A group of local commercial real estate leaders have created the Philadelphia chapter of African American Real Estate Professionals. The group is focused on creating a network for African American professionals in the region’s commercial real estate industry. A 15-member board has been assembled:
- Brianna Pinckney of Target Building Construction*
- Rachel Lewis of Morgan Lewis
- Kieara Hill of CBRE
- Carlo Batts of Rittenhouse Appraisals
- Tony Ewing of EQT Exeter
- Carol Horne Penn of Gilbane Building Co.*
- Paul Badger of the Badger Group
- Clayton Mitchell of Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health
- Donald Moore of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
- Joe Ritchie of Tishman Speyer
- Darwin Beauvais of Dilworth Paxson*
- Maleda Berhane of AR Spruce
- Chris Franklin of Brandywine Realty Trust
*GBCA Member Company
From the Philadelphia Business Journal:
There’s a heightened demand for a resource group like African American Real Estate Professionals in commercial real estate, where minorities have traditionally been underrepresented. A 2017 study by Bella Research Group and the Knight Foundation found that just 1.3% of senior executive roles in commercial real estate were held by Black men while white men held 75% of those jobs.
Without educational programs and connections in the industry, Penn said African Americans often wind up in it simply “by chance.” One of the main focuses for African American Real Estate Professionals is to provide mentorship in a white-dominated industry.
Photo Credit: Derrick Dean
