EDAB Member Bios

Anne Meyers (Co-Chair, [email protected]) spent over 30 years working in the public and non-profit sectors, as Deputy Director of Development for the Massachusetts Port Authority and President of the Downtown Crossing Association in Boston. Now retired, she does pro-bono management consulting for non-profits with the SOAR Management Consulting Group. She has a BA from Skidmore College and an MBA from Boston University.

Paul Saner (Co-Chair, [email protected]) was a senior executive of a national real estate investment firm and a major commercial bank. He was the founding board chair of the Metropolitan Waterworks Museum and was the Governor appointed Commissioner of the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind. He has a BA from Trinity College and holds an MBA in Finance from the University of Rochester.

Alan Christ is a Registered Architect and Principal of Alan Christ Architects LLC. He has previously practiced architecture in San Francisco with Mithun / Solomon, and in Boston with Leers Weinzapfel Associates, and taught as a lecturer at the University of California at Berkeley, the California College of the Arts, and the Boston Architectural College. He has a BA with a major in Architecture from Washington University in Saint Louis and a Master in Architecture from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design. 

Cliff Brown spent over 35 years in the private sector as an investment banker, investment manager and corporate executive. He has extensive experience in the real estate finance arena. Now semi-retired, he received both his BS in Economics (Magna Cum Laude) and his MBA in Finance from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Derrick Choi is a registered architect and an Aviation and Transportation Leader at Gensler. For nearly two decades, he has been involved in airport and transit-oriented development projects from Boston-Logan to Singapore Changi International Airport. He received his BA with distinction from Columbia University and a Master in Architecture from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design.

Carol Levin is Founder and Principal of RE-Advisors, New England’s first healthcare real estate consulting firm where for over 25 years she has guided healthcare organizations in thinking strategically about real estate. Prior to RE-Advisors, she spent over a decade in the field of commercial real estate finance. She holds both a BS and an MBA from Cornell University.

Ken Lewis has over 30 years of experience in real estate investment, development, and asset management, working with both institutional and entrepreneurial firms. He is presently the Manager of Corey Hill Partners, LLC specializing in the acquisition and redevelopment of commercial property. He has a BA in Economics from Virginia Tech, a MBA from Boston University, and a MS in City Planning from Florida State University.

Thomas J. Nally is a Registered Architect and planner who has been Planning Director of a Better City since 1989, contributing to transportation and urban design projects across the Greater Boston area. He is currently President of the Greater Point Neighborhood Association in Brookline. He has a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Cornell University and Master of Architecture in Advanced Studies and Master in City Planning degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Marilyn Newman an environmental attorney practicing with the Boston law firm Mintz, focuses on permitting and planning of major development projects. Prior to joining Mintz, she served as chief counsel to the Massachusetts state transportation department and in other senior public agency legal positions. She holds a BA degree from Harvard College and a JD degree from Harvard Law School.

Al Raine is a national consultant specializing in mass transit and transit-oriented development. He served as Massachusetts’s Director of Economic Development from 1983-90 and as Executive Director of the Massachusetts Port Authority from 1991-93. He holds a BA from Harvard College and a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Michigan.

Sandi Silk has almost 30 years of real estate analysis, planning, and development experience. Currently she leads the development efforts for Jefferson Apartment Group in the Northeast Region, focusing on transformative urban and suburban mixed-use and multifamily projects. She has worked on projects throughout the Commonwealth for Federal Realty Investment Trust, JPI, Archstone-Smith and the Department of Conservation and Recreation. She earned her undergraduate degree in Urban Studies and Public Policy from Boston University and her Master of Urban Planning and Master of Business Administration degrees from the University of Washington in Seattle.

Zeina Talje has 25 years in real estate design, development, finance, and asset management with private equity, Fortune 500, local and national firms. She is founder of Z Capital Investments, a real estate development and investment firm focused on mixed use projects with superior energy performance. Zeina holds an M.S. Architecture from McGill University & and MBA from Columbia University. She holds several certifications including Passive House consultant, real estate salesperson license and General Contractor license in Massachusetts. Zeina is a Board Member of tech startup coUrbanize.