Crain’s Chicago Business invited Collete English Dixon, executive director of Marshall Bennett Institute of Real Estate, to author commentary for its Crain’s Forum on neighborhood vitality. The end result was a Crain’s op-ed that expands on how the built environment can advance equity, sustainability and resilience in communities.
Read the full article here: Crain’s Commentary.
Toni Preckwinkle, president of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, received the 2025 Civic Leadership Icon Award, and David Doig, president of Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives, was honored with the Community Development Leadership Award at the 24th Annual Real Estate Gala on Oct. 16.
A big thank you to all the generous sponsors and attendees of our 24th Annual Real Estate Gala, which raised $255,000 to help fund our programs and support our students!
A round of applause for our sponsors:
Equity Residential; CIBC, Chicago Title Insurance Company; FitzGerald; JAMES AND BRENDA GRUSECKI FAMILY FOUNDATION; Alison Young; Bridge; CBRE; Colliers; Conor Commercial Real Estate; Deloitte; Farpoint Development, Habitat; Hispanic Housing Development Corporation; JLL; JRG Capital Partners, LLC; Mayer Brown; Mid-America Real Estate; Q2; Ryan; Tully & Associates Ltd.; Valley Bank; Waterton; Wintrust Bank Chicago; ADREANI FAMILY FOUNDATION; Chicago Architecture Center; Chicago Association of REALTORS®; First Eagle Bank; Ginsberg Jacobs LLC; The Goldie Initiative: Goldie B. Wolfe Miller Women Leaders in Real Estate; Golub & Company; Spaceco; Becovic Management Group; Chicago Community Loan Fund; Graham Grady; and Tiffiny Higgins.
Collete English Dixon, executive director of Marshall Bennett Institute of Real Estate at Roosevelt University (MBIRE), has launched Brick, Grass (&) Steel, a podcast exploring how the built environment can support equitable, sustainable and resilient communities.
“From my days working in commercial real estate investment to my current role at the institute, I’ve seen firsthand that the built environment is never neutral.” said English Dixon. “Every decision about what gets built, where, and for whom shapes the fabric of our communities — impacting equity, sustainability and resilience. Experiencing this directly throughout my career inspired me to start this podcast.”
The series kicked off Monday, Sept. 22, with Eric Klinenberg, sociologist and New York University professor, whose groundbreaking book “Palaces for the People” examines how libraries, parks and other social infrastructure can strengthen democracy and reduce inequality. Klinenberg’s research and commentary have been featured widely in The New Yorker, The New York Times and other leading outlets.
New episodes are released biweekly, with a total of 10 episodes this season, each running 35–45 minutes (except for the 60-minute finale). Most episodes will spotlight a single guest, with one episode featuring a two-guest conversation. Confirmed participants include:
– Samuel Stein, urban planner and author of “Capital City”
– Richard Rothstein, author of “The Color of Law”
– Leah Rothstein and Richard Rothstein, co-authors of “Just Action”
– Dr. Robert D. Bullard, widely recognized as the father of environmental justice
– Nina Idemudia, CEO of Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT)
“In this first season, we’re reflecting where we’ve been and what can be improved,” English Dixon said. “We’re asking: What can we do better? Why are these conversations happening? Each episode offers a different lens on equity, sustainability and resilience in the built environment.”
Episodes will address how physical spaces influence survival and recovery in the face of climate change and natural disasters such as hurricanes and wildfire, as well as how redevelopment affects equitable rebuilding. The conversation also explores how inequities in communities were created and prolonged.
“Brick, Grass (&) Steel comes from a place of both urgency and hope,” English Dixon said. “Urgency, because the choices of the past still shape our world today — highways splitting neighborhoods, industries polluting without consequence, and disasters disproportionately affecting certain communities. And hope, because I have witnessed the impact that people, ideas and policy can have on reimagining our cities. Equity and resilience are within reach, but only if we confront the past honestly and take bold steps forward.”
Episodes are available on major platforms, including Spotify or Apple Music.
MBIRE Graduate Student Angela Azmitia is a Latina artist, affordable housing advocate and commercial real estate professional with an interest in high impact placemaking and equitable development. She was recently featured in REjournals as a CRE Future Leader. Read Angela’s story here.
Roxanne Garcia is a Latina innovator with a mission to redefine what it means to be a young woman of color in the fast-paced real estate world.
An MBIRE candidate, Roxanne is currently focused on community development. She leans into her undergraduate training in architecture and urban planning, as well as her professional experience working at MKB Architects, solving community needs and issues that matter most.
Roxanne is no stranger to community engagement, especially when it comes to repurposing a space to fit the needs of others. She has extensive experience designing and project managing over 40 projects across the Chicagoland area.
“I pivoted from architecture into community development because I care deeply about making a difference in underserved neighborhoods. As a South Side Chicago native, this is close to home. I am passionate about taking on projects that promote economic stability and give communities more access to fresh food, affordable housing, and more jobs.”
Roxanne is a Roosevelt Scholar with The Teresa and Hipolito Roldan Scholarship. In addition, she is a graduate assistant for the John Newman Real Estate Scholarship, a program that allows her to conduct various research tasks and assist advisory staff.
Roxanne knew pivoting into community development was the right choice for her when she took her very first class at MBIRE – Introduction to Real Estate. “We learned so much – it was really challenging, but also exciting to feel like I was getting all this experience right away. One of my favorite projects was a case study on an actual property, so it gave us all a taste of the real world of real estate.”
Roxanne is continuing her hands-on learning as a CapEx Analyst & ROI Redevelopment Intern at LivCor, a Blackstone Company. “LivCor’s passion is leaving people – and places – better than we found them. We do that by creating great places to live, work, and grow. It’s incredible to work in an environment that puts our residents at the center of everything we do.”
One day, Roxanne hopes to start a development firm of her own and re-invest in the Chicago community where she grew up.
While she still has one more year left in the program, Roxanne says she already feels like she has been given so many tools and resources, not to mention an incredible network of connections. “As a woman of color in commercial real estate, having a network of CRE leaders, and especially other women in the business, is important. It can help open doors. And I’ve gained that at MBIRE.”
When Wrigley McGuire scored a baseball scholarship to Chicago’s Roosevelt University, he knew he hit it out of the park. But, he says, his real winning play was selecting real estate as his major and pursuing his BSBA from Marshall Bennett Institute of Real Estate’s undergraduate program.
“My mother has worked in commercial real estate her whole career, so I grew up hearing her talk about work. I definitely had an interest in real estate, but what solidified my decision to study it at Roosevelt University was the great catalogue of courses offered,” said McGuire, a native of Tucson, Ariz.
He added, “And it was exciting to be studying CRE in a city like Chicago that is so well-known for commercial real estate. I absolutely love Chicago and had the best experience there.”
But when the Covid-19 pandemic hit during McGuire’s “ninth inning” – his final semester at Roosevelt University – he returned home to Tucson to complete his studies virtually.
McGuire said the robust program at MBIRE prepared him well for a future in the CRE industry, not only because of the classes, but also the relationships formed. “Roosevelt really sets you up for success.”
“One thing I appreciated was how my fantastic professors weren’t only teachers, but also active in the industry, with careers of their own, too,” he noted. “I couldn’t be doing what I am today without everything they taught me.”
One specific class that informed his career path was real estate finance. “Those finance classes and the real estate financial modeling I had the opportunity to do gave me the knowledge and experience to secure a job as a financial analyst with Raytheon Missiles & Defense.”
“Even though it’s not in the real estate industry, I’m keeping one foot in the door and will continue to do deals as a broker with Presidio Management. As of today, I have four commercial listings, including two mixed-use properties,” McGuire said.
“Real estate is the type of industry where the door is always open. There are so many ways to apply the knowledge you earn from a program like the one I graduated from at MBIRE. I am very grateful for all I learned, the connections I made – everything.”
There is still time to apply for the Fall 2022 semester! Click here to apply as an undergraduate. Click here to apply to the Master’s in Real Estate, MSRE, program.
Scholarship applications are due July 15. Click here to learn about and apply for scholarships for our undergraduate, graduate or certificate programs.
For more information, contact Collete English Dixon, executive director of Marshall Bennett Institute of Real Estate at cenglishdixon@roosevelt.edu or 312-341-3767.
Marshall Bennett Institute of Real Estate (MBIRE) won first place in the Graduate Division of the 12th annual Harold E. Eisenberg Foundation Real Estate Challenge, which culminated with final presentations on Saturday, April 23, at Wintrust, 231 S. LaSalle St. in Chicago.
The challenge tasked students with creating a redevelopment plan for Johnny’s IceHouse East, the 51,500-square-foot former home of the Chicago Blackhawks’ practice rink located at 1350 W. Madison St. in the heart of Chicago’s West Loop neighborhood.
MBIRE was among five graduate-level teams from universities across the country to participate in the program. As the grand prize winner, MBIRE was awarded $5,000 in scholarships, made possible by Wintrust Commercial Real Estate, toward its real estate program.
The winning MBIRE proposal, The Capsule, was presented by the school’s Windy City Development team and calls for transforming the building to create a lobby, 41-vehicle parking lot, 2,000-square-foot tech school and 6,000-square-foot bitcoin mining space on the first floor; a 16,800-square-foot e-gaming arena and 3,200-square-foot restaurant on the second floor; and additional space for e-gaming stations and dining on the third-floor mezzanine. The total project cost of The Capsule is $25.9 million.
MBIRE’s Windy City Development team included Trace McGuire (team lead), Brett Berlin, Leila Gathogo Win, Tyler Hanson, Alexandra Martello, Tatiana Nagornova, Michael Penicnak, Pamela Sánchez Muñoz, Jennifer Warfield and Ryan Watt.
“I’m incredibly proud of our team,” said Jon Dennis of UrbanStreet Group, who along with Andrew Savoy of CA Ventures, serve as adjunct professors at MBIRE and advisers for the team. “They performed a full market analysis to repurpose this building in a way that is exciting and forward-thinking. This competition gave them a taste of what it’s like to be a developer.”
According to the Eisenberg Foundation, the winning plan is the most economically viable and complementary to the unique uses surrounding the site. The Real Estate Challenge commences early in the year and culminates in April, when the student teams’ presentations are judged by a panel of professionals.
Supporters of the 2022 Challenge included Wintrust Commercial Real Estate, Bradford Allen and Johnny’s Icehouse.
Congratulations to student Irene Papierek, Real Estate (MSRE), and General Manager at Lillibridge Healthcare Services, for being named the CCIM Foundation Goldie Scholarship award recipient for 2019-20.
The CCIM Foundation funded scholarship is limited to women studying commercial real estate at one of its CCIM University Fast Track partner universities, including Roosevelt University. Goldie Scholars attending one of these partner universities were invited to submit an application to be considered as the inaugural CCIM Foundation Goldie Scholar. The CCIM Foundation board of directors reviewed the applicant pool and selected the recipient.
In addition to receiving special recognition and scholarship funds earmarked for the CCIM Foundation Goldie Scholar, Irene will receive other benefits including a fee waiver/course vouch to attend course requirements for a Fast Track CCIM Designation and assistance in the process of earning the designation of Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM).
Read the full newsletter here.
MSRE student Irene Papierek
Congratulations to Marlon Taylor who recieved a scholarship recipient from the SIOR Foundation. Taylor is a 2020- MSRE candidate at the Marshall Bennett Institute of Real Estate. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Some of his key projects include a Naval Apartment complex (Norfolk, VA), the New Malcolm X College Campus (Chicago, IL), the Holiday Inn Disney Springs Hotel (Orlando, FL) and over 35 AMC Movie Theatre renovations across the nation.
Currently, Mr. Taylor serves as a Development Consultant for The Gettys Group where he is focused on maximizing the value of real estate investments through his expertise in Project Management, Development and Consulting.
Since 1984, the SIOR Chicago chapter has provided scholarships to recognize and reward outstanding academic performance in businesses and real estate course. In addition to education funding, scholarship recipients are provided access to career opportunities and internship programs available within the Chicago real estate community.
