Shannon Alter, CPM

Founder, Leaders Exceed, LLC

Shannon Alter, CPM, Founder of Leaders Exceed, works with organizations and leaders at every level who want to communicate more clearly and helps them master what to say and how to say it through her highly interactive keynotes and workshop programs. With over 35 years in the real estate industry, Shannon is a National Instructor for the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM®) and the American Management Association (AMA). She has facilitated and trained professionals in 10 countries including Eastern Europe, Canada, China, South Korea, India, South Africa and Ghana. Shannon is a frequent speaker for associations such as BOMA, IREM, CREW, IFMA, IABC and ICSC and is a past RVP for IREM and a Past President of IREM Orange County. Shannon’s third book, “Be Influential: Sure-Fire Ways to Improve Your Presentation Skills” is on the shelves. She is a graduate of the University of Southern California.

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Andrew Bermudez

CEO & Co-Founder, Digsy Inc.

Andrew Bermudez is a commercial real estate technology entrepreneur with an extensive background in brokerage sales, leasing and lead generation systems. Andrew has an affinity for commercial real estate, technology, automation and quantum physics.

Andrew was the former Senior Vice President & Partner of national CRE brokerage firm, Lee & Associates in Irvine, CA. Prior to Lee & Associates, Andrew was a self-taught computer programmer.

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Linsey Carbone, MBA

CEO, Titan Real Estate Valuation

A marketing and strategy executive with experience across real estate, higher education, and applied AI, who previously supported early program development at the CSUF Center for Real Estate under Director Bob Osbrink.

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Scott Coler

President, Southern CA Division, Capital Pacific Homes, Inc

Having spent most of his career with Capital Pacific Homes, Inc. since it formed in 1991, Scott Coler is a 35-plus year residential homebuilding. He rose to Division President of its Las Vegas division, then returned to lead in the growth and expansion of the company's Southern California operations during the mid-2000's.

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Pat Donahue

President and CEO, Donahue Schriber

Patrick S. Donahue serves as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Southern California-based Donahue Schriber, a fully integrated, privately held real estate investment trust (REIT) operating in the western United States. The firm owns and/or operates a $2 billion portfolio of 91 neighborhood, community, community lifestyle and power shopping centers, representing over 15 million square feet, including 18 development properties.

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Angela Gomez-Jones, RPA®, CPM®

Partner, Endeavor CRE

During her over 20-year career in property management, Angela managed or had oversight of almost every product type in numerous markets for a multitude of ownership groups.

Angela has now turned her career towards real estate focused recruiting and consulting with Endeavor Agency. Endeavor primarily serves the CRE space having recruited top talent for lending, 3rd party property management and brokerage firms in the industry.

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Tim Gorman, Real Estate Broker | CRE | CPA (Inactive)

Principal Broker, Gorman & Associates, Inc. | Founder/President Gorman Estate & Trustee Advisory

Tim Gorman is President and Principal Broker of Gorman & Associates, Inc., a boutique commercial real estate and investment advisory firm based in Orange County. He has more than two decades of experience advising families, institutions, nonprofits, and private investors on real estate strategy, valuation, and long-term asset planning. Tim is a Counselor of Real Estate® (CRE) and is actively involved in professional education, community outreach, and mentorship. He is a frequent speaker on real estate economics, legacy planning, and fiduciary best practices, and has authored books and led workshops focused on responsible ownership and generational wealth. Tim is committed to supporting Cal State Fullerton through industry engagement, student mentorship, and strengthening the bridge between academic programs and the professional real estate community.

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Mark Guithues

President, Community Legal Advisors Inc

Mark T. Guithues, Esq. is the founding partner of Community Legal Advisors Inc. which serves a portfolio of more than 300 residential and commercial community associations. He is recognized as an industry leader in the formation of common interest developments, having served as an Update Author to CEB’s Forming California Common Interest Developments, annually published by the State Bar of California. Mark is a licensed California Real Estate Broker and has been recognized as a “Who’s Who Top Attorney of California,” and a “Lawyer of Distinction.”

Steve Haddadin

President, King Real Estate Group

Steve Haddadin is an Entrepreneur with over a decade of Real Estate experience. He is the Founder and President/ Broker of King Real Estate Group, a Real Estate Sales brokerage located in Brea, CA. Steve entered the Real Estate industry at the age of 18, he has a diversity of experience from selling Commercial and Residential properties, Management of Office and Retail properties, Lending, and Development in Orange County and Riverside County.

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Pauline Hale

US Head of Quality Control, Value & Risk Advisory, JLL

Pauline is responsible for quality control including internal review, best practices, and training. Pauline has 25+ years of varied commercial real estate industry experience. She spent 18 years at Altus Group and their predecessor firm, PwC, and held management positions at KBS Realty Advisors, and CBRE.

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Michael Hefner

Executive Vice President, Voit Real Estate Services

Michael A. Hefner is presently in his forty-second (42nd) year in the real estate industry. Over the course of his career, Mike has developed an extensive list of clients including property owners, financial institutions, developers, investors and users. Mike provides his clients a comprehensive understanding of all aspects of real estate transactions including investment sales, build-to-suit, development sale and lease transactions. He is committed to providing his clients the highest level of professional service, and as a result has developed a long list of repeat and referral clientele. During his successful career, Mike has negotiated and completed in excess of 2,000 lease and sale transactions, totaling over 44 million square feet with a collective value of more than $3.9 billion.

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Cristina Hsieh, CCIM

President of SEGAI CRE

Cristina Hsieh, CCIM, brings a uniquely diversified and international perspective to commercial real estate. Before launching her real estate career, she spent over a decade in the consumer electronics industry, an experience that sharpened her business acumen and her ability to navigate complex, high-stakes transactions. Today, she specializes in commercial properties throughout Southern California. She is fluent in English, Mandarin Chinese, Taiwanese, and Spanish. In 2002, Cristina founded SEGAI, INC., an international business firm that later evolved into a global real estate investment company. She has assisted local and foreign principals in establishing operations and acquiring commercial assets across the United States. Her experience spans the acquisition, disposition, and leasing of industrial properties, including warehouse and cold storage facilities, as well as retail investment sales and tenant representation.

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Phillip Leotaud

Director of Sales / Air Control Systems

With over 18 years at Air Control Systems, I’ve developed a comprehensive understanding of the business, starting in the field and advancing through multiple roles. As Director of Sales, I lead both inside and outside sales teams, focusing on client retention, strategic growth, and new business development. In this role, I’ve helped drive over 1400% company growth while maintaining an average annual increase of 22% in the service department. I manage six direct reports and work cross-functionally to align sales strategies with broader organizational goals and long-term success.

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Desen Lin, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Cal State Fullerton

Dr. Desen Lin is an assistant professor of finance at Cal State Fullerton. His research and teaching interests lie in real estate finance and economics, urban economics and household finance. His studies on housing affordability, community development, real estate investment, and residential mortgages have been published in multiple academic journals, including Real Estate Economics, Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, and Cityscape. Desen Lin earned his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania. His thesis on the impact of rental brokerage in the New York City was acknowledged by the American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association (AREUEA) Homer Hoyt Doctoral Dissertation Award. Before pursuing a Ph.D. degree, he earned an M.A. in Economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2015 and a B.A. in Mathematical Economics from Fudan University in 2013.

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Gary Martinez, SIOR

Commercial Real Estate Broker, Ashwill Associates

Gary Martinez is a hardworking commercial real estate broker with over 20 years of experience. He has successfully completed over 2,500 transactions, and has represented various investors from Fortune 100 companies to family owned operations. Gary is proficient at providing investment analyses, maximizing cash flow, maximizing commercial property values, and finding the right property at the right time.

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Robert Osbrink

EVP, Market Leader, Matthews Real Estate Investment Services

Osbrink has more than four decades of commercial real estate experience including previous positions as vice president of Marcus & Millichap’s Orange County division and co-CEO of Grubb and Ellis.

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Sushrut Suresh Rathod

Titan Real Estate Valuation - Cofounder

I am Sushrut Rathod, a quantitative finance professional and Co-Founder of Titan Real Estate Valuation, a commercial real estate analytics firm specializing in valuation modeling and dynamic asset stress-testing. With an engineering background and a Master of Finance, I bridge the gap between data architecture and institutional debt structuring. My work focuses on transforming unstructured, hyper-local market data into deterministic cash flow projections. By integrating advanced algorithmic tools with traditional underwriting frameworks, I develop methodologies that predict commercial vulnerabilities before capital is deployed. While my professional background spans direct lending origination, commercial asset management, and institutional acquisitions, my core objective is advancing the quantitative tools used to evaluate the built environment. Throughout my career, my focus remains steadily at the intersection of RE valuation, urban economics, and advanced real estate risk assessment.

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Oscar Rodriguez-Aguila, CPM®

Executive Real Estate Leader

Oscar Rodriguez Aguila, CPM®, is a real estate executive with over 26 years of experience in property management, asset preservation, and affordable housing. Rising from a maintenance technician to executive leadership, he brings a comprehensive,360-degree perspective to real estate operations, investment strategy, and regulatory compliance. A recognized expert in multifamily and affordable housing, Oscar has championed public-private partnerships and worked with government agencies, nonprofits, and community stakeholders to expand housing opportunities across Southern California. He serves in multiple leadership roles, including President of the IREM Orange County Chapter, Vice-Chair of the IREM National Advocacy Committee, IREM DISI Advisor and is a Board Member for the National Hispanic Construction Alliance Los Angeles Chapter. He also leads the “IREM in Latin America” initiative, expanding global access to professional education and ethical real estate practices.

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Ernest Schroeder

President, Schroeder Asset Management

Ernest Schroeder is a Certified Property Manager with the Institute of Real Estate Management headquartered in Chicago, IL. Ernie began investing in and managing apartment buildings in 1969. He oversees the acquisitions, renovations and capital improvements for all Schroeder Management Company properties.

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Robert Taylor

President, REMM International

Robert M. Taylor is the founder of The Robert M. Taylor Corporation and The REMM Group, an Accredited Management Organization (AMO) as designated by the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM). He currently holds the title of Chairman Emeritus.  He is President of REMM International, consultant to domestic and international clients since 1996...

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Jia Xie

Full Professor, Cal State Fullerton

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