About

The Joseph E. Corcoran Center for Real Estate and Urban Action leverages a multidisciplinary approach to cultivate discussions and develop actions that foster community transformation.

People

Leadership

Neil McCullagh

Neil McCullagh

Executive Director


617-552-0829
Carney Hall 430

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Neil McCullagh

Neil McCullagh

Executive Director

| 617-552-0829 | Carney Hall 430

  • M.P.A., Harvard University
  • MBA, Boston University
  • B.A., Boston College

Neil McCullagh is Executive Director of the Carroll School of Managements Joseph E. Corcoran Center for Real Estate and Urban Action and a Lecturer at Boston College. Neil leads the Centers activities related to curriculum development, student engagement, and community outreach.

Neil has experience in both the private and nonprofit sectors including extensive domestic and international experience directing high-impact social change initiatives. Neil has led multiyear programs in community development, economic development, and housing. This dynamic experience informs his teaching at Boston College, where his courses focus on analyzing the factors critical to successful transformation of urban neighborhoods and giving students "learning by doing" experiences.泭

Neil was the Executive Director of The American City Coalition (TACC), which provides place-based support to community based organizations focused on revitalization efforts in Boston and technical support to mixed-income housing developers. He served as Country Director for CHF International (now Global Communities) in Azerbaijan on a multiyear, community development program funded by the United States Agency for International Development. Prior to his work, he co-directed operations of a US-funded, private sector development program in Mongolia. He also oversaw all aspects of a reconstruction and refugee resettlement program in post-war Kosovo.

Neil holds an undergraduate degree from Boston College; an MBA from Boston University and an MPA from Harvard Universitys Kennedy School of Government, where he was awarded a Roy and Lila Ash Fellowship for Innovations in Democracy and Governance. He was a Jesuit Volunteer in JVC Southwest. He currently serves on the board of Rebuilding Together Boston.

Courses Taught


Taylor Perkins

Taylor Perkins

Associate Director


Office Hours Spring 2024 - Tues 1-2 & By Appointment
Carney Hall 431

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Taylor Perkins

Taylor Perkins

Associate Director

| Office Hours Spring 2024 - Tues 1-2 & By Appointment | Carney Hall 431

  • Ed.M., Harvard University
  • B.A., Amherst College

Taylor Perkins is Associate Director of the Corcoran Center and teaches in the Carroll School of Management. Taylor leads the Centers programming and experiential learning efforts, directing the Center's summer program and national affordable housing real estate case competiton.

Taylor brings over twelve years of experience to the Corcoran Center. Active in the field of Real Estate and Urban Action, he currently serves as an appointee to Somerville MA Mayor泭Katjana Ballantyne's Public Safety for All Task Force, serving on the exectuive comittee and as co-chair of the drafting subcomittee. He actively conducts action-focused research and consulting for local governments and nonprofit organizations.

As a professor he focuses on泭bridging the theoretical and practical realms within real estate and urban action through experiential learning, as well as robust engagement with professionals in the field and community members.泭

Taylor is a graduate of Amherst College, where he double majored in Black Studies and Political Science, and Harvard University, where he earned an Ed.M. At Amherst College he was a four-year varsity track and field athlete.

Taylor lives in Somerville, MA and is an avid boater, skier, and cyclist.

Courses Taught

  • Real Estate泭Colloquium I (Business, Law and Society & Economics Depts)
  • Real Estate Colloquium II泭(Business, Law and Society & Economics Depts)
  • Urban Action Lab (Business, Law and Society & Economics Depts)

Affiliated Faculty

Faculty affiliated with the Corcoran Center conduct teaching and research that aligns with the Center's mission of improving neighborhoods and communities.
Matthew Littell

Matthew Littell



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Matthew Littell

Matthew Littell

Matthew Littell is one of the founding principals of Utile. Through his work in the firms architecture, planning, and early phase development projects, he has gained an expertise in building and zoning codes and regulatory processes specifically as they relate to urban design, housing and land use. His practice is local, national and international, and focuses on the intersection of public space, design of the built environment and land use policy.

Matthew served as Utiles principal-in-charge for Imagine Boston 2030, the citys first comprehensive plan in 50 years. He has directed many of the firms early phase planning and urban design projects, including the Downtown Boston Waterfront Municipal Harbor Plan, as well as the design guidelines and zoning for the Rose Kennedy Greenway District. He has led planning efforts in several Massachusetts Gateway cities, including Holyoke, Revere and Chelsea, MA, and has just completed a plan for Bostons first Flood Resilience Guidelines and Zoning Overlay. He is currently the firms principal in charge for citywide rezoning efforts in Atlanta and Detroit, and leads Utiles affordable housing efforts, which include the design of multiple developments in Boston and surrounding cities.

Matthew teaches a course on contemporary urban design issues at Boston College. He earned his M.Arch. from Harvards Graduate School of Design in 1997, where he received the Boston Society of Architects James Templeton Kelly award for the best final design project, as well as the Clifford Wong prize for outstanding design in housing.

Courses Taught

Urban Design for Complexity and Sustainability泭(BSLW220701)

Samantha Teixeira

Samantha Teixeira



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Samantha Teixeira

Samantha Teixeira

Samantha Teixeira, PhD, joined the faculty of the 51做厙 School of Social Work in 2015. Her research focuses on how neighborhood environmental conditions affect youth and how youth can be engaged in creating solutions to environmental problems in their communities. She uses innovative, mixed-methods with a focus on participatory approaches including community mapping, photography, and spatial analysis. Teixeiras diverse practice experience includes work in child welfare and community development. Teixeira and Rebekah Levine Coley (Professor, 51做厙 LSEHD) are co-leading a five-year, $3 million grant from the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities to study the effects of public housing redevelopment on the health and well being of more than 1,000 residents of the Mary Ellen McCormack housing development in South Boston.

David Price

David Price



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David Price

David Price

In January 2023 David Price began work at Boston College Law School to help lead a startup program, the Initiative on Land, Housing & Property Rights (ILHPR).泭 This program seeks to preserve and expand property rights for disadvantaged communities across the United States by producing research, devising legal reform and policy solutions, engaging in community outreach, training law students, and drawing on other complementary strategies.

As Associate Director, David manages resource development, budget planning, communications, program planning and development and strategic planning.泭 David reports to Professor Thomas Mitchell, the ILHPR Director and the Robert F. Drinan SJ Chair and Professor of Law at 51做厙 Law School.泭 Professor Mitchell is the lead author of the , adopted by 23 states and other jurisdictions泭

David helps manage ILHPR programs, which seek to:

  • 泭Train and develop a new generation of real estate attorneys and community practitioners by strengthening their expertise in estate planning, property-related matters and community development on behalf of disadvantaged communities; and learn from these communities in order to inform and improve the work of the ILHPR;
  • Help develop legislative and policy solutions at the local, state and federal levels to advance the property rights of disadvantaged communities; and
  • Spur community-informed research into critical property issues affecting disadvantaged communities, using conferences, seminars, workshops and other gatherings.

The public launch of the ILHPR was a spring 2023 conference on Land Loss, Reparations and Housing Policy which drew 250 attendees to the law school.泭 To date the ILHPR has secured the approval of a new law school degree concentration in Real Estate and Community Development Law, a key benchmark in the programs efforts to guide students toward successful career [paths that also help them use their legal skills to benefit disadvantaged communities with property-related challenges.泭

Beginning in fall 2023, David teaches an undergraduate class at 51做厙, The State of Affordable Housing in the United States, through an affiliation with the Corcoran Center on Real Estate and Urban Action.泭 David taught Introduction to Law and Community Economic Development for two years at Southern New Hampshire University on an adjunct basis.泭 He has written on gentrification, affordable housing and the racial wealth gap on a Housing Matters! blog.

Prior to joining 51做厙 Law, David worked for 27 years helping build strong local development organizations in Boston, including most recently over thirteen years as the Executive Director of Nuestra Comunidad Development Corporation in Bostons Roxbury neighborhood, where he departed in 2022.泭 Two transformative developments are Bartlett Station in Roxburys Nubian Square and The Loop at Mattapan Station.泭 At Nuestra he co-founded Homes for Equity, a research and advocacy coalition dedicated to the adoption of race-conscious homeownership policies to redress redlining and other forms of housing discrimination in Roxbury.

Prior to joining Nuestra, David served as Deputy Director and General Counsel for Madison Park Development Corporation and as Executive Director for Tent City Corporation.泭 Davids community organizing experience began as a volunteer with Mel Kings campaigns for Mayor of Boston in 1979 and 1983, during the time in which David lived in the Uphams Corner neighborhood in Boston.泭 David is a graduate of Harvard College (1977) and Boston College Law School (1991).泭 He clerked for Hon. Francis OConnor at the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court and was a real estate attorney at Goulston & Storrs in Boston prior to joining the community development field.泭

Courses Taught

The State of Affordable Housing in the States (BSLW2000)

Neil McCullagh

Neil McCullagh



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Neil McCullagh

Neil McCullagh

Taylor Perkins

Taylor Perkins



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Taylor Perkins

Taylor Perkins

What We Do

In accordance with the mission of 泭Boston College, The Corcoran Center aims to develop the next generation of ethical real estate professionals by educating and inspiring students, alumni, and other key stakeholders so they may harness real estate as a catalyst for needed change in areas where the marginalization of vulnerable citizens is most severe, and enact broad scope solutions to neighborhoods of concentrated poverty.

Curriculum: Increase access to traditional classroom learning, with real estate courses developed by the Center within the Carroll School of Management.

Experiential Learning: Engage students in a variety of practical, meaningful learning experiences, including workshop trainings, field projects, and summer internship programs.

On-Campus Engagement: Invite students to join the network of professionals and experts in the fields of real estate and urban revitalization through a speaker series, small group lunches, and Center coordinated activities.

Neighborhood Engagement: Create opportunities for multiple disciplines from across the University to engage in place-focused neighborhood strengthening.

Program Staff

Julia Turner

Julia Turner

Administrative Assistant



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Julia Turner

Julia Turner

Administrative Assistant

Board of Advisors

Karen Kelleher

Karen Kelleher

MCAS '90
President, Blue Hub Loan Fund



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Karen Kelleher

Karen Kelleher

MCAS '90

President, Blue Hub Loan Fund

Karen's experience in affordable housing and community development, as well as her deep connections in Massachusetts and beyond, will enable her to lead and grow the Loan Fund across its 23-state (plus Washington, DC) footprint. BlueHub Loan Fund finances a wide range of real-estate related projects that benefit low-income communities, such as housing, education and childcare facilities, health centers, community facilities and grocery stores.

Karen has spent her career working to improve outcomes for underserved communities through lending, affordable housing and community development. As head of BlueHub Loan Fund, a community development financial institution (CDFI), Kelleher will be responsible for managing a team of 12 and overseeing new business development, loan originations, credit quality, portfolio management, measuring and communicating impact, financial self-sufficiency, innovative loan products and programs, partnerships and capitalization.

Carol Naughton

Carol Naughton

President and CEO, Purpose Built Communities



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Carol Naughton

Carol Naughton

President and CEO, Purpose Built Communities

Carol Redmond Naughton is the Chief Executive Officer of Purpose Built Communities Foundation. Purpose Built supports local leaders who are implementing resident-centered, holistic, and cross-sectoral neighborhood revitalization initiatives that create pathways to prosperity for all neighbors. Carol sets the strategic vision for the organization with a focus on the growth, development, and impact of Purpose Built, its Network, and the communities it serves. Carol has been with the organization since its inception in 2009 and became President and Chief Executive Officer in 2020.

Prior to joining Purpose Built, Carol served as the executive director of the East Lake Foundation, the nonprofit community quarterback organization shepherding the comprehensive revitalization of the neighborhood. Previously, Carol served as general counsel and deputy executive director of The Housing Authority of the City of Atlanta where she was a key member of the team creating the legal and financial model to develop mixed-income housing. She started her career as a commercial real estate lawyer in private practice in Atlanta.

Beyond her work with Purpose Built, shes volunteered her time for a number of local and national organizations, including the Low Income Investment Fund, the Charles Drew Charter School Board of Directors, the Fifth Third Bank National Community Advisory Forum, Build Healthy Places Network National Advisory Council, and others. As a member of several Boards and Advisory Councils, Carol advocates for advancing racial equity and developing healthy communities across the country.

Nationally recognized as a leader in place-based partnerships and community development, Carols published works have been featured in the Huffington Post, TEDx Atlanta, and the Federal Reserve of San Francisco and Nonprofit Finance Funds book Investing in Results, among others.

Carol graduated from Colgate University with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and from Emory University School of Law with a J.D.

Kate Bennett

Kate Bennett

Former CEO of Boston Housing Authority



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Kate Bennett

Kate Bennett

Former CEO of Boston Housing Authority

Kate Bennett has worked in affordable housing development, policy and planning for more than 30泭years, with a particular focus on public housing and neighborhood revitalization. She holds a Masters in泭City Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Kate recently retired as Administrator and CEO of the Boston Housing Authority, where she worked for泭over 25 years. She oversaw public housing and voucher programs that provide affordable housing for泭over 25,000 households in and around the City of Boston. In her tenure at BHA, she was instrumental in泭implementing several strategic initiatives, including more than $2 billion in redevelopment initiatives泭and capital upgrades; the creation of an asset management division to ensure long-term preservation of泭deeply affordable units; development of the BHAs green, healthy housing and sustainability programs;泭and expansion of resident empowerment and self-sufficiency initiatives.

Prior to coming to the Boston Housing Authority (BHA), Kate managed affordable housing programs forthe City of Chelsea and the City of Newton. She lives with her family in Roslindale.

Bryce Blair

Bryce Blair

Director, Pulte Homes, Regency Centers



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Bryce Blair

Bryce Blair

Director, Pulte Homes, Regency Centers

John F. Barros is the Managing Principal of Cushman & Wakefield's Boston market. In this role, John leads all market activities and drives growth and business performance across a team of more than 180 professionals in Boston, MA, and Manchester, NH.

Before joining Cushman & Wakefield, John was appointed by the Mayor of Boston to serve as Chief of Economic Development from 2014 to 2021. John brought a passion for sustainable community development to this role while fostering economic inclusion and equity for all Bostonians. Before his appointment, John served 13 years as Executive Director of the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative (DSNI), where he successfully led a neighborhood revitalization. It focused on creating community wealth, producing permanent affordable housing, and establishing the country's most important urban community land trust. John has also held positions at the Chubb Group of Insurance Companies, providing insurance for initial public offerings for dot-com startups.

John received the inaugural Community Service Award from the Boston Day & Evening Academy in 2008, the Robert Leo Ruffin Award from the Archdiocese of Boston in 2004, and the Action for Boston Community Development Roxbury Community Award in 2000. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Dartmouth College in 1996 and a Masters in Public Policy from Tufts University in 2012. He also holds an Honorary Doctorate of Commerce Degree from Suffolk University.

Michael Corcoran

Michael Corcoran

MCAS '86, P'15, '20
President, Corcoran Jennison Companies



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Michael Corcoran

Michael Corcoran

MCAS '86, P'15, '20

President, Corcoran Jennison Companies

Michael J. Corcoran is President of Corcoran Jennison Companies, a real estate development and management firm with more than 4 billion dollars worth of assets under management and development. Michael has been with Corcoran Jennison for the past 30 years. Corcoran Jennison provides a full-range of real estate services including acquisition/disposition, feasibility, financing, planning and development, asset management, construction administration, accounting, deal structuring and both low-income housing and historic tax credit rehabilitations.

Michael has vast experience with institutional real estate clients having formed a private real estate investment trust (REIT) which raised capital from plan sponsors to purchase existing multifamily properties. He also served as the Dublin Port Companys real estate advisor, reporting directly to its Chief Executive Officer from 2008-2011. During this same period, Corcoran Jennison, through its subsidiary Corcoran Jennison Europe, managed more than 1,500 units in Dublin.

Presently, Michael is overseeing the expansion of two Corcoran Jennison-owned hotels in Boston, the buildout of a 1,600-unit development in Pittsburgh in partnership with the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh, the expansion of Ocean Edge Resort in Cape Cod and the build-out of a newly acquired 600-acre golf resort in New Hampshire. In addition, he is responsible for the asset management of the Corcoran Jennison existing real estate portfolio, which is made up of over 100 real estate partnerships with a value in excess of 4 billion dollars.

Mr. Corcoran is a past or present member including several industry organizations, including Urban Land Institute Multi-Family Council, National Multi-Family Housing Council, Mortgage Bankers Association, Pension Real Estate Association, and the National Housing Roundtable.

Rodger Brown

Rodger Brown

MCAS '77
Managing Director, Preservation of Affordable Housing



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Rodger Brown

Rodger Brown

MCAS '77

Managing Director, Preservation of Affordable Housing

Rodger Brown, Managing Director of Real Estate Development, brings 30 years of experience of affordable housing to his role and has been a part of the POAH organization since 2004. During his tenure at the organization, he has participated in the growth of POAHs portfolio to more than 13,000 units in 13 states and the District of Columbia. He is responsible for overseeing the activities of all real estate development staff, managing resource allocation, department budgets, establishing strategic initiatives and providing direction on the most complex real estate transactions. His staff of 26 development and construction management professionals execute a variety of transactions ranging from acquisition and rehabilitation of single assisted housing assets to neighborhood transformative initiatives involving extensive community engagement, resident support services, multiphase executions and complex financial engineering. Prior to joining POAH, Rodger operated a real estate consultancy providing project structuring and development consulting services to a range of for-profit, non-profit and governmental entities. When out of the office he enjoys exploring the world with his family and road cycling. He is a graduate of Boston College and held a two-year HUD fellowship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Department of Urban Planning.

Patrick Ryan

Patrick Ryan

President and Chief Investment Officer at Cabot Properties



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Patrick Ryan

Patrick Ryan

President and Chief Investment Officer at Cabot Properties

Pat oversees the implementation of firm strategy to ensure positive outcomes for investors. In addition, he directs all investment activity for Value Funds VI and VII and their associated co-investment vehicles, and Opportunity Fund I. He also applies his 27 years of real estate experience to capital raising and investor outreach. Pat serves on the Investment Committee for all current, active funds and separate accounts. He has served at every level of the Investment Group since joining Cabot as an Analyst in 2000. He started in real estate in 1992 with General Investment & Development Company, holding property management positions until 1998. Pat holds a BA from Boston College and an MBA from Boston University.

Aaron Horne

Aaron Horne

MBA Candidate at The Wharton School



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Aaron Horne

Aaron Horne

MBA Candidate at The Wharton School

Aaron Horne 17 is a real estate development professional committed to building stronger, more equitable communities through affordable housing. Raised in Pittsburgh, Hornes early curiosity about the built environmentsparked by daily commutes across diverse neighborhoodsgrew into a lifelong interest in how cities evolve and how people experience place.

While studying at Boston College, Horne discovered a passion for real estate as a tool for social impact through the Joseph E. Corcoran Center for Real Estate and Urban Action. A transformative course taught by the late Joseph E. Corcoran introduced him to the power of real estate to uplift communities. Through the Centers internship program, Horne conducted research in Bostons Mattapan neighborhood and gained firsthand experience addressing housing inequities.

Following graduation, Horne joined Trinity Financial, a Boston-based firm known for its commitment to community-focused development. As Assistant Project Manager, he played a key role in the $73 million redevelopment of the historic Worcester Courthouse into Courthouse Lofts118 mixed-income apartments that honor the buildings architectural and civic legacy. His current work involves the redevelopment of 372 aging public housing units into 527 high-quality, affordable homes in Worcester.

He is now currently an MBA student at the Wharton School.

Nora Kennedy

Nora Kennedy

MCAS '11
Vice President, Executive Office at Suffolk Construction



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Nora Kennedy

Nora Kennedy

MCAS '11

Vice President, Executive Office at Suffolk Construction

Darin Davidson

Darin Davidson

President, Inland Group



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Darin Davidson

Darin Davidson

President, Inland Group

Darin is泭President泭of Inland Group and is responsible for all corporate financial and operating activities. He oversees all aspects of development including site selection, due diligence, feasibility analysis and negotiations. Darin has a finance and law degree from the University of Washington and is a current board member of Catholic Housing Communities of Spokane and past board member of Spokane Youth Sports Association and Junior Achievement Spokane.

Visiting Professionals

Kate Bennett

Kate Bennett

Corcoran Center Visiting Professional, Fall 2024



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Kate Bennett

Kate Bennett

Corcoran Center Visiting Professional, Fall 2024

Kate Bennett has worked in affordable housing development, policy and planning for more than 30泭years, with a particular focus on public housing and neighborhood revitalization. She holds a Masters in泭City Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Kate recently retired as Administrator and CEO of the Boston Housing Authority, where she worked for泭over 25 years. She oversaw public housing and voucher programs that provide affordable housing for泭over 25,000 households in and around the City of Boston. In her tenure at BHA, she was instrumental in泭implementing several strategic initiatives, including more than $2 billion in redevelopment initiatives泭and capital upgrades; the creation of an asset management division to ensure long-term preservation of泭deeply affordable units; development of the BHAs green, healthy housing and sustainability programs;泭and expansion of resident empowerment and self-sufficiency initiatives.

Prior to coming to the Boston Housing Authority (BHA), Kate managed affordable housing programs forthe City of Chelsea and the City of Newton. She lives with her family in Roslindale.

Patrick Lee

Patrick Lee

Corcoran Center Visiting Professional, Fall 2023



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Patrick Lee

Patrick Lee

Corcoran Center Visiting Professional, Fall 2023

Patrick Lee is one of the founders and owners of Trinity Financial, Inc. and Trinity Management, LLC.泭 Trinity Financial is a 32-year old development company, and with its management affiliate, Trinity Management, the two Trinity companies have more than 250 employees and central offices in Manhattan and Boston.泭 The companies experience includes work developing more than 9,500 units of housing and 600,000 sf of commercial space, at a cost of over $3 billion.泭 The two Trinity companies develop and manage affordable and market rate housing communities throughout the Northeast, from Massachusetts to New York.

Prior to co-founding Trinity Financial, Inc. in 1987, Mr. Lee served as Special Assistant to the Secretary of Administration and Finance for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Mr. Lee was the Secretarys representative on a number of State boards and agencies including the Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency, Community Development Finance Corporation, Massachusetts Industrial Finance Agency, and the States Public Auditorium and Civic Center Grant Program. Mr. Lee has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Government Land Bank, the Roxbury Neighborhood Council, the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, the Boston Center for the Arts, and Federated Dorchester Neighborhood Houses. He is currently a member of the Board of Trustees of Wellesley College and the Board of Overseers for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston.泭 Mr. Lee holds a Bachelors degree from Harvard University and is a Massachusetts Institute of Technology-trained city planner.

William McLaughlin

William McLaughlin

Corcoran Center Visiting Professional, Fall 2023



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William McLaughlin

William McLaughlin

Corcoran Center Visiting Professional, Fall 2023

William M. McLaughlin retired from AvalonBay Communities, Inc. in 2021, serving most recently as the Executive Vice President of Development and construction. He had been with AvalonBay or its predecessor, Avalon Properties, Inc., since 1994.

He was responsible for all of AvalonBays construction activity nationally, and development activity on the East Coast. He was also a member of the Companys Management Investment Committee. Before joining AvalonBay, Bill was with Lincoln Property Company for seven years, responsible for multifamily development and acquisitions in eastern New England.

He was the 2008 Chairman of the Greater Boston Real Estate Board (GBREB), was also the Chairman of GBREBs Political Action Committee (PAC), and is a two-time past President of its Rental Housing Association (RHA, now MAA) division. Bill currently serves on Harvard Corporations Committee on Facilities and Capital Planning. He also serves on the Board of Directors at Caritas Communities (and is its Past Chair), the Board of Overseers at Newton Wellesley Hospital, and the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Multifamily Leadership Board (Emeritus). He is a long-time member of the Newton Zoning Board of Appeals.

Bill received his Bachelor's degree in Economics from Harvard College.

Bill and his wife Linda split their time between Newton, MA, and Cape Cod, and they have six adult children and one grandson.

John Barros

John Barros

Corcoran Center Visiting Professional Spring 2022



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John Barros

John Barros

Corcoran Center Visiting Professional Spring 2022

John F. Barros is the Managing Principal of Cushman & Wakefield's Boston market. In this role, John leads all market activities and drives growth and business performance across a team of more than 180 professionals in Boston, MA, and Manchester, NH.

Before joining Cushman & Wakefield, John was appointed by the Mayor of Boston to serve as Chief of Economic Development from 2014 to 2021. John brought a passion for sustainable community development to this role while fostering economic inclusion and equity for all Bostonians. Before his appointment, John served 13 years as Executive Director of the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative (DSNI), where he successfully led a neighborhood revitalization. It focused on creating community wealth, producing permanent affordable housing, and establishing the country's most important urban community land trust. John has also held positions at the Chubb Group of Insurance Companies, providing insurance for initial public offerings for dot-com startups.

John received the inaugural Community Service Award from the Boston Day & Evening Academy in 2008, the Robert Leo Ruffin Award from the Archdiocese of Boston in 2004, and the Action for Boston Community Development Roxbury Community Award in 2000. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Dartmouth College in 1996 and a Masters in Public Policy from Tufts University in 2012. He also holds an Honorary Doctorate of Commerce Degree from Suffolk University.

Prior Years Corcoran Center Undergraduate Real Estate Council Presidents

2024-2025

Dawson Jessee

Dawson Jessee

CSOM '25
Co-President



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Dawson Jessee

Dawson Jessee

CSOM '25

Co-President

Justine Rozenich

Justine Rozenich

MCAS '25
Co-President



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Justine Rozenich

Justine Rozenich

MCAS '25

Co-President

2023-2024

Brigid Hanczor

Brigid Hanczor

MCAS '24
Co-President


After 51做厙:
Incoming Fund Management Analyst at R4 Capital

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Brigid Hanczor

Brigid Hanczor

MCAS '24

Co-President

| After 51做厙: | Incoming Fund Management Analyst at R4 Capital

Katia Barker

Katia Barker

MCAS '24
Co-President


After 51做厙:
Incoming Community Development Banking Analyst at JPMorgan Chase

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Katia Barker

Katia Barker

MCAS '24

Co-President

| After 51做厙: | Incoming Community Development Banking Analyst at JPMorgan Chase

About Joseph E. Corcoran

In Memoriam.泭19362020

The Corcoran Luncheon was held in the Heights Room at Corcoran Commons and the TREC Symposium was held in Robsham Theatre at Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts on November 6, 2014.Rose Lincoln Photo for Boston College

Joseph E. Corcoran left his mark on Boston College, the City of Boston, and the world as a compassionate and discerning man who made a monumental impact on housing equality. After graduating from 51做厙 with a degree in history in 1959, Joe founded the Corcoran Jennison Companies, which has developed more than $3.5 billion in property to date and is credited with pioneering the development and management of mixed-income housing. Inspired by his experience growing up in a socioeconomically diverse Dorchester neighborhood, as well as by the Universitys Ignatian values, he devoted his life to creating housing opportunities and transforming underserved urban communities. He also worked tirelessly to further housing legislation in Massachusetts and he founded The American City Coalition (TACC), a Boston-based nonprofit that promotes neighborhood revitalization.

At 51做厙, Joe served on the Board of Trustees and chaired the Building and Property Committee. For several years, he also taught a Real Estate and Urban Action course at the Carroll School of Management. His love for teaching was evident, and he eagerly encouraged his students to search for solutions to social and economic problems in the housing industry. Out of his passion and generosity grew the Joseph E. Corcoran Center for Real Estate and Urban Action, which he endowed in 2014. His legacy will live on with future generations of real estate professionals who seek not only a career but also the opportunity to improve lives through their work.

Joe Corcoran will be dearly missed, at 51做厙 as well as in the countless communities hes touched. His dedication is a preeminent example of what 51做厙 strives to instill in all who find their way to the Heights: a desire to serve others, and the knowledge to do so effectively.

Joe Corcoran will be dearly missed, at 51做厙 as well as in the countless communities hes touched. His dedication is a preeminent example of what 51做厙 strives to instill in all who find their way to the Heights: a desire to serve others, and the knowledge to do so effectively.


Partners

On-Campus Partners


On-Campus partners are Boston College schools, departments, offices, and centers that collaborate with the Corcoran Center on an ongoing basis.

  • Boston College School of Social Work
  • Carroll School of Management
  • Connell School of Nursing
  • Theater Department
  • Environmental Studies Program
  • Volunteer and Service Learning Center
  • 4Boston

Community Partners


The Corcoran Center engages with the community through ongoing partnerships with community groups, nonprofits, government agencies, and the business community.

  • Mattapan United
  • Mattapan Main Streets
  • MassHousing
  • MAPC