Executive Speaker Series
Our executive speaker series was launched in May of 2004. Our inaugural speaker was Sam Zell. His presentation was attended by 25 students from the Kellogg Real Estate Club and several real estate faculty members. Dean Jacobs was also in attendance. The format then is much like it is today: Over lunch at the Allen Center, the executive provides an informal overview of their views on the commercial real estate market. This is followed by a question-and-answer period with the students and faculty. The series is a joint effort between the Kellogg Real Estate Program, Kellogg Real Estate Club, and the Guthrie Center for Real Estate Research.
The Kellogg Real Estate Executive Speaker Series provides our students an informal forum to exchange ideas with, and ask questions of, leading real estate executives. This interaction with key members of the real estate industry provides the students with varied and insightful perspectives on leadership, investment management, competition, personal development and other significant issues. The program also fosters positive relationships between key industry practitioners (and their company(ies)) and the Kellogg Real Estate Program.
Past Speakers
We have been very fortunate to have hosted a distinguished roster of executive speakers:
- Bruce Cohen
Chief Executive Officer
Temerity Strategic Partners - Bob Chodos
Vice Chairman
Newmark Knight Frank - Karen Case
President
US Commercial Real Estate, CIBC - Al Klairmont
President
Imperial Realty - Dave Scherer
Principal
Origin Investments - John Bucksbaum
Founder and Chairman
Bucksbaum Retail Properties - Christi Graff
Partner
Winston and Strawn - Scott Goodman '84
Founding Principal
Farpoint Development - Chris Nolte '03
President
Marcus Investments - Carlos Valera '17
Principal
Gensler - Amy Diamond
Managing Director, Private Investments and Real Estate
Northwestern Investment Office - Kevin Hites
Chief Investment Officer
The John Buck Company - Dan Rosenbloom
Managing Director
Cadre - Donald Dye '86
Founding Partner
Sky Lake Partners - Barry Malkin '88
Senior Managing Partner
GEM Realty Capital - Christopher Merrill
Co-Founder, President and CEO
Harrison Street Real Estate Capital - Eric Mogentale
Managing Principal
Walton Street Capital - Chaim Katzman
Chairman
Equity One - Rich Monopoli '02
Head of Development
Boston Properties, NY Region - Curt Bailey
President
Related Midwest - K. Jay Weaver '95
Managing Principal
Walton Street Capital - Jeffrey Hines
President and CEO
Hines - Henry Bullock '80
Chairman and Founder
Menlo Equities - Diane Morefield
Chief Financial Officer
Strategic Hotels - Erwin Aulis ('82)
Chief Operating Officer
Northwood Investors. - Bruce R. Cohen
Chief Executive Officer
Wrightwood Financial - David Helfand
Co-President
Equity Group Investments - Michael Newman
Principal, President and CEO
GOLUB - Soultana Reigle (NU '94)
Principal
Prudential Real Estate Investors - Frank Cohen (NU '95)
Senior Managing Director
The Blackstone Group - Robert Levy (NU '87)
President and Chief Executive Officer
Centerline Capital Group - Peter H. Schaff
Retired North America Chief Executive Officer
LaSalle Investment Management - Alasdair Cripps
Senior Managing Director
Mesirow Financial - David Helfand
Founder
Helix and Co-President
Equity Group Investments - Jerry Claeys
Non- Executive Chairman and an equity owner
Heitman (former Chairman and CEO of Heitman) - Ward Feste
Co-owner and President
Peregrine Group LLC - Christopher Merrill
Co-Founder, President and CEO
Harrison Street Real Estate Capital LLC - John Parsons
Managing Director
MacGregor Associates - Seth Singerman '05
President and Managing Partner
Singerman Real Estate LLC - William Sullivan '83
Chief Financial Officer
ProLogis - Raymond Gellein '74
Chairman
Strategic Hotels - David J. Neithercut
Trustee and Chief Executive Officer and President
Equity Residential - Earl E. Webb '81
President, U.S. Operations
Avison Young - Bruce R. Cohen
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Wrightwood Capital - David G. Miller
Senior Vice President
Colliers Chicago - Jeff Johnson '83
Managing Principal
Reunion Office Holdings - John Clifford
Vice Chairman
CBRE Capital Markets - Stephen Quazzo
Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Transwestern Investment Company LLC - David Crowell
Chief Operating Officer
The Rise Group - Peter C. Roberts
Chief Executive Officer, Americas
Jones Lang LaSalle - Gwendolyn L. Butler (KSM '84)
President and Chief Operating Officer
Capri Capital Partners - Gary F. Wendt ('93)
Chief Executive Officer
Signature Resorts International - Casey Wold
Senior Managing Director Head of Midwest, Atlanta, Boston and Washington, D.C Regions
Tishman Speyer - Perry M. Pinto
Principal
Walton Street Capital L.L.C - Anthony Manno (NU '73)
CEO, President and Chief Investment Officer
Security Capital Research & Management Inc. - C. Kevin Shannahan
Executive VP, Midwest & Southeast Region
Hines - Bruce R. Cohen
Chairman of the Board and CEO
Wrightwood Capital - Lynn C. Thurber
Chairman
LaSalle Investment Management - John Kukral
President
Northwood Investors LLC - Donald Suter
Managing Principal and head
M3 Capital Partners - Gerald Fogelson
Founder and President
Fogelson Companies
Chairman and CEO,
Central Station Development Corporation - John Bucksbaum
Chief Executive Officer
General Growth Properties Inc.
Chairman
International Council of Shopping Center's Board of Trustees - Bruce Duncan
Retired Chief Executive Officer and President
Equity Residential - Jerry Claeys
Chief Executive Officer
Heitman - Gary Garrabrant
Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder
Equity International - Paul Beitler
President
The Beitler Company - Debra A. Cafaro
Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer
Ventas, Inc. - Jack Higgins
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Higgins Development Partners - Leland Pillsbury (KSM '82)
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Thayer Lodging Group Inc. - Geoffrey Dohrmann
Chief Executive Officer
Institutional Real Estate, Inc. - John Schreiber
President
Centaur Capital Partners, Inc.
Co-Founder and Partner
Blackstone Real Estate Advisors, L.P. - Neil Bluhm (NU Law '62)
Walton Street Capital - Jeffrey Schwartz
Chief Executive Officer
ProLogis - Stuart Scott (NU Law '64)
formerly Chief Executive Officer
Jones Lang LaSalle - John Buck
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
The John Buck Company - Samuel Zell
Chairman
Equity Group Investments LLC
We sincerely thank these industry leaders for enriching our students academic experience and for making this luncheon an undeniable success!