Industry Speakers
Each semester, the Ole Miss Real Estate Initiative brings in speakers to share their expertise with students in the classroom.
Engaging & Student-Focused
As part of our dedication to linking classroom learning with real-world insights, the Ole Miss Real Estate Initiative proudly hosts industry-leading professionals. Through engaging talks and panel discussions, students receive firsthand perspectives on trends, challenges, and innovations shaping the real estate industry. These events foster meaningful dialogue among students, faculty, and experienced experts, enriching the academic experience with practical knowledge.
Fall 2025 Speakers
September 11, 2025
Trevor Williams serves as the CEO/President for Greypointe Property. They specialize in serving the real estate needs of Mississippi, including property sales, investments, and property management. He has personally helped broker over $ 25 million in sales in 2024, and they currently manage over 500,000 square feet of real estate throughout Mississippi.
Trevor is also a partner in multiple Smoothie King and Subway restaurants in the Jackson area.
September 18, 2025
Ben Parker serves as the Senior Vice President at Industrial, Sales & Leasing at Avison Young. He is an Atlanta native and has over 20 years of experience in the real estate industry, representing international, national, local, and statewide clients with complex and specific real estate requirements. Mr. Parker specializes in the industrial sector with a focus on tenant and landlord representation. He has extensive experience connecting business owners and land owners with developers, investors, and end-users. His ability to meet his buyers’ and sellers’ criteria and negotiate favorable terms has resulted in long term relationships and repeat business.
September 25, 2025
As a second generation mortgage banker, Owen Munton was born and raised with mortgages on his mind. Owen has worked as a mortgage banker, mortgage broker, sales manager, and business owner during the past two decades. During this time, Owen has been a part of thousands of mortgage transaction totaling hundreds of millions of dollars. He has received several industry awards and certifications including 2021 Mortgage Banker of the Year from the Mortgage Bankers Association of Mississippi and the Certified Mortgage Banker designation from the Mortgage Banker’s Association. Owen is one of only six Certified Mortgage Bankers in Mississippi.
Owen has served as the Regional Mortgage Manager for Hancock Whitney Bank since 2014 covering Mississippi, Alabama, and Northwest Florida. As the regional manager, he is a part of an award-winning team of mortgage lenders across the region that specialize in residential mortgage financing. Owen also serves as a mortgage lender helping clients purchase, build, or refinance their homes. Headquartered in Gulfport, MS for over 120 years, Hancock Whitney Bank is ranked in the top 100 Best Banks in America. Hancock has also been recognized for top client satisfaction and top customer service by J.D. Power and the Greenwich Excellence Awards. In addition to Hancock Whitney, Munton has served the Mortgage Bankers Association of Mississippi since 2019 in various capacities. He currently serves as the president of the association.
He is a graduate of Hattiesburg High School, Mississippi State University, and the Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University. Owen resides in Hattiesburg along with his wife, two sons, and Randy the golden retriever.
Mortgage Bankers Association of Mississippi
October 2, 2025
Peyton Adams is a real estate professional based in Oxford, Mississippi, with expertise in student housing/multifamily assets. He serves on the University of Mississippi Real Estate Advisory Board, contributing to program development and mentoring students through guest lectures. As Founder and Manager of Halls Creek Properties, Peyton oversees the acquisition, leasing, and maintenance of student rental properties while building brand presence in the local market. In his role as Associate Broker with Cannon Cleary McGraw, he works with developers to source, underwrite, and acquire stabilized assets, leveraging strong market knowledge and industry relationships to execute targeted property strategies.
October 9, 2025
John Bunten is a native of Texas and has been the owner of Miramar Development since 1993. Miramar Development is a privately held real estate development and investment company that specializes in developing multi-tenant industrial projects in the Dallas - Ft. Worth Metroplex, Austin, Texas and other southeastern markets.
After a very successful career, John still enjoys being involved in real estate and advising young real estate industry people. He is interested in starting new companies in the construction business, and then roll them into one company.
He is actively involved with Ole Miss’ Real Estate Advisory Board and looks forward to create opportunities for the university and the board. John is also on the Board of Trustees at Highland Park ISD and Park Cities moody Family YMCA, as well as board member at Practice Ministries Bile Studies, all in Dallas, TX.
John graduated from the University of Mississippi with a BBA and a minor / Radio and TV Production in 1980.
October 23, 2025
Alan Chandler is a native of Birmingham, Alabama and Executive Vice President at Doster Construction Company. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Building Construction from Auburn University and a Master’s degree in Construction Science and Management with an emphasis on Development from Clemson University. Alan is a 32-year construction industry veteran and has managed projects in the healthcare, multifamily, residential, industrial, and commercial sectors throughout the country. In his current role, Alan focuses on finding like minded employees and clients who share the philosophy of relationship building. He focuses on understanding the current real estate and construction landscape and align his organization’s strengths with those opportunities in the marketplace. He has successfully guided his organization’s brand and revenue to the highest levels in its 50-year history.
October 30, 2025
Todd Phillips is a financial professional with over 16 years of investment experience. He is President of Noon Management, a private equity investment firm. The companies specialize in various industries including business strategy and consulting, wealth management, capital investing, real estate development and health care. Prior to the formation of Noon Management, Todd spent 13 years at Morgan Stanley. He joined the Memphis firm as a financial advisor and spent three years in that role and two years as Memphis sales manager. He then moved to Chattanooga to become Southeast area sales manager and was quickly promoted to branch manager and vice president. Todd earned his Bachelor of Science degree in managerial finance from the University of Mississippi. He also holds numerous licenses and designations within the financial services industry.
November 13, 2025
Matthew Davis is Senior Director for the Houston Market at Cushman & Wakefield and serves on the Executive Committee for the National Land Advisory Group, where he chairs the Urban/Infill and Redevelopment Subcommittee. He is integral in all aspects of the brokerage process, including site research, market knowledge, listing and marketing properties, prospecting, and site acquisition for buyers. Matt and his team joined Cushman & Wakefield in February 2021, bringing extensive market knowledge, a straightforward approach to completing transactions, and a reputation for delivering best-in-class brokerage services.
Before joining Cushman & Wakefield, Matt was an Associate Director with Berkadia. He began his career there in 2017 as an Analyst, diligently working his way up to co-lead the Land Services platform.
November 20, 2025
Matt Gambrell works as the Director of Acquisitions and Development for Savoy Properties where he is responsible in part for sourcing investment opportunities, underwriting and analysis. His diverse background in corporate finance, real estate, and process improvement paired with his analytical and inquisitive mind, make it easy for him to reach a yes or no quickly. This is important for Savoy as the leadership team balances innovation with stability and aims to make bold, informed investment decisions quickly.
A Memphis native, Matt is a graduate of the University of Mississippi where he studied managerial finance. Matt also received his Master of Real Estate Development from Auburn University. Prior to joining Savoy, Matt worked in manufacturing where he advised the controller of a division responsible for two billion dollars in revenue. And while numbers are important to Matt, he is also interested in how things work—a curiosity that has helped him develop efficient processes for determining whether or not companies should pursue projects.
Outside of the office, Matt is involved in several professional and charitable organizations, coaches youth lacrosse, and is active in the Ole Miss St. Louis Alumni Association where he works with students to build their personal networks.
December 4, 2025
Randall Carroll is an Instructional Assistant Professor of Business Law here at Ole Miss. He graduated from law school at William & Mary (JD). In addition, he has an MBA in Hotel Administration from Cornell University and a BA from Dartmouth College. Throughout his career, Mr. Carroll specialized in lodging real estate, and he is best known for his work with the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA). While at ADIA, Mr. Carroll had senior responsibility for the acquisition, disposition, and financing of hotels, resorts, and timeshares with a GAV of over USD $4.0 billion during the ten years post-Lehman.