Meet the 2020 Real Estate Challenge Teams
The NAIOP San Francisco Bay Area Real Estate Challenge was established in 1990 by Steve Chamberlin, a local developer and emeritus adjunct professor in real estate at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, to give graduate students hands-on experience in real estate development. Every year teams from University of California, Berkeley and Stanford University Graduate School of Business are assigned a project site and given just 60 days to come up with a development proposal. A select panel of jurors reviews both proposals in detail and chooses a winner after the final team presentations are presented at the annual NAIOP SFBA Real Estate Challenge event.
This year's teams are eager to present their development plans on Justin-Siena High School in Napa, California. In advance of the event on September 23rd, get to know the members of the teams. REGISTER NOW
Meet the Teams:
The Cal Team
Courtney Bell currently works as a Development Manager for Prologis focusing on new development projects in the SF Bay Area. She recently received a master’s degree in Real Estate Development from UC Berkeley, where she participated in the NAIOP Real Estate Challenge and served as a VP in the Berkeley Real Estate Club. Courtney holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Policy from Colorado College, where she was the captain of the Division III Women's Lacrosse team. She is a member of NAIOP, ULI and UC Berkeley's Real Estate Alumni Association.
Brendan McKeon is a second year MBA student in UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business and co-president of the Berkeley Real Estate Club (BREC). He has eight years of experience in business development, project management, and construction across ground-up and adaptive-reuse projects in the New York City metro area. Most recently, he interned with BUILD. Brendan holds a bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering from Columbia University.
Austin Rosso is a part-time MBA student at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business with an emphasis on Real Estate and Finance, where he is also the Vice President of Innovation for the Berkeley Real Estate Club (BREC). He has spent the last six years in the construction industry and is currently an estimator at Webcor in San Francisco, where he provides pre-construction services for multi-family, commercial, and hospitality projects throughout the Bay Area.
Alysia Vigil recently completed the Master of Real Estate Development + Design program at UC Berkeley. Prior to the MRED+D program, Alysia worked as a Project Manager for a regional development company for 7 years. Her experience includes entitlements, planning, and development of large-scale master-planned communities and transit-oriented development. During her time at Cal, Alysia held a housing policy internship with the Bay Area Council and participated in the Housing Lab @ Terner Center, the Berkeley Real Estate Club, and the Fisher Center Policy Advisory Board Meeting in Pebble Beach. She holds a dual BSBA in Finance and Real Estate/Urban Economics from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Logan Woodruff is a transdisciplinary designer working at the intersection of community engagement, innovative placemaking, environmental sustainability, and economic development. He is a recent graduate in both landscape architecture (MLA) and urban planning (MCP) with a skill set in design visualization, site layout, strategic planning, and stakeholder engagement. He currently works as a planner/designer at PlaceWorks in Berkeley and as an independent contractor for design services.
The Stanford Team
Eleni Alexandraki has worn multiple hats throughout her Stanford career. From architecture, to product design and mechanical engineering, she has dedicated herself to developing impactful products driven by functionality, iterative design, and user feedback. Additionally, having a hospitality-driven background from her family in Greece taught her how personalized service, attention to detail, and authenticity are key to success. She is interested in hybridizing these aspects by developing real estate and hospitality partnerships between Greece and the U.S. and in the process, she hopes to create entirely unique services and products that will revolutionize the industry.
Mona Li is a second-year MBA at Stanford with work experience at Bain (consulting firm), NYC City Planning, and most recently Related California. She is particularly passionate about equitable development and is looking to focus on public/private partnerships in her post-MBA plans.
Auja Little spent five years working at WashREIT, a public REIT in Washington, D.C. in asset management, finance, operations, and business strategy before starting her MBA at Stanford. She has built teams, created new internal processes, and helped to close over $300M in acquisitions. Auja is also the founder of Beautyocracy, a marketplace for inclusive indie beauty brands.
Travis Melvin is an experienced finance professional with a background in mortgage bond trading and investment banking. He co-founded an SFR investment firm and recently joined Trammell Crow Company's Mid-Atlantic office to focus on development of healthcare/life sciences and multi-family properties. Travis holds a master’s in management from Stanford Graduate School of Business and BSBA from UNC-Chapel Hill's Kenan-Flagler Business School.
Joseph Tobin is originally from San Francisco, and plans to leverage his prior experience working at Starwood Capital Group as Hotel Acquisitions Associate and Chief of Staff to firm's Founder and CEO, Barry Sternlicht, to return to San Francisco post-grad and launch a real estate private equity firm focused on self-storage and manufactured housing in the Western U.S. Prior to Stanford Graduate School of Business, Joe received a Masters of Global Affairs at Tsinghua University in Beijing as a Schwarzman Scholar. Additionally, Joe graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University with a degree in Spanish & Portuguese Literature & Culture, focusing on immigration and identity narratives in Spanish, German, and Mexican film. Personally, Joe loves to travel, and has spent extensive time abroad in more than 5 countries. He also likes to cook, read, play basketball, and explore.
