David Rupert Named Chair
David Rupert Named Chair of 27th Annual Cornell Real Estate Conference Planning Committee
ITHACA, NY. (February 25, 2009) – David C. Rupert will serve as Chair of the 27th Annual Cornell Real Estate Conference planning committee. The conference, the longest running university-based real estate event of its kind, will take place on September 24 and 25, 2009 at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY.
“We are delighted that David Rupert has agreed to lead the planning of the Real Estate Conference for a fourth consecutive year,” said David L. Funk, Director of the Cornell University Program in Real Estate. “No doubt, this conference will be held at a time of great concern about what the future holds for the real estate industry. David Rupert's ability to identify significant and timely issues, and mobilize the vast Cornell alumni network to attract engaging speakers will be especially helpful during these challenging times."
Mr. Rupert is President of Galleon Global, a digital media firm based in Greenwich, CT that creates marketing programs for leading commercial real estate firms. Galleon's focus is on video content disseminated to a client's customers via e-mail, podcasts, and the internet. He also serves on the strategic advisory board of Griffin Capital, a privately owned investment company involved in acquisition, financing and management of institutional-quality property in the United States.
"I am honored to serve as planning chair for this 27th Annual Conference. With considerable volatility and weakness in commercial real estate worldwide, it is imperative that this conference provide compelling take-home value. In addition, it should serve as a forum for colleagues and competitors to share perspectives, ideas and solutions, and that is what I and my fellow committee members are committed to do," said Rupert, who is a long-time member of the Advisory Board for the Cornell Program in Real Estate.
A 1979 recipient of a Bachelor’s Degree from the College of Arts and Sciences at Cornell, Rupert has served on the Real Estate Advisory Board to Cornell University’s Endowment for 17 years. He has been a guest lecturer at the school numerous times and is an active member of Cornell’s Real Estate Council, an organization of 1,250 Cornell alumni actively engaged in the real estate endeavors, believed to be the largest such organization in the country.
The Cornell Real Estate Conference attracts an impressive group of speakers, and leading real estate firms as sponsors. Recent sponsors have included ABR; AIG Global Real Estate; Apollo Capital Management; Ashley Capital; Citigroup Property Investors; Colliers; Colony Capital; Equity International; GE Real Estate; KLIM Partners; Prudential Real Estate Investors; RICS; Toll Brothers; Westport Capital Partners and Urban American. The keynote speaker for the 2008 conference was Stephen Furnary, Chairman and CEO of ING Clarion and featured industry leaders from Colony Capital, Gale International, Equity International, Harbinger Advisors, and JP Morgan Real Estate in the two-day format.
The Cornell Program in Real Estate offers a comprehensive, two-year professional degree in the field. Students at Cornell benefit from an encompassing core curriculum combined with a diverse selection of real estate electives allowing for niche specialization—while interacting with the largest on-campus real estate faculty in the country. Cornell is also home to the Cornell Real Estate Council, an extensive network of industry leaders, the Cornell Real Estate Review, real estate related research, and more.