2016 NMHC Spring Board of Directors Meeting Speaker Biographies Tom Alexander Chief Operating Officer 1871 Technology Incubator Tom Alexander is chief operating officer for 1871, one of the largest technology incubators in the United States. His role includes operation of a facility that houses hundreds of startups, business development efforts focused on integrating 1871 into the Chicago technology economy, and external relations efforts with government and media partners. Previously, Alexander served as deputy communications director for Mayor Rahm Emanuel and played a leading role on the Mayor’s economic council, working to attract and retain companies and jobs to Chicago. Prior to his time in the Mayor’s office, he served as a senior communications director at the University of Chicago, a policy and communications projects director in the Office of the Governor of Illinois, and a senior disaster analyst for the U.S. Small Business Administration in Washington, DC. He has also worked as a newspaper reporter, editor of an online business publication, adjunct professor of journalism, and was founder of a small sports newspaper. Tom has a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Chicago and a master’s in public policy administration from Northwestern University. 2016 NMHC Spring Board of Directors Meeting Speaker Biographies Sue Ansel President and Chief Executive Officer Gables Residential Sue Ansel is President and Chief Executive Officer. In her 25 plus years with Gables, she has held positions in acquisitions, development, and operations and has led important company initiatives including the advancement of real estate technology efforts and third-party client services. Sue serves on several boards and committee’s including serving as an officer and on the Executive Committee of the National Multifamily Housing Council, and officer of The Real Estate Council and The Real Estate Council Foundation Board of Directors, The Dallas Summer Musical Board of Directors and DePauw University’s Board of Trustees. Sue is also a member of the Urban Land Institute and a graduate of DePauw University. 2016 NMHC Spring Board of Directors Meeting Speaker Biographies David Axelrod CNN Senior Political Commentator and Director, Institute of Politics, University of Chicago David Axelrod served as senior advisor to President Barack Obama and to the Obama-Biden Presidential Transition, as well as senior strategist to Barack Obama's historic campaign for the presidency in 2008 and his reelection in 2012. Today he serves as director of the Institute of Politics at the University of Chicago and as a senior political commentator for CNN. He formerly served as a senior political analyst for NBC News and MSNBC. He was recently inducted into The American Association of Political Consultants’ Hall of Fame. His New York Times bestselling memoir, BELIEVER: My Forty Years in Politics (February, 2015), spans forty years which include corruption and transformation, turmoil and progress, offering a look behind the closed doors of politics while offering a thrilling call to democratic action. This powerful and inspiring memoir is enlivened by the charm and candor of one of the greatest political strategists in recent American history. He is currently host of "The Axe Files", a series of interviews with key figures in the political world. During his time at the White House, Axelrod was the Administration's most frequent presence on influential Sunday talk shows including NBC’s Meet the Press, ABC’s This Week, CBS’s Face the Nation, FOX News Sunday and CNN’s State of the Union. He also appeared several times on The Tonight Show, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Late Show with David Letterman. Axelrod founded the Chicago consulting firm AKPD Message and Media in 1985, and was senior partner there until 2008. At AKPD, he managed media strategy and communications for more than 150 campaigns, with a focus on progressive candidates and causes. In 2006, Axelrod ran the independent expenditure media program for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, helping Democrats regain the majority in the House of Representatives. Axelrod also served as media adviser to Deval Patrick, who was elected Massachusetts's first Democratic governor in 16 years and the state's first-ever African American governor. In 2004, Axelrod helped then-State Senator Barack Obama win a challenging primary and go on to a landslide win in his U.S. Senate campaign. Before entering politics in 1984, Axelrod spent eight years as a reporter for The Chicago Tribune, where he covered national, state and local politics. In 1981, he became the youngest political writer and columnist in the paper's history. He also served as the Tribune's City Hall bureau chief. Active in charitable work in Chicago, Axelrod has supported Special Olympics and Misericordia. In 1998, he and his wife, Susan, helped found Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy (CURE), which has raised over $32 million so far for scientists searching for a cure. Axelrod was born in New York City, and graduated from Stuyvesant High School and the University of Chicago. He served as an adjunct professor of Communication Studies at Northwestern University and has lectured on political media at Harvard University, the University of Chicago and the University of Pennsylvania. He is married to Susan Landau and has three children, Lauren, Michael and Ethan. 2016 NMHC Spring Board of Directors Meeting Speaker Biographies Doug Bibby President National Multifamily Housing Council Douglas M. Bibby is President of the National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC), a national organization of more than 1,100 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. 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 30 years. 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. 2016 NMHC Spring Board of Directors Meeting Speaker Biographies Dave Bragg Managing Director Green Street Advisors, Inc. Dave leads Green Street's Residential Research team, covering the apartment, self-storage, student housing, manufactured housing, and single-family rental sectors. He is a member of the National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC) and Urban Land Institute (ULI). Prior to joining Green Street in 2013, Dave developed and led the REIT effort at Zelman & Associates. Before that, he was a member of the REIT teams at ISI and Merrill Lynch. Dave earned his B.A. in International Relations from Tufts University and M.A. in International Business from the University of Florida. 2016 NMHC Spring Board of Directors Meeting Speaker Biographies Thomas Bretz Chief Executive Officer Elmspring Technology Accelerator Thomas M. Bretz is the CEO of the successful Century 21 Affiliated’s Chicago office which he launched in 2010 with CFO Adam Freeman. The Chicago office focuses on properties in the Chicago Metro area, northern Illinois, and southeastern Wisconsin. He has leveraged his experience and market insights to create movement in the industry, solidify strategic partnerships among reputable, longstanding agencies in the city and suburbs, and grow the Century 21 brand significantly in the Metro area. Bretz also launched Elmdale Partners, LLC where, as Principal, he has been able to acquire or invest in over $350 million of commercial real estate assets. He began working in the real estate industry for Compass Properties and has served as Executive Vice President of the Cloverleaf Group overseeing acquisition, syndication, and management of real estate properties in Illinois and Wisconsin. The Elmspring Technology Accelerator is the brainchild of Bretz and Freeman. Their experience and leadership in the real estate industry offers startup companies a direct line to valuable knowledge, networks, and investors. They are always looking for new ways to move the real estate industry forward while encouraging entrepreneurship. Bretz holds both a Masters and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. 2016 NMHC Spring Board of Directors Meeting Speaker Biographies Usha Chaudhary President and Chief Operating Officer Kettler Usha Chaudhary serves as President and Chief Operating Officer of Kettler, overseeing all aspects of the organization. Mrs. Chaudhary is responsible for implementing the company’s strategic plan, and continuing Kettler’s growth in the metropolitan Washington, D.C., region, the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast regions. Mrs. Chaudhary earned a bachelor’s degree in English literature from St. Stephen’s College in New Delhi, India. She is also a graduate of the Stanford University Graduate School of Business, the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management and has also earned a World Executive MBA from George Washington University. Prior to joining Kettler, Mrs. Chaudhary was Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of The Pew Charitable Trusts. She also worked at The Washington Post, United Way of America and Freddie Mac focusing on finance, strategy and corporate operations. Mrs. Chaudhary and her husband have two adult children and reside in Great Falls, VA.