MICA Speakers

With more than 17 years’ experience, Acker directs Community Technology Services for Lennar Multifamily Communities. He works with development teams and consulting firms on service provider selection and infrastructure requirements for voice, data, video and other community technology services.

Prior to joining Lennar, Acker worked as director of Resident Technology Services for RealPage, Inc., responsible for negotiating all service provider agreements for RealPage clients. He spent 10 years with Forest City Enterprises, Inc., overseeing Forest City initiatives to implement building infrastructure for service provider and in-house requirements, negotiating service provider agreements, and adding input for wireless coverage, building security, building access control and digital signage.

Andrew Beach serves as the Vice President of Community Technology.  In this role, Mr. Beach is responsible for the selection, design and implementation of technology systems at Mill Creek’s communities. Mr. Beach has over 9 years of experience in technology, systems design, and construction projects.  As Vice President of Community Technology, his team is focused on delivering flexible simple systems that deliver value to residents and community leadership while preparing Mill Creek’s communities to take advantage of technology that is coming in the future. 

Mr. Beach is a graduate of the University of Maryland with a Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering.

Michelle Boyd is the Program Director for the Housing Lab, the Terner Center's program to support early-stage entrepreneurs tackling the high cost of housing. She brings nearly a decade of experience in community and startup finance, organizational design, and urban policy research.

Prior to joining the Terner team, Michelle worked as a strategy consultant for the Bridgespan Group, collaborating with nonprofits, social entrepreneurs, and foundation leaders across issues of community development, housing, and education. Michelle holds an MBA from the Haas School of Business, an Interdisciplinary Graduate Certificate in Real Estate from UC Berkeley, and a BA in Public Policy from the University of Chicago. Michelle also serves as a Chamberlin Fellow with the Urban Land Institute.

Vik Chawla is a Partner on the Real Estate Technology Investment team at Fifth Wall, where he focuses on technology and innovations within the homebuilding, retail, and industrial asset classes.

Previously, Vik was an Investment Associate at Echelon Asset Management, a special situations fixed income hedge fund focused on the non-bank lending asset class, where he led the firm’s fundamental due diligence processes.

Vik began his career at The Blackstone Group, where he worked on advisory transactions spanning the energy, real estate, and financial services industries.

Vik is from Danville, California, and graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, where he received his BS in economics with concentrations in finance and statistics and a minor in mathematics. During his undergraduate years, Vik co-founded the Kairos Society, the largest and most recognized global network of entrepreneurs under the age of 25.

Tyler brings a decade of multifamily experience to Funnel, beginning as a college intern doing acquisition due diligence for Wasatch Property Management. Tyler then transitioned to the technology side of multifamily when he joined Property Solutions (now Entrata). He ultimately led the national sales organization for Entrata, after also working at The Rainmaker Group, selling LRO. At Funnel Tyler leads all aspects of the business including product, revenue and finance.

Michael Cohen is Vice President of Advisory Services for CoStar Group.  With views on markets in the United States, Canada and Europe, CoStar’s Advisory Services supports clients with independent expertise in real estate market analysis, real estate portfolio analysis, capital market conditions, investor communications and the design of actionable real estate investment strategies.  Under Mr. Cohen’s leadership, Advisory Services provides a range of bespoke research services to a client list that represents a “Who’s Who” of global real estate market participants. 

Laura Craft is SVP, Head of Global ESG Strategy at Heitman, an investment manager with ~$44 billion under management. Laura establishes systematic approaches to incorporate ESG into investment decision-making and management of private equity, private debt and public securities investments. Embedding ESG considerations provides opportunities to create value, reduce risk and enhance investment returns. Investments are measured on ESG through proprietary private equity and debt acquisition, due diligence, and asset management tools, and through internal listed equity ESG composite scoring system.

Laura leads a partnership with Urban Land Institute (ULI) to publish Climate Risk Investment Decision-Making Reports, which explores methods for assessing and mitigating climate risk at the investment- and market-level. Heitman’s approach to climate risk is included in the 2019 and 2020 reports, Climate Risk and Real Estate Investment Decision-Making and Emerging Practices for Market Assessment. In 2020, Heitman announced its commitment to reduce its global private equity portfolio’s operational carbon emissions under its control to net zero by the year 2030. As an industry ESG expert for over 14 years and in investment management over 16 years, Laura regularly speaks at conferences on ESG investing including at The Economist, GARP, RICS, PREA, INREV, ULI, NAREIT, NAREIM, NMHC, USGBC, BOMA, NAA and others.

Shaun is responsible for asset management of the company’s developed multifamily projects, currently valued at $1.8 billion. Additionally, he is engaged in underwriting new project feasibility and proactively monitoring lease-up programs. Since joining ZOM in 2015, Shaun has been involved in the value enhancement and sale of over 3,200 units valued at $900 million and he currently manages an operating portfolio of 4,000+ units in various ZOM regions. Prior to ZOM, he was member of the Central Region asset management team for Wood Partners, covering major Texas markets, Denver, and Chicago. Shaun graduated from the University of Toledo with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Information Systems and Finance and earned a Master of Business Administration degree in Finance, with a concentration in Real Estate Finance, from San Diego State University. He is a member of the National Multifamily Housing Council.

As a founder and investor, Ryan brings over 20 years of global financial services expertise spanning payments, remittances, credit, security, and compliance to Propel Venture Partners. Ryan represents Propel on the boards of Guideline, EaseCentral, Steady, Charlie Finance and Grabango.​ ​He serves as the executive chairman of SmartBizLoans, a small business lending marketplace that he founded as an entrepreneur-in-residence at Venrock; a director of bKash, Bangladesh’s leading remittance network; and a director of River City Bank in Sacramento. His prior roles include co-founder and CEO of real estate payments company PropertyBridge (acquired by MoneyGram International), an early investor in Eventbrite, and a founding advisor to Square. Ryan graduated from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, and is member of the State Bar of California.

Ms. Goldstein is a Vice President of Social Impact Investing at JBG SMITH, focused on investor relations & fundraising for the Impact Pool, assisting with the operations of the Washington Housing Initiative within JBG SMITH, and the management and coordination of relationships with external partners and stakeholders. She has been with JBG since 2015, and prior to joining the Social Impact Investing team in 2018, she was the head of JBG’s Opportunity Fund Investor Relations and continues part-time in that role today as the Opportunity Funds wind down. Prior to JBG, she was an analyst at The Carlyle Group focused on fund management for the real asset funds. She started her career with Crowell & Moring LLP as an analyst in the financial planning & analysis group.  

Ms. Goldstein received her B.B.A with high distinction in Finance and Economics from The George Washington University. 

Larry is a senior technology executive with 20+ years of experience building and leading teams to drive business value through the innovative use of technology.

Larry serves as the President of LeaseHawk, where he leads a talented team focused on creating innovative artificial intelligence solutions to optimize leasing performance in the multifamily industry.

Prior to joining LeaseHawk, Larry served as Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for Invitation Homes, the largest owner/operator of single-family homes for lease in the United States.  Larry led multiple technology initiatives as part of a $20 billion merger with Starwood Waypoint Homes, delivering a unified platform for managing the business-critical operations of an 80,000-property portfolio across 17 markets in the United States.   As CTO of Starwood Waypoint Homes, Larry headed the technology team that pioneered the use of smart home technology in the single-family residential space.

Stacy Holden has over 20 years of experience in multifamily property management and currently serves as an Industry Principal and Senior Director at AppFolio. A former controller of one of the largest property management firms in the Northwest, Stacy has firsthand experience in property management and is an expert on how organizations can leverage technology to solve urgent business challenges. Prior to AppFolio, Stacy spent several years in the real estate technology group at Intuit.

Pauline joined First Communities in 2012 and now has over 23 years of multifamily experience. During her career, Pauline has overseen a range of asset types including new development, stabilized, and value add communities across the United States. She currently oversees $1 Billion in multifamily assets. During her career, Pauline has managed the transactions of more than 50 assets worth over $2 Billion in collective value. She has extensive experience in the Sunbelt region, including major metropolitan areas that include Atlanta, Austin, Charlotte, Dallas, Houston, Jacksonville, Nashville, Orlando, Raleigh/Durham, Tampa, and Washington D.C. Throughout her multifamily management career, Pauline has served leadership roles in several areas of the industry including management, marketing, and training.

In addition to multiple years of owner, management experience, Pauline has also cultivated extensive vendor relationships. Before joining First Communities, she was a Publisher for Apartment Finder Magazine where she oversaw the sales, marketing, and production of the Atlanta division. Prior to her Publishing career, she worked within the multifamily sector at The Worthing Companies where she spent 13 years holding various positions that included Director of Training and Regional Development Director.

Pauline is an active member of the Atlanta Apartment Association, National Apartment Association, and holds a Lyceum Leadership Association designation. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business in 2003.

David Kahn is a Managing Analyst for CoStar Group, covering the Atlanta metro and Southern United States. David serves as a resident expert on Atlanta and the South, reporting on regional economic and real estate trends by writing market and submarket reports and analytic news pieces. He presents on market conditions to lenders, developers, brokers and owners, and is a frequent speaker at industry events hosted by organizations such as the Atlanta Apartment Association, Atlanta Metro Chamber, Bisnow, ULI, CCIM, and ICSC. David is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University.

Todd Katler founded Anyone Home Inc. with the mission to elevate the rental housing experience for prospective and existing residents. He found that as the rental experience improved, customers could lease homes more efficiently and at a lower acquisition cost. By developing a premier contact center and CRM solution for the rental housing market, Anyone Home delivers insights into the customer journey, resulting in the industry’s most accurate and actionable lease attribution and analytics reporting.

Jamie Lane is Vice President of Research for AirDNA, a short-term rental data & analytics company.  He is responsible for data analysis, thought leadership, and leveraging advanced analytical techniques to provide new insights into short-term rental supply, demand, and pricing trends.   He has been published in academic and professional journals and regularly speaks at lodging industry forums.  

Prior to AirDNA, Jamie spent 10 years as an economist at CBRE, leading research, forecasting and data intelligence teams to support client analysis. Mr. Lane is an active member of the National Association of Business Economists and the Atlanta Economics Club. Jamie holds a B.S. in Economics from the University of Georgia and an M.S. in Business Economics from Georgia State University.

Will Lucas is the founder and CEO of Mint House, a tech-enabled hospitality company that revolutionized the industry by providing a unique travel experience for business travelers. Housed within luxury residential apartment complexes, Mint House offers the feel of a high-end hotel, with all the comforts and conveniences of your own home – all packaged and delivered via technology – in the best urban locations across the U.S. 

Lucas graduated from Duke University, where he received a bachelor’s degree in Economics, Marketing and Management in 2006, and an MBA in Finance and Entrepreneurship from University of Pennsylvania – The Wharton School in 2012. As a serial entrepreneur, Lucas has founded and led two other successful consumer facing businesses prior to Mint House.  In January 2017, Lucas founded Mint House in order to partner the short-term rental experience with the reliability of a hotel. Lucas preferred Airbnb and other similar short-term rentals when traveling but when on the road for business was compelled to use hotels.  Lucas, who also serves as the company’s CEO, was inspired to start Mint House based on his experiences in getting a place to stay for work.

Julius has been in the temporary housing and furniture rental industry for over 18 years, beginning his career by setting up corporate apartments throughout high school and college. For the past 15 years Julius has held both local and national sales positions at Brook Furniture Rental and currently oversees all of their national partnerships and key strategic initiatives as VP, National Accounts. Julius has been the chair for ERC’s YP40 Committee and is a passionate proponent of building the next wave of leaders in the mobility & temporary housing space.  (IF RELEVANT/NEEDED) He lives in Charlotte, NC and has a wife and three children with a 4^th child on the way. He is an avid musician, surfer, gardener and most importantly a coach for his children’s sports teams. 

 Lucian was selected on March 1, 2021 to serve as the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Building Cyber Security, a non-profit organization established in February, 2020 to establish and sustain frameworks developed by stakeholders across multiple sectors offering market-driven options to promote cyber protections in operational technologies, controls, and devices for enhanced human security and safety in an increasingly smart world.

Prior to this appointment, Lucian served in the White House as the Deputy Program Associate Director in the Office of Management and Budget providing budgetary, policy, and management oversight for U.S. national security programs of the Department of Defense, the National Nuclear Security Agency, and National Intelligence Programs.

In August 2017, he was appointed by the President as an Assistant Secretary of Defense leading budgetary, policy and management oversight of the Department of Defense’s real property portfolio, which encompasses 28 million acres, over 500 installations with over 500,000 buildings and structures valued at a trillion dollars. Lucian also served the Secretary of Defense as a strategic advisor for mission assurance, energy resilience, and cybersecurity programs, and as an Assistant Secretary of the Navy.

Lucian also founded in 2014 and currently directs The Niemeyer Group, LLC providing public and private sector clients strategic advisory services for economic and business development. From 2003 to 2014 he served on the professional staff of the United States Senate Committee on Armed Services responsible for a wide portfolio of national security programs.

Lucian is an Air Force veteran with 21 years of active and Virginia Air National Guard service. He holds a Bachelor of Architecture, from the University of Notre Dame, a Master of Business Administration from The George Washington University, and a Master of National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College. He was also appointed a Fellow in the Society of American Military Engineers.

Mat was employee number six at MeetElise, and currently oversees strategic partnerships and growth initiatives for the company. He has been actively involved in multifamily tech for the last five years. 

Kurt Ramirez is a Founding Partner at Nine Four Ventures. Based in Chicago, his responsibilities include leading sourcing, evaluating, and executing investment opportunities and supporting existing portfolio companies.

Kurt has been active in the PropTech space since 2015, and previously worked with a Chicago-based real estate tech accelerator and fund, where he was a member of the investment team and ran firm diligence and operations. He’s worked with countless PropTech companies and has experience investing across startups targeting all facets of residential and commercial asset classes.

Prior to founding Nine Four, Kurt was a consultant at Bain & Company, an investor at Cue Ball Capital, a venture capital firm focused on consumer and information media investments, and Greenfield Partners, a real estate private equity firm.

He received an MBA from Harvard Business School and BS/BA degrees from Vanderbilt University.

Perry Shmukler is the CTO and co-founder of Diffe.rent AI where he leads the way in creating next-generation property management automation using his passion - AI. Prior to Diffe.rent Perry has led several end-to-end software engineering projects in Cyber security and Networking startups.

Ellen is a multifamily digital marketing expert and marketing technology entrepreneur. She is the Co-founder of Respage and Jess and the Founder of Results Repeat. Since 2002, Respage has worked with over 10,000 properties to achieve extraordinary results by helping them attract, engage, and retain residents. Respage released the multifamily industry’s first AI chatbot in 2017. It continues to leverage its industry-leading expertise in NLP with the release of ResMate™, an AI-based leasing agent that nurtures leads from first touch all the way through the application.

Two of Ellen’s companies have been recognized on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing companies a combined 4 times and the Philadelphia 100 list of fastest growing companies 9 times. They have been identified by the Philadelphia Business Journal as one of the best places to work a combined 5 times. 

Ellen graduated from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Robert Turnbull has been in the Multifamily Industry for 20+ years. He’s in his happy-place when building a business, technology or solution starting with ApartmentGuide.com in 1999. He later helped start and/or grow other well-known Multifamily businesses such as Rentals.com, RentWiki/RentAdvisor (which sold to ApartmentList) and most recently co-founded BetterBot.ai. He lives in Atlanta and has partnered with and mentored many start-up technologies through the Georgia Tech Innovation Institute (ATDC) and the Atlanta Tech Village (ATV) among others.

Darren Wesemann is chief innovation officer and a member of the Management Committee. In this role he is responsible for relentlessly driving a performance culture and LEAN business processes into and across the organization. Formal responsibilities include leadership of the sustainable and innovative activities of Technology at Berkadia.

Prior to joining Berkadia, Mr. Wesemann was with Leucadia National Corporation as an executive coach and advisor. While at Leucadia, Mr. Wesemann was responsible for mentoring CEO’s, CTO’s, CIO’s and other executive management in Leucadia’s operating companies. Addtionally, he was responsible for merger activities, integration projects which resulted in combined IT infrastructures and processes. Prior to joining Leucadia, Mr. Wesemann was with Ellucian as senior vice president and chief technology officer and Sungard for more than nine years as chief technology officer, chief product officer and president.

Mr. Wesemann has a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the University of Utah and a certificate in Executive Business Management from the Haas School of Business at the University of California Berkeley.

Prior to RET, Chris spent twelve years at the global private equity firm TPG, where he led growth investments in tech-enabled companies and partnered closely with CEOs and entrepreneurs. He began his career as a consultant with McKinsey & Company. Chris has an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he was an Arjay Miller Scholar, as well as an AB in Economics and an SM in Computer Science from Harvard University. You can find Chris flying between Park City and San Francisco, trailing the RET team on the snow, or driving anything with four wheels.

Paul joined Yardi in 2012 with a background in digital marketing and a focus on driving innovation to meet the needs of property management companies and their customers. He works closely with Yardi’s clients to improve the multifamily rental experience. This includes introducing new technologies and concepts such as chatbots and smart home features. His contributions have been instrumental in the early and ongoing success of the RENTCafé suite of products. Paul is nearing 20 years of experience in the property management industry.