Ross Faculty Members

Richard K. Green
Lusk Chair in Real Estate
Professor, USC Sol Price School of Public Policy & USC Marshall School of Business
Lecture Topics: Real Estate Finance, Macro Economics, Affordable Housing
 
Richard GreenRichard K. Green, Ph.D. 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 (ULI).  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. More recently, he was a visiting professor of real estate at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, and he continues to retain an affiliation with Wharton. 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. 


Mary Lynne Boorn

Associate Professor of Real Estate
USC Price School of Public Policy
Lecture Topics: Principles of real estate, real estate finance, real estate development
 

Mary Lynne BoornDr. Boorn’s experience as a real estate and community development professional includes projects in both the public and private sectors. She has overseen the development of numerous properties across the U.S. She is Co-Founder and Managing Director of CitiPlanit Consulting where she has provided strategic development services for a diverse roster of clients including Blackrock Realty, Cherokee Fund, Harrah’s Entertainment and the Boston Red Sox, as well as the City of Fort Myers, Florida to redevelop its historic downtown district. Prior to forming her business, Dr.  Boorn served as Vice President of development at Cincinnati Center City

Development Corporation (3CDC), where she oversaw the redevelopment of Fountain Square in downtown Cincinnati. Previously, she played an instrumental role as a Vice President of Development and Investment Management for the commercial real estate firm Madison Marquette. Dr. Boorn is a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Accredited Professional.

Dr. Boorn comes to the Price School from The Ohio State University, where she was an adjunct professor in the University’s Fisher College of Business. She also previously served as adjunct professor at the University of Cincinnati’s Lindner College of Business. She earned her PhD with a concentration in regional development at the University of Cincinnati, MBA and a Master’s degree in urban planning from UCLA, she holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Princeton University.

 


 
JOEL BRYANT 
Director of Construction 
PGK Partners, LLC 
Adjunct Faculty  
USC Price School of Public Policy 
Lecture Topics: Leverage Analysis, Modeling Development: HBU Analysis, Construction Costs/Finance, Case Study Team Coach 

Joel Bryant is a real estate development and construction professional with over 20 years of documented success in completing challenging multifamily housing projects from inception to completion.  

Joel’s real estate portfolio is a testament to a career marked by visionary development, meticulous construction, and a commitment to community enrichment. Mr. Bryant is a distinguished real estate professional based in Pasadena, California, whose positive impact is felt across the realms of development and construction. With a powerful yet attentive approach, Joel excels as both a developer and general contractor, shaping the housing landscape with attractive, quality residences that span from medium to high densities throughout Southern California. Explore a gallery of projects where Joel's expertise and body of work over the past two decades is woven into the fabric of the built environment, delivering not only aesthetically pleasing structures but also affordable housing solutions.  

Joel’s leadership over the past two decades at Trademark Development Company, TM Constructors, and PGK Partners shows evidence of his commitment to creating vibrant, useful spaces in every meticulously crafted development. It is worth noting that Mr. Bryant holds a Class B - California Contractor’s License.  

Beyond his accomplishments in the real world of real estate development and construction, Joel is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Southern California, where he imparts his wealth of practical knowledge to aspiring real estate professionals. Joel's popular graduate-level course, "Principles and Practices of Real Estate Development," stands apart as a unique learning experience. As an educator, Joel diverges from traditional academic approaches, offering students insights as a seasoned practitioner rather than a detached scholar. Mr. Bryant holds a Master’ Degree in Real Estate Development (MRED) from the University of Southern California and a Bachelor’s Degree in Urban & Regional Planning from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. 

He is constantly developing the art of collaboration and getting results that matter. Joel sees this business and life in general as a team sport. 

And remember, "you are what you think.....so watch what you think." 


Moussa Diop

Assistant Professor
USC Sol Price School of Public Policy
Lecture Topics: Compound Value, Present Value, Future Value & Net Present Value Internatl Rate of Return and Net Present Value
 
Moussa DiopDr. 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 of 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.


Naomi Warren

Associate Professor of Clinical Business Communication
USC Marshall School of Business
Lecture Topics: Strategic Communication, Leadership, and Teamwork Competencies
 
Naomi Warren

Naomi Warren specializes in communication issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion, with a particular emphasis on race, gender, social class, media representations, politics, and policy. Her teaching, research, and consulting are informed by her professional experience as an accountant in the transportation, manufacturing, health care, service, retail, entertainment, and legal sectors and her doctoral research in communication studies, rhetoric, race, and the politics of representation. She was honored with a Golden Apple Teaching Award in 2005 and 2010. Service commitments include advising Marshall’s international case competition teams and serving on the University Diversity Committee.

Professor Warren holds a PhD, University of Texas at Austin; MA, CSU-Los Angeles; BS, Portland State University


John Loper

Associate Professor of Real Estate
USC Price School of Public Policy
Lecture Topics: Real estate development, real estate finance, urban and suburban development, master planned communities, urban design
 

John Loper

Associate Professor Loper has more than 25 years of real estate development experience and is currently the President of Palm Tree Communities Consulting Inc. He has extensive experience in multiple real estate sectors including retail, residential, master planned communities, mixed use, office, and hospitality.

He has taught in the USC’s Dollinger MRED program since 2012, and for two years led the Price School’s Learning to Excel Academically and Professionally (LEAP) capstone lab trip to Detroit, MI, providing real-world training for students interested in urban real estate development, urban revitalization, and private, public and nonprofit sectors.

Associate Professor Loper holds a master’s degree in real estate development and a bachelor’s degree in business with an emphasis in real property development and management and additional studies in architecture and civil engineering from USC.


Liz Falletta

Associate Professor
USC Sol Price School of Public Policy
Lecture Topics: Real Estate Finance, Architectural Charrette, Teaching Case
 
Liz FallettaLiz Falletta teaches architectural and urban design at USC’s Price School of Public Policy. She has over fifteen years of experience teaching design across disciplines at both undergraduate and graduate levels. Her courses focus on design as an interdisciplinary activity and explore how the intersecting values of architecture, planning and development can inform the design process and improve design outcomes. She is currently at work on By-Right | By-Design, an interdisciplinary housing reference text. The project studies significant Los Angeles housing design precedents and their related development types. A side-by-side comparison of these projects – real estate development models built in large numbers as of right, versus singular examples of innovative architecture built by variance – reveals new insights for future housing production in Los Angeles and elsewhere. Projects are examined through the lenses of real estate development, urban planning and design, expanding the context in which these works can be understood, evaluated, and, ultimately, built upon.

In addition to teaching full time, Ms. Falletta is principal of Falletta Development, which developed one of the first small lot subdivisions in Los Angeles, located on Huntington Drive in El Sereno. She has consulted on many small lot subdivisions throughout Los Angeles and worked as an entitlements consultant on various single and multi-family housing projects. Liz is a licensed architect and a licensed real estate broker in the state of California.

In recognition of the breadth of her expertise, Liz was recently appointed to the City of Los Angeles’ Zoning Advisory Committee (ZAC). This 21-member group is the first line of critique for the city’s recode LA project, a $5 million dollar, five-year plan to overhaul the zoning code. Liz is leading the Housing Working Group, a subcommittee of the ZAC working to prioritize issues of housing production, affordability and sustainability throughout the recode project. Ms. Falletta is also a member of the California Planning Roundtable.
 

Mott Smith

Adjunct Professor, USC Price School of Public Policy
Principal, Civic Enterprise
Lecture Topics: Urban Infill
 
Mott SmithMott Smith is co-founder and Principal of Civic Enterprise, He is a founding board member of the California Infill Builders Association and adjunct faculty in USC’s Master of Real Estate Development Program. Earlier, he was as Acting Director of Planning for the L.A. Unified School District after serving as founding Executive Director of New Schools-Better Neighborhoods. He also worked as editor/business manager of The Planning Report. Mott is past president the Westside Urban Forum. He received a Master of Real Estate Development from USC and a BA in Linguistics from UCLA.

 


Donald R. Spivack

Adjunct Professor, USC Sol Price School of Public Policy
Planning and Urban Development Consultant
Lecture Topics: Case Study Instructor and Adjudicator
 
Donald Spivack
Donald R. Spivack, AICP, FRSA, is a planning and urban development consultant with over 40 years of professional transportation, land use planning and urban redevelopment work in local government. He currently consults with the Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust on developing funding for parks and open space in under-served inner city communities in Los Angeles and with the Los Angeles Collaborative for Environmental Health and Justice, a consortium of community-based organizations, on a policy to reduce adverse effects of industrial pollution resulting from concentrated industrial uses in densely developed neighborhoods. He is also an adjunct professor in the Sol Price School of Social Policy at the University of Southern California, and sits on the Advisory Board of the Los Angeles River Revitalization Corporation, a local economic development entity (which he helped create) targeting water quality and habitat improvements matched with sustainable urban development. 
In addition to transportation system development and planning work in Boston, Detroit, Philadelphia and Washington, DC, Mr. Spivack served on staff of the Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Los Angeles (CRA/LA), from which he retired in 2010 as Deputy Chief of Operations and Policy, where he was responsible for developing long-range redevelopment and revitalization policies and strategies, including land use, industrial development, transportation and transit oriented development, job development, business attraction, open space and financing options in an era of declining tax revenues. While at the CRA/LA, Mr. Spivack was also in charge of drafting, in conjunction with the Los Angeles Department of City Planning, an updated Industrial Land Use Policy for the City, and CRA/LA’s Healthy Neighborhoods Policy and Neighborhood Conservation Strategy, both of which dealt with fostering appropriate economic development in ways that were both protective and sustainable. Earlier in his tenure at the CRA/LA Mr. Spivack managed several of the agency’s redevelopment project areas including those in Downtown Los Angeles and along several major transit corridors. Mr. Spivack holds a BA in Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania and a Masters of City Planning from Yale University.

 

Guest Lecturers/Speakers Include:

NICHOLE SMITH, Principal, HORIZON Development + Entitlement - Lecture Topic: Entitlement Process

DARREN L. HEREFORD, Founding Attorney, Ascend Law - Lecture Topic: Real Estate Law

NEAL I. PAYTON, FAIA, LEED-AP, Principal, Torti Gallas + Partners - Lecture Topic: Transit Oriented Development

JOHN LEE, Managing Director, Funds Management, Hunt Capital Partners - Lecture Topic: Affordable Housing Finance