Student Programs
Each year, NAREIM™ (the National Association of Real Estate Investment Managers™) hosts two student programs on behalf of its member firms. These programs are for graduates and undergraduates studying real estate and business programs.
The programs are: The Jeff Barclay Fellows program for graduate students and the Resume Book for both graduate and undergraduate students. See more details and how to get involved below.
#1. Jeff Barclay Fellows program
Each year, NAREIM celebrates the next generation of commercial real estate leaders through the NAREIM Jeff Barclay Fellows program.
Named after the late Jeff Barclay, former NAREIM chairman, managing director and head of acquisitions at Clarion Partners, and head of Goldman Sachs' real estate group, the NAREIM Jeff Barclay Fellows award is given to five outstanding graduate students with the goal to provide insights into the future of real estate investment management.
"Through the Jeff Barclay Fellows program, NAREIM provides invaluable opportunities for emerging real estate leaders to engage with the industry while fostering connections and fresh perspectives that are critical for the future," said James Pinkerton, Senior Vice President of Bailard and one of the judges for the Class of 2024/25. "Bailard is honored to be part of a program that champions the growth and development of next-generation talent from across the country."
Thanks go to the NAREIM Fellows judges for selecting the Class of 2024/25. Judges are chosen from the NAREIM Executive Officer community and last year included:
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Josh Myerberg, JPMorgan Asset Management
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James Pinkerton, Bailard
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Beth Zayicek, Invesco Real Estate
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John Orrico, RealPage
Welcome to our Class of 2024/25, five outstanding students from Chicago Booth, Columbia, MIT, Northwestern, Wisconsin.
Fellows class of 2024/25
University of Chicago Booth School of Business
Eric is pursuing an MBA with concentrations in Economics, Finance and Entrepreneurship while working as an Associate at Rosewood Property Company, where he is responsible for sourcing, underwriting and supporting the execution of new industrial and self-storage opportunities. Prior to joining Rosewood, he worked as an Analyst at Crow Holdings Capital in Dallas where he focused on acquisitions and asset management across all property types. Eric is an active member of The Real Estate Council.
Feedback: “Attending this year’s NAREIM Executive Officer meeting was truly an invaluable experience and I am beyond grateful to have been selected as a Jeff Barclay Fellow.
"The Executive Officer meeting provided me with unmatched opportunities to learn, network, and grow with some of the smartest minds in the real estate industry. It expanded my knowledge on current and future issues within our industry and allowed me to cultivate relationships with other emerging and seasoned real estate leaders.
"The Fellows program is an experience that every passionate graduate student interested in real estate should actively seek. I was truly blown away by the opportunity.”
Matt is an MBA candidate at Columbia Business School, where he is studying Real Estate and Finance. Prior to business school, he worked for Silver Hills, a multifamily developer in Cleveland, Ohio. He graduated from the US Military Academy at West Point with a degree in Business Management and Environmental Engineering. In the military, Matt served as a special operations officer and Blackhawk helicopter pilot. Matt completed an internship at Welltower as an Investments Associate in New York this summer.
Feedback: “What an incredible experience! The open and interactive environment encouraged insightful discussions and led to invaluable learning.
In such a dynamic time for our industry, the opportunity to engage directly with key decision-makers and gain firsthand insights into their investment strategies and growth perspectives was truly invaluable.”
Peggy is currently pursuing her graduate studies at the Center for Real Estate at MIT. Prior to that she worked as an architectural project manager in her home country of Iran. Peggy is a Goldie Scholar and the founder of GIRD (Girls in Real Estate Development), where she mentors girls from disadvantaged backgrounds about real estate and capital markets opportunities. She is passionate about the intersection of sustainability, real estate and finance and plans to write her thesis on this subject.
Feedback: "The NAREIM Executive Officer Meeting had two distinct and valuable components for me. On one hand, it provided great insights into the current market trends and challenges. But more importantly, the meeting offered something far deeper—an opportunity to hear the personal stories of industry leaders and how they achieved success.
"While knowledge about market trends can be acquired from various sources, we live in a world where everything is changing so quickly. What stood out to me was hearing directly from the leaders about how they faced and overcame challenges by staying true to their principles. That kind of wisdom and insight is something you can’t just get from a book or a report—it’s invaluable."
Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University
Bernadette's passion for real estate and community development was ignited during her formative years in the Philippines, where she witnessed the devastating impact of typhoons, fueling her commitment to creating resilient communities. Bernadette is both a Goldie Scholar and a Finance Fellow at Kellogg, and has earned a spot in the inaugural cohort of the Toigo Foundation’s Toigo Real Estate Intensive Program. Before beginning her MBA, Bernadette was in Freddie Mac’s Multifamily Asset Management and Operations group.
Feedback: "Attending the NAREIM Executive Officer Meeting as a Fellow was an absolutely transformative experience. The depth of insights, candid conversations, and the unparalleled access to some of the sharpest minds in the commercial real estate industry, left me both inspired and motivated.
"The event's structure—from go-karting to the networking dinner and the deep-dive roundtables and workshops—created an environment where real connections could be formed, and meaningful discussions took place. I walked away not only with new knowledge but with a broadened perspective on how to shape my future in CRE.
"This fellowship provided an incredible platform to learn, grow, and network, and I’m extremely grateful to have been a part of it. For anyone looking to advance their career in this industry, the NAREIM Jeff Barclay Fellowship is truly a one-of-a-kind experience."
Micah Nelson is a second-year Real Estate MBA student graduating in May 2025. Micah is Co-President of the University of Wisconsin Real Estate Club and is also a member of the university’s Real Estate Private Equity and Applied Real Estate Investment Trust (AREIT) programs, where he collaborates with select graduate students to manage alumni-sponsored private equity and REIT funds. This past summer, Micah deepened his industry expertise through internships at both a public REIT and a private industrial real estate developer and investor.
Feedback: "The NAREIM Executive Officers meeting was a second-to-none experience. The participants were friendly, and the conversations were candid.
"It was phenomenal to learn from a group of industry professionals passionate about the future of real estate investment management."
benefits of being a fellow
C-suite networking
Opportunity to attend NAREIM’s Executive Officer Meeting each year. This is an unrivalled opportunity to network in small groups with some of the leading C-suite and executive officers in private real estate investment. NAREIM™ (the National Association of Real Estate Investment Managers™) meetings are not based on panel discussions but small group roundtable work, where you will sit and participate in conversations challenging members on how they are building and scaling their firms. All costs are covered by NAREIM.
Networking with NAREIM Board of Directors
Fellows have private discussions with NAREIM’s Board of Directors.
More networking
The opportunity to participate in NAREIM’s functional group in-person meetings running from October to September to understand how the real estate investment management business truly operates, and the challenges and opportunities ahead for each group. Travel costs are met by students/universities.
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NAREIM covers the following function groups: Architecture, Engineering & Development; Asset Management; Capital Raising & IR; Data & Information Management; Executive Officer; Legal, Compliance & Risk; Portfolio Management; Sustainability; and Talent Management.
NAREIM Fellows participating in the Executive Officer meeting 2024, discussions, networking and activities
Students
Have your resumes seen by the heads of Talent & HR. Each year NAREIM aggregates resumes of undergraduates and graduate students studying real estate or with a strong interest in real estate from across the US, for member firms to hire from.
Send resumes to mkruk@nareim.org before the deadline of December 5, 2025.
Graduates and undergraduates studying real estate or business are eligible to participate. Send a 1-page PDF of your resume using the following naming convention SCHOOL_Last Name_First Name.
Investment managers
In December 2024, the NAREIM Resume Book aggregated 800 resumes from undergraduate and graduate students across 92 schools in the U.S. and abroad.
NAREIM members can access the Resume Book and Resumes of NAREIM Fellows by clicking here. Note, only NAREIM members with access to the NAREIM member section can see the resumes.
