Leading Voices in Real Estate

Mary Ann Tighe didn’t know what commercial real estate was until she was 36 years old. With a successful career in the Carter/Mondale White House before launching the A&E network, she recognized her knack for deal-making and is now one of the country’s most prolific brokers.Read Mary Ann Tighe’s bioRead more about Mary Ann’s career

Chip Conley started one of the country’s first boutique hotel chains, Joie de Vivre, when he was just 26 years old. After selling the company, he joined the startup Airbnb at age 52, despite the fact that the young founders were primed to disrupt his industry.Read more about Chip’s leadershipRead more about Chip’s role at AirbnbPre-order Chip’s newest book, Wisdom @ Work: The Making of a Modern ElderLearn more about Chip’s other books*This is a rebroadcast of our previous interview with Chip Conley.

A chance meeting on a playground led Kevin Plank, Under Armour’s founder, to ask Tom Geddes to oversee his private investments. Tom’s leadership is enhancing Baltimore’s waterfront and how the public experiences the city.Learn more about Plank IndustriesLearn more about Tom Geddes

Janet Marie Smith had a homerun vision for Camden Yards, the first baseball stadium in 70 years that was built within the existing urban fabric of any U.S. city. With stadium work in Boston and Atlanta also under her belt, she is now enhancing 55-year-old Dodger Stadium.Learn more about Janet Marie SmithRead more about Janet Marie Smith’s involvement with Camden Yards

Following the advice of his grandfather, Andrés Duany knows he can either be popular or indispensable, and he’s chosen the latter. Made famous by his traditional neighborhood design of Seaside, Florida, Duany has led the charge in creating new urbanist communities.Learn more about Andrés Duany and DPZRead more about New Urbanism

How does one prepare for an unexpected crisis? Scott Cowen managed to lead Tulane University through Hurricane Katrina, strengthening the student body and city of New Orleans in the process by strategically integrating the two.Learn more about Scott Cowen and the rebuilding of Tulane and New OrleansLearn more about the Cowen Institute for Public Education Initiatives

MaryAnne Gilmartin defies many conventions in the real estate world. She wears high heels to construction sites of major New York City projects and has achieved the top leadership position in a family business where she has no relation.Learn more about Forest City Ratner CompaniesLearn more about MaryAnne Gilmartin

Growing up, Toby Bozzuto did not want to work in the family business—yet now he is the CEO. Toby began his career in the music industry but was drawn into the real estate world because of the foundational values his father set for the Bozzuto Group.Learn more about BozzutoRead more about taking over the family business

Teens using power tools? That’s the foundation for Alex Gilliam’s two nonprofits. He brings together youth to physically build amenities in their struggling neighborhoods. These students learn how to engage civically while changing the urban landscape.Learn more about Alex Gilliam and Public WorkshopWatch Alex Gilliam’s TED Talk

Kimber Lanning has operated an independent record store in downtown Phoenix for 30 years. Her experience as a small business owner led her to start Local First Arizona, advocating for self-reliant, unique downtowns that can support the little guy.Learn more about Kimber Lanning and Local First Arizona