ULI NEXT Philadelphia is designed to champion the ULI mission through a compelling avenue of engagement for mid-career professionals. The goal of ULI NEXT Philadelphia is to actively engage members in meaningful leadership, educational, and a network building activities. Meet the fourth ULI Philadelphia NEXT Flight.

Martha Cross, MAKE Advisory Services (NEXT Co-Chair)

Martha Cross is a Principal with MAKE Advisory Services, LLC, a women-owned real estate strategy consulting firm, and an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Drexel University. Most recently, she was a Deputy Director of the Philadelphia’s Department of Planning and Development and worked with the City Planning Commission, Historical Commission, Art Commission, and the Zoning Board of Adjustment. Prior to her role with the city, she led development activities for a non-profit real estate company in Baltimore, MD and NJ, and worked as an urban design and planning consultant in eastern PA and NJ. Martha holds a Bachelor of Architecture from Carnegie Mellon University, a Master of City Planning from the University of Pennsylvania, and an MBA from the Villanova School of Business.

Jewelle Kennedy, Ensemble Real Estate Investments (NEXT Co-Chair)

At Ensemble, Jewelle manages the design and construction process for the company’s multifamily pipeline. She currently manages the Chapel Block project, the first residential complex to be built at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. She was previously on the development team at AvalonBay Communities, Inc. Prior to AvalonBay, she was an urban planner for the City of Atlanta.  

Jewelle received her Bachelors in Real Estate at Georgia State University and Masters of Science in Real Estate Development at Columbia University. She has been an active member of the Urban Land Institute since 2005 at various District Councils, serving as Co-Chair of the Young Leaders Group Programs Committee and ULI NEXT for the Los Angeles District Council prior to relocating to Philadelphia.   

David Dobkin, Parkway Corporation

David Dobkin is Managing Director and Head of Acquisitions for Parkway Corporation. Parkway is a Philadelphia-based real estate developer, investor, and operator with deep expertise in property and parking management. David is responsible for sourcing and executing acquisition opportunities across the country in primary, secondary, and tertiary markets that have demonstrable economic momentum and population growth. He received a Bachelor’s in Urban Studies and a Master’s in City Planning from the University of Pennsylvania.

Andrew Ferrarelli, SITIO architecture + urbanism

Now serving as the Studio Director at SITIO architecture + urbanism, Andrew has over 17 years experience in cultural, institutional and mixed-use architectural projects at a variety of scales for both local and national clients. He received his Bachelor of Architecture from Virginia Tech which provided a strong foundation rooted in process and design exploration to shape space. His passion for design extends to volunteer work mentoring students as well as serving on the board of Philadelphia based professional and civic organizations. 

Ethan Genyk, Jacobs
Ethan is a consultant in Jacobs’ Advance Planning Group and based in the company’s Philadelphia office. His work focuses on strategic advisory for large-scale infrastructure, urban development, and master planning projects across a wife rand of end markets, including Cities & Places; Sports & Entertainment; Transportation; and Water. Although physically based in Philadelphia, Ethan’s work spans the globe, covering projects in the U.S., Middle East, Europe, and South America. In addition to his project work, Ethan also contributes to major pursuits, business development, and internal strategic initiatives within Jacobs’ Cities & Places business. 

Ethan has a background in urban planning with previous work experience in airport planning, transportation planning, and industrial real estate. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Romance Languages and a Master of City Planning from the University of Pennsylvania. Ethan is a Philadelphia native and currently resides in Center City.

Nancy Gephart, Shift Capital

Nancy Gephart is a Partner and leads the Capital Markets team at Shift Capital, a social impact real estate developer based in Philadelphia. Shift owns roughly $400MM of real estate throughout the Mid-Atlantic, and Nancy is responsible for capitalizing these assets and creating financial and strategic roadmaps for future growth.

Prior to joining Shift, she worked at Capital Impact Partners, a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) lending to healthcare, education, healthy food, and mixed-use projects nationwide. She deployed over $100MM to impactful real estate projects and led CIP’s healthy food and DC housing strategies. She has also previously worked for the Michigan Social Venture Fund, a mission-driven venture capital fund, and a public-private partnership with the World Wildlife Fund in Lao PDR.

Nancy received her BA from Williams College and MBA and MS from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. She is currently a Board Member of the DC Coalition for the Homeless and Uplift Solutions, nonprofits that serve justice-involved adults in Washington, DC and Philadelphia.

Chris Glinski, The GreenBench Companies

Chris leads the Portfolio Services Group at The GreenBench Companies and is responsible for the management of design consultants, contractors, and other project participants during project planning, permitting, and construction phases for complex retail and office driven developments and operating assets. He has direct involvement in leasing and planning efforts related to future landlord and tenant construction projects, bringing with him an in-depth knowledge of historical retail space requirements and costs.​

Chris is a LEED Accredited Professional. He served as a past Washington Building Congress Hammerheads Committee Chair and member of the Board of Governors. He spent 14 years in the Washington DC market and has since relocated back to his original home city of Philadelphia where he is focused on growing GreenBench’s involvement in the region while still overseeing and supporting GreenBench’s mid-Atlantic initiatives.

​Josh Harris, Kensington Corridor Trust

Josh Harris is an innovative design build industry professional whose career spans sustainable building practices from passive house to adaptive reuse, to visual arts fabricating for contemporary Artists and exhibition projects for Museums and cultural institutions.  Josh is passionate about work that contributes to the economic, social, and environmental fabric of the city.

Josh joined Kensington Corridor Trust in 2022 as the Construction Project Manager working on acquiring and reactivating commercial properties along Kensington Avenue, Philadelphia.  As much as possible KCT looks to apply high performance building standards to all renovations and retrofits and looks at innovative ways like Solar and Green roofs in order to reduce energy costs and overhead and pass those savings onto their affordable housing tenants.

Born and raised in New York City and graduating with a B.A. with honors from Wesleyan University, Josh has travelled professionally all over the world working and living in major cities such as Bangkok, San Francisco, Paris, Venice, Canberra, and Hong Kong.  As result of his travels he is passionate about urbanism and how cities function from public transport to public spaces.

As owner of his company Design Art Build Co for over ten years Josh recently completed as Construction/Project Manager a 25 unit net positive solar apartment complex for Onion Flats called “the building of the future” by Inquirer staff writer Inga Saffron. Josh has focused his energy on the urban environment and how he can contribute to a healthier city.

Ricky Huynh, Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation

Ricky is a Loan Officer at PIDC and focuses on originating, structuring, underwriting, and closing loans to real estate development projects and to operating businesses and nonprofits. Prior to PIDC, he worked at American Heritage Credit Union and has 11 years of banking experience. Ricky was born and raised in Philadelphia and has bachelor’s degrees in Energy, Business, and Finance and German from Penn State University. In his spare time, you can find him caring for his many plants or going to thrift stores.

Gina Lavery, Econsult Solutions, Inc.

Gina is an urban planner by training with past professional experiences in commercial real estate and government relations for a major Philadelphia research institution. At Econsult Solutions, Inc., she leads consulting engagements at the intersection of public policy and economics for a variety of public and private sector clients. At the heart of her work is helping policymakers and developers to make and advance plans and initiatives that enhance urban communities, cultivate a strong sense of place for people,  and contribute to equitable economic development.

Gina has a dual bachelor’s degree in Political Science and History from the University of Pennsylvania; she also earned her Masters in City Planning from Penn’s Weitzman School of Design. Gina participates in a number of professional associations including Commerce Real Estate Women of Greater Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Real Estate Council, and Lambda Alpha International. An active member of ULI, she currently co-chairs the Women’s Leadership Initiative in Philadelphia and sits on the national Placemaking Product Council.

Damon Massado, Guaranteed Rate

Damon Massado is a appraisal manager for a national residential mortgage firm. His primary focus area is to serve as primary liaison to resolve appraisal valuation disputes to align with CFPB regulations. Damon joined the firm’s most profitable division in 2020 and advises senior managers on the redesign of the regional appraisal management system. He works with 50 loan officers and appraisers providing policy and situational advice to support the division. Damon holds a BS in Institutional and Hotel management from the University of Delaware and is currently working on a specialized master’s degree in Innovation Management from The Fox School of Business at Temple University in Philadelphia. He is also a current board member on Sync Recovery Foundation.

Dan McCauley, The Martin Architectural Group

Dan focuses his efforts at The Martin Architectural Group on Multi-Family Residential and Mixed-Use work and Green Studio specialist. Prior to joining The Martin Architectural Group, Dan led a twelve person team as Studio Leader at Toll Brothers, where he worked for 12 years primarily on residential and clubhouse projects.

Daniel is a graduate of Drexel University’s Architecture program. He is involved with a number of professional organizations including ULI, ICSC, NCARB, and Delaware Valley Green Building Council.

Thomas McInerney, OTH Capital

Thomas is Director of Workforce and Affordable Housing at Old Three Hundred Capital (OTH), an investment group with operations in Austin and Philadelphia. They  manage a multifamily portfolio in Central Texas and develop affordable & workforce housing in TX, PA and NJ, and are currently raising an impact fund with major focus on affordability, sustainability and tenant services.

Nicole Ozdemir, City of Philadelphia

Nicole Ozdemir is the director of comprehensive planning at the Philadelphia City Planning Commission (PCPC). She has a profound commitment to public service and equitable development. Since joining PCPC in 2014, Nicole has been an advocate for public engagement, working to create a more vibrant and inclusive city. Nicole leads the PCPC team updating the city’s comprehensive plan with a greater focus on inclusivity, social justice, and racial equity. In addition to her work at PCPC, Nicole is an adjunct professor at Temple University, co-teaching the course, City Planning Practice and Principles. She holds a bachelor’s degree in urban planning and studies from SUNY University at Albany, as well as a master’s degree in city and regional planning from the University of Pennsylvania. Beyond her professional pursuits, Nicole finds joy in exploring Philadelphia’s charming streets on foot, often accompanied by her husband and son.

James Potts, Morgan Properties

James is an Asset Manager at Morgan Properties, where he focuses on maximizing the long-term value of multifamily assets across his portfolio. He collaborates with site teams to optimize property performance and achieve financial goals.

Prior to joining Morgan Properties, James gained valuable real estate experience at Independence Realty Trust (a publicly traded REIT) and JLL. At JLL, he worked as a market researcher and analyst, contributing to significant projects for clients like Chubb, Morgan Lewis, and the City of Philadelphia. His time at JLL sparked a passion for urban planning, zoning, and business tax policy, and how these factors shape communities and economic growth.

James is a resident of Old City, Philadelphia, and is active in his RCO and the Central Delaware Advocacy Group (CDAG).

Kevin Selger, Gilmore & Associates, Inc.

As Director of Landscape Architecture & Planning, Kevin provides the overall direction of the Landscape Architecture Department.  Previously, Landscape Architecture was a division of the Land Design department but due to overall company growth repositioning of this group is essential.

Kevin has 16 years’ experience providing site design/planning, landscape architecture, and sustainable/LEED® design services. His clients have included local, national, and international corporations, developers, architects, institutions, and governmental agencies.

Gerry Smith, Blueprint Commercial

Gerry Smith is one of the principals of Blueprint Commercial, a boutique commercial real estate firm based in Philadelphia. Gerry has leased or sold over one million square feet of commercial real estate thus far in his career. Gerry’s construction and development background has given him the ability to provide invaluable insights from predevelopment through disposition for his clients’ assets. At Blueprint Commercial, Gerry’s commitment to his clients and his love for the vibrant neighborhoods of Philadelphia is evident.

Prior to starting Blueprint, Gerry started his career in construction and development for his family’s company. He then transitioned into a commercial real estate brokerage role at the company. There he focused on the neighborhoods of Philadelphia and servicing nonprofits, social service agencies and government entities. He was also able to capitalize on his deep relationships in these neighborhoods to assist developers in acquiring land for mixed-use and multifamily developments in growth areas of Philadelphia. A large portion of the acquisitions were off market opportunities that Gerry uncovered through his relationships in the neighborhoods. Gerry is skilled in landlord representation, evaluating acquisition opportunities on behalf of buyers/tenants as well as assisting clients with analyzing their existing portfolio of properties and helping with property dispositions as needed.

Outside of the office, Gerry enjoys cooking for friends and family, fly fishing, and spending time in the outdoors.

Neil ​Stroup, Neil Stroup Architecture

Neil is a licensed architect and founder of Neil Stroup Architecture, a firm working with academic, institutional, and residential clients who are committed to sustainable, low carbon buildings that are true to people and place. Prior to founding his practice, he was an Associate at Philadelphia-based KieranTimberlake, where he helped design and deliver a variety of award-winning buildings across North America including renovations to significant historical structures, complex life science research buildings, and the new US Embassy in London. As part of his practice, Neil has taught architectural design studios, lectured, and has been a visiting design critic at Temple University and the University of Pennsylvania.

Seth Taft, Arts + Crafts Holdings

Blake Werley, DCI Engineers

Since joining DCI Engineers, Blake has emphasized his value and talent in teamwork and client customer service. While managing projects, he frequently engages in complex design and accelerated design schedules. He looks for creative ways to apply engineering solutions for a variety of project types, such as commercial office towers, casinos, historic renovations, lab facilities, single-family beach residences, mixed-use residential/retail, and higher education projects.  Blake has achieved efficient structural systems throughout Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, New England, and the South. His natural interest in designing lasting built environments pushes him to learn more about the latest engineering capabilities and process improvements.

Meagan Whetstone, Mosaic Development Partners

Meagan Whetstone is a Vice President of Development at Mosaic Development Partners JV, LLC. With nearly fifteen years of experience ranging from architecture to real estate strategy and commercial project management, she leverages this background to successfully execute MDP’s projects throughout their lifecycle with an eye for long-term value and community reinvestment.

Her experience working at DIGSAU Architecture + Urbanism and Watchdog Real Estate Project Management make her an advocate for quality spaces and impactful stakeholder engagement. She leverages these skills to ensure Mosaic’s mission and values are embedded in the built environment through successful project visioning and execution.

Meagan received her Master of Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania and Bachelor of Arts in Architecture & Urbanism from Smith College. Outside of Mosaic Outside of Mosaic, Meagan serves on the boards of the Community Design Collaborative and the University of Pennsylvania Weitzman School of Design Alumni Association.

Ben Willis, Union Studio Architecture & Community Design

Ben is a licensed architect who helps create dignified, delightful, and durable places that empower communities and ecosystems to thrive.​ Since 2014 he has been a part of Union Studio, drawn to their mission-driven work at a variety of scales, their commitment to the civic & environmental responsibility of buildings, and their dedication to bringing traditional & regional building practices into contemporary times. He has worked on community planning initiatives, existing building retrofits, and affordable, modular, multifamily, student, and Living Community Challenge housing projects across the country. He is actively involved in expanding the office’s culture of mentorship and inclusive sustainability. In the fall of 2019, he and his husband relocated to Philadelphia, where Ben now leads Union Studio’s mid-Atlantic satellite office.​

An occasional writer, he has contributed essays to the Common Edge Collaborative, a national website that connects the public to pressing issues in the built environment. When not behind a computer screen, he’s a runner, an a cappella musician, and an active community volunteer, serving with the Community Design Collaborative and as a vestry member at St. Peter’s Church, a progressive Episcopal parish in Philadelphia.​

Brad Fahnestock, PJ Dick

Kristine Kennedy, Center City District

Kiersten Mailler, Wexford Science and Technology

Benjamin Van Couvering, HDC MidAtlantic