The Financial Visionary

This woman is a master of the numbers with a mind for the bigger picture. In commercial real estate, she sees beyond spreadsheets—identifying value others miss and crafting strategies that maximize returns while mitigating risk. Whether structuring complex deals, raising capital, or forecasting market shifts, she leads with precision, foresight, and confidence. With deep financial expertise and bold vision, she’s not just managing assets—she’s shaping the financial future of CRE.
 

Monday, July 13, 2026

2:45 PM - 3:45 PM | The Savvy Investor: Institutional Investment Strategies

In a rapidly shifting investment landscape, today’s most successful leaders must navigate evolving investor expectations, risk profiles, and portfolio priorities with confidence and foresight. This session brings together top women shaping institutional capital decisions to explore how strategies are adapting across cycles. This session will unpack emerging trends in asset allocation, deal structures, fundraising, and partnership models, while highlighting the tactics investors are using to balance opportunity with risk.

Jennifer Litwak, President & CEO - PH Development Group
Sondra Wenger, Head of Capital Markets - KBS
Nikki Chavez, Director of Capital Formation - Interstate Equities Corporation
Jenny Zhan, Founder and CEO - Beyond Holding Company LTD

2:45 PM - 3:45 PM | Beyond the Balance Sheet: Strategic Asset Management

Dive into the strategies that separate top-performing CRE portfolios from the rest. This session will examine how Asset Managers are maximizing asset value through data-driven decision-making, operational efficiency, and creative repositioning. Learn how forward-thinking leaders are going beyond financial metrics to manage risk, enhance performance, and future-proof their assets in a competitive market.

Mary Rottler, COO - First Washington Realty
Donna Blair, Chief Operating Officer - Pacific Retail Capital Partners
Wendie Newman, EVP, Asset Management - American Healthcare REIT
Holly Amaya, Principal and Founder - Amaya Comms

2:45 PM - 3:45 PM | The New Development Playbook: Flexibility, Feasibility & Innovation

Development once followed a predictable formula: acquire land, secure financing, build, lease up, raise rents, and exit. Today, that model is under pressure from higher capital costs, rising insurance and risk constraints, affordability challenges, and rapidly evolving user expectations. At the same time, adaptive reuse, mixed-use strategies, and technology are reshaping how projects are conceived and operated. This session explores what the new development playbook looks like in a fundamentally changed landscape, and how developers can not only stabilize, but thrive, in a rapidly evolving world.

Heather Wellington, Founder & Principal - Cubed Development & Consulting
Leah Fitzpatrick, Senior Project Manager - WMG Development, LLC
Jenn Quader, President & CEO - The Smart Agency
Lauren Cahill, Senior Vice President - Grubb Properties
DeLea Becker, Owner|Broker - Beck-Reit Commercial Real Estate

Tuesday, July 14, 2026

10:00 AM - 11:00 AM | CRE State of the Industry Panel

GlobeSt. once again welcomes back top female executives from every link in the CRE value chain to discuss the current state of the CRE market, examine transactional shifts, and break down key trends from capital resources to development, to property management. This can't-miss opening session will provide attendees with a robust look at the CRE landscape from top to bottom.

Tonya Brandon, COO, Global Real Estate - TIAA
Julie Baird, President - First American Exchange Company
Jennifer Nichols, Executive Vice President & General Counsel - CRG
Stacey Anderson, SVP, CFO - Ambrose
Lauren Cahill, Senior Vice President - Grubb Properties
Michelle McAtee, Chair of Real Estate Group - Jenner &Block LLP

11:30 AM - 12:15 PM | Increasing Your Earning Power and Negotiating Your Path to Success

Kim Cosgrove, Senior Vice President, Communications - CenterSquare Investment Management
Katherine Pinkard, Senior Managing Director - MCB Real Estate
Blima Ehrentreu, Founder & CEO - The Designers Group Inc
Holly Amaya, Principal and Founder - Amaya Comms

12:15 PM - 1:00 PM | The Deal Closer: Professional Negotiation Strategies that Drive Results

Bettina Hunt, Senior Vice President, Leasing - American Healthcare REIT
Amy Calandrino, Director - Cushman & Wakefield
Audra Cunningham, President & CEO - ACRE Consulting, LLC
Sandra Jacobson, Attorney - Allen Matkins

2:00 PM - 2:30 PM | Shopping in the Age of AI: How Retail is Transforming the CRE Landscape

Whitney Livingston, Chief Operating Officer - ICSC

2:50 PM - 3:50 PM | Anatomy of a Deal: Deconstructing CRE Transactions

 Our expert dealmakers will provide a comprehensive breakdown of the CRE transactions process, from initial analysis to final acquisition. Participants will gain a deep understanding of the key elements that drive successful CRE deals, including market analysis, property valuation, financing structures, due diligence, and negotiation strategies. Through real-world case studies and expert insights, attendees will learn how to evaluate risk, assess potential returns, and structure deals that maximize value.

Shanna Strowbridge, General Counsel & Vice President - The Opus Group
Lisa Sauer, Relationship Manager - Partner Engineering and Science
Margo McDonnell, CES, CRE, President - 1031 CORP.
Val Achtemeier, Vice Chair - CBRE
Jenn Quader, President & CEO - The Smart Agency