Icon Insights - Klump Center for Real Estate Podcast

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Get inspired to amplify your career in commercial real estate through the lens of the industry’s most accomplished leaders!

Subscribe to University of Colorado Real Estate Center’s Icon Insights podcast showcasing young alumni interviewing influential professionals on topics such as:

  leadership

  networking

  resiliency within the industry

 

Episode 1 | Erika Vette and Ann Sperling on Leadership

On this episode of “Icon Insights”, Erika Vette interviews Ann Sperling who shares her perspective regarding management and leadership based on her experiences at Trammel Crow, Jones Lang LaSalle, and Catellus Development Group.

Erika Vette

Erika Vette is a Credit Risk Management Associate at Prologis. In this role, she utilizes financial information to assess customer credit risk and provides guidance on how to structure transactions to ultimately mitigate financial risk to Prologis. Before joining Prologis, she attended the University of Colorado at Boulder where she received her MBA with a focus in real estate and finance. While completing her MBA, she competed in the 2021 NAIOP Rocky Mountain Real Estate Challenge and was part of the winning team.

Prior to getting her MBA, she worked in government consulting and nonprofit development. She found her passion for CRE after working on legislation which provided tax incentives to commercial developers in Detroit. Erika now likes to spend her weekends skiing, hiking and hanging out with her dog Disco.

Erika Vette

Ann Sperling

Ann Sperling, now semi-retired, returned to Trammell Crow Company in 2013 as Senior Director, focused on development and capital markets in Colorado, for this nationally renowned commercial real estate investment and development firm, where she spent many years earlier in her career. Ann currently serves as an Independent Director on the Boards of two public companies, Apartment Income REIT and SmartRent. Prior to that, Sperling most recently was in two successive roles at Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated first as Chief Operating Officer for the Americas region and then as President, Markets West. Sperling was Managing Director and the chief operating executive at Catellus Development Group, a wholly owned company of ProLogis during the previous several years. She completed a 25-year career at Trammell Crow Company during which she rose from her first job in retail leasing to become Senior Managing Director and Area Director for its Rocky Mountain region. Over her career, she has been involved in most core real estate services for corporate and investor clients, including tenant representation, agency leasing, investment sales, outsourcing, project management, facilities management, property management, construction and commercial development. She has had extensive experience in public and private company governance, operations, financial performance and new business development.

Sperling has also committed herself to a number of civic and community activities. These include serving as Treasurer and Finance Committee Chair, and as the Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of The Children's Hospital and now on the Research Advisory Board. Ann also is a member of the Board of Advisors of the Gates Institute for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Biology. She sits on the Board of Advisors, School of Arts and Sciences, of Tufts University and the International Advisory Board of the University of Colorado Real Estate Center. She has also held leadership roles with the Colorado Outward Bound School, National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP), the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC). She has been honored by the National Association of University Women, and she received the 2008 Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) Denver's Women of Influence Award. In 2021, she received the Presidents’ Award for Community Leadership from NAIOP. She is a member of Women Corporate Directors and National Association of Corporate Directors.

A graduate of Tufts University with a degree in biology and psychology, Sperling earned her MBA at Harvard University.

Ann Sperling

Episode 2 | Megan Kranichfeld and Kevin Kelley on Connections & Networking

On this episode of “Icon Insights,” Megan Kranichfeld interviews Kevin Kelley of United Properties who explains the importance of connections and networking within the real estate community.

Megan Kranichfeld

Megan

Kevin Kelley

Mr. Kelley has almost 40 years’ experience in the development, acquisition, financing and disposition of properties representing nearly $3 billion in value. He currently serves as a consultant to the company’s activities in Colorado having retired from full time employment with United in October 2021. 

Before joining United Properties, Kevin was a partner with Miller Weingarten Development in Colorado and a capital markets/development partner with Faison Associates in Charlotte, NC. He started his career in the lending arena with Continental Illinois Bank, was a mortgage producer for Northland Financial (now NorthMarq) and Baird & Warner Real Estate. Kevin holds a B.A. degree in history and an MBA in real estate from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Kevin is currently serving on the NAIOP Colorado Chapter Board. Kevin was 2016 NAIOP Colorado Chapter President. He is also an active member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Colorado and the University of Colorado Real Estate International Advisory Board. He is a past President of the Wisconsin Real Estate Alumni Association. Kelley also served on the board for the Rocky Mountain Human Services organization, on the Nature Conservancy, Wish for Wheels and is considering a role with the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless.  Kevin is an active road cyclist having completed several Ride the Rockies and other cycling programs.

Kevin Kelley

Episode 3 | Paula Chavarria and Fiona Arnold​ on Daring to be Different

In this episode of Icon Insights, ’21 Leeds School of Business graduate Paula Chavarria speaks with acclaimed Denver-area developer Fiona Arnold about her varied accomplishments and how her methodology of doing things backwards has brought her success and driven different Denver communities forward. 

Paula Chavarria

Paula Chavarria, born and raised in San Diego, moved to Colorado to attend the University of Colorado Boulder and get her Bachelor’s in Business Management and the Real Estate Certificate. Upon graduating in 2018 Paula began her career working in Property Management for Cushman & Wakefield. Throughout her time spent in Property Management she realized her true passion is in the Hospitality Industry which she had spent some time in previous years. Paula then pursued a Master’s in Commercial Real Estate at Ƶ Boulder where she competed and won the NAIOP Rocky Mountain Real Estate Challenge and joined the McWhinney Hospitality team immediately after graduating in 2021. Now, Paula enjoys her day to day as she underwrites potential hospitality acquisition and development opportunities, visits properties, socializes with her coworkers, and enjoys the buzz of RiNo where she resides. 

Paula Chavarria

Fiona Arnold

Fiona Arnold is the founder and President of MAINSPRING, a Colorado company engaged in commercial and residential real estate development and retail business operations, launched in 2014.

During 2015 and 2016, she served on Governor Hickenlooper’s cabinet as Executive Director of the Office of Economic Development and International Trade for the State of Colorado. From 2006 through 2013, Arnold served as executive vice president and general counsel for Vail Resorts. Prior to that, Arnold served as associate general counsel at Western Gas Resources Inc. (now Anadarko Petroleum), and prior to that, she served as vice president of legal and business affairs at Crown Media Holdings in Greenwood Village, CO. Arnold began her career as an attorney in Australia before joining the international law firm of Jones Day in Dallas, Texas in 1998 and then moving to Colorado in 2001.

Arnold holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting) from the University of Tasmania; a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) from the University of Adelaide; and a Master of Laws, International & Comparative, from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas.

She currently serves as a board member of the non-profit CareerWise, an organization introducing the youth apprenticeship system in the United States.

She has been a Governor appointed Commissioner of the Business Experiential Learning Commission, the Colorado Workforce Development Council and the Colorado Opportunity Scholarship Initiative.

She formerly served on the boards of the non-profits The ƵBE, Dress for Success, Colorado, the American Institute of Avalanche Research and Education and was a Governor-appointed board member of Pinnacol Assurance. She served as co-chair of the Dean’s Advisory Council at the University of Colorado, School of Law, as a board member of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, the Association of Corporate Counsel and founded the Colorado Chief Legal Officer Group.

Fiona Arnold

Episode 4 I Lucas Michieli and Bahman Shafa on Resilience and Adaptability

In this episode of Icon Insights, ‘17 Leeds School of Business graduate Lucas Michieli speaks with versatile Denver-based developer Bahman Shafa about how he built his real estate empire after getting his start in the city selling sports apparel as a street vendor. 

Lucas Michieli

Lucas Michieli grew up in Breckenridge, CO, and attended the University of Colorado at Boulder where he double majored in finance and accounting with a certificate in real estate. He began pursuing a career in CRE at Verdad Real Estate doing site selection and store development for a variety of large national retailers.

He has been a part of the fast-growing Q Factor Development team for 3 years. In this role, Lucas has taken on a variety of different capacities with a specific focus on our new market opportunities and assisting with the asset management of our existing Colorado assets. His role has primarily been focused on taking projects from initial site selection/negotiations, fund raising, design/entitlement and into construction. 

Lucas Michieli

Bahman Shafa

Shafa is the CEO of Focus Property Group, a Denver-based investor and developer of high-quality office, retail, residential, hospitality, and mixed-use property in Denver and across the United States. Focus Property Group’s assets include Enterprise Coworking in Denver’s RiNo district as well as Greenbox Self Storage, which has four facilities across the Greater Denver Area supplying the community with cost-effective ‘green’ storage solutions. Shafa founded Focus Property Group in 1987, and has also served as a Leeds Mentor for the Ƶ Leeds School of Business since 2021.

Bahman Shafa

Episode 5 I Alex McPherson and Karen Klerman on Navigating Your Early Career

On this episode of “Icon Insights,” Alex McPherson interviews Karen Klerman, long time banker, who shares tools, strategies, and advice regarding navigating your early career.  The podcast should help listeners find their next wonderful job.

Alex McPherson

Alex McPherson is a Portfolio Manager at Independent Financial in the Commercial Real Estate Group. In this role, Alex is responsible for managing a portfolio of existing commercial real estate loans and for assisting in closing new facilities between $5 and $20 million. Prior to joining Independent Financial, Alex was an analyst at US Bank in their Real Estate Investment Trust Group. She started her career at Wells Fargo as an analyst in the Business Banking Investment Real Estate Group.

Alex grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan and attended the University of Connecticut, where she competed for the women’s NCAA swim team and later transferred to University of Colorado at Boulder where she majored in finance with a certificate in real estate.

Alex McPherson

Karen Klerman

Karen Klerman has a strong history of helping businesses and individuals achieve their goals with over 25 years of commercial real estate, wealth management and leadership experience.

She is a Senior Director of Community Banking at FNBO (First National Bank of Omaha).  In this role, Karen works closely with local real estate investors and developers to satisfy their financial needs, including land loans, construction financing and term debt.  She collaborates with other FNBO advisors to provide treasury management, deposit, foreign exchange, letters of credit, credit card, and wealth management solutions for her customers.   

Prior to joining FNBO, Karen has held roles at Wells Fargo, US Bank, Heller Financial, Citicorp and Sears Roebuck & Company.  Most recently, she was a Private Banking Advisor working as part of a team to help meet high-net-worth clients’ comprehensive wealth management needs.  Prior to joining the Private Bank, Ms. Klerman led Wells Fargo’s Business Banking Investor Real Estate Group for the Colorado Region; managing a team of six lenders in CO, MT, and WY.

Karen earned a Bachelor of Arts in History from Northwestern University and an MBA from the Wharton Business School.   She serves her community by volunteering as a Board member for Boulder Shelter for the Homeless, Boulder’s Housing Advisory Board, and Better Boulder. Prior to that she served 10 years on the Board of Boulder Housing Partners (The Housing Authority for the City of Boulder).  In addition, Karen was appointed to Ƶ Real Estate’s International Advisory Board and is a Board Member of Better Boulder.

Karen is married, lives in Boulder, and has an adult son and daughter..

Karen Klerman

Episode 6 I Lily Colley Ferguson and Christina Hill on Asset Management and Sustainability

In this episode of Icon Insights, ‘21 Leeds School of Business graduate Lily Colley Ferguson speaks with California-based real estate veteran Christina Hill about the connection between asset management and sustainability, the challenges facing downtowns and certain sectors in a post-COVID world, and the lessons she’s learned after more than two decades as an innovative leader and respected mentor in real estate.

Lily Colley Ferguson

Lily Colley Ferguson, vice president, is an Investment Specialist for J.P. Morgan Asset Management – Real Estate Americas (“REA”). Lily is a real estate product specialist responsible for strategic support and institutional client advisory for the firm’s REA platform. She joined J.P. Morgan after various roles with Denver’s EverWest Real Estate Investors focused on their NFI-ODCE fund’s capital strategies, positioning, reporting and operations. She previously held roles in the Private Equity space as a founding team member and vice president for , a private REIT beginning in 2013. At, Kalyx, Lily was responsible for firm-wide functions including; capital raising, investor relations and asset management. While at the firm, she also led various PE-backed portfolio companies’ marketing strategies in a consulting capacity. Lily has an MBA focused on Real Estate from Ƶ Boulder where she was the President of the Graduate Real Estate Association (“GREA”) and a B.A. in International Affairs and History from GWU’s Elliott School of International Affairs. Lily is a founding member of  (a real estate industry DE&I peer group), serves on the Ƶ Real Estate Forum’s Advisory Council, participated in NAIOP’s Developing Leaders Program and spoke at SxSw two years running. She holds the Series 7 and 63. 

Lily Colley Ferguson

Christina Hill

Christy Hill is a managing director at PGIM Real Estate and the head of Americas Asset Management. Based in Los Angeles, Christy is responsible for representing the Asset Management function as part of the Americas leadership team and partners with the U.S. and Latin America portfolio teams to lead and implement PGIM Real Estate’s asset management strategy for all our investments in the region. She is a member of the U.S. Management Council, Americas Executive Council, a member of the Debt Investment Committee, PRREF Investment Committee, and the U.S. and Latin America Investment Committees.

Prior to joining PGIM Real Estate, Christy was with Clarion Partners as a managing director and assistant portfolio manager for the firm’s flagship core real estate fund. In that role, she was responsible for acquisitions and dispositions, asset management and investor communications.

Prior to that, Christy was a senior member of Clarion’s asset management group, overseeing investment results of core and value-add investments in multiple West Coast markets. Previously, Christy worked at American Realty Advisors for more than a decade in senior roles across asset management and portfolio management.

Christy has a bachelor of science in sociology from the University of Colorado and a master’s degree in real estate development from the University of Southern California.

Christina Hill

Episode 7 I Randy Nichols & Brinete Chavez on The Perfect Project at the Perfect Time

In this episode of Icon Insights, ’19 Leeds School of Business graduate Brinete Chavez examines some standout projects from the career of Randy Nichols, an acclaimed Denver-area commercial and multi-family real estate developer and the President and Founder of The Nichols Partnership, Inc. ​

Brinete Chavez

Brinete Chavez is an Associate commercial real estate broker at CBRE. She specializes in Industrial warehouse leasing and sales throughout the Denver Metropolitan market conducting business development, site selection, negotiation, advisory, and transaction execution on behalf of local, regional, and corporate occupiers with experience managing single transaction values as large as $11 million. She works closely with her business partner Jim Bolt, Colorado’s top-producing Industrial broker in creating best outcomes for their clients.

Brinete attended the University of Colorado Boulder where she studied Operations Management, Information Management and completed a certificate in Real Estate. She is a member of CREW, an associate member of SIOR, a member of CBRE’s HOLA, treasurer of Ƶ’s Real Estate Alumni Board, a member of Association for Corporate Growth, has completed CCIM coursework and continues to pursue opportunities for professional development which elevate her expertise at best advising her clients.

Brinente Chavez Headshot

Randy Nichols

Randy Nichols is President and Founder of the Nichols Partnership, Inc.

The company is based in Denver, Colorado, and specializes in the development of commercial and multi-family real estate. With over 41 years of experience in real estate development, brokerage and management, Randy started his career in real estate brokerage in 1981 with LaSalle Partners in Denver. In l986 he became a Vice President of LaSalle’s New York office representing the firm’s corporate clients in commercial brokerage transactions across the country.

Randy co-founded a private development company in Chicago in 1989, then returned to Denver to pursue commercial development opportunities in Colorado, establishing the Nichols Partnership in 1993. The Nichols Partnership has developed over 3M square feet of office, multi-family, hotel, and retail including such prominent urban Denver/Boulder projects as “One Platte”, “Clayton Lane”, “SPIRE”, “1899 Wynkoop”, “Galvanize”, “Turntable” and “PearlWest”.

The company’s vision has expanded to include ownership in two projects outside of Colorado – “Stanly Ranch Resort Napa” and “Immortal Estate Vineyard”, both in California. The addition of these projects enhances the company’s expertise across all types of real estate development.

Randy holds a Master’s degree in Real Estate Development from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Bachelor’s degree in Business from Colorado State University.

Randy Nichols

Episode 8 I Dan Ivanoff & Jack Korosec on Forging Your Own Path

In this episode of Icon Insights, 18’ Leeds School of Business graduate Jack Korosec interviews Dan Ivanoff, a Denver and Seattle-based office and apartment developer. During the podcast Dan shares stories of forging his own path, being his own boss, a discussion of the office market during various economic cycles, and his opinion of whether an MBA is needed for commercial real estate.  

Jack Korosec

Jack Korosec is a Real Estate Analyst at Essex Financial Group. Born and raised in Colorado, Jack graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and a certificate in Real Estate. At EFG, Jack has directly been involved in over $200 million of closed capital transactions across all commercial product types.  Prior to joining EFG, Jack specialized in office leasing at Jones Lange Lasalle (JLL), where he was involved in over $50 million of office and land transactions in the Denver metro. Jack is a licensed broker in the state of Colorado.

Jack Corosec

Dan Ivanoff

Dan Ivanoff is the founding owner of Schnitzer West, LLC, a regional commercial real estate investment/development enterprise with regional execution teams in its Seattle headquarters and its Denver regional office.

Over the past 26 years, Dan has led Schnitzer West in repositioning and developing more than 12 million SF of institutional-grade investment assets, including high-rise, mid-rise, and low rise office buildings, urban multifamily living communities, and warehouse/distribution buildings.

Schnitzer West’s developments deliver cutting-edge occupancy experiences, evidenced by best-in-class improvements, premier credit tenants, and market leading disposition values.

Before founding Schnitzer West, Dan was the Seattle regional operating partner at Birtcher Northwest. Dan started his career at Prudential Realty Group in San Francisco.

Dan earned two degrees from the University of Colorado (Ƶ), Boulder: an MBA emphasizing Finance and Real Estate and an MSCE emphasizing Construction Management. Dan also holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Idaho.

Dan and his wife, Laurie Ivanoff, a graduate of Western Colorado University (Gunnison), created the new construction management track within the MBA program at the Leeds School of Business at Ƶ Boulder.

Dan and Laurie’s two sons, Seth and Cole Ivanoff are also graduates of Ƶ Boulder and Seth is a senior professional working in the Schnitzer West Denver regional office.

Dan Ivanoff

Episode 9 I Jordan Swisher and Rick Woodruff on the Do’s and Don’ts of Mentorship

In this episode of Icon Insights, Leeds School of Business graduate Jordan Swisher (MRealEst and Fin’12) interviews longtime commercial real estate consultant Rick Woodruff about the the do’s and don’ts of mentorship.

Jordan Swisher

Jordan thrives in Brue Baukol Capital Partners’ dynamic and fast-paced environment where she runs a $600M portfolio and examines new pursuits. Constantly pursuing improvement and growth, she seeks to affect change, build structure, add value, and advance output daily in all aspects of the business. Jordan is known for her complex problem-solving skills and resourcefulness. She leads teams to desired results on large horizontal developments. Fueled by enthusiasm and determination, Jordan is strategic and intentional in her management. She treats each unique asset and each investor dollar as her own.

Jordan has 12+ years of commercial real estate experience in Denver. Prior to joining Brue Baukol, she established an asset management platform for $2B AUM at McWhinney and was most notably involved in Denver Union Station. Jordan launched her career at Denver-based REIT, Black Creek. Her diverse background in underwriting, joint ventures, development, and project management serves her well in tackling the everyday challenges presented at BBCP.

She is involved in the ULI Women’s Leadership Initiative, Susan Stanton Leadership Academy, Junior Achievement Volunteer, Peace Corps Volunteer Nicaragua

Jordan holds a Master of Business Administration in Real Estate and Finance from the University of Colorado and a Bachelor of Arts in International Business and Spanish from Ohio Wesleyan University.

Raised in Boulder, Colorado, Jordan has stayed close to home and currently resides in Lafayette, Colorado with her husband, daughter, and dog. In her downtime, Jordan enjoys beach volleyball, reading, and gardening.

Jordan

Rick Woodruff

Rick’s early career (1964 to 1986) was with King Soopers, a division of Kroger. His final position at King Soopers was director of real estate. During this time he also served six years in the Navy aboard a Nuclear Fast Attack Submarine. From 1986 to 2012 Rick served as the CFO and COO at WW Reynolds. During that time he was also the CFO for Rincon Development and taught for 20+ years as an adjunct professor at the University of Colorado. He continues to be involved in helping students learn about their opportunities in Real Estate after they graduate. After Rick left WW Reynolds he served as CFO for the Urban Land Conservancy (two years), CFO for Boulder Creek Neighborhoods (four years) and currently is a Senior Fellow with the Urban Land Conservancy. Rick’s professional affiliations include NAIOP at the national level where he has served as Chair of the Tax and Finance Subcommittee, Capital Markets Forum Member and is one of the Research Governors. Rick’s involvement with NAIOP Colorado has been as a board member, finance chair and a lengthy involvement with the Legislative Affairs Committee. Rick earned his accounting degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder, his MBA from the University of Colorado at Denver, and completed the Harvard Advanced Management Development Program in Real Estate.

Rick

Episode 10 I Brendan Mulcahy and Bill Reynolds on Commitment to Community

In this episode of Icon Insights, ‘23 Leeds School of Business graduate Brendan Mulcahy dives deep into the career highlights of Boulder-based developer Bill Reynolds, the founder of  W.W. Reynolds Companies.

Brendan Mulcahy

Upon being honorably discharged from the United States Marines Corps, Brendan fulfilled a lifelong dream to move to Colorado to attend the University of Colorado-Boulder. He is a member of the Leeds School of Business graduating class of 2023, earning a BS-BA with an emphasis in Real Estate and Finance and was the recipient of the 1st ever Leeds Student Veteran Leadership Excellence Award. He now works as an AVP, Portfolio Manager with Independent Financial's Commercial Real Estate Lending team in Denver. Outside of Real Estate, he enjoys spending time outdoors and is an active member of Salute Colorado, The Denver Children's Foundation and Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Brendan Mulcahy

Bill Reynolds

Boulder native Bill Reynolds has the good fortune and health to ride his bike the long way every day to the W.W. Reynolds Companies offices in downtown Boulder.

He attended Boulder schools including Boulder High where he played David in Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town.” He was elected “Head Boy” in his senior year.

Bill graduated without distinction from the University of Colorado in 1960 with a B.S. in business. After college, he served his country as a naval officer for two years active duty aboard the USS Bennington (CVS20). He really enjoyed his shore leave in Hong Kong and Yokosuka.

He formed Reynolds and Company in 1966 after selling houses in Denver for Moore Realty. His company sold residential real estate in Aspen … between powder days and hanging out at the Red Onion.

Bill still owns his first development project, a 6,000 square foot plumbing warehouse, built in 1970. Over the ensuing years, the Reynolds Companies have been involved in developing and owning over 3 million square feet of commercial properties.

Currently the Reynolds properties in Downtown Boulder total 600,000 square feet and their management portfolio contains 3 million square feet and 440 tenants.

Bill has served his community as a member of the Board of Directors for the Boulder Chamber, the Boulder YMCA, and the Board of Trustees for the Boulder Community Hospital Foundation. He was a founding member of the Ƶ Real Estate Center and served as President of the Center as well as the first president of the University of Colorado Real Estate Foundation. Bill particularly enjoyed serving as vice-chair of Patty Limerick’s Center of the American West and remains on the Board of Directors. Currently he is a member of the Boards of Directors of the Neenan Companies and the Newton Running Company. Bill has been an active ULI member since 1977. Bill and The W.W. Reynolds Companies have been honored twice as NAIOP’s Colorado Chapter Developer of the Year and most recently, Bill was honored with NAIOP’s Lifetime Achievement President’s Award.

Bill is proud of the changes he’s made to Ft. Collins and his home city of Boulder. He smiles and feels good to see his developments being used profitably and enjoyably by others.

Bill and his wife of 48 years, Jane, and dog, Thomas Jefferson, reside in Boulder along with their three children and five grandchildren.

Bill Reynolds

Episode 11 I Kevin Knapp and Cliff Dinwiddie on a Career in Affordable Housing 

In this episode of Icon Insights, Kevin Knapp and Cliff Dinwiddie talk about careers in affordable housing.

Kevin Knapp

Kevin Knapp joined Ulysses Development Group in 2021 as the Vice President of Development. Prior to joining UDG, Kevin spent the previous 15 years in Boulder County developing affordable housing in both public and private sector roles. In his current role with UDG, Kevin is focused on the transit-oriented development of 152 affordable homes at the Harvest Hill project in Broomfield, CO among other affordable housing development pursuits. 

Kevin obtained an MBA from the University of Colorado Boulder, where he’s now an adjunct instructor and frequent guest lecturer within the real estate program at the Leeds School of Business. He also serves as a Board Member for Flatirons Habitat for Humanity, the Chair of the Boulder Junction Access District (BJAD) Parking Commission and as a Commissioner on the BJAD Transportation Demand Management Commission.

Kevin Headshot

Cliff Dinwiddie

Cliff Dinwiddie is an Underwriter at KeyBank Community Development Lending & Investment. In this role, he conducts new-deal credit and investment analysis, in assessing the materiality of transaction risk and modeling transaction return expectations for new Affordable Housing transactions. Before joining KeyBank, he attended the University of Colorado at Boulder where he received his BBA with a focus in real estate and management. 

Outside of commercial real estate, he sits on the board of advisors for the YMCA of Northern Colorado and continues to pursue opportunities for professional development. 

Cliff Headshot

Episode 12 I Craig Ferraro and Luke Burns on Developing In Ski Resort Communities

In this episode of Icon Insights, 2023 Leeds School of Business graduate Luke Burns speaks with longtime Colorado developer Craig Ferraro about how he carved out a career working in ski resort communities.

Craig Ferraro

Craig Ferraro is an adjunct professor in Real Estate, teaching in the graduate Real Estate Program at Leeds. He has taught Principles of Real Estate, lead the NAIOP competition and currently teaches a capstone case studies class. Craig was the recipient of the 2022 Kolb Teaching Fellowship for his work in revising the Masters of Real Estate curriculum as well as creation of a professional development workshop for MS students. Previously Craig was the Managing Partner at East West Partners, a real estate development firm with projects nationwide. Craig has held various positions including Chief Financial Officer, Director of Business Development, Vice President Finance, and Director of Marketing Services in industries ranging from hard rock mining to medical devices to ski resorts (yes, he doesn’t have a clue on what he wants to do). Craig has a BS degree in Accounting from University of Colorado and a MBA in Finance from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He is married to Kristi, also a Ƶ alumni, and has two sons who both graduated from the University of Colorado.

Craig Ferraro

Luke Burns

Luke Burns serves as Nineteen Blocks' Market Director for the Denver West region, tasked with developing the region's business strategy and cultivating key partnerships. He monitors transaction activity in the marketplace to identify notable trends in the capital markets, aligning them with Nineteen Blocks' investment strategy.

With an MBA from the University of Colorado Boulder and leadership experience in the US Coast Guard and emergency response, Luke possesses valuable skills to collaborate effectively with diverse stakeholders and navigate complex challenges in the dynamic field of CRE. Eager to connect with industry professionals who share his vision and values, Luke actively seeks new opportunities for growth and collaboration.

Luke Burns

Episode 13 I Danny Prosky and Brandon Strickland on The Future Of Healthcare Real Estate

In this episode of Icon Insights, ’20 Leeds School of Business graduate Brandon Strickland speaks with Danny Prosky, the president and chief executive officer of American Healthcare REIT, Inc.

Danny Prosky

Danny Prosky serves as the president and chief executive officer of American Healthcare REIT, Inc., as well as a member of its board of directors. He previously served as the president, chief operating officer and director of Griffin-American Healthcare REIT III and Griffin-American Healthcare REIT IV, and was a founder of American Healthcare Investors (“AHI”), the sponsor of both REITs.

American Healthcare REIT was formed of the merger between the two Griffin-American Healthcare REITs and the acquisition of AHI, which was the largest privately held healthcare real estate investment firm globally prior to the tri-party transaction that was consummated in October 2021.

Prosky previously served as president and chief operating officer of Griffin-American Healthcare REIT II, which merged in December 2014 with NorthStar Realty Finance Corp. (NYSE: NRF), now known as DigitalBridge (NYSE: DBRG) in a transaction valued at approximately $4 billion.

Prosky has spent more than 25 years of his professional career in the specialized field of healthcare real estate investment, where he has been responsible for more than $10 billion in transactions.

Prior to launching Griffin-American Healthcare REIT II in 2009 (then known as Grubb & Ellis Healthcare REIT II), Prosky served as executive vice president of Grubb & Ellis’ first healthcare REIT, now known as Healthcare Trust of America (NYSE: HTA), directly overseeing more than $1.5 billion in acquisitions for the company.

Previously, Prosky served in a variety of senior positions for 14 years with two publicly traded healthcare REITs, American Health Properties and HCP, now known as Healthpeak Properties (NYSE: PEAK), which acquired American Health Properties in 1999.

Prosky received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado and a master’s degree from Boston University. In October 2013, he was recognized as one of 16 “pioneers of healthcare real estate” by Real Estate Forum magazine.

Danny Prosky

Brandon Strickland

Brandon Strickland is born and raised in Orange County, California. He attended Foothill High School in Tustin, California and played water polo. Following in the footsteps of his older brother, he attended University of Colorado, Boulder, initially planning to study electrical engineering. Brandon transferred to the Leeds School of Business during his freshmen year and studied finance and accounting. During his time at Ƶ Boulder, he participated in two real estate internships at American Healthcare Investors and Mass Equities. Brandon graduated from the University of Colorado in 2020, and began working as a credit analyst and then a junior underwriter with a regional bank. In 2022, he was called back to work with American Healthcare Investors with a full-time management position. In his free time, Brandon enjoys all forms of motorsport racing and golfing with friends. Sko Buffs. 

Brandon Strickland