Dear ULI Members,

For the past year I’ve had the honor to serve as District Council Chair and; notwithstanding the disruption of a global pandemic, ULI North Florida has and continues to make a positive impact in our industry and communities. The credit for these accomplishments lies with our many dedicated volunteers and sponsors. They deserve our collective thanks and recognition, so we’ve provided their names below – please take a moment to thank them for their generosity.

Over the last year, ULI North Florida:

• Graduated the third class of the Women’s Leadership Development Institute;
• Expanded UrbanPlan offerings to 300 additional students, and trained 28 additional volunteers;
• Held our 8th Awards for Excellence, honoring Lori Boyer and top achievements in development in metro Jacksonville, Tallahassee, and Gainesville;
• Initiated a Developers’ Roundtable forum of senior decision-making property owners;
• Convened hundreds of industry leaders to share best practices; and
• Discovered the finer points of video conference technology.

Our plans for the upcoming 12 months are no less ambitious than the prior year.

We are excited to announce the formation of a Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) initiative to attract and engage a comprehensive spectrum of people whose experiences and perspectives are underrepresented in the real estate and land use industry. DEI will work closely with the Women’s Leadership Initiative (WLI), which remains a critical factor in our growth as an organization and industry. If you are interested in participating in the DEI initiative, please contact Hannah King.

We will continue to grow the Developers’ Roundtable initiative to seek active participation and leadership from owners of real estate who are most directly shaping our built environment. And we will deepen our commitment to the Affordable Housing & Revitalization Task Force, as the need for quality, attainable housing becomes increasingly acute.

These initiatives are vital to our mission of creating and sustaining thriving communities, and a reflection of ULI North Florida’s position at the forefront of thought leadership and best practices in the real estate industry.

As we look forward, I am also excited to announce Patrick Krechowski will succeed me as District Council Chair for a two-year term commencing July 1, 2021.

Patrick, a member of ULI since 2015 and an avid UrbanPlan volunteer, currently chairs the Center for Leadership and the Technical Assistance Panel initiatives. An attorney with more than 20 years’ experience in real estate, land use, environmental, governmental, administrative litigation, appeals and title insurance law; Patrick is a Partner with Balch & Bingham, LLP. (Click for more.)

Over the next year, Patrick will work closely with staff and me to ensure continuity of the ULI mission and positive impacts across our organization, community, and industry.

Moving forward, we are learning new ways to connect, engage and leverage the experience of our many members locally and globally. We hope you find our virtual meeting offerings informative and welcome ideas for future events.

Best regards,

Tarik Bateh, Chair, ULI North Florida

ULI Management Committee

Tarik Bateh, JLL Capital Markets
ULI North Florida Chair

Patrick Johnson, Regency Centers
Chair for Mission Advancement

Allison Davies, Regency Centers
Treasurer

Laura Gonzales, Franklin Street
Sponsorship Chair

Gerry Dedenbach, CHW
Gainesville Leadership Chair

Kim Gabbard, FSU Real Estate Foundation
Capital Region Leadership Chair

Doug Booher, Fidelity National Title Group
Membership Chair

Bill Byers, Almond Engineering
Revitalization & Affordable Housing Chair

Helga Christoforatos, Miller Electric
Programs Chair

Tom Fleming, Fleming Development & Consulting
Florida Product Councils Chair

Dan Jackson, CenterState Bank
UrbanPlan Chair

Patrick Krechowski, Balch & Bingham
Technical Assistance Panels Chair

Lauren Langham, Taylor English
Women’s Leadership Initiative Chair

Michael McGowan, Chase Properties
Young Leaders Group Chair