2024 Spring Issue of Urban Land - 30

INSIDE THE ULI FOUNDATION
Members Empower ULI's Mission at
the Local Level through Gifts to
District Councils
RON NYREN
Donations to the ULI Foundation
support a wide variety of programs,
initiatives, and groups, and among
the options, donors may choose
to direct their gifts to their local
ULI District Council. Three donors
who have made recent substantial
contributions to their respective
District Councils-Jack Cohen, Marc
Pollack, and Greg West-highlight
the impact individuals can have on
their local communities. Their gifts,
ranging from $15,000 to $100,000,
enable their local District Councils
to advance ULI's mission priorities
and carry out community outreach,
all while helping members build relationships
and share educational and
other resources in their area.
For all three donors, their contributions
grew out of their engagement
with their District Councils. Marc
Pollack, co-founder, senior adviser,
and chairman emeritus of RangeWater,
says that although he has been
active in ULI for the better part of
25 years, most of his involvement
had long been at the national level.
Five years ago, however, he stepped
back from running RangeWater and
became more involved locally, serving
on ULI Atlanta's Livable Communities
Council and ultimately chairing
ULI Atlanta for two years.
" ULI has been good to me in
terms of exposure and education
and networking, both nationally and
locally, " Pollack says. " I have a new
passion for increasing the number of
high-quality real estate professionals
in the Atlanta ecosystem. " Pollack
also appreciates ULI's efforts to
enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion
in the real estate industry and
hopes that his gift will help improve
access to the resources, educational
opportunities, and networking that
he drew on. " That's where I'd like to
have the greatest impact, " he says.
Jack Cohen, head of CRE Originations
at ArrowMark Partners, moved
in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic
from Chicago to Colorado,
where he met Rodney Milton, the
new executive director of ULI Colorado.
" Rodney has a background as
... an educator and an urban planner,
and he's bringing new ideas, " Cohen
says. " I wanted to make a contribution
that would back his ideas. "
Impressed by ULI Colorado offerings
such as UrbanPlan and the Real
Estate Diversity Initiative, Cohen
hopes his contribution can also help
with issues particular to Colorado.
" Mountain towns have a big challenge
providing workforce housing, "
he says. " It will take time for public/
private partnerships to develop the
best solutions, and I'm hopeful that
ULI Colorado will help them make
progress. " He also notes that today's
high interest rates pose a challenge
for a real estate industry that has
grown accustomed to falling interest
rates and capitalization rates for the
past 30 years. " District Councils can
provide capital markets training for
people to retool. "
Greg West, chief executive officer
of ZOM Living, was involved in ULI
Southeast Florida/Caribbean for
more than 20 years and served as its
District Council chair for three years.
Marc Pollack
Jack Cohen
30
URBAN LAND SPRIING 202 4
Greg West
2024 Spring Issue of Urban Land

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