John W. Koza Leadership Program

Purpose of the John W. Koza Leadership Program

Named in recognition of former chairman John Koza, a respected industry leader and exponent of investor education, the Leadership Fellows Program is designed to promote engagement in PREA among up-and-coming leaders in the institutional investor community. The objective is to familiarize young investors with the organization early in their careers to ensure that they are fully aware of the educational resources available to them. The program will also be a source of the association’s next generation of institutional leadership.

Eligibility

Participation in the Leadership Fellows Program will be limited to representatives of member firms that fall within the “Institutional Investor” category. Additionally, candidates for selection as young leaders should generally meet the following criteria:

• 35 years of age or younger
• Five years or less of institutional real estate investment experience

Nomination and Selection

Senior representatives at investor member firms are invited to nominate eligible individuals who work within their organizations. Nominators should submit letters of recommendation in support of their candidate, a copy of the candidate’s resume, and a one-page statement of interest from the nominee indicating his or her interest in participation and desire to engage in the organization through affinity group or standing committee membership. The Plan Sponsor Council will select new Fellows each year from among the nominees, with an eye to maintaining balance by investor category (i.e. pension fund, foundation, endowment).

Benefits

Fellows will receive a conference fee waiver and travel expense stipend of up to $2,000 per event to attend the Spring Conference, the Annual Plan Sponsor Real Estate Conference and the PREA Institute. Each leadership fellow will participate for a two-year period.

Engagement

At the beginning of the two-year scholarship period, Fellows will be asked to contribute their time and skills to the association through participation in one of PREA’s standing committees and/or affinity groups. Experience within the leadership structure will give Fellows the opportunity to maximize the benefits of membership for their own firms as well as the association at large. Additionally, their participation in PREA’s educational forums will give them opportunities to expand upon their knowledge of industry trends and developments.

2011 John W. Koza Leadership Fellows Diego Carrillo, California Public Employees Retirement System Carrillo joined the CalPERS Real Estate Unit in 2007 as an Investment Officer for urban investment programs and policy. He oversees investment strategies focused on urban investing in housing, office, and hospitality and assists with policy and program development for environmental, emerging manager, and responsible contractor initiatives. Prior to CalPERS, Carrillo oversaw the development and implementation of a strategic plan to increase enrollment and revenue for the nationally recognized St. HOPE Public Schools. He also worked in the executive office of California State Treasurer Phil Angelides. Carrillo received a BS in business administration with concentrations in finance, and real estate and land use from California State University, Sacramento. Mukund Joshi, UTIMCO Joshi serves as a Senior Analyst for the Real Estate group, where he helps oversee the endowment’s real estate portfolio across all investment styles, public markets, hedge funds, and private markets. Prior to joining UTIMCO, Joshi worked as an electrical engineer at Freescale Semiconductor. He also worked as an ASIC designer at Compaq Computers (which later became Hewlett-Packard). Joshi received an MBA from the University of Texas in 2009, an MS in Computer and Systems Engineering in 2001 from the University of Houston, and a BE in Mechanical Engineering in 1998 from Kuvempu University in India. Joshi is a member of the CFA Institute and PREA. Gabriel Sasson, GM Asset Management Sasson serves as an Investment Analyst for the Real Estate & Alternative Investment group. In this role, he provides investment analysis and mangement support covering a broad spectrum of real estate equity, real estate debt, and other alternative investments within the General Motors pension funds. Prior to joining GM Asset Management in 2006, Sasson was a Senior Associate at The Schonbraun McCann Group, LLP, a national real estate consulting and accounting firm. Sasson holds a BS from Rutgers University and an MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business.

 

2010 John W. Koza Leadership Fellows

Clemenz Fraessdorf, ATP Real Estate Fraessdorf is an Investment Associate with ATP Real Estate. As a member of the investment team, Fraessdorf is responsible for identifying new investment opportunities and monitoring existing investments. In this role, he is also focused on ATP Real Estate’s internal reporting and on sustainable real estate investing. Prior to joining ATP Real Estate in 2007, he worked as a Business Analyst for Novell Inc. in Germany. Clemenz holds a master’s degree in Applied Finance & Economics from Copenhagen Business School in Denmark.

Ashley Baum (Strange), Teacher Retirement System of Texas Baum  joined the Investment Division of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas in October 2007.   Baum works in External Private Markets, focusing on real asset investments (real estate, timber, infrastructure, agriculture, etc.). As a Senior Associate, she works with the Private Markets’ directors and portfolio managers in managing and investing the real asset portfolios. Prior to joining Texas Teachers, Baum worked as a Senior Associate at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Previously, she was nominated by the University of Texas Department of Accounting and selected as a Postgraduate Technical Assistant at the Financial Accounting Standards Board. Baum has a BBA in Business Honors and Accounting and an MPA from the University of Texas at Austin. She is a CFA charterholder and holds her CPA license in Texas.