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ULI New York in Partnership With the REBNY Foundation and CURE Presents: The Changing Face of Commercial Real Estate - a Program in Recognition of Black History Month
Pricing
| Pricing | Members | Non-Members |
|---|---|---|
| Private | $40.00 | $55.00 |
| Public/Academic/Nonprofit | $25.00 | $35.00 |
| Retired | $15.00 | N/A |
| Student | $15.00 | $25.00 |
| Under Age 35 | $25.00 | $35.00 |
This program is warmly open to ULI members and nonmembers
ULI New York’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee and Young Leaders Group (YLG) - in partnership with the REBNY Foundation and CURE- invite you to join us for The Changing Face of Commercial Real Estate on February 11th from 5:30-7:30 PM.
Held in honor of Black History Month, this annual event celebrates the transformative contributions of Black real estate and land use professionals in New York City. The discussion will explore how their work not only shapes our industry, but also amplifies the Black lived experience in the future development and use of the built environment.
From urban planning to design and development, the land use industry offers a wide range of career opportunities that shape our communities. Our panelists will offer insights, lessons learned, practical advice and more via their own experiences as racially diverse members of the New York real estate community.
ULI New York’s commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion emphasizes the importance of diversity to leverage each of our members’ unique perspectives to create and sustain thriving, resilient, and equitable communities. This in turn supports ULI’s mission to shape the future of the built environment for transformative impact in communities worldwide.
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Our Moderator:
Derek Fleming, Senior Advisor, HR&A Advisors
Derek Fleming has spent his career working to leverage the physical assets of real estate and the elements of place to elevate the cultural prominence and value of economically marginalized communities — particularly African American & Latinx. He has led master planning, economic development, real estate investment and development across the country, in non-profit and private equity sectors.
Derek’s extensive experience in urban development and community revitalization showcases his commitment to enhancing marginalized neighborhoods. His economic repositioning efforts have had a significant impact on cultural institutions and core retail districts, most notably in historically rich areas like Harlem, NY, Overtown, Miami and the BayView/Hunters Point community in San Francisco, CA. Derek credits his success to his intentionality towards equitable, community-focused ownership models, authentic strategic partnerships and rooted community engagement throughout the real estate development and urban planning process.
Derek earned his MBA from the Kellogg School of Management. As component of his master degree, Derek worked for real estate private equity firm, Cherokee Investments, and successively underwent conjoined curriculum in finance and real estate studies at Indian School of Business in Hyderabad, India.
Upon completion of his masters, Fleming launched a real estate hospitality business with celebrity Chef Marcus Samuelsson, as an entrepreneur /developer in under-invested communities. A signature development reflecting Fleming’s work, is the award-winning, iconic Red Rooster brand, known as a catalytic, cultural enterprise and economic development change-agent for the historic black district of Harlem and Miami’s historic communities, respectively.
Derek continues to lead transformative work as a real estate development partner. In a correlating role, Fleming is a Senior Advisor at leading real estate, economic development and policy firm, HR&A Advisors. At the firm, Derek leads teams across the county, developing placemaking for high catalytic sites, re-imagines community’s struggling food systems, master plans for HBCU’s, and designing new pathways for the leveraging Cultural Capital of these important places.
Our Speakers: (more to be announced!)
Kirk Goodrich, President, Monadnock Development LLC
Kirk has more than 30-years experience in the fields of community development, affordable housing finance and real estate development. Much of his initial experience was gained during an almost 10-year tenure overseeing the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) syndication business for Enterprise Community Investment in the New York Region. During that period, 12,000 units were financed in the region with approximately $1 billion invested. He currently serves as President at Monadnock Development LLC. Over the last 14 years, Monadnock Development has acquired or developed 50 projects containing more than 10,000 units with total development costs in excess of $3.5 billion.
Kirk serves as co-host and co-executive producer, with Rafael Cestero, of The Housing Problem Podcast (https://thehousingproblem.com/). He also writes and speaks regularly on affordable housing policy and practice. Kirk is executive producing a feature-length documentary on the history and success of the Nehemiah Homeownership Program in Brooklyn, New York, which is set for a 2025 release.
Education:
- Bachelor of Science Degree Consumer Economics and Housing, Cornell University
- Master of Urban Planning Degree, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- Juris Doctor Degree, Fordham University School of Law
Leonard Allen-Smith, Founder and CEO, Allen Smith Equities LLC
Leonard Allen-Smith is the Founder and CEO of Allen Smith Equities, LLC, a real estate development and advisory firm. With a deep focus on the New York market, Leonard has executed redevelopment projects, including gut renovations, vertical enlargements, and adaptive use conversions. He oversees acquisitions, development, management, and capital formation for the firm. Leonard’s prior experience includes serving as Managing Partner at East Chop Capital, where he managed real estate funds focused on the short-term vacation rental market. Earlier in his career, Leonard worked at KPMG providing tax compliance services for real estate funds and REITs. Leonard is a Certified Public Accountant and earned both his MBA and Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Hampton University. He is also a graduate of the inaugural Master in Real Estate program at Harvard University.