Independent analysis. Industry-leading expertise.

Jay Pearlman has 20 years of experience developing and implementing advisory services for colleges and universities. At Scion, he provides overall leadership for the firm’s advisory practice, including client work and relations, research, marketing as well as product and business development.

Prior to joining Scion, Mr. Pearlman was the initial employee and shareholder at Sightlines, an advisory firm focused on facilities asset management and planning for the higher education market. During his 17 years at Sightlines, Mr. Pearlman helped the company grow from a small start-up to a leading provider of facilities data and analysis to over 450 colleges and universities annually.

As a recognized thought leader in college and university planning, Mr. Pearlman is routinely featured in national journals and trade publications. Most recently, he was cited as an expert in “The Hidden Costs of College: Rising Student Fees,” Washington Post, August 24, 2017.

In addition to his writing, Mr. Pearlman is a sought-after speaker for a number of organizations. He was a keynote speaker at the 2017 Central Association of Physical Plant Officers Technology and Leadership Conference and was also a featured speaker at the 2015, 2016 and 2017 Higher Ed Facilities Forum. Mr. Pearlman has also presented at numerous conferences including the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO), the National Business Officers Association (NBOA) and the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE).

Before Sightlines, Mr. Pearlman was at the Facilities Resource Management Company (an ARAMARK Company), where he served as a facilities manager at Franklin & Marshall College and as a systems and management analyst for its Control and Budgets division, serving such institutions as the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.

Mr. Pearlman earned his B.A. with honors from Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York.

Mr. Ted Risher has 30 years of real estate development and consulting experience
working for public sector and mission-driven institutions, as well as private development
companies. His specialties include financial and feasibility analysis, value for money
analysis, project structuring and finance, and negotiations. His efforts on behalf of public
and institutional clients focus on quantifying value, mitigating risk, and preserving control
over major project decisions. His previous positions include consulting for multinational
firms as well as serving as the Development Director for the District of Columbia’s real
estate development portfolio, executing over $1 billion in deals. Previous clients include
Dartmouth College, Howard University, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the
United States Navy.

Mr. Risher is a full-cycle project executive for Scion, supporting clients throughout the
development process, from project conceptualization to partner selection and deal
closing. He focuses on higher education clients, including two and four-year institutions
that are seeking to leverage their real estate portfolios to produce high-quality housing
options as well as other services for students in a highly competitive market. He speaks
and teaches frequently at industry events sponsored by the National Council for Public
Private Partnerships, Academic Impressions, P3 Higher Education, Association of
Defense Communities, and Bond Buyer.

Jaclyn Malone has 12 years of experience in student housing consulting. Driven by her passion for educational access and opportunity, Jaclyn thrives on the ability to enhance the resident experience of our partner and client institutions.

Prior to joining The Scion Group, Jaclyn led the student housing team at Alvarez & Marsal where she served clients ranging from small colleges to large universities, as well as nationally recognized development firms. During her tenure there, Jaclyn specialized in providing detailed institutional research and market analysis that helped her clients make optimal development and investment decisions. This included producing student housing market studies that assisted clients in capital raising efforts. Outside of student housing, Jaclyn has experience in multifamily acquisition due diligence including lease audits, in-place service contract analyses, and record-keeping assessment.

Jaclyn provides the day-to-day leadership of projects ensuring she and her team serve clients at the highest level. Jaclyn prides herself on listening to clients’ needs and implementing solutions to help them meet their goals.

Jaclyn earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Real Estate from the University of North Texas and a Master of Real Estate from Texas A&M University.

Michael Oliphant has 25 years of experience providing advisory services to campuses across the US. He began with researching P3 ground leases in 1997 and since then has worked with hundreds of clients to achieve their campus housing goals. With an understanding of business operations, financing, and facilities considerations, Michael brings a reality-based perspective to his work, having developed financial models from single project pro formas to complex models for the redevelopment of entire housing systems. He understands that market analysis is only as good as the data upon which it relies and has developed market research methodologies and new approaches to data collection that have been used in support of master plans and new housing projects across the county.

To serve Scion’s advisory clients, Michael employs lessons learned from two decades of experience advising clients with student housing challenges. Prior to his affiliation with Scion, he managed hundreds of student housing engagements similar to those of Scion’s Advisory Services while associated with another team of student housing consultants.

He developed new and improved methodologies for analyzing results and presenting conclusions, addressing each case’s unique needs and challenges the clients faced. He developed financial models to help clients understand the impact of changes, whether with first-time housing projects or entire housing systems. Following Michael’s recommendations, clients have developed new housing that aligns with student preferences while meeting their developmental needs and remaining financially sustainable.

Earlier, Michael spent a dozen years as a project manager in Washington, DC, managing residential and institutional construction projects for a small general contractor. Then while attending business school, he conducted extensive research on some of the earliest student housing P3 projects.

Mr. Oliphant earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Tufts University and a Masters of Business Administration from Georgetown University.

Ellen Ulf has over 20 years of experience guiding colleges and universities through the housing planning process. She started her housing career at Tulane University where she was responsible for opening a new residence hall, managing the operations of three student apartment complexes, and overseeing summer conference housing services.  Current and previous work includes student and faculty-staff housing market studies, feasibility analyses, and comprehensive housing plans.

Since 1999, Ellen has worked for over 100 institutions nationwide. Her expertise focuses on building consensus and analyzing data. Most importantly, she is able to listen, learn, and understand a client’s vision for its housing system, synthesize and streamline qualitative and quantitative data, and deliver financially sound solutions that are market driven, responsive to user preferences, and aligned with institutional needs.

Fatima Baqir has been engaged in assisting and managing projects for postsecondary institutions all across North America, including several highly ranked schools such as McGill University, Texas State University, University of New Brunswick, and University of South Carolina. The majority of her work with Scion has focused on Market and Demand studies, Feasibility Assessments, and Housing Master and Strategic Planning. As a Project Director, she directly oversees the delivery of exceptional service by the Advisory Services team to clients.

Ms. Baqir has experience in consulting, project management, and operations of off-campus student housing. From incubating new business models to executing complex projects, Ms. Baqir has participated closely in the acquisition, management and day-to-day operations of student residences. She is passionate about assisting Scion clients with delivering services under a “student-first” philosophy. As a trained conflict mediator, she has also championed conflict-resolution mediation programs and has been active in training student life professionals.

In her past positions at the University of Toronto and Pathways Suites, Ms. Baqir collaborated with property management companies in the Greater Toronto Area to create strategic partnerships resulting in the housing of hundreds of university and college students in newly developed multi-family residential buildings. More than a dozen post-secondary campuses have adopted principles for off-campus housing search strategies developed by Ms. Baqir.

She has additional experience working with students from around the world and is a proponent of cross-cultural learning. She has assisted international students with transitional program development and is well-versed in Ontario housing laws such as the Residential Tenancies Act.

Ms. Baqir earned a BA from the University of Toronto Mississauga and is a member of the Project Management Institute, with a focus on International Project Management and Project Risk Assessment.

Nikole Yarsh applies her experience in Residence Life toward project execution, management, and analysis for Scion’s Advisory Services clients. Her research is used to explore market conditions, trends in higher education and student preferences that help determine the best housing solution for each unique institution.  In addition to various research functions, Mrs. Yarish is responsible for the development of project surveys, conducting focus group and stakeholder sessions, and overall project communications for Advisory Services clients and project teams.

Prior to working with Scion, she gained three years of experience as a Resident Assistant at York University, and moved on to become a Residence Manager at a private boarding school. Being intricately involved in resident affairs, Nikole honed her skills in all aspects of residence life, from student engagement to crisis-management. Mrs. Yarish has additional experience working with student services; while in University she worked as a team leader for the student security program, goSAFE, for 5 years. In conjunction with her education, this provided her with a comprehensive understanding of CPTED models and practices.

Mrs. Yarish earned her Bachelor of Arts in Criminology and Psychology from York University in Toronto.