Young Leaders Group
Real estate lost a generation - the executives who would now be in their early 40s - when the industry crashed in the early 1990s. Most entry-level and middle managers left the industry for good and 15 years later, the industry now faces a leadership succession challenge, as does ULI.
Despite losing half of our members 15 years ago, ULI now has over three times that number, topping 40,000 members today. Even more important than ULI's overall growth, we have been growing younger, increasing the number of members under 35 years of age by 45 percent in the last three years.
The reason behind ULI's explosive increase in younger members is the direct result of an inclusivity initiative launched four years ago - the Young Leader Groups (YLGs). However, the key to its success is for ULI to give younger members free reign to design the programming they want and to fill the leadership positions to make it happen.
The first YLG started in Houston in 2001 and now are in almost every District Council in North America. Young Leaders are any persons who are under the age of 35. The success of YLG programs has been tremendous. Young Leaders are much more engaged in ULI locally and nationally. ULI has integrated many YL programs into the annual Fall Meeting. Here you will find information that will help you start a YLG, contact YLG chairs, find out information on Partnership Forums, review monthly YLG Chair conference calls, and give you a general glimpse at what other YLGs are doing.
Young Leader Groups in Action
ULI has seven priority areas that guide its work. Those priority areas include Sustainability/Climate Change, Housing, Infrastructure, Placemaking/Public Realm, Places of Commerce, Capital Markets/Finance, and Development at the Edge. ULI Boston's Young Leader Group has formed a committee around ULI's Sustainability/Climate change priority and is striving to find ways to green their careers, their employers, their District Council, and more. The sustainability committee’s general goals are to increase awareness around incorporating the principles of sustainability into real estate development. The committee will focus on educating real estate professionals on the practice of sustainability, proof of value, new regulations/governmental affairs affecting sustainable development, green construction materials and systems, and other relevant subjects.
Copies of their committee's business plan, membership recruitment letters, and a YLG "About Us" flyer are linked below. If you'd like more information on ULI Boston's YLG or the sustainability committee, contact Boston@uli.org.