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ULI New York's 2024 Equitable Development Summit
ULI New York’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee is proud to host ULI New York's first annual Equitable Development Summit.
The Summit will intentionally engage ULI members, nonmembers, and members of partner organizations in the land use industry to leverage diverse perspectives and promote advancement to create better thriving, resilient, and equitable communities. These discussions will support ULI’s mission to shape the future of the built environment for transformative impact in our communities.
The focus of this Summit is to share insightful thought leadership from ULI, including ULI's 10 Principles for Embedding Racial Equity in Real Estate Development and best practices on effectively integrating DEI within organizations in conversation with diverse leaders across sectors who seek to embody this work.
The Summit will include:
- A keynote presentation from national ULI member leaders.
- A panel discussion with leaders from New York’s public and private sectors focused on activating inclusive principles in their respective organizations and projects.
- A purpose-driven networking session with leaders and members in the land use industry.
What are the 10 Principles for Embedding Racial Equity in Real Estate Development?
The “10 Principles” shares ten guiding ideas that can help developers, investors, and other practitioners instill racial equity as a central part of their land use practice. Each principle distills insights from industry leaders and includes specific best practices that can be applied to different sectors, markets, and geographies. Read an overview of the 10 Principles for Embedding Racial Equity in Real Estate Development.
Join us to learn more about these insights and how they can best function to enrich our industry.
Learn more about our speakers:
AJ Jackson, LEO Impact Capital
-Keynote Speaker-
Brian Allan Jackson (AJ) is the President of LEO Impact Capital, a subsidiary of JBG SMITH (NYSE:JBGS). LEO is an investment management platform that specializes in workforce housing, utilizing an Impact Framework to generate financial returns for investors while improving residents' financial well-being. With extensive experience in the formation of programs and policies to support the creation of mixed-income housing, AJ has played a pivotal role in the development of nationally recognized workforce housing programs. His expertise has been sought after by local governments, public institutions, and the national trade associations for advice on mixed-income housing policy. Prior to his role at LEO, AJ was a managing partner at EYA, LLC, where he led over one billion dollars of double and triple bottom line public private partnerships. He previously served as Chief of Staff to the Administrator of the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA).
AJ's commitment to the real estate industry extends beyond his role at LEO. He is a Trustee of the Urban Land Institute, where he serves on the Advisory Board of ULI's Randall Lewis Center for Sustainability in Real Estate and chaired the ULI working group that created the 10 Principles for Embedding Racial Equity in Real Estate Development. Additionally, AJ serves on the Workforce Housing Committee of NMHC, the Affordable Housing Advisory Council for Fannie Mae, and the Board of Directors of Up For Growth, a national organization dedicated to addressing the housing shortage and affordability crisis through research and evidence-based policy. AJ earned a B.A. with honors from the University of Alabama and an M.B.A. with distinction from Harvard Business School.
Taidgh McClory, THM Advisors
-Keynote Speaker-
Taidgh H. McClory is the founder of THM Advisors, an MBE social impact enterprise dedicated to helping leaders, developers, and institutions embed racial equity strategies into their operating models to generate better social and financial outcomes for the companies and communities they build. McClory’s career in commercial real estate and advertising has spanned over 25 years and includes expertise in strategic planning, real estate brokerage, marketing, brand planning, market research, and economic development. Prior to launching THM Advisors, he served as Director of Social Impact & Inclusion for MP Boston and before that Managing Director/Partner at CBRE/New England, where he led sales management, business development and civic engagement across the NE region.
McClory serves on the Urban Land Institute: Responsible Investment Property Council; an active member of The Real Estate Executive Council; the Executive Council of Diversity & Inclusion for The Partnership, Inc.; as well as a handful of initiatives focused on economic development, commercial real estate, and education. Most recently McClory was the recipient of the 2020 - National Commercial Real Estate Development Association’s President’s Award by the NAIOP-MA Chapter.
In his local community on the North Shore, McClory serves as the Vice Chair on the Board of Trustees for St. John’s Preparatory School, Co-Chair/Board of Directors for Beyond Walls, a Fellow of the North Shore LEADS program, and a member of the Investment Committee for the Francis Ouimet Scholarship Fund. Former board service includes Massachusetts Economic Alliance (MassEcon), Commercial Brokers Association, and the Cummings Foundation Grant Selection Committee. McClory grew up in Lynn, MA, graduated from Dartmouth College with a BA in History and Studio Art, and resides in Lynnfield with his wife and three children.
Joe Ritchie, Tishman Speyer
Joe Ritchie joined Tishman Speyer in 2021 to drive business development with a specific focus on creating more diverse and inclusive communities and relationships across the firm’s platform. He also provides thought leadership on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion within company culture. Joe is a member of the global ESG Committee.
Prior to joining Tishman Speyer, Joe was Senior Vice President for development at Brandywine Realty Trust. He has also worked for Trammell Crow Company, Deloitte, and as the founding CEO of the City of Newark’s economic development corporation under Mayor Cory Booker.
He sits on the executive committee of NAIOP Greater Philadelphia and is a founding board member of African American Real Estate Professionals of Philadelphia. He holds his BS from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and his MBA from Wharton.
Shehila Stephens, New York City Economic Development Corporation
Shehila-Rae Stephens is a recognized leader in equitable economic development, with over 18 years of experience driving transformative change across diverse sectors. As Executive Vice President of Equity and Community Impact at the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), she spearheads initiatives that are reshaping the economic landscape for underserved New Yorkers. Her expertise lies in crafting and executing comprehensive frameworks for workforce strategies and inclusive entrepreneurship, ensuring that economic growth is both sustainable and equitable. By piloting and deploying innovative racial equity tools, Shehila-Rae has successfully integrated equity considerations into the planning and execution of major city projects, making her a key architect in NYCEDC’s efforts to advance equitable economic development.
Shehila-Rae’s career is marked by significant achievements in health equity and community development. She has led major initiatives such as the American Hospital Association’s #123 Pledge for Equity. Her strategic leadership at the Greater New York Hospital Association, Denver Health, and Volunteers of America has consistently focused on elevating marginalized communities through targeted inclusive programs. As a former City and County of Denver African American Commissioner, acting as a crucial link between the African American community and policymakers. Shehila-Rae is a thought leader in equitable economic development, known for her ability to turn visionary concepts into impactful, community-driven outcomes.
Dawanna Williams, Dabar Development Partners
Dawanna Williams established Dabar Development Partners as a full-service real estate development and investment firm focused on the preservation, renovation and new construction of architecturally significant real estate properties.
With over 20 years of experience in the industry and a background that spans both real estate law and business, Dawanna guides projects with a unique approach that combines her expertise as a legal and business pragmatist with strong community-driven values and a passion for refined design. Her innovation and vision on numerous projects have earned recognition from New York City’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) and New York City’s Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), among others. Under her leadership, revitalizing new construction projects have been completed by the firm in New York City, Philadelphia and Atlanta.
Prior to founding Dabar, Dawanna spent 10 years practicing commercial real estate law, most of that time with prominent firm Sidley Austin LLP. During her legal career, she represented major developers, international funds, investment banks, institutional lenders and private equity investors to facilitate a wide range of complex real estate transactions, totaling millions of spatial square feet and over $10 billion in transactional value.
In addition to her role at Dabar, Dawanna is an avid traveler and enjoys serving on the boards of the New York Real Estate Chamber (NYREC), Compass, Inc., (COMP), the Apollo Theater and The Trust For Cultural Resources of The City Of New York. She holds an A.B. from Smith College, an M.P.A. from Harvard University Kennedy School of Government and a J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law.
Robin Zeigler, MURAL Real Estate Partners
Robin Zeigler is Founder & CEO of MURAL Real Estate Partners. MURAL is a privately- owned, full-service real estate company that aims to spur economic development through mixed-use developments in emerging and underserved markets. She was formerly Chief Operating Officer for Cedar Realty Trust. Robin began at Cedar Realty Trust in March 2016 and was responsible for the operations of the fully-integrated real estate investment trust’s nine million square feet of grocery-anchored shopping centers as well as the redevelopment of its mixed-use assets. Prior to joining Cedar, Ms. Zeigler worked at Federal Realty Investment Trust as Chief Operating Officer for the Mid-Atlantic Region. In that capacity she was responsible for the operations of a portfolio of over 40 shopping centers and five mixed-use development projects representing approximately 7.3 million square feet. Additionally, Ms. Zeigler provided oversight and strategic direction on mixed-use development and redevelopment projects in the region.
Ms. Zeigler holds a BS in Accounting from Florida A&M University and an MBA from Georgia State University. Robin is on the board of directors for three public companies: Jones Lang LaSalle Income Property Trust, RLJ Lodging Trust, and NETSTREIT. She is a Trustee of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), on the board of the ICSC Foundation as well as an ICSC Foundation Mentor. Ms. Zeigler is also a Member of the ULI NY Advisory Board and an ULI Excellence in Development Awards Juror. She also serves on the Miami Dade College Foundation Board.