9th Annual Real Estate Midwest Forum
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The 9th Annual Real Estate Midwest Forum taking place at the University Club of Chicago on June 5 will feature real estate industry leaders tackling timely issues within the sector. This exclusive closed-door event will bring together senior-level investment executives representing some of the most prestigious corporate and public pensions, endowments, foundations, sovereign wealth funds, family offices, RIAs, and OCIOs. Join your peers and industry thought leaders as we drive the real estate industry forward.
OUR SPEAKERS
Keynote Speakers
Angela Miller-May
Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund
Chief Investment Officer
Ms. Miller-May currently serves as the Chief Investment Officer for the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund, a $50.6 billion pension fund that services a membership of over 457,000 members and over 3,030 employers. She focuses on providing strategic portfolio construction, excellent manager selection and rigorous due diligence and provides leadership to a team of investment professionals in meeting IMRF’s investment goals. Ms. Miller-May joined Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund in August 2021. Prior to serving as IMRF’s Chief Investment Officer, she served as the CIO for Chicago Teachers’ Pension Fund. She has been honored with many recognitions and awards and engages with organizations across the investment industry. Ms. Miller-May holds an MBA from Kellstadt Graduate School of Business at DePaul University and has earned her BA in Economics from Northwestern University.
Speakers
Abdur Nimeri
West Mountain
Chief Investment Officer
Abdur Nimeri is a highly respected leader in the financial services industry, known for his expertise in private and public market investments. With a career spanning over two decades, he has consistently delivered industry-leading standards of excellence and instilled a culture of innovation in his organizations. As the Chief Investment Officer at UMB Bank, Abdur propelled the success of multiple investment strategies and oversaw the management of over $16 billion in wealth management investment strategies. Prior to this, he held key positions at Northern Trust Corporation, where he provided direction for the design of quantitative global portfolios and executed above-market performance across various strategies. Abdur's extensive experience also includes senior roles at Fannie Mae and Kronos Investments.
Adam Coons
Morgan Stanley Wealth Management
Senior Vice President
Adam joined Morgan Stanley in 2010 and is a First Vice President, Financial Advisor, Certified Financial Planner practitioner, Alternative Investments Director, and Lending Specialist with the firm’s Chicago office. Adam develops customized wealth management solutions with a strict focus on holistic planning and alternative investments. He provides clients with unparalleled strategies by passionately focusing on their core values and leading with exceptional ideas.
Originally from Barrington, Illinois, Adam was a two sport all-state athlete. He received several opportunities to play division one baseball in college but chose to focus 100% of his efforts on his coursework at the Kelley School of Business. Adam earned a B.S. in finance from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, and a certificate in financial planning from Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois. He began his career as an intern with The Mathias Group, then Client Service Associate, Financial Advisor Associate and is now a Partner in the practice.
Brock Merck
Policemen's Annuity and Benefit Fund of Chicago
Elected Trustee
Christian Reel
Albourne Partners
Partner
Cosmin Lucaci
Brownson, Rehmus & Foxworth
Vice President, Director of Research
Cosmin received his MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and his BA in Economics and Political Science from Northwestern University. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation. Cosmin is a Board member for the UL Boys and Girls Club, where he served on the executive committee and was the President of the Associate Board. He is also a Board member for the Chicago Engineers’ Foundation and the CFA Society of Chicago. Cosmin has also served on various committees for The Logos School of Music, Northwestern University, and the Union League Club of Chicago.
Prior to joining BRF, Cosmin was at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. In his time there he worked on several projects, including co-authoring a study with senior economists that was presented at the Federal Reserve’s annual Bank Structure Conference and subsequently published in the Journal of Financial Services Research.
As a member of the research department, Cosmin helps in designing and implementing the company’s investment strategies as well as identifying investment managers.
David Kozlicki
UBS
Global Head & CIO of Real Estate, Unified Global Alternatives Managing Director
Evan Frazier
Marquette Associates
Senior Research Analyst, Global Equities
Evan Frazier is a senior research analyst for Marquette Associates and has five years of investment experience. He joined the firm in 2020 and is responsible for conducting due diligence on equity products and managers, as well as developing macroeconomic and capital markets research. He is a member of the firm’s investment committee and traditional investment manager search committee. Prior to joining Marquette, Evan was an associate consultant at a wealth advisory firm.
Henry Wilson
Wayne County Employees’ Retirement System
Chairman
Henry Wilson has been chairman of Wayne County Employee's Retirement System for the past 4 years to date, and was elected amongst peers as trustee for the past 8 years. Mr Wilson spent 24 years as a Deputy and 6 years as a Sergeant in Wayne County Sheriff Department, and holds a Master's Degree in Public Administration. The Wayne County Employee's Retirement System has a total of $2 Billion in assets under management between Defined Contribution and Defined Benefit.
Jack Ablin
Cresset
Founding Partner, Chief Investment Officer
As Chief Investment Officer, Jack is the leader of Cresset’s investment strategy and provides investment policy and philosophy guidelines to the firm’s advisor teams and clients. Jack joined the organization in 2018 and has three decades of experience in money management. Jack was formerly the Chief Investment Officer with BMO Harris Bank. Jack is the author of Reading Minds and Markets: Minimizing Risk and Maximizing Returns in a Volatile Global Marketplace, published in July 2009 by F.T. Press; The Wall Street Journal best-seller list, 2009. Jack is a frequent contributor to CNBC, Bloomberg, The Wall Street Journal and Barron’s. Jack served as a Professor of Finance at Boston University, Graduate School of Management. Jack was named one of the top 100 Wealth Advisors in North America, by CityWealth Magazine in 2006, 2010-2017.
Jacqueline Kerns
Illinois State Treasurer
Deputy Director of Alternative Investments
Kristin Dacey
Bulltick Wealth Management
Chief Investment Officer – Real Estate, Alternatives
Kristin Dacey is Chief Investment Officer – Real Estate, Alternatives at Bulltick, which has a RIA and Broker
Dealer. At Bulltick, she also acts as the fund manager of two real estate fund of funds primarily focused on the US market. Concurrently, she is the Chief Investment Officer for Emprenta, an impact investing group, and on the board for Convision 20/20, a social enterprise
in Mexico. Previously, she spent 8 years in the private sector of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) contributing to over US$2.2 billion in alternatives investments. Kristin also
worked for GE Capital for 7 years where she held progressing roles in credit, portfolio management, and account management participating in the structuring of over 70 real estate,
equipment, cash flow and construction deals comprising over US$2 billion in volume. Kristin
has a Masters from the Thunderbird School of Global Management, an MBA from Arizona
State and BS and BA degrees from Virginia Tech.
Mike Amine
Wealth Strategies Financial Group
CEO, Managing Partner
Mike Amine's goal is to develop and maintain a professional business atmosphere in the agency, with a focus on high ethical standards. As the managing partner, he is responsible for recruiting professional sales personnel for the agency and developing marketing plans to help these representatives reach their career goals. The agency strives to provide excellent service, specially focused on quality customer contact. We aim to become a lifetime resource for each and every client.
Stephen Stuckwisch
ORG Portfolio Management
Principal and Investment Committee Member
Mr. Stuckwisch joined ORG in 2021 and has 40 years of experience in real estate spanning, debt, equity, securities and valuation. He is responsible for conducting research, analyzing statistical data, and developing financial models for investment due diligence. In addition, he assists with evaluating real estate managers, separately managed accounts, performing asset level analytics and managing specific client research requests. Mr. Stuckwisch is a voting member of the ORG Investment Committee. Prior to joining ORG, Mr. Stuckwisch was a Portfolio Manager for Ohio Public Employees Retirement System (Retired), Administrative Officer for Chemical Mortgage Company and Commercial Appraiser for Don R. Scheidt & Co. He is a Senior Lecturer of Finance at The Ohio State University focused on real estate and real estate finance. Mr. Stuckwisch received his MBA from The Ohio State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Business Administration from Hanover College in Indiana.
Tyler Glover
William Blair
Partner, Director of Consulting Services
Tyler Glover works closely with advisors and clients in portfolio design and implementation, investment policy, asset allocation, and investment solutions across traditional and alternative asset classes. As head of the Consulting Services group at William Blair, he and his team are dedicated to serving private wealth clients by upholding a high standard of care in investment guidance. Tyler joined William Blair Private Wealth Management in 2014 and previously held retail and institutional distribution and consulting roles at Calamos Asset Management. Tyler is a CFA charterholder and Chicago CFA Society member. Tyler serves on William Blair’s Retirement Plan Investment Committee. He is also treasurer for Ronald McDonald House of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana and serves on the organization’s board of directors and finance committee. Tyler received his B.A. and M.B.A. from North Central College.
University Club of Chicago
76 E Monroe St
Chicago, IL
United State, 60603
+13127262840
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Key Discussion Topics
Macroeconomic Real Estate Overview
How are global real estate markets performing in 2025? What unique obstacles are being faced in the Midwest real estate market? Which asset classes are outperforming others? How are you strategically outlining a roadmap towards a successful real estate portfolio? How are transaction volume and price valuation U.S. real estate markets compared to the Midwest real estate market?
The Evolution of Commercial Real Estate
Commercial real estate continues to evolve in a post pandemic world. While office has been viewed as a poor performer, where are you finding diamond opportunities in office? Have valuations been accurate? Retail foot traffic has continued to rise. How is that impacting your approach to retail markets? What macroeconomic trends are driving the hospitality sector? What specific type of hospitality projects are of interest to you?
Spotlight on Housing
How are residential markets—including multifamily, single-family rental, build to rent, senior housing, student housing, manufactured housing—performing in the current economy? How are mortgage rates impacting housing markets? What rental patterns are you witnessing? How are residential markets expected to perform in 2026, and how will that alter your investment strategy?
Data Centers, Life Sciences, Medical Office, and Beyond
In this timely discussion, panelists will dive into how niche real estate assets have come to rise as leaders in the market. Which alternative real estate property types are proving to be high performers? How are you embedding these niche real estate assets into your overall portfolio composition? Which alternative real estate assets should you be considering for 2026?
A Case for Opportunistic Investments
While core and core plus hold a meaningful place in a balanced portfolio, allocators are recognizing the substantial potential offered from opportunistic real estate investments. How is debt financing playing a role in your approach to opportunistic investments? Where and why would you opt for an opportunistic strategy over value-add, core, or core plus? What are institutional and private wealth investors’ appetite for risk in the current economy environment?
Not All Industrial Properties Are Created Equal
Some industrial assets may be more favorable than others. While storage and warehouses are expected to continue performing well, specialized industrial properties tailored to specific tenants may face challenges as we look to future transactions. How can you efficiently update aged industrial properties? How are real estate investors approaching the evolving industrial markets as we look ahead to 2026 and beyond?
The Role of Multifamily in Your Portfolio
The multifamily sector continues to gain traction as new construction and demand grow. How are multifamily developers and managers setting themselves apart from the pack? How are investors identifying the right opportunities for their unique portfolios? What innovations are emerging across the multifamily space? Which geographic regions are seeing the most growth in the multifamily market?
Navigating the CRE Debt Bubble
How are investors approaching debt versus equity in the real estate market? How are lending standards, mortgage maturities, and loan defaults impacting the market? How can you provide investors with predictable cash flow? How are debt valuations teams making sense of the current economic climate? What does the next year hold for commercial and residential real estate debt? Where are forward-thinking investors allocating in the debt market?
Top Picks For 2026
In this panel discussion, industry leaders take the stage to share their predictions for real estate asset classes that will outperform in the next 12-24 months. Which markets are emerging, and which are you divesting from? How will the market change in the year ahead? What advice would you share to new allocators entering the real estate space?
REGISTRATION
INVESTORS: Complimentary Registration for all qualified investors. Email IR@marketsgroup.org for more information on obtaining a complimentary ticket.MANAGERS & SERVICE PROVIDERS: Rates below reflect the current price for all asset managers and service providers.
Register For The 9th Annual Real Estate Midwest Forum
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