PREA Foundation and SEO Partner to Advance Diversity and Inclusion in Real Estate

NEW YORK, NY March 3rd, 2020 —PREA Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Pension Real Estate Association, has partnered with Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO) to create a first-of-its-kind real estate training program for qualified Black, Hispanic, and Native American undergraduates. PREA Foundation has provided initial funding of $4 million to support the development and growth of the PREA/SEO Real Estate Track to train and place interns and entry-level candidates at top real estate firms. The partnership aims to increase diverse employment in the commercial real estate industry by developing a pipeline of talented students of color.

Since inception in 2017, the PREA/SEO Real Estate Track has provided intensive, industry-led training and coaching to over 100 interns. By providing them with key networking opportunities and the training to successfully interview, students are able to secure summer internships with firms across the commercial real estate industry.

“We are proud to partner with SEO Career, a leader in diverse programming, to change the face of our industry and create a sustainable pipeline of talent into the sector. SEO Career has a 40-year history of successful partnership with the largest and most respected financial services firms in the US,” said Deborah Harmon, Chair, PREA Foundation and Co-Founder & CEO, Artemis Real Estate Partners. “PREA Foundation is grateful to its donors, who are playing a pivotal role in widening the circle of opportunity for underrepresented students.”

By merging SEO Career’s structured professional development program with PREA’s network of 60+ partner firms, interns have exclusive access to c-level executives, top internship opportunities, 100+ hours of coaching and training, and a lifelong professional network. Equipped with the technical training needed to succeed, students thrive in dozens of roles, including Real Estate Private Equity, Commercial Real Estate, and Asset Management.

“PREA Foundation’s commitment to increasing diversity sets the standard for the real estate industry and opens the career door for many high-performing students of color who otherwise might not have access to opportunities within the industry,” explained Julian Johnson, Executive Vice President, SEO. “We are training and developing the next class of leaders, with the intention of increasing diversity in management, and leveling the playing field for future generations”.

About PREA Foundation

The mission of the PREA Foundation is to further the interests and values of the institutional real estate investment community by advancing industry-wide diversity and inclusion. The PREA Foundation was made possible with donations from PREA Association members who share the vision to advance industry-wide diversity and inclusion in the institutional real estate investment community (see prea.org/foundation for a complete list of donors). Members have collectively donated over $16 million that will allow the Foundation to expand its programs and structured alliances with like-minded organizations, which will go to increase opportunities for women and people of color, underrepresented in the real estate industry today.

About SEO

SEO was founded in 1963 with a mission to provide talented and motivated young people from underserved and underrepresented communities with access to superior educational and career opportunities. SEO’s four signature programs create an ecosystem of excellence. SEO Scholars – An eight-year academic program that successfully educates and mentors low-income public high school students in NYC and San Francisco to get to and through college – with a 90% college graduation rate. SEO Career – The nation’s premier pre-professional development and internship program for high-achieving Black, Hispanic and Native American college students who are underrepresented in the fields they seek. SEO Law – The nation’s only paid pre-law academic and fellowship program, SEO Law creates a talent pipeline of pre-law students of color who enter elite global law firms. SEO Alternative Investments– education, exposure, training and mentoring opportunities for talented individuals traditionally underrepresented in the alternative investments sector. www.seo-usa.org

SEO Career has a 40-year track record of recruiting, training and providing unparalleled support for underrepresented college students around the nation to succeed in their summer internships. Eighty percent of recent SEO Career interns have received full-time job offers upon completing their internships. Founded in 1980, with an initial cohort of 11 interns, the program now has a network of 7,000 SEO Career alumni working at private equity firms, investment banks, real estate firms, and more.

To learn more about the PREA/SEO Career Real Estate Track visit www.seocareer.org and www.prea.org/foundation/

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