July 18, 2024

Around this time two short years ago, our Immediate Past Chair, Lynette Dumalag posed a question to be answered during her tenure in her “Letter to Members”: Do I belong here (within this industry) and do I belong in this place? Under Lynette’s steadfast and decisive leadership, during times of change and discomfort, I believe the ULI Minnesota leadership team can comfortably say we have made amazing strides, and we are on the right path to hearing our members answer that question with a resounding, “Yes, this is a place I belong!”

Over the past few years, Lynette has been an extraordinary leader and guided our organization through some meaningful change (i.e., initiating a thorough hiring process of a new Executive Director for ULI Minnesota, Megan Flanagan, and formalizing ULI Minnesota’s governance structure), which has set our District Council on a path of more transparency and more importantly, the opportunity for more intentional programming, member engagement, and member leadership roles within ULI Minnesota.

With all that intentional work serving as the foundation as I take the baton, the question I believe we are now charged with answering is, “Where may I find opportunity and engagement within ULI Minnesota?” 

As you may well know, across the globe, ULI is intentionally multi-disciplinary and continues to maintain the title of “industry thought leader” on most aspects of the built environment. With ULI’s mission-based approach at its core, ULI’s intentional programming, online knowledge center, networking opportunities, and advisory services are anchored in the commitment to build equitable, thriving, and sustainable communities.

Within our District Council, a core focus of mine as your Chair of ULI Minnesota will be to foster even more opportunities for member engagement – especially ULI Minnesota’s YLG, NEXT and REDI alumni cohorts – and continue to follow the path so many of ULI Minnesota’s past leaders have charted before me. The past four years revealed to us, and we heard loud and clear, ULI Minnesota’s members are looking for more opportunities to learn, connect, and engage. ULI Minnesota’s new Programs Committee is working diligently to provide all of us various levels of programming in the year ahead, which will include a bike tour, a panel discussion around cannabis, and a Local Product Council day, just to name a few. You, our members, are our north star and on behalf of ULI Minnesota’s Management Committee, I want to assure you we plan to be locked in on that north star – so get ready, there are exciting opportunities ahead for you to connect, engage, and to lead.

We could not have gotten here without the dedicated leadership of Lynette and our outgoing Management Committee members these last two years: Jeremy Jacobs, Jessie Houlihan, Ra’eesa Motala, Emily Goellner, Evan Doran, Grant Fernelius, and Cody Dietrich. Thank you for your service and contributions to our industry, our organization, and our community!

As your incoming Chair, I am honored to serve in this role at ULI Minnesota. I am grateful for being entrusted by my peers to not just have a seat at the table but to be in leadership and work alongside our talented incoming Executive Team members – Neil Reardon, Vice Chair; Alex Frank, Treasurer; Stuart Ackerberg, Chair of Mission Advancement, and Tom Strohm, Secretary.

I look forward to continuing this path of opportunity within ULI Minnesota alongside you in the year ahead.

In service,

Gabe Philibert
ULI Minnesota, Incoming Management Committee Chair
—
Managing Principal, President, The Lova Group