Denise Akason
Denise Akason

MANAGEMENT & STRATEGY; REAL ESTATE PROGRAM
Research Associate of Real Estate Program
Associate Director of Real Estate Program
Lecturer of Real Estate

Print Overview
Denise Akason is the Associate Director of the Real Estate Program and a Lecturer of Real Estate at the Kellogg School of Management. She is the co-instructor of the Kellogg-Booth Real Estate Challenge Lab. Denise also created a half-credit course in Sustainable Real Estate Development, which she taught at Kellogg, and now is a part of the Real Estate Development course.

Prior to Kellogg, Denise had been working in the real estate industry for over 20 years. She began her career as a commercial office broker. She was then a commercial real estate lending officer for Mitsubishi Trust. After receiving her master’s degree, she spent 8 years in real estate and litigation consulting with PricewaterhouseCoopers and Arthur Andersen. Denise’s experience has given her the opportunity to deal with a wide variety of property types and financial and market conditions. She also spent several years in residential brokerage and development in the Chicago area.

Denise is a member of the Urban Land Institute, the US Green Building Council, and serves on the Board of the Kellogg Real Estate Alumni Club.. She is a LEED Green Associate, and a licensed real estate broker.

Denise received her Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and psychology from the University of Michigan, and her MBA from Kellogg.

Area of Expertise


Real Estate
  • Recent Media Coverage

    National Real Estate Investor: Doubling Down on Green

    Medill Reports: Mario Greco Group tells clients why their houses aren't selling

    GreenSpaceToday.com: The Winthrop Club: Reaching New Heights for Eco-Conscious Residents

    See all Kellogg in the Media
Print Vita
 
Print Research
Cases
Akason, Denise and Helee Hillman. 2012. Reawakening the World’s Most Famous Office Building: Economics behind a Groundbreaking Energy Efficiency Retrofit. Case 5-112-001 (KEL669).
Akason, DeniseWilliam Bennett and Franco Famularo. 2011. Hotel Perennial. Case 5-410-757 (KEL518).
Akason, DeniseWilliam Bennett and Louis Merlini. 2009. Financial and Environmental Impact Analysis of Sustainable Retrofitting. Case 5-409-752 (KEL669).

 
Print Teaching
Full-Time / Part-Time MBA
Booth-Kellogg Challenge Lab (REAL-450-0)

This course counts toward the following majors: Real Estate

The Challenge is a practicum for students interested in applying and enhancing skills in real estate market research, financial analysis, and operations. In this course, students apply classroom concepts to real estate assets in which they analyze data to research opportunities, value assets, and recommend investment, development, and operating strategies. Working in a group, students utilize and expand upon core courses in real estate finance and investments. The project, pre-approved by the faculty instructors, will touch many aspects of real estate finance and management.