vol. XX no. 2
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No ivory tower, Georgia State sits smack at the crossroads of downtown
Atlanta, a vital participant in the revitalization of the inner city.
“Georgia State has led by example,” says Steve Massell, president of
Massell Commercial Real Estate. “The university’s tremendous growth in
the downtown area has solidified the city’s center.”
Robinson’s Department of Real Estate, the largest free-standing real
estate program in the United States, has become part of the fabric of
the city’s real estate community. “Real learning happens when you bring
together the wisdom of the street with that of academia,” says
department Chair Julian Diaz III.
To nurture that interaction, the department founded the Honorary Board
in 2006, a creative network for professionals and academics. The idea
arose in a conversation about fundraising between Diaz, himself a
graduate of the department, and Mitchell Brannen, his former classmate
and now CEO of NAI Brannen Goddard. Brannen wanted a more meaningful
way to connect with the department beyond writing a check. The idea the
two developed was to form a board of real estate professionals who for
$1,000 would meet twice yearly, participate in department programs,
receive recognition, and have a direct conduit to academic resources.
The group is limited to 100 of the most influential real estate
professionals in Atlanta.
“The Honorary Board brings the relationship model of the business
world—rapport, connections, and access—into the halls of our
department,” says Diaz. It also offers board members a chance to give
back to the field by teaching and working with students in a department
with an undergraduate program ranked among the Top 15 by U.S. News and
World Report. Moreover, members expand their professional
circles by interacting with real estate movers and shakers ranging from
brokers and developers to bankers and lawyers.
Paul Martin, Managing Director at Premier Atlanta Mortgage Company,
finds that his Honorary Board membership provides, “a great opportunity
for maintaining relationships and deal making. There is a lot of market
intelligence from people who are the front line of real estate, so to
speak. It’s stimulating to be in the room.”
Darlene Hawksley, director of business development for LCG, agrees.
“Being a part of the group feels like having your thumb on the pulse of
real estate in Atlanta,” she says. “It’s an opportunity to meet and
have substantive conversations with people in the field who have
reached a level of accomplishment.”
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