The story of my ULI DC activation began on Friday March 6, 2020; which was the day I returned to Washington DC from a week of business travel in the Cleveland Ohio and Nashville Tennessee markets. On the following Monday, our team was informed that we were a part of a group of employees that would operate under U.S. Banks WFH Policy in response to the COVID-19 pandemic; suspending  all travel until further notice.  Perhaps like many of you, I was unsure  what to  expect from this  “new normal” and, more importantly;  how I would find a “work life balance”  operating from my home and continue to push  my career development advancement from a mid-career market manager to a senior executive  in the banking or land use industry.  As I result, this required me to make an intentional decision to  “level up ” my expectations in the areas of professional development  and volunteer engagement.  So,  the question became how would I get there?

Based on my academic training in Urban Planning and Public Policy  coupled with  two decades of background in Affordable Housing  and Small Business Program and Fund Management, I was seeking  a real estate  trade partner whose membership base and offerings were (1) cross-disciplinary in scope and (2) could connect me to land use and real estate experts and organizations that could inform my passion problem of closing financial wealth gaps for communities of color.  More importantly,  as a conscientious  African American male concerned about the  impact of COVID-19  and the George Floyd  “Moment to Movement” Incident on the direction of our industry, time was now of the essence to find a partner organization that could  accelerate my knowledge and also activate the required work to align with my career development objectives.   In reviewing the landscape of professional associations in the DC Region, I applied to ULI DC ‘s Path to Inclusion Program because (1) it was selective, (2) it valued a relationship between expanding the networks of racially diverse real estate professionals and creating globally sustainable communities, and (3) it offered a one year fellowship that allowed awardees to “customize” their volunteer journey’s within  the  council.

Thus far, my seven-month time period with ULI DC has been awesome and the phrases that I would use to describe my member experience would be  “fast-paced”, “hands-on”, and “high-impact”.  A summary of key highlights from my volunteer involvement  are  as follows:

• I recruited the keynote banking industry executive and provided on-going direction in partnership with the Real Estate and Racial Equity Committee for the 2021 Emerging Trends Regional Forum.
• I am serving as a certified volunteer for the Urban Plan Program; which has allowed me to collaborate with ULI staff and the DEI Steering Committee to develop a regional proposal that will equip a more diverse group of high school and university students (including HBCU’s) with career journey information and raise their awareness on the impact of real estate development practices on local communities.
• I am also participating on the ULI DC Advisory Board which has allowed me to offer early-stage feedback on  the Thrive Montgomery County 2050 Development Plan; which will address  issues such as completing communities through new urbanism and mixed use integration, rethinking single family neighborhoods near transit nodes, and achieving racial equity and social justice outcomes.
• I am supporting the preparation of the May 2021 Equitable Planning/Social Impacts Program Committee Presentation; where I have been conducting case study research and analysis on the functional versus dysfunctional characteristics of real estate developments.
• I requested and secured a $10,000 Commitment from the U.S. Bank Foundation  (4 months after my activation) to fund a FY 21 Gold Corporate Partnership Agreement to advance ULI Washington’s local programming and impact efforts.

In closing, my interest in writing this spotlight was to highlight the value investments in programs such as Path to Inclusion can bring to the development of minority real estate and land use professionals when there is mutual engagement. Although balancing the time demands of my current workload at U.S Bank with my ULI volunteer activities has been challenging, it has concurrently provided a unique sense of professional fulfillment built around the value of service, has developed leadership skills that will be critical to the success of my career journey, and has connected me to a committed group of DC practitioners and influencers (YOU) that will transform the future landscape of our industry.

Scott Willis,
Vice President- National Strategic Markets and Affordable Home Lending Team, U.S. Bank
Member, ULI Washington Pathways to Inclusion
Member, ULI Programs Committee
Member, ULI Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Steering Committee
Volunteer, UrbanPlan

In ULI Washington’s new Leadership Insights column, ULI Washington will regularly feature member leader’s thoughts and insights as we adjust personally and professional to a “new normal.”