Advancing Diversity and Inclusion in Housing Development

A UCLA Professional Development Program Presented by UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, UCLA Bunche Center for African American Studies, UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies, and UCLA Ziman Center for Real Estate

ADVANCING DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION IN HOUSING DEVELOPMENT

Virtual program to discuss the challenges and opportunities for advancing diversity and inclusion in housing development.

FOR CURRENT EVENTBRITE REGISTRANTS:

Thank you for registering for Thursday’s (5/9/24) 12:30-2:00PM (PT) “Advancing Diversity and Inclusion in Housing Development” panel event at UCLA Anderson. Due to the fluid situation on campus, we are moving this event to a virtual format. Your Eventbrite registration will automatically be imported into the (5/9/24) Zoom webinar registration, and there is nothing further you need to do. You will receive a zoom e-notification by the end of today, Tuesday (5/7), from (ziman.Center@andersonucla.edu) with your unique login and passcode for Thursday’s (5/9/24) webinar. Please check your spam folder if you do not see the email in your inbox.

FOR NEW ATTENDEES, PLEASE RSVP FOR THE ZOOM WEBINAR HERE:

https://bit.ly/UCLA-DEI-Housing-Development

Thursday, May 9, 2024
12:30 - 2:00 Program
<< EVENT FORMAT UPDATED TO ZOOM WEBINAR>>

MODERATOR:

· Jose Loya, Assistant Professor of Urban Planning, UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs

SPEAKERS:

· Sonya Falcone, Partner, Daylight Community Development, UCLA Anderson MBA 2019

· Devean Jamar George, President, Building Blocks

· Adriana Quiquivix, Assistant Director of Housing, A Community of Friends; UCLA Luskin MURP 2016

· Malika Billingslea, Senior Development Advisor, NEOO Partners Inc.

DESCRIPTION:
Housing development generates numerous professional opportunities in development, financing, and related sectors, yet the field affords relatively few opportunities to women and people of color. Nearly 111,000 of the 112,000 real estate development companies in the U.S. are white-owned, and only about a third of the workforce is women and 2% of C-level positions are held by Black men. California is adopting reforms to increase homebuilding, both to improve affordability and address racial and ethnic disparities in housing outcomes, but more housing production also offers the possibility of addressing disparities in the real estate sector itself. This panel, featuring Los Angeles-based Black and women housing development professionals, will discuss the challenges and opportunities for advancing diversity and inclusion in the field. During the conversation, they will address questions such as: How can people from underrepresented groups enter and succeed in the development industry, and housing development specifically? What barriers keep them from doing so, and how can those barriers be broken down? And what benefits could come from a more diverse development sector, both for individuals and society?

Land and Labor Acknowledgement

As a land grant institution, UCLA acknowledges the Gabrielino/Tongva peoples as the traditional land caretakers of Tovaangar (Los Angeles basin, So. Channel Islands) and are grateful to have the opportunity to work for the taraaxotam (Indigenous peoples) in this place. We pay our respects to Honuukvetam (Ancestors), elders, and ‘Eyoohiinkem (our relatives/relations) past, present and emerging.

We hold sacred the labor of enslaved Africans and immigrants, often exploited, indentured and underpaid, that built and continue to serve our institutions of higher education. We honor the labor and resistance of these ancestors, acknowledge that we benefit from this land and labor, and strive to work towards liberation for all.