Ventas’ Debra Cafaro Re-Elected as Real Estate Roundtable Chair

WASHINGTON DC – Members of the Real Estate Roundtable have re-elected Ventas Inc. CEO and chairman, Debra A. Cafaro as chair of the organization. The group has additionally approved five new board members for its board of directors, to serve during the 2021 fiscal year, which began July 1, 2020 and extends through June 30, 2021.

Elected by the organization’s membership, the Real Estate Roundtable’s FY2021 board of directors, comprises 24 board members and includes five leaders of national real estate trade organizations from its 19 partner associations.

The election results were presented by Real Estate Roundtable CEO and president, Jeffrey DeBoer during the organization’s June 11 annual meeting, during which DeBoer also presented the organization’s FY2020 annual report, entitled ‘Leading Through Crisis.’

Re-elected organization chair, Cafaro, commenced her previous, three-year term as chair on July 1, 2018.

Real Estate Roundtable’s newly-appointed board of directors, effective July 1, includes Park Hotels & Resorts chairman, president and CEO, Thomas J. Baltimore Jr.; BOMA chair and chief elected officer, Shelby Christensen; Real Estate Executive Council CEO, Ken McIntyre; Shorenstein Properties chairman and CEO, Brandon Shorenstein; and Digital Realty Trust CEO and Nareit chair, William Stein.

“We are delighted to welcome five industry leaders to the Real Estate Roundtable Board,” Cafaro said. “Their outstanding backgrounds, broad industry representation and diverse experiences of our new board members will enhance our ability to act as the cohesive industry voice addressing key national policy issues relating to real estate and the overall economy. With our existing board members, we also intend to drive constructive solutions to economic challenges created by the COVID-19 and racial injustice, both of which are crucial to our society, the national economy, local communities and our industry.”

Cafaro continued, “I also sincerely thank our board members whose terms have expired. They have made significant contributions to the industry and we look forward to their continued engagement with the Roundtable.”

The Real Estate Roundtable board members whose terms expired as of July 1, include Dr. Thomas R. Arnold, global head of real estate for Abu Dhabi Investment Authority; Tim Byrne, president and CEO of Lincoln Property Company; Scott O. Jones, principal at Jones Inc. and immediate former chair and CEO of BOMA; Robert A. Spottswood, president of Spottswood Companies Inc.; and chairman of American Resort Development Association.

The combined portfolios of Real Estate Roundtable’s members comprise more than 12 billion square feet of office, retail and industrial properties, valuing nearly $3 trillion, and more than two million apartment units and nearly three million hotel rooms.

Through its efforts, Real Estate Roundtable aims to address national policy issues relating to real estate and the overall economy, by connecting leaders of public and private real estate firms with leaders of national real estate trade associations. The group strives to identify, analyze and coordinate policy positions, to ensure establish a cohesive industry voice.

“Roundtable members are among the most talented and innovative industry leaders. Our board of directors represents all major industry activities and is diverse geographically, racially and by gender,” said DeBoer. “The board’s strategic and organizational decisions are thus sustainable, practical and inclusive. I look forward to continuing to follow the board’s recommendations as we continue our fact-based analysis of overall economic and industry specific policy issues.”