Tucker Reed

Principal

Tucker Reed is Co-Founder and Principal of Totem and leads our real estate development projects and advisory work. Tucker has nearly two decades of experience navigating the complex intersection of New York City government and private real estate development. Early in his career he worked for Mayor Michael Bloomberg on workforce development policy, connecting some of New York’s poorest citizens to job and growth opportunities, and he was an instrumental part of helping to transform Brooklyn’s waterfront from an abandoned manufacturing hub into one of the world’s premier innovation districts.

He then transitioned to private real estate working at Two Trees, the company largely responsible for the revitalization of neighborhoods like DUMBO and the Williamsburg waterfront. In between working for the City and Two Trees, Tucker spent 18 months in Baghdad during the Iraq War helping to lead redevelopment efforts against a backdrop of extreme violence and a total breakdown of city services.

In 2011, he was appointed by City Hall and the Brooklyn real estate community to lead the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership – the local development corporation tasked with the revitalization of Brooklyn, a key component of Mayor Bloomberg’s five-borough growth strategy. Under his 5-year leadership, the organization attracted more than $20 billion dollars of private investment to the area, resulting in thousands of new apartments, new office buildings, and Barclays Center.

Today, under Tucker's leadership, Totem has built an impressive pipeline of new development across Brooklyn, with approximately 1.5 million square feet of projects. He has advised on urban redevelopment projects across the globe from Tokyo to Pittsburgh to San Salvador and has been named to the list of Commercial Observer's 100 Most Powerful People in New York City real estate. He serves on the Board of BRIC and the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce and is on the faculty at New York University’s Shack Institute of Real Estate. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and puppy dog.

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Vivian Liao

Principal

Vivian Liao is Co-Founder and Principal of Totem, overseeing operations, branding and narrative strategy, and project management. With a professional background that spans the fields of communications, community development, and strategic partnerships, Vivian helps direct Totem’s inclusive approach to support and expand affordable housing, job creation, and economic opportunity in underserved neighborhoods.

Having previously served in nonprofit and public sector positions, Vivian has a deep grasp of public private partnerships and is always on the lookout for ways to leverage private sector solutions to maximize community benefits. At Totem’s Atlantic Ave project in Bedford-Stuyvesant, for instance, Vivian worked to create an impact fund that will empower residents in the building to provide grants to local nonprofits.

Vivian previously served as Chief of Staff and Managing Director of Programs + Partnerships at the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, where she developed and implemented the narrative strategy positioning Downtown Brooklyn as one of the most vibrant downtowns in the nation. This included creation of the organization’s Webby award-winning website and year-round programming, including signature entrepreneurship events like the Make It in Brooklyn pitch contests. She also worked with local organizations to forge innovative partnerships such as a first-of-it-kind academic consortium aimed at strengthening the talent pipeline between higher education and industry located in the Brooklyn Tech Triangle.

Vivian started her career in public affairs, with roles at global public relations firm, Edelman; the New York City Economic Development Corporation; and NY1 News, producing the political broadcast Inside City Hall.

Vivian holds a B.A. from the University of Puget Sound, graduating the top student in the Business Administration department, but she considers herself a storyteller at heart. While obtaining an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Colorado, she taught undergraduate courses, worked as a criminal defense investigator, and wrote a historical novel based on the life of her grandfather, a chef who worked for notable figures in China, Taiwan, Iran, and the American Southwest. She serves on the board of Brooklyn Org and lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two daughters.

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Elizabeth Canela

VP, Project Management

Elizabeth Canela (Liz) is Vice President for Totem, overseeing project management and community outreach for our developments. From 2013 to 2018, Liz worked in the San Francisco and Brooklyn offices of Forest City, during which time she was named one of the 30 Commercial Real Estate Professionals Under 30 by the Commercial Observer.

In San Francisco, she led the community engagement strategy for the successful public approval of Pier 70, a 28-acre mixed-use development project, which included the negotiation of the community benefits and workforce agreements that govern the project during construction and its operations, including local hiring goals by future tenants, contracting goals, and pre-apprenticeship programs.

In Brooklyn, she served as the on-the-ground representative for many of Forest City's projects including East River Plaza in East Harlem, Cornell Tech on Roosevelt Island,Nassau Coliseum in Long Island, and Pacific Park Brooklyn. She was the company’s liaison to the Pacific Park Brooklyn Community Benefits Agreement’s non-profit leaders, played a crucial role in the ramping up of operations at FC Modular, and managed community outreach, lease up, and stakeholder management with the City of New York for three affordable housing lotteries in Downtown Brooklyn.

Liz holds a B.A. from Duke University in History and African American Studies and an M.A. in American Studies from Purdue University. Previously, she worked in the English Learners Learners (ELL) division of the NYC Department of Education and taught introduction to African and African American Studies at Purdue University while pursuing her graduate degree. She serves on the board of the Brooklyn Book Festival and lives in Brooklyn with her husband and daughter, Nellie.