26th Real Estate Private Equity Summit: West

Puja Sohi is a visionary CEO and co-founder of Core Family Office, where she combines her extensive experience in relationship management with her financial expertise to provide outstanding financial advisory services to families and business owners. With a deep commitment to her clients and a proven track record of success, Puja is a respected leader in the financial industry.

Before founding Core Family Office, Puja worked with reputable institutions such as Washington Mutual and Bank of America, where she developed the skills to build and maintain strong relationships with clients. Her unwavering dedication to providing strategic and personalized financial guidance has earned her the trust of countless families and business owners.

Puja's financial expertise spans a broad range of topics, but she has a particular passion for promoting fiscal responsibility and tax education for future generations. Her insights and guidance have helped her clients navigate complex financial challenges and achieve their long-term goals with confidence.

Beyond her work, Puja enjoys spending quality time with her family and her furry companions. She has a love for poker, dance, and music, and she is committed to giving back to the community through her involvement in free meal service at her favorite temples.

Overall, Puja Sohi is an innovative and inspiring leader in the financial industry, with a reputation for delivering exceptional results for her clients. Her unwavering commitment to excellence, combined with her passion for helping families and business owners achieve financial success, make her a truly exceptional professional.

Melissa Gutierrez-Sullivan serves as a Vice President, Head of Environmental, Social, and Governance at CIM Group®. In this position she is responsible for creating and maintaining a comprehensive ESG plan for CIM, setting related goals for the organization and managing ESG reporting and communication.

Prior to joining CIM, Ms. Gutierrez-Sullivan served as a Vice President of Cushman & Wakefield’s Global Occupier Services Sustainability and Wellness Practice, where she led the Southern California region and collaborated on a wide range of sustainability related programs. She also co-founded the Los Angeles-based Women in Green networking group.

Ms. Gutierrez-Sullivan earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature and Culture from University of California, Los Angeles. She is a LEED Accredited Professional, WELL Faculty, WELL Accredited Professional and a Fitwel Ambassador.

Howard Kozloff is a Principal and the founder of Agora Partners. With over twenty years of consulting and development experience, Howard works both nationally and internationally at the intersection of urban planning and real estate development, or entrepreneurial planning. He identifies and creates value-add opportunities in urban environments by providing solutions for challenging real estate scenarios. With experience as both principal and advisor, Howard works across asset types, geographies, and scales with public agencies and municipalities, developers, private landowners, private equity funds, family offices, commercial and investment banks, and philanthropic funds.

Past positions that Howard held prior to Agora Partners include management and leadership roles with boutique entrepreneurial firms, large public REITs, and institutional funds. These include Director of HH Development Strategies and Director of Operations at Hart Howerton, an international planning and design firm; Development Manager at both The Martin Group and Macerich (MAC), both Southern California-based real estate firms focused on urban infill and retail development, respectively; and Project Manager at BRV Corp., a placemaking consulting firm  that creates, redevelops, and operates parks, public spaces, neighborhood streetscapes, and the public realms of mixed-use developments.

Howard holds a Master of Urban Planning from Harvard University, a Master of Science in Real Estate Development from Columbia University, and a dual Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies and Design of the Environment from the University of Pennsylvania. Howard previously served as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University, and the University of Southern California. In addition, he has published over 50 articles and dozens of speaking engagements in the areas of opportunistic planning and urban redevelopment.

Jonathan J. Barach, President and Co-Managing Partner of Vista, oversees all investment activities of the firm and is responsible for its growth. Prior to founding Vista, Jonathan was a Manager at Barclays Capital Real Estate in Los Angeles where he originated debt financing for institutional private equity funds and local operators including CMBS, mezzanine, bridge, and JV equity structures. Previously, he was an Associate at FTI Consulting in their downtown LA office, a publicly-traded turnaround, valuation, and distressed advisory firm. Jonathan is also a Chartered Financial Analyst. 

The principals directly oversee all investment functions, including acquisition, due diligence, financing, asset management and disposition, and commit their own capital to every deal.

Pete Kutzer is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Edgewood Realty Partners, and is the founder and President of The Kutzer Company (TKC). Mr. Kutzer received a B.A. in Economics with High Honors from the University of California at Berkeley, and an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School. Mr. Kutzer was formerly employed in the real estate investment banking group at Morgan Stanley & Co. in Los Angeles. Mr. Kutzer is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers, the Urban Land Institute, serves on the Board of Directors of Muse/Ique, and as Vice President of the South Pasadena Preservation Foundation. Mr. Kutzer has held leadership positions on numerous boards and charitable organizations, including the Armory Center for the Arts, the Institutional Review Board of Huntington Memorial Hospital, Young & Healthy, and as President of the Board of Education of the South Pasadena Unified School District. He is also actively involved in youth athletics.

Mr. Yarmolinsky serves as the Chief Financial Officer for Pacific Urban Investors. Mr. Yarmolinsky previously served as the Chief Executive Officer of Hanover Real Estate Investors and before that as the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Marcus & Millichap Company (MMC), Pacific’s parent company.  He has been with MMC since 2005 and was responsible for overseeing their finance function, including real estate finance, accounting, taxation and treasury.  Beyond his executive responsibilities, Mr. Yarmolinsky has served on MMC’s Board of Directors and Investment Committee since 2010. Prior to joining Marcus and Millichap Company, Mr. Yarmolinsky worked in public accounting at Burr, Pilger and Mayer, where he began his career in 1999. He received his Bachelor’s degree from the University of San Francisco and holds a Master of Science from Golden Gate University. Mr. Yarmolinsky is a Certified Public Accountant (inactive) and a full member of ULI. He also serves on Tax Committees for The Real Estate Roundtable and NMHC.