The Goldie Initiative in Philadelphia
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CONTACTS: Megan Abraham, mabraham@gbwmi.org, (847) 883-9952
Traci Failla, tfailla@taylorjohnson.com, (312) 267-4516
The Goldie Initiative® Expands Mentorship and Scholarship Program to U.S. Northeast Region
Organization launches programming with East Coast in-person events to support leadership growth of high-potential women in commercial real estate
CHICAGO (Feb. 13, 2024) — The Goldie B. Wolfe Miller Women Leaders in Real Estate Initiative (The Goldie Initiative®), the country’s top nonprofit organization focused on preparing women for senior leadership roles in all sectors of commercial real estate, today announced the formal expansion of its mentorship and scholarship program in the U.S. Northeast region. With the goal of increasing opportunities for high-potential female leaders to forge connections with industry professionals in influential East Coast markets, the organization kicked off its programmatic expansion with events in New York City and Philadelphia last week, which drew more than 250 current senior and future leaders in commercial real estate.
Named for Goldie B. Wolfe Miller, an industry legend and female pioneer in the field of commercial real estate brokerage who established the organization nearly 20 years ago in the Midwest, The Goldie Initiative provides scholarships, mentoring, networking and skills development for women pursuing real estate-focused graduate studies in business, law, architecture and design, and management. The current group of Goldie Scholars, as they are known, are currently enrolled in programs at nearly 20 universities nationwide, including several top schools in the Northeast.
The Goldie Initiative at Columbia University
“Top talent is not defined by geography, and over the years, we’ve broadened the reach of our program with Goldie Scholars and a growing network of former scholars and mentors based in different markets nationwide,” said Megan Abraham, chief executive officer of The Goldie Initiative. “Because many of our alumnae and mentors are located in the Northeast, it makes sense for us to formalize our presence there with in-person programming that enhances our opportunities to support the next generation of female leaders in our industry, following the lead of our Goldie Scholars program, which has already expanded to graduate institutions outside of the Midwest.”
To officially launch its program in the Northeast, The Goldie Initiative partnered with prestigious graduate schools to present panels of industry leaders discussing career development in commercial real estate. While Goldie Scholars are exclusively women, Goldie Initiative mentors include several men, and the events were open to men and women. Events took place in Philadelphia on Tues., Feb. 6; at Columbia University on Wed., Feb. 7; and at NYU on Thurs., Feb. 8.
“The Goldie Initiative stands out as the only organization dedicated solely to elevating women to leadership positions in commercial real estate, something that is critical in our industry not just to address lack of diversity in the C-suite, but also because studies show that companies with women in high-level positions perform better in a variety of meaningful metrics than those without,” said Katie Kazas, The Goldie Initiative board president and managing director – capital markets at Longfellow Real Estate Partners LLC. “Being able to bring Goldie Initiative programming to the Northeast will undoubtably have an impact on opportunities for future senior leaders studying and working in East Coast markets.”
In April 2024, The Goldie Initiative will return to the Northeast region with networking events focused on the Boston community.
For more information about The Goldie Initiative and how to support its mission, please visit www.goldieinitiative.org.
The Goldie Initiative at New York University
About The Goldie Initiative:
The Goldie Initiative is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to preparing high-potential women for senior leadership roles in commercial real estate. Founded by Goldie B. Wolfe Miller in 2007, the organization provides scholarship support for graduate studies, mentorship and networking opportunities. Its merit-based Goldie Scholars program has provided funding, mentorship and career development support to more than 200 graduate students in more than 20 schools across the country. For more information, please visit www.goldieinitiative.org.
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Editors:
For more information or to schedule an interview, contact Traci Failla, tfailla@taylorjohnson.com, (312) 267-4516.
Image captions:
- The Goldie Initiative in Philadelphia: The Goldie Initiative launched its programmatic expansion in the Northeast region with a recruitment and networking event on Tues., Feb. 6, in Philadelphia, hosted by developer Pennrose. Pictured left to right are Morgan Marinovich, associate portfolio manager at EQT Exeter; Janay Hull, Goldie Scholar alumna and associate developer at Pennrose; Kippy Donovan, senior analyst, debt & structured finance, at Newmark; and Naomi Kamau, current Goldie Scholar at University of Pennsylvania’s Stuart Weitzman School of Design. (Photo credit: Megan Abraham)
- The Goldie Initiative at Columbia University: Columbia Business School hosted an event for The Goldie Initiative on Wed., Feb. 7, attended by the school’s current students and alumni. Among those were (left to right, front row) Minta Kay, The Goldie Initiative mentor, Columbia Business School alumna and partner at Goodwin Procter LLP; Katy Lepeturin, current Goldie Scholar at Columbia Business School; Morgan Reuther, current Goldie Scholar at Columbia University and project manager at L+M Development Partners LLC; (left to right, back row) Alison Bernstein, Columbia Business School alumna and founder at Starter Ventures; and Megan Abraham, CEO of The Goldie Initiative. (Photo credit: Megan Abraham)
- The Goldie Initiative at NYU: The NYU Stern School of Business in New York hosted a recruitment and networking event for The Goldie Initiative on Thurs., Feb. 8. Pictured left to right are Melissa Farrell, head of U.S. debt originations at PGIM Real Estate and NYU alumna; Robert D. Naso, managing partner and head of asset management at BGO and NYU alumnus; Arianna Wendt, Goldie Scholar alumna from NYU and associate developer at Pennrose; Megan Abraham, CEO of The Goldie Initiative; Lisa Flicker, managing partner and head of real estate at Jackson Lucas; Mayra Maisch, managing director, head of U.S. construction value-add portfolio at BGO and NYU alumna; Charlotte Du, Goldie alumna from University of Wisconsin and senior associate, alternatives and strategic transactions at Nuveen, a TIAA company; and Sam Chandan, founding director at Chen Institute for Global Real Estate Finance and professor of finance at NYU Stern School of Business. (Photo credit: Megan Abraham)