National Forums

Be a part of NAIOP's flagship program for exclusive networking and experience exchange.

National Forums Groups

The National Forums are chaired by a prestigious group of industry leaders. A list of the existing Forums and the 2024 National Forums Leadership follows. (Based on members' interest, new National Forums are created from time to time.)

National Forums Chair
Ashley Grigsby

Managing Director, Capital Markets
Transwestern

General Forums

All NAIOP members with a minimum of 10 years related experience are eligible to apply for an appointment to these Forums.

Open to members actively involved in buying or selling, lending or borrowing for commercial real estate properties. More than 50 percent of members will be developers, owners or investors.

Capital Markets 1 Forum

Peter Brockelman (Chair)
Bar Harbor Bank & Trust – Princeton, Massachusetts

William Flynn (Vice Chair)
Net Lease Capital Advisors – Nashua, New Hampshire

Capital Markets 2 Forum

Jeff Dillon (Chair)
Van Trust Real Estate, LLC – Columbus, Ohio

Derek Fohl (Vice Chair)
Newmark – Chicago, Illinois

Capital Markets 3 Forum

Brian C. Richards (Chair)
Beacon Partners – Charlotte, North Carolina

Joel Traut (Vice Chair)
KKR – New York, New York

Capital Markets 4 Forum

Britton Burdette (Chair)
JLL Capital Markets – Atlanta, Georgia

Ashley Grigsby (Chair)
Transwestern – Houston, Texas

Bradley Nicklin (Chair)
Baker Tilly US, LLP – Madison, Wisconsin

Capital Markets 5 Forum

Trent A. Agnew (Co-Chair)
JLL Capital Markets – Houston, Texas

Ryan M. Collins (Co-Chair)
East Group Properties – Los Angeles, California

New forum description coming soon.

Drawing from both a diverse geographical and product type expertise, members bring experience in all aspects of real estate investment from research, architecture, development, construction, leasing, debt & equity capital markets, investment sales, and investment management. Both open and led discussions focus on changes and challenges encountered in the marketplace by members, best practices, professional and personal development, and specialized education related to distinct sectors of the industry.

Rivka Altman (Co-chair)
Invesco Real Estate– Dallas, Texas

David Grissom (Co-chair)
Vertex Investments – Lakewood, Colorado

Maria Poyer (Chair)
Amazon.com – Seattle, Washington

Matthias Trizna (Vice Chair)
CRG – Chicago, Illionis

Drew Zaborowski (Vice Chair)
avenue 55 – Seattle, Washington

Open to members actively involved in the development, design and operation of new generation retail distribution facilities. (More than 50 percent of members will be developers, owners or investors).

E-commerce 1 Forum

Adam Herrin (Chair)
Urban Logistics Realty – Dallas, Texas

E-commerce 2 Forum

Matt Laraway (Chair)
Chesapeake Real Estate Group, LLC – Hanover, Maryland

Jeff Devine (Vice Chair)
Colliers – Rosemont, Illinois

E-commerce 3 Forum

Jon Arita (Co-Chair)
Terracon – Fort Worth, Texas

Jay Todisco (Co-chair)
Ware Malcomb – Irvine, California

Comprised primarily of developers and owners of office, industrial, retail, and mixed-use real estate properties with portfolios from 1 to 50 million square feet. Through case analysis and discussion, members share and develop strategies to identify new opportunities, mitigate risk, and overcome organizational challenges. All market sizes are represented with a number of members having extensive experience in secondary and tertiary markets. The Forum is diverse in terms of age with membership ranging from mid-career professionals to seasoned industry veterans. The different age demographics in this group creates a dynamic environment where each generation brings different skills and talents to the table.

Steve Chaky (Chair)
SC Consulting – San Clemente, California

New forum description coming soon.

Kaitlin N. Goetzman (Co-Chair)
The Brookdale Group – Atlanta, Georgia

Ben Hester (Co-Chair)
Lost Coast Partners – Cardiff, California

Issac Metzger (Co-Chair)
Grosvenor America – Washington, D.C.

National Industrial Perspectives 1 Forum

Karen Guthrie (Co-chair)
BentallGreenOak – San Francisco, California

Dustin Voltz (Co-chair)
JLL – Dallas, Texas

National Industrial Perspectives 2 Forum

Evan Lippow (Chair)
CenterPoint Properties – Saddle Brook, New Jersey

Grant Matthews (Co-chair)
Link Logistics Real Estate – Dallas, Texas

National Industrial Perspectives 3 Forum

Christiaan Coetzee (Chair)
CT Realty Investors – Newport Beach, California

Whitney Zimmermann (Co-chair)
Hines – New York, New York

National Industrial Perspectives 4 Forum

Eliza Bachhuber (Co-chair)
CBRE – Dallas, Texas

Jordan Nathan (Co-chair)
Faropoint – Chicago, Illinois

Drew Richardson (Chair)
Primera Companies – Dallas, Texas

Marc Rasmussen (Co-chair)
Link Logistics Real Estate – Irvine, California

Alexander Verbeten (Co-chair)
Travelers – Woodbury, Minnesota

The United States is witnessing a resurgence in the redevelopment of single use properties into mixed-use, pedestrian friendly developments fueled by demographic trends indicating demand for dense, walkable communities. This forum focuses on opportunities and challenges surrounding redevelopment in both urban and suburban environments. The majority of members consist of developers, owners, and investors, with the balance made up of other professionals typically engaged in this type of complex commercial development.

Kristen Fish-Peterson (Chair)
Redevelopment Resources – Madison, Wisconsin

The Technology in the Built Environment Forum will be open to owners and other professionals who play a strategic role in the selection, integration and adoption of CRE related technology. The goal of the Forum will be to establish best practices in: utilizing technology; becoming an effective adopter; managing risk; and overcoming obstacles to replacing underperforming CRE technology solutions. Specific areas of focus for the Forum will be related to software and technology for: construction; building operations analysis; managing the tenant relationship; financial analysis; automation of CRE back office operations; and the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in utilizing data. Members will also address the impact that emerging trends such as AI/machine learning and drone technologies will have on the future of the industry.

Daniel Levison (Co-chair)
CRE Holdings – Dunwoody, Geogia

Sara Young (Co-chair)
Clarion Partners – Dallas, Texas

Open to a diverse group of real estate professionals who wish to focus on industry trends such as technology, sustainability, workplace, leasing and developing commercial real estate.

Trends in Real Estate Development 1 Forum

Nazir Khalfe (Vice Chair)
Partner Engineering & Science, Inc.– Torrance, California

Trends in Real Estate Development 2 Forum

Colleen Wevodau (Chair)
Baker Tilly Virchow Krause – Vienna, Virginia

Scott Ziance (Vice Chair)
Vorys, Sater, Seymour & Pease, LLC – Columbus, Ohio

Trends in Real Estate Development 4 Forum

Misty Ponce (Chair)
Partner Engineering & Science, Inc. – Torrance, California

Limited Forums

NAIOP Principal members, typically with a minimum of 10, or more, years related experience are eligible to apply for an appointment to these Forums.

Limited to Principal (Full or Affiliate) Members, this forum is comprised of developers, investors and owners of industrial, office and retail real estate properties within business parks and as single-asset developments. Members are located throughout the US and range from small companies to large funds. Because of the diverse make-up of its members, this forum engages in interesting confidential discussions regarding a wide-ranging number of topics relating to commercial real estate.

Richard E. Myers (Chair)
TaurusCRE – Las Vegas, Nevada

Comprised primarily of developers, investors, and owners of office, industrial, retail, multi-family, senior living, and mixed-use real estate properties, with widely varying portfolio size and geographic coverage . Members are located throughout the US. Through confidential deal specific case analysis and discussion, members share and discuss strategies to overcome current market challenges, mitigate risk, and manage organizational challenges. All market sizes are represented with a number of members having extensive experience in primary and secondary markets.

Dean Barber (Chair)
Confluent Development – Denver, Colorado

Tom Rupprecht (Chair)
R&R Realty Group – West Des Moines, Iowa

Limited to Principal Members who are family members or professional managers of family-owned real estate companies.

Dean Kiriluk (Chair)
Kirco Development – Troy, Michigan

Open to Principal and Associate members who have a leading role in providing counsel to and within commercial real estate firms. The Forum focuses on the issues that corporate counsel face within commercial real estate companies and practices and on such transactions as acquisitions, dispositions, leases, finance transactions, joint ventures, and mergers, among others.

Peter Watson (Chair)
Westport Properties, Inc. – Irvine, California

Emily Conrad (Vice Chair)
WPT Capital Advisors, LLC – Minneapolis, Minnesota

Limited to Principal members with a leading role in the acquisition of industrial properties. This Forum focuses on the issues facing investors and owners in this process.

Industrial Acquisitions 1 Forum

Greg Ryan (Chair)
Dermody Properties – Atlanta, Georgia

Industrial Acquisitions 2 Forum

Jack Kappe (Co-chair)
FOCUS Real Estate LP – Newport Beach, California

Taejo Km (Co-chair)
Oaktree Capital Management, LLC – Los Angeles, California

Industrial Acquisitions 3 Forum

Thomas Herter (Chair)
Brookfield Asset Management – Dallas, Texas

Industrial Acquisitions 4 Forum

Carey E. Herrlinger (Chair)
Cabot Properties, Inc. – Boston, Massachusetts

Industrial Acquisitions 5 Forum

Gary E. Mozer (Chair)
George Smith Partners, Inc. – Los Angeles, California

Mark Reinikka (Vice Chair)
BentallGreenOak – Seattle, Washington

Limited to Principal Members actively involved in industrial property development, ownership and investment.

Industrial Development 1 Forum

Cary Hutchings (Chair)
BNSF Railway – Fort Worth, Texas

Industrial Development 2 Forum

Ryan Stoller (Co-chair)
Venture One Real Estate, LLC – Rosemont, Illinois

Andrew Mele (Co-chair)
Trammell Crow Company – West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania

Industrial Development 3 Forum

Todd King (Chair)
Panattoni Development – Houston, Texas

Industrial Development 4 Forum

Mary Dalton (Chair)
Avera Companies – Houston, Texas

Industrial Development 5 Forum

Paul Licausi (Chair)
LS Commercial Real Estate – Overland, Kansas

James P. Lighthizer (Vice Chair)
Chesapeake Real Estate Group, LLC – Hanover, Maryland

Industrial Development 6 Forum

Christopher Stanley (Co-chair)
MDH Partners, LLC – Atlanta, Georgia

Peter Billipp (Co-chair)
Skyhawk Partners – Houston, Texas

Industrial Development 7 Forum

Whitaker Levering (Co-chair)
Merritt Properties, LLC – Baltimore, Maryland

Carmon Hicks (Co-chair)
JLL – Denver, Colorado

Industrial Development 8 Forum

Jeff Dean (Co-chair)
Mark IV Capital - Denver, Colorado

Kelsey Kanspedos (Co-chair)
RIDC – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Limited to Principal Members actively involved as owners, developers or investors in investment properties and related real estate acquisitions and disposition transactions, including representatives of financial institutions, insurance companies, pension funds, public employee retirement systems and private investment groups.

Investment Management 1 Forum

Elena Walsh (Chair)
Barings – Chicago, Illinois

Andrew Van Horn (Vice Chair)
Dweck Properties – Washington, D.C.

Investment Management 2 Forum

Lauren Young (Chair)
PCCP, LLC – San Francisco, Illinois

Doug Irmscher (Vice Chair)
Beacon Partners – Charlotte, North Carolina

Limited to Principal Members who have a leading role department heads and vice presidents) in a developer's or owner's marketing, property sales or leasing areas. This Forum will focus on issues facing these functions from owner, investor and developer points of view as they relate to office and industrial properties.

Andrew Moss (Chair)
Forsgate Industrial Partners – Teterboro, New Jersey

Mark J. Ray (Vice Chair)
Ray Fogg Corporate Properties, LLC – Cleveland, Ohio

Limited to Principal Members actively involved in mixed-use property development, ownership and investment.

Matthew Friedman (Chair)
Rockwood Capital, LLC – San Francisco, California

Steward Wangard (Vice Chair)
Wangard Partners, Inc. – Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Limited to Principal Members actively involved in office building development, ownership and investment.

Office Development Forum

A-P Hurd (Chair)
Skipstone – Seattle, Washington

Limited to Principal Members who are real estate developers or owners from privately owned companies and want to focus on the operational aspects of their businesses, as well as development issues.

Bill Hunt (Chair)
Elmhurst Group – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

 

Limited to Principal members with a leading role in the acquisition of office properties. This Forum focuses on the issues facing investors and owners in this process.

Paul R. Bennett (Chair)
Granite Properties, Inc. – Plano, Texas

Developing Leaders Forum

Open to members with at least four years of related commercial real estate experience who would like to learn and network with senior industry professionals and peers at the national level.

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