2016 REAL ESTATE CONFERENCE SPEAKER BIOS
Justin Birru, PhD is an assistant professor of Finance at The Ohio State University Fisher
College of Business. Justin’s research interests include behavioral finance in the areas of
asset pricing and corporate finance. His research has been published in leading academic
financial journals and has been presented in many conferences and seminars. Justin
earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Pittsburgh in 2006 and a
Ph.D. in Finance from NYU Stern School of Business in 2012. Justin teaches Behavioral
Finance in both the undergraduate and MBA programs at Fisher.
Jeffrey D. Fisher, PhD is a founding Partner in the Pavonis Group, LLC and President
of the Homer Hoyt Institute. He is a Professor Emeritus of Real Estate at the Indiana
University Kelley School of Business and a Visiting Professor at Johns Hopkins University.
He is also a Consultant to the National Council of Real Estate Investment Fiduciaries
(NCREIF) and serves on the advisory board of Sterling Valuation. Dr. Fisher has served
on the board of directors of the Pension Real Estate Association, the National Council of
Real Estate Investment Fiduciaries (NCREIF) and the Real Estate Research Institute (RERI).
He has consulted for the Federal Reserve System in Washington, D.C. and the multifamily
group of the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae). He has appeared on
CNBC to discuss real estate investment and is frequently quoted by the media including
the Wall Street Journal. Dr. Fisher has published numerous articles in journals such as
The Journal of the American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association, Journal of
Real Estate Finance and Economics, The Journal of Urban Economics, The Journal of
Real Estate Research, Journal of Portfolio Management, National Tax Journal, Public
Finance Quarterly, The Appraisal Journal, Real Estate Review, The Real Estate Appraiser
and Analyst, Real Estate Issues, The New Corporate Finance and the Journal of Property
Tax Management. He is a coauthor of Real Estate, 9th edition published by John Wiley
and Sons, coauthor of Real Estate Finance and Investments, 16th edition, published by
McGraw-Hill, and coauthor of Income Property Valuation published by Dearborn. His
books have been translated into Japanese, Korean and Chinese. Dr. Fisher received his
PhD in Real Estate from The Ohio State University.
Barrie Kirk has worked in the technology industries in Canada, the U.K., and the U.S.,
including senior management positions at Telesat Enterprises and Lapp-Hancock, and
management positions at BNR, Nortel, and Bell Canada. His consulting projects over the
last few years have focused on autonomous vehicles, connected vehicles, automotive
infotainment, traveler information services, real-time traffic information, and vehicle
use surveys. In addition to his role with CAVCOE, Barrie is a member of ITS Canada’s
Connected Autonomous Vehicle Technical Committee and the Canadian Advisory
Committee for ISO / TC204 (Intelligent Transportation Systems). Mr. Kirk received a B.Sc.
(Honours) in Electrical Engineering (Telecommunications and Electronics) from Coventry
University, U.K. He is a Professional Engineer licensed by Professional Engineers Ontario.
2016 REAL ESTATE CONFERENCE SPEAKER BIOS
Brooks Rainwater is the Senior Executive and Director of the National League of
Cities’ Center for City Solutions. He oversees NLC’s research, research partnerships, and
community engagement efforts to strengthen the capacity of municipal leaders to create
strong local economies, safe and vibrant neighborhoods, world-class infrastructure, and
a sustainable environment. His areas of expertise include economic development, urban
innovation, and sustainability. As a strong advocate for vibrant and successful cities,
Mr. Rainwater often speaks and writes on the subject, and has published numerous
research reports and articles on the creation of innovative, sustainable, and livable
communities. His recent research publications and interest have surrounded the sharing
economy, data, and the state of our nation’s cities. Brooks has appeared in a range of
media outlets, including CNN, NPR, Bloomberg, and the New York Times. Brooks also
frequently contributes writing to publications such as Fast Company, Business Insider,
TechCrunch, and The Guardian. Brooks is an International Advisory Board Member for
the City of Rotterdam. He also serves on the Board of Directors for STAR Communities
and the Brookings Institution Innovation District Advisory Group. Brooks is a graduate of
George Washington University’s Masters of Public Administration program and lives in
Arlington, VA.
Graham Wyatt, a Partner at Robert A.M. Stern Architects since 1989, has been responsible
for the design and planning of all the types of development that contribute to vibrant cities.
He has designed buildings and led campus planning efforts for institutions of higher learning
including Ohio State, Harvard, Yale, Drexel, the University of Virginia, the University of
Michigan, and Rutgers. His urban planning projects and commercial buildings for developers
such as Hines, Liberty Property Trust, and American Campus Communities include the
redevelopment of the Philadelphia Navy Yard and an enhanced town center in New Albany,
Ohio. cities.