Arthur Attal
Co-Founder and CEO, Domos
Arthur Attal is the co-founder and CEO of Domos, a provider of AI workforce for property management. While managing properties in New York, he designed his first AI agents to streamline day-to-day operations. Prior to founding Domos, he worked in finance and led several businesses at high-growth tech companies. Attal holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from Brandeis University and MIT, respectively.
Todd Buchholz
Former White House Economic Policy Director
Todd Buchholz is an accomplished economist, investor, and former White House policymaker with a distinguished career spanning government, finance, and academia. He served as Director for Economic Policy at the White House from 1989 to 1992, advising President George H. W. Bush on national and global economic issues.
Buchholz went on to become Managing Director at Tiger Management, a $15 billion hedge fund, and later Co-Founder and Managing Director of Two Oceans Management, LLC. Earlier in his career, he was President of the G7 Group, an international consulting firm advising leading securities firms, investment banks, and asset managers in New York, London, and Tokyo.
A respected voice on economic and financial strategy, Buchholz has contributed to the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and Worth, where he serves as a contributing editor. He has also written extensively on global markets and economic policy and has been recognized for his teaching at Harvard University, where he received the Allyn Young Teaching Prize. Buchholz earned advanced degrees in economics and law from Harvard and Cambridge University, where he was a fellow in 2009.
Eric Finnigan
Vice President of Demographics Research, JBREC
Eric Finnigan leads demographics research at JBREC, including the US Demographics Insights and Strategies suite. He focuses on helping clients plan around demographic shifts that impact housing and the overall economy. His past experiences include being the Vice President of Research & Investment Strategy at Clarion Partners in New York and the Vice President at Rosen Consulting Group in California.
Jody Gabel
General Counsel, Flagship Communities REIT
Dr. Lesli Gooch
Chief Executive Officer, Manufactured Housing Institute
Dr. Lesli Gooch is the Chief Executive Officer of the Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI) and a recognized leader in housing policy, advocacy, and regulatory affairs. With a decade of experience at MHI, she has built a highly effective team that has delivered significant legislative and regulatory victories for the manufactured housing industry.
Under her leadership, MHI has made strides in elevating manufactured housing within Congress and the Administration. Notable recent achievements of Dr. Gooch and her team include protecting the industry from being subject to poorly constructed Department of Energy building standards and elevating the Office of Manufactured Housing Programs in the HUD hierarchy to be on par with the offices for single-family and multi-family housing. Additionally, MHI secured the first comprehensive update to HUD construction standards in over a decade, expanding the scope of manufactured housing to include single-section duplexes and multi-unit designs. Since 2019, MHI has partnered with HUD to bring a range of manufactured homes to the National Mall as a part of HUD’s Innovative Housing Showcase. On Capitol Hill, MHI has ensured that manufactured housing is a part of the discussion during congressional hearings about housing supply. At the state level, Dr. Gooch has led advocacy efforts before a number of state legislatures to combat bills that would negatively impact land-lease communities.
Prior to joining MHI, Dr. Gooch served across a variety of vantage points in Washington – including as a congressional staff member, congressional candidate, lobbyist, and political scientist focused on Congress. She has served on both Fannie Mae’s and Freddie Mac’s Affordable Housing Advisory committees.
Dr. Gooch’s impact on housing innovation and homeownership expansion has earned her numerous accolades. Recently, Dr. Gooch was honored with the prestigious Jack E. Wells Memorial Award for her efforts on behalf of the industry. She has been recognized for four consecutive years as one of HousingWire’s Women of Influence for her efforts to elevate housing innovation and expand attainable homeownership. She has been ranked as one of The Hill’s top lobbyists in the United States and was a finalist for the Women in Government Relations’ Advocate of the Year Award in 2020. In 2018, Dr. Gooch was a nominee for the Professional Women in Advocacy’s Excellence in a Federal Issue Campaign award. In 2017, she was named in M Report’s “Wonder Women of Housing” as one of the top females impacting the housing industry. Dr. Gooch has a Ph.D. in Political Science from the Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center at the University of Oklahoma.
George Passantino
Managing Partner, Passantino Andersen Communications
With nearly 25 years of experience in strategic communications and advocacy at the federal, state and local level, George Passantino knows what it takes to move public opinion, influence decision makers, build compelling brands and achieve victory for clients, whatever their challenges. Since founding Passantino Andersen Communications in 2007, he has overseen the rapid growth and strategic direction of the award-winning firm. He guides a diverse portfolio of clients that includes global retailers, automakers, homebuilders, school districts, government agencies, tech startups, nonprofits and trade associations. As a crisis manager, he has provided calm direction and media guidance for some of the largest companies and organizations in their respective industries as they faced the most challenging types of public crisis.
Passantino has appeared on television, radio and in newspapers across the nation. He has appeared on FOX News Network, CNN Headline News Local Edition, CNBC, Bloomberg and National Public Radio. He has also been published in the pages of The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today, The Los Angeles Times, Investor’s Business Daily, The San Francisco Chronicle, and The San Jose Mercury News. He is the former host of “Home Team Radio”, on KTIE News Talk 590, which was broadcast to millions of residents across Southern California.
James Sherwood
Senior Vice President, McGuire Woods Consulting
James Sherwood is a senior vice president with McGuireWoods Consulting, and counsel with McGuireWoods LLP. Prior to joining the firm, he served as deputy legal counsel and ethics officer for the Illinois House Republican Leader. Sherwood assists clients on a range of issues, including data privacy and security, worker classification and the gig economy, electrification of the transportation sector and the affordable housing crisis. He also counsels clients on various tax incentive programs and economic development initiatives. Most recently, he assisted an international data center client in obtaining a tax incentive for data centers located in Illinois.
Julie Ann Smith
Executive Director of MHAM
As Executive Director of the Manufactured Housing Association of Maine (MHAM), Julie Ann Smith represents the people and businesses who make affordable, high-quality housing possible across the state. MHAM unites community owners, manufacturers, retailers and service providers to strengthen Maine’s manufactured housing industry and expand housing opportunities for families. In this role, she leads advocacy efforts, supports member growth through education and resources, and promotes the vital role of manufactured housing in meeting Maine’s housing needs. Focused on collaboration and long-term sustainability, Smith is dedicated to ensuring a strong future for the industry and the communities it serves.
Spenser Templeton
Partner, SMGB Law
Spenser Templeton has been serving clients at SMGB Law since 2021. Her practice is primarily focused on defending manufacturers, sellers and owners in the construction industry nationwide. Templeton also has experience in municipal matters such as zoning issues, fair housing disputes and protecting her clients from unfair practices.