Speakers

With a multicultural upbringing spanning London, Hong Kong and Switzerland, Axel Adler brings a global perspective to the real estate industry. This diverse background allows him to connect effortlessly with individuals from all walks of life. His experiences across Europe, Asia and the United States have provided him with an intricate understanding of real estate’s complexities, positioning him as a go-to expert in an evolving landscape. Adler’s niche expertise is firmly rooted in the opportunity zones (OZ) incentive, which emerged from the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. In just three years, Adler has become a recognized authority in the OZ space. His involvement in top-tier OZ conferences, including serving on panels in Washington, D.C., and attending pitch days for investors, has solidified his reputation as a leader and pioneer in the community. As a respected member of the OZ Insiders, Adler continually shapes the conversation around OZs, providing cutting-edge insights and strategies for his clients. Leveraging a proprietary strategy, Adler has guided more than $100 million in capital gains into OZ properties, enabling his clients to defer $30 million in taxes while generating an additional $5 million in cash flow. His nuanced understanding of this transformative policy initiative allows him to unlock significant value for investors. Prior to his real estate career, Adler's competitive nature was forged on the soccer field, where he played professionally in Hong Kong and competed in NCAA Division 1 stadiums in the United States. These experiences instilled in him the discipline, drive and perseverance that he now channels into his work. Adler's dedication to his clients is mirrored by his personal commitment to giving back, actively volunteering with organizations such as the American Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity and an NGO in the Maldives.

Andrew Gibbs joined Arctaris in 2023 as a principal on the real estate team. He is responsible for evaluating development opportunities, managing existing real estate investments and creating public-private strategies to advance social impact goals. Before joining Arctaris, Gibbs was an investor at Stoltz Real Estate Partners and Aberdeen Asset Management in London and Philadelphia. He has been involved in more than $2 billion of investment and development activity, with a focus on residential mixed-income development. Gibbs has published articles in several journals, including the Urban Land Institute, NCRIEF and Governing.com. From 2020 to 2021, he was a part-time researcher at the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, concentrating on the intersection of local zoning policy and real estate capital markets. He is a CFA® Charterholder and holds a MA in international relations from the University of St Andrews in Scotland, as well as a master's from the Harvard Graduate School of Design. Additionally, Gibbs serves on the board of the Harvard Square Homeless Shelter Corporation.

Before co-founding the Opportunity Funds Association, Shay Hawkins was the staff director for the Subcommittee on Energy, Natural Resources and Infrastructure and the senior tax and economic policy advisor to Sen. Tim Scott, a Senate Finance Committee Member. Hawkins served as Sen. Scott’s lead policy advisor throughout the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). During the legislative process, Hawkins was the driving force behind the opportunity zones provision working with House and Senate Conferees, the White House and other key stakeholders to ensure its inclusion in the final package. Since enactment, Shay has worked with the U.S. Department of the Treasury to develop implementing regulations for opportunity zones that will rapidly deploy capital into distressed urban and rural communities. Hawkins got his start on Capitol Hill as Legislative Fellow to Rep. Jim Renacci, where he was part of a team of tax attorneys that developed a comprehensive tax reform plan. Hawkins has testified before the Senate Finance Committee, the House Ways & Means Committee, the House Energy and Commerce Committee, the House Oversight Committee and the Select Committee on the Economy, on matters pertaining to international tax, energy policy, infrastructure, pensions and opportunity zones. He has been published in the Wall Street Journal, Washington Examiner, Fox News, Morning Consult, The Hill, the Columbus Dispatch and the Novogradac Journal of Tax Credits. Hawkins serves as an independent director for a NASDAQ traded company. Prior to coming to Capitol Hill, Hawkins spent five years as an investment banker at what is now a division of Canaccord Genuity. While with CG Results, Hawkins focused on sell-side mergers and acquisitions for firms in the technology, media and telecoms sector. A native of Cleveland, Hawkins started his career as a broker in the online division of what is now Credit Suisse. He earned his undergraduate degree in economics from The Ohio State University, his MBA from Columbia Business School as a Credit Suisse First Boston Fellow, and his JD from the Moritz College of Law at OSU.

Kathryn Reed is the tax policy advisor for Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith. In her role, she handles a diverse domestic tax policy portfolio including individual tax, small business and economic development issues. Before transitioning to the Ways and Means Committee, Reed served in both Congressman Smith’s personal office as the primary advisor for a legislative portfolio that included domestic, international, and corporate tax, financial services, education, small business, and housing, and on the House Budget Committee while the Congressman was Ranking Member where she focused on tax policy in the reconciliation process. Prior to joining team Smith in 2018, Reed started her career on the Hill at the House Ways and Means Committee for Chairman Kevin Brady. She received her bachelor’s degree in economics and government from Claremont McKenna College in southern California.

Mannar N. Hanna currently serves as the General Counsel for the Office of Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C). In this capacity, Hanna plays a pivotal role on the Senator’s senior staff in navigating the complexities of a wide range of issues. Hanna oversees a comprehensive portfolio that includes finance (tax), judiciary, intellectual property, tech policy, immigration, homeland security, ethics, rules, and judicial nominations. His expertise in tax issues is central to his responsibilities, where he develops and executes the Senator’s priorities as relates to the Opportunity agenda, advises the Senator on proposed legislation, and conducts oversight of federal agencies. Before his current role, Hanna served at HCSC-Blue Cross Blue Shield in the Washington Government Affairs office. There, he analyzed federal and state healthcare legislation, assessed business implications, and prepared detailed summaries for senior leadership, including those related to tax implications in healthcare policy. Hanna began his career as a Legislative Counsel Law Clerk for the South Carolina General Assembly, where he assessed policy implications of proposed legislation, including state tax laws, and drafted proposed state legislation. He holds a Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina, where he was President of the Student Bar Association. He also earned a Bachelor of Business Administration, with an emphasis on Finance, from Marymount University.

Catherine Lyons is the director of policy at the Economic Innovation Group, a bipartisan research and policy organization dedicated to creating a more dynamic and inclusive U.S. economy. Lyons leads the organization's government affairs work, advancing policies to direct investment to distressed communities, restrict the use of noncompete agreements for all workers, create more pathways for high-skilled immigration, and establish new retirement savings vehicles for workers. In previous positions, Lyons worked on federal immigration reform as well as a variety of state and local policies across California, and served as an AmeriCorps member in New Orleans shortly after Hurricane Katrina. She holds a Master's of Public Policy from the Georgetown McCourt School of Public Policy, and bachelor's degrees in international relations and journalism from the University of Southern California. 

Michael Novogradac is the managing partner of Novogradac, which has been in business since 1989. He specializes in affordable housing, community development, historic preservation and renewable energy. Mr. Novogradac’s focus is in real estate taxation and accounting. He is the author of numerous real estate-related tax and accounting articles and books, including the Novogradac Opportunity Zones Handbook, the New Markets Tax Credit Handbook and the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Handbook. A frequent speaker at tax incentive conferences and forums throughout the country, Mr. Novogradac also broadcasts a weekly podcast, Tax Credit Tuesday. As a leading industry expert, he is frequently quoted in national media, such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Politico, Bloomberg, Forbes, CNBC News, NBC News, National Public Radio and Crain’s New York Business.  Mr. Novogradac is active in advocating for the inclusion of affordable housing, historic preservation, community development and renewable energy incentives in federal and state tax policy, and serves as advisor on industry and governmental affairs for the NMTC Working Group, LIHTC Working Group and the Opportunity Zones Working Group. Mr. Novogradac provides input to the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, and other federal and state agencies as well as members of Congress, including testimony before the United States House Committee on Ways and Means. Mr. Novogradac also serves on the executive committee of the Housing Advisory Group and the boards of directors of the Affordable Housing Tax Credit Coalition, the National Housing Conference, the NMTC Coalition and Historic Tax Credit Coalition. In 2016, Mr. Novogradac was inducted into the Affordable Housing Hall of Fame. He also received The Affordable Housing Visionary Award from The NHP Foundation in 2018, in recognition of his contributions to the affordable housing community and in 2020 was honored as one of the top 25 OZ Influencers through Opportunity Zone Magazine. Mr. Novogradac graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles, with a bachelor’s degree in economics. He received an MBA from the University of California, Berkeley. He is licensed in California, Oregon, Maryland and Texas as a certified public accountant. You can follow Mr. Novogradac on twitter @novogradac and on his blog at www.novoco.com/blog or listen to his weekly podcast at www.novoco.com/podcast.

Harrison Jennings provides investor relations, capital formation and stakeholder engagement support to Redbrick LMD’s Capital Markets team. As a Chartered SRI CounselorTM, he manages Redbrick LMD’s partnerships with impact investors and advisors across the country. Prior to joining Redbrick, Jennings built a wealth management practice serving high-net-worth individuals, foundations and corporations in the Washington, D.C., metro area. Jennings is a graduate of Vanderbilt University with a degree in political science and computer science and a concentration in international relations and data analytics. He also holds the Series 7 and 66 securities licenses.

Jimmy Atkinson is the founder of OpportunityDb, an independent media and events company covering the opportunity zones industry. He is also host of The Opportunity Zones Podcast, the No. 1 show for high-net-worth investors and advisors who place capital in tax advantaged qualified opportunity funds.

Edward Smith is the director of sustainability services at JTC Group. He joined JTC Group in 2023 and is known as a thought leader in economic development policy due to his proven track record in sustainability and social impact. As the former chief opportunity zones officer for the city of Atlanta’s Economic Development Authority (Invest Atlanta), Smith developed and led the strategy for connecting qualified investors to entrepreneurs and real estate developers located within Atlanta’s most distressed communities. He also helped secure more than $1 million for the city of Atlanta from national foundations to support the opportunity zones initiative. Smith has worked with JTC in the past on a consulting basis, strengthening its in-depth impact reporting for opportunity funds, and joined the company full-time in 2023. In his current role as U.S. director of sustainability services, Smith works to broaden the scope of JTC’s impact and sustainability offerings for fund, corporate and private clients.