Chasing Equity, Achieving Excellence: Meet Chicago's Female Rising Stars

Farpoint Development Director Jane Acker +

Photo: Courtesy of Jane Acker

When Jane Acker isn’t working, she’s practicing capoeira, an Afro Brazilian martial art she started participating in eight years ago.

Acker aims to progress her career by discovering new ways to generate value and make a greater impact on how the built environment is shaped.

She is also a fan of dancing, biking, hiking and listening to music.

JLL Managing Director Deanna Becker +

Photo: Courtesy of Deanna Becker

The challenge of working on increasingly complex transactions and collaborating with clients is the fuel for Deanna Becker’s career aspirations. She constantly looks for ways to broaden her skill set and learn about new parts of the industry, mentoring young team members and developing the next generation of leaders.

Outside of the workplace, Becker loves to plan trips, read books, try out new restaurants and hang out with her husband and 3-year-old daughter.

Mortenson Healthcare Development Executive Maggie Beckley +

Photo: Courtesy of Maggie Beckley

Maggie Beckley is a rising star in the commercial real estate industry because of her commitment to continuous learning, innovative problem-solving and achieving results. She aims to advance her career in the healthcare real estate development space, contributing to the creation of more healthcare facilities and communities that actively promote accessibility and inclusivity while achieving health equity.

Despite Beckley’s outgoing demeanor, she said she is naturally an introvert, finding solace and energy in quieter, more introspective moments.

The Goldie Initiative Program Director Kelsey Cleland +

Photo: Courtesy of Kelsey Cleland

Kelsey Cleland’s grandmother started volunteering to fight housing inequality in Wilmette in the 1960s, but she wasn't around to see the ribbon-cutting for Cleland Place, a Wilmette affordable housing development named in her honor.

Cleland said her grandmother planted the seed for her to continue the fight, even though she didn't live long enough to “see the tree.”

A Chicago native and Whitney Young High School graduate, Cleland aims to live up to her grandmother's legacy and continue planting many seeds of positive change in her career, ones that have the power to live on long after she is gone.

DLA Piper Partner Katie Jahnke Dale +

Photo: Courtesy of Katie Jahnke Dale

When Katie Jahnke Dale is working with some of Chicago’s top developers and institutions on significant projects in the area, she zeroes in on win-win solutions for her clients and local stakeholders.

Dale, pictured on the far left of the first row, has worked on many of the developments in Fulton Market dating back to when the neighborhood was still full of meatpackers. She has also been involved with Lincoln Yards, the 78, Onni Group’s projects on Goose Island and Shapack Partners’ projects in and around Fulton Market and River West. She also helped to secure the Evanston City Council’s approval for the new Northwestern football stadium, Ryan Field.

She comes from a large family in Kansas City and is the seventh of eight children.

Willard Jones Real Estate Chief Marketing Officer Amanda Friedlander +

Photo: Courtesy of Amanda Friedlander

Amanda Friedlander is paving the way for other women in the commercial real estate industry who have a disability or chronic illness, and she strives to imbue acceptance, inclusivity and accessibility within her work. She is in her third year of pursuing a law degree at the University of Illinois Chicago and hopes to use her legal credentials to advocate for her clients.

When Friendlander isn’t working, she enjoys writing personal essays, making podcasts, painting, practicing special effects makeup and hanging out with her cat, Lunchmeat.

Beacon Capital Partners Vice President of Asset Management Vera Halicki +

Photo: Courtesy of Vera Halicki

The icy cold of a Chicago winter is no match for Vera Halicki, an avid traveler who gets excited exploring other cultures and has visited every continent, including Antarctica. While she loves the Windy City, traveling the world helps her expand her worldview and cultural understanding.

The first-generation Ukrainian American is involved in the Urban Land Institute Chicago Product Council and is an alumna and prior board member of The Goldie Initiative. Halicki said she has finally gotten a handle on work-life balance and aims to show younger women that you can simultaneously work hard and live an enriched life.

Sterling Bay Managing Director Meg Hanley +

Photo: Courtesy of Meg Hanley

When Meg Hanley sold her first million-dollar home at the age of 22, there was just one holdup: She worried that her clients would lose confidence in her if they knew she still lived at home with her parents.

Now, she’s gained confidence in herself, racking up six title changes in the past five years, which she believes reflects her push for growth.

Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her husband, daughter, dog and other close family members.

Sunshine Management CEO Bonita Harrison +

Photo: Courtesy of Bonita Harrison

Bonita Harrison, pictured right, believes in the tangible impact and transformative change she has brought to the West Woodlawn community through the purchase of an entire block in the O Block neighborhood. She put together a team of five Black developers who rallied to revitalize an entire block, creating 30 new housing units.

A holistic approach to development addressed not just physical infrastructure but also the social and economic aspects of the community. She employed “house hacking” strategies and marketing efforts to not only increase property values but also make homeownership accessible through naturally occurring affordable housing.

Trilogy Real Estate Group Vice President of Acquisitions Katie Jansen +

Photo: Courtesy of Katie Jansen

You may not meet a bigger animal lover than Katie Jansen. The former competitive horse rider volunteers with a local rescue group where she “foster failed” not once but twice and ended up with two young dogs.

As her career progresses, Jansen hopes to acquire many multifamily properties and show her younger colleagues that you don't have to look or act in a predetermined way to achieve success.

Ratio Associate and Sustainability Integration Leader Natalie Hicks +

Photo: Courtesy of Natalie Hicks

When you ask Natalie Hicks what drives her work, she says she is passionate about improving the CRE industry not only for building occupants and communities but also for the health of the environment. Her work is focused on implementing sustainable initiatives on projects across the country and at an operational level.

Outside of work, her favorite hobbies change with the season. The winter months involve a lot of video games, books and testing out new restaurants. In the summer, she loves to be outside as much as possible, whether at the beach, on a bike ride or sitting on a patio.

Cushman & Wakefield Senior Associate Nicole Lam +

Photo: Courtesy of Nicole Lam

Nicole Lam wears many hats in both her professional and personal lives.

The trained violinist serves as an associate board member for the Harold E. Eisenberg Foundation, which focuses on a dual mission of advancing real estate education and raising funds for gastrointestinal cancer research. She is also a member of Cushman & Wakefield’s Asians and Pacific Islanders in Real Estate employee resource group, where she spearheads networking and career development events for members to advance their careers.

When she isn't working to help clients manage their assets, she loves to crochet, work on her balcony vegetable garden and play with her “failed foster” cat Lacy.

Madison Rose Leasing Co. Leasing Director Abigail McFadyen +

Photo: Courtesy of Abigail McFadyen

Abigail McFadyen entered the CRE industry in the middle of the pandemic and began her career at a three-person company with one client. In the almost four years she has been with Madison Rose Leasing Co., it has doubled in size and increased its “eclectic” portfolio to 27 buildings and 15 clients.

Although the 26-year-old lifelong Chicago resident is young, she doesn’t back down from a challenge or a tough conversation. She endeavors to exude passion for the Windy City and act as its biggest spokesperson.

Gensler Hospitality Leader, Design Director and Principal Lori Mukoyama +

Photo: Courtesy of Lori Mukoyama

In Lori Mukoyama’s time in commercial real estate, she has led the design of iconic spaces and worked closely with generational brands, restaurants and a variety of hotel concepts. She aims to bring influences and concepts from around the world into the local market, improving and enhancing design experiences in Chicago.

Mukoyama enjoys the challenge of infusing hospitality into unexpected sectors like the workplace, as in the amenity spaces at Old Post Office, the lobby of 131 S. Dearborn St. and a life sciences building in Lincoln Yards at 1229 W. Concord Place. She also worked on the DraftKings Sportsbook at Wrigley Field, which incorporates hospitality elements.

Mid-America Asset Management Inc. Principal Sarah Norlander +

Photo: Courtesy of Sarah Norlander

Most people would be surprised to learn that Sarah Norlander is afraid of flying, especially after hearing that she went skydiving in Switzerland with her now-husband right after college.

Norlander is looking to take similar risks by mentoring others to pursue careers in real estate and helping other women realize they can still have a family, be great mothers and be proud of a career in real estate. She hopes to continue working in her community of Western Springs to help the town gain successful businesses.

PSP Growth Managing Director Momei Qu +

Photo: Courtesy of Momei Qu

Before Momei Qu routinely had her commercial real estate competition on the ropes, she served up aces on the tennis court as a junior and collegiate player.

Qu is a founding member of PSP Growth, the venture arm for Penny Pritzker's investment group, and heads up its venture strategy. She led the company’s investments into several real estate technology companies, such as OpenSpace, VTS and Higharc.

Avison Young Vice President Marissa Rose +

Photo: Courtesy of Marissa Rose

If real estate finance is a prolonged race to the top, Marissa Rose has the proper training to succeed in the long term. The mother of two has run nine half-marathons and has made it a postpartum goal to run her 10th this year.

In Rose’s early days at Avison Young, she was heavily involved in its junior broker development program, first serving as the local leader of the program before spending two years on the global council, helping to cultivate Avison Young’s junior employees around the world. She also began as a Goldie Initiative scholar in 2017 and is early in her second term as a board member, supporting women in real estate and making connections throughout the industry following her graduation from the Kellogg School of Management.

Studio Gang Project Leader Seanna Walsh +

Photo: Courtesy of Seanna Walsh

Over nearly a decade of architectural work in Chicago, Seanna Walsh has led architectural design teams working on large-scale residential and commercial projects around the world. Walsh works to help her teams learn and grow as young architects, and mentorship — especially of women and other underrepresented groups in architecture — has been a key part of her professional growth.

Walsh is fluent in French, which has come in handy on some projects in Paris, and also speaks German and a bit of Spanish.

Crane Principal Drakia Wilkins +

Photo: Courtesy of Drakia Wilkins

Drakia Wilkins once managed a 7-acre development on Chicago’s riverfront, which helped prepare her for a future in land development, both in the city and in her hometown of Detroit. The born-and-raised Detroiter aspires to one day return there and participate in the city's redevelopment.

She aims to contribute to the cityscapes of both Midwestern metros by leading housing development and retail leasing of the restaurants, coffee shops and wine bars that make up the “heartbeat” of neighborhoods.

First Street Retail Partners Partner Julie Williams +

Photo: Courtesy of Julie Williams

Julie Williams has had many jobs and explored several potential careers in her life, but in commercial real estate, she finally discovered how easy it is to get excited about work when you genuinely enjoy what you do. She said she is surrounded by great people, notably her mentor and partner, Allen Joffe, who inspires her to elevate her game.

Williams wants to develop as many long-lasting and meaningful relationships with businesses and people as possible. She said there can never be too many good people in her orbit and hopes others feel she adds value and joy to theirs.

Chasing Equity, Achieving Excellence: Meet Chicago's Female Rising Stars

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