WLI Career Accelerator

The WLI Career Accelerator is a new digital hub geared at creating a community and serving as a resource for women who are new to the real estate industry. Through the Hub, women can learn about various sectors within real estate, other women’s career paths within the industry, case studies, resume writing tips, and interview skills. Women can connect with mentors and leaders who can help them be successful in the industry.
The real estate industry continues to show an underrepresentation of talent among females and women of diverse cultural backgrounds. The WLI Career Accelerator hopes to increase the talent pipeline by facilitating career navigation through mentorship and resources that meet the needs of women who are interested in or entering the real estate industry.
Of respondents to the National Association of Real Estate Investment Management commercial real estate survey “have a DEI program or initiative to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion within their firms, while the number of firms dedicating staff to DEI almost doubled between 2017 and 2021.
Of 200 CRE senior executives—owners/operators, developers, brokers, and investors, that were surveyed by Deloitte, the majority believed that technology resources and skills will be important in post-COVID transformation. The majority feel that they will need the resources and skills required to operate a digitally transformative CRE business.
Of the 2,930 industry professionals across all commercial real estate sectors that participated in a 2020 CREW study, were women. There was a 5.4% increase in women respondents 39 years old and younger, indicating a growing generation of young and emerging women professionals in the industry.

About the Women’s Leadership Initiative (WLI)

Our Mission is to…

  • Promote the advancement of women, throughout their careers, as leaders in the real estate industry.
  • Increase the number of women who serve in leadership positions in the real estate industry and in the Urban Land Institute (ULI).
  • Increase the visibility of women leaders in the real estate industry and in ULI.
  • Increase the number of women who are active ULI Full members and support the development of young women members as leaders in ULI and in their professions.

The WLI Committee works to ensure that the voices, experiences, and perspectives of women leaders are a regular part of the rich content of the programs that are delivered to ULI’s diverse membership. WLI also works to increase the number and visibility of women leaders within ULI and the broader real estate and land use industry.

You can also join the conversation with accomplished women leaders by connecting with us on LinkedIn and following us on Twitter.

A Tribute to the Hines Foundation

Thank you to the Hines Foundation for their support of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and for the grant provided to the Women’s Leadership Initiative (WLI). Since 2017, the Hines Foundation has issued innovation grants to select ULI district councils in support of projects that will raise the visibility and number of women leaders in ULI and the real estate industry. In the years covered by the first Hines innovation grant partnership with WLI, more than 3,600 people have been directly served through 13 projects. Lead district councils for these projects represent 17 cities, 13 states, and 3 countries. The WLI Career Accelerator grant proposal was selected for a grant in 2021 and facilitated this web resource for women entering the commercial real estate industry.