Black History Month—a time to both reaffirm and uphold the historical importance, achievements, and influence of the Black community.

In celebration of Black History Month, ULI SF is spotlighting three members of our community who have championed diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice in their work. We are delighted to highlight the work and experience of Banke Abioye, Lisa Cholmondeley, and Roderick Roche, leaders in the ULI SF community and members of our DEI committee.

Banke Abioye is an Associate at Prologis, a global real estate development and REIT, where she supports the entitlement process and community engagement strategy for projects across the Bay Area, including the Hilltop Mall redevelopment. Banke is also engaged in the Bay Area expansion of Prologis’ Community Workforce Initiative, a training program that prepares participants for sustainable career pathways in the industrial and logistics sector. Prior to joining Prologis, Banke completed her master’s degree in real estate development and design at U.C. Berkeley.

What are your thoughts on the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the real estate industry?

Being involved in community engagement for large development projects, I can’t overstate the importance of bringing people with different experiences and types of competencies to the decision-making tables. But merely including people of diverse backgrounds isn’t enough; it is also important to encourage and empower people to feel comfortable sharing their perspectives and opinions in an environment that has historically not represented them. Bringing diverse voices to the real estate table not only allows us to begin to redress the lasting impacts of inequality in real estate, but also adds richness and ensures the success of a development.

Tell us about yourself and your career journey.

I’m motivated by understanding what connects people in the built environment. There is an invisible bond between who we are, how we occupy space, and what space looks like. I’ve been grateful to have had the opportunity to work across four continents with diverse project teams. Diversity in people, culture, and places serve as reminders that we always have new ways to experience the world.

I began my architectural career at Cornell University. After graduating, I worked in Washington, D.C then had incredible teaching opportunities in Knoxville and Washington DC. Following graduate School in London at the Architectural Association, I spent several years at a variety of firms across London before joining Gensler in 2008. While at Gensler I participated in a research program where I was able to work on an education project with our office in Sao Paulo. Previous to transferring to our San Francisco office, I was part of the Gensler team that delivered a 6 million square foot portion of a large mixed use development (Hospitality, Office, Retail, and Residential) in Qatar. I have delivered projects in the US, the UK, the Middle East, and Africa. I’ve spent almost half of my career working on interiors, but most recently have been focused on large scale, mixed-use commercial projects in the Bay Area.

I believe the most powerful way to connect with people is by breaking bread. I am an avid traveler, and I always find myself joyfully inspired when I am outside of my comfort zone, exploring new cultures and places, forcing myself to navigate my surroundings in different ways.

What are your thoughts on the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the real estate industry?

As an optimistic designer, I know that it’s important that ALL conversations about our built environment include ALL of the people involved in that built environment. What we love about cities, about urban life is the range of lives & experiences it makes possible. We need to be sure we are always listening to those voices. Part of the work with ULI is not only joining these conversations but making sure we are bringing other diverse voices to the conversations too.

Rod Roche is Partner at G&M Realty Ventures, LLC (GMRV,) a leader in complex mixed-use development.  Rod is an accomplished real estate professional with over 25 years of experience in real estate development in both private and public sectors, managing complex technical projects leading teams partnering with and directing contractors, architects, engineers, designers, and other specialty consultants.  In the Bay Area, GMRV recently completed its work on the Menlo Gateway Development, a 2-phase development of 740,000 square feet, comprising of three office buildings, three parking garages and fitness center, where Facebook is to sole tenant.  Prior to joining GMRV, Rod represented the San Francisco Giants as Project Manager for the Pacific Bell Park Development (now Oracle Park).

Tell us about yourself and your journey in the real estate industry.

“See it and you can be it!”  I’ve been fortunate to spend my entire career in the commercial real estate industry, and as a black man.  I’ve been one of very few minorities in the industry during my career, but I had an advantage. I was raised by an extraordinary mother, Janet Gabriel Roche, who spent her entire career in Urban Planning and Development. As such, from a young age I had early career exposure and opportunity in commercial real estate.  I was given an opportunity, found my lane, and have truly enjoyed the path my career has taken in real estate.

What is some of the work you’ve been involved in at ULI San Francisco?

Over the past 18 months, I’ve been honored to be a member of the ULI-SF-DEI Committee and proud of the work we continue to do in the Bay Area.  Our mission is to focus on diversifying our membership and leadership, creating awareness around DEI issues in our field, providing programming guidance and creation, and creating a more diverse pipeline of industry professionals.  I most enjoy being a partner/guide to new ULI-SF Pathways to Inclusion and Diversity Membership Fund members and working to build a diverse pipeline of talented students within the real estate development profession.

Thank you to Banke, Lisa, and Rod for sharing their thoughts and experiences with us. We are honored to acknowledge their work during Black History Month and celebrate their contributions year-round.