Angele Robinson-Gaylord
ICSC Chairman, 2025 | 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.
John (J.P.) Suarez
ICSC Vice Chairman, 2025 | Former EVP, Regional CEO & CAO, Walmart (retired), Coral Gables, FL, United States
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.
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, Utah, United States
Jeff Edison co-founded Phillips Edison & Company and has served as a principal since 1995. He currently serves as Chairman and CEO. From 1991 to 1995, he was employed by NationsBank’s South Charles Realty Corporation, serving as a Senior Vice President from 1993 until 1995 and as a Vice President from 1991 until 1993. Jeff was employed by Morgan Stanley Realty Incorporated from 1987 until 1990 and The Taubman Company from 1984 until 1987.
Jeff serves on the ICSC Executive Board and ICSC Board of Trustees. He also serves on Nareit’s Advisory Board of Governors and is a board member of the Utah Chapter of The Nature Conservancy. Jeff earned a BA in mathematics and economics from Colgate University in 1982 and an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1984.
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.
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.
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.
Michael J. Shanahan
Managing Partner, MJS RE Consulting, Tabernacle, NJ, United States
Mr. Shanahan is a seasoned real estate executive with extensive experience in the Fortune 500 retail sector. Decades of retail and commercial real estate industry experience led to the creation of MJS RE Consulting whereby Mr. Shanahan provides strategic guidance and expertise to help his clients achieve their revenue, growth and operating goals. Until 2024, Mr. Shanahan was Senior Vice President of Real Estate at Burlington Stores, where he played a key role in expanding the company’s physical footprint and revenues. He led nationwide teams managing real estate, construction, design, store planning, and lease administration, overseeing more than 1,000 stores as well as several corporate offices and distribution centers.
Mr. Shanahan developed a data-driven, scalable real estate strategy that helped Burlington expand rapidly while optimizing P&L performance. His leadership in transforming the asset portfolio, transitioning to an internally managed leasing function, and deploying real estate management platforms contributed to significant operational efficiencies. He was also an influential voice in industry discussions, serving on the Executive Board of ICSC) and the ICSC+ OAC Planning Committee.
A graduate of The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Mr. Shanahan has further executive education in strategy, finance, data analytics, and AI.
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.
James Taylor
ICSC Past 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 served as 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 (2020-2024); RETHINK Retail “Top Retail Experts of 2024”; WWD “25 Most Inspirational Women in Business” (2022): Crain’s New York Business 2022 list of “Notable Women in Business”; Crain’s New York 2021 list of “Notable Women Business Owners”; Crain’s New York 2021 list of “Notable Women on Wall Street”; 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).