Carl Jenkins

Carl Jenkins is managing director and Group Head of Community Investments for BMO Harris Bank N.A., the U.S. banking subsidiary of BMO Financial Group. He oversees Community Reinvestment Act investments targeting lower middle market companies and community-based real estate development in all BMO Harris markets. Presently, Carl manages a team and alternative investment portfolio with assets under management of approximately $900 million. Additional responsibilities include chairing the board of BMO Private Equity U.S. Inc. and serving on the investment committee for BMO Capital Market’s Impact Investment Fund. Before his current position, he served as a commercial real estate lender for BMO Capital Markets and the BMO Harris Community Development Lending team.

Prior to joining the bank, Carl worked for the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), a national community development financial institution. He earned his bachelor’s degree in architecture from Washington University in St. Louis and holds an MBA from the Kenan-Flagler School of Business at the University of North Carolina. He currently serves on the board of directors for several external organizations: National Association of Affordable Housing Lenders, State Employees’ Retirement System of Illinois, Alden Foundation, The Disability Opportunity Fund and Goodman Theatre of Chicago. Carl also serves on the advisory committee of multiple private equity funds.

Kristin Malek

Kristin Malek serves as the Global Director of Business Diversity at CDW and the architect of CDW’s diverse supply chain with more than 1,100 suppliers. Malek ensures CDW’s continued investment in diversity, equality and inclusion within their businesses. She is responsible for the firm’s total spend with diverse partners that in 2021 reached more than $20 billion.

Rob Likes

Rob Likes is President of KeyBank’s Community Development Lending & Investment group (CDLI), where he leads a national team of community development professionals, with annual loan and investment production in excess of $5 billion. Under his leadership, CDLI has been rated the second-largest affordable housing capital provider in the U.S. Rob is also responsible for the management and oversight of a portfolio of more than 1,000 loans and investments totaling several billion dollars in commitments. Prior to his current role, he served as the Northwest Regional Executive for Key’s Income Property Group and, before that, as the Western Region Credit Executive for the Income Property Group.

Rob has more than 30 years of real estate banking experience. During this time, he has worked for the Resolution Trust Corporation/FDIC, Bank of America, U.S. Bank, and has spent the past 21 years with KeyBank. His experience includes leadership and management, originations of both debt and equity investments, credit, structuring, portfolio management, and loan workouts. He has in-depth experience across all major property types, including apartments (market-rate and affordable), office, retail, industrial, self-storage, and hospitality, as well as a wide range of executions, including acquisition, refinancing, bridge loans, lines of credit, corporate facilities, construction, LIHTC, Section 8, workforce housing, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA, Life Company, and CMBS.

Rob serves as a board member of the Rocky Mountain Community Reinvestment Coalition, Cleveland Development Advisors, and the Utah Housing Coalition. He is a graduate of Brigham Young University with a degree in Business Management and Finance, with additional emphasis in Accounting and Economics, and he completed the Certificate Program in Management for Execution from Cornell University.

Alex Zaman

Alex Zaman is an Executive Director at Morgan Stanley based in Los Angeles and serves as Head of Transportation Banking and Urban Development at the firm. Alex has 17 years of experience in infrastructure finance across a range of asset classes, including housing (affordable, workforce, and permanent supportive), transit-oriented development, mass transit, high-speed rail, toll roads, managed lanes, airports, ports, commercial real estate, convention centers, tax increment financing, higher education, and general government facilities. Alex has worked on over $50 billion of financings to execute a variety of structures and credit types, including tax-exempt and taxable bonds, fixed and variable rate bonds, private placements, limited offerings, general obligation bonds, revenue bonds, lease obligations, tax allocation bonds, essential housing bonds, pension obligation bonds, public-private partnerships, project financings, and various federal transportation programs including TIFIA, RRIF and grant-backed financings.

Prior to joining Morgan Stanley, Alex spent 13 years at Citigroup in both Los Angeles and San Francisco, serving as Co-Head of Transportation and helping lead various real estate-related initiatives at the firm. Alex is a member of the Urban Land Institute, SPUR and various think tanks across the nation.

Steve Hilton

Steve Hilton has founded several businesses and is a public policy innovator. Born in the UK to Hungarian parents who fled Communism, Steve attended Oxford University, started his own company, helped David Cameron become UK Prime Minister, and then served as a senior advisor in 10 Downing Street.

In 2012, Steve moved to Silicon Valley with his wife and two children, becoming a U.S. citizen in 2021. After teaching at Stanford and starting another business, he hosted the television show The Next Revolution with Steve Hilton and several podcasts, including California Rebel Base, The Steve Hilton Show, and Big Ideas Book Club.

Steve is also the author of several books on politics and policy, including Califailure: Stories of America’s Most Mismanaged State and More Human: Designing a World Where People Come First. Through his policy organization, Golden Together, he has set out the changes needed to make California “Golden Again.”

Jon Overman

Jon Overman is Principal Transportation Planner at Jacobs with more than 15 years of experience leading strategic, performance based, and multimodal planning efforts across the West Coast. Jon specializes in helping public agencies navigate complex transportation challenges—from long range policy planning to corridor studies, transit restructuring, active transportation, equity focused planning, and data driven performance evaluation.

Before joining Jacobs, Jon spent nearly 12 years at Cambridge Systematics, where he served as a trusted advisor to major agencies including LA Metro, SCAG, Caltrans, OCTA, King County Metro, Sound Transit, Metrolink, and others. His work has shaped some of the region’s most consequential planning initiatives, including LA Metro’s Measure M and Long-Range Transportation Plans, the NextGen Bus Restructuring Study, and multiple statewide, regional, and corridor long range transportation plans.
Jon received his master’s degree in public policy (MPP) with a focus on transportation policy from UCLA.

RICHARD S. ZIMAN

Richard Ziman is Co-Founder and Founding Chairman of Rexford Industrial Realty (NYSE Symbol: REXR), one of Southern California’s leading owners and operators of infill industrial real estate and Richard was also Founder, Chairman and CEO of New York Stock Exchange Arden Realty, Inc. the largest, then, owner of office space in Southern California.

Richard served six years as Chairman of the Board of City of Hope National Medical Center and its Beckman Research Institute, is a member of the Board of Governors of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, is CEO and Co-Trustee of The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation, a major L.A. based charitable foundation and is the Founding Chairman of the Los Angeles Business Council and its Institute. Richard has established and endowed the UCLA Ziman Center for Real Estate, the Ziman Family Oncology Outpatient Center at City of Hope and the 96-bed Special Care (Alzheimer) Facility at the Jewish Home for the Aging.

In addition to numerous awards and honors, Richard is the recipient of 3 Honorary Doctorates and the UCLA Gold Medal (the University’s highest award). Richard received his BA and JD degrees from the University of Southern California.

Ben Shaoul

Ben Shaoul is the Founder and Managing Partner of Magnum Real Estate, a vertically integrated real estate company which has developed over 100 projects since its founding nearly three decades ago. Magnum develops a wide range of ground-up residential rental and for-sale apartments, adaptive re-use and historic conversions, student housing, community facility development, retail, and light office.

In 2022, Ben founded Thrive Living – an affiliate of Magnum – which acquires strategically located properties in urban markets that are experiencing significant housing affordability gaps. The company builds multifamily projects that include low-income and affordable workforce housing, including mixed-use properties. The company received national media attention for its groundbreaking mixed-use project featuring a new Costco Wholesale with 800 units of rental housing above. This is the first mixed-use development in the nation to have Costco as the anchor retail tenant.

Ben is deeply committed to philanthropy. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Hudson River Park Friends, a nonprofit organization devoted to the enrichment of the Hudson River Park along Manhattan’s West Side. He is also active with several Jewish community groups in the New York area.

The son of immigrants, Ben is originally from the Forest Hills neighborhood in Queens. Today, he lives in the West Village with his wife, Megan Walsh Shaoul, their four children, and two dogs.

Jason Rondou

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), the nation’s largest publicly owned utility, provides water and power to approximately 4 million residents. Jason Rondou serves as Assistant General Manager of Power Planning and Modernization, where he oversees Advanced Technologies, Capital Projects, Energy Control, and resource and infrastructure planning. He previously served as Chief of Staff, supporting power-related initiatives under CEO Janisse Quiñones. In prior roles, Jason was Director of Engineering, leading distribution, transmission, and generation engineering, including oversight of the $1.4 billion annual Power System Reliability Program, and led LADWP’s Planning Division, where he directed the completion of the landmark LA100 Study in partnership with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, outlining pathways to 100% clean energy in Los Angeles. Jason holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Loyola Marymount University (Go Lions!), a Master of Public Administration from the University of Southern California, and an MBA from the University of California, Los Angeles. He is a licensed Electrical and Transportation Engineer in the State of California and a former Chair of the Los Angeles IEEE Power & Energy Society.

The Honorable Holly J. Mitchell

Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell currently serves as Chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. As the daughter of parents who were public servants and a third-generation Angeleno, Mitchell leads with a deep understanding of the vital safety net LA County provides to millions of families and is committed to ensuring that all residents can thrive. Supervisor Mitchell is honored to represent the two million residents of Los Angeles County’s Second District – including the neighborhood she grew up in – Leimert Park, along with the cities of Carson, Compton, Culver City, El Segundo, Gardena, Hawthorne, Hermosa Beach, Inglewood, Lawndale, Los Angeles (portions), Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, and a dozen unincorporated communities.

Eric Leimbach

Eric Leimbach currently serves as Managing Director at Wells Fargo Community Lending & Investments, where he focuses on financing multifamily affordable & workforce housing projects. With more than two decades of experience, he’s played a pivotal role in structuring financing for over $4.5 billion in income restricted housing developments nationwide. Eric has guided both new construction and acquisition/rehabilitation projects, utilizing a broad array of capital structures, including credit-enhanced and non-credit-enhanced private placements, as well as LIHTC equity investments. His expertise and dedication have made a significant impact in expanding affordable housing opportunities across the United States.

Darnell Hunt

Darnell Hunt began serving as UCLA’s executive vice chancellor and provost — responsible for administering campus operations and the academic enterprise — in September of 2022. A celebrated scholar of race and media whose work has focused largely on the entertainment industry, EVCP Hunt is also well known for his longstanding commitment to high-quality public education, support of interdisciplinary research for the common good, and vision for inclusive excellence.

Since joining UCLA in 2001, EVCP Hunt has served as dean of the UCLA College’s Division of Social Sciences, chair of the Department of Sociology, and director of the Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies. He currently holds faculty appointments in the departments of sociology and African American studies. EVCP Hunt received his Ph.D. and M.A. in sociology from UCLA, an M.B.A. from Georgetown University and an A.B. in public relations from USC.

Kelly Gear

Kelly Gear is Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer at the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco, where she oversees the Bank’s corporate strategy, community investment, and program management functions. In this role, she helps guide how the Bank directs its resources, convening power, and partnerships to support affordable housing, homeownership, and economic development across its three state district of Arizona, California, and Nevada.

Ms. Gear joined the Bank in 2011 and has held the Chief Strategy Officer role since January 2022. She brings more than 25 years of experience in management consulting and organizational leadership across highly regulated industries, including financial services, pharmaceuticals, and aerospace and defense. Prior to joining the Bank, she led large scale global transformation initiatives for PricewaterhouseCoopers and Johns Manville, a Berkshire Hathaway company.

Ms. Gear holds a B.A. in Marketing Management from the University of St. Thomas and is a Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt.

Elizabeth Funk

Elizabeth Funk is the Founder and CEO of DignityMoves, an innovative new nonprofit with dedicated to ending unsheltered homelessness using private-sector practical approaches. With Silicon Valley-style disruptive innovation she has set out to challenge every hurdle standing in the way of solving this crisis with solutions that are rapid, cost-effective, and therefore can be done at scale.

DignityMoves follows a career-long pattern of disrupting the status quo for good. In 2004 Elizabeth created the Dignity Fund, long before the concept of “impact investing” existed. This for-profit fund helped bring dramatic scale to the microfinance sector, demonstrating how capitalism can be harnessed to help address the world’s most pressing challenges. Since that time, she has been a tireless advocate for the impact investing movement, serving as a fund manager for several impact funds, a mentor to social entrepreneurs, and an angel investor. Most recently she served as the Senior GP at Dev Equity, an impact fund investing focused on economic development, low-income housing and sustainable agriculture in Latin America across Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Costa Rica, Peru, and Ecuador.

After graduating from Stanford University with honors in International Relations and Economics, Elizabeth started her career at Microsoft as a Product Manager for Microsoft Word and later on the founding team of Microsoft Office. In 1995, as one of the earliest employees at Yahoo! she helped shape the early consumer internet with services such as Yahoo! Finance, Search, Auctions, Greetings, Travel, and others. Most notably, Elizabeth was behind the creation of Yahoo! Shopping, a forerunner to the booming sector now known as e-commerce. She later served as President and CEO of CML Global Capital a global public company with operations in Belize, Hong Kong, Canada and the US.

She is an active member of Young President’s Organization where she served on the International Board, co-founded the impact networks, and now chairs the YPO San Francisco Gold chapter and the YPO Impact Investing Initiative. In addition to leading DignityMoves she is currently Chairman of Peak Power, A climate technology company at the forefront of the energy transition, and of YPO San Francisco Gold. To date she has served on 19 Boards of Directors, 7 of them as Chairman including South Pacific Development Bank, Uchu (Ecuador), Candid, Root Capital, Ujjivan Small Finance Bank, Deutsche Bank’s Microfinance Consortium and FINCA’s microfinance fund. She is a member of Toniic (an impact investors network) Battery Powered, Campden Wealth’s Institute for Private Investors, among many other prominent impact-focused organizations.

Elizabeth holds an undergraduate degree in International Relations and Economics with Honors from Stanford University and an MBA from Harvard Business School as a Baker Scholar. She is a proud single mother of two children and lives in San Francisco.

Tim Christian

He is a leader with AIR Communities, where he oversees residential operations and performance across communities in the Los Angeles region. His work focuses on team development, resident experience, and supporting AIR Communities’ mission to deliver exceptional housing and a high-quality living experience across Los Angeles. He brings a thoughtful, service-driven approach to leadership and community operations.

Cécile Chalifour

Cécile Chalifour is Head of the West Region for Community Development Banking. As part of a global financial services firm with assets of $2.2 trillion, Community Development Banking is a leader in providing financing solutions that benefit communities across the nation. The real estate lending team originates roughly $3 billion annually in construction and permanent debt products to develop and revitalize affordable housing properties throughout the Chase retail footprint. Cécile’s team originates over one-third of the national lending goal for Community Development Real Estate.

Cécile has two decades of community development and finance experience. Prior to joining Chase in 2017, Cécile served as the Director, California Region, for the Low Income Investment Fund (LIIF), leading lending activities related to affordable housing, charter schools and community facilities. At LIIF, Cécile managed regional structured acquisition funds for affordable housing and led the development of new ones in Los Angeles and the Bay Area. Previous to her 6 ½ years at LIIF, Cecile was a Director at Citi Community Capital, the community lending division of Citigroup, where she originated construction, permanent, and gap financing for a variety of residential, commercial and mixed-use community development properties. She previously worked as a Senior Project Manager for a nonprofit affordable housing developer, Skid Row Housing Trust, and a Senior Program Director for Enterprise Community Partners.

Cécile is a board member for the California Community Reinvestment Corporation (CCRC), the California Housing Consortium (CHC), and the chair of Merritt Community Capital Corporation’s board. She serves on the Southern and Northern California Leadership Councils for Enterprise Partners, Urban Land Institute Affordable and Workforce Housing Council, and the UCLA Ziman Center Affordable Housing Advisory Council (AHAC). She previously was a member of the Boards of Directors of the Southern California Association of Non-Profit Housing (SCANPH) and the California Coalition for Rural Housing (CCRH).

Cécile earned a Master of the Arts in Law, with Honors, from the University of Paris I, Pantheon-Sorbonne, with a concentration in Territorial Law and Urban Management. She holds a Bachelor of the Arts in Law, with Honors, from the University of Paris I, Pantheon-Sorbonne, in Paris, France.

Alex Cohen

Alex Cohen is an Emmy award-winning journalist and National Political Anchor at Spectrum News. She launched and hosted the prime-time public affairs program “Inside the Issues with Alex Cohen” and “This Month with the Mayor” at Spectrum’s Southern California station. In addition to her work in television, Alex is heard on NPR, KCRW, LAist-KPCC and Marketplace as both a host and reporter. As her alter-ego Axles of Evil, she is co-author of “Down and Derby: The Insider’s Guide to Roller Derby.

Tommy Beadel

Tommy Beadel is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of HVN Development, where he leads the firm’s mission to deliver modern, design-forward affordable housing solutions in key California markets. He launched HVN with a focus on thoughtfully designed communities that support access to transportation, walkability, and long-term resident opportunities. Before founding HVN, Beadel co-founded and served as CEO and later Co-Chairman of Thomas James Homes, one of the largest urban, single-lot homebuilders in the United States, with a presence across multiple West Coast and Mountain-region markets. His leadership at Thomas James helped shape innovative infill housing strategies focused on maximizing land use while delivering high-design residential products. Beadel is widely recognized in the real-estate industry for his forward-thinking approaches to housing supply challenges and community-oriented development.

Sandy Sanchez

Sandy Sanchez has over 20 years of experience in the real estate and community development industry. Sandy has held various roles such as Director of Pre-Development at O&S Holdings, Project Manager at DR Horton, and Director of Government Affairs at Building Industry Association. Currently, they serve as the Vice President of Policy at Five Point Holdings, leading policy development, community engagement, and government relations efforts. Sandy also holds leadership positions, such as Chair of the Board at Los Angeles County Business Federation – BizFed. Their expertise lies in aligning community interests with corporate goals and formulating public policies for large-scale projects.

Sandy Sanchez holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Mount Saint Mary’s University. Sandy also completed an Executive Development program in Management Development from the University of Southern California, and received a Light Construction Development Management (LCDM) Certification from UC Irvine.

Tom Steyer

Tom Steyer is the Co-Founder and Co-Executive Chair of Galvanize Climate Solutions, alongside Katie Hall and Secretary John Kerry.

Galvanize is a global, multi-strategy investment firm focused on the energy transition, grounded in the belief that financial returns and climate impact are inherently linked. Central to the firm’s thesis is the goal of generating outsized returns by investing in products and services that are cheaper, faster, and better.

Tom has been a professional investor for over 40 years. He began his investment career at Goldman Sachs, working with Bob Rubin in the early days of risk arbitrage, before moving west to San Francisco in 1986.

There, Tom founded Farallon Capital Management, a multi-strategy global investment firm, which he led until 2012. During his tenure, he grew the firm’s assets from $6 million to $36 billion, investing across a wide variety of strategies and asset classes. At the same time, he served as a partner and Investment Committee member at Hellman & Friedman, a multibillion-dollar private equity firm.

After stepping down from Farallon, Tom dedicated himself to climate action. He is the Co-Founder of Beneficial State Bank, a triple-bottom-line community development financial institution founded in 2007, which now manages over $1 billion in assets. He is also the Founder of NextGen America, the largest youth voter mobilization organization in American history.

Most recently, Tom was a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate and, beginning in April 2020, served as Co-Chair of Governor Gavin Newsom’s Business and Jobs Recovery Task Force. He also co-chaired Vice President Joe Biden’s Climate Engagement Advisory Council to help mobilize climate-focused voters.

Ben Metcalf

Ben Metcalf is the Managing Director of the Terner Center for Housing Innovation at UC Berkeley where he leads the expansion and deepening of Terner Center’s work addressing housing affordability challenges through rigorous research and policy analysis. In addition, he holds an appointment as Associate Research Professor with UC Berkeley’s Department of City and Regional Planning and serves as Practice Director for UC Berkeley’s Abbey Master of Real Estate Development + Design. He is also the Chief Executive Officer of Terner Labs, a nonprofit organization formed in 2021 to advance the applied innovation work of the Terner Center.

In 2015, Ben was appointed by former Governor Jerry Brown to lead California’s Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), a role he held until 2019. During his tenure at the State, Ben played an instrumental role in the passage and implementation of the 2017 Housing Package and oversaw the Department during a period of significant expansion of the state’s financial and regulatory reach into housing and land use matters. In addition, he served on the board of directors of the California Housing Partnership Corporation, the California Housing Finance Agency, and was the founding chair of the State of California’s Homelessness Coordinating and Finance Council. Prior to joining HCD, Ben worked in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in Washington, D.C., including as an appointee of President Obama in the role of Deputy Assistant Secretary overseeing HUD’s Office of Multifamily Housing Programs. His responsibilities included oversight of the Federal Housing Administration multifamily guaranteed loan portfolio and a subsidized affordable housing portfolio representing 30,000 multifamily properties across the U.S. As senior advisor to the FHA Commissioner on multifamily housing, he developed key Administration priorities related to energy efficiency, housing for the elderly, disabled and formerly homeless, and comprehensive neighborhood revitalization. Before that, he developed mixed-income and mixed-use communities with California-based BRIDGE Housing Corporation. He had day-to-day responsibility for a portfolio of major projects from initial due diligence and site acquisition through approvals, design and construction, bringing forward ~$125 million in development activity and played key roles in successfully securing environmental and land use approvals for four major Bay Area land opportunities representing ~$1.5 billion of new development.

He holds a Master’s in Public Policy and Urban Planning from the Harvard Kennedy School and a Bachelor of Arts from Amherst College and was an inaugural Fellow at the Center for Urban Redevelopment Excellence at the University of Pennsylvania.

Tomiquia Moss

Tomiquia Moss is the Secretary of California’s Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency. As Secretary, Tomiquia leads and oversees 12 entities, including 40 boards and bureaus, collectively responsible for the preservation and expansion of safe, affordable housing, efforts to prevent and end homelessness, protect consumers, and safeguard Californians’ civil rights. Tomiquia brings more than 20 years of leadership experience in the nonprofit and public sectors with expertise in housing and homelessness, public policy, civil rights, and community development.

Prior to her appointment as Secretary, Tomiquia founded and led All Home, a Bay Area organization advancing regional solutions to disrupt the cycles that perpetuate homelessness and poverty. She was the CEO of Hamilton Families, which offers emergency, transitional, and permanent housing services for families experiencing homelessness. She previously served directly under the mayors of both San Francisco and Oakland, and as the Executive Director of the HOPE SF Initiative.

Tomiquia has been the board president for both SPUR and the Nonprofit Housing Association of Northern California. She co-chaired the Bay Area Council’s Homelessness Committee, and the statewide Black Leadership Council. She also served as an Advisory Committee member for the Bay Area Housing Finance Authority from its inception until her appointment as Secretary. She remains a board member of the Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation.

Ryan Johnson

Mr. Johnson has had a distinguished career in private equity, real estate developer and operator and non-profit real estate organizations. He was Vice President of Acquisitions for Whitehall Capital a $2 billion-dollar opportunistic real estate private equity fund focused on distressed real estate and special credit situations. He oversaw multifamily developments and value-add office investments for the Ashforth family including structuring and securing joint-venture partners. He ran a $800 million-dollar private equity fund for Pacific Investment Mutual Company (PIMCO) focused on multifamily development, office and multifamily value add investments targeting the Southwest and Midwest of the United States.

Mr. Johnson also co-created LISC Strategic Investment (SEC Registered Investment Advisor for national CDFI), oversaw the growth of the Greenville Housing Fund (a South Carolina non-profit) from $5 million dollars to $100 million dollar organization including taking the entity into the bond market.

Prior to LACAHSA, he was CEO & Principal of Fulham Square, a real estate owner & operator focused on mixed-income housing in the Southeast and Southwest of the United States.

Lourdes Castro Ramírez

Lourdes Castro Ramírez is an executive leader with a proven track record of impact across federal, state, and local government. As President and CEO of the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA), she leads the nation’s second-largest public housing agency, serving over 200,000 people.

Her career is defined by high-level service, including an appointment by President Barack Obama to lead HUD’s Office of Public and Indian Housing and serving as under Governor Newsom as Secretary of the California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency.

A strategic advisor to Mayor Karen Bass, Castro Ramírez specializes in scaling affordable housing production and building regional coalitions to solve homelessness.

She holds a Master’s in Urban Planning and a Bachelor’s in Political Science from UCLA.

Liam Dillon

Liam Dillon is a reporter for POLITICO covering housing in California.

He focuses on rebuilding in Los Angeles after the devastating wildfires in January 2025 and writes about broader issues surrounding affordability and homelessness across the state.

Liam has over 15 years of experience writing about politics and policy in California, with a specialty in housing reporting. He’s covered dire living conditions in Los Angeles’ Skid Row, opulence in Silicon Valley enclaves and freeway displacement in Houston and Tampa.

His work has won multiple awards and led to new laws and public policy changes. Liam frequently offers expert analysis on California housing issues on panels and in state and national media, and for five years co-hosted the Gimme Shelter California Housing Crisis podcast.

Before joining POLITICO, Liam worked for nearly a decade at the Los Angeles Times. He’s also reported on local government for news outlets in Southwest Florida and San Diego. Liam is a graduate of Georgetown University and grew up outside Philadelphia.

Mayor Karen Bass

Mayor Karen Bass has led the nation’s second largest city with unprecedented urgency that has delivered results for all Angelenos.

Thousands more unhoused Angelenos have come inside in her first year than the year before, leading to a reported drop in homelessness for the first time in years.

Under the Mayor’s leadership, LAPD received record numbers of applicants while homicides and violent crime decreased. 100,000 more city services like pothole repair and graffiti removal have been provided. Thousands of businesses opened. Hundreds of millions of dollars were secured through locking arms with state and federal partners as Los Angeles continues to urgently lead on climate.

Mayor Bass was elected to make change for the people of Los Angeles by breaking with the status quo to deliver for the people of Los Angeles.

Stan Tran

Senior Manager, United Airlines Ventures and Corporate Development

Stan Tran is a Senior Manager at United Airlines Ventures, a corporate venture capital fund started by United Airlines to invest in emerging companies and technologies that have potential to influence and advance travel, with a focus on sustainability concepts complementing United Airlines’ net zero emissions goal. He has also worked on the international route planning team at United, focusing on transatlantic capacity strategy and new route launches.

Prior to joining United, Stan spent 7 years on Wall Street, which includes experience as an analyst covering high yield debt for New York Life’s investment management subsidiary and investment banking at Credit Suisse. Stan received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Boston University with a minor in Political Science. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and rescue pointer mix pup where they take advantage of the varied landscapes and cuisines in Southern California when they are not traveling on United’s leading global network.

Mary Leslie

President, LABC

Mary was elected to serve as chair of the Board of Trustees of California Independent System Operator, a nonprofit that is the only independent electricity grid operator in the West, coordinating the distribution of energy resources for 80% of California and part of Nevada. She was also named to Mayor Karen Bass’s transition advisory team.

Ms. Leslie has served as LABC President since 2001, growing the council into one of the most prominent business organizations in the region, working closely with leaders from business, government and the non-profit sectors to enact policies and programs to strengthen Los Angeles’ economic competitiveness and quality of life. Under her leadership, she launched the LABC Institute in 2010 as the 501 (c) 3 research and education arm, attracting local and national funding. Both organizations operate with the core mission, focused on creating cutting edge policy strategies to reduce the region’s housing affordability gap, increase sustainable development, promote international trade, and expand high-paying workforce opportunities.

Ms. Leslie currently serves on the LA Sustainability Leadership Council, LA Cleantech Incubator Board of Directors, Los Angeles Conservation Corporation Board of Directors, UCLA Advisory Committee for the Luskin Center for Innovation, and is a member of the Pacific Council of International Policy. She previously served as a Commissioner on the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power Board, Advisory Committees of L.A. Family Housing the California Women’s Law Center and the LA2028 Olympic Bid Committee.

In her previous role as Deputy Mayor for the City of Los Angeles under Mayor Richard Riordan, Ms. Leslie was responsible for the Mayor’s Business Development programs. Prior to joining the Riordan Administration, she was Deputy Director of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), where she oversaw the Northridge Earthquake relief dollars for Los Angeles as part of her portfolio of lending and education programs for SBA Director Erskine Bowles. She also served as the Executive Director of the California Economic Development Commission, overseeing policy development and trade missions for California business. Ms. Leslie was also President Clinton’s California Finance Director in his successful 1992 race for President.

Ms. Leslie received her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Santa Clara, holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Southern California, and attended the Executive Management Program at the UCLA Anderson School of Management.

Adam Lane

Adam Lane is a Public Policy Manager for State & Local at Waymo, the autonomous driving technology company with a mission to be the world’s most trusted driver. In this role, he oversees Waymo’s relationship with policy and government stakeholders in Southern California and several states across the United States.

Prior to Waymo, Adam served as the Vice President of Government Affairs and Programs for the Los Angeles Business Council, a progressive business advocacy and research organization, where he oversaw the organization’s government affairs strategy and public policy priorities in the areas of clean energy, economic development, environmental sustainability, homelessness, housing, and transportation.

David Reich

Deputy Executive Director, Mobility Unit, Los Angeles World Airports

David Reich was appointed Deputy Executive Director in December 2020 to oversee LAWA’s new Mobility Unit. LAX has the highest number of trips that start and end at its doorstep of any airport worldwide, so how people access LAX via ground transportation is a particularly important element of the passenger experience. The Mobility Unit is charged with taking a holistic approach to mobility policy, programs, and initiatives to reinforce landside access investments and enable a paradigm shift in mobility that ensures LAX can serve its passengers and employees – and support the surrounding community – in a sustainable manner. The Mobility Unit consists of three Divisions: Ground Transportation, Parking, and the LAX Transportation Management Organization (TMO).

Prior to joining LAWA, Mr. Reich served as Director of Economic Infrastructure for Mayor Eric Garcetti. In that role, Mr. Reich led Port and Airport policy and acted as a liaison to the executive teams at the Port of Los Angeles and Los Angeles World Airports. From 2002-2007, Mr. Reich served on active duty as an officer in the U.S. Navy. Mr. Reich holds a B.A. in History from the University of California at Berkeley and an M.B.A from the Anderson School of Management at UCLA.

Ray Sosa

Chief Planning Officer, LA Metro

Ray Sosa is the Chief Planning Officer in LA Metro’s Countywide Planning & Development Department (CP&D). LA Metro’s CP&D is responsible for planning the county’s regional transit system and programming federal, state, and local transportation funds for the county’s transit system, highway programs, and locally sponsored, regionally significant projects of all modes of transportation.

Mr. Sosa’s transportation career has spanned for more than two decades in the Southern California region with a focus on planning and delivering major transit projects, both in the public and private sectors including working at the globally recognized, AECOM, where he served in various roles, including VP West Region Transit Rail Market Sector.

Mr. Sosa earned his master’s degree in Transportation planning from the University of California, Los Angeles, and bachelor’s degree in government from Dartmouth College.

Phil Recht

Partner, Mayer Brown, LLP

Co-leader of the firm’s Public Policy, Regulatory & Government Affairs practice and former managing partner of the firm’s Los Angeles office (2009-21), Phil Recht represents clients in legislative, regulatory, enforcement and litigation matters before and involving federal, state and local governments. He also handles grants, approvals, permits and other government transactions. He has particular expertise in transportation, infrastructure, tribal gaming, health care, trade association, government contracts, and election law matters. Legal 500 ranks Phil as a “Leading Lawyer” for Government Relations in the United States. Phil was selected in 2021 to the Los Angeles/San Francisco Daily Journal’s list of “Top Lawyers of the Decade” for his work on emerging industry regulatory matters, and he was named in 2019 to The National Law Journal’s inaugural list of “Government Relations Trailblazers.”

Arash Daghighian

Vice President of Operations, Ford E.C. Inc

Arash Daghighian has been an active member of Ford E.C. since 1997 and worked both in the field and in the office on a full scale of levels. Arash is responsible for all oversight and direct onsite management of any given project. In addition, Arash is actively involved with project estimating and outside public relations with subcontractors and new clients. He has a degree from University of California Los Angeles and has completed over 80 million dollars in construction projects.

Greg Mahdesian

Gregory Mahdesian currently serves as the Head of Partnerships and Government Affairs at Servicon since March 2024 and previously held the position of Director of Corporate Affairs and Communications within the same company. Additionally, Gregory is an Advisory Board Member at Climate Resolve since January 2023 and has been the Chairman of Blue Neighbors PAC since November 2017. Earlier in his career, Gregory worked as a Communications Manager at Servicon Systems Inc. Gregory earned a Bachelor’s degree in Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics from the University of Southern California, where studies took place from August 2006 to May 2010.

Ken Lombard

President & CEO, BRIDGE Housing

Ken Lombard is responsible for the overall direction of BRIDGE Housing — the leading nonprofit developer and owner of affordable housing on the West Coast, with a portfolio of over 15,000 units valued at $5.3 billion. In December 2025, he was named Executive of the Year by Multi-Housing News.

Over a career that spans four decades, Mr. Lombard has garnered extensive experience in business development, management, investment banking, economic development, corporate expansion and real estate investment. Mr. Lombard joined BRIDGE in 2021 from Seritage Growth Properties (NYSE: SRG), where he served most recently as Special Advisor; he was an original board member when Seritage went public in 2015 and subsequently served as Seritage’s EVP and COO. During Mr. Lombard’s leadership, Seritage was a self-administered and self-managed REIT with properties totaling approximately 39 million square feet of space across 49 states and Puerto Rico.

Earlier, Mr. Lombard was President of MacFarlane Partners, an investment management firm that acquires, develops and manages real estate assets on behalf of pensions and institutional investors. Prior to joining MacFarlane Partners, Mr. Lombard served as Vice Chairman, Partner and head of investments for Capri Capital Partners, and President of the Capri Urban Fund, which invested in more than $1 billion in commercial, residential and mixed-use development, redevelopment and repositioning projects in densely populated urban markets of the U.S.

From 2004 to 2008, Mr. Lombard was President of Starbucks Entertainment, where he managed the collaboration with Concord Music to form a new Starbucks music label. In 1992, Mr. Lombard co-founded Johnson Development Corporation and spent 12 years as the President and Partner of the firm, creating a legacy of economic improvement in underserved communities of color in 65 cities and 17 states. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from the University of Washington.

The Honorable Rex Richardson

Mayor, City of Long Beach

After serving as the Student Body President of Cal State Dominguez Hills, Rex Richardson became a community organizer with SEIU Local 721, helping blue-collar workers in South Los Angeles County. At age 25, Rex bought his first home in North Long Beach, becoming the first person in his family to own real estate. He soon began serving as Chief of Staff to Councilmember Steve Neal, where they brought neighborhood, labor, business, and clergy leaders together to improve economic conditions in North Long Beach.

In 2014, Rex won his City Council race with 73% of the vote and made history as Long Beach’s youngest member to ever serve.

Rex established himself as a collaborative leader and change agent. He’s earned a reputation as a hardworking leader focused on ensuring every Long Beach neighborhood receives equitable investment and access to opportunity.

His track record of pursuing positive change for his community has left a tangible mark on the entire city. He worked alongside neighborhood leaders to bring vital public safety, economic, and community investments, such as road and sidewalk repairs, as part of his “Uptown Renaissance” initiative. He secured significant investments into the revitalization of North Long Beach that led to the creation of the Michelle Obama Library, the Doris Topsy-Elvord Community Center, and the restoration of the wetlands at DeForest Park.

Rex was instrumental in building Long Beach’s first municipal homeless shelter with supportive bridge housing that has helped unhoused individuals move off the streets. He also championed creating the Long Beach Office of Equity to improve community health outcomes, which has led to a more equitable response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rex also worked with our firefighters to restore essential public safety services, such as Paramedic Rescue 12, which shortened emergency response times citywide.
A testament to his accomplishments in his first term, he was re-elected with 79.8% of the vote. His peers also elected him to serve as Long Beach’s Vice Mayor twice.

Rex pushes for equity through regional policymaking as the Immediate Past President of the Southern California Association of Governments and as a South Coast Air Quality Management District Board Member.

Rex and his wife, Dr. Nina Richardson, are homeowners in North Long Beach, where they reside with their two young daughters.

U.S. Congresswoman Maxine Waters

Ranking Member, Financial Services Committee

Congresswoman Maxine Waters is considered by many to be one of the most powerful women in American politics today. She has gained a reputation as a fearless and outspoken advocate for women, children, people of color and the poor.

Elected in November 2024 to her eighteenth term in the U.S. House of Representatives with more than 75 percent of the vote in the 43rd Congressional District of California, Congresswoman Waters represents a large part of South Los Angeles including the communities of Watts and the unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County comprised of Lennox, West Athens, Willowbrook, and El Camino Village. The 43rd District also includes the diverse cities of Gardena, Hawthorne, Inglewood, Lawndale, Compton and Torrance.

Congresswoman Waters made history as the first woman and first African American Chair of the House Financial Services Committee. She is the Co-Chair of the bipartisan Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer’s Disease. She is also a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and member and past chair of the Congressional Black Caucus.

Prior to her election to the House of Representatives in 1990, she spent 14 years in the California State Assembly, where she rose to the powerful position of Democratic Caucus Chair. She was responsible for some of the boldest legislation California has ever seen. She is a co-founder of Black Women’s Forum, a nonprofit organization of over 1,200 African American women in the Los Angeles area. In the mid-80s, she also founded Project Build, working with young people in Los Angeles housing developments on job training and placement.

As she confronts the issues such as poverty, economic development, equal justice under the law and other issues of concern to people of color, women, children, and poor people, Rep. Waters enjoys a broad cross section of support from diverse communities across the nation.

Throughout her career, Congresswoman Waters has been an advocate for international peace, justice, and human rights. Expanding access to health care services is another of Congresswoman Waters’ priorities. She spearheaded the development of the Minority AIDS Initiative in 1998 to address the alarming spread of HIV/AIDS among African Americans, Hispanics and other minorities. She is also the author of legislation to expand health services for patients with diabetes, cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.

Long active in the women’s movement, Rep. Waters has given encouragement and financial support to women seeking public office. Many young people, including those in the hip-hop music community, praise her for her support and understanding of young people and their efforts at self-expression. One
testament to her work is the Maxine Waters Employment Preparation Center, a multimillion dollar campus providing education and employment opportunities to residents of the Watts area.

When twice impeached former President Donald Trump was elected, Congresswoman Waters became the leader of the resistance. Many young people learned what most of us knew about her for over the past 40 years – that Maxine Waters will always speak truth to power, will always stand up and fight for what is right, for justice and equality! As a result, she has earned the title of “Auntie Maxine.”

Miguel A. Santana

PRESIDENT & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
Miguel A. Santana has more than three decades of experience in the public, nonprofit, and philanthropic sectors, where he has led major policy reforms and delivered community-driven solutions to some of Los Angeles’ toughest challenges.

In 2023, Santana became President and CEO of the California Community Foundation (CCF), one of the nation’s largest community foundations. The foundation stewards more than $2.6 billion in assets, nearly 2,000 charitable funds, and more than $300 million in annual grants. Under his leadership, CCF has spearheaded key initiatives, including a voter engagement effort that secured the passage of Measure A, creating a permanent revenue stream for affordable housing and services. CCF has also mobilized rapid response to crises, raising more than $100 million for wildfire survivors and $2 million to support Angelenos impacted by immigration enforcement actions.

Prior to joining CCF, Santana served as President and CEO of the Weingart Foundation and Fairplex in Pomona. As City Administrative Officer for Los Angeles, he managed the City’s $9 billion budget during the Great Recession, developed its first comprehensive plan to address homelessness, and helped secure a $1.2 billion voter-approved housing bond. He also served as Deputy CEO for Los Angeles County, overseeing social service programs supporting children, families, veterans, and persons experiencing homelessness.

Santana began his career at the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) and later served as Chief of Staff to L.A. County Supervisor Gloria Molina.

He remains active in civic leadership, serving as Chair of The Angeleno Project, Second Vice Chair of the Los Angeles County Affordable Housing Solutions Authority (LACAHSA), and as a board member of the Surdna Foundation and Black Freedom Fund.

Santana earned his BA in Sociology and Latin American Studies from Whittier College and a MPA in Public Administration from Harvard University.

H. David Nahai

David Nahai serves as Chair of the Los Angeles Business Council.

He is the President of David Nahai Consulting Services, Inc., which specializes in the renewable energy, energy efficiency, and water sectors. He is also President of David Nahai Associates, Inc., a law firm specializing in real estate and sustainability transactional matters. A leading expert in water, renewable energy, and real estate matters, Mr. Nahai previously served as the General Manager and Commission President of the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power. Mr. Nahai is also the former Chair of the L.A. Regional Water Quality Control Board, and former Senior Advisor to the Clinton Climate Initiative. He was reappointed to the Water Board by Governor Newsom in 2021 and is presently its Vice Chair. Additionally, he currently serves as Chair of the LAUSD Business Advisory Council, and as a Board Member of the UCLA Luskin Center, Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator, Climate Resolve and LAANE. Mr. Nahai holds graduate and post-graduate degrees from the London School of Economics and UC Berkeley.