ULI Boston is pleased to introduce Sarah Black, Environment Planner at VHB, and Ryan Kiracofe, Associate Developer at Pennrose, as our new Co-Chair and Membership chairs, respectively, of the Young Leaders Group. The Young Leaders Group produces exclusive content for ULI Members under the age of 35.

Sarah Black arrived on the professional scene with a degree in environmental science and a minor in legal studies. With an opportunity to take her career in many different directions, Sarah chose to accept a position as Environmental Planner at VHB. Sarah helps manage the public environmental review of development projects that fall within the jurisdiction of State and City development review processes.

After graduating with a degree in finance and spending four years as a financial analyst, Ryan Kiracofe took it upon himself to pursue his passion for cities and returned to school to earn his Master of City Planning degree. During his studies, Ryan focused on the intersection of smart growth, catalytic urbanism, and socially responsible real estate development. Most recently, Ryan has accepted the position of Associate Developer at Pennrose.

Learn more about Sarah and Ryan and their involvement with the Young Leaders Group.

Sarah Black, Environmental Planner, VHB

Tell us about your involvement in ULI, and specifically the YLG’s, and how has that benefitted you professionally so far.

As someone entering a new field straight out of an undergraduate degree, I was quickly interested in meeting people and generally learning more about the industry. I went to a handful of networking and educational events early on in my time at VHB and found that I really enjoyed the ULI programming. The YLGs in particular were a welcoming group of people, and it didn’t take long for me to start seeing friendly faces at events I was attending. Having that network encouraged me to become more involved in ULI, and has helped me to meet more people than I would have on my own. Through my involvement with the YLGs, I also had the opportunity to join the ULI Climate Resiliency Committee which has been a great group to be involved in.

What do you hope to accomplish as an individual in a leadership position within the YLG’s?

I have always been impressed with the YLG leaders, so there are some big shoes to fill as a co-chair of the group. One hope I have is to find ways to continue expanding the YLG membership and our programming to include more diverse voices. I feel that I have really benefitted from my involvement with the YLGS, and I want to do my part to make sure that opportunity is available to anyone who is interested. Particularly early on, building a network of peers is so important for young professionals and I think the YLG group is a great way to do that.

Ryan Kiracofe, Associate Developer, Pennrose

Tell us about your involvement in ULI, and specifically the YLG’s, and how has that benefitted you professionally so far.

I began attending ULI events immediately after starting my first job after grad school. Working in a very small office, ULI’s YLG was an important way for me to make friends in the field and get to know the firms that play a role in planning and development in New England. ULI events like neighborhood walking tours and panels helped me connect the dots between themes discussed in school and the thought processes of developers, engineers, and planners. I’ve always appreciated the diverse careers of folks in the YLG – it’s not just developers or just planners, but a great mix of architects, lenders, urban planners and designers, engineers, landscape architects, and developers.

What do you hope to accomplish as an individual in a leadership position within the YLG’s?

In addition to helping our Chairs to plan and run events and meetings, I hope I can lead outreach to the area’s colleges as a way of bringing more new members into the fold. I think recent grads, especially those who come from other fields as I did, can benefit tremendously from exposure to ULI’s programming in the really friendly, comfortable environment that the YLG provides. I’d also like to work with university contacts to continue growing the group’s gender and race diversity. If our industry is to provide more equitable opportunities for all kinds of people, groups like ours have a key role to play in connecting diverse groups to learning resources and networking events.