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.
Clare De Briere
Founder | C+C Ventures
Clare De Briere is a native Angeleno who has spent her career creating special places for the citizens and visitors of Los Angeles.
In 2024, Clare joined Catalyst Property Company as a founding partner, with the goal to continue to develop teams that were trained and focused on building great places for people while providing unparalleled customer service. With the successful launch of the company, she resigned her role and returned to her LA-focused development company, C+C Ventures.
Prior to joining Catalyst, Clare served as Executive Vice President and Regional Manager in Los Angeles for Skanska USA Commercial Development. Over the course of seven years, she led the company’s expansion into Los Angeles, developing the strategy for all acquisitions and development while sitting on the national Senior Leadership Team. While with Skanska, the LA team developed and divested the completed 9000 Wilshire, the first LEED Platinum building in Beverly Hills, and acquired and entitled 8633 Wilshire and 1811 Sacramento Street.
Clare De Briere began her development career in 1991 at The Ratkovich Company. She engaged in property and construction management, leasing, financing, and development management while earning her graduate degree at USC’s Lusk Center for Real Estate. Over her 26-year career at the company, Clare served as Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President, and oversaw the acquisition, entitlement, planning, development, and/or disposition of millions of square feet from The Wiltern Theatre, 5900 Wilshire, 800 Wilshire, The Alhambra, The Hercules Campus in Playa Vista, and The Bloc in downtown Los Angeles.
Clare received her undergraduate degree in History from UCLA, and her masters of real estate development degree from USC. Clare sits on the UCLA Ziman Center Board, the USC Lusk Center Board, and is the Chair of the Executive Committee of the Central City Association. She is an active member of the Urban Land Institute serving on the Global Board, as a member of and the immediate past Chair of the America’s Executive Committee, as a Global Governing Trustee, as a member of the governance committee and the Advisory Board of the Los Angeles District Council. She has been named on the Los Angeles Business Journal’s 500 Most Influential People in LA and their Women Making a Difference lists multiple times and has been on the Real Estate - Southern California’s Women of Influence list for every year for over a decade. Clare is also on the Advisory Board of the UCLA History Department; and served on the Executive Committee of the Board of the Los Angeles Conservancy. She is a regular volunteer at the Downtown Women’s Center.
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.
Jennifer Hernandez
Partner | Holland & Knight 
At Holland & Knight, Jennifer Hernandez has three decades of experience in land use and environmental law, and co-leads the firm’s climate change team as well as heading up the West Coast land use and environmental practice. She is a renowned figure in connection with brownfields, cleanups, conservation and restoration, and advises clients ranging from the private sector to public agencies and nonprofits.
Alongside her legal work, she serves on the board of directors for California Forward, is a founding member of Californian nonprofit Sustainable Conservation, and a board member of various other organizations such as The Breakthrough Institute, The Conservation Fund, and the California League of Conservation voters.
A prolific writer of books and articles on land use, environmental and climate law, Hernandez also teaches on these topics in business schools and universities as well as for client seminars and lawyer professional associations. She has chaired a conference on climate change law in California, and has spoken on various podcasts including California Insider, Serve to Lead, and The Climate One Podcast.
Scott Felix
Executive Vice President | Hutton Development Company
Scott Felix is a graduate of the University of Southern California, School of Policy, Planning and Development. Scott is licensed by the State of California as a Real Estate Broker and a General Building Contractor.
Currently serving as Executive Vice President of Hutton Development Company, Scott actively leads the acquisition, construction finance, asset management and refinance of real estate developments in the following asset classes: apartment communities, student apartment communities, and retail centers that support Hutton Apartment Communities.
During Mr. Felix’s career Hutton has developed thousands of apartment homes throughout Southern California, including student housing communities with University of California and California State University campuses, and the flagship College Park mixed use development, a master-planned community including 448 apartment homes, single family homes, integrated shops, and restaurants adjacent to the eight Claremont Colleges. Within the real estate recession of 2009-2010, Mr. Felix managed the acquisition and entitlement of five new development sites of several hundred apartment homes and 45,000 square feet of supporting retail space in Los Angeles, Riverside & San Bernardino Counties.
Additionally, Mr. Felix serves as President of Hutton Management Group (HMG). HMG provides asset management services and is directly responsible for the management and operations of all Hutton owed real estate assets in Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, and Riverside counties. Mr. Felix is a member of the Executive Board of the USC’s Lusk Center for Real Estate and has lectured within Pepperdine University’s, Master of Science in Real Estate curriculum. Mr. Felix has spoken and participated on panels before such industry groups as the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM) addressing issues impacting development, investment, and operations of Southern California apartment communities. Mr. Felix is a former member of the Board of Directors and a supporter of Habitat for Humanity in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties.
Morgan L. Gallagher
Partner | Cox Castle
Morgan is a transactional and litigation attorney who focuses on real estate matters involving land use, zoning, entitlements, and environmental permitting for complex and controversial projects. Morgan has extensive experience in the California Environmental Quality Act, Subdivision Map Act, and Coastal Act. She advises clients on all aspects of development projects, from due diligence to project approval, and regularly appears before Planning Commissions, City Councils, and other agencies on behalf of her clients. Gallagher represents clients throughout the State on a wide range of real estate projects, including residential, office, corporate R&D campuses, renewable energy, industrial, commercial, and mixed-use.
Kevin Klowden
Executive Director in Finance | Milken Institute
Kevin Klowden is Executive Director in Finance for the Milken Institute, where he is focused on leading efforts to address issues of economic mobility for individuals, workers, businesses, and populations. In this role, he is developing and leading programmatic efforts to identify key best practices and implement solutions to create opportunities for economic mobility. His principal areas of focus are on issues of economic opportunity and stability for veterans and their families. In addition, he has been focused on issues of economic mobility in the entertainment industry and the impacts of trade and investment flows on economic opportunity. In this role, he draws on his long experience and expertise with the Institute, where most recently served as Chief Global Strategist, focusing on issues of regional economic competitiveness, sustainability, technology-based development, and the modernization of trade. In his role leading the Institute’s Center for Regional Economics, he focused on issues connected to job creation, tech-based development, small business access to capital, and California's role in the global economy. Klowden is the lead author of numerous publications, including 'A Hollywood Exit: What California Must Do to Remain Competitive in Entertainment and Keep Jobs' as well as 'Strategies for Expanding California's Exports' and the recently released “Benchmark Research Commercialization and Technology Transfer” for Victoria, Australia, as well as recent and forthcoming papers on veterans’ opportunities in transitioning to the private sector, and the impact of changing economic circumstances in California’s entertainment industry. He has written about the importance of a skilled and educated workforce in maintaining regional competitiveness and the need for small and mid-sized businesses to increase exports to grow the economy. He writes a regular LinkedIn column on issues of economic mobility and has been widely cited on issues of trade and economic issues in Hollywood during and after the most recent strikes. A frequent speaker, he currently serves on multiple advisory boards, including for the U.S. Export-Import Bank, the Los Angeles Regional Export Council, and Asia Society of Southern California, and spent five years as Chair of the Trade Finance Advisory Council for the U.S. Department of Commerce. Klowden holds graduate degrees from the University of Chicago and the London School of Economics, where he studied the economic development of urban commercial cores and competition for cities becoming centers of global finance.
Shane Phillips
Housing Initiative Project Manager | UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Shane Phillips is a researcher, writer, and consultant committed to improving public understanding of housing markets and policy. He manages the Randall Lewis Housing Initiative at the UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies, and produces and hosts the UCLA Housing Voice Podcast, a biweekly show that translates policy-relevant research for a non-academic audience. In his book, The Affordable City, he advocates for prioritizing Supply, Stability, and Subsidies — a message he has shared on panels and in keynote presentations across North America. Shane earned his bachelor's degree in biochemistry from the University of Washington and masters degrees in public administration and urban planning from USC.
Randall W. Lewis
Senior Executive Vice President, Marketing | Lewis Group of Companies
Randall Lewis oversees the sales and marketing operations of the Company. Randall received his B.A. from Claremont McKenna College. He is regarded as an industry leader in promoting the arts, education, healthy living and sustainable development initiatives. He has been President of the Inland Empire Arts Foundation, Secretary of the Los Angeles County Citizens Planning Council, director of the HomeBuilder’s Council, and national director of the National Association of HomeBuilders. Randall was named in the Los Angeles Times 2006 “West 100” list as one of the top 100 influential people in southern California. He has also received the California Business Properties Association Champion of the Industry Award and has been inducted into the California Building Industry Association Hall of Fame. Randall is a long time ULI member as well as a Governor of the ULI Foundation. Randall serves on several executive boards, including the USC School of Policy, Planning and Development, the UCLA School of Public Policy, Loma Linda University Medical Center’s Orthopedic and Rehabilitation Institute Advisory Council, Cal Poly Pomona’s National Development Council, and co-chairs the San Bernardino County Alliance for Education. He is recognized as an expert in the real estate industry and is frequently quoted in various newspapers, magazines and trade journals. Randall has over 30 years of experience in the real estate industry.
Marco Sessa
Principal/Partner | Sudberry Properties
Marco Sessa is a Principal/Partner at Sudberry Properties responsible for the company’s residential portfolio, which includes nearly 2,100 luxury apartments throughout San Diego County. Sessa also oversees all aspects of the development of Civita, a 230-acre urban village currently under development on the site of a former quarry in San Diego’s Mission Valley.
Before joining Sudberry Properties in 2002, Sessa was associated with Reno Contracting, Inc., where he managed the construction operations of 670,000 square feet of build-to-suit office developments.
Sessa was the 2013 Chairman of the San Diego Building Industry Association (BIA). Currently, he is the chair of the BIA PAC and a member of the BIA’s Urban Council. He is also a member of the Urban Land Institute, the International Council of Shopping Centers, and Circulate San Diego. His civic involvement includes past board memberships with the Mission Valley Planning Group and the Mission Valley YMCA.
Sessa graduated with honors from the University of Southern California with a Masters of Real Estate Development degree from the School of Policy, Planning, and Development. He also holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Civil Engineering (emphasis Construction Engineering Management) from the University of Colorado.
Kitty Wallace
Vice Chair | Colliers
A prominent figure in Southern California’s commercial real estate industry, Kitty Wallace is renowned for her exceptional achievements in the multifamily market. With a career spanning over 25 years, Kitty has consistently set new benchmarks and surpassed performance goals, solidifying her reputation as a top multifamily broker in Southern California and beyond.
Kitty is a Vice Chair at Colliers, spearheading the investment sales of multifamily properties, including land development, condominium conversions, student housing, affordable properties, and unique assets across the Western U.S., emphasizing Southern California. Throughout her career, Kitty has closed over 800 multifamily transactions totaling over $3 billion. She is a trusted partner known for her negotiating skills, strong industry relationships, exceptional client service, and diligent work ethic; these traits help her find creative solutions and execute transactions, creating value for her clients.
Kitty’s success has earned her multiple achievements within Colliers. She is Colliers’ #1 Internationally-ranked multifamily broker and has been awarded the Colliers Everest Award every year since joining the firm in 2010. Across the industry, Kitty is a consistent winner of CoStar Power Broker awards, holds Globe St. Multifamily Influencer and Globe St., CoStar, and Allen Matkins Most Powerful Women in Real Estate Recognition, and has been awarded designation as the #1 Multifamily Agent in Los Angeles County by Pierce-Eislen/Yardi.
Recognized as a multifamily expert with an innovative mindset by the media, Kitty is a regular contributor to publications such as the Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Business Journal, Commercial Observer, and Multi-Housing News. Her insights are highly sought after, and she often serves as a panelist or moderator at commercial real estate conferences hosted by Globe St., CoStar, Bisnow, Connect CRE, Crittenden, California Bankers Association, USC, and others. Kitty is actively involved in the industry, serving on the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate Board and the National Multifamily Housing Council. She is committed to giving back through mentorship of ULI’s Young Leaders program and volunteers on the board of Upward Bound House, which not only keeps her well-informed but also inspires and connects her with the next generation of leaders in the industry.