The Latest News from SPIRE

Welcoming a New Academic Year with SPIRE

Dear SPIRE Community,

As the new academic year unfolds and students settle into campus life, we're energized by the momentum within the SPIRE community and excited to share what lies ahead through the end of the year.

Welcoming New Student Board Members

We’re thrilled to welcome Lincoln Liesemeyer (MBA ’26) and Libby Warren (’27) as SPIRE’s Student Board Members for this academic year. Lincoln and Libby co-lead their respective student clubs: Lincoln—GSB Real Estate Club and Libby—Stanford Real Estate Associate (SREA), the undergraduate real estate club.

Welcoming Master's Students in SDC – Sustainable Real Estate Development (SRED)

We’re also delighted to welcome the first student cohort in the new Sustainable Design & Construction (SDC) MS track: Sustainable Real Estate Development (SRED) under the guidance of Stanford Professor Rishee Jain.

The track prepares students for careers in sustainable real estate development spanning the planning, investment, design, construction, and operation of built environment assets. SPIRE is proud to support this collaboration between Stanford’s Civil & Environmental Engineering Department, Stanford|Doerr School of Sustainability, and the broader real estate community.

Connecting with Students at the Career Fair

Earlier this month, I joined Libby, Lincoln, and Carlos Espriu from Leaders of the Built Environment (LBE) student club at the Stanford Fall Career Fair. Together, we met dozens of students eager to learn more about real estate and the built environment. It was exciting to see so much student enthusiasm for the industry and to share how SPIRE and our student partners are helping open doors to meaningful careers, classroom and experiential learning, and mentorship opportunities. Please email Alex Forhan if you are interested in signing up for a free student membership.

Panel: Explore Careers in Real Estate - Stanford

Together with SPIRE, the GSB Real Estate Club and SREA hosted a Real Estate Career Panel on Thursday, October 30, which was open to students across campus interested in learning more about industry opportunities. SPIRE thanks Stanford alumni and panelists Nick Bellafronto (’20), Katherine Evers (’16, MBA ’22), Chris Owusu (’12), and Cyril Straughn-Turner (’16), with Lincoln serving as moderator.

SPIRE Community Happy Hour & ULI Fall Conference - San Francisco

In conjunction with the ULI Fall Conference in San Francisco, Stanford alums and students in real estate will meet at a SPIRE Community Happy Hour on Wednesday, November 5 at Seven Square Taproom.

Join SPIRE at the Stanford Real Estate Hall of Fame Banquet - Sharon Heights Golf & Country Club

On November 13, SPIRE is proud to induct Jeff Birdwell (’82, MS ’83) and Rick Magnuson (MBA ’82) into the Stanford Real Estate Hall of Fame, recognizing their leadership, integrity, and contributions to the Stanford and real estate communities. This biennial celebration brings together alumni, students, and industry leaders for an inspiring evening of recognition and connection.

Net proceeds from SPIRE's fundraiser go directly to the SPIRE Stanford Student Impact Fund, which provides grants to students so they can pursue meaningful, hands-on experiences in the built environment--from research and new ventures to non-profit internships and industry training.

Purchase Hall of Fame Tickets

SREC and SREC Emerging Leaders Conferences - Stanford

SPIRE’s Stanford Alumni Real Estate Council (SREC) and SREC Emerging Leaders (SREC EL) will gather November 12–14 for their annual Fall Conferences at Stanford. We look forward to welcoming members for these signature events filled with learning, networking, and collaboration.

Thank You!

Thank you for being part of the SPIRE community and for supporting our mission to connect alumni, students, and educators— inspiring one another to advance the real estate and built environment industries.

This September, SPIRE lost two remarkable members of our community: Tad Taube (’53, MS ’57) and Bill Tooley (’56), both Stanford Real Estate Hall of Fame inductees, SREC members, and long-time friends of SPIRE. We are deeply grateful for their leadership, generosity, and lasting impact, and they are greatly missed. Please read more about their lives and legacies below.

For more information about SPIRE, please visit our website: spirestanford.org

Lauren Barley (’82)

Executive Director, SPIRE

lauren@spirestanford.org

2025 Stanford Real Estate Hall of Fame

Date: Thursday, November 13, 2025

Time: 6:00 – 9:00 PM

Location: Sharon Heights Golf & Country Club

Address: 2900 Sand Hill Rd, Menlo Park, CA 94025

Celebrate. Connect. Give Back.

SPIRE is proud to induct Jeff Birdwell (’82, MS ’83) and Rick Magnuson (MBA ’82) into the Stanford Real Estate Hall of Fame, recognizing their leadership, integrity, and contributions to the Stanford and real estate communities.

Come join the SPIRE community for an inspiring evening of celebration, connection, and purpose. Net proceeds benefit the SPIRE Stanford Student Impact Fund (SSIF), empowering the next generation of real estate leaders.

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

Reserve Your Seat

In Remembrance

SPIRE mourns the passing of Tad Taube and Bill Tooley, Hall of Fame Inductees, SREC Members, and longtime friends of SPIRE

Tad Taube (’53, MS ’57)

SPIRE honors the life of Tad Taube, a visionary leader and generous philanthropist whose influence profoundly shaped the Stanford community and the broader real-estate and civic sectors. A proud Stanford alumnus (’53; MS ’57), Tad was inducted into the Stanford Real Estate Hall of Fame in 2014, and was a longstanding member and supporter of the Stanford Alumni Real Estate Council (SREC).

In his distinguished career, Tad co-founded The Woodmont Companies, which grew into a major real-estate investment and management firm, and served as Chairman of Taube Philanthropies. He also devoted many years as board president (later President Emeritus) of the Koret Foundation, leading philanthropic efforts across education, culture, and community.

His support for Stanford University was deep and multifaceted — spanning the Hoover Institution, the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR), the Taube Center for Jewish Studies, and Stanford Athletics.

Born in Kraków, Poland in 1931 and immigrating to the United States in 1939, Tad’s personal journey of resilience and purpose underpinned his lifelong commitment to education, community, and Jewish life in America, Israel, and Poland.

Among his many honors, Tad received Poland’s Commander’s Cross of the Order of Merit (for his role in revitalizing Jewish cultural life in Poland) and an honorary doctorate from the Jagiellonian University. He passed away on September 13, 2025, at the age of 94.

We at SPIRE will remember Tad Taube for his remarkable generosity, visionary leadership, and enduring devotion to mentorship and community building. His legacy will continue to inspire our work and values for years to come.

William “Bill” Tooley ('56)

SPIRE celebrates the life and legacy of William “Bill” Lander Tooley III (’56), a visionary leader in California’s real-estate community, a 2013 inductee into the Stanford Real Estate Hall of Fame, and a dedicated alumnus whose professional integrity and civic service left a lasting mark on both industry and community.

A proud graduate of Stanford University ('56) and Harvard Business School (MBA '60), Bill began his career in commercial real estate at Murdock Development Company before co-founding Ketchum, Peck & Tooley. In 1975, he established Tooley & Company, serving as Chairman and guiding the firm to become one of Southern California’s most respected real-estate development and management companies. Under his leadership, Tooley & Company developed and managed millions of square feet of high-quality office space across Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Orange County, and San Francisco. In 1998, Trammell Crow Company acquired Tooley & Company, underscoring Bill’s reputation for excellence, vision, and long-term value creation.

Beyond his business achievements, Bill embodied civic leadership and public service. He served on numerous boards including Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco (Director), National Realty Committee (now Real Estate Roundtable), Loyola Marymount University (Regent), Los Angeles Music Center, and Saint John’s Hospital and Health Center Foundation

Bill’s warmth, integrity, and generosity extended to his family and friends, who knew him as a devoted husband, father, grandfather, outdoorsman, and lover of jazz and the natural world. Bill passed September 20, 2025, in Sun Valley, Idaho.

SPIRE honors William “Bill” Tooley for his lifetime of vision, civic engagement, and steadfast dedication to excellence in both business and public life.

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.

Support SPIRE and Join Today!