WIIIN's 2025 Annual Luncheon: LA Strong: Harnessing Public & Private Resources to Restore Communities

Biographies

Beatrice Hsu is CEO of Builders Alliance and a seasoned real estate executive with leadership experience spanning housing development, aviation infrastructure, and board governance. She currently serves as an Independent Director on the Board of James Campbell Company and as Principal of BCH Group. Previously, she held senior roles at Brookfield Properties, including Executive Vice President of Development, where she oversaw large-scale urban projects that added vibrancy to cities and value for investors.

In the public sector, Hsu most recently served as Interim CEO of Los Angeles World Airports, following two terms on its Board of Airport Commissioners, including as President. A graduate of Yale University, she is recognized for building high-performing teams, driving strategic vision, and delivering transformative results. Hsu has been honored with the Community Vision Award by the Asian American Architects and Engineers Association and named among the “50 Women to Watch for Boards.”

Miguel A. Santana has more than three decades of expertise in government, nonprofit, private, philanthropy and the community sectors and is renowned as an advocate for systems change and making Southern California a more equitable place for all its residents, especially those who have been historically marginalized.

Santana was appointed in August of 2023 as President and CEO of the California Community Foundation (CCF), one of Southern California’s largest and most active philanthropic organizations, which has served Angelenos for more than a century. CCF stewards $2.3 billion in assets and manages more than 1,900 charitable foundations, funds, and legacies.

Previously, Santana served as President & C.E.O. of the Weingart Foundation, which partners with communities across Southern California to advance racial, social, and economic justice. He also served as President and C.E.O. of Fairplex, a nonprofit community benefit regional organization based in Pomona, CA.

Santana was the City Administrative Officer for the City of Los Angeles, where he oversaw the City’s $9 billion budget and designed the City’s first comprehensive homeless strategy, resulting in a $1.2 billion voter-approved housing bond and a doubling of the City’s general fund investment on programs to end homelessness. Prior to joining the city, he served as one of five Deputy Chief Executive Officers for Los Angeles County, overseeing all social service programs supporting children, families, veterans, and persons experiencing homelessness.

Santana began his career as a community liaison at the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), before working with L.A. County Supervisor Gloria Molina.

He engages in numerous civic efforts and is currently serving as Chair of The Angeleno Project. He also serves on numerous nonprofit boards, including the New York-based, Surdna Foundation. He is currently the Second Vice Chair of the Los Angeles County Affordable Housing Solutions.

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Maryam Zar is the founder and president of the Palisades Recovery Coalition, a community-led initiative formed in the aftermath of the Palisades Fire. Under her leadership, PRC has become a trusted partner to residents, lawmakers, and recovery experts—mobilizing resources, hosting visioning charrettes, and advocating for resilient rebuilding policies at the city, county, and state levels. A longtime civic leader and Chair Emeritus of the Pacific Palisades Community Council, Maryam brings a decade of experience in community advocacy, policy engagement, and disaster recovery strategy. She is known for her ability to convene diverse stakeholders, translate complex policy into actionable plans, and keep community voices at the center of long-term recovery.

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Vicky Schiff is a highly experienced entrepreneurial thinker and industry recognized C-Suite operations and investment executive. She has consistently identified emerging trends and created business models around investing before an oversupply of capital drives down investment returns. She has successfully founded/co-founded 6 firms since 1996 in various sectors of the real estate and private equity industry and currently serves as the CEO of Avrio Cleanfund (real estate credit). Prior to Avrio, she served as the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Mosaic Real Estate Credit which originated approximately $2.5B between 2015 and 2021 and was sold to a public mortgage REIT in early 2022.

She has served on various public and private company boards and nonprofits including (currently) as the Chair of the Board of Dream Residential REIT (TSX:DRR); Board Directors, Dream Industrial REIT (TSX:DIR); Advisory Board, Dart Interests; Advisory Board of Wedbush Capital; and Advisory Board of The Price Center of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at UCLA Anderson School of Management. She also served as a past Commissioner of LA City Employee Retirement System (LACERS) and on Advisory Board of The Lusk Center at USC, in addition to other public and private company boards. Ms. Schiff has been honored with various awards across the real estate industry by multiple organizations and publications including Institutional Investor, The Los Angeles Business Journal, Commercial Observer, Connect Media, Globe Street, Commercial Property News and Bisnow and was named the Women’s Council Executive of the Year by The San Fernando Business Journal in 2021. She has appeared on Bloomberg TV and has spoken at various industry events both as a keynote and a panelist and is an advocate for encouraging more women leaders and participants in the real estate investment industry.