C-PACE, Green Loans, and Green Financing Opportunities in Commercial Real Estate

Mr. Bewkes is the Head Counsel for Nuveen Green Capital, where he has served for 11 years. He oversees all of NGC's asset closings and has supervised more than 700 C-PACE transactions across 32 states and the District of Columbia. Mr. Bewkes provides legal guidance to NGC's senior management and originations teams while advising state and local governments nationwide on the creation, optimization, and implementation of C-PACE programs and policies. Prior to joining NGC, he served as Special Assistant Corporation Counsel for the New York City Law Department.

Ms. Ellis joined the Connecticut Green Bank in 2024 in the role of Counsel, she has since been promoted to Senior Counsel. She provides legal and regulatory advice on a broad range of matters, with a focus on supporting the Green Bank’s suite of financing programs. Prior to joining the Connecticut Green Bank, Ms. Ellis practiced in the Finance and Real Estate group in Dechert LLP’s New York offices.

Mr. Madden-Peister is an Associate Director for NYCEEC’s Legal team, supporting its work in providing clean energy financing for communities. He also helps manage New York City’s Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program that is administered by NYCEEC. Prior to joining NYCEEC, in addition to working in private practice, Mr. Madden-Peister completed legal fellowships with the New York State Office of the Attorney General and the New York City Mayor’s Office of Resiliency.

Ms. Niver represents banks, insurance companies and debt funds in construction and permanent loans, debt restructurings and secondary market transactions, as well as working with market-rate and affordable housing developers and owners on financings, acquisitions and sales, joint venture arrangements, condominium regimes, and leases for all product types, including multifamily, retail, office and hotel, and frequently as part of complex mixed-use development and redevelopment and master planning projects nationwide. In addition to her broad background in CRE finance and development generally, Ms. Niver has had a career-long focus on affordable housing and community development, both as a real estate and commercial finance attorney, and formerly as an urban planner specializing in affordable housing finance and policy. She has extensive experience in community development lending, impact finance syndications and programmatic and policy issues related to affordable housing, and routinely provides legal advice to profit and nonprofit developers, financial institutions, investors, and community development entities engaged in all types of complex real estate development and financing transactions, specifically social impact investing and tax credit finance.