May 27, 2022

My three-year tenure as Chair of ULI Minnesota is nearing its end after. Suffice it to say, few things went as I thought they might.

In October 2019, I submitted to you that many things were going well for ULI MN—glowing press coverage, thriving programs, and record membership numbers. But our challenges—which I always choose to frame as opportunities—were not insignificant: diversity and inclusion efforts were numerous but much more was needed, our membership was rapidly aging, and financial constraints were increasing.

I wish I could report that we solved these challenges during my tenure. We did not.

Among the many consequences of Covid, I was unable to do the one thing that made me the most excited about serving as Chair: spending time meeting with and listening to members and stakeholders. I will always miss not having had the opportunity to share the real time progress we were making and to enlist your help and support.

In fact, as Covid-19 persists and we mark the tragic anniversary of George Floyd’s murder, the progress we did make could easily be overlooked. The past few years has taught us all that good is not good enough when it comes to addressing systemic racism, pursuing equity, and ensuring ULI MN and all other institutions are places where everyone is able to achieve a sense of belonging.

Fully aware that so much more needs to be done, I remain proud of what we were able to accomplish over the past three years.

First, we assured a robust future for ULI MN by hiring our new Executive Director, Stephanie Brown. Stephanie is and has been an enormous champion for issues surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion. She is a thought leader in affordable housing, which is a crisis facing virtually every major US metro area, including our own. Her energy and ideas can carry ULI MN to new and exciting heights.

Second, we convened a committee to study the variety of ways in which ULI MN could both itself become a more diverse and inclusive entity and help real estate evolve into a more diverse and equitable industry. The subcommittee made a host of thoughtful recommendations to our local leadership, all of which were heartily adopted. The work of executing on these recommendations is in its infancy, but much has already been done.

For example, ascending into leadership positions within ULI MN, including onto the Management Committee, was once a mysterious process. Going forward, leadership positions will be advertised to membership with transparency around the roles, responsibilities, and qualifications desired. The leaders of this great organization will increasingly reflect the diverse and dynamic communities within which we live and serve — starting with our incoming Chair, Lynette Dumalag.

Lynette and I first bonded as new parents attending the Young American Leaders Program at Harvard University in 2016. What began as conversations about the joys and pitfalls of being a new parent grew into ones about shared prosperity and cross-sector collaboration. I knew then that Lynette was a star in our community whose voice needed to be heard and influence followed.

A veteran of commercial real estate brokerage—a colleague across the aisle at Jones Lang Lasalle—and a newly elected St. Louis Park City Councilmember, Lynette embodies cross-sector collaboration. She brings a wealth of experience and perspective that will be an asset to ULI MN’s continued growth and prosperity.

As we reemerge to tackle the issues of our time, I can think of no one better positioned or more capable than Lynette to help ULI MN and all of us create a more diverse and equitable future.

While I will no longer be serving as Chair, I am eager to continue to serve as a member of the Management Committee and as the Chair of the Governance Committee. I am even more excited to continue in these roles alongside of Lynette and the many other talented and passionate members of ULI MN. I am grateful to have been entrusted with the leadership of ULI MN during a time of incessant uncertainty and am equally eager to partner with Lynette and future leaders of ULI MN to ensure our shared prosperity into the future.

Jeremy R. Jacobs