Michael Berne

Biography: Michael Berne President MJB Consulting Berkeley, CA / New York, NY Michael J. Berne is the President of MJB Consulting (MJB), a national retail planning and real estate consulting concern with offices in the San Francisco Bay Area and New York City. MJB has been retained by a wide range of clients across the U.S., Canada and the U.K., including municipalities, BID’s, quasi-public/non-profit development corporations and educational institutions as well as private developers, landlords and retailers, to conduct market assessments, advise on site planning, devise tenanting strategies and spearhead recruitment efforts. Michael is a frequent speaker at the conferences of the International Downtown Association (IDA) and sits on the Board of Directors as Vice Chair of its Executive Committee. He has also presented at the annual gatherings of the International Economic Development Council (IEDC), National Main Street Center, the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) and the California Downtown Association, among others. Michael has written for the Urban Land Institute’s (ULI) Urban Land magazine and for the Journal of Urban Affairs, and has served on expert advisory panels for the ULI and the IEDC. He has lectured at the University of Pennsylvania and the City University of New York (CUNY), and appeared in high-profile publications such as The Washington Post and The Financial Times. Michael received a B.A. degree from Columbia University (Columbia College) in New York City and an M.Phil degree from Cambridge University (Gonville & Caius College) in the United Kingdom. He splits his time between residences/offices in Berkeley’s Elmwood neighborhood and New York City’s Union Square. Updated November 2013