Season Three of The ACREL Files begins 2025 with an interview of Steve Weikal, Industry Chair of the MIT Center for Real Estate’s Technology Hub, which explores innovative new technologies and business models that are reinventing traditional ways of developing, transacting and managing real estate. Steve is also the Managing Partner of MET Fund II, which invests in early-stage startups that have an MIT connection and focus on solutions for the ongoing transformation of the built environment. Previously, Steve was the Head of Industry Relations at the MIT Center for Real Estate. Steve is a member of the CREtech Climate Leadership Board and the ClimateAlpha Advisory Board, as well as the advisory boards of several other real estate and technology companies. An ardent industry advocate and thought-leader, Steve speaks extensively about real estate technology around the world at conferences for AFIRE, AsRES, BOMA, CCIM, CoreNet, CREW, ICSC, IREM, NAIOP, PERE, SIOR and ULI. Steve holds a Master’s of Science in Real Estate Development (MSRED) and Master’s in City Planning (MCP) from MIT, and a law degree (JD) from Suffolk University Law School.

After an extended summer break, The ACREL Files continues with ACREL Past President Jay Epstien interviewing Noelle Perkins, Executive Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary of Cushman & Wakefield (a Silver Sponsor of ACREL). She leads Cushman’s global legal function, providing strategic advice, guidance, oversight and support to C&W’s global business and operations while playing a critical role in implementing governance and risk management practices for the firm. Noelle joined Cushman from Univar Solutions, where she served as Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Chief Risk Officer & Secretary. Prior to Univar Solutions, Noelle served as Chief Counsel for the Oilseeds Processing segment of Archer Daniels Midland Company, as Deputy General Counsel for John Bean Technologies Corporation, and as a litigation associate with Bell, Boyd & Lloyd (now K&L Gates). She did her undergraduate work at Northwestern University and received her law degree from the University of Illinois.

Before taking a break for the summer, the ACREL Files continues with ACREL Past President Jay Epstien interviewing J. Ronald Terwilliger, among the most iconic leaders of the real estate industry in the past 50 years. Ron is chairman emeritus of Trammell Crow Residential Company, a national residential real estate company and the largest developer of multifamily housing in the U.S. for several decades during his tenure as CEO. Ron is past chairman of the Urban Land Institute, where he currently serves as a trustee and established the ULI Terwilliger Center for Housing with his $5 million gift. He also is past chairman of the International Board of Directors of Habitat for Humanity and currently chairs Habitat’s Global Development Council. Ron currently serves as chairman of the Enterprise Community Partners Board of Trustees and as chairman of the Board of the U. S. Naval Academy Foundation, and is a member of the Boards of the “I Have a Dream” Foundation and the Bipartisan Policy Center, where he chairs the J. Ronald Terwilliger Center for Housing Policy. Among Ron’s many recognitions, he was honored in 2009 by the United States Naval Academy as a Distinguished Graduate for his lifetime commitment to service, personal character and distinguished contributions to our nation. Ron also was selected for the Prestigious Horatio Alger Award in 2014, bestowed upon individuals who have succeeded in spite of adversity and who are committed to supporting young people in pursuit of increased opportunities through higher education. Ron is an honor graduate of the United States Naval Academy. After serving five years in the Navy, he received his MBA degree with High Distinction from the Harvard Graduate School of Business where he was elected a Baker Scholar.

The ACREL Files 2024 continues with ACREL Past President Jay Epstien interviewing Deborah Harmon, an industry leader and entrepreneur with more than 30 years of experience in real estate. Together with Penny Pritzker, she co-founded Artemis Real Estate Partners in 2009. Prior to Artemis, Debbie spent 17 years establishing and leading the principal investing business at JE Robert Companies. Debbie currently serves as Chairperson of the Pension Real Estate Association Foundation, a member of the Boards of Directors of Starwood Property Trust, Urban Alliance, and Sponsors for Educational Opportunity. 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. She was recognized in 2020 by Barron’s on its inaugural list of the 100 Most Influential Women in US Finance and was included in Real Estate Forum’s Women of Influence Hall of Fame in 2018. Debbie earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Johns Hopkins University and an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

The ACREL Files 2024 continues with ACREL Past President Jay Epstien interviewing Sarah Hawkins, CEO of the East Region for Hines, one of the largest and most respected real estate organizations in the world. In that role, Sarah oversees development, acquisition, asset management, and operations activities across offices in New York City, Boston, Washington, DC and Philadelphia, with $20 billion in assets under management. She is a member of the firm’s global Executive Committee. Sarah joined Hines in 2011 and spearheaded the company’s expansion into senior housing and industrial platforms. Sarah is a rising star in the industry, having been recognized as one of the Power 100 by Commercial Observer. She serves on the board of Vertex Partnership Academies and the Executive Council for the University of Texas Real Estate Center. Sarah earned her Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Business Administration degrees from The University of Texas, where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa.

The ACREL Files 2024 continues with ACREL Past President, Jay Epstien, interviewing Jeff DeBoer, the President & Chief Executive Officer of The Real Estate Roundtable. The Roundtable represents the leadership of the nation’s top 150 privately owned and publicly-held real estate ownership, development, lending and management firms, as well as the elected leaders of the 19 major national real estate industry trade associations. Jeff has been at the forefront of national policy affecting the real estate industry for the past thirty-five years. Jeff also chairs the National Real Estate Organization, a 20 member real estate trade association coalition focused on industry communication, advocacy and diversity efforts, and the Real Estate Industry Information Sharing and Analysis Center (RE-ISAC), an organization dedicated to enhancing communication between the industry and federal policymakers on terrorism threats, building security, and major incident reporting. Commercial Property Executive recently awarded him its Lifetime Achievement Award for 2023 and The Hill has recognized Jeff as one of the top lobbyists in Washington DC for six consecutive years. Jeff holds degrees from Washington and Lee University School of Law (JD) and from Yankton College (BA).

Welcome to The ACREL Files 2024. We begin the year with ACREL Past President, Jay Epstien, interviewing Judy Turchin, a real estate lawyer with an accomplished career that should be of particular interest to ACREL Fellows. Judy’s journey (which is not over yet) started as a real estate associate at Wachtel Lipton before she joined Lehman Brothers as a Senior Vice President and Legal Officer in the real estate private equity business where she steered the company thru its bankruptcy and the Global Financial Crisis. Following Lehman, Judy joined Blackstone Real Estate, where she served as General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer and Chief Administrative Officer, becoming an integral part of the firm’s leadership team.

Following Blackstone, Judy pivoted to Equinox, the luxury lifestyle brand, where she served as Global Chief Operating Officer, responsible for the day-to-day operations of its 100+ clubs and 14,000 employees. In 2021, Judy founded JPT Advisors, a global advisory firm operating at the intersection of health/wellness/fitness and real estate, with a particular focus on customer experience, strategy, operations, sales and marketing. She currently serves on the Boards of several private equity sponsored companies, including Suntex Marinas, CenterWell Senior Primary Care and OVME Aesthetics, as well as New York Road Runners.  Judy received a J.D. from Fordham Law School and a B.A. with honors from Rutgers University.

Join us for the final ACREL Files podcast of 2024 when ACREL Past President Jay Epstien interviews Roy March, the chief executive officer of Eastdil Secured, the leading global real estate investment banking company. Eastdil annually transacts over $200 billion per year and has been involved in over $2.8 trillion in transactions since 2007. With more than 45 years of experience at Eastdil across financing, sales, acquisition, and capital markets activities in the US, Europe, and East Asia, Roy is among the most informed and insightful professionals regarding CRE transactional activity around the world. Roy serves on various industry, corporate and community boards, is a Trustee and member of Global Board of the Urban Land Institute, and is past Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Zell-Lurie Real Estate Center at The Wharton School. He is co-founder of March to the Top-Africa, serving the less fortunate in Africa focused on health, education and conservancy www.marchtothetop.com.