Note: The next session of REIT School is scheduled for June 2010. The material below is from the most recent (December 2009) session.

To receive information on the June 2010 session as it becomes available, click here.

TIM ALLEN, PhD

Professor, Director of Carter Real Estate Center, College of Charleston

In addition to teaching real estate courses in the Real Estate Program at the College of Charleston and at the Charleston Trident Association of Realtors®, Dr. Allen serves on the editorial boards of leading real estate journals, maintains an active academic research agenda, and operates a private appraisal, brokerage and consulting practice.

BLAKE R. BERG

Vice President, J.P. Morgan

Blake Berg, vice president, is the head of Midwest, Southeast and
Mid-Atlantic acquisitions for the real estate division of J.P. Morgan Asset Management – Global Real Assets. An employee since 2000, Blake has been involved with the origination and structuring of over $4 billion in investments in all product types for J.P. Morgan advised clients. Prior to joining the firm, he spent two years with Northwestern Mutual Life in the company’s Real Estate Group, focusing on new mortgage origination and development opportunities. Blake holds a B.A. in Economics and International Studies from Northwestern University and an M.B.A. from The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

LARRY FINGER

President, Strategic Advisory, Inc.

Larry Finger provides strategic advisory services to public companies seeking improved valuations. Mr. Finger retired as EVP, CFO and Treasurer of Federal Realty Investment Trust in March 2008.

During his tenure at Federal Realty, Larry Finger was responsible for Federal Realty's strategic and financial planning along with oversight of the Trust's financial reporting, capital markets and investor relations functions. Mr. Finger also served as a member of the Trust's Investment Committee.

Mr. Finger previously served as senior vice president and chief financial officer for Washington Real Estate Trust, a diversified REIT in the Washington, DC area. During his eight years of service at Washington REIT, Mr. Finger was responsible for capital markets, financial reporting and investor relations.

Previously, Mr. Finger was employed for 13 years with Savage/ Fogarty Companies, Inc., a Washington, DC area development and property management company, in various positions including chief operating officer.

Mr. Finger earned a B.S. in Accountancy from the University of Illinois and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center. In addition, Mr. Finger received his Certified Public Accountant designation in 1976, and was admitted to the District of Columbia Bar Association in 1981.

RYAN FLEMING

Associate, UBS Securities, LLC

Ryan Fleming is an Associate in the Real Estate, Lodging & Leisure Group at UBS Investment Bank focusing on strategic advisory and financing assignments for real estate and lodging companies. Ryan joined UBS in 2006 in the Debt Capital Markets Group covering real estate and then moved to the Real Estate Investment Banking team in 2008. While in Debt Capital Markets, Ryan worked on 52 bookrun transactions originating $35bn of debt, hybrid capital, and structured notes for real estate clients including Kimco, Duke Realty, HCP, iStar, HRPT Properties Trust, and Developers Diversified Realty.  As a member of the investment banking team, he has worked on equity offerings for Vornado, Parkway, Colonial, and Sovran and additionally has had experience in private equity fund raising. Ryan received his B.S. in Economics with a concentration in Finance and Operations and Information Management from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. 

MICHAEL GRUPE

Executive Vice President, Research and Investment Affairs, National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts

At NAREIT, Mr. Grupe directs all research and investor outreach activities related to the collection and distribution of statistics on industry growth and development, analysis of real estate investment performance and communication with investors, policymakers and the public. Mr. Grupe also acts as liaison to the press on technical issues involving REIT industry performance and practice.

CHRISTOPHER J. HARTUNG

Managing Director, Eastdil Secured

Chris is a Managing Director Co-head of Eastdil Secured’s Real Estate Investment Banking activities.  He is responsible for directing the firm’s real estate investment banking activities, including equity and debt issuance, corporate advisory, and mergers & acquisitions. Over the course of his career, Chris has been involved in the issuance of over $20 billion in debt and equity transactions for public and private real estate companies.

Chris originally joined Wells Fargo (Eastdil Secured’s parent company) to launch the firm’s Real Estate Equity Research Group, covering publicly traded Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and Real Estate Operating Companies (REOCs). Prior to Wells Fargo, he was a Managing Director at WR Hambrecht + Co serving in a similar capacity. Chris is a graduate of Cornell University with a B.S. in Applied Economics. 

STEPHANIE W. KREWSON

REIT and Commercial Real Estate Executive

Ms. Krewson is a finance and accounting executive specializing in REIT and commercial real estate analysis. Her experience in REITs dates back to 1994, and has included work on the sell-side, investment banking and as an officer of a publicly-traded REIT. She recently left Janney Montgomery Scott in Philadelphia, PA, where she was a director in equity research. During her tenure there at Janney Montgomery Scott, Ms. Krewson built Janney’s REIT research practice from scratch, including hiring and training of associates and establishing all REIT-focused databases.

Prior to joining Janney , Ms. Krewson served senior analyst covering equity REITs for BB&T Capital Markets in Richmond, VA., as as senior equity REIT analyst at JPMorgan Chase & Co in New York City.

Ms. Krewson was a dual-degree honors recipient at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business and the College of Arts & Science where she received her respective B.S. in Economics and her B.A. in English.

MARK STREETER

Managing Director, Senior Credit Analyst, J.P. Morgan

As senior analyst in North American Credit Research at JPMorgan Securities, Mark is responsible for high grade, high yield and Chapter 11 coverage of the real estate and transportation industries. Mark is a 16-time member of the Institutional Investor "All-America Fixed Income Research Team", most recently in 2008 for High Yield Transportation (#1 ranked) and High Grade REITs (#2).

Prior to joining heritage JPMorgan in January 1999, Mark held various positions in the fixed income businesses of heritage JPMorgan Securities and Morgan Guaranty Trust. Mark is a member of The Fixed Income Analyst Society and formerly co-chaired FIASI’s Program Committee. Mark served on FIASI's Board for two years as well. Mark is a member of NAREIT, the Urban Land Institute, the International Council of Shopping Centers, The Wings Club, and the International Society of Transport Aircraft Trading.

Mark is a regular instructor on REIT credit at SNL’s REIT School and has served as a program coordinator for the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (NAREIT) Institutional Investor Forum in New York.

JAMES M. TAYLOR

Managing Director, Eastdil Secured

James Taylor joined Eastdil Secured’s investment banking team as a result of Wells Fargo’s acquisition of Wachovia Securities in Dec 2008.  Mr. Taylor originally joined Wachovia’s Real Estate Corporate Finance Group in 1998 and was promoted to Head of Real Estate Investment Banking at Wachovia in 2007.  Over the years, Mr. Taylor has completed public debt and equity offerings, M&A transactions, asset and portfolio sales, private equity placements, mortgage financings and bank loans for numerous real estate clients.

Prior to joining Wachovia, Mr. Taylor practiced corporate and securities law with Hunton & Williams, where he represented both issuers and underwriters in public and private equity offerings, debt offerings and M&A transactions, with a focus on equity REITs. Previously, Mr. Taylor worked as a senior accountant for PricewaterhouseCoopers in Washington, D.C.