Speakers
Smiley Poswolsky
Bestselling Author & Global Expert on Workplace Culture and the Future of Work
Adam Smiley Poswolsky is a millennial workplace expert, motivational speaker, and author of The Quarter-Life Breakthrough and The Breakthrough Speaker. Smiley helps companies attract, retain, and empower millennial talent, and he has inspired thousands of professionals to be more engaged at work.
His TEDx talk on "the quarter-life crisis" has been viewed more than 1.5 million times, and he has spoken in fifteen countries about millennials, multigenerational engagement, and fostering connection and belonging in the workplace.
Smiley's work has been featured inthe New Yorker, the Washington Post, USAToday, Fast Company, Forbes, Cosmopolitan, CNN, and the World Economic Forum, among many other outlets.
Etienne Van Der Walt
Chief Executive Officer, Neurozone®
Etienne is an accomplished neurologist with a special interest in psychoneuroimmunology and systems biology. Etienne’s 14-year career as a clinical neurologist means he has a deep understanding of the anatomy, biology, and physiology of the brain and the human nervous system. For another decade, Etienne has been spearheading Neurozone®, a neuroscience business dedicated to the application of brain science and analytics to enhance true resilience and high performance capacity.
Linda Clemons
CEO & Premier Speaker/Trainer in Sales and Body Language
Topher Stephenson
Commercial Real Estate AI Speaker, Consultant & Ops Leader
Topher Stephenson brings over a decade of experience in commercial real estate, with a career focused on staying ahead of the curve and solving everyday CRE challenges through technology. He has held leadership roles across marketing, operations, and brokerage management, including Director of Real Estate Marketing at Atlantic National Trust and Managing Director at The Boulos Company, where he helped lead operations, recruitment, and technology strategy.
Topher is currently with Aspire Commercial in Houston, where he oversees operations, marketing, and the firm’s AI consulting division. He specializes in testing and applying AI tools in practical, real-world CRE workflows and regularly shares insights through speaking engagements, his newsletter ChatCRENews.com, and on social media (@Tophernow).
Sam Chandan, PhD MPH MSc FRSPH FRICS
Professor of Finance & Founding Director of the C. H. Chen Institute for Global Real Estate at NYU Stern School of Business; Founder & Non-Executive Chairman of Chandan Economics
Sam Chandan, PhD MPH MSc FRSPH FRICS is Professor of Finance and Founding Director of the C. H. Chen Institute for Global Real Estate at the NYU Stern School of Business and Founder and Non-Executive Chairman of Chandan Economics.
He is a A Knowledge Partner at the World Economic Forum, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine, Royal Society for Public Health (FRSPH), and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (FRICS).
Prior to joining Stern, Dr. Chandan was the Silverstein Chair and Dean of the NYU SPS Schack Institute. His current research is focused on innovation in real estate capital markets, urban epidemiology, and the preparedness of systemically important urban areas in managing novel public health threats.
Helen Calvin
Chief Executive Officer, Buildout
Helen Calvin likes oysters. She also likes building growth organizations in tech SaaS, a skill she’s been honing over the last 15 years. Most recently, she’s been flexing that muscle at Buildout, a leader in Commercial Real Estate technology and a company with the unapologetic belief
that the future of CRE is technology enabled, but broker-led. Helen has her MBA from Northwestern Kellogg and was a recipient of the 2016 Crain’s Tech 50.
Lukas Krause
Chief Executive Officer, SVN International PBC
Lukas is a dynamic leader with a track record of transforming companies. He builds strong operational frameworks and environments where entrepreneurs thrive.
At Real Property Management, he grew it into the largest single-family PM business in the U.S., and at National Corporate Housing, he navigated COVID-19 disruptions to make it the largest corporate housing provider. He teaches entrepreneurship at the University of Colorado and holds degrees from Indiana and Colorado.
Michael Thanasouras
MBA
Advisory Board Co-Chair & Managing Director, SVN | Chicago Commercial
Michael Thanasouras, MBA is Managing Director of SVN | Chicago Commercial and has served as the firm’s Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer since 2008. He has also contributed to SVN’s national growth as a member of the SVN International Board of Advisors since 2014.
With a background spanning finance, operations, banking, and real estate investment, Michael brings deep expertise in asset management, lending, and operational strategy. He holds an MBA from the Keller Graduate School of Management and a bachelor’s degree in Finance from Eastern Illinois University.
Matt Stone
CCIM, SIOR, MBA
Advisory Board Co-Chair & Managing Director, SVN | Stone Commercial Real Estate
Matt Stone, CCIM, SIOR, MBA is the Managing Director of SVN Stone Commercial Real Estate. Since 2006, he has served as a trusted advisor across retail, office, industrial, multifamily, and hospitality transactions, overseeing brokerage, operations, and property management throughout Central Kentucky.
Matt holds both the SIOR and CCIM designations and has served in leadership roles with several industry and community organizations. He earned his MBA from the University of Kentucky and remains actively involved in local and national nonprofit initiatives.
Sohrab Azad
Chief Revenue Officer, Kiingo AI
Sohrab Azad is Chief Partnerships & Revenue Officer at Kiingo AI, an applied AI enablement firm that helps business leaders make generative AI usable, useful, and actually used across their organizations. At Kiingo, he works with executives to translate AI buzz into clear roadmaps, high-ROI use cases, and practical automations that drive efficiency and revenue growth.
Michael Watson
Associate Director of National Accounts, SVN | Vanguard; Director & Head of Corporate Development, SVN | SLA
Michael Watson is Associate Director – National Accounts at SVN | Vanguard and also serves as Director & Head of Corporate Development at SVN | SLA. He specializes in corporate development and investment advisory, acting as a primary point of contact for more than 50 large and mid-size investment entities across the U.S. and Europe. Since joining SVN in 2017, Watson has closed over 100 transactions and brings deep experience in valuation, due diligence, and financial analysis, with prior roles at Colony NorthStar, BNY Mellon, and Ernst & Young.
Ashley Bloom
Managing Director, SVN | Commercial Partners
Ashley Barrett Bloom has been affiliated with SVN since 2009 and is a nationally recognized land and development expert. He is a Partner & Managing Director of SVN | Commercial Partners, leading a collaborative, multi-office platform across South and Southwest Florida. Bloom is a founding Chairman of SVN’s Land & Development Services Product Council and ranked among the top SVN Advisors nationally in 2020.
Jana Truman
Managing Director, SVN | Accel Commercial Real Estate
Jana Truman is Managing Broker and Investment Advisor at SVN | Accel Commercial Real Estate, partnering with investors, business owners, and entrepreneurs on acquisition, disposition, and long-term commercial real estate strategies. She was named a 2025 Woman Deal Maker by Bisnow, serves as Co-Chair of SVN’s National Women’s Council, and is a sought-after mentor, speaker, and CRE coach. With a background in marketing and commercial appraisal, Truman brings a strong valuation-driven perspective to advisory work across the Greater Nashville MSA.
Cameron Williams
Director of Research, SVN International PBC
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