Advisory Board

  • Kathryn A. Hall

    Co-Chair & Founder of Hall Capital Partners

  • Michael Halper

    ATC Partners, LLC

  • Dennis Markus Headshot Sq

    Dennis Markus

    Former Senior Managing Partner and Chief Financial Officer

  • Glenn A. Shannon

    Vice Chairman
    Shorenstein Properties, LLC

Kathryn A. Hall

Co-Chair & Founder of Hall Capital Partners

Kathryn Hall is the Founder and Co-Chair of Hall Capital Partners (“HCP”), an independent, SEC-registered investment advisory firm. Founded in 1994, HCP manages over $40 billion in investment assets for foundations, endowments and large pools of family capital. She served as CEO/Co-CIO at Hall from 1994-2018. Previously, Ms. Hall was Founder and General Partner of Laurel Management Partners and General Partner of Laurel Arbitrage Partners. Earlier in her career, she was a Partner at HFS Partners and Hellman & Friedman.

Ms. Hall is also Co-Executive Chair of Galvanize Climate Solutions, a climate-focused global investment firm delivering capital and expertise to accelerate climate solutions. Founded by Ms. Hall and Tom Steyer in 2021, Galvanize invests across asset classes, including venture and growth equity, public equities and real estate.

She has extensive experience in the philanthropic and nonprofit arenas. Ms. Hall is currently Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. She is a member of the Board and is Chair of the Investment Committee of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. She is also a member of the Board of UCSF Foundation and is Chair of the Board for the UCSF Foundation Investment Company. She chairs the Investment Committee of the Smithsonian Institution and is a member of the Finance Committee. Previously, she served on the boards of a number of civic and educational institutions, including serving as Chair of the Board of Trustees of Princeton University from 2011-2019. She was a member of the Board of PRINCO from 1998-2011 and Chair from 2008-2011.

Michael Halper

ATC Partners, LLC

Mike Halper is Chief Executive Officer of ATC Partners, LLC, a real estate investment company that owns, renovates and operates office and warehouse buildings in the Western United States. Since its founding in 1994, ATC Partners has purchased and renovated dozens of buildings to provide facilities to a wide array of office and industrial tenants. Mr. Halper is a Member of Carmel Partners Group, LLC, Vice Chair of the Executive Committee, a member of the Investment Committee and a member of Carmel’s Advisory Board.

Prior to ATC Partners, Mr. Halper was a principal at Trammell Crow Company and responsible for activity in the San Mateo region.

Mr. Halper also served as Chair of the Board of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area, a mentoring organization serving 1,500 children throughout the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area and as Chair of the Board of San Francisco Day School, a K-8 independent school located in San Francisco, CA.

Mr. Halper received a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from the University of California, Berkeley and a Master of Business Administration degree from Stanford University.

Dennis Markus

Former Senior Managing Partner and Chief Financial Officer

Dennis Markus joined Carmel Partners in 2012 and, until April 2023, was Carmel’s Senior Managing Partner and Chief Financial Officer. He oversaw all financial operations, including responsibility for the Accounting, Capital Finance and Fund Management teams. During his tenure, he also had responsibility for legal, compliance and IT. He is a member of Carmel’s Advisory Board.

Prior to Carmel, Mr. Markus was the CFO and President of Larkspur Hotels and Restaurants, a fully-integrated owner, operator and developer of hotels and restaurants in the Western United States. While at Larkspur, he oversaw the firm’s financial and business operations. With more than 30 years of experience in the real estate and financial service industries, Mr. Markus has also worked in several key financial and operational roles at Transamerica Corporation and its subsidiaries, including serving as President and CFO of Transamerica Senior Living.

Mr. Markus received a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Stanford University and a Master of Business Administration degree from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Glenn A. Shannon

Vice Chairman
Shorenstein Properties, LLC

Glenn Shannon began his professional career in 1981 when he joined the law firm of Shearman & Sterling LLP in New York City. From 1981 through 1993, he practiced in the firm’s Real Estate Group, the last four years as a partner, representing a wide range of domestic and international clients in acquisitions, sales, financings, joint ventures and leasing transactions.

In 1994, Mr. Shannon joined Shorenstein Company, a private owner and operator of high-quality commercial properties across the United States, as the head of the company’s New York office. He relocated to San Francisco in 2001 to assume the role of president, leading the company’s operations, equity fundraising and organizational development. Mr. Shannon became a vice chairman of the company in 2016, serving in that role until his retirement in 2022. As vice chairman, he continued to participate in the company’s real estate investment activities as a member of its investment committee and oversaw the management company that functions as the Shorenstein family office.

Mr. Shannon serves on the advisory board for Kinship Capital and Carmel Partners, serves as a member of the board of Wind River Trust Company and serves as an independent non-executive director for The Addax and Oryx Group LLC. He also acts as an advisor to several private family offices with respect to governance, estate planning and investment matters.

Mr. Shannon is a member of the Ambassador Council for Aim High, a tuition-free summer school program for middle school students in underserved Bay Area communities, and is a member of the board of the National Eating Disorders Association, an organization that advocates for and supports individuals and families affected by eating disorders.

Mr. Shannon earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Williams College and a Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan Law School.