He is a Professor at University of Denver’s, F.L Burns School of Real Estate & Construction Management, teaching and doing research in real estate market cycles, development, feasibility, investments and real estate capital markets (REITs & CMBS). The academic program started in 1938 and offers undergraduate (BS) and graduate (MS & MBA) degrees in business RECM, as well as executive and distance learning programs. He has published 100+ research articles and 100 quarterly issues of his Real Estate Market Cycle Report. He is also the Real Estate Investment Strategist atBlack Creek Group where heprovides Real Estate Market Cycle Research and Investment Strategy for Black Creek’s Institutional Real Estate Investment Groups, Non-Traded and Public REIT groups.



He holds a B.S.B.A. Finance major from the University of Denver, MBA from Babson College, and Ph.D. in Real Estate from GeorgiaState University. Former research positions at Legg Mason Inc., PriceWaterhouseCoopers, ABKB/ LaSalle Real Estate Investors, and Prudential Real Estate Investors.

Visiting Professor - Harvard University - 2002 to present & summer executive education semesters. Advisory Board Member – Arden Real Estate Group – Institutional Opportunistic Real Estate Fund, 2014 to present Chairman - Board of Directors – European Investors Inc. –Global, International & US REIT Funds, 2014 to 2017.

Ms. Frankel was a Vice President/Senior Credit Officer in the Commercial Real Estate Finance group at Moody’s Investors Service from 1998 until August 2016. At Moody’s she was responsible for a ratings portfolio of large real estate investment trusts (REITs) and real estate operating companies (REOCs) in the United States and Canada where she interacted daily with senior management at issuers, institutional investors, and investment bankers. Prior to joining Moody’s, Ms. Frankel was a Senior Vice President and Director of Portfolio Management for the Argo Funds, a real estate opportunity fund with $1.5 billion in assets, responsible for portfolio management, financing, investor relations, and dispositions for investments in operating companies and direct property investments throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. 

Ms. Frankel previously held various positions in the commercial real estate industry including that of Senior Manager at the Ernst & Young Real Estate Group; a Director in the Financial Services Group at Cushman & Wakefield, Inc.; an Officer who played a key role in establishing the commercial mortgage group at J.P. Morgan Securities, LLC; and a real estate investment banker and senior tax attorney at Salomon Brothers Inc. In these positions, her experience encompassed initiating, negotiating, and executing equity and debt transactions for corporate and institutional clients, in addition to restructurings, workouts, M&A, and strategic advisory assignments. 

She is currently an adjunct professor at Columbia University's Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation and New York University's Schack Institute of Real Estate. She holds J.D. and M.B.A. degrees from Hofstra University and graduated with a B.A. in English from the University of Pennsylvania with numerous honors. Among her industry affiliations, Merrie is a board member and treasurer of the Women Executives in Real Estate (WX) Charitable Fund; has served as a Trustee, been an executive committee member of the Women’s Leadership Initiative, and chaired the New York District Council for the Urban Land Institute (ULI); and chaired the nominating committee and other committees for the Financial Women's Association of New York (FWA). She was one of the 2008 Real Estate New York’s “Women of Influence” and has published and been quoted by various real estate journals, the Wall Street Journal and NPR radio, as well as written a chapter for The Handbook of Inflation Hedging Investments. 

In addition, he is a Portfolio Manager/Analyst on Lazard Asset Management's Global Real Estate Securities team. Prior to joining Lazard in 2011, Christopher was Senior Advisor at Grubb & Ellis Alesco Global Advisors, responsible for alternative investment strategies, capital markets, product development and research. Previously, he was a Managing Director at Wells Fargo Securities/Eastdil Secured, responsible for providing investment banking services to both public and private real estate companies, including equity and debt issuance, corporate advisory and mergers & acquisitions activities. Prior to Eastdil, Christopher was a Managing Director and Group Head of Real Estate Equity Research at Banc of America Securities and also worked in Real Estate equity research and strategic planning at JP Morgan. He holds a bachelor's degree from Cornell University. Christopher has served as the Lead Independent Director, Chair of the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee, and Member of the Audit Committee, while a Director of FelCor Lodging Trust, a public real estate investment trust. He is a full member of the Urban Land Institute, and is a past Product Council Chair, as well as an associate member of the National Associate of Real Estate Investment Trusts (NAREIT). 

She started and sold one of the fastest growing PR firms in America, Leverage PR to NY based Caliber Corporate Advisers. At Leverage, Joy represented brands like SXSW, The Economic Ministries of Japan and Brazil, and developed a specialty FinTech practice.

Joy additionally ran media and events at the White House, US Capitol, UN, a Shark Tank casting call and a Mark Cuban event, among others. A FinTech leader, Joy represented many conferences including; Finovate and LendIt and worked across all FinTech verticals.

After selling Leverage PR, Joy served as Chief Strategy Officer for Casoro Capital, the capital markets arm of a 17-year-old, vertically integrated, CRE investment firm. There she raised capital for direct investments ranging in value from $18-$80 million. She also ran all aspects of building and managing their tech-enabled, Public Non-traded REIT, Upside Avenue. Built at a fraction of the cost of competitors, it won CRE’s best new online capital raising platform and created successful acquisition channels for retail, RIAs and institutional investors.

A former director of acquisitions of The PPA Group, Joy helped acquire $250 million in real estate, making Inc. Magazine’s “Inc. 5000” list of fastest growing firms, twice.

Joy has sat on several boards including; SXSW & AARP Accelerator, FinTech Professionals Association and spent 4 years with CFIRA working with the SEC and FINRA on JOBS Act implementation, enabling online investing as we know it today.

A sought-after speaker and media contributor, Joy won numerous awards including Women Communicators “Outstanding Communicator”, CEO Magazine "Entrepreneur of the Year" and Austin Under 40 award. Joy served as an officer in the Army Reserves & Texas State Guard.