid IE Business School. He is an active a member of the University of Miami Business School Advisory Board and an ICSC trustee.
Marty Mayer
President & CEO, Stirling Properties, Covington, Louisiana
Marty Mayer joined Stirling Properties in 1986 and has served as President and Chief Executive Officer since 2002. Under his leadership, Stirling Properties, located in the Gulf South, has continually grown as one of the most diversified full-service commercial real estate companies in the country.
Mr. Mayer is affiliated with numerous industry, business and charitable organizations, as well as economic development and entrepreneurial movements across local, regional and national levels. He has served in many roles for ICSC, including Chairman of PAC, Vice President of Southern Development, Special Committee on Public Policy, and Chairman of the Open-Air Center Committee. He has also served on ULI’s Small Scale Development Council–Black Flight and Silver Flight as past Chairman.
Mr. Mayer holds a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering and an MBA in finance from Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Kenton H. McKeehan
Chief Investment Officer, Big V Property Group, Charlotte, NC, United States
Kenton McKeehan is the Chief Investment Officer of Big V Property Group. Mr. McKeehan joined the company as Chief Revenue Officer in August 2021. Prior to Big V Property Group, Mr. McKeehan oversaw Hines’ retail activities worldwide including acquisition, disposition, retail and mixed-use development, redevelopment and asset management. Mr. McKeehan also worked for MG Herring and LaSalle Partners overseeing retail leasing activities and spent time working for himself as a developer, restaurant consultant and leasing advisor.
Mr. McKeehan has experience across all retail asset classes including grocery-anchored centers, power centers, lifestyle centers, malls and complex mixed-use assets on behalf of some of the largest institutions in the world.
Jodie W. McLean
CEO, EDENS, Washington, DC, United States
Jodie W. McLean is Chief Executive Officer of EDENS, one of the nation’s leading private owners, operators and developers of retail real estate. With a tenure of more than 25 years, she has been a key player in EDENS’ growth and expansion to its current marketplace leadership, capitalized by blue chip investors and assets valued at $6.5 billion.
McLean is responsible for EDENS’ strategy to move the portfolio to major urban centers and first-ring suburbs, creating a portfolio of assets that are the center of community life. She was named Chief Investment Officer in 1997, President in 2002 and CEO in 2015. Overall, she has been responsible for the development, redevelopment, acquisition and disposition of more than $20 billion in retail assets.
McLean serves on several boards, including Cushman & Wakefield, the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, Wofford College and Milhaus. She is also a Trustee of ICSC, the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and The Real Estate Round Table. McLean is a member of the Liberty Fellowship (Aspen Institute), Class of 2009. A native of Chicago, IL, Jodie McLean holds a B.S. in Finance and Management from the Moore School of Business, University of South Carolina, and a degree from South Carolina Honors College.
Scott A. McPherson
Managing Partner, Merlone Geier Partners, San Diego, CA, United States
Scott McPherson has been with Merlone Geier and its predecessor entity since 1995. He is a Managing Partner and member of the Investment Committee and Management Committee. McPherson shares broad firm oversight responsibilities with a primary focus on urban mixed-use redevelopments, entitlement processing, leasing and coordinating personnel to ensure the execution of the firm’s strategy for each asset.
McPherson is a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles. He is a current member of the ICSC Board of Trustees, a member of the Urban Land Institute and a licensed real estate broker in California. He is also a past member of the Board of Directors and past President of the Monarch Ambassador Council of the Monarch School in San Diego and a past member of the Board of Trustees of The Bishop’s School in La Jolla, California.
Zach Minteer
VP, Real Estate, Five Below, Philadelphia, PA, United States
In his role as Vice President, Zach runs the Real Estate Department for one of the fastest-growing retailers in the country, Five Below. In this role, he has guided the company’s new store growth from 300 to 1,250-plus stores over the past 8 years across 42 states. Zach oversees all facets of Five Below’s real estate strategy from new store expansion to existing store portfolio management and data analytics. He joined Five Below when it was as a 23-store chain across 5 states and has held various positions within Real Estate during his 17-year tenure. Zach has also participated on the ICSC Open Air Planning Committee since 2018 while serving as a Summit Conference Co-Chair in 2020.
John B. Mulleady
Chief Development Officer, Dave & Buster’s, Dallas, TX, United States
John Mulleady has more than 33 years of experience in Real Estate, Design, Construction and Maintenance of retail and commercial facilities. Currently, he is the Chief Development Officer of Dave & Buster’s responsible for all phases of Development and Expansion of the company. Prior to Dave & Buster’s, he was Senior Vice President of Development responsible for the expansion of BJ’s Wholesale Club, Circuit City and as Director of Construction for Home Depot in Argentina, Chile, Mexico, and the USA regions of the Southwest, Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. John started in the industry working for several general contractors on the West Coast, building residential, commercial, state and federal projects. He has obtained two BS degrees from the University of the Pacific (Summa Cum Laude/ Valedictorian) and an MS from the University of California Berkley.
Hessam Nadji
President & CEO, Marcus & Millichap, Calabasas, CA, United States
Hessam Nadji joined Marcus & Millichap in 1996 as vice president of research and advisory services and was named CEO in 2016. During those years, he assumed various responsibilities, including chief marketing officer, launching the company’s IPA division, overseeing all specialty division sales, and leading its IPO in 2013 as Chief Strategy Officer. Prior to that, he was senior vice president of research and technology for Grubb & Ellis, where he started his career in 1986. He is frequently quoted as an industry trends spokesperson in major media, including CNBC, Fox Business, Bloomberg, Yahoo Finance, the Wall Street Journal, and various real estate publications.
Chris Noble
Principal – Deerfield Capital LLC, Arlington Heights, IL United States
Chris Noble is a Principal at Deerfield Capital, a boutique commercial real estate investment company specializing in the retail real estate sector.Chris previously spent over 20 years at Walgreens, most recently serving as Group Vice President — Property with responsibility for a 300-person team that managed all aspects of Walgreens’ 10,000 property portfolio spanning 140 million square feet across the United States and Puerto Rico. At Walgreens, Chris held roles in real estate, finance, portfolio management, mergers and acquisitions, construction, investor relations and corporate strategy.
Chris has also founded a led a highly successful real estate private equity investment firm specializing in the single-tenant net-lease sector and led a real estate development company focused on the grocery and drugstore sectors. Throughout his career, Chris has been known for combining key insights from multiple disciplines to create new and innovative ways to create shareholder value.
A graduate of Augustana College in Rock Island, IL, Noble has earned the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation as well as the Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) designation. He previously served as trustee of Walgreens Profit-Sharing Retirement Trust, a $6 billion employee retirement plan, and is currently a member of Urban Land Institute’s Commercial & Retail Development Gold Council.
Alex Nyhan
CEO, First Washington Realty, Bethesda, MD, United States
Alex Nyhan is CEO of First Washington Realty (FWR), a private real estate firm that owns and operates essential retail real estate. FWR is a national platform, with interests in grocery center-anchored shopping centers and another essential real estate at a value of over $9.5 billion.
Prior to joining FWR, Mr. Nyhan held successive leadership positions for several years at a major mixed-use development REIT. Mr. Nyhan has been involved with over $5.5 billion of real estate investments, developments and initiatives, including housing, retail, office, hotel and mixed-use projects. He has served as an advisor to the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank and various entities on real estate matters. He has worked in the U.S. and internationally.
Mr. Nyhan holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and an MPA from Harvard Kennedy School.
Ryan O’Sullivan
SVP, Real Estate, PetSmart, Phoenix, AZ, United States
Ryan O’Sullivan holds the position of Senior Vice President, Real Estate at PetSmart. He leads the company’s real estate team, encompassing site selection, analytics, leasing, development, construction, fixtures and equipment, facilities, asset management and lease administration. Since joining PetSmart in 2006 as a Research Analyst, Ryan has ascended through various roles within the Real Estate division while contributing to the growth of over 1,000 incremental stores.
As an active member of ICSC, Ryan has held positions on the RECon and OAC planning committees and is currently serving as an OAC Co-Chair. He obtained both his undergraduate degree and MBA from Arizona State University.
Bryant “Bo” Okoroji • ICSC Next Generation Trustee
Founder and Managing Partner, Steerpoint Capital, Los Angeles, California, United States
Bryant “Bo” Okoroji is the Founder and Managing Partner of Steerpoint Capital, a boutique commercial real estate investment and advisory firm rapidly earning industry acclaim for its asset-focused, data-driven approach to value creation and the capacity to deliver consistent risk-adjusted returns.
Prior, Okoroji served as U.S. Head of Investments at Unibail-Rodamco- Westfield, where he was responsible for leading the firm’s U.S. investment strategy as well as the sourcing, evaluation and execution of acquisitions, dispositions and redevelopment opportunities. Okoroji earlier worked at Simon Property Group, where he was first recruited for the firm’s “Real Estate Executive in Training” program before moving on to senior-level functions encompassing underwriting investment opportunities, asset management, divestments, portfolio densification and joint venture management.
Throughout his career, including a successful stint at Balfour Beatty Investments and experience in investment banking as part of the “Young Talent Program” at ARM Investment Managers in Lagos, Nigeria, Okoroji has structured, underwritten, and negotiated over $11 billion in commercial real estate transactions. He currently serves on the Advisory Board of Walker & Dunlop’s CRE Diversity Initiative and on the Board of Directors of Breathe Southern California. Okoroji holds an MBA from the LeBow College of Business at Drexel University and a BS in Economics from the University of Houston.
Lisa Palmer
President & CEO, Regency Centers, Jacksonville, FL, United States
Lisa Palmer has been President and CEO of Regency Centers since January 1, 2020. Prior to her current role, she served as President and CFO from 2016 to 2019, Executive Vice President and CFO from 2013 to 2015, and Senior Vice President of capital markets from 2003 until 2013. Lisa has also held various other leadership positions with Regency since 1996.
Before joining Regency, Lisa worked with Accenture, formerly Andersen Consulting Strategic Services, as a consultant and financial analyst for General Electric. She is a member of the boards of directors of the Jacksonville Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, Brooks Rehabilitation, and the United Way of Northeast Florida. Lisa is also a member of the Urban Land Institute. Lisa is a University of Virginia graduate and holds an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Marc Panzer
SVP, Real Estate & Store Development, Williams-Sonoma, Inc., San Francisco, CA, United States
Marc Panzer is the Senior Vice President of Real Estate & Store Development at Williams-Sonoma, Inc. He oversees Real Estate, Store Design and Construction for some of the most respected brands in home furnishings: Williams Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids/Teen, West Elm and Rejuvenation. He has led a complete revamp of the company’s retail strategy, including migrating Williams Sonoma stores to food-focused, experiential locations, which has proven to be highly successful. Marc is known for challenging convention and utilizing a customer-centric approach to store deployment and design, resulting in significant increases in profitability and sales. His experience spans the globe and a broad range of asset types, including extensive work and travel across Europe, the Middle East and Asia, and overseeing leasing of distribution centers and office buildings. Prior to joining WSI, Marc led Real Estate Strategy for Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic, Athleta and Intermix.
Marc received a BA in International Studies from Johns Hopkins University and an MBA from the Haas School of Business at the University of California Berkeley. He is proud to serve as the executive sponsor for WSI’s LGBTQ+ employee organization.
Natalie Pebbles • ICSC Next Generation Trustee
Director, Real Estate, Western Region, Jersey Mike's Franchise Systems, Inc., Bellevue, WA, United States
Natalie Pebbles is the Director of Real Estate for Jersey Mike’s Subs. She has developed and managed the real estate rollout throughout the Western U.S. for Jersey Mike’s since 2013. As a key player in the real estate arena, she has skillfully strategized expansion and led site selection and negotiations for Jersey Mike’s franchisees. Her innovative approaches and dogged determination have contributed to Jersey Mike's rapid expansion, making it one of the nation's fastest-growing restaurant chains.
Prior to joining Jersey Mike’s, Natalie worked as a retail leasing broker for two years at a boutique firm in Orange County, CA. She began volunteering for ICSC’s Next Generation program committee in 2012 and has retained active involvement in the organization through various roles, including Next Generation Marketplace Council Chair, Western Conference Vice-Chair, and is a member of the Next Generation Leadership Network Class of ’22–’24.
Natalie graduated from Loyola Marymount University with a B.A. in Psychology in 2011 and has served on the LMU Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts advisory board since 2017. Most recently she was named an ICSC 4 Under 40 honoree for 2023 and will serve as program chair for ICSC Western 2024.
Fernando de Peña Iver
CEO, Mallplaza, Santiago, Chile
Civil engineer, Fernando de Peña Iver, has over 32 years of experience at Mallplaza, during which he has demonstrated strong leadership and strategic capability. He has led Mallplaza to become one of the top companies in the shopping center industry in Latin America by implementing a business model centered around people. In addition, he pioneered the opening of new uses of the shopping center infrastructure by integrating education, health and entertainment services among others.
In 2020, Fernando de Peña promoted the consolidation of Mallplaza’s transformation into an omnichannel ecosystem, attracting digital flow to urban centers and delivering new opportunities to customers and business partners. The most outstanding aspects of his management include the creation of Mallplaza Vespucio in 1990; the expansion of Mallplaza to Peru, starting in 2007, and to Colombia, during 2012; and the inauguration of Mallplaza Egaña in 2014, which was recognized in 2016 as the best sustainable shopping center in the world. In 2020, Mallplaza was established in Bogotá, Colombia, consolidating its regional growth strategy.
In 2021, Fernando de Peña led the company's commitment to carbon neutrality by 2030, with a focus on energy and water efficiency, waste management and promoting the end of single-use plastics. And in 2022, Mallplaza was recognized with first place in the Cadem Citizen Brands Study, in the shopping center category.
Fernando de Peña received Chile’s “Marketing Best 2016” award, which highlights the country's top CEOs. During RECon 2018 he was recognized by the ICSC for his role within the council, for his ability to generate excellent work teams and his leadership in creating spaces that improve people's quality of life. He has been an ICSC Trustee since 2019.
Lyneir Richardson
Co-Founder & CEO, The Chicago TREND Corporation, Chicago, IL, United States
Lyneir is co-founder and CEO of The Chicago TREND Corporation, a social enterprise funded by prestigious impact investors to stimulate urban retail development. To date, he has raised over $38M of low-cost capital to strengthen urban commercial corridors. He recently created deal structures to empower more than 340 black residents and small-impact investors to co-own five neighborhood shopping centers in Chicago and Baltimore. Lyneir was recently appointed as a Non-Resident Senior Fellow of the Brookings Institution.
Lyneir is also an Assistant Professor of Professional Practice in the Department of Management and Global Business at Rutgers Business School. He serves as the Executive Director of the Center for Urban Entrepreneurship and Economic Development. He leads capacity-building programs that have assisted 800+ diverse entrepreneurs and launched the Black and Latino Angel Investment Fund of New Jersey.
Lyneir served as the CEO of the primary economic development corporation in Newark, NJ, for two different mayoral administrations. He was named “Young Entrepreneur of the Year” by the U.S. Small Business Administration. Lyneir started his career as a corporate attorney at the First National Bank of Chicago. Lyneir graduated from Bradley University and the University of Chicago Law School.
Angele Robinson-Gaylord
ICSC Vice Chairman, 2024 | SVP, Store Development Americas, Starbucks Coffee Company, Seattle, WA, United States
Angele Robinson-Gaylord has been helping retailers and developers create and implement strategies to grow and protect their real estate portfolios for over 15 years. Currently, she serves as Senior Vice President, Store Development Americas for Starbucks, leading a management team supporting 17,000+ retail locations in the United States and Canada.
Prior to joining Starbucks, at Rite Aid and IKEA, Angele led Store Development teams that oversaw site acquisition, design, construction and portfolio management for their retail portfolios. She formerly worked at McDonald’s Corporation in the U.S. Restaurant Development division, where she supported real estate issues for existing restaurants.
Before McDonald’s, Angele practiced law for over fifteen years in litigation and commercial real estate. Angele holds a B.A. in political science from Stanford University and a J.D. from George Washington University School of Law. She is also a proud 2009 graduate of Project REAP, a market-driven education and professional development program that serves as a bridge between talented minority professionals and commercial real estate companies looking for talent. Angele serves on the board for ICSC, the ICSC Foundation, Project REAP and Success Academy.
Brian Ross • ICSC Next Generation Trustee
COO, Starwood Retail Partners, Chicago, IL, United States
Brian Ross is an accomplished industry professional who joined Starwood Capital Group in 2019. As Chief Operating Officer of Starwood Retail Partners, Starwood Capital Group’s retail vertical, he oversees the firm’s retail investments across North America and leads all retail acquisition activities. He is responsible for originating, structuring, underwriting and closing retail investments as well as overseeing the operations of the retail portfolio including leasing, development and property management. Prior to being elevated to COO, Brian served as Senior Vice President of Leasing where he oversaw the company’s revenue functions. Previously, Brian served as Vice President of Leasing & Development at Brookfield Properties. During his tenure at Brookfield, Brian held a leadership role within the company’s development department where he executed the redevelopment and transformation of anchor store boxes across the company’s portfolio. Prior to Brookfield, Brian was with DDR Corp. (now SITE Centers) for over 10 years in various leadership positions, including leasing, portfolio management, capital transactions and development. Most recently, he was Vice President of Leasing and served on the company’s executive and investment committees.
Brian holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Management from John Carroll University. He is a member of ICSC and the Urban Land Institute. He previously served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Diversity Center of Northeast Ohio and currently serves on the Board of Directors for Notre Dame School in Clarendon Hills, IL.
Steve Rouman
SVP, Real Estate, RH, Inc., Corte Madera, CA, United States
Steve Rouman is Senior Vice President, Real Estate, at luxury home furnishings retailer RH (formerly Restoration Hardware). In his role, Mr. Rouman leads strategy, site selection, and deal and lease negotiation for all company real estate assets, including retail, distribution and office. Prior to RH, Mr. Rouman held senior-level positions at some of the most well-known brands in the world, including Head of Real Estate–Specialty Retail Stores for Amazon; Senior Director Real Estate, Americas for Apple; Vice President, Global Real Estate & Construction for Levi Strauss & Co.; and Vice President Real Estate North America and Europe for Gap Inc. Mr. Rouman began his career on the landlord side of the business with JMB/Urban Retail Properties and the Westfield Corporation.
Mr. Rouman received a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the University of Michigan (Go Blue!). He has previously served on the ICSC NEW YORK Planning Committee, is an emeritus member of the OAC Planning Committee and a former State Retail Chair for Northern California. Mr. Rouman resides in suburban San Francisco with his wife and four children.
Glenn Rufrano
ICSC Past Chairman, 2024 | Executive Chairman, PREIT | Chairman, ICSC Foundation, New York, NY, United States
Mr. Rufrano has over 35 years of experience specializing in stabilizing and repositioning publicly traded and private real estate companies. In 2024, Mr. Rufrano was appointed Executive Chairman of PREIT, a retail real estate firm that was taken private as part of a restructuring. Prior to this, Mr. Rufrano served as the Chairman of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC). Prior to ICSC, Mr. Rufrano served as Chief Executive Officer of VEREIT, Inc., a real estate investment trust that owned nearly 90 million square feet of retail property in the U.S. at the time of its merger with Realty Income Corporation; President and Chief Executive Officer of Cushman & Wakefield Inc., one of the world’s largest commercial real estate services companies; Chief Executive Officer of Centro Properties Group, an Australian public LPT that owned 22 million square feet of retail property in Australia and 100 million square feet in the U.S.; Chief Executive Officer of New Plan Excel Realty Trust, Inc.; and Chairman and CEO, and among the founders, of O’Connor Capital Partners.
Scott Schnuckel • ICSC Next Generation Trustee
Vice President, Property Development – Real Estate, Kohl’s, Inc., Menomonee Falls, WI, United States
Scott Schnuckel is Vice President of Property Development — Real Estate for Kohl’s, Inc., where he leads the real estate development and operations functions for the entire real estate life cycle. His role includes overseeing 1,200 properties and 100 million square feet of retail, distribution, and office property around the USA. He started his career at Kohl’s in 2006 as an intern and has held progressive roles since with increasing responsibilities in real estate and finance organizations. During his tenure in the real estate area at Kohl’s, the team has increasingly optimized the company’s portfolio, developing and advancing in the areas of small store concept expansion, downsizings, relocations, lease restructurings, excess property monetization and capital markets.
Scott is also an adjunct professor at Marquette University in their Center for Real Estate, ranked regularly among the top undergraduate commercial real estate programs in the country by U.S. News & World Report. At Marquette, he teaches the senior year case studies course to help prepare students for “real world” challenges in the development and real estate landscape. Scott earned his MBA from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with a focus in Financial Strategy.
Wendy Seher
EVP & Eastern Region President, Federal Realty Investment Trust, N. Bethesda, MD, United States
As Executive Vice President, Eastern Region President for Federal Realty Investment Trust, Wendy Seher is responsible for leading the leasing, development, and asset management teams for the company’s East Coast portfolio, which comprises over 18 million square feet of real estate from Boston to Miami, and Chicago. She also serves as a member of Federal’s executive and investment committees.
Wendy has more than 30 years of experience within the retail real estate industry. Prior to joining Federal in 2002, she was a principal with the J. Donegan Company, a Northern Virginia-based private real estate development company, where she managed new development leasing, third-party leasing, and tenant representation. Prior to this, she worked for Peterson Company and Fried Companies in a variety of leasing roles. Wendy earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from University of Maryland.
Eve Sembler • ICSC Next Generation Trustee
VP, Leasing, The Sembler Company, Saint Petersburg, FL, United States
Eve Sembler is Vice President of Leasing at The Sembler Company, a full-service commercial real estate firm with a portfolio of nearly 10 million square feet under leasing and management throughout the southeastern United States. Sembler received her BSBA from the Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis. Following her undergraduate degree, Sembler began her career with Brixmor Property Group in the National Accounts team focusing initially on Direct to Franchisee leasing and then transitioning to Peripheral Land Development, both based in New York City.
Sembler’s most recent position as Vice President of National Accounts with Brixmor Property Group, where she managed 90+ accounts and supported the marketing, negotiating and delivery of over 200 outparcel Leases across four regions, strategically positioned her to step into the Vice President of Leasing position with The Sembler Company.
Michael J. Shanahan
SVP, Real Estate, Construction, Store Planning, Store Design & Innovation, Burlington Stores Inc., Burlington, NJ, United States
Michael J. Shanahan is the Senior Vice President of Real Estate, Construction, Store Planning, Store Design & Innovation for Burlington Stores, Inc., since May 2022. He formerly served as the Senior Vice President of Real Estate, Construction and Lease Administration. Prior to his roles as SVP, he served as Vice President of Real Estate from 2009 to March 2019. From 2000 to 2008, Mr. Shanahan held various leadership roles in Real Estate, Construction and Facilities. He started his career at Burlington Stores in Operations where he held various positions of increasing responsibility before becoming part of the Store Development Team. In addition to his ICSC affiliation, Mr. Shanahan personally serves on the board of Run for ALD, Inc., a non-profit 501c3 that has donated over $265,000 to the Kennedy Krieger Institute for research efforts.
Johnny Siegel
Managing Member, Open Realty Advisors, Dallas, TX, United States
Mr. Siegel is a Managing Member of Open Realty Advisors. As a leader of Open’s tenant advisory business, Johnny is responsible for all aspects of Open clients’ retail rollout and asset management strategies. While being personally responsible for over a thousand lease transactions, Johnny managed the early growth phases for Restoration Hardware, J. Crew and Apple, taking Apple from zero stores to over 250 domestically and through its first ten stores in China and Hong Kong.
Prior to joining Open, Johnny honed his management and real estate skills during a period of explosive growth at Michaels Stores, Inc., where he was Director of Real Estate Legal Affairs and a Real Estate Director. Johnny began his business career practicing real estate and corporate law in Dallas for five years.
Johnny received a bachelor of business administration in Finance from The University of Texas at Austin and a Doctor of Jurisprudence from The University of Texas School of Law.
Arturo Sneider, CRX, CLS
Co-Founder & CEO, Primestor Development, Inc., Los Angeles, CA, United States
Arturo Sneider is the founding partner/CEO of Primestor Development, Inc. His responsibilities include acquisitions, project inception and design, capital structuring and corporate management. With a strong focus on largely underserved communities, Primestor’s diverse portfolio has maintained an approximate ninety-five percent occupancy rate in approximately eighty projects.
Since 1990, Mr. Sneider has acquired and transacted in dozens of properties and projects located in CA, IL, NV, FL and AZ, ranging in size and costs from under $1MM to over $100MM, with an aggregate cost basis of approximately seven hundred and fifty million dollars.
Mr. Sneider is a member of YPO, Board Member/Director of the LA County Capital Asset Leasing Corporation. He has been an advisor to the city of LA’s Economic Development Dept. as well as a board member of the city’s Development Industry Advisory Council. Mr. Sneider was born in Mexico City and resides in Los Angeles.
Anjee Solanki
National Director Retail Services, US, Colliers, San Francisco, CA, United States
In her current role as National Director, Retail Services and Practice Groups for the U.S., Anjee provides strategic leadership to more than 500 retail professionals nationally across 156 offices within Colliers, covering investment sales, agency, retailer representation and asset repositioning advisory services.
With more than thirty years of focused retail real estate experience and world-class expertise regarding everything retail, Anjee specializes in identifying current market and property inefficiencies to capture untapped value through asset repositioning, releasing, redevelopment and is well-versed in lifestyle, community, power center, neighborhood, mixed-use retail/residential and resort retail.
Previously, Anjee served as Executive Vice President, Retail Services for Madison Marquette. She successfully assisted with repositioning community centers to lifestyle projects and identified opportunities to create value, resulting in higher returns for her clients. She also provided strategic analyses on complex redevelopment projects to address each asset’s financial stabilization and/or every client’s exit strategy.
John (J.P.) Suarez
Former EVP, Chief Administration Officer & Regional CEO, Canada, Chile and Massmart, Walmart International, Bentonville, AR
JP Suarez retired from Walmart where he acted as the EVP, Chief Administration Officer and Regional CEO, Chile and Massmart for Walmart International. JP led the teams responsible for Technology, Supply Chain, Global Leverage and Supplier Relationship Management. He also served on the board of Massmart, Walmart’s publicly held subsidiary in South Africa. Prior to this role, JP was the President of Walmart’s Realty Division and was responsible for leading all of Walmart’s Realty functions, including site selection, prototype design, construction, store maintenance, fixture and equipment procurement and portfolio management. JP has also been responsible for Business Development in Walmart’s International Division and looked after M&A activities, real estate, and global format development. He has also been the General Counsel for Walmart International and U.S. Sam’s Club and was the SVP and Chief Compliance Officer and served as the interim CEO for Walmart Canada. JP served five years as a board member on the University of Pennsylvania Law School Board of Overseers.
JP’s previous experience includes serving as President Bush’s Assistant Administrator for Enforcement and Compliance at the EPA and as a federal prosecutor in New Jersey. He was also the Director of N.J. Division of Gaming, where he oversaw New Jersey’s casino industry. JP has a B.A. in English and Drama from Tufts University, as well as a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School where he served as an Articles Editor for the Law Review. JP is married and has three children.
James Taylor
ICSC Chairman, 2024 | CEO, Brixmor Property Group, New York, NY, United States
James “Jim” M. Taylor was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Brixmor Property Group in May 2016 and to the company’s Board of Directors in June 2016. Jim brings more than 20 years of experience in the commercial real estate industry.
Prior to Brixmor, Mr. Taylor served as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer for Federal Realty Investment Trust, where he was also responsible for sourcing and evaluating business development and strategic opportunities for Federal Realty’s east coast portfolio and for operational oversight of its southeast portfolio. Before Federal Realty, Mr. Taylor was a Senior Managing Director and the head of real estate investment banking at Eastdil Secured/Wells Fargo. Earlier in his career, Mr. Taylor practiced corporate and securities law at the law firm of Hunton & Williams LLP, with a focus on equity REITs, and worked as a senior accountant for PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.
Mr. Taylor is the Chairman of ICSC and serves on the Executive Board of Nareit. He is also a member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI).
Dana Telsey
CEO & Chief Research Officer, Telsey Advisory Group, New York, NY, United States
Dana Telsey is the CEO and Chief Research Officer of Telsey Advisory Group (TAG), which is a leading equity research, trade execution, investment banking and consulting firm focusing on the consumer space.
TAG, founded in 2006, is certified as a Woman-Owned Business Enterprise and the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council. During her 35-year career, Dana has developed expertise that spans across the U.S. and international consumer companies. In 2015, Dana founded Telsey Consumer Fund Management LP, an asset management firm that manages a consumer-focused long/short hedge fund. Prior to forming TAG, she was a Senior Managing Director at Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc. covering the retail sector and the Retail Analyst at C.J. Lawrence, as well as Vice President of the Baron Asset Fund at Baron Capital, Inc.
Ms. Telsey graduated from Hobart-William Smith Colleges with a B.A. degree in History and Spanish and received her M.B.A from Fordham University. Ms. Telsey has been recognized for the following: One of Barron’s 100 Most Influential Women in U.S. Finance (2020); Thomson Reuters award for “Number 1 Stock Picker for Multiline Retail” (2016); National Retail Federation: One of the 24 winners of The List of People Shaping Retail’s Future (2015); and Woman-Owned Brokerage of the Year by Traders Magazine (2014).
Joseph M. Tichar
Co-Founder, President & COO, Raider Hill Advisors, New York, NY, United States
Joseph M. Tichar is Co-Founder, President and COO of Raider Hill and is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of all company activities. A fourteen-year veteran of the retail real estate business, Mr. Tichar is widely recognized for his deep experience in operations, investments and asset management. Mr. Tichar is an ICSC Trustee and serves on the ICSC Foundation Board of Directors. In 2019, he was an ICSC 4 under 40 honoree, which recognizes the next generation of industry leaders.
Prior to Raider Hill, Mr. Tichar was Senior Vice President of Operations and Chief of Staff at DDR Corp. (now known as Site Centers) and served on the company’s investment, management, compensation and enterprise risk management committees. During his tenure at DDR (2008–2015), Mr. Tichar held various leadership positions and was actively involved in strategic planning, capital transactions, portfolio management, investor relations, capital markets, corporate communications, marketing and human resources. In 2016, he was a member of the interim senior management team at Brixmor Property Group.
Mr. Tichar received a BS in Business Management and Finance from Case Western Reserve University and has frequently been an industry panelist and guest speaker at Case Western Reserve University, Colgate University, Columbia University, Baruch College and NAIOP.
Mark Toro
Principal & Chief Vision Officer, Toro Development Company, LLC, Alpharetta, GA, United States
Mark Toro founded Atlanta-based Toro Development Company in 2021 to create value by building community. Previously, Mr. Toro cofounded and led the North American Properties Atlanta office where he oversaw $3.1 billion in real estate development, totaling 9.4 million square feet.
Mr. Toro currently serves on ICSC’s Board of Trustees and ULI’s Urban Development Mixed Use Gold Council, Midtown Alliance’s Board of Directors and the City of Refuge Board. He also serves on the Board of Directors of The ATL, a State authority that governs the expansion of public transportation in metro Atlanta. Before cofounding North American Properties’ Atlanta office in 1996, Mr. Toro served in several leadership positions with Faison and Cousins Properties. He has developed, redeveloped or repositioned more than 70 properties totaling almost 30 million square feet during his career. He attended Rutgers University, where he met his wife, Nancy.
Robert Whelan
CEO & Founder, PMAT Companies, New Orleans, LA, United States
Robert (Bob) Whelan is the Chief Executive Officer and founder of the PMAT Companies, a commercial real estate investment platform which is a fully integrated, development, leasing and asset management real estate company with primarily value-add grocery, discount, off-price and necessity anchored shopping centers. Prior to founding the PMAT Companies, Mr. Whelan was the Chief Financial Officer of an NYSE REIT. He began his career in Los Angeles, California, where he worked for both Price Waterhouse and Ernst & Young Kenneth Leventhal Real Estate Group.
Mr. Whelan is actively involved in community service. He has served as a commissioner for Recreation District #1 for the state of Louisiana and as a board member of the City of Miami Public Business Improvement District Board. He was also a board member of Next Generation which ministers to inner city high school students in the New Orleans metropolitan area and is a current board member of Northlake Christian School. He is currently enrolled in Seminary for a master’s in Practical Theology.
Stephen Yalof
President & CEO, Tanger Outlets, Greensboro, NC, United States
Stephen Yalof is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc., a leading operator of upscale, open-air outlet centers with 36 locations across 20 states and Canada. Steve joined in 2020 as President and Chief Operating Officer before succeeding Steven B. Tanger as CEO in 2021, bringing with him over 25 years of experience in the commercial real estate industry, with a primary focus on the retail space. He oversees the operations of the executive and senior leadership teams, emphasizing evolving the customer shopping experience, and sits on the board of directors.
Before joining Tanger Outlets, Steve served as the CEO of Simon Premium Outlets, where he drove forward the expansion and development of their real estate portfolio. He previously served as Senior Vice President of Real Estate for Ralph Lauren and Senior Director of Real Estate for The Gap, Inc. Steve serves on the board of directors for HeadCount and the advisory board for the Center for Real Estate & Urban Analysis (CREUA) at George Washington University, his alma mater, where he earned a B.S. in Business Administration.
Tabassum Zalotrawala
SVP & Chief Development Officer, McDonald’s USA, Chicago, IL, United States
As McDonald’s USA Senior Vice President and Chief Development Officer, Tabassum Zalotrawala leads the Restaurant Development team focused on accelerating the pace of McDonald’s restaurant openings, including the real estate, construction, facilities, architecture and strategy/analytics teams. Tabassum oversees the expansion of McDonald’s in the U.S. and manages the 13,000 U.S. McDonald’s restaurant portfolio.
Tabassum is an experienced senior executive who has advanced the strategic and global agendas of several world-class companies such as Chipotle Mexican Grill, Panda Restaurant Group and Arby’s. She works with the senior management teams to craft winning strategic plans, right geographic and market development plans to deliver the results to shareholders. Tabassum has experience leading initiatives for a variety of fast-casual, full-service and quick-service brands operating in major markets worldwide. Her background uniquely combines experience in interior design, architecture, real estate, construction, facilities, sourcing and asset management, allowing her to add value across the full range of development functions.
Tabassum’s bachelor’s and master’s degrees in fine arts are complemented by extensive executive education. She completed the Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program. Additionally, she is a LEED-accredited professional. Tabassum was honored with the Exceptional Women Awardee award in 2020 and serves on the Board of Directors of Diamond Rock Hospitality Company. She is involved in non-profit work as a sponsor for Sahiyo, is active with The National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD), serves on the board of the Pacific Southwest Chapter and is a certified Board Leadership Fellow.
Robin Zeigler
Founder & CEO, MURAL Real Estate Partners, New York, NY, United States
Robin Zeigler is Founder & CEO of MURAL Real Estate Partners. MURAL focuses on mixed-use developments in underserved markets. She was formerly Chief Operating Officer for Cedar Realty Trust, where she began in March 2016 and was responsible for the operations of the fully integrated real estate investment trust’s nine million square feet of grocery-anchored shopping centers as well as the redevelopment of its mixed-use assets. Prior to joining Cedar, Ms. Zeigler served as Executive Vice President and Head of Operations at Penzance, a Washington, D.C.–based commercial real estate investment company since January 2015. From 2004 to 2015, Ms. Zeigler worked at Federal Realty Investment Trust as Chief Operating Officer for the Mid-Atlantic Region, responsible for the operations of a portfolio of over 40 shopping centers and 5 mixed-use projects representing approximately 7.3 million square feet and for providing oversight and strategic direction on mixed-use development and redevelopment projects in the region.
Ms. Zeigler holds a BS in Accounting from Florida A&M University and an MBA from Georgia State University. Robin is on the board of directors for three public companies: Jones Lang LaSalle Income Property Trust, RLJ Lodging Trust and NETSTREIT. In addition to being an ICSC Trustee, she serves on the board of the ICSC Foundation as well as an ICSC Foundation Mentor. Ms. Zeigler is a member of the ULI Commercial and Real Estate Development Gold Council and a former board member of Commercial Real Estate Development Association (NAIOP) Maryland/DC Chapter.