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.