Boston, MA – The Boston/New England District Council of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) today announces the 2020/2021 Pathways to Inclusion Cohort. The Pathways to Inclusion program is designed to broaden ULI membership and expand the professional networks of minority developers and land use professionals in Boston and New England. Cohort recipients are provided a one-year Urban Land Institute membership, as well as a scholarship to ULI’s 2020 Fall Meeting, which occurred from October 13-15th.  

Started in 2018, the Pathways to Inclusion program is a partnership between the Builders of Color Coalition and African-American Real Estate Professionals New England (AAREP). Cohort members will participate in meetings and seminars throughout the year, as well as structured networking sessions with Boston and New England real estate leaders. To date, ULI Boston/New England has invested more than $20,000 in the program.  

“The mission of our Pathways to Inclusion Cohort is to provide individuals of color with an opportunity to learn, network, and grow their careers,” said Manikka Bowman, Director of Policy and Outreach for ULI. “We strongly believe the program strengthens and fortifies our communities and the real estate and land use industries, as empowered, diverse voices at the table can lead to greater industry growth.” 

This year’s Pathways to Inclusion Cohort contains fifteen members: Jordan Alejandro (Arrowstreet), Arash Arbabi (Trammell Crow Residential), Debra M Butler (student at University of Massachusetts-Boston), Francisco Feliz (Bennett Hill Partners), Aaron Horne (Trinity Financial), Rhett James (Street Smart Development), Yung-Ching Lin (Halvorson | Tighe and Bond Studio), Ocean Luo (BPDA), Taylor Perkins (Boston College), Anecia Richards (Turner Construction), Natasha Sadikin (student at MIT), Estephen Saliba (Wells Fargo), Daphne Sarcia (Lendlease), Scotland Willis (Zero House Designs), and Jessica Ye (Rivermore).  

The Pathways to Inclusion program is designed to increase participation of groups who are underrepresented in the land use and real estate fields, defined as being African American/African descent, Hispanic/Latino, Native American, Middle Eastern, and Asian descent.