2023 Winter Issue - 20

develop
Pathways to Inclusion
Offers Introduction to
ULI Conferences
ULI welcomed its latest class
of Pathways to Inclusion
participants to the 2022 Fall
Meeting in Dallas in October.
Now in its ninth year, Pathways
to Inclusion (PTI) was created as
a way to bring more Black, Indigenous,
and people of color (BIPOC)
individuals to ULI's largest conferences
and ultimately promote
the advancement of BIPOC real
estate and land use professionals
in their careers and as leaders in
the industry.
" I'm really excited to see ULI
lean into growing our BIPOC membership,
being intentional about
how they're doing it, and making
sure thought leadership includes
leaders of color who can share
their experiences and have candid
conversations around the industry
and what we can do to improve it, "
says Natasha Powell Walker, ULI's
director of diversity, equity, and
inclusion (DEI).
In partnership with ULI headquarters,
ULI Dallas-Fort Worth
delivered the PTI program to a
class of 25 professionals at the ULI
Fall Meeting in Dallas. Individuals
who are selected as members of a
cohort for host cities at the Spring
and Fall Meetings receive invitations
to special programming at
the event, work with ULI " navigators "
who serve as a resource, and
receive a free one-year ULI membership
afterward. The program
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WINTER 2023
also provides a suggested track
of programming at the meeting to
direct the participants toward sessions
that focus on their interests.
ULI Dallas-Fort Worth introduced
some changes for its PTI cohort.
" We have an umbrella approach
that we're calling the Champions of
Change, " says Christopher Morris,
a vice president with Edge Realty
Capital Markets in Dallas and DEI
chair at ULI Dallas-Fort Worth. The
Champions of Change includes
individuals from all four pillars of
the DEI committee program: PTI,
the Women's Leadership Initiative,
NEXT, and the Young Leaders
Group. " That allows us to structure
activities that include all groups
while keeping each vertical separate
so that if we want to do an
event or a networking opportunity
within each vertical, we can still do
this, " he says.
The Fall Meeting was the first
major event for the Dallas cohort,
with activities that included invitations
to a curated tour, networking
receptions, and a DEI/BIPOC
dinner. " This dinner specifically is
an opportunity for the Pathways
to Inclusion members to network
with other developers that are on
Advisory Services panels or product
councils, and really get to know
how ULI has helped them along
the way and how ULI could help
the Pathways to Inclusion members, "
says Powell Walker.
PTI also provides a group of likeminded
people and shared interests
that makes it easier to connect
with people. " I have a tough time
networking, and I tend to gravitate
to people in the group that help to
pull me along, " says Whys Childs
II, a project architect with Halff
Associates Inc. in McKinney, Texas.
" Having a person who opens the
door and says, 'Step over here.
This is a person that you should
know,' has been really great. "
The PTI programming is continuing
to evolve with more programming
and opportunities for the
cohorts to come together and collaborate
and connect. " We're trying
to be really intentional about what
they are experiencing after the
conference. So, it's not just about
them attending the conference.
It's about how do they engage
after the conference, " says Powell
Walker.
Participants go through an
application process, and the Dallas
cohort included a wide range of
real estate professionals at different
stages of their careers from
both the public and private sectors.
The conference exposed them
to a lot of different things. Some
were able to attend product councils
as guests, and they were able
to meet people they normally do
not have access to, notes Morris.
Going forward, ULI Dallas-Fort
Worth plans to structure a program
of ongoing events that allow participants
in Champions of Change
to advance their careers and seek
opportunities for leadership in ULI.
" They are all really excited to see
what the next 12 months holds for
them, " he adds.
BETH MATTSON-TEIG is a freelance business
writer and editor based in Minneapolis.
2023 Winter Issue

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