Real Estate/Construction Contractors Conference Webcast Part 2 (Real Estate Track)

Samuel Botta is senior audit manager for the firm PKF- O’Connor Davies, LLP. In this role, he is responsible for the design of the audit approach, supervision of staff and the creation and maintenance of the engagement budget. Sam is also responsible for the coordination of staff and management so that the audit is performed on a timely basis with as little intrusion to client operations as possible. Sam has fourteen years of public accounting experience specializing in the nonprofit and real estate sectors, including co-operative housing corporations and condominium entities. He serves as the Firm’s representative at client board meetings. He also drafts, prepares and reviews financial statements, ascertaining compliance with generally accepted accounting principles, and prepares management letters. In addition, he trains, supervises, and evaluates audit staff personnel. Sam also reviews and evaluates systems of internal control and assists clients in the budgeting process and with special assignments.

Christopher Brown is an audit partner in Citrin Cooperman’s New York Office. He has three decades of experience in providing audit, assurance and advisory services to institutional investors, private equity funds, investment managers and real estate investors, and operators and managers. He works closely with his client’s executive management teams and their board of directors on solving complex business issues. Chris has extensive expertise with financial statement assurance, internal audit, accounting advisory, business performance improvement, and regulatory compliance for large and middle market companies. Chris leads multi-disciplinary teams on financial statement audit and business advisory engagements for public and private pension funds and business enterprises. He oversees all facets of these engagements including planning, risk identification and assessment, execution and timely delivery of client reports, while offering recommendations that enhance the effectiveness of internal controls over financial reporting and improve financial performance. He has advised private funds and asset management clients with tens of billions of assets under management on the adoption of new accounting pronouncements, internal controls, regulatory compliance, and financial reporting matters. Further, Chris has vast experience working with his clients on valuation issues that affect their private funds and portfolio companies. Prior to joining Citrin Cooperman, Chris was a partner and held numerous practice leadership positions at Mitchell Titus, an audit partner with Ernst & Young Global Limited, and launched his career at Arthur Andersen with a specific focus on assisting clients in the financial markets, private equity and real estate industries.

Maureen Blair is an Audit Partner and leads the firm’s East Coast Real Estate Private Equity Group. She has more than 35 years of audit, accounting and advisory experience in a variety of industries, including financial services, real estate, not-for-profit, computer software, life sciences, manufacturing, distribution and retail. Maureen’s financial services expertise includes real estate funds, private equity funds, small business investment companies, hedge funds and investment advisors. She also has extensive experience working with public companies in connection with SEC filings, including initial public offerings, and in performing accounting due diligence for mergers and acquisitions. Maureen has been a course instructor on accounting and auditing pronouncements, real estate private equity and auditing investment companies. She also has spoken at several small business investment company conferences. In addition, Maureen is co-chair and one of the founding members of Women of EisnerAmper.

Evan Della Valle is a senior manager in KPMG’s Real Estate and Employee Benefit Plan Audit practice. His experience is primarily related to real estate private equity funds, fair value and historical cost operating and development properties and audits of employee benefit plans, reporting under both U.S. GAAP and IFRS.

Dritan is a director in KPMG’s accounting advisory practice, where he helps clients with accounting for complex transactions as well as complying with accounting and regulatory requirements. Specifically, he is experienced with structured transactions involving lease accounting, consolidation, and revenue recognition. Although his clients cover a number of industries, Dritan started his career working predominantly with real estate companies in New York.

Jason is a Senior Manager at Janover and leader of the firm’s cannabis practice group. He specializes in complex tax matters, corporate structuring, M&A consulting, real estate including brokers, family offices and investment funds, cannabis and 280E Compliance. Jason works heavily with clients that need full service tax and advisory assistance. He takes his clients through all aspects of their business from initial structuring to sale or merger and everything inbetween including: operating agreement consulting, tax compliance and consulting, purchase and sale due diligence and financial statement services. Jason works extensively with cannabis companies on a multitude of services including 280E issues and corporate structuring. Along with tax work relating to the marijuana industry, Jason can establish internal controls and help to create a business plan. He provides his clients with valuation services when needed and has helped to educate high net worth clients on the cannabis industry. He also oversees the bookkeeping function at Janover for the firm’s cannabis clients. Jason is an out of the box thinker who consistently comes up with creative solutions for Janover’s clients issues. Jason earned a B.A. in Business administration with a concentration in Accounting from The George Washington University in Washington DC. Jason is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accounts and is an active member of the New York State Society of Certified Public Accounts where he is the Vice Chair of the Real Estate Committee. He is also very active in many charitable organizations.