GENERAL SESSION: AI Policy and Ethics - Navigating AI's Role in Commercial Real Estate
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping industries, but its adoption raises key ethical and policy questions. This session explores AI’s real-world applications in commercial real estate, separating fact from hype while examining legal considerations, ethical boundaries, and the risks and rewards of AI integration.
Speakers
Introductions

Jamie Woodwell is Senior Vice President of Commercial/Multifamily Policy and Strategic Industry Engagement at the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), where he oversees the association’s public policy and member engagement efforts across all commercial real estate finance sectors, working closely with member leaders and staff to advance MBA members’ business and policy objectives Jamie and his work are regularly cited in the media, on Capitol Hill and in regulatory settings. He is a regular speaker at industry and corporate events; has appeared on CNBC, Bloomberg and in other popular and trade press; and testified before the Congressional Oversight Panel for TARP. Jamie initiated many of MBA's research activities and created MBA's Peer Business Roundtables. He co-founded MBA’s CREF Careers program. Woodwell joined MBA in 2004, and most recently served as Vice President and Head of Commercial Real Estate Research, where he oversaw the association’s economic research and analysis covering commercial and multifamily real estate finance markets. He has also served as senior director of business development at CapitalThinking in New York, research director at the WMF Group in Virginia, and research manager at the National League of Cities in Washington, D.C. Jamie is a member of the Urban Land Institute, the American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association and other professional and industry groups and a past member of the Counselors of Real Estate. He has served on various advisory groups, particularly around climate change and ESG, including for the National Institute of Building Sciences, Fannie Mae and Bright Power. Jamie received his bachelor's degree in economics and American studies from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. He earned his master's degree in urban and regional planning from the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh.
Moderator

Joseph Lovell (“Joe”), Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer, joined Colliers Mortgage in 2022 after spending 28 years at Grandbridge Real Estate Capital. In his role, Joe is responsible for the overall direction and daily management of the Colliers groups that include loan servicing and asset management, third party loan closing, risk management and business systems where he is tasked with appropriately mitigating operational risk; maintaining adequate staffing; effectively addressing outlier performance; and ultimately achieving performance goals.
Speakers

Beau Baker, Co-Chair of Akerman's National Real Estate Financing Practice, focuses on real estate capital markets, securitizations, financial services, structured and commercial finance, creditors' rights, loan portfolio management and servicing, and financial restructuring. He represents traditional and non-traditional lenders in a variety of transactions including warehouse/repo lending facilities, secondary market portfolio and single asset loan sales/acquisitions, joint venture and preferred equity investments, and bank and non-bank mezzanine, bridge, CMBS and life insurance company loan originations. In connection with these originations, Baker oversees the servicing, portfolio management, workout, and related functions and makes it his goal to nurture his clients' valuable relationships with each borrower group. Licensed in both New York and Florida, his clients appreciate his strategic legal acumen to accomplish their business objectives. Baker also represents funds and banks in the startup and growth of high-volume debt and equity investment platforms across various asset classes. He has assisted numerous financial institutions and other companies in servicing, workouts, foreclosures, portfolio management, short sales, and complex commercial dispute resolution. He has been actively involved in real estate and corporate finance for over 20 years and speaks at a variety of events around the country each year discussing the latest industry trends.

At ACORE Capital, Ella Collard supports the FP&A Portfolio Management & Operations team. She is responsible for leading investor reporting automation and optimization across a diverse portfolio of CRE debt investments. She collaborates with cross-functional teams to enhance data integrity, streamline operational workflows, and develop analytical tools to support strategic decision-making for Asset Management and Capital Raising. Ella studied Finance and Computer Science at Southern Methodist University. Before CRE, she gained experience at two Private Equity firms and an Investment Bank (Mergers & Acquisitions) where she specialized in investment analysis, proprietary automation computer programs, and innovative operational frameworks for portfolio companies and company-wide efficiencies.


Dan Olsen is an SVP in KeyBank’s Commercial Investor Services division. During his 30+ year CRE banking career he has managed many areas related to Loan Servicing, Appraisal, Asset Management, and Work-out/Recovery. He’s an active participant with MBA’s Servicing Senior Executives Roundtable and served as Chair and Co-Chair of the Servicer Council (2016/2017 and 2011/2013). He serves on CREFC’s Board of Governors, Executive Committee, Chair/Past-Chair CREFC Servicers Forum (2014/2016), and has been an active member on many CREFC and MBA committees. In June 2023, Dan received CREFC’s Founders Award which is bestowed to industry professionals who have demonstrated outstanding leadership and significant contributions to the CRE finance industry. He has earned the MBA’s CCMS designation. Dan has a BBA in Finance, is a licensed Real Estate Broker, and certified Commercial Appraiser (inactive) in Texas.
Chris Shelton is the Head of Product and Engineering at RealINSIGHT, the cloud platform that powers loan servicing, asset management, and data intelligence for commercial real estate finance professionals. Since joining the company in 2014, he has guided RealINSIGHT’s growth from an emerging solution to an industry-wide system that helps top institutions and lenders manage billions in CRE debt globally. With 15 years of technology and product-development experience, he focuses on transforming complex CRE data into practical tools that streamline workflows and enhance decision-making for lenders, servicers, and investors.