David M. Sherman ’82, has been appointed co-director of the Paul Milstein Center for Real Estate, effective October 2016.
As co-director, David will work in partnership with Chris Mayer, Paul Milstein Professor of Real Estate and co-director of the Milstein Center, on continuing to shape the intellectual and strategic direction of the Milstein Center, stewarding the Real Estate Forum, and further enhancing the reputation of the successful Columbia Real Estate Program domestically and globally.
“David has been a longtime advocate and great supporter of the MBA Real Estate Program—teaching, advising and participating in many events. I am delighted to work with him in this new capacity as co-director. His wealth of experience and industry expertise will be extremely valuable to the next phase of growth for the Program and the Center,” said Mayer. David brings more than 30 years of real estate experience to the position, as a former REIT analyst, investment banker, consultant, and for the past 14 years as co-founder, president, and co-chief investment officer of Metropolitan Real Estate.
Formed in 2002, and part of The Carlyle Group Investment Solutions division since 2013, Metropolitan was one of the first private real estate fund-of-funds and it remains a leader in this space. The firm invests with top local and regional real estate fund managers globally as an investor in their funds, a buyer of secondary fund interests, and a direct property co-investor.
Over the past 15 years, David has been actively involved in the Real Estate Program at Columbia. From 2000–2006, he was an adjunct professor teaching Real Estate Finance and Real Estate Capital Markets, and he has been a frequent guest lecturer. He is a founding member of the Real Estate Circle, a member of the Real Estate Advisory Board, and he has consistently been an active participant in the Real Estate Symposium and other activities sponsored by the Program.
David received an AB in mathematical economics (magna cum laude) from Brown University and an MBA from Columbia Business School. He is also a member and former chairman of the Pension Real Estate Association (PREA) Institute Committee.
In addition to a rigorous curriculum, the Milstein Center runs more than 40 programs annually for alumni, students, and industry professionals. David and Chris will jointly oversee the activities of the Center, working closely with Kristin Svenningsen, administrative director of the Center. David will focus on developing new initiatives to expand the scope of the Center’s activities and its engagement with the alumni base and the real estate community overall.
“Lynne, Chris and the faculty and staff have built a highly successful real estate program at Columbia. I am very excited to step into my new role as co-director, and I hope to continue to build on the program’s success over the coming years,” said Sherman.
The Paul Milstein Center for Real Estate warmly welcomes David into this new leadership position and is looking forward to an exciting year ahead.
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