Mary Lynne Boorn, Ph.D.
Associate Professor | USC Sol Price School of Public Policy
Mary Lynne Boorn is currently an Associate Professor and Program Director of the Smith Real Estate Department at the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy. She began her career in real estate finance and spent the bulk of her career in real estate development working as Vice President of Development for Madison Marquette directing development projects nationally, Vice President of the Cincinnati based non-profit 3CDC overseeing the redevelopment of Cincinnati’s iconic Fountain Square and finally as a consultant to multiple national firms, before pursuing her Ph.D. and moving into a career in academia. Working with both the traditional and non-profit real estate sectors, Mary Lynne brings a diverse set of perspectives to practicing and teaching real estate.
Mary Lynne holds her doctoral degree from University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Art, Architecture and Planning (DAAP) in the area of Regional Development. She has an M.B.A. from UCLA’s Anderson Graduate School of Management and an M.A. from UCLA’s Graduate School of Architecture and Urban Planning and earned her B.A. from Princeton University.
Sean Burton
Chief Executive Officer | Cityview
Sean Burton is CEO of Cityview, a vertically integrated real estate investment management and development firm focused on multifamily housing in gateway markets in the Western U.S. Specializing in developing, acquiring, and operating opportunistic and value-add multifamily projects, Cityview creates sustainable housing options in transforming areas, changing cities into communities, people into neighbors and houses into homes. Cityview has invested in more than 130 projects to date.
Prior to joining Cityview, Sean was vice president of corporate business development and strategy at Warner Bros. Before that, he was an attorney in the real estate and corporate groups at O’Melveny & Myers, LLP and also served in the White House during the Clinton Administration.
In 2022, Burton was appointed by President Biden and confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the federal nominee on the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Board of Directors, which oversees Washington Dulles and Reagan National airports. He also serves as co-chair of the Los Angeles Coalition, a coalition of business leaders for the economy and jobs in LA. From 2013 to 2021, Sean served as President of the Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners, which oversees the LAX and Van Nuys airports.
Moussa Diop, Ph.D.
Associate Professor | USC Sol Price School of Public Policy
Dr. Diop most recently held the position of Assistant Professor of Real Estate and Urban Land Economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He was also a Visiting Scholar, Consumer Finance Institute at the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia and formerly the Vice President, Corporate banking for HSBC Bank.
Dr. Diop’s primary research focus is on the effects of regulations and real estate rental market outcomes and mortgage securitization, particularly the mortgage servicing industry. He has also examined the effects of corporate real estate ownership and market structure on firm risk and returns. He’s published in the Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, the Journal of Urban Economics, Economic Development Quarterly and Real Estate Economics, where he currently serves on the editorial board.
Dr. Diop received the Edwin S. Mills Real Estate Economics 2018 Best Paper Award, American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association, and the 2016 Outstanding Referee Award from Real Estate Economics. He was also the Homer Hoyt Institute Weimer School of Advanced Studies in Real Estate and Land Economics 2016 Postdoctoral Honoree.
In addition to his Ph.D., Dr. Diop earned an M.A. in economics from the Storrs School at the University of Connecticut, an MBA in finance from the University of Missouri-Columbia, and a B.S. in Civil Engineering from INSA-Lyon, France.
Gino A. Canori
President | Related California
As President for Related California, Mr. Canori leads Related California’s market rate, luxury and mixed-income residential development and strategy throughout California. He is currently overseeing a $6 billion pipeline of 7,000 multifamily and senior units, and over 1 million square feet of commercial space located in San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Los Angeles and Orange County. He oversees an integrated development team that encompasses all aspects of development; including financial analysis, acquisition, planning and design, deal structuring, entitlements, public and private financing, construction, marketing and asset management.
For the past 21 years, Mr. Canori has been responsible for the growth of the Related California pipeline, including the development of 4,000 multifamily units with development costs in excess of $3 billion and played a lead role in building the company’s substantial portfolio of mixed-use and mixed-income projects.
Mr. Canori is a graduate of the University Of Southern California Marshall School Of Business. He serves on the Executive Committee for the Lusk Center for Real Estate at the University of Southern California and the Policy Advisory Board for the Fisher Center for Real Estate and Urban Economics at the Haas School of Business at the University of California at Berkeley. He is also a member of the Urban Land Institute.
Richard K. Green, Ph.D.
Director and Lusk Chair in Real Estate | USC Lusk Center for Real Estate
Dr. Green holds the Lusk Chair in Real Estate and is Professor in the Sol Price School of Public Policy and the Marshall School of Business. He recently finished a year as Senior Advisor for Housing Finance at the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, and as of July 1, 2016 became a Trustee of the Urban Land Institute. Prior to joining the USC faculty, Dr. Green spent four years as the Oliver T. Carr, Jr., Chair of Real Estate Finance at The George Washington University School of Business. He was Director of the Center for Washington Area Studies and the Center for Real Estate and Urban Studies at that institution. Dr. Green also taught real estate finance and economics courses for 12 years at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he was Wangard Faculty Scholar and Chair of Real Estate and Urban Land Economics. He also has been principal economist and director of financial strategy and policy analysis at Freddie Mac. He is or has been involved with the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, the Conference of Business Economists, the Center for Urban Land Economics Research, and the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties. Dr. Green also is a Weimer Fellow at the Homer Hoyt Institute, and a member of the faculty of the Selden Institute for Advanced Studies in Real Estate. He was recently President of the American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association.
Dr. Green earned his Ph.D. and M.S. in economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He earned his A.B. in economics from Harvard University. His research addresses housing markets, housing policy, tax policy, transportation, mortgage finance and urban growth. He is a member of two academic journal editorial boards, and a reviewer for several others. His work is published in a number of journals including the American Economic Review, Journal of Economic Perspectives, Journal of Regional Science, Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, Journal of Urban Economics, Land Economics, Regional Science and Urban Economics, Real Estate Economics, Housing Policy Debate, Journal of Housing Economics, and Urban Studies. His book with Stephen Malpezzi, A Primer on U.S. Housing Markets and Housing Policy, is used at universities throughout the country, and he recently published a book, Introduction to Mortgages and Mortgage Backed Securities. His work has been cited or he has been quoted in the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, the Christian Science Monitor, the Los Angeles Times, Newsweek and the Economist, as well as other outlets. He spoke at the 31st annual Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City Economic Symposium, and he has testified before US Senate and House Committees, as well as California Assembly Committees. The National Association of REALTORS, the Ford Foundation, and the Lincoln Institute for Land Policy have funded grants to support some of Dr. Green’s research. He consults for the World Bank.
Matt Horton
Vice President, Research and Policy | Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation
Matt Horton is the vice president of policy and research for the Economic Development Corporation of Los Angeles County. In this role, he engages a broad set of public, private stakeholders, and other community leaders in analyzing trends while helping to shape policy focused on industry investment and jobs creation, housing and infrastructure, and other equitable community development efforts.
Over the past fifteen years, Matt has worked to direct research-driven programs and initiatives to develop public policy that impacts housing production, infrastructure finance, enhance access to capital, create jobs and other economic development strategies. Previously, Matt was a director with Accelerator for America working with cities across the state to prioritize economic development projects and a director of the California Center at the Milken Institute. There, he produced research, programs, and events designed to inform and activate innovative economic policy solutions to support job creation and infrastructure development as a catalyst to resilient growth. Before, Matt worked for the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), the nation’s largest metropolitan planning organization. There, Matt served as the primary point of contact for external and government affairs, coordinating regional policy development with local elected officials, state, and federal stakeholders. In this role, he developed plans with leaders across Southern California to plan for growth, build resiliency, and improve quality of life throughout the region.
Matt is a Senior Advisor for the Milken Institute and a member of the California Economic Mobility and Entrepreneurship task force and participates on a number of advisory boards including: Lift to Rise; and WorkingNation. Matt earned an MA in political science from California State University, Fullerton and a BA in history from Azusa Pacific University.
Robin Hughes
President & Chief Executive Officer | Housing Partnership Network (HPN)
When Robin Hughes engages with members, funders, and partner across the country to share her insights and perspectives, she doesn’t just draw on her deep professional expertise in affordable housing and community development; she echoes her lived experience as well.
From an early childhood living in public housing to her years studying at the University of Southern California (USC) to decades of work on the ground in communities, Robin has developed a keen understanding of the need for equity and opportunity throughout the country—one that has motivated her lifelong work to improve housing conditions for tens of thousands of people.
“I have fond memories of growing up in a close-knit community of friends and families,” she recalls of her days in South Los Angeles “But I also remember deplorable housing and economic conditions, how nothing seemed to ever change, how no one seemed to be listening. When I got to USC, I knew that I wanted to build a career that brought opportunities and investment for people like me in the communities where I grew up. That’s how I ended up in the housing and community development field.”
Since 2022, Robin has served as president and CEO of the Housing Partnership Network (HPN), a national collaborative of the nation’s top mission-driven, nonprofit housing developers, community lenders, and advocates. She helps fuel the work of more than 100 urban and rural housing and community development organizations, nine HPN-supported social enterprises, practitioner-led learning and data-sharing strategies, and critical advocacy on state and federal policy priorities to drive systems change.
Prior to taking the helm at HPN, Robin spent 26 years as president and CEO of Abode Communities, growing the organization into one of the top nonprofit developers in the country and premier provider of environmentally sustainable affordable housing in California. Earlier, she worked in the housing finance sector at The Richman Group and Citi, deploying capital to high-value housing development efforts and in local government for the County of Los Angeles Community Development Commission and the City of Los Angeles Mayor Office of Economic Development.
Over the years, Robin has shared her expertise on a variety of boards, task forces and advisory bodies, including six years as HPN board chair before taking over as CEO. She currently serves on the boards of the Justice Climate Fund, Community Development Trust (CDT), and the California Community Reinvestment Corporation – all significant investors in affordable housing and other community-focused assets and programs – and on the advisory bodies for Morgan Stanley, National Housing Conference, and UCLA Ziman Center.
Robin earned her master’s and bachelor’s degrees in public administration from the University of Southern California and certification from the executive program in Achieving Excellence in Community Development at the Harvard Kennedy School.
Scott B. Laurie
President & Chief Executive Officer | The Olson Company
Mr. Laurie joined The Olson Company in 2007 and oversees the organization’s administrative and operating groups including strategic planning, acquisition, development, finance, construction, legal, and human resources. Under his leadership Olson won the coveted Eliant Homebuyers’ Choice Award for Best Overall Home Purchase and Ownership experience in North America in 2012, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024.
Previously with KB Homes where he held the position of Inland Valley President, Scott held various corporate and division-level executive positions in his nine years at the company.
In the homebuilding industry since 1996, Scott is currently a member of the Executive Committee for the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate, as well as a member of the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy and the Urban Land Institute Residential Neighborhood Council. He has previously served on the Executive Board of the Building Industry Association of Southern California, Baldy View Chapter, and has been involved in various other real estate organizations.
A native of Southern California and a resident of Los Angeles, Scott earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Southern California in Urban Planning and Development.
Mitchell B. Menzer
Partner | Cox Castle
Mitch Menzer is a nationally recognized real estate attorney who focuses on real estate development and land use law.
A prominent attorney with a Chambers and Legal 500 land use/zoning recognition, his practice emphasizes land use matters and obtaining entitlements for complex real estate development projects, including residential developments, mixed-use projects, shopping centers, hotels and office developments. He also represents investors and developers in other aspects of real estate development, including land use due diligence, site acquisition, and financings.
Mitch helps clients navigate complex land use procedures and comply with the California Environmental Quality Act, with particular experience in discretionary approvals, development agreements, design review and infrastructure agreements.
Mitch also counsels residential development clients in taking advantage of recent California legislative initiatives to produce more housing, including the state Density Bonus Law, the Housing Accountability Act, AB 2011, SB 6, SB 35, SB 8 and accessory dwelling units.
Additionally, Mitch served on the Los Angeles City Planning Commission from 2000 to 2004 and was the President of the Commission in 2002 and 2003. During that time, he served on the Mayor’s Development Advisory Group and the Mayor’s Industrial Land Task Force.
William A. Witte
Chairman and Chief Exeuctive Officer | Related California
Mr. Witte is Chairman and CEO of Related California, one of the largest developers of urban and multifamily housing in the state, overseeing both the affordable and market rate divisions. For the past 32 years, and since the founding of Related California, he has been responsible for the strategic direction of the company, overall management of the firm, pursuit of new development opportunities and oversight of planning, financing and construction of a development portfolio of over 17,000 residential units completed or under construction totaling more than $7.5 billion in assets, and over 2,700 affordable and 3,800 market rate units in pre-development.
Prior to founding Related California in 1989, Mr. Witte served as Deputy Mayor for Housing and Neighborhoods under Mayor Art Agnos where he oversaw all housing, development and redevelopment activities for the City of San Francisco. He was Director of Housing and Economic Development under Mayor Dianne Feinstein and served as an appointed Commissioner of the San Francisco Housing Authority.
Mr. Witte previously served as Executive Assistant to Assistant Secretary for Housing/Federal Housing Commissioner Lawrence B. Simons at HUD in Washington, as Legislative Director for the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials and with the Philadelphia Office of Housing and Community Development.
Mr. Witte graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor’s degree in Urban Studies and a Master in City Planning. He is Chair Emeritus of the Lusk Center for Real Estate Advisory Board at University of Southern California and a member of the Board of Overseers of the Graduate School of Design at University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Witte serves on the Advisory Boards of the Fisher Center for Real Estate and Urban Economics Policy at the Haas School of Business at University of California at Berkeley and the Orange County Human Relations Community Partners. In addition, Mr. Witte sits on the board of the Shelter Partnership in Los Angeles.