Meet the 2020 Jury

2020 ULI Hines Student Competition Jury

Twelve ULI members serve on the main jury, meeting first in February to select the four finalist teams and again in April to hear the finalist presentations and select the winner. Four of these twelve members are local to the host city or region.

JURY CHAIR

RICHARD M. GOLLIS
Co-Founder, Principal
The Concord Group
Newport Beach, California

Richard M. Gollis is a co-Founder and Principal of The Concord Group, a national real estate advisory firm with offices in Newport Beach, San Francisco, New York and Atlanta. Since 1995, Richard has crafted and cultivated the firm’s unique approach to advisory services. The firm integrates deep market knowledge with creative analytics to provide best-in-class solutions to a diverse range of private and public sector clients throughout North and South America, Europe and Asia.

Richard’s expertise in strategic market analysis, development programming, transaction due diligence and valuation extends across all real estate asset classes. With a career spanning New England, Atlanta and Southern California, he offers an exceptional breadth of experience that makes him a trusted advisor. He works frequently with investors, developers and public agencies solve complex development challenges. Richard leads TCG teams on projects that are positively influencing infrastructure and development patterns including: new redevelopment in the urban core; redevelopment of suburban retail to mixed use; transit-oriented nodes and transit corridor plans.

Respected as a thought leader in real estate, Richard is often quoted in major publications and he is frequently sought after as a speaker at key industry events. Richard was elected a Trustee to the Urban Land Institute in 2012 and has been a Governor of the ULI Foundation since 2006.

Richard is the founding Chair of ULI’s Suburban Development and Redevelopment Council which focuses on the best practices in the transformation of communities and transportation corridors. Prior roles at ULI include Chair of the Community Development Council, Juror for the Awards for Excellence and Chair of the Orange County, CA District Council. Richard has also participated on and chaired several of Advisory Services Panels.

Richard serves on the Advisory Board of Jamboree Housing Corporation, a leading community development organization specializing in affordable housing. In addition, he serves on the Leadership Board of The Department of Urban Planning and Public Policy at the University of California, Irvine.

A native of Boston, Richard is a graduate of Brown University with a degree in International Relations.

KIM ABREU
Senior Vice President
Bank of America Merrill Lynch
Coral Gables, Florida

Kim Abreu is the Senior Relationship Manager for Commercial Real Estate Banking, managing real estate developer and investor relationships throughout Florida.  She has been with the bank 27 years and has provided project financing in excess of $4 billion, capital markets expertise, and global cash management to some of the nation’s largest real estate developers and investors.  Kim is a native Floridian, who holds both a BS and an MBA degree from University of Florida as well as SEC Series 7 and Series 63 securities licenses.  Kim is an active board member of Carrfour Supportive Housing and serves as the Chair of the Construction and Development Committee.  She is an active board member of Lotus House and serves as Treasurer and member of the Finance Committee.  She is an Advisory Board Member of ULI SE Fl/Carribean and serves on several program committees.

JORGE GARCIA
Chief Executive Officer
Garcia Stromberg (GS4 Studios)
West Palm Beach, Florida

An honor graduate of the University of Miami, Jorge is the driving force behind GS4 Studio’s growth and development since 1987. Prior experience includes earning a reputation with highly acclaimed architectural as well as land development firms, where he grew to understand the importance of leadership within an organization, the community and the unique ability of integrating innovative architecture with rational business criteria in a balanced format. Jorge’s primary focuses are corporate leadership, design, vision, collaboration and growth development for the firm’s philosophical ideals. Jorge is a licensed architect in thirteen states with expertise in the design of national and international facilities including hotel & resorts, commercial, institutional, mixed-use developments and residential, projects. He is a sought-after authority on the realities and challenges clients face in the planning, approval and entitlement processes found in today’s challenging development environment.

SUZETTE GOLDSTEIN
Director of Planning
HOK
Washington, District of Columbia

Suzette Goldstein joined HOK in 1987. In 2013, Suzette became the Director of Planning for the firm wide practice after serving as the director for HOK Washington Planning for many years.

While with HOK, Suzette has had the opportunity to work on amazing projects that have put a stamp on our Nation’s Capital, starting early in her career with planning of the National Air and Space Museums, Steven F Hazy Center.  She was also personally involved in the creation of several national monuments in DC; the Korean War Memorial, Khalil Gibran Memorial, the Women’s Vietnam Memorial and most recently the restoration of the National Mall, and the Master Plan for the US Capital Complex. For the private sector, Suzette has worked locally for numerous developers and corporations, and has expertise in planning entitlements and mixed-use developments such as Chevy Chase Center, and Rockville Center.  Suzette’s resume also includes various international projects such as the South Dhahran Homeownership community, Saudi Aramco Cultural District, and Capital Bay mixed use development.

Suzette’s passion is for urban planning and design.  She believes that our success can be gauged by how people use the spaces we create. But planning is a long-term endeavor, so it is particularly rewarding to see our worked constructed and to know that the places we have created are making people’s lives richer.

Suzette graduated from the University of Cincinnati, School of Design, Art, Architecture and Planning with a Bachelor of Urban Planning. She is qualified as a planner with the American Institute of Certified Planners and a LEEP accredited professional. She has represented HOK by speaking at conferences and participated in crits for the University of Maryland and has received awards for her planning efforts.

JOSE GONZALEZ
Executive Vice President, Business Development
Florida East Coast Industries, Inc.
Miami, Florida

Mr. Gonzalez first joined Florida East Coast Industries’ (FECI) predecessor company, Codina Group, in 1997. Today, as Executive Vice President of Business Development for FECI, Mr. Gonzalez is responsible for pre-development project issues including land use, zoning, environmental, traffic/transportation, NEPA and general governmental regulation, as well as property acquisition and seller due diligence issues.  He leads the strategic planning for all the expansions within the various business units.  Mr. Gonzalez’ involvement spans across all projects for FECI and its subsidiary companies, including Brightline/Virgin Rail, the country’s first privately developed, owned and operated inter-city passenger rail system, he is involved in the development of the rail infrastructure and continues to be involved in the development of the Transit Oriented Developments (TOD) surrounding the stations; Flagler, a commercial real estate development and management company and Flagler Global Logistics which is developing Class A office and industrial business parks throughout Florida. As part of the industrial and commercial real estate platform he has planned and implemented the development of a 505-acre business park, which was a former abandoned construction and demolition landfill, construction continues today on this over 9M square foot development.   He also serves as the President of the Builders Association of South a local chapter of both the Florida Home Builders Association and the National Association of Home Builders.

DAVID HOWERTON
Chairman
Hart Howerton
San Francisco, California

David leads Hart Howerton, a global practice of planners, architects and landscape architects based in New York and San Francisco. As Chairman of the firm, he provides high-level strategy and planning and has led major assignments in all regions of the United States, Europe, Africa, the Caribbean and around the Pacific Rim. As a result of his work on Santa Lucia Preserve in California, Palmetto Bluff in South Carolina and development of the Hollywood Park community centered around a new home for the LA Rams, he is relied upon to provide business planning and strategy recommendations to the firm’s clients.

David is recognized as one of the leading talents in the profession, both in the business and academic fields. He has taken leadership roles in ULI and is a Governor of the ULI Foundation.  He is a regular guest lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley and at Harvard. He also serves as a Trustee of the School of Architecture Foundation at the University of Virginia.

MANISHA KAUL
Associate
Design Workshop
Chicago, Illinois

Manisha, a landscape architect and Office Director in our Chicago office, is passionate about creating synergy in the natural environment through an equitable, resilient, and regenerative approach to design. She has successfully guided federal, public, private, and institutional clients through complex planning and innovative site design projects that have resulted in the creative use of the site and its environs. Trained as an architect and a landscape architect, recipient of gold medal in landscape architecture at the School of Planning and Architecture in New Delhi and a creative achievement award in landscape architecture at the Pennsylvania State University, Manisha has also worked on numerous projects in the Middle East, Africa and India. Member of Ely Chapter of Lambda Alpha International and a full member of the Urban Land Institute; she currently serves on ULI’s University Development and Innovation Council Product Council.

ELLEN LOU
Director
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, LLP
San Francisco, California

Ms. Lou has directed world-renowned urban design and planning efforts in the US and Pacific Rim countries. In a time when cities represent the greatest hope for a sustainable future, she is leading the creation of groundbreaking development strategies for vital metropolitan centers. Her plans for the regeneration of cities as well as new towns frame sustainable, humane responses to global population growth, provide critical tools for reversing climate change, and drive long-term economic resiliency.

A sought-after speaker and advisor nationally and internationally, she consults regularly with planning officials and has lectured before more than 200 mayors and government leaders. As a board member of San Francisco based SPUR (San Francisco Planning and Urban Research), the global ITDP (Institute for Transportation and Development Policy) and through other advisory roles promoting policy solutions that make cities around the world more livable, equitable, and sustainable.

JENNI MOREJON
President and CEO
Fort Lauderdale Downtown Development Authority
Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Jenni Morejon is the President & CEO of the Fort Lauderdale Downtown Development Authority (DDA). The DDA is an independent taxing entity created in 1965 by the Florida State Legislature to promote and sustain investment in downtown Fort Lauderdale—a growing urban center in the Southeast Florida region of 6 million people. Jenni oversees the implementation of projects that require close collaboration with federal, state and local governments and a diverse group of Downtown stakeholders. The DDA’s broad scope of work spans from major capital projects to community enhancement programs. She is currently facilitating the development of a new federal courthouse and a new joint city/county government campus, while implementing streetscape beautification projects that improve mobility, and public art installations to enhance the urban public realm.

Prior to joining the DDA, Jenni was the director of the sustainable development department for the City of Fort Lauderdale where she was responsible for city planning, economic development, housing programs, code compliance and building permits. Jenni serves on the National Public-Private Partnerships Product Council for the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and was chair of the Women’s Leadership Initiative committee for the ULI’s Southeast Florida/Caribbean District Council from 2017-2019. She’s served on the board of directors of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce since 2015 and is the past-chair of the Chamber’s Downtown Council. Jenni graduated from the University of Colorado with a Bachelor’s of Science in Environmental Design in 1999, and is a graduate of the Chamber’s Leadership Fort Lauderdale program in 2014 and Leadership Broward’s Women Leading Broward in 2016.

STEPHEN P. NAVARRO
President & CEO
The Furman Co., Inc.
Greenville, South Carolina

Steve Navarro is President and CEO of The Furman Co., Inc. based in Greenville, South Carolina. Steve oversees Furman’s three operating companies that specialize in Development, Investment Advisory Services, and Risk Management. Founded in 1888, The Furman Co., Inc. has a long history of being instrumental in the recruitment and development of new business and industry to the region. Through Steve’s leadership, and collaboration in both the public and private sectors, Furman has helped facilitate major changes to the real estate landscape across the Upstate. In recognition, in 2019 Greenville Business Magazine again named Steve one of Greenville’s 50 Most Influential People and a permanent member of its Hall of Fame.

In addition, Steve represents and advises corporate, institutional, and high net worth individuals. His advisory services extend to over 23 states and four countries, ranging from development projects, built to suit transactions, highest and best use analysis/implementation and acquisition and disposition of both leasehold and fee title. Public sector experience includes advisory services for multiple municipalities and state and federal governments. Until 2014 Steve Navarro was also owner and president, of CBRE | The Furman Co., the leading brokerage and management firm in the state of South Carolina. In 2014 CBRE, Inc. acquired CBRE | The Furman Co. and Steve transitioned to focus solely on the development, investment and risk management businesses of Furman.

The Furman Co. has represented and advised numerous major national and international corporations, including all of the top ten employers in the Upstate of South Carolina, as well as institutional investors and portfolio owners. Public sector experience includes advisory services for multiple municipalities, states and the federal government.

Steve holds designations with the Counselor of Real Estate® (CRE), is a Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM), and was named a Fellow with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (FRICS) based in London, England.
He is a trustee and member of the Global Governing Board of Directors for the Urban Land Institute (ULI), a governor for the ULI Foundation, a former juror for the ULI Global Awards for Excellence, a member of the Clemson University’s Advancement Board for Real Estate Development (ABRED) and past trustee of the Board of Directors for the Counselors of Real Estate® Foundation. Steve is also co-founder and past vice chair of the Board of Directors of Ten At The Top (TATT), and a past member of the Board of Directors for the Greater Greenville Chamber of Commerce and Furman University’s Board of Advisors.

Steve graduated from California State University-Fullerton, with major emphasis in Real Estate/Finance and a minor emphasis in Economics.

BRAD POWER
Community Development Director
City of Englewood
Englewood, Colorado

Brad Power has over 25 years of experience in redevelopment, public/private real estate development partnerships, economic development and public agency leadership. He serves as the Director of the Community Development Department for the City of Englewood, Colorado. Englewood is adjacent to Denver and the department coordinates the city’s planning, building services, economic development, redevelopment, housing and environmental programs. A significant portion of his career included serving as Executive Director of the Boulder Urban Renewal Authority and Redevelopment Director for the City of Boulder, Colorado. He also served as the Director of the Economic Development Department for the City of Longmont, Colorado. Power has facilitated over $700 million of private capital investment through projects that have included major retail center redevelopments as well as hotel, residential and mixed use developments.

Power is an active member and leader of the Urban Land Institute (ULI). He is a Trustee of the 42,000-person international organization and served as a Governing Trustee from 2013-2017. He is an original member of the ULI Public/Private Partnership Council and he served a three-year term as Chairman of the council. Power also served as a ULI Council Counselor and a member of several ULI committees and task forces, including the group that developed the Urban Plan for Public Officials program. He is also a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP).

He earned Bachelors and Master’s Degrees from the University of Colorado. His graduate degree is in urban and regional planning. He was awarded the Fannie Mae Fellowship and completed the Senior Executives in State and Local Government Program at Harvard University.

DIANA REID
Real Estate Banking Executive
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Diana Reid is an executive with significant scope and depth of expertise gained through four decades of leadership in investment banking, commercial real estate and commercial banking.  As executive of PNC Bank’s commercial real estate business division (2007-2019), Diana led more than 1,000 employees serving commercial real estate companies in the U.S. and Canada, navigating the business through the financial crisis to significant growth, profitability and customer satisfaction.

Diana began her career at Citibank, then joined the mortgage trading department of First Boston (now Credit Suisse).  During her 19 years at the investment bank, she succeeded in trading, capital markets and advisory roles.  During the 1990s financial crisis, Reid led the capital markets team responsible for pricing and trading of multifamily and commercial mortgage-backed securities, including issuance from Resolution Trust Corporation, REITs and large private equity investment funds.   In 2003, Diana leveraged her customer relationships and industry expertise to found Beekman Advisors, providing owners and boards of real estate finance companies with strategic advice and sell-side representation.

Throughout her career, Diana has been a voice and leader in the securities and real estate industries. For more than a decade she served on the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Commercial/Multifamily Board of Governors and was a founding governor of the Commercial Real Estate Finance Council. Diana served on the Urban Land Institute’s global board of directors from 2013–2016, was elected Trustee in 2012 and ULI Foundation Governor in 2015. She chaired the ULI Women’s Leadership Initiative steering committee (2012-2014).  Diana is current Chair of ULI Urban Development Mixed Use Product Council (Red Flight).

Diana earned a B.S. from California State University and an MBA from University of Virginia Darden School of Business.  She currently serves on the Pittsburgh Opera Board of Directors and the Committee of 200 Foundation Board of Directors.

2020 ULI Hines Student Competition Rehearsal Jury

ULI members who are local to the host city or region serve on this jury, which views the finalist rehearsal presentations and provides the team with feedback ahead of their final presentations in front of the main jury.

MELISSA GOVETTE
Senior Relationship Manager, Commercial Real Estate
M&T Bank
North Palm Beach, Florida

Melissa Govette is a Senior Relationship Manager and Vice President with M&T Bank, a 16-year employee of the bank, with experience in all aspects of commercial real estate lending, valuation and underwriting with expertise across all commercial real estate asset classes.  After spending time in both the Delaware and Philadelphia markets with M&T, Ms. Govette relocated in 2019 to be a key part of M&T’s newly established Florida CRE team.  Ms. Govette was highly involved in ULI Philadelphia serving as an advisory board member since 2015 and most recently as co-chair of the Membership Committee in 2018-2019.  She was a 2018 Philadelphia Inquirer Citizen Award winner for her service on the Executive Board of Spark Philadelphia and was a South Jersey Biz Woman to Watch in 2016 and 2019.  She earned her B.S. in Finance from West Chester University of Pennsylvania.

KONA GRAY
Principal
EDSA
Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Strong leadership and a sense of integrity are part of Kona’s DNA. With experience in 30+ countries, his global management sense has positively shaped the outcomes of many award-winning assignments. He successfully integrates creativity and regional resources into functional environments that invigorate the imagination. Kona leads a design studio that creates welcoming places that promote community and vitality in diverse neighborhoods around the globe. Blending sensitivity with innovative design solutions, he unites a client’s vision with his own vanguard designs to produce environments with purpose and presence. Kona is a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) and currently serves as ASLA Vice President for Professional Practice. He is also a Past President of the Landscape Architecture Foundation. Kona is a member of the ULI Southeast Florida and Caribbean District Council and NSU Huizenga School of Business Real Estate Advisory Board. He is a registered Landscape Architect in Florida, Georgia, Arkansas, Commonwealth of Virginia and holds a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from the University of Georgia. At EDSA, Kona’s award-winning projects are inspired by a passion for creative design solutions that solve meaningful global issues. His portfolio ranges from large-scale planning to detailed site design, with emphasis on communities, parks, hospitality, urban public realms, mixed-use destinations, healthcare and campus spaces. With an uncompromising dedication to quality, he consistently takes into consideration important factors like community, heritage, environment, and the constant pursuit of improving humanity through Landscape Architecture.

KEN HUBBARD
Senior Managing Director
Hines
Miami Beach, Florida

Mr. Hubbard is a senior managing director at Hines. Since joining the firm in 1974, he has been involved in all phases of development, management and acquisition activities. In January 2009, he transitioned from his EVP/CEO position to become an entrepreneurial partner with Hines, and he is working on various projects and initiatives for the firm and regions.

JUAN MULLERAT
Principal
PlusUrbia, LLC.
Miami, Florida

Juan Mullerat (Assoc. AIA, APA, NCI, CNU) is the Founding Principal of Plusurbia Design – a firm that specializes in value-added contextual design methods. Mullerat serves on several Public Boards and Committees that deal with livability and the built environment. He is also the elected Chair of the American Planning Association’s Florida Gold Coast Section. A designer with over 20 years of experience, Mullerat has authored numerous successful projects in five continents ranging from neighborhood parks to citywide master plans. Among them, the Wynwood Master Plan, recipient of the APA’s 2017 National Economic Planning Award, the 2019 International Livable Cities Award and the Little Havana Revitalization Plan, in collaboration with the National Trust. In 2013, Mullerat was honored as the Urban Designer of the Year by the AIA Miami. Mullerat was educated in Europe and the US, receiving dual Masters in Architecture and Urban Design. He balances his professional career with academia by teaching and lecturing at several Universities on urban revitalization, zoning, placemaking, transportation planning, safe streets, and corridors. His work strives to create and capture the essence of places that transcend trends and value culture. Mullerat believes that society can be understood by the nature of its public spaces. “It is in our shared spaces where our cultural DNA is shaped, and our collective identity evolves; it is in those places where we become part of something larger than ourselves. By creating them and capturing the life within them, we induce and become witnesses of our evolution as people.”

CHRIS ROOG
Director of Economic Development
City of West Palm Beach CRA
West Palm Beach, Florida

Christopher Roog is the Director of Economic Development for the City of West Palm Beach. Chris was promoted into the position in 2013 after successfully helping businesses grow in the City. Running economic development, Chris has been involved in several key projects including the creation of the Flagler Financial District, several small business building improvements, is currently co-planning the Jefferson Terminal District and working on smart city initiatives. Chris began his career with the Gold Coast Home Builders Association (GCBA) running their government affairs program. He was promoted to Executive Director of the GCBA in 2010 and remained there until stepping down in 2012. During his time at GCBA, Chris developed key ties with local government and business leaders across Palm Beach County. In the Fall of 2012 Chris joined the City of West Palm Beach. He has a degree in Political Science from Florida Atlantic University, a graduate of Urban Land Institute Southeast Florida/Caribbean Leadership Institute Class 2019, is a Certified Economic Developer by the International Economic Development Council and is a 40-year resident of Palm Beach County. Chris, his wife Courtney, son Everett and daughter Maisie reside in downtown West Palm Beach.

TOM ROTH
Principal
Grass River Property
Miami, Florida

Tom Roth is the Principal of Grass River Property. With over 27 years of experience spanning the spectrum of commercial real estate, he has led the development and acquisition of over $2 billion in commercial assets in the U.S. and abroad.

In his 10 years at Hines, Tom’s acquisitions and development portfolio included office, retail and land properties in Chicago, South Florida and Barcelona, Spain. As Hines Project Officer in Miami, Tom acquired a full city block in Coral Gables, repositioned the existing office asset and developed the highly successful mixed-use 2525 Ponce de Leon. Tom subsequently led the sale of 2525 for the then-highest price paid per square foot for a Florida office building. He also acquired ~1.5 million sf of Miami area office buildings for Hines value add and core investors. For Hines in Barcelona, Tom led the development of Diagonal Mar Centre, a 3 million sf urban retail development on the Mediterranean Sea.

Prior to Hines, Tom served as Vice President of Acquisitions at Walsh, Higgins & Company in Chicago, where he acquired over 1000 acres for the company’s business parks and urban developments. He also developed numerous build-to-suit projects; these included a highly technical 400,000sf facility for the IRS in Detroit and a major hotel and conference center at the University of Cincinnati.

Tom has worked with several high net worth off-shore buyers in acquiring a variety of single tenant retail assets throughout the United States. He has been an integral part of numerous underwriting initiatives targeting large office buildings and multi-asset portfolios across the United States.

Tom received a B.A. in Economics and Urban Studies at the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor and received his M.B.A. from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management.

SURIA YAFFAR
Principal
Zyscovich Architects
Miami, Florida

Suria Yaffar is a firm principal and the Director of Design. Suria has worked on a variety of planning, urban design and architectural projects for public and private clients throughout the United States. She is experienced in all phases of the planning process including community outreach, consensus building, strategic planning and urban design, as well as all phases of land development. Suria collaborates with Bernard Zyscovich on the firm’s most significant commissions. Suria has served on regional ULI Advisory boards and conducted university lectures on master planning and architecture and her work has been published in the ACSA Journal.