Kellogg Real Estate Alumni Network (KREAN)

Last year the Kellogg Real Estate Alumni Network reinforced its commitment to help cultivate relationships among students, alumni and the broader real estate community, and develop students into ethical future leaders in the real estate profession.

The KREAN Board includes Mirela Gabrovska ’98 – president, Casey Wendeln ’09 – secretary, Denise Akason ’92, Mike Travalini ’09, Brian Driesse ’06, Yale Dieckmann ’06, Jonathan Glick ’04, Phillip Joseph ’97, John Poe ’01, Rajen Shastri ’11 and David Burden ’00. New members of the board include Mike Higgins ’11, Matt Havey ’13, Ari Parritz ’16 and Kevin Newell ’11.

In January 2017, Kellogg and The Guthrie Center co-hosted the 10th annual Distinguished Alumni Panel. The panel was moderated by Michele Conn ’03, and the topic focused on real estate industry disruptors. The panel included Badal Shah ’12, CEO of TurboAppeal; Mike Travalini ’09, president of SMS Assist – Residentia and Ben Weprin ’10, CEO of AJ Capital Partners. The 2018 CEOs and Presidents Panel was held on Jan. 26 and moderated by Edgar Alvarado ’87, former group head of real estate equity at Allstate Investments. The event featured C. Kevin Shannahan, CEO of Hines Midwest and Southeast; Doug Kiersey ’02, president of Dermody Properties; Laurie Price, president of CDI Construction; and Mark Rose, chairman and CEO of Avison Young.

INSEAD won the fourth annual Kellogg Real Estate Venture Competition. Students and alumni are encouraged to attend the competition and conference, which is hosted by The Guthrie Center in partnership with the Kellogg Innovation and Entrepreneurship Initiative. The conference included panel discussions with executives of leading real estate firms and a keynote speech given by Sandeep Manthrani, CEO of General Growth Properties, the second-largest mall owner in the country.

In May, KREAN hosted a Deal Talk discussion with over 30 students and alumni joining executives from JDL Development, Akara Partners and Level Office who traded “war stories” highlighting particularly complex or interesting deals.

Northwestern continues to attract the most ambitious young real estate professionals in the country, and in 2017 and 2018 multiple Kellogg students earned scholarships from The Society of Industrial and Office Realtors and the Goldie Initiative. Additionally, Northwestern University undergraduates recently launched the Undergraduate Real Estate Club; KREAN is currently evaluating how to best support this new pool of talent.

The Kellogg Real Estate Alumni Network thanks its friends and members for contributing to the personal and professional development of students and fellow alumni. Alumni from Northwestern University, the Kellogg School and Pritzker School of Law are encouraged to attend events and find opportunities to contribute. The team is actively seeking candidates for board leadership positions; please reach out to northwesternrealestate@ gmail.com to learn more.