Get to know some of the ULI San Francisco members who work hard behind the scenes to develop the events and initiatives our District Council is known for. These industry leaders come from a variety of real estate land use sectors and lend their expertise and time to drive the work of our committees. We’ve asked these committee co-chairs to answer questions around their involvement with ULI San Francisco.

Jessie Woodyard, Silicon Valley Programs
Business Partner, Real Estate & Workplace Services

Q. How did you first get involved with ULI and your committee?
I was first introduced to ULI in 2007 by a real estate colleague who said it was THE organization for developing a professional network, getting the inside scoop on deals and learning true tricks of the trade. My colleague couldn’t have been more right. ULI remains the go-to real estate association.

Q. What is your favorite ULI memory or event?
My favorite ULI event was getting a behind-the-scenes tour of Google’s campus in 2009. I was awed at the access we had to Google, the authenticity of the speakers and the ULI members I met while on the tour. Little did I know that just a few years later I’d be on the ULI Silicon Valley Committee organizing these types of corporate campus tours nor that I would be working at Google! The speakers from that ULI event are still with Google and we’ve become friends.

Q. What keeps you engaged with ULI SF and what are you most excited about in the near future?
I’m continually inspired by ULI because of the members. Thanks to ULI, I have met incredibly talented individuals who amaze me by their brilliance, their thoughtfulness at bettering the built environment and who are pushing the limits of design possibilities.

Q. What’s your leadership philosophy/style?
Be your authentic self. Humor is important, laugh as much as you can. Strive to over communicate, then communicate even more. Never forget what it was like not to know.

Q. What’s front of mind for you right now?
I’m eager to help shape the evolution of office space. The office culture has two ends of the spectrum, a company that’s fully remote vs. one that requires people be at their desks five days a week. Neither of these models are sustainable. I think the future is a hybrid work model where people come together for the right moments with enough flexibility to balance personal lives. How the office environment flexes to this new worker type is still to be seen but unlocking this question has big implications for office space.

Q. When travel goes back to normal, where is the first place you want to go to?
I can’t wait to travel to French Polynesia and snorkel with humpback whales. If the season isn’t right for swimming with whales, I’d go to Mongolia to ride horses through the Gobi desert.

Q. Outside of work and ULI, what do you enjoy doing?
When I’m not thinking about real estate, I’m either riding a horse (I’ve done competitive equestrian show jumping for the past +25 years), downhill skiing (I grew up in Sun Valley, Idaho where high school PE class meant hitting the slopes), or cooking (I’m passionate about eating great food and drinking wonderful wine).