Alumni

Aimee has been involved with Real Estate through the verse of construction for over 11 years.  As the Business Development Engineer for Turner Construction Company, she's involved with the company's leadership team which determines the direction of their business unit by taking their pursuits, client and development leads, evaluating its project's risk, establishing contractual agreements, and preparing the project team to executing a successful project through an on-time and on-budget project.  She's lead over $50-Million-dollar projects, directing construction crews of over 100-workers on projects such as commercial buildings, schools, hospitals, and infrastructure projects.  Aimee earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering with a Construction Emphasis from the University of Southern California in 1999.

Anne is a practicing architect, currently working as a senior project manager at the Los Angeles Unified School District's Existing Facilities Division.  At LAUSD, her responsibilities include supervision of project managers in four of the eight school regions, as well as financial analysis of regional bond program budgets, project scopes, and interfacing with the various stakeholders and administrative personnel involved with construction of existing facilities projects. Prior to her work at LAUSD, Anne worked at several large architectural firms including Rem Koolhaas/OMA (in Rotterdam, Holland), Richard Meier + Partners, and Skidmore Owings & Merrill.  She has been involved in a variety of project types including the Getty Center and several high-rise office buildings and mixed-use complexes here and abroad. Her interest in development stems from 17 years of living in the LA downtown arts district and watching rampant development decimate the arts community, and feeling that sustainable opportunities were missed. Anne earned a Bachelor's degree in English literature from Carleton College in 1978, and a Master's degree in architecture at the Harvard Graduate School of Design in 1989.  She has been a guest critic and lecturer at USC School of Architecture, the Southern California Institute of Architecture, Santa Monica College, and the Ryman Program for the Arts at USC. She is also a board member of the Fair Housing Foundation LA, and is active in minority recruitment for Carleton College.

Bernard R. Ussery is an attorney and real estate entrepreneur.  Mr. Ussery has practiced law since 1992 in Los Angeles, California and Atlanta, Georgia.  His areas of concentration are civil litigation and trial work, as well as real estate and business matters.  His clients have included small businesses as well as Fortune 500 companies.

For the past 5 years Mr. Ussery has acquired, redeveloped, leased and sold properties in California and Arizona.  In the civic arena, Mr. Ussery has served as President of the UCLA Black Alumni Association.  He is currently a member of the UCLA History Department Advisory Council and a member of the Real Estate Section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association.  Mr. Ussery earned a B.A. in History from UCLA (1988).  He is also a graduate of the Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley (1991).

Carlos has over 30 years of experience in real estate as an owner of apartments, commercial buildings, and public storage.  His past projects include working on the Los Angeles County Metro Red Line and Pasadena Blue Line.  Carlos held the position of Director of the Los Angeles Local Development Corporation for approximately 15 years.  As such, he reviewed lending programs, procedures and operations from start to finish for community based lending focused on community revitalization.  He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from California State University at Northridge and has since owned his own business, Morgner Construction Management, in which he serves as President.

Gerald Duncan has owned and operated Infiniti Investment & Loan Inc. and Infiniti Home Realty Inc. for the past 16 years.  He has financed over $200 million in real estate transactions including affordable housing and senior citizens projects.  Gerald‘s primary duties has been as CEO of both companies in which he oversaw both companies and reported to the board of directors.  Gerald has also attained his status as a licensed general contractor and has completed business projects with former NBA hall of famers Magic Johnson and Dominique Wilkins.  Gerald earned a B.S. degree in Business and Accounting from California State San Bernardino University in 1989 and served on the Board of Trustees at California State San Bernardino in 1992.

Since May 2005, Suzanne has served as the Director of Community Development and Asset Manager for the Gilmore Associates/Old Church LLC.  In this role, her responsibilities include collaborating with local Business Improvement Districts, homeless service providers, as well as political, business and community leaders on various issues including public safety, health, transportation and housing.  Suzanne is also part of the development team for the proposed “Vibiana Lofts” project, a 300 unit residential complex.  She graduated from the University of Southern California in 2000, earning a Bachelor of Science in Music Industry. 

Lou has worked as a full time real estate sales agent and top producer with R.S. Cooper & Associates since 1992. He obtained his brokers license in 2000 and worked as an REO broker and a conventional real estate sales agent for numerous lenders and asset managers. Lou has received certificates from The National Association of Realtors as a Certified Residential Specialist (CRS), a Graduate Real Estate Institute (GRI), and currently taking courses to become a Certified Commercial Investment Manager (CCIM). Lou also studied business management and real estate at West Los Angeles College and Dominguez Hill University from 1979 to 1989. As the principal of a family investment group, he negotiated acquisitions, rehabilitations and dispositions of investment properties while in college. Lou also provides property management services for his investor clients and serves on the board of The Stovall Foundation.

Jimar Wilson is a graduate of the Winter 2005 Ross Minority Program inReal Estate. Jimar is currently the Project Manager in the Housing and Economic Development Department for the West Angeles Community Development Corporation (CDC), a full-service, public benefit, faith based real estate development firm located in South Los Angeles.

The Ross Program has been instrumental in Jimar's professional career as it has offered him the opportunity to build his skill set in real estate finance and development, establish great professional connections within the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate Alumni network, and form lasting relationships with fellow colleagues who share his passion for socially responsible urban real estate development.

Prior to working at West Angeles, Jimar was a City Planner for a municipal planning and development department in the state of Michigan, specializing in historic preservation, HOME Program administration and zoning compliance. He holds a Master in City Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a Bachelor of Arts from University of California at Berkeley.

Kia Roberts is a Summer 2004 graduate of the Ross Minority Program in Real Estate. She is currently a Project Manager at Western States Development and Construction, located in Alta Loma, California. In her capacity as a Project Manager she generally oversees residential projects that target first time home buyers.

Kia attributes the Ross Program in providing her with a good foundation in urban real estate development and enabling her to network with industry professionals and other experts. Additionally she believes the program provided her with the confidence and knowledge to effectively leverage resources and the inspiration, through the success of fellow classmates, to realize her desire to develop urban real estate projects.

Kia received her Juris Doctor degree from USC Law School in May 2005 and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California at Berkeley. She is a member of the Urban Land Institute and was recently honored with the Dorothy Wright Nelson Award for the Administration of Social Justice.

Xavier A. Gutierrez is Senior Vice President, Capital Markets at Phoenix Realty Group, LLC (PRG), a national real estate investment company that manages private equity funds to invest in middle-market residential, mixed-use, and commercial development in urban and infill areas throughout the United States.

Mr. Gutierrez is responsible for the creation, capitalization and management of PRG's real estate private equity funds. Mr. Gutierrez joined PRG as Vice President of Real Estate Acquisitions in June 2003, and now serves as the company's primary conduit to institutional investors and the capital markets.

Prior to joining PRG, Mr. Gutierrez worked as a Corporate Attorney in the Silicon Valley office of the law firm Latham & Watkins, LLP. While at Latham, Mr. Gutierrez worked primarily with private equity and venture capital funds. In addition, Mr. Gutierrez has worked as a financial analyst in the Public Finance Group of the investment bank Lehman Brothers, Inc., the New York law firm Skadden, Arps, LLP, and in the League Office of the National Football League.

Mr. Gutierrez received his Juris Doctorate from Stanford Law School and his Bachelor of Arts in Government with honors from Harvard College. He has served on the Stanford Law School Board of Visitors, and as a Committee Member of the Harvard Alumni Association. Mr. Gutierrez currently serves on the Board of the East Los Angeles Community Corporation (ELACC), on the Board of the Ross Program in Real Estate at the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate, on the Construction Services Committee for the City of Los Angeles, and is an active member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI).