In the latest installment of Getting to Know Who’s NEXT, NEXT Americas is featuring Daria Walker and Justin A. Zucker. They are both members of the Leadership Steering Committee, serving the Membership and Programs subcommittees, respectively.

Daria Walker is the founder and principal of Walker Realty Capital (WRC), a boutique mortgage banking firm specializing in the San Francisco and Los Angeles commercial real estate (CRE) capital markets.  WRC provides lending resources across all asset classes for ground-up construction, value-add strategies, conventional mortgages, and real estate–backed business financing. In addition, they have relationships across various lending platforms, including investment banks, Commercial Mortgage-Backed Security, credit unions, private equity, insurance companies, and debt funds.  

Since 2013, Daria has been involved in the origination of over a half-billion dollars in debt transactions. Before opening WRC in 2021, she gained her experience as an analyst at Umpqua Bank, then working in originations at major firms including Gantry, Marcus & Millichap Capital Corporation, and NAI.  

Daria holds a bachelor of arts in sociology and a master of science in financial analysis and investment management from Saint Mary’s College of California. She is the former co-chair of the Los Angeles Mortgage Association (LAMA) and privately runs an exclusive networking group for women in commercial real estate. She is a sought-after speaker and has been featured by industry organizations including CREW, ULI, BisNow, the California Mortgage Banker’s Association (CMBA), and various CRE-related podcasts. In addition, her professional contributions have been publicly recognized, earning her titles such as “Trailblazer” and “Woman of Influence.” When she isn’t closing deals, speaking on panels, or actively opening doors for other women, you can find her on the golf course with the LPGA Amateurs as an active member and occasional team captain.   

Daria is an active ULI member, holding various roles over her 10+ years of participation. She has been engaged with Young Leaders Group, Marketing, UrbanPlan, and NEXT within the San Francisco district council. Currently, she is a member of NEXT America’s Member Engagement committee and is an active member of the San Francisco Capital Markets committee.     

Justin A. Zucker, Counsel at Patterson & O’Neill PC, focuses on land use and environmental law and assisting property owners and developers in all stages of the land use and entitlement process. Justin has expertise counseling clients with California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) compliance, planning and zoning laws, including the State Density Bonus Law, Housing Accountability Act, SB 423, SB 330, Housing Element Law, and Subdivision Map Act, affordable housing laws, water rights, and code enforcement. Day-to-day, his activities can range from project strategy to determine the best way to maximize development potential and pathways to streamline the approval process, negotiating with various stakeholders, to project permitting and advocacy at various commissions, boards, city councils, and/or agencies.  

 Before joining the firm, Justin worked at Reuben, Junius & Rose LLP and Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani LLP in San Francisco. Previously, Justin interned for the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.  

 Justin holds a bachelor of science in philosophy from University of Wisconsin – Madison, a master of arts in environmental studies from Cleveland State University (CSU), and a juris doctor from CSU. When not at home raising his two young kids with his wife, Justin is actively engaged in the community. Justin chairs the Piedmont Planning Commission, is a board member of the Housing Action Coalition, and is on the Executive Committee of the Environmental Law Section of both the California Lawyer’s Association and the Bar Association of San Francisco. 

Justin is engaged at both the national and district council levels of ULI. At the San Francisco district council level, he is a member of the board of directors, co-chair of San Francisco’s NEXT committee, and co-chair of the 2025 Fall Meeting Product Councils Working Group. At the national level, he is a member of the NEXT Americas Leadership Steering Committee and NEXT Programs Committee. 

In the following Q&A, Walker and Zucker explore their passion for the commercial real estate industry and their experiences with ULI. 

 Q1. ULI: So many of us in real estate fall into the industry and hence CRE professional organizations.  How did you get involved with ULI?  

 Daria Walker (DW): I was looking to build a network when I began my career as a banking analyst and was quickly embraced by the YLG members in San Francisco. Many are still my good friends to this day.     

Justin A. Zucker (JZ): After starting my career handling complex litigation, including environmental laws, class actions, product liability, and toxic torts, I shifted my practice focus to land use. To help deepen my knowledge and network, I started going to ULI San Francisco panels and events. After attending a few events, I began to appreciate the depth of content and cross-disciplinary interaction ULI provides. Being a strong believer in getting what you give, I first got involved as a member of the ULI San Francisco NEXT steering committee. Thereafter, I expanded my engagement and leadership with ULI at the district level and then Americas level.  

Q2. ULI: What is the most interesting project you’ve worked on over your career in real estate?  

DW: I think every deal I’ve worked on has been unique, challenging, and a great learning experience. Some were fairly easy to close, others have made me tearfully question my existence. At the end of the day, this is why I love brokerage so much. However, I think by far the greatest challenge I’ve faced has been opening and running my own company, where I can no longer rely on the reputation, predictability, and financial strength of an established organization. Paving my own way through such a competitive sector comes with a tremendous learning curve but has also provided the highest rewards and enables me to open doors for the next generation eager to break into our industry.    

JZ: The most interesting project I’ve worked on is the Castro Theatre historic renovation with establishment of nighttime entertainment and bar uses alongside the existing movie theater use. Music has always been a big part of my life. My parents started taking me to shows when I was about five, with BB King being one of my first shows; we still go, having caught Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats last week with my dad. When I transplanted to San Francisco, I landed a couple blocks away from the Castro Theatre. To help with the historic renovation of a San Francisco landmark, allowing the evolution from its primary movie screening origins to a more flexible entertainment venue, in my old neighborhood was personally special. 

Q3. ULI: What are you most excited about regarding the future of the industry?  

DW: We are in some pretty unpredictable times, so it’s definitely more of a combination of being terrified and excited. That said, California has put forth some pretty great housing initiatives, so it will be interesting to see how our cities transform (and recover) with the new density bonuses.   

JZ: As an urbanist and advocate of the 15-minute city, I am excited for the resiliency planning and revitalizations of downtowns. Shout out to my hometown, Cleveland, for being a leader in this effort to encourage dense, walkable, transit-oriented neighborhoods (see Cleveland’s 15-Minute City Planning Introduction, Cleveland City Planning, April 20, 2022) as well as to ULI SF for its work including an Advisory Services panel that convened urban planning and real estate experts in May 2023 from across the country to provide recommendations on revitalizing San Francisco’s downtown, including an exemption from the transfer taxes for office-to-residential conversions and an entertainment zone (see ULI SF’s Work Guides Downtown Revitalization in San Francisco, ULI SF, May 30, 2024). Healthy downtowns and 15-minute neighborhoods are sustainable and can result in increased quality of life through the generation of local jobs, tax revenue to support municipal services, housing, supporting entertainment and cultural amenities while also reducing super commuters having to spend hours of their day traveling to and from work, errands, and/or daily needs.      

Q4. ULI: What are you currently reading/watching?       

DW: I just finished The Great Deformation by David A. Stockman and The Lords of Easy Money by Christopher Leonard. Both are great books, and although I agree with every single one of Stockman’s observations, we are at odds on the solutions he provides. While I am on board with massive economic reform, I don’t think I will ever agree with completely dismantling our governmental agencies, especially after witnessing the rampant abuse that occurs when regulatory bodies are absent, corrupted, or dismantled. That said, I do find myself more aligned with Leonard’s more progressive observations and disdain for the politicization of the [Federal Open Market Committee].  

I’m currently reading Blackwater by Jeremy Scahill. I’ll let you know how it goes.  

JZ: I am currently reading Golden Gates by Conor Dougherty. Yes, I am late to the party with this book, but that’s what juggling a family with two little kids can do. I recently finished watching Silo, which at its surface isn’t about real estate but I found to have many land use implications, including jobs—mechanics versus IT, housing—what level of the silo, and community engagement—whether an uprising or project engagement, grassroots efforts can impact outcomes.