Join us for an exclusive conversation with Lindsay Dunn, Executive President and Head of Real Estate Banking, City National Bank, and Stephen H. Gordon, Founding Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Genesis Bank. Shahin Yazdi, Principal/Managing Director, George Smith Partners, will moderate the discussion — The State of Real Estate Finance.
Please note: vegetarian, kosher-style food will be served.
Cost: Free for Cabinet Members; $50 for first-time guests; $100 for non-Members
(PLEASE NOTE: Any person who has not renewed their membership must renew at the door or pay the non-Member fee of $100.)
Lindsay Dunn
Lindsay Dunn is executive vice president and head of Real Estate Banking at City National Bank. She also serves on the bank’s Executive Committee and on Royal Bank of Canada’s Board of Community Investments.
Ms. Dunn is responsible for providing a wide range of financial services to real estate developers and investors in markets in which the bank operates. She assumed her current position in 2021. She reports to President Rich Raffetto and Chief Executive Officer Kelly Coffey.
She joined City National Bank in 2005 as a vice president and relationship manager in the Real Estate Division. Most recently, she served as a senior vice president and regional manager responsible for real estate lending, operations, and business development in Southern California. She was recognized by Bisnow as one of Los Angeles’ Power Women in 2019 and as a Top 30 Under 30 by Real Estate Southern California magazine.
Ms. Dunn began her banking career in 2001 at Union Bank of California, where she started with the bank’s Corporate Banking division before transitioning to its Real Estate Industries Group. She is a graduate of Union Bank’s management training credit program.
Active in the community, Ms. Dunn serves on the board of Imagine LA, an organization dedicated to helping families navigate their way out of poverty, and on the Executive Committee for USC Lusk Center for Real Estate. She is also a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers and Urban Land Institute. Ms. Dunn earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Southern California.
Stephen H. Gordon
Stephen H. Gordon is the Founding Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Genesis Bank. Mr. Gordon has over 35 years of financial industry experience, including serving as Founding Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, and President of Opus Bank; Founding Chairman and CEO of Commercial Capital Bank and its savings and loan holding company, Commercial Capital Bancorp, Inc; as well as Chairman and CEO of Fremont Investment and Loan and its holding company, Fremont General Corporation. Additionally, Mr. Gordon served as a Partner at Sandler O’Neill + Partners, L.P., a New York-based investment banking firm.
Genesis Bank is a California state-chartered commercial bank, organized by a group of highly experienced and successful bankers, investors, and business professionals. The Bank focuses on serving the financial needs of small to mid-sized businesses and owners and investors in income-producing multifamily and commercial real estate located primarily in Los Angeles and Orange counties, California, as well as the western portions of the Inland Empire (Riverside and San Bernardino counties). Genesis Bank is a Minority Depository Institution and is only the second diverse, multi-racial MDI in the U.S. The Bank is powered by GenTeckSM, a groundbreaking combination of best-in-class technologies, which are tightly integrated to give clients a seamless, digital-first, and transparent experience. The Bank’s products, services, and solutions primarily include traditional commercial business, Small Business Administration (SBA), income property, and owner-occupied commercial real estate loan and deposit products, as well as treasury management services and solutions. Genesis Bank is headquartered in Newport Beach, California and can be found online at www.mygenesisbank.com. Genesis is an Equal Housing Lender and Member FDIC. Mr. Gordon served as the Chair of the Board of the Jewish Federation of Orange County, and as a member of the Board Executive Committee, Finance Committee and Audit Committee. Additionally, he is the Chair of the Board of the Genesis For Good Foundation, and also founded and was Chair of the Board of the Opus Community Foundation.
Shahin Yazdi
Shahin Yazdi is a Principal/Managing Director of George Smith Partners and possesses over 15 years of real estate finance experience in structuring all pieces of the capital stack including senior debt, mezzanine, preferred equity, and JV/Co-GP equity. Since starting his career at GSP in 2007, Mr. Yazdi and his team have secured over $10 billion in financing for all asset types, including Multifamily, Office, Industrial, Retail, Hospitality, Self-Storage facilities, Land, RV Parks, Assisted Living, Skilled Nursing facilities, and Student Housing projects.
Mr. Yazdi’s clients include private individuals, family offices, and institutional investors. He is recognized for his expertise in underwriting and negotiating complex transactions, which include mezzanine financing or private equity for bridge, permanent, and construction loans. Mr. Yazdi has received awards for his debt/equity placements, spoken at large conferences, and has been interviewed on national media broadcasts.
In 2009, at the height of the recent economic downturn, Mr. Yazdi played an instrumental role in establishing George Smith Partners advisory services arm to assist borrowers and lenders with troubled loans and distressed assets. Prior to GSP, Mr. Yazdi worked at a major commercial bank, which gave him in-depth knowledge and understanding regarding the intricacies of the banking system.
Mr. Yazdi is an active member of numerous national real estate groups and non-profit organizations. He possesses a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara. In his free time, he enjoys playing basketball, rooting for the LA Lakers, traveling, and most importantly spending time with his wife and family.
Our COVID guidelines:
The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles is committed to ensuring a safe workplace and guidelines where our community gatherings may be held. We have continually cited the safety of our staff as our guiding principle in our reopening plans at 6505 Wilshire and have required proof of vaccination from our employees. For the safety of both our employees and the community, we wish to ensure all who gather for meetings and functions are fully vaccinated. All guests will be required to furnish proof of vaccination prior to or on the date of the event by uploading their cards to JewishLA.org/eform. Those whose proof of vaccination is already on file with the Federation do not need to take further action. Thank you for your consideration of our safety protocols.
For the safety of our guests, we will ensure this event is compliant with the CDC, local, and national guidelines at the time of the event.
Thank you to our 2022 Cabinet sponsors:
The Jewish Federation Professional Networks
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