National – Project REAP (Real Estate Associate Program), a national initiative for advancing diversity, equity and inclusion in commercial real estate (CRE), has elected four new members to its board effective May 2022.
“I’m excited to welcome these members to the board at this pivotal moment in our 24-year history,” stated Manikka Bowman, executive director of Project REAP. “Throughout their careers, each one has committed to achievement not only of professional excellence but toward advancing DEI in the industry and improving the quality of life for the communities and the built environment.”
The new REAP board members:
Audra Cunningham is the first female C-suite executive at Atlanta-based T. Dallas Smith & Company (TDS&Co). As executive vice president and chief administrative officer at TDS&Co, her 30-year career is highlighted by extensive experience in complex lease negotiations, business development and community activism. In her first year at TDS&Co, she significantly grew the firm’s national client base while continuing the mission of exposing more women and people of color to the commercial real estate industry. Her leadership and ability to foster strategic partnerships have helped the firm expand its representation with law firms, nonprofits, corporations, and government contractors.
Khalid Rashid, equity owner and managing director with Clarion Partners, is a portfolio manager and member of the firm’s Investment Committee. He has more than 18 years of experience in the real estate industry with extensive transaction and leadership experience in portfolio and asset management, acquisitions and financings. Based in the firm’s Los Angeles office, Rashid serves as DEI council chair, spearheads the company’s business development and co-investment partnership opportunities with diverse firms, and is an active member of the firm’s ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) Committee.
Reesa Fischer
As managing director, client solutions & strategy at Keller Augusta, a national full-service female-owned and staffed search and advisory firm specializing in CRE with offices in Boston, New York City and South Florida, Reesa Fischer oversees the strategic direction, brand management and DEI initiatives. Her relationship-oriented approach derives from over 30 years in real estate advisory roles. The results include building diverse networks, breaking the glass ceiling for women and minorities in CRE, and creating sustainable change. As the former executive director of NAIOP Massachusetts, she developed programming and engagement opportunities for over 1,700 CRE principals and professionals.
Allan F. Suarez is a principal and COO of All Renovation Construction LLC, a Harlem, N.Y.-based full-service general contracting firm for large-scale institutional, commercial and residential projects. Additionally, he co-founded Newark Foundry Workspaces in Newark, N.J., a real estate development offshoot that began by revitalizing a blighted gilded age mansion. With All Renovation Construction and Newark Foundry, Suarez currently initiates new business relationships with city economic developers, end users and financial institutions to merge business interests into successful real estate developments in both New York City and Newark, N.J.
