Ely Speakers Bureau
Welcome to the Lambda Alpha International Ely-Chicago Chapter Speakers Bureau. Our chapter members offer themselves as a resource for you across a wide variety of land economics industries. Members of LAI Ely-Chicago have a minimum of 10 years of professional experience in their land economics field. They have been selected by their peers as worthy of recognition for their commitment to excellence. Click on a category below to find your next speaker, panelist or moderator from our membership.
If you are an LAI Ely-Chicago Chapter Member, click here to apply for the Speakers Bureau.
Melissa Copley is a vice chairman in Newmark’s Chicago office. She specializes in tenant representation with expertise in managing corporate and law firm client relationships, leading portfolio strategic planning, and negotiating large, complex transactions. Her rigorous, analytical, and strategic processes are designed to achieve meaningful cost savings, a wide range of flexibility, brand identity, and other high-value lease terms that support the core business objectives of the enterprise. Over three decades, Ms. Copley has completed $3B in real estate transactions in over 40 markets globally.
Ms. Copley began her finance career in 1983 at Citibank N.A. in New York City. She transitioned into venture capital in Chicago in 1985, prior to beginning her career in real estate advisory services in 1988.
Ms. Copley holds an MBA in finance and marketing from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. She has a BA in economics from the University of Michigan. She is a state-licensed real estate broker in Illinois, Georgia, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, and Wisconsin.
Geoff is a real estate and economic development advisor with expertise in public-private finance partnerships, special taxing district (TIF, business district/special service area) establishment, market and financial feasibility, development strategy, and project implementation advisory services. While at SB Friedman, Geoff has assisted Presence Health (now AMITA Health) in securing TIF and New Markets Tax Credit funding to help pay for the relocation of its affiliate, Resurrection University, from Oak Park to Chicago. He has also led numerous projects throughout the country, including a market analysis and development strategy related to the proposed US-19 Corridor roadway improvements in Pinellas County, Florida, redevelopment planning and the formation of public-private partnerships for the City of Joliet, Illinois, and a redevelopment plan and implementation strategy for the Playland Park site in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
Geoff is a Series-50 Qualified Municipal Advisor Representative. He holds a B.A. in History from Northwestern University, and a Master of Urban and Regional Planning degree from the University of Michigan. He is a member of the American Planning Association, and serves on the boards of the Illinois Tax Increment Association and Lambda Alpha International-Ely Chapter.
Rick Goldman has been involved in real estate development and construction
for more than 30 years. His passion for the built environment and unique experience combine to provide vision that truly drives value.
Established Senior Executive in the Real Estate Industry with over 40 years of Retail Real Estate experience. Proven performer as a strategic leader in Site Analysis, Entitlement, Development, Leasing, Sales and Disposition.
Fran is a trusted economic development advisor with a deep understanding of real estate market analysis and development strategy, financial feasibility analysis, public-private partnership finance and value capture for transportation. Her ability to analyze various market scenarios and recommend strategic redevelopment options that work for both the public and private sectors has been key to informing numerous policy and development decisions. Fran is skilled in evaluating the financial feasibility of development projects and has underwritten or structured over $1.7 billion in public assistance for a broad range of projects. Fran has a broad and in-depth understanding of housing, from national and regional housing market dynamics down to project-level feasibility, and assists clients in formulating housing policies and structuring transactions. Fran holds a Master of Urban Planning and Policy degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Policy from the University of Chicago. She is a member of the American Planning Association, Lambda Alpha International-Ely Chapter, Council of Development Finance Agencies, The Goldie Initiative, Illinois Housing Council, and the Illinois Tax Increment Association. Fran is a Series-50 Qualified Municipal Advisor Representative
Jennifer Tammen is a senior manager in the Indirect Tax team with over twenty years of success in working with developers, property owners, municipalities and quasi-public agencies on all aspects of tax increment financing (TIF), zoning and entitlements, planning, deal structuring, redevelopment agreement negotiation, early-stage project management, and creative approaches to capital and public-private project evaluation and funding.