Join the Assessor's Office for its annual Market Investor Day on Thursday, May 21, 2026. The event will feature in-depth discussions on the latest commercial real estate trends and key insights from Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi and his leadership team.
Attendees will gain valuable knowledge about the growth in data centers and the challenges around property assessments and unpack common community concerns. Watch a live demonstration by the Assessor's Data Team of a prototype of a Property Tax Simulation tool to help better understand property taxes in Cook County. Hear a fireside chat with community leaders about property values in the South and West Suburbs, the historic challenges faced in these communities, and innovative policy solutions to help stimulate economic growth.
The program will conclude with a conversation with industry leaders in the multifamily housing and affordable housing spaces discussing the complex environment for lenders and investors of market rate and affordable housing developments.
Refreshments and lunch will be provided.
Agenda
8:30 - 9:00 Networking
9:00 - 9:45 Plenary Session: Assessor Fritz Kaegi
9:45 - 10:30 Valuation Roundtable: Assessor's Office
- Michael Piper, Chief Valuations Officer
- Ray Gottner, Director of Residential Valuations
- T.J. Schemmel, Director of Commercial Valuations
- Mildred Terzic, Director of Special Properties
- David Lehman, Director of Valuations Research
- Brian Sibila, Director of Special Projects-Commercial
10:30 - 11:15 Data Centers: Challenges and Opportunities
- Dave Lehman – Director of Valuations Research (moderator)
- Charles Argianas, Executive Vice President, Value and Risk Advisory – JLL
- Shane Briscoe – Associate II, Value and Risk Advisory – JLL
- Kyle Schulz – Deputy of Strategic Advancement, Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP)
11:15 - 12:00 South and West Suburbs: Property Values, Challenges in the Community, Innovations & Solutions
- Kristi DeLaurentiis, South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association (SSMMA) (moderator)
- Mayor Joseph A. Woods - Park Forest
- President Rick Reinbold – Village of Richton Park
- Mayor Michelle Nelson, Village of Flossmoor
12:00 - 12:30 Lunch
Predicting Property Taxes in 5 Minutes (Optional live demo)
- Kyra Sturgill - Director of Data Analytics
- Nicole Jardine - Deputy Assessor-Chief Data Officer
12:30 - 1:15 Unpacking the Low Affordability Community Tier 3: New Multifamily Housing
- Emily Bloom-Carlin, Director of Housing and Community Development | Metropolitan Planning Council (moderator)
- Thomas Roszak Principal Architect, Thomas Roszak Architecture, LLC
- Michael Kaplan, Vice President, Related Midwest
- Riley McChesney, Director, Shapack
1:15 - 2:00 Multifamily Housing Panel: Development, Preservation, and Affordability of Market Rate, LIHTC, and Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing
- Director of Multi-Family Development (moderator)
- Ja'Shar Hartley, M.B.A., CEO & Founder Property Blessings & The Hartley Construction Group
- Christopher Nash, Senior Vice President, Bank of America’s Community Development Banking Group.
- Maggie Cassidy, Director, The Preservation Compact
- Dave Mevis, VP, Community Development Habitat
