EB-5 LEADERS ADVOCACY CONFERENCE 2019
11th Annual EB-5 Leaders Advocacy Conference & Industry Achievement CEREmony
May 5 – 7, 2019
Washington, D.C.
For 12 years the IIUSA EB-5 Advocacy Conference has been the one and only EB-5 industry conference focused on championing the virtues and achievements of the Program to Capitol Hill.
In 2018, IIUSA was proud to launch the Industry Achievement Banquet to highlight program contributions and member success across the country.
The banquet recognized our members who have made the most substantial contributions to the association by creating a strong and vibrant membership and who have had success in the industry by promoting local economic development across the country.
IUSA was excited to host our guests for this year’s event on a private cruise on the Potomac River.
2019 Awards for Economic Advancement
In 2018, IIUSA was thrilled to recognize industry leaders at the Inaugural EB-5 Industry Achievement Banquet, and we are now excited to annount the winnders for the 2019 Awards for Economic Advancement.
LEARN ABOUT IIUSA EVENTS
DOMESTIC EVENTS
INTERNATIONAL EVENTS
DIGITAL EVENTS
Conference Schedule
IIUSA Committee Meetings (Invite-Only)
2:00pm – 3:00pm: Public Policy Committee, Editorial Committee, Investor Markets Committee;
3:00pm – 4:00pm: Best Practices Committee, Member Relations Committee
EB-5 Industry Achievement Banquet (Boat Cruise)
4:00pm – 5:00pm: Shuttle Buses Depart for the Boat Cruise Banquet
6:00pm – 7:00pm: Pre-Banquet Cocktail Reception & Guest Arrival
7:00pm – 10:00pm: IIUSA EB-5 Industry Achievement Banquet Ceremony
10:00pm – 11:00pm: Shuttle Buses Depart for Park Hyatt (Conference Hotel)
8:30am – 10:00am: IIUSA 14th Annual Membership Meeting
10:15am – 10:45am: Keynote Address (Speaker: General David Petraeus)
11:00am – 11:30am: Networking Break
11:30am – 12:30pm: Advocacy Panel: How to Conduct a Hill Meeting and IIUSA Policy Positions
Panelists:
- Bill Gresser (Moderator), IIUSA Vice President; EB-5 New York State Regional Center;
- George McElwee, IIUSA Lobbyist; Commonwealth Strategies;
- Joe McCarthy, IIUSA Board of Director; American Dream Fund;
- Keith Pemrick, IIUSA Lobbyist; Commonwealth Strategies;
1:15pm – 2:30pm: Keynote Panel: EB-5 Visa Capacity Update: What is Retrogression? Does it Mean the Market is Dead?
Speaker: Charlie Oppenheim, Chief of Visa Control and Reporting Division at U.S. Department of State;
Panelists:
- Robert Divine (Moderator), IIUSA Vice President Emeritus; Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz PC;
- Robert Kraft, IIUSA President; FirstPathway Partners;
- Leon Rodriguez, Seyfarth Shaw LLP;
- Cletus Weber, IIUSA Board of Director; Peng & Weber PLLC
2:30pm – 3:30pm: Breakout Sessions:
HNWI: How to Target Them Where They Work and Live and Transferring Their Funds
Panelists:
- Irina Rostova (Moderator), Chair of IIUSA Investor Markets Committee; Rostova Westerman Law Group;
- Keumhee Hong, Club Emigration (South Korea);
- Janak Mehta, FRR Shares & Securites Ltd. (India);
- Darrell Sanders, American Life Inc.;
- Kripa Upadhahy, Orbit Law, PLLC
USCIS Policy Trends: Redemption Agreements, Indebtedness and More – What They Mean for Your Business and Your Investors
Panelists:
- Kristal Ozmun (Moderator), Miller Mayer LLP;
- Rana Jazayerli, Klingner Jazayerli LLP;
- Parisa Karaahmet, Fragomen Worldwide;
- Ira Kurzban, Kurzban Kurzban Tetzeli & Pratt PA
3:30pm – 4:00pm: Networking Break
4:00pm – 5:00pm: Breakout Sessions:
EB-5 Securities Laws and Enforcement: Analyzing the Trends
Panelists:
- Rikard Lundberg (Moderator), Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck LLP;
- Ronnie Fieldstone, Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr LLP;
- Doug Hauer, Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky Popeo, PC;
- Clem Turner, Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi PC
Creative Thinking and Data Analysis: How Can EB-5 Benefit Your Community’s Local Economic Development Initiatives?
Panelists:
- Jeff Carr (Moderator), EPR Economics;
- Rush Deacon, Pine State Regional Center;
- Noreen Hogan, CMB Regional Centers;
- Gonzalo Lopez-Jordan, American Regional Center Group LLC;
- Steve Strnisha, IIUSA Secretary Treasurer; Cleveland International Fund
5:30pm – 7:00pm: IIUSA Leadership Meeting (Invite-Only to IIUSA Leadership Circle Members)
7:00am – 8:00am: Networking Breakfast
7:00am – 12:30pm: Registration & Exhibits
8:00am – 9:00am: Breakout Sessions:
Redeployment: How to Inform Your Current Investors and How to Structure Future Deals
Panelists:
- Ozzie Torres (Moderator), Torres Law, PA;
- Bob Cornish, Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker LLP;
- Tom Rosenfeld, IIUSA Board of Director Emeritus; CanAm Enterprises;
- Brad Stedem, CapUnited
Investor Relations: Fiduciary Duties Post-Securities Closing, Record Keeping, Monitoring and Investor Communications
Panelist:
- Jill Jones (Moderator), NES Financial;
- Dan Healy, IIUSA Board of Director; Civitas Capital Group;
- Michael Homeier, Law Office of Michael G. Homeier PC;
- Alexei Kondenkov, Axos Bank;
- Kurt Reuss, EB5 Deals
9:00am – 10:00am: Breakout Sessions:
Compliance Reviews and Site Visits: What We Know and How to Be Prepared
Panelists:
- Christian Triantaphyllis (Moderator), Jackson Walker LLP;
- David Andersson, IIUSA President Emeritus; WORC Regional Centers;
- Jennifer Hermanski, Greenburg Traurig Law;
- Al Rattan, IIUSA Board of Director; Continental Regional Center LLC
How to Stay Competitive in the Global Migration By Investment Market
Panelists:
- Eren Cicekdagi (Moderator), IIUSA Board of Director; Golden Gate Global;
- Pat Hogan, IIUSA Board of Director; CMB Regional Centers;
- Mona Shah, Mona Shah & Associates;
- Rohit Turkhud, Fakhoury Law Group, PC
10:00am – 10:30am: Networking Break
10:30am – 11:30am: Breakout Sessions:
Economic Development Finance: Empirical Knowledge for How to Use EB-5, NMTC and Other Funding Sources
Panelists:
- Mary King (Moderator), Chair of IIUSA Best Practices Committee; New York City Regional Center;
- Justin Blackhall, American Lending Center;
- Phillip Mendiola-Long, American Northern Marianas Regional Center;
- Toby Rittner, Council of Development Finance Agencies (CDFA);
- Abteen Vaziri, IIUSA Board of Director; Brevet Capital Management
RFEs, NOITs, and Regional Center Terminations: Trends and How to Respond
Panelists:
- Michele Franchett (Moderator), Stone Grzegorek & Gonzalez LLP;
- Robin Gray, Law Office of Robin J. Gray;
- Aaron Goforth, Baker Tilly;
- Marisa Marconi, Pinnacle Plan Writing LLC;
- Michael Kester, Impact DataSource LLC
11:30am – 12:30pm: Breakout Sessions:
Opportunity Zones and EB-5: Working Together to Create Local Economic Advancement
Panelists:
- Kyle Walker (Moderator), IIUSA Board of Director; Green Card Fund;
- Allison Berman, Greystone;
- Tim Fisher, Council of Development Finance Agencies (CDFA);
- Oleg Karaman, Customers Bank;
- Scot O’Brien, Akerman LLP
How to Market to and Find Investors Already in the U.S.: E-2 and EB-5 and Other Visa Backlog Solutions
Panelists:
- Jinhee Wilde (Moderator), WA Law Group, LLC;
- Ed Beshara, Beshara Global Migration Law;
- Jessica A. DeNisi, Klasko Immigration Law Partners;
- Phuong Le, David Hirson & Partners
1:00pm – 3:00pm: IIUSA Board Meeting & Luncheon (Invite-Only to IIUSA Board Members)
PHOTO GALLERY
We invite you to explore our photo gallery from the 2019 EB-5 Leaders Advocacy Conference.
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IIUSA members benefit from access to state-of-the-art tools, networking opportunities, educational events, and insights into the latest trends in the EB-5 industry. For over a decade, IIUSA has served as the unifying voice of the EB-5 Regional Center Industry, representing and connecting thousands of diverse stakeholders who contribute billions of dollars of economic development and job growth in the United States through EB-5 investment. Interested in learning more about the many benefits of IIUSA membership?
