Urban Marketplace 2010 Program Speakers

Stan Ross, Chairman, USC Lusk Center for Real Estate

Stan Ross is Chairman of the Board of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate and Distinguished Fellow. He was formerly Vice Chairman-Real Estate Industry Services for Ernst & Young LLP, and member of its Management Committee, which sets policy and strategy for the firm, as well as Managing Partner of E&Y Kenneth Leventhal Real Estate Group, where he was responsible for its overall business planning, strategy, direction and operations. Mr. Ross continues his diverse activities in the real estate industry as Special Consultant for Ernst & Young and serves on several Boards of Directors, including those of The Irvine Company, Forest City Enterprises and the University of Judaism.

Mr. Ross is widely recognized for his experience in strategic planning for real estate companies, with expertise in mergers, acquisitions and reorganizations, and the development of creative financial structures. He was involved in the initial organization of the Resolution Trust Corporation (RTC) and was a member of the Auditing Standards Board of the AICPA, which sets the auditing rules for the accounting profession. Ross is a frequent lecturer at various universities, accounting symposia and real estate conferences and has written numerous articles concerning real estate and accounting matters. He is an Honorary Trustee and Governor of the Urban Land Institute and Trustee of Baruch College from which he graduated in 1956. Mr. Ross was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Baruch in 1999.

Katherine Aguilar Perez, Executive Director, ULI Los Angeles

Katherine Aguilar Perez is the Executive Director of the Urban Land Institute, Los Angeles District Council. With her diverse background in private real estate development, governmental policy and urban planning, she has emerged as one of the most articulate and credible advocates promoting the responsible use of land. Previously, Ms. Perez was the Vice President of Development for Forest City Development where she focused on transit oriented development and mixed use projects in emerging markets.

Prior to joining Forest City, Ms. Perez was the co-founder and Executive Director of the Transportation and Land Use Collaborative (TLUC) of Southern California, a nationally recognized non-profit that promotes greater civic involvement in planning and development. Previously, she worked for Pasadena Mayor William Bogaard as the Deputy to the Mayor where she worked on transportation, planning and Latino constituents' issues. In August 2009, Ms. Perez was appointed to the California Public Infrastructure Advisory Commission by Secretary of Business, Transportation & Housing Dale Bonner. The Commission will assist the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and regional transportation agencies in developing public-private financing agreements for high-priority infrastructure projects throughout the state.

In July 2009, Ms. Perez was asked to join the Advisory Board of the US High Speed Rail Association, the only organization in the United States focused entirely on advancing a state of the art national high speed rail network across the country.
Ms. Perez is an Adjunct Professor at the USC School of Planning and Development, teaching the graduate course "Participatory Methods in Planning and Development," a new course designed to focus on the technical skills of public participation. In Spring 2009, Ms. Perez served as an Adjunct Professor at the UCLA School of Policy teaching a course on transit oriented development.

Ms. Perez is honored to be recognized as a 2009-2010 Senior Fellow of the UCLA School of Public Affairs. Senior Fellows are distinguished civic leaders to volunteer their time to leadership development in the School.
She serves on the Board of Directors for AltaMed Health Services, which provides healthcare and human services to the underserved, multi-ethnic communities of Los Angeles County. She is a member of the UCLA Alumni Council of the Graduate School of Public Affairs. She received her Masters Degree in Urban Planning and Transportation from UCLA and her Bachelors Degree in Political Science from CalState Northridge. Ms. Perez is most proud of her three children, Diego, Lucia and Antonia, which give her the drive and passion to contribute toward the building and creation of healthy, livable communities for future generations.

Rudolf Montiel, CEO, Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles

A highly effective public sector CEO with strong private sector experience, Mr. Montiel is leading the culture of change and streamlining efforts to one of the largest housing authorities in the nation. The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) operates on a yearly budget in excess of $850 million, owns and manages 8,000 units and administers Section 8 subsidy programs for another 45,000 families in the City of Los Angeles and 38,000 PBCA vouchers in ten Southern California counties.

Prior to coming to Los Angeles, he successfully led the Housing Authority of the City of El Paso for three years, leading HACEP to the highest scores in the nation for Public Housing and Section 8 management. During his tenure in El Paso, HACEP “made money” every year, increased reserves by 21% and added nearly 1,000 units to the portfolio. He implemented numerous employee and client programs such as incentive pay for all employees at HACEP. His strong private sector experience includes engagements with Fortune 500 companies such as General Motors, Delphi, and the I.T. Group/Shaw Companies. While at General Motors he was involved in the development, construction and start up of over 30 manufacturing, R&D, and office/distribution facilities in the U.S. Mexico, Argentina and Brazil.

The Hispanic Engineers National Awards Corporation named Mr. Montiel the Most Promising Engineer in 1994. He holds Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Civil Engineering from the University of Texas at El Paso. He is also a licensed professional engineer in Texas.  In 2009, Mr. Montiel completed an Executive Education Program at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. Active in the community and professional organizations he currently sits on the Boards of Housing Authority Insurance Group Inc. (Finance and Audit Committees), Public Housing Authority Directors Association and Hispanic Engineers National Achievement Awards Corporation.

Arturo Sneider, SCLS, Partner, Primestor Development

Mr. Sneider is a founding partner of Primestor Development, Inc.  His primary responsibilities include acquisitions, project conceptual design, financing, and corporate management.  With a strong focus in largely underserved urban communities and under his direction, Primestor’s diverse portfolio has maintained an approximate 95% occupancy rate in approximately eighty projects.  Mr. Sneider was nominated as Entrepreneur of the Year in 1997 by Hispanic Business Magazine and has had extensive written and televised press about him and his work.  As the winner of the Latin Business Association’s “2002 Business of the Year Award” and the 2005 Los Angeles Minority Construction Firm of the Year, Primestor has consistently been on the top 500 Hispanic Business list as well as on the 2005 and 2006 “100 Fastest Growing Companies” list.  In 2008 he was recognized as the “Person to Watch” by the San Fernando Valley Business Journal and with the HUB Cities Business Leadership Award and in 2009 with the S.E.A. Business Pioneer Award. Primestor is currently working on approximately 1.8 million square feet of development in diverse Minority markets and presently oversees and manages a portfolio of approximately 450 million dollars.

Mr. Sneider is an active Board Member/Director of the Los Angeles County Capital Asset Leasing Corporation, serves on the Board of Alternative Living for the Aging and EXPO Center of Los Angeles; was a founding member of the Downtown Property Owner’s Association and the Wilshire Center Business Improvement District.  He has served as an advisor to the City of Los Angeles’ Economic Development Department and is currently working on major revitalization projects in Los Angeles and Chicago.  He is a sought after speaker and has recently been a panelist for Urban Land Institute (ULI), International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), the Association of Corporate Real Estate Executives (ACRE), Lusk Center for Real Estate at USC and the California Association for Local Economic Development (CALED).