Real Estate
Investing & Analysis Certificate Program

Professor Todd Sinai has been with Wharton since 1997 and is David B. Ford Professor; Professor of Real Estate and Business Economics and Public Policy and chair of the Real Estate Department at the Wharton School. He received his PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his BA from Yale University. Todd has also served as a faculty research fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research and a visiting scholar of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. His research interests include commercial real estate, real estate investment trusts, risk and pricing in housing markets, and taxation of real estate. Todd is the recipient of several teaching and other awards, including the Post-Doctoral Fellow award from the Homer Hoyt Institute, the Ballard Teaching Award, and the HUD/AREUEA Best Paper Award.

Benjamin J. Keys is a professor in the Real Estate and Finance Departments at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. He is also a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research, an associate editor of the Journal of Finance, a member of the Academic Research Council at the Urban Institute’s Housing Finance Policy Center, and a fellow at the Center for Financial Security at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Previously, Keys was an assistant professor at the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy and an economist in the Division of Research and Statistics at the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. His research interests include household finance, mortgage finance, real estate, applied econometrics, and urban economics. Keys received his BA from Swarthmore College and his MA and PhD from the University of Michigan.

Jessie Handbury is the Gilbert and Shelley Harrison Associate Professor of Real Estate at The Wharton School. She is also a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), a Visiting Academic at Amazon, and a visiting scholar at the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. She serves as the Vice President of the Urban Economics Association and an associate editor at the Review of Economics and Statistics, the Journal of Urban Economics, and the Journal of International Economics. Handbury’s published work studies the interplay between spatial and socio-economic inequality, with a focus on the spatial distribution of retail amenities. She has a B.A. in economics and mathematics and a Ph.D. in economics, all from Columbia University.

Aaron Hancock has nearly a decade of experience in financial services and commercial real estate. He is a Vice President at Artemis Real Estate Partners, a commercial real estate investment manager. Aaron has also held roles at JBG Smith where he focused on digital infrastructure investments as part of the firm’s Smart Cities team, and a family office where he focused on master-planned luxury development projects in the pacific northwest US. Aaron began his career as a member of the Real Estate investment banking group at Morgan Stanley where he focused on mergers and acquisitions, equity and debt financings, and strategic advisory. Aaron earned a BS in Applied Economics and Management from Cornell University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Daniel Mann, a seasoned real estate investor and entrepreneur, brings over a decade of experience in commercial real estate investing and business startups. As the founder and owner of Rockwest Real Estate, he directs an investment and management company specializing in commercial real estate across the tri-state area. Simultaneously, Dan serves as the CEO of First Cut Barrel Co, a boutique distillery focused on crafting limited-release and personalized single-barrel spirits for private clients. Before Rockwest and First Cut, Dan worked for various premier real estate investment companies and owner-operators including Madison International Realty, RXR Realty, and The Silverfern Group. Dan holds a BS in Hotel Administration and a Minor in Real Estate from Cornell University.

Aaliyah Ameer has 13 years of Investment Banking and Private Equity transaction experience having worked at Macquarie and Ernst & Young. Aaliyah held key roles at Macquarie Group, where she served as Vice President in the Asset Management and Investment Banking divisions. She has sub sector expertise in Real Estate and Infrastructure with significant cross border and international deal experience. Prior to Macquarie, Aaliyah was a manager in Transaction Advisory focusing on Valuations and Due Diligence. She holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Accounting, a Bachelor of Business Science with majors in Finance, Economics, and Marketing from The University of Cape Town, and is a Chartered Accountant.

Karine Blanc is an experienced real estate executive and thought leader focused on building stronger, more inclusive communities. She is the founder and CEO of Avenue Fouchard Advisors, a real estate development advisory firm based in Philadelphia. Her areas of expertise include real estate development, capital markets, housing, and social impact. Karine has over a decade experience in investment management, private equity, and real estate. Prior to launching her own firm, Karine worked at various firms such as PGIM Real Estate, Lincoln Financial Group, and Fidelity Investments. Karine holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Economics from Rutgers University. She currently serves on Urban Land Institute’s Advisory Board in Philadelphia and serves as Chair of the Small Scale and Impact Development Council.

Dan Erb brings several years of M&A experience, excelling in sell-side transactions across diverse industries. At Brown Gibbons Lang, he contributed to the Healthcare & Lifesciences sector as an Investment Banking Associate. His varied experience spans wealth management, deal advisory, and strategic consulting in major cities like San Francisco, New York, and Hanoi. An Indiana University Kelley School of Business graduate, Dan earned his M.B.A, completed his undergraduate degree with distinction, and passed all four CPA exams. Currently, Dan serves as the managing partner of EM Capital, where he leads the acquisitions, syndications, and management of a ~$5M portfolio of Single Family Rentals.

Matan is Wall Street Prep’s Founder and CEO. His responsibilities include business development, development of courses, and overseeing training programs. Matan has overseen training programs for clients including Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse, Raymond James, Stifel Nicolaus, FBR Capital Markets, Sagent Advisors, Giuliani Capital Advisors, JP Morgan, Cerberus, Wharton Business School, London Business School, Kellogg, Booth, Stern (NYU), and Cornell. Prior to founding Wall Street Prep, Matan served in several capacities on Wall Street — first as an Analyst in Chase Manhattan Bank’s Mergers & Acquisitions Group in New York, and subsequently as an Associate within JP Morgan’s Equity Research Group, covering Food & Drug Retail Equities.

JB Gough has several years of experience in commercial real estate, technology, and financial services. JB is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of The Pinebrook Group, a private equity firm specializing in unique, sophisticated, and strategic value-add and opportunistic investments across various asset classes in the commercial real estate industry. Prior to founding Pinebrook, JB worked at Juniper Square, a SaaS platform for real estate private equity firms, where he specialized in investment management and fund administration services for GPs managing over $40 billion of investor equity and investing across a diverse spectrum of asset classes and strategies. Prior to Juniper Square, JB worked in investment banking at Jefferies and helped execute M&A, debt, and equity transactions in excess of $2.5 billion across the Consumer & Retail industries. JB earned a B.A. in Economics from Davidson College and holds a Master’s Degree in Real Estate from Georgetown University.

Lindsay is a California real estate broker and investor with 8 years of real estate transaction experience. Most recently, Lindsay served as Vice President of Capital Markets at Jones Lang LaSalle where she specialized in shopping center investment sales. Prior to Jones Lang LaSalle, Lindsay began her real estate career as an analyst and transaction manager at Colliers International, and then transitioned to a more senior role as Associate Vice President and Director of the shopping center division at Matthews Real Estate Investment Services. Lindsay holds an MBA from the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business and a B.S. in Business Administration with emphasis in Cinematic Arts from the University of Southern California.

Eric Bergin is the Managing Member of 3E Management LLC and founder of Top Shelf Models. He has over 23 years of experience in the Finance/Real Estate Industry. 3E Management provides institutional-quality consulting services and analysis to both Private Equity companies and family offices. Prior to forming 3E, Eric worked as a director at Rockpoint Group, leading the Finance Group, as well as managing certain acquisitions, asset management and investor reporting activities. Prior to Rockpoint, Eric was an Associate at Pricewaterhouse Coopers, where he had responsibilities in the financial advisory services group. He has a guest lecturer at Harvard Business School on private equity distributions and portfolio modeling and lectured at Stanford Graduate School of Business on portfolio waterfall calculations.

Dean Adler is CEO and Founder of Lubert-Adler Partner, L.P., a real estate equity firm with over $7 billion in equity and $17 billion of assets under management. He serves as head of the investment committee and is responsible for leading the strategic direction of the firm. Adler began his career at Ernst & Young, Baker and Hostetler and CMS. He is an Executive Committee Member and Research Sponsor for the Zell/Lurie Real Estate Center of The Wharton School. He has been a keynote speaker for national real estate organizations such as the Urban Land Institute and the International Council of Shopping Centers. Adler has served on numerous community boards and has served on the City of Philadelphia’s Economic Development Summit. Prior to founding Lubert-Adler, Adler graduated magna cum laude from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He holds a J.D. degree with honors from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and was an instructor at the Wharton School.

Jeff T. Blau is Chief Executive Officer and a partner of Related Companies. For the past 25+ years he has been responsible for directing and overseeing new developments worth over $60 billion in virtually every sector of the real estate industry. In his position as CEO, he is responsible for the strategic direction of the company, overall management of the firm, the pursuit of new development opportunities and corporate acquisitions and financing activities across all business platforms. Mr. Blau serves on the Board of Directors of Equinox Holdings, Inc., the Central Park Conservancy, the New York City Partnership Fund, Robin Hood Foundation, Real Estate Roundtable, The Wharton Graduate School, The University of Michigan, Lincoln Center, and The Mount Sinai Medical Center. Over the years, Mr. Blau has received numerous honors for his business, civic and philanthropic activities and was named to Crain’s New York’s New Influentials list of 25 leaders reshaping New York. Mr. Blau completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Michigan and received a Master of Business Administration from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Anar Chudgar is the Co-President at Artemis Real Estate Partners, where she is responsible for developing, implementing, and overseeing both equity and credit investing platforms. Ms. Chudgar has more than 20 years of experience in real estate principal investing and investment banking. She sits on the Firm’s Investment Committee and serves as Portfolio Manager for the Income and Growth Fund. Prior to joining Artemis in 2019, Ms. Chudgar spent nine years as a Partner at GCM Grosvenor, where she co-led the creation and growth of the $5.0 billion real estate platform. She has closed on $1.7 billion in joint venture real estate transactions in North America and Europe spanning both equity and debt, leading all aspects of investment management, including transaction sourcing and execution, asset management, portfolio management, and capital raising. Prior to that, Ms. Chudgar was a Principal in Alternative Investments at Credit Suisse Group AG, held positions at Onex Real Estate Partners, iStar Financial, Inc., and began her career at JP Morgan Chase in real estate investment banking. Ms. Chudgar graduated magna cum laude from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and continues to be involved with the school. She is on the Board of Advisors of the Annenberg Center, a resource for the performing arts at the university. Ms. Chudgar currently serves as Vice Chair of the Board of the Pension Real Estate Association and as Committee Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee at Spark Youth. Ms. Chudgar is an Executive Council member of the Real Estate Finance and Investment Center at the University of Texas at Austin, New York Women Executives in Real Estate (WX), and the Urban Land Institute’s UDMUC Green Council.

Hal is President & CEO of New York City-based Fetner Properties. He serves on Syracuse University’s Board of Trustees, is Chair of the Facilities Committee at the University, and a member of the University’s Whitman School of Management Advisory Council and the Whitman Real Estate Advisory Board. Hal established the Fetner Program fund, a scholarship at the Whitman School for students pursuing sustainability, and created the Fetner Sustainability Series as well as the Fetner Prize in Sustainable Enterprise. He sits on the Board of Governors and the Executive Board of the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) and is on the Board of Trustees of the Citizens Budget Commission — a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization pursuing constructive change in the finances and services of New York City and State. Hal graduated from the Whitman School of Management, and subsequently earned a Juris Doctor from New York Law School. In 1988 Hal took on the role of CEO at Fetner Properties as the third generation to take the helm. Prior to joining the firm, he served as a law clerk for the Honorable Joe Hynes, special prosecutor of the State of New York.

Ms. Harmon, Co-Founder and Co-Chief Executive Officer of Artemis Real Estate Partners, is an industry leader and entrepreneur with more than 30 years of experience in real estate. Ms. Harmon, along with Penny Pritzker, co-founded Artemis Real Estate Partners in 2009. She has oversight responsibility for the firm, establishing and managing the firm’s strategic direction. Prior to co-founding Artemis, Ms. Harmon spent 17 years establishing and leading the principal investing business at J.E. Robert Companies, Inc., a global real estate investment firm where she was President and Chief Investment Officer from 1997 until her departure in 2007. Ms. Harmon currently serves as Chairperson of the Pension Real Estate Association Foundation, a member of the Board of Directors of Starwood Property Trust, Urban Alliance, and Sponsors for Educational Opportunity In addition, Ms. Harmon is a leader and former trustee of the Urban Land Institute, and a member of the Advisory Boards of Park Madison Partners and the BlackIvy Group. She also serves on the Advisory Council for the NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights and as a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Ms. Harmon was previously appointed by President Obama to serve as a Commissioner for the White House Fellows program and was a member of the Board of Directors for Forest City Enterprises [NYSE: FCE] and Avis Group Holdings [NYSE: AVI]. She previously served on the Board of the Pension Real Estate Association and on the Board and Executive Committee of Women for Women International. Ms. Harmon also has served on the Advisory Board for the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, and the Boards of Trustees for The Sidwell Friends School, The National Cathedral Elementary School, and The National Children’s Research Center in Washington, D.C. Ms. Harmon was recognized in 2020 by Barron’s on its inaugural list of the 100 Most Influential Women in U.S. Finance, and was recognized by EY as an Entrepreneur of the Year® 2019 Mid-Atlantic Award winner and National Finalist. She was included in Real Estate Forum’s Women of Influence Hall of Fame in 2018. Ms. Harmon earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Johns Hopkins University and a Master of Business Administration from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Chris Lee, Co-President of KKR’s global real estate business since joining in 2012, serves as Portfolio Manager for KKR Property Partners Americas. He is Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors for KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Inc. (NYSE: KREF) and a key member of KKR’s committees and councils, including the Operating Committee, ESG Committee, and Global Inclusion and Diversity Council. Formerly Head of Real Estate in the Americas, Lee’s extensive background includes roles at Apollo Global Management and Goldman Sachs. He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Emory University. Actively engaged in philanthropy, Lee serves on various boards, including St. Mark’s School of Texas and Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO). He is affiliated with industry organizations like the CRE Finance Council and Urban Land Institute.

Evan Levy is Vice Chairman of The Amherst Group and is based in New York. He was previously Co-Head of Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP’s Real Estate practice. His practice focuses on complex real estate private equity transactions, joint ventures, acquisitions, dispositions, development projects, financing transactions, mergers and acquisitions and workouts and restructurings. Evan has broad experience in all aspects of real estate transactions, representing fund sponsors and investors; public and private companies; borrowers and lenders; purchasers and sellers; debtors and creditors; developers and equity investors; and issuers and investors in all real estate asset classes. Evan has advised some of the largest national and international real estate companies on their most significant and complex real estate transactions. Evan regularly represents owners, equity investors and lenders in all aspects of the structuring, capitalizing and financing of real estate transactions throughout the United States and across the world. Prior to joining Weil, Evan was a partner Head of Real Estate Capital Markets at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP.

Christopher S. Méndez is a Managing Director of Pearlmark based in New York, with responsibility for overseeing the firm’s equity investment activities including sourcing, underwriting, and executing transactions for Pearlmark’s investment vehicles. Prior to joining Pearlmark, Mr. Méndez served as Director and Co-Head of US Investments at Madison International Realty. Prior to joining Madison, Mr. Méndez worked for Morgan Stanley Real Estate, where he engaged in both investment banking and principal investing transactions. Mr. Méndez earned his BS from the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University and his MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. In addition, Mr. Méndez is a CFA charterholder, CIPM certificant, CCIM, and a member of the CFA Society New York.

Alan is a Managing Director at Zelman & Associates. He and his team are responsible for producing all research and financial models for the publicly traded homebuilding and land development companies under coverage, thematic reports covering the single-family for-sale market, as well as the firm’s proprietary homebuilding and land development surveys. He is a CFA charter holder, a member of the New York Society of Security Analysts, and is certified with the Series 7, 24, 63, 86 and 87 licenses. Prior to the founding of Zelman & Associates, Alan was an associate analyst from 2005 to 2007 at Credit Suisse Group, serving as part of Ivy Zelman’s Equity Research team which has consistently been recognized by Institutional Investor, Greenwich Associates, StarMine and The Wall Street Journal for their industry-leading analysis.

Michael is responsible for developing and implementing the acquisition and asset management activities of Artemis. Previously, he was an associate at The Carlyle Group, where he served in the transactions group within U.S. Real Estate. He was focused on property and portfolio acquisitions, dispositions, financings, and workouts across all major property types. Prior to The Carlyle Group, Michael was an analyst at Lazard Frères & Co., where he focused on mergers and acquisitions within the U.S. Real Estate group in New York. He earned his BS in Politics and Finance from Princeton University, graduating magna cum laude. He is the Treasurer on the board of Horton’s Kids, a non-profit that focuses on providing holistic support through healthcare, academics, and job assistance to underprivileged Washington, D.C. communities and is also an active council member with the Urban Land Institute.

Simon Ziff is president of Ackman-Ziff, one of the nation’s leading real estate intermediaries, headquartered in New York City. Since joining the firm as an analyst in 1989, Ziff has structured more than $30 billion of debt and equity financings for some of the nation’s foremost real estate developers and owners while solidifying the firm’s relationships with key capital sources. Prior to joining the firm, Ziff was employed by Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company as an analyst. Ziff has been recognized on multiple occasions by the Real Estate Board of New York, including as its first recipient of the Most Promising Commercial Salesperson of the Year Award. He is also the six-time recipient of the board’s Most Ingenious Deal of the Year Award. In 2002, New York University — where Ziff earned his master’s degree in real estate finance — awarded Ziff its second-ever distinguished Real Estate Alumni Recognition Award. The Penn State Smeal College of Business awarded Ziff the 1999 Outstanding Young Alumnus Award. Ziff is co-chair of the Smeal College of Business Real Estate Advisory Board and a member of New York University’s Schack Institute of Real Estate.