Steers Center Names Kelly Sewell Nagel Head of Real Estate
Announcements
Steers Center Newsletter — Fall 2026
Message from the Executive Director
As we begin a new academic year and welcome back all our students, there is tremendous energy and momentum across the Steers Center for Global Real Assets.
Building on a Strong Foundation
At the heart of our success is the extraordinary community of faculty, students, alumni, and industry partners who have helped build and strengthen the center programming over the years. Each new class has the opportunity to build on that foundation, raise the bar, and leave the Steers Center even stronger for those who follow.
We are welcoming a new class of talented students and faculty, continuing to strengthen our curriculum, and creating new opportunities for students to learn directly from leaders across the global real assets industry. We are proud of how far the Steers Center has come, and even more excited about where we are headed.
Welcoming a New Class and New Faculty
This fall, we welcomed 31 new students to our M.S. in Global Real Assets program, including our first class of Steers Scholars. They bring diverse experiences, perspectives, and aspirations to the program, and we look forward to watching them grow as the next generation of real asset leaders.
We are also excited to welcome Kelly Nagel, professor of the practice and head of real estate, and Larry Palumbo (B’00), Kalsi Teaching Professor, to the Steers Center. Their experience and expertise will further strengthen our academic offerings and expand the ways in which our students engage with the industry.
At the same time, we continue to evolve our curriculum to ensure that our students are prepared for a rapidly changing industry.
Learning Beyond the Classroom
One of the defining characteristics of the Steers Center is our commitment to experiential learning and engagement with the industry. This semester, our students will have numerous opportunities to put their knowledge into practice and build relationships with industry leaders.
Our students will compete in the McDonough Real Assets Case Competition, along with the Annual MBA National Real Estate Challenge hosted by the University of Texas. Through the Georgetown University Real Estate Alliance (GUREA) mentorship program, students will connect with alumni who can provide guidance, perspective, and career support. Our real estate and real asset courses will provide hands-on exposure to real-world investment challenges, while career treks to New York City and Boston will give students the opportunity to meet with leading firms and professionals across the industry.
These experiences are an important part of what makes the Steers Center distinctive. Our goal is not simply to educate students about real assets, but to prepare them to lead in an increasingly complex and rapidly evolving global industry.
Building the Future Together
I’m also excited to share that we’ll be hosting our Second Annual Steers Center Benefit on Thursday, Nov. 19, at the New York Yacht Club. In just one year, the benefit has already become an important event for the Steers Center, bringing together alumni, faculty, students, and friends of the center for an evening of connection and celebration. This year, we’re honored to celebrate Gil Tenzer (B’84), with a special conversation to follow featuring Georgetown’s new president, Eduardo M. Peñalver. Register now on our website.
As we look ahead to the semester, we are grateful for the continued engagement, mentorship, and generosity of our alumni and industry partners. Your involvement provides our students with opportunities that extend well beyond the classroom and plays a vital role in the continued growth and success of the Steers Center.
Thank you for being part of our community and for helping us build something that will serve Georgetown students and the global real assets industry for generations to come.
We wish you all a productive and rewarding fall.
Tim Reardon
Executive Director, Steer Center for Global Real Assets
Steers Center Updates
Faculty News
Lawrence Palumbo (B’00) Returns to Georgetown as Steers Center Faculty
Adjunct Professor Jon Siegel recognized in The Daily Record’s MD500 in Commercial Real Estate
Georgetown’s Bet on Global Real Assets
Register Now for the Second Annual Steers Center Benefit
Join us for an evening of cocktails, food, and conversation as we celebrate the Georgetown real assets community and support the next generation of industry leaders.
2026 Annual Steers Benefit
The Steers Center for Global Real Assets and the Georgetown University Real Estate Alliance (GUREA) invite you to our second annual Steers Center Fundraising Dinner in New York City.
New York Yacht Club - 37 West 44th Street, New York, NY 10036
View Event
Steers Center Advisory Board Announcements
Our Advisory Board is made up of alumni and friends of Georgetown University and the Steers Center. Through annual board meetings, mentorship programs, committee work and impactful financial contributions, board members support the Steers Center as it seeks to become the global leader in real estate education.
This past summer we welcomed three new members to the Steers Center Advisory Board.
New Advisory Board Members
Alejandro Ernst
Managing Director: Pantzer
John Ghirardelli
Executive Director and Americas Head of Digital Infrastructure: Morgan Stanley
Kevin McNiel
Managing Director: Talisman Group Advisors
Steers Center Recognizes Past Board Members
The Steers Center would like to recognize the following individuals for their service as they transition off of our Advisory Board. We are grateful to their commitment and support of the Steers Center over the years.
- Ron Kravit (B’79)
Student Experience
The Steers Center is committed to being a resource for the next generation of industry leaders. Our student experience programing is designed to positively impact young real estate professionals by providing essential experiential learning experiences throughout the academic year.
Real Assets Firms Host Summer Interns
Thank you to the many companies that have hired Georgetown University undergraduate and MBA real assets students for internships this summer. These valued partnerships are essential to our mission of preparing students for successful careers across every sector of the real assets industry. Together, you are helping shape the next generation of real assets leaders, and we are grateful.
Looking to grow your talent pipeline for the coming year? Join us at the 4th Annual Steers Center Career Fair on January 22nd. For more details, reach out to Tim Reardon (tim.reardon@georgetown.edu) or Denise Durgin (denise.durgin@georgetown.edu).
Meet the Students Leading the Steers Private Fund
Last spring, Georgetown University seniors Jack Childs (B’27) and Tucker Winstanley (B’27) were named co-heads of the Steers Private Fund through the 2026-27 academic year. We spoke with Jack and Tucker, who spent the summer interning at Blackstone and BrightSpire Capital, respectively, to learn more about the impact they hope to make on the Steers Private Fund during their time in charge.
Q&A with the Co-heads of the Steers Private Fund
Global Real Assets Opening Residency Recap
Concluding on August 22, our M.S. in Global Real Asset students finished their three-week opening residency on the Capitol Campus. The GRA opening residency is an intensive experience to understand the foundational concepts of real assets, business, and law. Over the course of three weeks, the students took classes on Ethical Leadership, the Principles of Real Assets, and Modern Real Estate Transactions which include both theoretical discussions and the opportunity to apply these topics in real-world settings. The opening residency helped prepare the students for the start of the fall semester, where their real work will begin.
The August opening residency did an excellent job of setting the tone for the Global Real Assets program not only in the classroom, but also socially as many of us were new to DC.Ryan Ledwith (GRA’27)
In a short amount of time, it brought the cohort together and built momentum heading into the start of the year.
GRAC Executive Committee Member
Engaging with my cohort through real-world projects, and connecting with alumni and professors, was an invaluable experience that set the tone for the remaining four modules.Matthew Fu (GRA’27)
GRAC Executive Committee Member
Steers Center Hosts Industry Experts to Speak With Students
This fall, we have welcomed industry leaders to lunch-and-learn sessions, giving students a close look at how real assets get built and financed around the world.
Carlos Rosales (F’18), general engineer and cost manager at the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO), shared a career path that began in the Ecuadorian Army and led him to the United States and eventually to the State Department. OBO manages U.S. diplomatic and consular property overseas, from planning and acquisition through design, construction, operations, and disposal. Carlos oversees cost estimating and budget management for a $2 billion portfolio of more than 200 construction projects in 27 countries. He walked students through the realities and risks of building and maintaining embassies in foreign countries.
Gerry Canet (MBA’01), head of U.S. corporate banking subsidiaries at the Bank of America, joined students from all three of the Center’s academic programs to explain how major energy projects are actually financed. Using Vineyard Wind as a case study, he broke down the capital stack, the complications that can arise between financing and completion, and the decisions bankers make along the way. The session also brought together students from different programs, each with their own perspectives and questions about the same project.
Kevin McCrain (L’04), Chief Executive Officer of GGP, joined students or a conversation about his career and the state of retail real estate. McCrain traced his path from college lacrosse player to Georgetown Law to leading a company with more than 95 properties and 95 million square feet of retail real estate across the United States. He talked about how the retail business has changed over the course of his career and made the case for a resurgence of the American mall. He also gave students practical career advice, stressing the value of building and keeping relationships and the importance of being a strong writer, a skill he said sets people apart in any part of the industry.
Careers and Networking
Real Estate Career Outcomes Remain Strong
Despite ongoing economic uncertainty and sustained higher interest rates, career outcomes remain strong for both our Undergraduate and M.S. in Global Real Assets (GRA) students.
Preliminary figures show that 85% of Georgetown’s M.S. in Global Real Assets 2026 graduates have already secured full-time roles across the U.S. While final career outcome figures won’t be available until later this year, these numbers reflect the strength of our partnerships: the McDonough School of Business Career Center, Jackson Lucas, and our engaged network of Steers Center alumni, who continue to mentor and hire our real estate students.
4th Annual Steers Center Career Fair
The Steers Center will host its fourth annual Real Estate Career Fair on Friday, Jan. 22, 2027, at Georgetown University. The career fair will offer companies the unique opportunity to connect with and recruit our undergraduate, GRA, and MBA real estate students. If you and your company would like to participate and host a table during the career fair, please reach out to Tim Reardon at tim.reardon@georgetown.edu.
GRA Curriculum Spotlight – Commercial Clinic
The Real Estate Commercial Clinic prepares students for graduate-level careers at institutional real estate investment firms by immersing them in the practice of underwriting real estate investments. Students gain hands-on experience underwriting the “four main food groups”—office, multifamily, industrial, and retail—across diverse markets in the United States, developing both a broad understanding of different asset types and an appreciation for how geography shapes underwriting decisions.
The Clinic also provides extensive exposure to the technical tools of the trade, including Excel and Argus Enterprise, giving students the essential skill set to hit the ground running in their real estate careers.
Alumni News
Congratulations to Alec Richards (MBA’19) for being featured in Commercial Observer's Power Series
Listen to Advisory Board member Larry Botel (B’88) on The Weekly Take – CBRE’s The Weekly Take
Congratulations to Marshall Nevins (B’09) on being named co-head of acquisitions for the Americas at KKR
KKR is one of the leading private equity firms and real estate investors in the world. Marshall has been a tremendous supporter of our program and our students, and we’re thrilled to celebrate this well-deserved achievement.
Rich Hill (B’01) Interview Spotlight with Commercial Observer
Listen to Advisory Board member Rich Hill (B’01, P’30), Senior Managing Director and Global Head of Real Estate Strategy and Research at Principal Asset Management, discuss REITs, CMBS and Private Credit.
Congratulations to Brian Milberg (B’00) on being named to the 2026 GlobeSt. Influencers in Industrial list
Save the Date
Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026 — McBride Lecture Series
This semester’s McBride Lecture speaker will be Federico Stubbe Jr. (B’98, P’29), CEO of PRISA Group and member of the Steers Center Executive Committee.
This event is open to current Georgetown McDonough students:
Friday, Oct. 30, 2026 — McDonough Real Assets Case Competition (MRACC)
MRACC is a real estate case competition among Georgetown University undergraduate, MBA and M.S. in Global Real Assets students. This year’s case will focus on the valuation of a newly built senior housing development located in Alexandria, Virginia.
Current students can apply to participate:
Thursday, Nov. 19, 2026 — Steers Center Second Annual Benefit
Join us for an evening of cocktails, food, and conversation as we celebrate the Georgetown real assets community and support the next generation of industry leaders at the New York Yacht Club.
This year’s benefit will feature a presentation of the Steers Center Distinguished Service Award to Gil Tenzer (B’84, P’17, ’21), partner and director of real estate at Contrarian Capital Management LLC and a conversation with Eduardo M. Peñalver, president of Georgetown University.
Friday, Jan. 22, 2027 — Steers Center Winter Career Fair
The annual career fair will return in January to connect real assets firms with our undergraduate, GRA, and MBA real estate students. If you and your company would like to participate and host a table during the career fair, please reach out to Tim Reardon at tim.reardon@georgetown.edu.
Hire a Hoya
A core value of the Steers Center is our care and commitment to each student and their career prospects. As such, we are soliciting interest from our alumni and broader real estate community for within-semester internships where our Master of Science in Global Real Assets students can work 10-20 hours per week for you and your company. Join local firms that have provided out students with in-semester internships this year. We have found these experiences to be a critical differentiator for our students when competing for full-time employment.
The academic program of interest for your potential role can also be specific to one of our three real estate specializations in our undergraduate and graduate programs or general to the most appropriate candidate.
Please contact Tim Reardon, Executive Director of the Steers Center, at tim.reardon@georgetown.edu should you have interest in speaking about further roles for our students.
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Related Insights
Announcements
Steers Center Welcomes Lawrence Palumbo (B’00) as Kalsi Teaching Professor
Announcements
Meet the Students Leading the Steers Private Fund
Announcements
Steers Center Names Kelly Sewell Nagel Head of Real Estate, Advancing its Position as the Premier Real Assets Program