Senator U.S. Senator for the State of

Senator Mark Begich is in his fifth year representing Alaska in the U.S. Senate, where his primary focus is building a strong Alaska economy.

Already in his short time in the Senate, Senator Begich has risen to key positions for Alaska. He was recently named to the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, where he will have a hands-on role in needed spending cuts while ensuring Alaska’s interests are not forgotten. He was also named to the Senate Indian Affairs Committee for the 113th Congress, which is another key posting with jurisdiction over the intersection between the federal government and America’s indigenous people. Alaska priorities like subsistence rights, full funding of the Indian Health Service and reimbursement for contract support costs will be key priorities.

Senator Begich remains on the Veterans Affairs, Homeland Security, and Commerce committees as well as retaining chairmanship of the Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard. The Oceans Subcommittee has broad jurisdiction over important Alaska issues, including responsible development of the Arctic. Begich was also appointed as chairman of the Subcommittee on Emergency Management and Intergovernmental Affairs where he will have unique authority to oversee disaster relief, response, recovery, and preparation.

Senator Begich was elected to the Senate in 2008 after serving as mayor of Anchorage for nearly six years. Born and raised in Anchorage, Senator Begich's other priorities include reducing the national deficit, tax reform, and building a national energy policy that emphasizes Alaska's oil and gas resources, an Alaska natural gas pipeline and the state’s many renewable resources.

A lifetime member of the NRA, Senator Begich is a strong advocate for the 2nd Amendment and the rights of Alaskans and all Americans to keep and bear arms.

A businessman since age 14, Senator Begich is bringing his business acumen to the work in the Senate. His extensive experience in public office, along with service to dozens of non-profits and community groups, all add to his know-how and ability to get things done.

In 1988, at age 26, Mark was the youngest person ever elected to the where he served for nearly 10 years. During that time, his colleagues three times elected him chairman, Anchorage's second highest political office, and he also served as chair of the budget committee. During his time as mayor, Anchorage went through the biggest building boom in a generation, attracting millions of dollars worth of public and private investment. Through Begich's leadership, Anchorage voters supported the building of the new Dena'ina Civic and Convention Center, a $100 million expansion of the Anchorage Museum of History and Art, and a multitude of other projects that strengthened the city's economy. In October 2008, both the Wall Street Journal and Business Week recognized Anchorage as a city well positioned to weather the international economic crisis and the city's bond ratings were upgraded due to improved fiscal stability.

Mark's parents, Pegge and the late , came to the territory of Alaska in 1957 as teachers. Following a career as a teacher and superintendent of military schools on Ft. Richardson, Nick was elected Alaska's third U.S. Congressman. While running for reelection, in 1972, Begich's airplane disappeared in the Gulf of Alaska when Mark was 10 years old.

From his parents, Mark learned the values of hard work, strength of family, and commitment to community which are the values he has applied to a successful business career and long record of public service.

Senator Begich is married to Deborah Bonito, a successful businesswoman. They have a young son, Jacob. The Begich family enjoys spending time together reading, traveling, and enjoying the many great things Alaska has to offer.

Albert M. Berriz Chief Executive Officer and Co‐Managing Member

Albert M. Berriz is Co-Managing Member, Chief Executive Officer, Board Member and Co-Owner of McKinley, a real estate investment company that owns and operates a $4.6 billion dollar real estate portfolio with 1,600 full time staff members consisting of 35,398 apartment units and over 21.0 million square feet of shopping centers and office buildings located in twenty-seven states nationwide. Mr. Berriz has extensive experience in the acquisition, financing, management and redevelopment of real estate assets. He is responsible for acquiring and managing assets in excess of $7.0 billion during his career. Mr. Berriz holds an MBA with honors in marketing and finance from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University in Evanston, . He also holds a Bachelor of Architecture Professional degree with high honors from the School of Engineering at the University of Miami. Mr. Berriz began his career in the real estate department of the Continental Illinois National Bank and Trust Co. of Chicago as a Vice President responsible for real estate lending.

Mr. Berriz’s wife, Paula, an MBA graduate with high honors from Northwestern University, has spent her life raising two very successful young men, Albert L., a graduate of the University of Michigan and Andrew, a graduate of the Ross School of Business of the University of Michigan. Albert L. is McKinley’s Vice President & Managing Director for Owned Residential Real Estate. Andrew also works for McKinley as Director - Special Projects Group.

Douglas M. Bibby President

Douglas M. Bibby is President of the National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC), a national organization of 1,000 member firms involved in the multifamily housing industry. Under his leadership NMHC represents the industry on Capitol Hill and before the regulatory agencies, promotes research and the exchange of information, and advocates for rental housing across a broad spectrum of issues. In his 12th year as head of the Council, Bibby has been honored by the publication Multi-Housing News as one of the most influential leaders in the industry through its “Dozen who make a Difference” award in 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006. Prior to joining NMHC, Bibby spent 16 years as a senior officer of Fannie Mae, where he served on the company’s Management Committee throughout his tenure. He was part of the top management team that is credited with the remarkable turnaround at Fannie Mae in the book Good to Great.

Bibby began his career with the worldwide communications firm J. Walter Thompson where he served a variety of clients both domestically and internationally over his 12-year career with the company. At the time of his departure from J. Walter Thompson, he was Senior Vice President and General Manager of the firm’s Washington, D.C. operations. Bibby has been active in the non-profit community of Washington, D.C. for the past 25 years. He currently sits on four boards of directors.

Bibby graduated from Denison University with a B.A. degree and was honored with the university’s Alumni Citation Award in 2004. He also holds a Masters of Business Administration degree from the University of Texas at Austin.

Daryl J. Carter Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Daryl J. Carter is the Founder, Chairman and CEO of Avanath Capittal Management, LLC, a Southern based investment firm focused on conventional and affordable multifamily investments. Mr. Carter directs the strategy, investments, and overall operations of the firm. Over the past 2 years, Avanath has acquired in excess of $300 million in affordable apartment communities nationwide. Mr. Carter is also a Managing Partner of McKinley-Avanath, a property management company focused on the affordable apartment sector, an entity owned jointly by Avanath and McKinley, Inc.

Mr. Carter has 32 years of experience in the commerciaal real estatee industry. Previously, he was an Executive Managing Director of Centerline Capital Group (“Centerline”) and head of the Commercial Real Estate Group. Mr. Carter became part of the Centerline team when his company, Capri Capital Finance (“CCF”), was acquired by Centerline in 2005. Mr. Carter co- founded and served as Co-Chairman of both CCF and Capri Capital Advisors (“CCA”). He was instrumental in building Capri to a diversified real estate investment firm with $8 billion in real estate equity and debt investments under management. Prior to Capri, Mr. Carter was Regional Vice President at Westinghouse Credit Corporation in Irvine and a Second Vice President at Continental Bank in Chicago.

Mr. Carter holds dual Masters Degrees in Architecture and Management, both received from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Architecture from the University of Michigan. Mr. Carter is a Trustee of the Urban Land Institute, Executive Committee Member and Chairman of the Natiional Multifamily Housinng Council, and a Past Chairman of the Commercial Board of Governors of the Mortgage Bankers Association. Mr. Carter serves on the Visiting Committee of the M.I.T. Sloan School of Management. Mr. Carter also serves as an independent director of four coompanies, Whitestone REIT (NYSE: WSR), Silver Bay Realty Trust Corporation (NYSE: SBY), The Olson Company, and RREEF America III.

Biography of Secretary Julián Castro

Julián Castro was sworn in as the 16th Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on July 28, 2014. In this role, Castro oversees 8,000 employees and a budget of $46 billion, using a performance-driven approach to achieve the Department's mission of expanding opportunity for all Americans.

"Julián is a proven leader, a champion for safe, affordable housing and strong, sustainable neighborhoods," said President after Castro's confirmation. "I know that together with the dedicated professionals at HUD, Julián will help build on the progress we've made battling back from the Great Recession - rebuilding our housing market, reducing homelessness among veterans, and connecting neighborhoods with good schools and good jobs that help our citizens succeed."

As Secretary, Castro's focus is ensuring that HUD is a transparent, efficient and effective champion for the people it serves. Utilizing an evidence-based management style, he has charged the Department with one goal: giving every person, regardless of their station in life, new opportunities to thrive.

Before HUD, Castro served as Mayor of the City of San Antonio. During his tenure, he became known as a national leader in urban development. In 2010, the City launched the "Decade of Downtown", an initiative to spark investment in San Antonio's center city and older neighborhoods. This effort has attracted $350 million in private sector investment, which will produce more than 2400 housing units by the end of 2014. In addition, San Antonio's East Side is the only neighborhood in America that has received funding to implement major projects under three key Obama Administration revitalization initiatives: Choice Neighborhoods, Promise Neighborhoods and the Byrne Criminal Justice Program.

In March 2010, Castro was named to the World Economic Forum's list of Young Global Leaders. Later that year, Time magazine placed him on its "40 under 40" list of rising stars in American politics.

Previously, Castro served as a member of the San Antonio City Council. He is also an attorney and worked at Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld before starting his own practice.

Secretary Castro received a B.A. from Stanford University in 1996, and a J.D. from Harvard Law School in 2000. He and his wife, Erica, have a daughter, Carina.

(cray-poe)

As a lifelong Idahoan and third-term U.S. Senator for Idaho, Mike Crapo has learned that a willingness to listen makes for a more effective leader and lawmaker. Mike’s commonsense approach and collaborative, creative problem-solving have enabled him to achieve lasting solutions to issues of importance to Idahoans and the nation.

With the start of the 113th Congress, Mike became the (lead Republican) of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee. He has served as a member of the committee since the beginning of his Senate service in 1999. His strong background and interest in the finance arena has led to his leadership role in making inroads in the areas of regulatory relief, expansion of homeownership, trade and securities and investment.

Mike also serves as the third-ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, giving Idaho a strong voice in legislation that impacts our daily lives. The committee has jurisdiction over an extensive range of important policy, including federal tax policy, certain health and human services programs, implementation of reciprocal trade agreements, other trade and customs and mandatory spending programs, including Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. He serves on three Finance subcommittees: the Subcommittee on Energy, Natural Resources and Infrastructure; the Subcommittee on Social Security, Pensions and Family Policy; and the Subcommittee on Taxation and IRS Oversight. Senator Crapo’s experience and leadership in promoting Idaho and U.S. exports of goods and services also earned him a 2009 Senate Republican Leadership appointment to the President’s Export Council, which advises the White House on trade and export policy.

Idaho is defined, in part, by its vast natural resources and the environmental issues that often accompanying them. That is why Mike rejoined the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee in 2009, having served on it previously from 1999 to 2005. Mike serves on three of the four Senate committees that oversee surface transportation reauthorization, so he has a hand in ensuring that Idaho’s rural transportation needs are met. Mike is the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Superfund, Toxics and Environmental Health, which oversees issues of importance to North Idaho’s ongoing efforts to address environmental challenges related to mining operations. Mike is also a member of the Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the Subcommittee on Clean Air and Nuclear Safety. The Idaho National Lab is a major Eastern Idaho employer and center for national energy and defense research, and Mike utilizes his committee assignments and other opportunities to promote Idaho's essential energy research and development community and ensure Idahoans’ voices are heard in national energy policy and nuclear safety debates. Previously, Mike served as Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Water and Wildlife. Mike is heavily involved in natural resources related issues ranging from efforts to update and strengthen the Endangered Species Act to clean water to salmon recovery.

In 2003, Mike was selected to serve as a member of the Senate Budget Committee, which is responsible for crafting Congress’ annual budget plan, monitoring action on the budget and overseeing the operation of the Congressional Budget Office. Mike's fiscally-conservative principles lend a measure of responsible restraint to the pressures for greater spending by the federal government. Mike also served on the President’s National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, which crafted a proposal to shrink our nation’s debt by $4 trillion. This proposal generated strong, bipartisan support, and continues to be the basis for ongoing discussions in Congress to address our fiscal crisis in a meaningful way.

Rounding out his committee assignments for the 113th Congress, Mike serves on the Indian Affairs Committee. Idaho is home to five Native American Tribes, contributing to the richness of Idaho's history and the State's future. The Indian Affairs Committee is tasked with addressing the unique challenges of the Native peoples of our country, including health care access, education, economic development and land management, and considering any necessary legislative solutions.

From 2001 to 2008, Mike served as a member of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee and advanced the needs of Idaho's agriculture and timber industries during the crafting of the 2002 Farm Bill and the 2008 Farm Bill. During his service on the committee, he served as Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Rural Revitalization, Conservation, Forestry and Credit, with jurisdiction over rural development; conservation; stewardship of natural resources; state, local and private forests and general forestry; and agricultural and rural credit.

Mike also leads or serves on more than 27 caucuses, which provide an organized forum to join with others in advocating for a wide range of issues important to Idahoans. Mike is the founder and Co-Chair of the Senate Nuclear Cleanup Caucus. He also serves as Co-Chairman of the Senate Sweeteners Caucus and the Senate Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus. In early 2003, he founded the Congressional Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Caucus, reinforcing his role as a champion of men’s and women’s health issues. Mike also serves on the Air Force Caucus, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus, the Western Water Caucus, the General Aviation Caucus, the Senate Biotechnology Caucus, Senate Missing, Exploited and Runaway Children Caucus, the Medical Technology Caucus, the Canada-U.S. Interparliamentary Group and others.

Mike’s sensible approach has earned him the respect of his colleagues, and he has been selected to serve in other various leadership roles. Mike was appointed to serve as Chief Deputy Whip for the 113th Congress, and he served as a Deputy Republican Whip in the last four Congresses. During Mike’s tenure in the House, he served on House Leadership as New Member Leader, Strategic Planning Leader and Deputy Whip for the Western Region.

Before being elected to the Senate in 1998, Mike served three terms as the 2nd District Representative for Idaho in the U.S. House of Representatives. Previously, he served in the Idaho State Senate from 1984 to 1992, and spent his final four years in the Idaho Legislature as Senate President Pro Tempore.

Prior to his service in Congress, Mike was a partner in the law firm of Holden, Kidwell, Hahn & Crapo. He is a member of the Idaho and California Bar Associations and the Bar of the U.S. Supreme Court. He received his Juris Doctorate cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1977, and he graduated summa cum laude from Brigham Young University in 1973 with a B.A. in political science. Following graduation from law school, he served a one-year clerkship with the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. Mike and his wife, Susan, have five children and three grandchildren.

The urgent need to get our nation’s unsustainable deficit and debt under control and reform our tax code so that it encourages economic growth and job creation was brought to vivid focus by the President’s National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, on which Mike served, and continue to be Mike’s highest priorities through his involvement in discussions in Congress. Curtailment of unreasonable government mandates, increasing our nation’s global competitiveness and advancing local, collaborative problem solving and many more critical issues are among Mike’s other top priorities in the 113th Congress.

LILI F. DUNN Chief Investment Officer

Ms. Dunn joined Bell Partners in 2010 as the CIO. She is responsible for guiding the company's investment strategy, broadening its institutional capital sources, strengthening the investment and portfolio management infrastructure and overseeing the transaction and financing platforms. Prior to joining Bell Partners, Ms. Dunn was a 20‐year veteran with AvalonBay Communities, a leading public apartment REIT and a member of the S&P 500, and Trammell Crow Residential, its predecessor entity. In her role as Managing Director at AvalonBay, she was responsible for the company's national transaction activity, which consisted of roughly 60,000 apartment homes valued at approximately $6.5 billion. Ms. Dunn also helped to raise and oversee AvalonBay's Valued Added Funds (discretionary institutional investment vehicles), with total equity commitments of $730 million. Ms. Dunn is a Board Member of the National Multi Housing Council and was Chairperson of its Finance Committee from 2006 to 2010. Ms. Dunn earned her BS from the University of Michigan where she graduated with highest honors.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand | A Voice For The People Of New York

Kirsten Gillibrand was first sworn in as United States Senator from New York in January 2009. In November 2012, Gillibrand was elected to her first six-year Senate term with a historic 72 percent of the vote, winning 60 of New York’s 62 counties.

Prior to her service in the Senate, Gillibrand served in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing New York's 20th Congressional District, which spanned 10 counties in upstate New York.

Throughout her time in Congress, Senator Gillibrand has been committed to open and honest government. When she was first elected, she pledged to bring unprecedented transparency and access to her post. And she did, becoming the first Member of Congress to post her official public schedule, personal financial disclosure, and federal earmark requests online. called Gillibrand's commitment to transparency a "quiet touch of revolution" in Washington, and The Sunlight Foundation, the leading advocacy organization dedicated to making government more open and transparent, praised Senator Gillibrand as a pioneer for her work. For more information, visit Senator Gillibrand's Sunlight Report at http://gillibrand.senate.gov/sunlight/

And she hasn’t let up since. In 2012, Senator Gillibrand became the first Senator in history to publish her personal tax returns for every year she has served in office directly on her own website, and led the effort to pass the STOCK Act, legislation to finally make insider trading by members of Congress illegal, making them play by the exact same set of rules as every other American. A Washington Post report hailed the STOCK Act as the “most substantial debate on congressional ethics in nearly five years.”

In the U.S. Senate, Senator Gillibrand has made her presence felt, helping lead the fight to repeal "Don't Ask Don't Tell," the policy that banned gays from serving openly in the military, and providing health care and compensation to the 9/11 first responders and community survivors who are sick with diseases caused by the toxins at Ground Zero. Senator Gillibrand worked to bring Democrats and Republicans together to win both legislative victories, leading / to name Senator Gillibrand one of “150 Women Who Shake the World.”

From her seat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Gillibrand has been a vocal advocate for strengthening America's armed services, national security and military readiness. In 2013, as chair of the sub-committee on personnel, she held the first Senate hearing on the issue of sexual assault in the military in almost a decade. Gillibrand went on to lead the fight in reforming how the military handles sexual assault cases, building a broad bipartisan coalition of 55 Senators in support of legislation to remove sexual assault cases from the chain of command. In April 2014, in honor of her ability to work across the aisle and elevate the issues that are important to her, Gillibrand was named one of Time Magazine's "100 Most Influential People In The World."

Senator Gillibrand's number one priority is to rebuild the American economy, by creating good- paying jobs, helping small businesses get loans, and partnering with the private sector to foster innovation and entrepreneurship. She wrote new legislation to strengthen and retool New York’s

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand | A Voice For The People Of New York

manufacturers, stamp more products with the words “Made in America,” and create new manufacturing jobs in New York.

As the mother of two young children, Senator Gillibrand knows that working families are struggling in this difficult economy, her legislative agenda puts middle class and working families first. As a champion for the economic empowerment of women & working families, Senator Gillibrand has proposed her Opportunity Agenda to re-write the rules of the workplace to ensure that every working woman has the ability to remain in the workforce and earn her full economic potential. This agenda includes providing paid family & medical leave, raising the minimum wage, making quality child care affordable, creating universal pre-K, and ensuring equal pay for equal work. Gillibrand's FAMILY Act would create a national paid leave program for all workers for less than the cost of a cup of coffee a week per employee.

As the first New York Senator to sit on the Agriculture Committee in nearly 40 years, Senator Gillibrand is giving New York families the seat at the table they deserve as Congress debates food policy. She worked hard to strengthen the 2012 Farm Bill for New York by strengthening specialty crops, expanding rural broadband and improving recovery efforts from natural disasters. She also led the unsuccessful fight to stop billions in devastating cuts to nutritional assistance for struggling children, seniors and veterans.

From her seat on the Aging Committee, Senator Gillibrand is committed to fighting on behalf of seniors, working to lower the cost of prescription drugs, make long-term care more affordable so seniors can remain independent for as long as they are able, and protect seniors from financial fraud. Senator Gillibrand is also working to lower property taxes, co-sponsoring legislation that would give New York residents a full federal tax deduction for their property taxes. After attending Albany's Academy of Holy Names, Senator Gillibrand graduated in 1984 from Emma Willard School in Troy, New York, the first all women's high school in the United States. A magna cum laude graduate of Dartmouth College in 1988, Gillibrand went on to receive her law degree from the UCLA School of Law in 1991 and served as a law clerk on the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.

After working as an attorney in New York City for more than a decade, Senator Gillibrand served as Special Counsel to United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Andrew Cuomo during the Clinton Administration. She then worked as an attorney in Upstate New York before becoming a member of Congress.

Born and raised in upstate New York, Senator Gillibrand's home is in Brunswick, New York, with her husband, Jonathan Gillibrand, and their two young sons, ten-year-old Theodore and six-year- old Henry.

Robert E. Hart President & CEO

Robert E. Hart founded TruAmerica Multifamily in July 2013 and currently serves as its CEO and President. Prior to forming TruAmerica Multifamily, Mr. Hart served as CEO and President of Kennedy Wilson Multifamily Management Group where he managed a portfolio of nearly 12,000 units and oversaw transaction volume over $4.5 billion.

Prior to joining Kennedy Wilson, Mr. Hart served as Senior Vice President of Portfolio Management at Heitman Capital Management, where he was involved in the repositioning and disposition of $500 million in real estate assets, and Director of Real Estate Marketing at Executive Life Insurance Company, where he spearheaded the orderly liquidation of a $1 billion portfolio of real estate and various securities.

Mr. Hart served from 2006 to 2013 as Chairman of the Board at Chrysalis, a non‐profit organization dedicated to supporting and helping the homeless and impoverished in find and retain stable employment. He is a member of the National Association of Home Builders Multifamily Division Board of Directors, the National Multifamily Housing Council Board of Directors, the Urban Land Institute, the UCLA Ziman Center for Real Estate and the Real Estate Investment Advisory Council.

Mr. Hart holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and an M.B.A. from The University of California Los Angeles’ Anderson School of Management.

Grace Huebscher

President of Multifamily Finance Capital One Multifamily Finance

Grace Huebscher is President of Multifamily Finance with Capital One. Before co-founding Capital One Multifamily in 2009, Ms. Huebscher held several senior management positions in multifamily housing at Fannie Mae. During her tenure at the agency, she was responsible for pricing and capital markets, structured finance, affordable and large loan lending, and the pool channel. She introduced Fannie’s lending program for manufactured housing community and built the multifamily small loan business from $400 million in the early 2000s to several billion dollars in 2009. Ms. Huebscher also held positions in the single-family division.

Prior to Fannie Mae, Ms. Huebscher served as CEO of National Cooperative Bank Mortgage Company, where she expanded its secondary market capabilities by building the first CMBS platform for originations. Prior to that, she was a lender in New York City for Security Pacific and Chase Manhattan Bank.

A leader in the multifamily sector, Ms. Huebscher currently serves on the Fannie Mae DUS Advisory Council, as vice chairman of the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Multifamily Steering Committee, and as a member of the Urban Land Institute’s Multifamily Silver Council and the Real Estate Roundtable's President's Council. Ms. Huebscher is also a director of the Catholic Charities/Spanish Catholic Center and has been a board member of The Kenyon Review since 1998.

Ms. Huebscher graduated magna cum laude with a double major in economics and Spanish literature from Kenyon College and completed the MIT Senior Executive Program. She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

Walter Isaacson

Walter Isaacson is the president and CEO of the Aspen Institute, a nonpartisan educational and policy studies institute based in Washington, DC. He has been the chairman and CEO of CNN and the editor of TIME magazine. Isaacson’s upcoming book, The Innovators: How a Group of Inventors, Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution (October 2014) is a biographical tale of the people who invented the computer, Internet and the other great innovations of our time and will be a must‐ read from Wall Street to Silicon Valley to Main Street. He is the author of Steve Jobs (2011), Einstein: sHi Life and Universe (2007), Benjamin Franklin: An American Life (2003), and Kissinger: A Biography (1992), and coauthor of The Wise Men: Six Friends and the World They Made (1986). Isaacson was born in New Orleans. He is a graduate of Harvard College and of Pembroke College of Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar. He began his career at The Sunday Times of London and then the New Orleans Times‐Picayune/States‐Item. He joined TIME in 1978 and served as a political correspondent, national editor and editor of new media before becoming the magazine’s 14th editor in 1996. He became chairman and CEO of CNN in 2001, and then president and CEO of the Aspen Institute in 2003. He is chair emeritus of Teach for America, which recruits recent college graduates to teach in underserved communities. He was appointed by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the Senate to serve as the chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, which oversees Voice of America, Radio Free Europe, and other international broadcasts of the United States, a position he held until 2012. He is vice‐chair of Partners for a New Beginning, a public‐private group tasked with forging ties between the United States and the Muslim world. He is on the board of United Airlines, Tulane University and the Overseers of Harvard University. From 2005‐ 2007, after Hurricane Katrina, he was the vice‐chair of the Recovery Authority. Connecting You with the World's Greatest Minds Kevin McCarthy U.S. Congressman and Majority Leader

Congressman Kevin McCarthy proudly serves California’s 23rd district and is currently the Majority Leader in the U.S. House of Representatives. Kevin was first elected to Congress in 2006 and is a native of Bakersfield and a fourth-generation Kern County resident. The grandson of a cattle rancher and the son of a firefighter, Kevin grew up a working-class family and is committed to preserving and promoting the American dream for hardworking Americans.

In Washington, Kevin fights every day for the constituents of California’s 23rd District and for the future of America with the simple promise: to have the courage to lead with the wisdom to listen.

At the age of 21, Kevin started his own small business, Kevin O’s Deli, from the ground up. As he worked hard, hired employees, and enjoyed success in his community, he soon learned—as all small business owners do— that the margins are thin, the hours are long, and that often Sacramento and Washington are obstacles, not aids, to success. The redundant and frivolous rules along with tedious paperwork and overburdening taxes compelled Kevin to enter public service.

He sold his business to put himself through college and graduate school at California State University, Bakersfield. While at school, he interned for Congressman Bill Thomas and later became a member of Congressman Thomas’s staff. In 2000, he won his first public election as Trustee to the Kern Community College District and then, in 2002, he was elected to represent the 32nd Assembly District in the California State Assembly. As a freshman legislator, he was selected unanimously by his Republican colleagues to serve as the Assembly Republican Leader, becoming the first freshman legislator and the first legislator from Kern County to assume this top post in the California Legislature. Kevin worked with his colleagues in the Assembly and Senate and with the Governor to reduce California’s budget deficit, overhaul the state workers’ compensation system, and enhance California’s business climate to create more opportunities for California workers and businesses. After he was elected to Congress in 2006, Kevin quickly became Chief Deputy Whip and later served as Majority Whip. In 2014, he was elected Majority Leader of the House, where he now leads Congress in fighting for individual liberty, an efficient and effective government, free markets, and a vibrant civil society.

Since Kevin was elected to Congress, he and his Republican colleagues have blocked the largest tax increase in American history, cut out-of-control government spending, passed bills to create jobs, promoted North American energy independence, and fought to free Americans from the meddlesome influence of Washington in health care and beyond.

Kevin will continue to fight for a strong, fiscally responsible, and free America where every person has the ability to achieve the American dream.

When Kevin is not in Washington working for the constituents of California’s 23rd District and for the future of America, he is home in Bakersfield with his wife Judy and two children Connor and Meghan.

Michael Murphy

Mike Murphy is one of the Republican Party’s most successful political media consultants, having handled strategy and advertising for more than 26 successful gubernatorial and Senatorial campaigns. Murphy has been called a “media master” by FORTUNE magazine, the GOP’s “hottest media consultant” by Newsweek and the leader of a “new breed” of campaign consultants by .

Murphy served as senior strategist for both John McCain’s first campaign for President in 2000 and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s historic election as Governor of California. Murphy has directed successful campaigns for GOP Governors and Senators including Jeb Bush, , Terry Branstad, Lamar Alexander, Jeff Sessions, Slade Gorton, Dirk Kempthorne, Tommy Thompson and John Engler. He has also advised political leaders in several foreign countries.

A partner in the Washington DC based Revolution Agency, Murphy also advises several Fortune 500 corporations and several of America’s largest trade associations, working with industries including insurance, energy, financial services dan commercial real estate. Murphy is a columnist for TIME magazine as well as a regular on the Meet the Press roundtable. Murphy was born in Detroit, Michigan and attended the Edmund Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. In 2001 he was an Institute of Politics Fellow at Harvard's JFK School of Government. Murphy also works as a writer/producer in the entertainment industry.

He lives with his wife Tiffany in Los Angeles, California.

Ella Shaw Neyland President

Ms. Neyland serves as the President and an affiliated director of Steadfast Apartment REIT. She also serves as President and an affiliated director of Steadfast Income REIT, positions she has held since October 2012. From October 2011 to September 2012, Ms. Neyland served as an independent director and Audit Committee Chair of Steadfast Income REIT. Ms. Neyland has considerable experience in real estate investment, development and finance. Most recently, while with Montecito Medical Investment Company, she advised the company in the acquisition of 43 medical properties with over 2 million square feet in 13 states, as well as the acquisition of 8,300 apartments in 29 communities. From 2001 to 2004, Ms. Neyland served as Executive VP, Treasurer and Investor Relations Officer of United Dominion Realty Trust (“UDR”), where she was responsible for capital market transactions, banking relationships and presentations to investors and Wall Street analysts. Ms. Neyland also was a voting member of UDR’s Investment Committee, which oversaw the repositioning of over $3 billion of investments. Prior to 2001, Ms. Neyland served as the CFO at Sunrise Housing, a privately owned apartment development company, and as the Senior VP of Fiinance and the VP of Troubled Debt Restructures/Finance for the Lincoln Property Company, a commercial real estate development and management firm. In addition to her extensive real estate baackground, Ms. Neyland has held executive positions in the banking industry, including CIBC, BancOne and Frost Bank. Ms. Neyland received a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas.

Rob Portman United States Senator for Ohio Biography

Rob Portman is a United States Senator from the state of Ohio. He was elected in 2010, running a campaign that focused on common-sense conservative ideas to help create jobs and get the deficit under control. Rob won with a margin of 57 to 39 percent, winning 82 of Ohio's 88 counties.

Rob was born and raised in Cincinnati, where he lives today with his wife Jane, and their three children, Jed, Will and Sally. He grew up in a small business family, where he learned early on the value of hard work, leadership, and fiscal responsibility. When Rob was young, his dad, Bill Portman, borrowed money to start Portman Equipment Company, where Rob and his brother and sister all worked while growing up. His father, and then his brother, built the family business from a small forklift truck dealership with five employees, with Rob's mom as the bookkeeper, to one that employed more than 300 people. Rob became a lawyer and developed his own private practice, representing Portman Equipment Company and other small businesses. In 1993, Rob was a partner in the Cincinnati law firm of Graydon, Head and Ritchey when he was elected to Congress, where he represented the diverse, seven county Second District in southern Ohio. He was proud to serve the Second District for twelve years, and in seven elections, he never received less than seventy percent of the vote.

During his time representing the Second District, Rob earned a reputation as a serious leader who focused on results. Rob was actively involved in crafting and promoting the historic welfare reform efforts as a member of the committee that wrote the legislation, and he was a forceful advocate of the balanced budget that passed in 1997. Rob gained the respect of both Republican and Democratic colleagues through his successful, bipartisan legislative initiatives, including several measures he authored to increase retirement savings, reform the IRS and add over fifty new taxpayer rights, curb unfunded mandates, reduce taxes, and expand drug prevention and land conservation efforts.

In 2005, Rob left Congress when he was asked to serve as the United States Trade Representative, the Cabinet-level official responsible for implementing and enforcing U.S. trade policy. In his one year in the job, Rob was successful in reducing barriers to U.S. exports and increasing enforcement of trade laws to help level the playing field for American farmers, workers and service providers. Under his leadership, American exports increased and the U.S. brought successful legal challenges against international trade law violations.

Following his accomplishments as Trade Representative, Rob was asked to serve in another Cabinet post, this time as Director of the Office of Management and Budget. A deficit hawk, Rob made his mark by proposing a balanced budget, fighting irresponsible earmarks, and putting in place new transparency measures for all federal spending.

Rob succeeded George Voinovich as Ohio's U.S. Senator on January 5, 2011 and immediately began fighting for pro-growth, pro-jobs policies to help get Ohio and our nation back on track.

Donna Preiss Founder and Chief Executive Officer

Donna Preiss is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of The Preiss Company (TPCO). For over 26 years, The Preiss Company has specialized in the development, acquisition, and management of off-campus student housing and is currently the 4th largest privately owned student housing provider in the nation. The company employs over 370 team members and is one of the largest and fastest growing student housing providers in the United States—currently owning and/or operating properties in ten states.

Over the years, The Preiss Company has been a multi-year recipient of the Raleigh Chamber of Commerce's coveted Pinnacle Business Award, winner of the Metro Bravo Award for Real Estate, and winner of the Triangle Fast 50 Award for fastest growing company. The company has also been recognized by Triangle Business Journal as one of the Triangle’s Top Women- Owned Businesses, one of the Top Apartment Property Management Companies, and one of the Top Commercial Real Estate Brokers. The company was also honored by Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) Network with their Impact Award—receiving Honorable Mention in the category of Industry Innovator—and awarded the Steady Growth and Profitability Master Award by the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce.

The Preiss Company's properties have had the distinction of being repeatedly voted as "Best Places to Live Off-Campus" by their respective campus newspapers, as well as showcased by the National Multi Housing Council for their capital improvements. TPCO has also been chosen by the Kenan School of Business as a business case for its architecture of partnering with institutional money.

Donna has been personally recognized by Triangle Business Journal as one of the Triangle's most successful professional women and was awarded Women in Business Award. She has also been honored by Business Leader magazine and Triangle Real Estate magazine as an Impact Triangle Real Estate Broker.

Donna received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an MA Degree from the University of Maryland at College Park. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the SPCA, the National Multi Housing Council, the Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, and the Wake Tech Foundation. Donna also serves on the Raleigh Chamber of Commerce Advisory Board and is a member of the NAA National Student Housing Committee, the NMHC National Student Housing Committee, and the Women President's Organization, identified by Globe Street as being a Student Housing Industry Pioneer, and has been present on numerous industry-specific panels.

Congressman Aaron Schock Biography

United States Congress Congressman Aaron Schock (R-IL), 33, represents the 18th District of Illinois and is currently serving his third term in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Schock serves on the highly coveted Ways and Means committee. Within the committee, he serves on the Trade, Select Revenue Measures and Social Security subcommittees. Schock also serves on the committee on House Administration. Additionally, he serves as a Deputy Republican Whip and as a member of the Conference Advisory Committee.

State Representative In the Illinois Legislature, Schock succeeded in passing 18 substantive bills he sponsored, several of which were hailed as "landmark reforms" when they were signed into law.

Schock also developed a reputation for outstanding constituent service, having helped thousands of constituents solve problems beyond their ability to cope.

Schock shared the 2007 award with then-Senator Barack Obama from the Illinois Committee for Honest Government for his “Outstanding Legislative and Constituent Service.”

Schock got off to a fast start in the Illinois House by being appointed to serve on five committees, including rare service on two separate appropriations committees. His committee assignments were: Elementary and Secondary Appropriations; Human Services Appropriations; Veteran’s Affairs; Financial Services; and Environment and Energy.

Business Upon graduation from college, Schock secured investors and started a small business in Peoria. He later served as Director of Development for Petersen Companies of Peoria. Schock purchased his first piece of real estate at age 18, and continues to manage his real estate investments today.

Public Service Before coming to Congress, Aaron Schock began his public service by serving in the Peoria School board when he was 19 years old.

At 22, his school board colleagues voted to make Schock vice president of the board and a year later they voted unanimously to make him board president of one of the largest school districts in Illinois.

Early years Schock began working after school jobs in his early teens. By the time he was in high school he was working a substantial number of hours per week at a gravel pit and invested nearly all of it. With these earnings he was able to purchase his first piece of real estate at age 18 and bought and sold investment properties. He also bought his own home which he and his brother renovated on Melbourne Avenue in one of Peoria’s older neighborhoods.

Education Aaron Schock graduated from Richwoods High School and Rolling Acres Middle School in Peoria. He then graduated from Bradley University in Peoria with a B.S. in Finance (a four year degree) in only two years.

Senator Charles E. Schumer United States Senator for New York

Over the past three decades in public service, U.S. Senator Charles “Chuck” Ellis Schumer has built a reputation as a leader in finding common-sense solutions to national issues and as a tireless fighter for New York.

Chuck was born in Brooklyn, NY on November 23, 1950 to parents Selma, a homemaker active in the community, and Abe, who owned a small exterminating business. Chuck grew up the Sheepshead Bay neighborhood and with his siblings, Fran and Robert, attended PS 197 and Madison High School. Chuck has two daughters, Jessica and Alison, and he still resides in Brooklyn with his wife, Iris Weinshall.

After graduating from Harvard College and Harvard Law School in 1974, Chuck returned home and ran for the New York State Assembly, becoming, at 23, the youngest member of the State Legislature since Theodore Roosevelt. He soon made his mark with his trademark vigor and tireless advocacy. In 1980, at 29, Chuck ran for and won the seat in the 9th Congressional District.

Chuck represented the 9th CD in Brooklyn and Queens for eighteen years, where he established his reputation as a pioneer in the fight against crime and as a consumer advocate. Chuck authored the Omnibus Crime Bill, which put 100,000 new cops on the street. He was the leading sponsor of the Violence Against Women Act, to combat domestic violence and sexual assault, and the Brady Bill, which instituted mandatory background checks for handgun purchases. He co-wrote the Assault Weapons Ban, and sponsored the Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which organized data on crimes of bigotry and allowed federal authorities to prosecute these crimes. He also sponsored legislation that required banks and credit card companies to provide greater disclosure to consumers.

In 1998, Chuck was elected to the U.S. Senate; he became New York's senior senator when Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan retired in 2000. Chuck kicked off his first Senate term by announcing he would visit each of New York's 62 counties every year, a tradition he continues today. Doing so has enabled Chuck to keep in touch with voters from every corner of the state.

Throughout his time in the Senate, Chuck has made improving New York's economy his top priority, bringing affordable air service to Upstate New York and the Hudson Valley and delivering over $20 billion in aid to New York City following the attacks on September 11, 2001. Chuck was the author of legislation that eliminated barriers that delay low-cost generic medications from entering the marketplace and led the charge to make college tuition tax deductible. He also aggressively championed agricultural measures to preserve vital market support programs for New York’s dairy farmers and crop growers.

After New Yorkers re-elected him in 2004, Chuck was awarded two powerful posts by his colleagues. The first, a seat on the Senate Finance Committee, which oversees the nation’s tax, trade, social security and health care legislation. The second honor was the Chairmanship of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC). Chuck successfully led the DSCC for two consecutive cycles before stepping down at the end of 2008.

Following the elections of 2006, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) appointed Chuck to serve as Vice Chair of the Democratic Conference, the number three position on the Democratic Leadership team and a position he continues to hold. In 2009, Chuck was selected as the Chairman of the Senate Rules Committee, which oversees federal elections, voting rights, campaign finance, and the operation of the Senate complex. After New Yorkers re-elected him for a third term in 2010, Chuck took on an expanded role in the Senate as Chairman of the Democratic Policy and Communications Center.

Chuck also sits on the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; the Judiciary Committee, where he is Chairman of the Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees, and Border Security; and the Joint Committee on the Library.

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

JULIE A. SMITH

As president of Bozzuto Management Company, Julie oversees a portfolio that includes nearly 40,000 units in more than 150 apartment communities throughout the Mid‐Atlantic and Northeastern regions. She also plays a consulting role in the development of new communities both for Bozzuto and third‐ party owners, providing marketing and management guidance in the planning stages of new projects. In 2013, Julie was named Multifamily Executive Magazine's Executive of the Year. Under her leadership, the company has grown from an organization with 15 employees to one of more than 1,000, and has twice been named Property Management Firm of the Year by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). Julie holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from The State University of New York at Oswego. She is Chair of the National Multi Housing Council’s Property Management Committee, a member of the Board of Directors for Victory Housing, a nonprofit developer and operator of affordable housing for seniors and working families, and an adjunct professor in the University of Maryland’s Masters of Real Estate Development Program.