Speaker Profiles

Sally Stocks is the Real Estate Senior Portfolio Manager of the California State Teachers’ Retirement System, the largest educator-only pension fund in the world. In her role, Stocks provides real estate investment expertise to CalSTRS staff and the Teachers’ Retirement Board; executes the board’s Real Estate Investment Policy; shares expertise on Real Estate Portfolio management strategies; represents CalSTRS on advisory boards, industry governance councils and forums; and is a member of CalSTRS’ senior leadership team. Stocks joined CalSTRS as a Real Estate Portfolio Manager in 2021, most recently focusing on retail / mixed-use assets. She also oversees the Emerging Manager / Small Cap program and the REOC (Real Estate Operating Company) investments. Additionally, Stocks is focused on furthering ESG and DEI objectives within CalSTRS. Stocks was named Senior Portfolio Manager in 2024. Before joining CalSTRS, Stocks worked in the private sector, most recently as a Managing Director at Invesco in San Francisco working with clients such as CalSTRS, the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS), State of Nevada, and QSuper. She has been consistently active in the real estate industry with notable organizations, such as the Pension Real Estate Association and Urban Land Institute. Stocks earned a bachelor’s degree from Occidental College in Los Angeles. She has a long history of commitment to nonprofit and community organizations with a focus on supporting women and children. She recently served a six-year term as a board member and development chair for SF CASA, a non-profit group supporting foster children. She has served as a member of the Marin Women’s Commission and was elected a school board trustee for eight years in Marin County. 

Mike Gatto, a former California State Assembly Member and current overseer of LACERA's $75 billion retirement fund, boasts a career marked by legislative prowess and legal victories. With eight successful elections and four terms in the Assembly, he chaired influential committees, shaping policy in consumer protection, privacy, and utilities. Gatto authored 55 laws, including significant legislation, showcasing expertise in government finance, technology, and cybersecurity.

Gatto's commitment to public service extends to various roles in congressional and mayoral administrations, alongside active participation in boards and educational institutions. Mike also remains dedicated to community and family life in Southern California.

Justin Pattner (San Francisco) joined KKR in 2011 to help form KKR's Real Estate Platform. He is the Head of Real Estate Equity in the Americas and oversees all aspects of the business, including acquisitions, asset management and fundraising. He sits on KKR's Real Estate Investment and Portfolio Management Committees across both Equity and Credit products in the Americas. Prior to joining KKR, Mr. Pattner was at Eton Park Capital Management where he focused on real estate and real estate related opportunities. Prior to Eton Park, he worked at Lehman Brothers in the real estate private equity group (LBREP) as well as at Lubert Adler Partners. Mr. Pattner graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania where he received a B.A. in Economics. Mr. Pattner is currently a member of the Urban Land Institute and the Fisher Center's Policy Advisory Board.

Cary Carpenter is a Managing Director of commercial real estate, capital markets, trading and syndication at Starwood Property Trust. In this role, Mr. Carpenter is responsible for pricing, structuring and capital commitments for the acquisition and sale of CRE debt for Starwood Property Trust. He also manages the financing and sale of whole loans, as well as warehouse lines for the company.

Prior to joining Starwood Property Trust in 2010, Mr. Carpenter was a Partner at Coastal Capital Partners, where he managed the acquisition of performing, sub-performing and non-performing CRE debt. As an Executive Vice President with Countrywide Commercial Real Estate Finance, Cary was responsible for the pricing, structuring and sale of all fixed and floating rate high-yield commercial real estate debt. Before that, Mr. Carpenter served his initial stint at Coastal Capital Partners, where his responsibilities included client development and capital raising for third parties. Before that, he was a Managing Director for Precept Corp., an online marketplace for CRE financing, with responsibilities including business and product development, and capital raising. Prior to that, he was a Vice President of Structured Finance at Nomura Asset Capital, a Senior Consultant in Deloitte and Touche’s real estate capital markets group, an Assistant Treasurer in Toyo Trust and Bank’s real estate finance group, and a Project Designer for both The SWA Group and Sasaki Associates.

Cary received an M.S. in real estate development and finance from Columbia University, and a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from Kansas State University.

David Pringle is an Executive Director at Morgan Stanley Real Estate Investing (MSREI) and leads acquisitions efforts for the Western US. Prior to Morgan Stanley, Mr. Pringle was a Director at GTIS Partners, where he was based in New York and was responsible for sourcing, analyzing, underwriting and diligencing investment opportunities primarily for the firm's US business. Previously, Mr. Pringle was a Senior Analyst in the Real Estate Principal Investment Area (REPIA) at Goldman Sachs, based in London. Prior to Goldman Sachs, Mr. Pringle was an Analyst at Citigroup in the firm's Global Capital Markets division, based in London. Mr. Pringle received an M.B.A. from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, and a B.A. in International Relations from Stanford University.

Matt Kaczmarek, Managing Director, is Head of Private Debt Market Strategy and Sustainable Investing at BlackRock and co-head of BlackRock’s Los Angeles office. He leads a team responsible for innovation, expansion, and oversight of investment strategies, capabilities, and solutions to deliver the growing breadth of opportunities in private debt to global institutional and retail investors. The sustainable investing team brings BlackRock’s leadership in sustainable and transition investing to deliver innovative sustainable investment solutions, market-leading ESG integration, and technology-powered sustainability data and reporting. Matt also co-chairs the firm’s Out & Allies LGBTQ+ employee network in the Americas.

Prior to joining BlackRock, Matt held senior economic policy appointments in the White House under former U.S. President Obama and at the Departments of State and the Treasury. Matt has taught on the faculty of NYU’s Wagner School and advised eight major candidate and issue campaigns, including as chief economic policy advisor to a leading 2020 U.S. presidential campaign.

Matt serves on the board of directors of the UCLA Alumni Association, the campaign board of the national LGBTQ Victory Fund, and is a member of the Pacific Council on International Policy and the Council on Foreign Relations. Matt received his BA from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he was president of the University of California Student Association, and MA from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), where he was editor-in-chief of the SAIS Review of International Affairs.

Avneet Kaur is a Managing Partner of Core Investment Capital, a Los Angeles-based investment firm that specializes in real estate and other alternative investments. She is also a Co-Founder of Core Family Office, a virtual family office that provides comprehensive financial services to clients.

Avneet grew up in India in a military family with a long history of service. She moved to the United States as a high school student and graduated from UCLA with honors. After weathering the Wall Street meltdown while working at Lehman Brothers in 2008, she returned to Los Angeles and started her own business at the age of 28.

In addition to her work at Core Investment Capital, Avneet is also a Co-Founder and CFO of Core Family Office, a virtual family office that provides a wide range of financial services to clients, including wealth and retirement advising, commercial and residential real estate investment and sales, insurance, tax planning, mortgages, financing, lending, private and hard money, and business advisory.

With her extensive experience in the financial industry, Avneet is a sought-after speaker and commentator on topics related to investing and finance. She is also actively involved in philanthropic work, supporting a number of charities and non-profit organizations in the Los Angeles area.

Ryan is a managing director in Real Estate within Goldman Sachs Asset Management, primarily responsible for the acquisition, asset management and disposition of commercial real estate equity investments. He also serves as an observer on the Asset & Wealth Management Private Real Estate Investment Committee. Ryan joined Goldman Sachs in 2013 as an associate and was named managing director in 2021.

Prior to joining the firm, Ryan was a manager at Healthpeak, a fully-integrated healthcare-focused real estate investment trust based in California, where he was focused on acquisitions. Prior to joining Healthpeak, he worked as an associate at UBS Investment Bank in the Global Healthcare Group.

Ryan earned a BA in Economics from Bucknell University in 2005.

Ms. Williams is a managing director and product specialist for Oaktree’s Real Estate strategies. She also oversees the real estate product specialist team. In these capacities, Ms. Williams and her team are responsible for various aspects of real estate product marketing, investor relations and product development. Prior to joining Oaktree in 2021, Ms. Williams was a managing partner and owner responsible for business development, finance and operations for Uncomn Projects, a real estate focused marketing and consulting company. Prior thereto, she was with J.P. Morgan Chase as an executive director in real estate banking. Before that, Ms. Williams was with PNC Bank as a senior vice president and California market manager for real estate banking. Ms. Williams began her career with Wells Fargo as a vice president and relationship manager in the real estate group. Ms. Williams received a B.S. in business administration with a concentration in real estate finance from the University of Southern California.

Dara Friedman is a Managing Director and Portfolio Manager of the BentallGreenOak U.S. Core Plus Fund. In addition to her portfolio management responsibilities, she focuses on new product development efforts and U.S. acquisition strategies throughout the platform.

Dara joined the firm as Senior Vice President and Co-Portfolio Manager of the U.S. Strategic Value Fund from Morgan Stanley Real Estate Advisors in 2017. At Morgan Stanley, Dara executed over $2 billion of real estate acquisitions through various asset classes, including office, multifamily, nonperforming loans, land development, and hospitality.

Prior to Morgan Stanley, Dara was an investment associate within the Structured Finance Group at CapitalSource Finance and an analyst in the Real Estate Investment Banking Group at Banc of America Securities.

Dara holds an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and a bachelor’s degree in philosophy, politics, and economics from the University of Pennsylvania.

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.

Steve Stuart is a Managing Director at Fortress Investment Group and is Head of New Business Origination for the Credit and Real Estate team.  Mr. Stuart was one of the partners who started this business in 2002.  In addition, he started a Fortress sponsored PE firm and returned to Fortress as a partner in 2016.  Prior to Fortress, he worked in the real estate groups at Deutsche Bank and Goldman Sachs, where he started his career in 1986 working in several areas of asset-based financing and securitization including loan pool purchases from banks, insurance companies and the RTC.

Daniel Palmieri (Los Angeles) joined KKR in 2022 and is a member of the Real Estate Equity team. Mr. Palmieri oversees investment activity in the western region for the firm’s U.S. real estate funds. Prior to joining KKR, Mr. Palmieri spent ten years with Northwood Investors, where he focused on investments across asset types in the Western U.S. During his tenure, Mr. Palmieri was also responsible for investment activity and management of the company's mixed-use platform nationally. Prior to Northwood Investors, he began his career at CIM Group, working in the real estate and infrastructure groups. Mr. Palmieri graduated from the University of Southern California's Marshall School of Business. He is a member of Urban Land Institute (Urban Development & Mixed Use Council) and is an active member of the University of Washington's Runstad Advisory Board.

Justin Chausse is a Managing Director with Invesco Real Estate. In this role, he is responsible for sourcing and structuring senior and mezzanine loans across all property types for the commercial real estate credit lines of business with a primary focus on the Western Region. Justin began his investment career in 2006 and joined Invesco Real Estate in 2020. Prior to joining IRE, Justin was a senior vice president on the originations team at Starwood Property Trust (“STWD”), first based in New York City and later in Los Angeles, where for seven years he sourced and underwrote prospective commercial lending opportunities, as well as analyzed acquiring sub-performing and performing commercial real estate loan portfolios and securities. Prior to STWD, while in graduate school in Washington, D.C., he worked at Beacon Capital Partners, focusing on asset management. Justin started his career in the real estate industry working at Anglo Irish Bank in Boston for four years, initially focusing on analyzing commercial property acquisitions and senior loan originations, and later focusing on capital stack restructurings and loan workouts. Justin earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Providence College and a Master of Business Administration from the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University.

Rachel is based in Houston and is responsible for business development, marketing activities and managing a growing originations team.

She began her career at Reliant Energy, a Houston based provider of electricity and smart energy services. As a Marketing Manager, she spent 12 years working with customers and consultants managing commodity price risk through electricity contracts in Texas and the Northeast. Most recently, Rachel led a national business development team for NRG Energy, a Fortune 200 energy company, where along with her team, she pursued partnerships for onsite/offsite solar, wind, community solar, energy efficiency and combined heat and power systems with Fortune 500 clients. Additionally, she worked with strategic partner firms in the energy efficiency sector to develop and implement sales acquisition strategies for thermal energy storage and evaporative pre-cooling solutions for utility programs in California.

Rachel graduated with honors from Texas A&M University with a BBA in Marketing.

Farshad Morè is a partner in Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher’s Century City office and is a member of the firm’s Real Estate Department. Mr. Morè’s real estate practice experience includes representation of opportunity and private equity funds, REITs, institutional and non-institutional real estate investors, developers and operators, lenders and borrowers in a broad range of matters, including acquisition, development, financing and disposition of commercial real estate of all asset types, including vacant land, hotels, residential, office, multi-family, retail and mixed-use buildings, shopping centers, and other commercial and residential properties throughout the United States; acquisition and disposition of debt instruments secured by, and equity interests in, real property; complex construction, permanent, securitized, mezzanine, preferred equity and participating financing, including Shari’ah-compliant financings and financings under the EB-5 Investor program; forming and representing joint ventures, limited liability companies, general and limited partnerships, and negotiating joint venture agreements for operating and capital partners; ground leasing and ground leasehold financing. Additionally, Mr. Morè routinely advises and represents clients in connection with restructuring and “work-outs” of existing financing, as well as uniform commercial code and real estate foreclosures.

Allison H. Kidd is a partner in the San Francisco office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, and a member of the firm’s Real Estate Practice Group. Allison’s practice includes a wide variety of commercial real estate transactions. She represents private equity funds, institutional and non-institutional real estate investors, REITs, developers and operators in all areas of real estate, including acquisitions, permanent and construction financing (mortgage and mezzanine), joint ventures, dispositions and work-outs.

Cory is Senior Director, Originations, overseeing Nuveen Green Capital’s West Coast originations efforts in California, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, and Montana.

Prior to joining Nuveen Green Capital, Cory was with Bank OZK (formerly Bank of the Ozarks), where he spent eight years as a team leader on the West Coast, originating over $6B of construction, bridge, and note financing for the commercial real estate market. In addition to being a top originator, Cory was selected to lead the Bank OZK associate training program, where training and mentoring commercial real estate professionals became a passion of his.

Cory also has lending experience from CIT and Arab Jordan Investment Bank, and he has accumulated over $7B in real estate transaction experience over the course of his career.

Cory received his bachelor’s degree in international studies from the University of California, San Diego. 

Philip Rosen is Co-Head of the Firm’s Real Estate practice and the Firm’s Infrastructure practice. Philip is a leading authority in the mergers and acquisitions of real estate companies, both public and private and both as part of restructurings and not. He is also one of the top real estate finance lawyers and has long been considered one of the leading lawyers in the debt restructuring space. He is one of the top private equity lawyers in the property arena, representing numerous private equity and hedge funds and institutions in their larger and more complicated transactions. Philip also has a top reputation in a broad spectrum of other transaction areas, including real estate investment trusts, joint ventures and property and debt portfolio acquisitions. He also heads the Firm’s renowned hospitality and gaming practices. Finally, he is one of the country’s leading authorities on doing business in the Middle East.

Philip is recognized as a leading lawyer for Real Estate: Corporate in New York by Chambers USA, where he is described as “unbelievably experienced…a smart, sophisticated lawyer” and “a master negotiator with great relationships.” He has also been recognized as “a great adviser and a highly respected figure” and described as a “world class lawyer” with “an understanding of the markets and a good grasp of the business repercussions in addition to the legal ramifications” in Chambers USA. Philip is recognized as a “Notable Practitioner” for Real Estate Acquisitions and Real Estate Finance in the U.S. by IFLR1000. He is also recommended for Real Estate and REITs by Legal 500 US and has been designated a “Best Lawyer” for Real Estate Law in New York by Best Lawyers in America and a New York Super Lawyer since 2006. Philip was named a 2017 Real Estate “MVP” by Law360 noting his successes in major real estate transactions. Additionally, he has been recognized as a leading lawyer based abroad for Corporate/M&A in Israel by Chambers Global.

Philip serves as an Adjunct Professor at the Sy Syms School of Business at Yeshiva University, where he is teaching a course entitled “Titans of Real Estate.” He is a member of the Board of Trustees of Yeshiva University in New York, Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of Yeshiva College in New York and Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of Birthright Israel Foundation. In 2018, he received an honorary doctorate from Yeshiva University.

Mr. Roth is a Co-Founder and Managing Partner of 3650 REIT and is responsible for the identification and evaluation of investment opportunities as well as the formulation and implementation of best practices for the identification, structuring, documentation and management of all investment opportunities.  Mr. Roth brings almost 40 years of experience and expertise in investment management with a focus on the origination, structuring and management of debt and equity facilities secured by real estate.  Previously, Mr. Roth served as President of Canyon Partners Real Estate LLC, where he oversaw the management of Canyon Partners’ real estate investment arm.  During his 18 year tenure at Canyon, Mr. Roth was instrumental in the building of a fully integrated investment advisor as well as the formation and the investment activities of several investment vehicles, including the Canyon-Johnson Urban Funds, the Value Mortgage Separate Account platform, the Canyon Multifamily Impact Fund and the Canyon Catalyst Fund investing approximately $5.6 billion in over 200 transactions.  An expert in complex commercial, land, retail, office, hospitality, condominium and multifamily transactions and portfolios, Mr. Roth directly led the acquisition and origination teams for Canyon and served on the investment committees for many of the Canyon platforms.   Prior to joining Canyon, Mr. Roth was a Partner at the international law firm of Loeb & Loeb and specialized in all aspects of real estate transactions with an emphasis on structuring, documentation and negotiation of complex finance, restructuring, disposition and acquisitions that excelled particularly during periods of distress.  Mr. Roth has served on multiple philanthropic boards and works with several leading medical institutions including the USC Center for Applied Molecular Medicine, UCLA Medical Center and Cedars Sinai Hospital. Mr. Roth currently sits on the Board of Governors for Cedars Sinai Hospital and the Ronald Reagan Medical Center Board.

Mr. Roth holds a B.A. in English Literature from UCLA, and a J.D. from Loyola Law School.

​With over two decades of insurance experience, John Vipiana currently serves as the Senior Vice President and Real Estate Practice Leader at Heffernan Insurance Brokers. Specializing in addressing the risk management and insurance needs of Real Estate Professionals nationwide, including owners, managers, and developers, John is dedicated to guiding his clients through the complexities of property valuations, liability exposures, and regulatory compliance within a rapid changing market.

Having previously owned a retail insurance brokerage before joining HIB, he brings a unique perspective to fostering strong client relationships and understanding diverse client needs.

Outside of the office, you’ll often find John on a bike. He is an avid cyclist with an impressive 30 years in category one.

Douglas A. Praw - is a partner in Holland & Knight's Los Angeles and Century City offices and serves as the West Coast Real Estate Practice Group Leader. His practice focuses on commercial real estate, including the representation of public and private REITs, public companies, commercial banks, hedge funds, private equity groups, educational institutions, and family office investors in connection with the acquisition, sale, development, leasing, ground leasing, and financing of a variety of asset classes, including office buildings, mixed-use projects, hotels, sports and entertainment districts, medical office buildings, multifamily and residential developments, industrial parks and retail centers. He also provides strategic advice on various public financing and public infrastructure projects.

For his extensive experience in a wide range of real estate and public finance matters, Mr. Praw has been selected for inclusion in Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business and has been recognized as one of the top "40 Under 40" most successful and youngest stars of the Southern California real estate industry. Mr. Praw has also written articles published in American City & County magazine, Water Impact, The California Real Estate Journal, Western Real Estate Business and Builder and Developer.

Zihao Wang is the Founder and CEO of Motiva Holdings, a real estate private equity firm that specializes in lower middle-market multifamily investments across the US. At MH, Zihao manages over $0.5B AUM and leads the acquisition and development processes, ensuring that each investment aligns with the firm's strategic vision and delivers optimal returns for investors. 

Zihao attended MIT and is actively involved in the Urban Land Institute (ULI), National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC), and other real estate associations.

As Director of ESG at Harrison Street, Stephanie manages the Firm’s strategy on climate risk, decarbonization, and ESG reporting for investment entities. She is also responsible for internal change management and procedures to mitigate climate-related risks and capture opportunities. Stephanie is also a leader on the Firm’s AI Committee. Before joining Harrison Street, Stephanie was a sustainability management consultant and guided real estate private equity clients to design and manage leading sustainability programs. Before entering the sustainable finance industry, Stephanie was an Assistant Director at the Institute for the Built Environment at Colorado State University, where managed research projects focused on organizational change management, green building design and construction, and stakeholder engagement. Stephanie has published numerous academic papers and holds professional accreditations in LEED, integrative planning, and sustainability accounting standards. She has a Bachelor of Science in Design from Oklahoma State University and a Master of Science in Sustainable Design from Colorado State University.