SPRINGING FORWARD into 2025!

Dear SPIRE Community,

We hope your 2025 is off to a fabulous start! As we move into spring, we’d like to showcase memorable moments from the last half of 2024 and preview some 2025 highlights.

Last November, the SREC (Stanford Alumni Real Estate Council) and SREC Emerging Leaders came to campus for three days of networking, professional development, and fun. The conferences featured several joint sessions, including a keynote by Stanford alum and industry leader Rick Magnuson, as well as Howard Wolf’s engaging and insightful "View from the Top." Also in November, SPIRE held a webinar on the outlook for (real estate) fundraising with SPIRE Board Chair and moderator Jeff Jacobson, and panelists Lindsay Bachner, Stanford alum Mitch Pleis, and Rob Rubano.

SPIRE also launched regional dinners in 2024 in the Bay Area, New York, Dallas, Southern California, and Chicago. Thank you to the SPIRE "hosts": Hanns Lee and Meris Ota (Bay Area), Amy Johannes and Andy Richard (New York), John Griggs (Dallas), Loryn Arkow and Charlie Rose (Southern California), and Danielle Dy Buncio and Jeff Jacobson (Chicago). We look forward to expanding the program in locations with cohorts of Stanford alums in real estate / the built environment.

We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to departing SPIRE Board Members, Hanns Lee and Brian Patterson, for their vision, passion, leadership, and service. Hanns joins an illustrious group of SPIRE Board Member Emeriti for his service as Board President. While Hanns and Brian will be missed, we're excited to know they’re always part of the SPIRE and Stanford communities.

SPIRE is off to a strong start in 2025, welcoming new Board Members Julla Boyd Corso and John Griggs. Led by Stanford Student Board Member, Gabriela Diaz, SPIRE hosted a January panel for students across campus, interested in learning about careers in real estate / built environment. SPIRE thanks Gabriela and Stanford alums / panelists Hilary Barte, Anna Cole, and Satej Desai. We hope you attended the recent webinar on 2025 Economic Trends and Strategies for Real Estate. SPIRE thanks Board Member and moderator Tricia Peterson and SREC members and panelists Emi Adachi and Brian Klinksiek for their insights. More than 400 registered for the March 13th event, and if you missed it, please find the recording link below.

SPIRE also received grant applications from 30 Stanford students / teams of students this February. It will award grants through the SPIRE Stanford Student Impact Fund in April, and we look forward to sharing the news with you. In partnership with the Stanford Alumni Association (SAA), SPIRE launched a mentorship pilot in Nelson Koen's seminar (Opportunities in PropTech and ConTech) in winter quarter. Thank you SAA, Nelson, SPIRE mentors, and Stanford students who participated! SPIRE will fine-tune the program with another pilot in Nelson's spring class (Real Estate Development and Finance).

We are thrilled to announce the distinguished honorees for this year’s Stanford Real Estate Hall of Fame. At the biennial banquet in November, the SPIRE community will celebrate the outstanding achievements of two remarkable Stanford alumni, who are making lasting contributions to the real estate industry and Stanford: Jeff Birdwell and Rick Magnuson.

More details are below, and the best source for all things SPIRE (e.g. announcements, events, leadership, membership, and resources, etc.) is our website: https://spirestanford.org/. Visit us there using the banners below, and feel free to contact us with questions, suggestions, and feedback.

As always, the SPIRE Board and Staff thank you for your engagement and support!

Warmly, 

Lauren Barley '82

SPIRE Executive Director

lauren@spirestanford.org

Fourteen years ago, the SPIRE Board of Directors established the Stanford Real Estate Hall of Fame to recognize the University’s distinguished alumni, making sustained, groundbreaking contributions to real estate, the built environment, and Stanford.

SPIRE is excited to announce this year’s honorees, industry leaders and icons Jeff Birdwell ('82, MS '83) and Rick Magnuson (MBA '82), in recognition of their exceptional impact on the industry, its next generation of leaders, and the broader Stanford community. We are honored to recognize and thank them for their incredible leadership, innovation, and accomplishments.

Jeff Birdwell is Managing Director of the Commercial Development + Advisory division of Sares Regis Group of Northern California, overseeing office, data center, computing lab, infrastructure, R&D, industrial, interim housing, senior housing, and retail developments. During Jeff’s tenure, the division has developed more than 21 million square feet – including 15 major campuses for Google, Adobe, NVIDIA, Fortinet, Symantec, Electronic Arts and TIBCO. Prior to joining the San Mateo office in 1994, Jeff began his tenure in 1987 at the affiliate Sares-Regis Group in Irvine, California, where he was responsible for development activity in the Los Angeles/Ventura County regional office. Jeff, along with other Sares Regis members, has taught CEE 248: Introduction to Real Estate Development in the graduate Sustainable Design and Construction program at Stanford University for more than 25 years.

Rick Magnuson is Chairman and CEO of GI Partners, an alternative investment firm he formed in 2001 to focus on real estate, private equity, and technology. Today, GI Partners oversees $43 billion of invested capital on behalf of its institutional partners. From 2002 until 2012, Mr. Magnuson was Executive Chairman of Digital Realty Trust, a company he co-founded. During his tenure, the company became the leading global provider of data centers and Internet peering points, with over 100 facilities located in 11 countries and has a $68 billion public market enterprise value today. At GI Partners, he has led investments and served on the boards of technology companies and oversees the investment and management of data center and life science real estate. Before founding GI Partners, he served as Deputy Managing Director of Nomura International’s Principal Finance Group in London, which he joined in 1994. Earlier in his career, he worked for Digital Research, the company that created the personal computer operating system, and founded and sold Interactive Software, a software services business. Mr. Magnuson received his B.A. with honors from Dartmouth College and his MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. 

Celebrate these remarkable Stanford alumni as we reflect on their distinguished careers and enduring industry influence at the 2025 Stanford Real Estate Hall of Fame Banquet on Thursday, November 13, at the Sharon Heights Golf & Country Club.

Jeff Birdwell

('82, MS '83)

Managing Director, Commercial Development + Advisory

Sares Regis Group of Northern California

Rick Magnuson

(MBA '82)

Executive Managing Director

GI Partners

See SPIRE website for past events

Are you a current student looking for an internship? A new Stanford grad? Just interested in learning more about real estate and the built environment? SPIRE would love to be a resource as you explore, learn and search for opportunities. We'll do our best to connect you with talented industry professionals and leaders in the SPIRE Community.

Sign up for a FREE Student Membership HERE

Mentorship Pilot Program

Would you be interested in mentoring a Stanford student pursuing a career in real estate or the built environment? SPIRE is seeking mentors to guide students in their career journey. In collaboration with the Stanford Alumni Association, we're aiming to connect mentors with students taking Stanford real estate courses taught by SPIRE board member Nelson Koen.

Please email Alex Forhan if you are interested in learning more.

RE/BE Student Clubs and Student Leaders

SPIRE thanks the Stanford RE/BE student clubs for providing students a vast array of opportunities to engage, network, and learn about real estate and the built environment. Thanks to their efforts, many go on to successful and productive careers in the industry and become SPIRE members.

We so enjoy working alongside these leaders.

Read more about the Stanford RE/BE student clubs on SPIRE's website.

Job Opportunities: Are You Hiring or Hunting?

Is your company hiring? If so, you can request the SPIRE Student Resume Book, which contains 140+ resumes of accomplished undergraduate and graduate students with an interest in real estate or the built environment. Please also feel free to email us with any available job or internship opportunity. SPIRE will post it on its job board and on Handshake, Stanford Career Ed's hiring platform. Email SPIRE for the Resume Book or to post a job HERE.

Looking for work? Be sure to check out SPIRE's job board on its website.

2025/2026 SPIRE Student Board Applications

SPIRE will soon be accepting applications for the 2025-2026 Student Board Member position. This role involves attending SPIRE events, leading student initiatives, serving as a liaison between student clubs and the SPIRE Board, and participating in committee meetings. If you are interested in learning more, please email Alex Forhan.

Welcome New SPIRE Board Members!

Thanks to all who nominated candidates or submitted applications for SPIRE's Board positions. The new board members below were selected from a pool of extremely well-qualified candidates and confirmed in a recent vote. We are excited about their future contributions to SPIRE and have every confidence that they will help us further the SPIRE mission.

Please join us in congratulating our new board members!

Julia Boyd Corso is Co-President and COO of Interstate Equities Corporation (IEC). Founded in 1981, IEC is a vertically integrated real estate private equity firm, investing in value-add, multifamily communities on the West Coast via discretionary, closed-ended funds. Under Julia’s leadership, the firm has grown from $50m to over $1b in AUM. She also leads IEC’s operational functions, including asset management and repositioning of portfolio investments. As a member of the Executive Investment Committee, she is involved in property acquisition, financing, and capital formation. She graduated summa cum laude in Economics from Emory University and holds an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Julia is a member of the Stanford Real Estate Council, the Urban Land Institute Multifamily Green Council and the Emory College Dean’s Advisory Council.

John Griggs is Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Presidium, a vertically integrated real estate investment and development firm focused on growth markets with an asset value exceeding $2.5 billion. Based in Dallas and founded in 2003, Presidium has built or is building over 7,000 apartment units, has acquired and renovated over 20,000 units and is master planning mixed-use projects totaling over 15 million square feet. He is also a founding partner in Deloache Capital, an opportunity fund focused on investing with other sponsors. He received an AB from Stanford University in 1995 and a JD from the University of Michigan in 1998 and is a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization.

Julia Boyd Corso (MBA '05)

President and COO of Interstate Equities Corporation (IEC)

John Griggs ('95)

Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Presidium

Regional Leaders

We would like to thank SPIRE's regional leaders who plan and support SPIRE's regional events. If you are interested in hosting an event, have suggestions for one in your area, or in becoming a regional leader, please email Alex Forhan.

Northern California

Maya Theuer ('16), Redwood Residential

Southern California

Jason Lopata ('17), LBPM

David Pringle ('08), Morgan Stanley

Anil Ranavat (MBA '09), Cedar Porch Capital

Caroline Wu ('99), Placer

Chicago

Richard Klawiter (JD '90), DLA Piper

Jenny Song (MBA '15), Navitas Capital

New York City

Sam Mercer ('15), Blackstone

Pacific Northwest

Mike Medrzycki, Affiliated Engineers, Inc. (AEI) 

Texas

Ryan Whalen ('11), Live Oak Real Estate Development & Brokerage Services

Peixi Yan (MBA '21), Trammel Crow Company

Washington D.C.

Kyle DeThomas (JD '13, MS '13), Ballard Spahr LLP

Chris Grant (MBA '19), Yoke Management Partners

Cary Kadlecek ('99), Goulston & Storrs, PC 

Jair Lynch ('94), Jair Lynch Real Estate Partners

Thank You!

SPIRE relies on the generous financial support of both our members and our corporate partners to fulfill our mission of empowering the Stanford community to innovate within real estate, placemaking and the built environment. We also strive to connect Stanford alumni, students, educators and staff to facilitate the sharing of knowledge, ideas and practices.

2025 SPIRE Leadership

SPIRE Staff

Lauren Barley ('82), Executive Director

Arezo Binai, Consultant

Alex Forhan, Senior Manager, Marketing & Events

SPIRE Board of Directors

Chairman, Jeff Jacobson ('83, MA '84), Formerly of LaSalle Investment Management

President, Charlie Rose ('03), Invesco Real Estate 

Secretary, Hana Hardy Gunther ('00), City of San Jose

Treasurer, Chris Mahowald (MBA '89), RSF Partners, Stanford GSB

Hilary Barte ('11), JLL

Julia Boyd Corso (MBA '05), Interstate Equities Corporation

Andrés Cantero ('12), Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP

Melinda Ellis Evers (MBA '93), Ellis Partners

Peter Griffin ('08), Allen Matkins LLP

John Griggs ('05), Presidium Group

Shallene Gross ('06, MBA '10), Equity Group Investments

Patricio Gutierrez Tommasi (MS '99), Artha Capital & Frontier Industrial

Rodney Johnson ('78), JPMorgan Chase

Nelson Koen (MS '04), Safari Ventures, LLP

Jair Lynch ('94), Jair Lynch Real Estate Partners

Meris Ota (MS '04)

Tricia Peterson (MBA '00), Accord Group Holdings

Andy Richard ('91), Evercore

Maya Theuer ('16), Redwood Residential

Ken Woolley (MBA '71, PhD '71), Extra Space Storage, Inc. 

Student Board Member, Gabriela Diaz (MBA '25),