The 10th Annual Runstad Leadership Dinner was a record breaking event! There were over 800 people in the room showing their support of our department, programs, and students.
Author: Melissa Best
2023-24 Ferguson Fellow Audrey Ochsner
The program has helped me to meet people in the industry from all over the country, including fellow students, as well as professionals that can offer us guidance as we prepare to graduate and enter the workforce.
WCRER Expands
The Washington Center for Real Estate Research (WCRER), based in the Runstad Department of Real Estate, has ambitious plans to expand its data collection and research activities in the coming years.
Monica Wallace: Board Member Profile
Take advantage of all of the great opportunities that these programs provide: mentorship, networking, access to industry leaders who are always happy to hop on a call or meet for coffee.
Runstad Leadership Dinner Provides Record Support for Undergraduate Scholarships
The overwhelmingly successful paddle raise at last year’s Runstad Leadership Dinner has enabled the Runstad Department of Real Estate to significantly expand scholarship support to undergraduate majors in real estate. Hear what this support means to the scholarship recipients.
Runstad Department Experiences Growth and Change
The 2022-2023 academic year was a busy one for the Runstad Department of Real Estate.
Empowering Change: Runstad’s Commitment to Diversity in Real Estate
The Runstad Advisory Board has developed several committees focused on supporting the Runstad Department of Real Estate’s students, faculty and programs. One of these committees, the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee, is dedicated to helping create a future where equity is embraced so that the real estate industry and built environment reflect the rich diversity of people in the community.
This past academic year, the department and board members participated in some great events to help push the goal of moving the industry toward inclusion and equity. In February 2023, the Runstad Department of Real Estate and Foster School of Business held their annual symposium, “Hacking Inequity in Access to Real Estate Capital: Best Practices and New Options”. This year the event was also co-sponsored by Urban@UW and Urban Land Institute. After the keynote’s address, attendees heard from two panels: one focused on the experiences of developers seeking capital, and the other on the experiences and advice of capital providers. This year’s symposium was a follow up to the panel discussion on EDI in real estate capital investments that was held at the Autumn 2021 Runstad Advisory Board Meeting.
Board member Brian Surratt, was a leading force in the Housing Equity Accelerator program (HEA) this past year. Local Initiatives Support Corporation (“LISC”) partnered with Amazon to increase the supply of affordable housing and support the growth of emerging developers of color in Puget Sound. This work can help build capacity to create more affordable units and forge opportunities to generate equity and inter-generational wealth. Many Runstad Advisory board members and Master of Science in Real Estate alumni volunteered their time and service. Jaebadiah Gardner (a fellow of the program), Peter Orser, Andrew Hunt, McKenzie Darr and Kristin Ryan served as Business Advisors, program advisors and expert panelists. Diane Sugimura served as program facilitator for the year long program with 13 graduates.
Lastly, we want to thank George Northcroft for working with ULI to shape the February event, “10 Principles for Embedding Racial Equity in Real Estate Development,” and sharing the opportunity for our students to attend. ULI’s Building Healthy Places Initiative published “10 Principles…” as a guide for developers, investors, and other practitioners in making racial equity an important part of their real estate practice. Taidgh H. McClory, one of the contributors to the report, presented the 10 principles, following George’s impassioned history of racial issues in the real estate industry. George also moderated a “fireside chat” with Taidgh and Jaebadiah, before attendees broke into small groups to discuss the principles and their commitments to initiate change in their work.
We are thankful and excited about the work that was accomplished this year by the EDI Committee, and sincerely thank the committee for their service. We look forward to more progress happening in the years to come.
Nicole DeNamur honored at Business of Pride
On June 8th, the Puget Sound Business Journal will celebrate LGBTQ+ business leaders at “Business of Pride: Outstanding Voices and LBGTQ+ Businesses. Among those honored is one of the department’s instructors, Nicole DeNamur.
Owner of Sustainable Strategies, a company that helps companies identify and manage risks centered around sustainable innovation, Nicole has been speaking, writing, and teaching about sustainable spaces for nearly ten years. Before launching Sustainable Strategies, Nicole practiced construction and insurance coverage law in Seattle. Nicole has been an instructor in the Runstad Department since 2014, and teaches the course RE 459 Risk in Sustainable Development. Nicole’s course explores the intersection between sustainable practices and inclusive spaces.
Congratulations Nicole!
University of Guelph Undergraduate Real Estate Case Competition
Along with my teammates Ciara Joy Laney, Sun Choi, Ray Cui, and Jennifer Liu, I had the privilege of participating in the Undergraduate Real Estate Case Competition in Toronto, Canada hosted by the University of Guelph.
For the competition, my team and I were allotted a month to come up with a development proposal for a site located in Kitchener, Ontario. We would later present our development proposal in Toronto, Canada at the end of March. For our proposal, we researched many elements critical in real estate development projects such as the stakeholders involved and the Kitchener market. We also conducted a thorough analysis of the site accounting for topics such as zoning and variance. Additionally, our team produced a pro forma on our development plan to provide a compelling financial feasibility analysis. The month leading up to the competition involved countless team meetings, late night zoom calls, and hilarious moments when we were practicing our presentation delivery.
Overall, this was an experience I will cherish. It was truly a pleasure to not only work with my teammates, but also build friendships with them along the way. On top of gaining knowledge about the commercial real estate industry, I was able to refine other skills such as teamwork, public speaking, and time management through this opportunity. While in Toronto, I was also able to meet and network with industry professionals and university students from around the world that I still stay in touch with.
Thank you for this opportunity Runstad Department of Real Estate!
Hanson Dai, Class of 2024
International Alumni Student Panel
The University of Washington Real Estate Club held another successful event on April 5 in Gould Hall. Organizer, Kevin Cao of Gemsdale, a frequent graduate student mentor, organized a diverse group of International MSRE graduates, who offered their unique perspectives and guidance on career exploration and networking. The panelists proved particularly adept at advising attendees on how to bridge cultural gaps with internal and external stakeholders, and blend into their future workplace. Moderator, Vivien Chim, kept the questions flowing and the students had numerous follow up questions as well. This well attended event was peppered with current MSRE students,. undergraduates and recent alumni. Before and after the panel, attendees had the opportunity to put their networking skills to use by engaging with the alumni. Food and beverages were provided by current Advisory Board president Shannon Underwood. Overall, this was an outstanding event that provided invaluable insights into the real estate industry and offered exceptional networking opportunities. We look forward to hosting more events like this in the future!