Program Overview

Sunder Pappu has more than 20 years of experience in the technology industry. He is currently the SVP Head of Technology Strategy at Inland Real Estate Group. Prior to Inland, Sunder worked at JP Morgan Chase, Avanade and Deloitte Consulting, holding leadership positions in the areas of strategy consulting, project management and application delivery.

Cindi Marsiglio is Walmart’s Senior Vice President of Corporate Real Estate. She is responsible for leading the overall strategic and operational integration for the design and construction of the new Walmart Home Office located in Bentonville, Arkansas. The future campus will enable Walmart to build for the future, attract new talent and empower associates with an enhanced workplace experience. She also oversees the management of Walmart’s corporate workplace portfolio consisting of approximately six million square feet and associated amenities across the United States, including hubs in California, New Jersey and Texas.

Aaron has over two decades of experience in law enforcement, Army Special Operations, and national security, including as a senior operations officer and field leader at the Central Intelligence Agency. Aaron is a proven problem solver and innovator, with experience leading complex, dynamic, and multimillion dollar intelligence missions across the globe, in war zones, austere environments, throughout the Near East, Eastern Europe, and Asia. Aaron is a recognized expert in the exponential risk of surveillance technology.

Howard Berger has over 30 years of experience in technology and commercial/investment real estate. As Realcomm's SVP Programs, he manages its US and international conferences and CIO programs. Previously, he was with The Jamesan Group, which specialized in strategic technology consulting for the commercial real estate industry and prior to that, he was with TRW Real Estate Information Systems where he developed real estate information systems for the mortgage, appraisal and title insurance industries.

As Managing Partner, SVP of Strategy & Business Development, Lisa Woods is responsible for developing Realcomm's strategic relationships with the technology companies that participate in the company's conferences, seminars and CIO events. Prior to joining Realcomm, Lisa spent 10 years working with building owners and managers, providing technology solutions in telecommunications, access control and security.

Founder of Realcomm Conference Group, an education organization that produces Realcomm, IBcon and CoRE Tech, the world's leading conferences on technology, automated business solutions, intelligent buildings and energy efficiency for the commercial and corporate real estate industry. As CEO, Jim interacts with the largest companies globally pertaining to some of the most advanced and progressive next generation real estate projects under development.

Turner Levison is focused on helping CRE occupiers leverage solutions from the Yardi Corom suite. He was the CEO and co-founder of CommissionTrac, a deal flow and commission management platform for CRE brokerages, which was acquired by Yardi in 2020.

Cliff is a CEO, entrepreneur and business executive whose success has come from building and leading outstanding teams, creating trusted relationships, identifying new market opportunities, and working with vision and integrity. He draws on 40 years of experience, spotting opportunities to capitalize on technology innovations, leveraging a customer centric approach. Cliff most recently co-founded Welo, a hybrid work solution that provides all of the intangibles of working together in an office so that colleagues who are in the office, remote or in hybrid situations can feel productive and connected. Welo is backed by Atlassian and Zoom.

Skip Rodenbush, Founder and CEO of The Virtual Specialist (TVS), excels at identifying applications and designing best-of-breed technology solutions that yield immediate measurable results at scale. TVS focuses on healthcare, sustainability, and commercial real estate specializing in improving the user experience and enabling people to work together virtually with actionable information regardless of location.

Jon Clarke is Head of Smart Building Technology and responsible for overseeing the strategic deployment of Building Technology, Proptech and Innovative solutions across the portfolio. He leads the building technology team who research and trial emerging technologies with a focus on solving real problems with scalability to deliver the next generation of cutting edge digitally enabled buildings.

For over two decades, Peter Palonek has distinguished himself within the IT and building automation industries. His expertise flourished with Schneider Electric and Control Tech, leading him to a strategic role as Channel and Network Manager for Tridium in the Asia Pacific region. In 2021, Peter joined Bitpool, a budding startup focusing on connecting customers to their building data. With his extensive technical acumen and commitment to customer satisfaction, he has been a key contributor to Bitpool's success.

Dr. Alexandra Thompson is the Program Director for the Low Carbon Built Environment Challenge Program with the National Research Council of Canada. Dr. Thompson manages a large portfolio of collaborative government, industry and academia R&D projects strategically focused on removing barriers to decarbonization of the construction sector at scale for buildings and infrastructure. She was the Program Lead for the NRC High Performance Buildings Program 2019-21, formerly Team Lead to the Human Factors team in Construction team at NRC and a published scientist.

Bill Cune is responsible for understanding the intersection between technology trends and market needs to define and create new approaches to deliver future ready network and connectivity solutions. This includes identifying and collaborating with key ecosystem players and customers to deliver differentiated optical solutions that re-define networking in the millennial era. Bill’s wide-ranging industry expertise enables him to provide a broad perspective from which to evaluate new trends in the market and in technology.

Michael Osment is Bedrock's Chief Technology Officer leading its technology team in building services, enterprise project management systems, data management and IT. In this role, Osment will merge technology with physical buildings to create new environments that deliver better services, reduce energy usage and enhance digital infrastructure. Michael has more than 20 years as an information and technology executive.

Fernando Perez is the VP of Sports & Entertainment Sales for Syracuse, New York-based JMA Wireless. At JMA, Fernando is responsible for developing, managing, and enhancing new revenue opportunities and strategic partnerships.

Nicholas Stello is the SVP, Digital Infrastructure for New-York based Vornado Realty Trust. His responsibilities include leading the company's IT initiatives as they relate to in-building cellular, networking, cyber security and smart building connectivity. Vornado’s unique assets have enabled Nick to both differentiate and increase the value of its properties by structuring innovative agreements with national cellular carriers and other related technology providers.

Travis Connors is a Co-Founder and General Partner of Building Ventures, the firm’s Built Environment Innovation Fund and a Board Member at Smartvid.io. Travis has worked closely with emerging startups in the Boston area for the past seventeen years.

As the Head of Strategic Partnerships and Business Development for MetaProp, Zander Geronimos leads relationships and communications with key players across the real estate value chain and acts as a conduit between strategic real estate firms and the emerging PropTech community.

Paige Pitcher is the Head of Strategic Partnerships at Moderne Ventures. She manages programming and relationships across the firm, including its Portfolio Companies, Passport Program and Corporate Innovation Advisory practice.Paige is a futurist, innovator, and intrapreneur with a decade's worth of experience in real estate development and corporate strategy. She is a TEDx speaker and has delivered keynote addresses on three continents urging the evolution of the built environment.

Gene Boniberger started his career at Rudin Management Company. In 2013, He was promoted to SVP, Operations Department and additionally assumed responsibilities for the 5 million SF residential portfolio. Gene manages the Rudin Operations Department as well as day to day operation of the Organization’s commercial and residential portfolio, and the MEP/Operations aspects of all new construction projects.

Cindy Zhu works at the intersection of real estate, energy efficiency, and emerging technologies. She is currently Director of the Grid Services team at Prescriptive Data and has previously led major climate and energy initiatives at federal and state government agencies, including the U.S. Department of Energy. Cindy is on the leadership team of the Clean Energy Leadership Institute, a 501c3 nonprofit dedicated to developing the next generation of leaders dedicated to transforming the clean energy economy.

Nathan Lyon is the Head of Building Technology for Investa, Australia's largest commercial office specialists who develop, manage and own over 11 billion of commercial office assets. He is responsible for technology strategies for new and existing assets, delivery and implementation of solutions enhancing the building occupants' experience and increase the performance and flexibility of the built environment across Investa’s portfolio. Nathan has 15 years' CRE experience in both operations and development.

Phil Zito is the founder and CEO of Smart Buildings Academy (SBA), the world’s largest independent smart buildings training company. SBA has provided online training to well over 13,000+ students across 2,000+ companies since 2017. He has held roles in operations, sales, partner management, and engineering.

Charlie Gans is the Business Development Manager for the Johnson Controls, Inc. Healthy Buildings Team, focused on providing healthier and more sustainable environments for building occupants. He has over 25 years of experience in providing engineered air distribution, comfort and indoor air quality solutions across a broad range of markets.

During his 28 years on the University of Colorado’s engineering faculty, Dr. Mark Hernandez he has authored over 110 archival publications and holds 8 patents - many of which are licensed to the tech sector. He has recently served on four US National Academy of Science Committees, focusing on next generation bioterrorism research, the microbiology of the indoor environments and disease transmission in urban settings and slums

Josh Lewis, CEM, CMVP, is the VP Energy Engineering at Nerva Energy Group, an award-winning energy advisory firm and specialty contractor providing smart building optimization by leveraging niche expertise with leading IoT technologies to ensure buildings function more intuitively and efficiently, creating energy earning & carbon reduction opportunities, and fostering a positive impact on occupancy, quality of life and the overall environment. Josh is an award-winning leader in the energy sector. He is a cutting-edge business development strategist with a wide knowledge base in green buildings, energy conservation, carbon reduction and environmental sustainability.

Paul Valente is the Facility Automation Architect for Chicago Public Schools and is responsible for Managing/Upgrading/Repairing/Installing off all the BAS (Building Automation Systems) and other IoT systems going within CPS. CPS has 1120 distinct physical structures encompassing 65+ million SF with an average age of 82 years old, that serves 320k students with 55k staff across the district and is the fourth largest school district in the United States. Paul has extensive experience with all aspects of the IT infrastructure and is a “jack of all trades” kind of person who was tapped with this effort by the CIO of the district to make sure the efforts of centrally managing and keeping things working to provide the occupants a warm, cool, safe and dry setting is implemented.

Tim Vogel is the Director of IoT at KMC Controls, leading initiatives around cloud-connected products and solutions, including the IoT and automation platform KMC Commander. Working in building automation and industrial IoT since 2016, he manages channel partners across OT and IT segments, OEM partnerships in energy and solar, large-scale accounts, cybersecurity products, and third-party partnerships with many leaders in PropTech.

Aaron Lee is Sr. Manager, Systems Engineering for Commscope/Ruckus with a focus on MDU and CRE. Aaron has 12+ years in technology industry in Commercial Enterprise, Education and Multifamily verticals. He has a deep understanding of the implementation and design of multiple technology stacks including IOT, WiFI, and CBRS. He previously served as Vice President of Product Strategy and Operations at WhiteSky Communications, where he managed engineering, support and operations.

Alan Ni is the Senior Director of Edge Marketing at HPE Aruba Networking, with 20 years of technology and financial expertise with mobile computing. Alan’s team is responsible for overseeing Aruba’s go-to-market across its Edge Service Platform and network-as-a-service offerings.

Brian Schwartz is responsible for Smart Building Infrastructure at over 50 centers portfolio wide. He oversees the installation and support for CCTV, Wi-Fi, Energy Management, shopper counting, and DAS. Brian supports digital marketing initiatives including digital signage and property websites.

Anil Varanasi is the CEO of Meter, a company that provides internet infrastructure for businesses. He co-founded the company with his brother, Sunil, in 2015. Meter’s full-stack approach combines hardware, software, and operations to provide enterprise-grade networks that are faster, more accessible, and more secure to customers across industries including Brex, Evernote, Italic, Stord, and Tishman Speyer and more.

Mita is currently VP of Business Process Group, a global team whose function is responsible for various digital transformation and technology-based project management initiatives within Hines. As a strategic enabler for the business, the group partners with all regions and platforms within Hines to assess, deploy, and implement process improvements as well as technology solutions. Previously, she was an MD leading the Investment Management Americas modeling group, where they deliver real-time strategic analysis and liquidity projections for optimal acquisition and divestiture within the Flagship Funds, totaling more than $4 billion dollars.

Susan Gerock currently serves as SVP, Information Technology and CIO for Elme Communities, formerly known as WashREIT. She has over 25 years' experience in various technology roles spanning manufacturing, consulting, application service provider and commercial real estate organizations. Her specialties include ERP selection and implementation, project and change management, and cybersecurity. She is also a proponent of the use of social media and the overlapping relationship between technology and marketing.

Patrick Ghilani is the Chief Executive Officer of MRI Software, he has spearheaded productivity and client experience improvements while leading all client operations, including Professional Services, Client Support, and SaaS hosting. Patrick has led corporate growth initiatives targeting both geographic and innovative product expansion. With over 20 years of experience in the enterprise application arena, he has successfully managed both the strategy and operations of sizeable technology product and services organizations, serving multiple global industries, including over 10 years in the Commercial and Multi-Family Real Estate verticals.

Veronica is Partner and SVP of Innovation, Sales and Marketing for 5Q. For the past 25 years, she has focused her career on delivering outstanding measurable outcomes and providing real solutions to very complex problems for companies ranging from start-ups to Fortune 500 organizations. Veronica is obsessed with delighting customers, is an avid advocate of women in technology and is a champion of employee engagement through empowerment.

Aaron has over two decades of experience in law enforcement, Army Special Operations, and national security, including as a senior operations officer and field leader at the Central Intelligence Agency. Aaron is a proven problem solver and innovator, with experience leading complex, dynamic, and multimillion dollar intelligence missions across the globe, in war zones, austere environments, throughout the Near East, Eastern Europe, and Asia. Aaron is a recognized expert in the exponential risk of surveillance technology.

Ken Kurz brings over 20 years of leadership and operational experience in cybersecurity, network technologies, information systems, risk mitigation and remediation, and technical project management to COPT. Supporting COPT as CIO since 2016, he has prior experience as the CISO for the University of Delaware, CISO for the University of Oklahoma, and CIO for the US Naval Academy Alumni Association & Foundation. He has also held various technical and leadership positions within the Department of Defense.

A recognized thought-leader and practitioner, Ian shapes the role of information in the industry's most innovative companies. A Founder and past Chairman, Ian is now leading OSCRE into new territory and supports implementations of OSCRE standards. He has over 30 years' experience with global corporations and investment organizations, their service providers and software firms. Ian has held executive positions in leading consulting and software firms and is a regular speaker, author and faculty in executive development.

Gabe Fierro is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Colorado School of Mines, with a joint appointment at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Dr. Fierro works at the intersection of databases, cyberphysical systems, the Internet of Things, data modeling and semantic interoperability. He is a founder and the lead maintainer of Brick Schema, an open-source ontology and data model that defines a standard representation for smart building data.

Scott Muench, VP of Customer Experience, joined J2 Innovations as a partner in 2011. He is best known as an industry expert in smart homes, smart buildings and smart device management. Scott is a past president of ASHRAE and a Board Director and spokesman for the Project Haystack community. Scott is passionate about innovation and sustainability in building automation industry. His specialization is the ability to simplify the complexities of technology into eloquent solutions.

Lazlo Paul is an Associate Data Scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory where he pursues research on advanced building control schemes and control platforms, semantic interoperability in buildings, and building-grid interaction.

Erik Wallin is the founder and Chief Ecosystem Officer of Idun ProptechOS. ProptechOS is a scalable platform for smart building portfolios that uses world leading standards for real estate data.Together they unlock property owner savings and new value, while championing a futureproof ecosystem for smart buildings in the smart city. Erik is an active researcher within the field of semantic technologies and applied machine learning for large scale autonomous systems.

Brian Oswald is Managing Director for CBRE focused on professional services, remote facility operation and system integration. He is responsible for daily business operations of CBRE and assist account teams and clients with identifying and implementing portfolio-wide smart building technology solutions. Brian brings more than a decade of smart building technology and implementation experience to his role, including a proven record of delivering multi-site applications.

Greg Fitzpatrick is the Business Development Leader for IoT and Integration at Cochrane Supply and Engineering, where he supports end users, consulting engineers and systems integrators in the area of IoT, Integration and Enterprise Software. With over 25 years in the Building Systems and Controls business, he helps clients match new technology for Smart Buildings through specification writing, technology presentations and design assistance. Greg is also Executive Director for the Real Estate Cyber Consortium (RECC) focused on promoting cyber security awareness for operational technology.

Etrit Demaj, Co-Founder of KODE Labs, leads the company’s operations, with responsibility for businesses in North America and Europe. He also oversees the company’s ongoing expansion efforts into emerging markets. Before KODE Labs, Etrit helped run operations and sales with other companies in the industry.

Scott Mitton is a collaborative 30-year IT veteran that has worked with clients globally to execute their business goals with the purposeful use of technology. Scott transitioned into the construction industry 10 years ago to apply his IT knowledge and experience to the build space. He collaborates with executives and operations teams to ensure the technology is leveraged in such a manner to not only meet business and financial goals but to operate more efficiently while creating a unique and progressive user experience. His work truly supports the most important asset: the people who work or live in them.

Doug Plumley is a Software Architect in Dartmouth College's Campus Services Technology Services (CSTS) team. In this role, he provides IT/OT support to Dartmouth’s growing portfolio of smart buildings, applications, and services. His responsibilities include writing software and integrations for Dartmouth’s various software platforms (i.e. IWMS, CEMS, CMMS, etc.) and providing monitoring and management of Dartmouth’s BACnet networks and BAS applications. Doug is a key member of Dartmouth’s Smart Campus Steering Committee and a champion of Smart Campus design and system integration.

Andres Rodriguez is the Director, Building Connectivity and has over 15 years’ experience in IT/OT environments in healthcare, finance, oil and gas and real estate. At QuadReal, Andres works to deploy networks that serve as the platform to build their digital building operational environments and amenity initiatives.

Having spent most of his career within the Distech Controls organization with 15 years of experience in the industry, Ryan Sen most recently served as Director of Sales where he was in charge of the sales channel for the entire Canada. He has previously held a multitude of management roles within the organization. Ryan has also performed Business Development for the Distech Controls Energy Services division and briefly supported the Canadian Market in a Regional Sales Management role.