David Ikenberry, dean of the听Leeds School of Business听at the University of Colorado Boulder, today announced the appointment of global business leader Michael P. Kercheval as executive director of the CU Real Estate Center (CUREC). The appointment is effective July 1.
Kercheval is a past president and currently CEO emeritus at the International Council of Shopping Centers Inc. (ICSC) 鈥� the world鈥檚 largest commercial real estate trade association. He was the president and CEO of ICSC from 2000 to September 2015. Kercheval has more than 20 years of experience in private and higher education real estate.
At ICSC, which grew from 30,000 to over 70,000 members across more than 100 countries under his leadership, Kercheval worked with Wharton at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Southern California鈥檚 Lusk Center for Real Estate.
In the late 1990s, Kercheval, who is fluent in Spanish, was the CEO of Lend Lease Latin American Realty Advisors, the South American subsidiary of an Australian-based global real estate company. Previously, he was a real estate investment banker with Equitable Real Estate.
鈥淲e are very pleased to have someone of Mike鈥檚 caliber with global experience join our team,鈥� said Ikenberry. 鈥淢y thanks to Kim Koehn, who served as our interim executive director, and our search committee members for their leadership during this transition. We are excited about our future opportunities to grow the program鈥檚 reputation nationally and internationally.鈥�
Kercheval will focus on expanding CUREC鈥檚 already strong capabilities in providing real estate careers for undergraduates and graduates, as well as driving intellectual leadership and delivering academic excellence in real estate programs.
鈥淭he opportunities for CUREC at the Leeds School of Business are extraordinary, especially the opportunity to firmly link academic excellence with dynamic business-sector needs,鈥� said Kercheval. 鈥淚 can clearly see the economic and social benefits of enabling top-trained talent to soar in the industry by fielding graduates into upwardly-mobile global careers.鈥�
Kercheval earned his bachelor鈥檚 degree in economics, international affairs and political science, graduating cum laude, from CU-Boulder. He earned a master鈥檚 and a doctoral degree (all but dissertation), both in economics, from Columbia University in New York. Early in his career, he served as staff economist in Colorado鈥檚 Office of the Governor鈥檚 Blue Ribbon Panel.
CUREC is celebrating its 20th anniversary and track record of fostering and developing aspiring real estate professionals through undergraduate and graduate programs known for academic and industry excellence.
CUREC offers an undergraduate certificate in real estate, a one-year master鈥檚 degree in real estate with the ability to specialize in asset or development management and MBA programs with concentrations in real estate or real estate development management.
The center is well regarded for its job placement rate, which is over 95 percent for MBAs within 90 days of graduation. CUREC also has the distinction of being only one of three collegiate real estate centers, along with Harvard University鈥檚 center and the University of Maryland's center, to win the prestigious Urban Land Institute/Gerald D. Hines Urban Competition more than once.
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