Kwame Christian, Esq., M.A.
Founder & CEO
American Negotiation Institute
Kwame Christian is a best-selling author, business lawyer and CEO of the American Negotiation Institute (ANI).
Following the viral success of his TedxDayton talk, Kwame released his best-seller Finding Confidence in Conflict: How to Negotiate Anything and Live Your Best Life in 2018. He’s also a regular Contributor for Forbes and the host of the number one negotiation podcast in the world, Negotiate Anything – which currently has over 5 million downloads worldwide. Under Kwame’s leadership, ANI has coached and trained several Fortune 500 companies on applying the fundamentals of negotiation to corporate success.
Kwame was the recipient of the John Glenn College of Public Affairs Young Alumni Achievement Award in 2020 and the Moritz College of Law Outstanding Recent Alumnus Award 2021. He is the only person in the history of The Ohio State University to win alumni awards in consecutive years from the law school and the masters of public affairs program. That said, Kwame’s proudest achievement is his family. He’s married to Dr. Whitney Christian, and they have two lovely sons, Kai and Dominic.
Jason Pantana
Coach, Trainer and Speaker
Tom Ferry International
Jason Pantana is a coach, trainer and speaker for Tom Ferry International, the real estate industry’s leading coaching and training company, as well as host of the popular seminar, Sales & Marketing Edge. His dynamic sessions arm professionals with the tools they need to stay current, competitive and successful.
Formerly the education director for a leading national real estate franchise, Jason creates tailored sessions for a range of professionals. His areas of expertise include social media strategy, digital marketing and developing an eye for emerging business trends. He’s provided clear paths for companies, both large and small, to roll out powerful advertising campaigns through online platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Google.
Dr. Anirban Basu
Chairman and CEO
Sage Policy Group
Anirban Basu is the Chairman and CEO of Sage Policy Group, Inc., an economic and policy consulting firm headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland with an office in Orlando, Florida. The firm provides strategic analytical services to energy suppliers, law firms, medical systems, government agencies, and real estate developers among others.
In 2014, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan appointed him Chair of the Maryland Economic Development Commission (2014-2021). He serves as Chairman of the Baltimore County Economic Advisory Committee. He also serves the chief economist function for Associated Builders and Contractors, the Construction Financial Management Association, the Modular Building Institute, the Maryland Bankers Association, the International Food Distributors Association, and several others.
He has taught at several universities, most frequently at Johns Hopkins University. He currently teaches History of Economic Thought at Goucher College as their Distinguished Economist in Residence.
In 2007, 2016, and 2022, the Daily Record newspaper selected Dr. Basu as one of Maryland’s 50 most influential people. The Baltimore Business Journal named him one of the region’s 20 most powerful business leaders in 2010.
Dr. Basu is currently on the boards of the University of Maryland School of Law, St. Mary’s College, the University of Maryland Medical Center, the University System of Maryland Foundation, the Lyric Opera House, and the Center Club. He is also on Truist Bank’s advisory board.
Dr. Basu earned his B.S. in Foreign Service at Georgetown University. He earned his Master’s in Public Policy from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, and his Master’s in Economics from the University of Maryland, College Park. He acquired his Juris Doctor at the University of Maryland School of Law. He completed his doctoral work at UMBC with a concentration in health economics.
Lukas Krause
Lukas Krause, SVN International Corp.
John McDermott
Event MC
Senior Vice President & Director of Leader Support, SVN International Corp.
John McDermott serves as the Senior Vice President of SVN International Corporation. John is a member of the Executive Committee of the SVN Asset Recovery Team (SVNART), serves as its Southern California Regional Director, and is also a member of the SVNIC Advisory Board.
John also trains SVN Advisors nationwide. His commercial real estate experience includes the ownership and development of condominiums, mobile home parks, neighborhood anchored retail centers, recreational vehicle parks, and apartments with 45 years of real estate and finance experience.
Tech Panelist 3
[Title]
CRE Tech Panel
Brian grew up with a genuine curiosity for understanding people. As the Director of Strategic Accounts, Brian and his team are on the front lines delivering CompStak's mission to create transparency in commercial real estate data, which facilitates fairer and more efficient deal-making. Over his five years at CompStak, Brian is encouraged by the significant progression in our industry to leverage robust data sets and sophisticated technology that drive better outcomes. Hailing from Ann Arbor, MI, Brian holds a degree in Psychology from the University of Michigan. GO BLUE!
Tech Panelist 4
[Title]
CRE Tech Panel
Demetrios brings 35 years of real estate and finance experience to his role of President & COO of RealNex. His experience includes asset management, business development, corporate real estate, education, lending, property management, research, risk management, strategy, structuring, technology, underwriting and valuation. Demetrios was the SVP of Global Real Estate Solutions Group at ARGUS Software, where he successfully lead the initiative that resulted in the first corporate instance of integration between market data and analytical solutions for commercial real estate. Prior to ARGUS he was a Director in the Real Estate Finance Group for Credit Suisse in Tokyo and the global head of price testing for real estate and private equity in New York.
Demetrios holds a B.S. in finance from the University of Connecticut and a M.S. in real estate from Penn State University. He has served as an adjunct faculty member in the real estate master's program at NYU, where he taught international real estate for ten years.
Panelist 4
SVN | [Office Name]
SVN Advisor Panel
Wesley Cox, CCIM serves as a Senior Advisor for SVN-Miller Commercial Real Estate with 20 years of experience. Since joining SVN Wesley and his team have been consistently in the top 1% of SVN International out of 1600+ advisors. Wesley and his team specialize in the sale and leasing of investment property, industrial, retail, office, land, and development projects on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and Delaware and have helped secure over 800 real estate transactions totaling over $800 million.
Wesley has been voted the Eastern Shore’s “Best Commercial Realtor” four consecutive years in a row in 2019-2022. In 2014 Wesley was awarded the Young Alumni Achievement Award from Salisbury University awarded to an Alum who has experienced a high level of achievement. Deeply committed to giving back, Wesley received the SVN National Humanitarian Award at the SVN national conference, followed by the Maryland Association of Realtor’s Community Service Award, and the Coastal Association Community Service Award. Wesley has also received the National Association of Realtor’s “Commercial Award” multiple times given to top commercial brokers around the country. In addition, Wesley has been awarded the Rotarian of the Year.
Wesley has been involved in over 3,500,000 SF of industrial transactions representing national and international companies as well as extensive real experience working with many national retailers including WaWa, AT&T, T-Mobile, Krispy Kreme, Royal Farms, Dollar Tree, Auto Zone, Harbor Freight Tools, Uno Chicago Grill, Hampton Inn, and more. In addition, Wesley has been involved in the sale and development of well over 1,000 acres totaling over 4,000 units.
Our Sponsors
