DENVER, CO (October 11, 2023) – The Urban Land Institute (ULI) Colorado is pleased to announce Kaia Nesbitt, Vice President, National Director of Urban Design, Planning & Landscape Architecture at HDR as District Council Chair (Chair) of ULI Colorado and Michele Raftery, Principal and Partner at 4240 Architecture Inc. as Chair of Mission Advancement (CMA). Kaia Nesbitt will succeed Ferd Belz, President of Fulenwider, Inc., and Michele Raftery will succeed Marilee Utter, President and Founder of Citiventure Associates, LLC. Throughout their two-year terms, these roles are vital for delivering the Institute’s mission at the local level, where it has 1,300 members across the entire state of Colorado.

As Chair, Kaia Nesbitt, RLA, ASLA, will provide strategic leadership to the District Council, represent the District Council at ULI Colorado and National events, populate and oversee the Advisory Board and Management Committee, and be responsible for the direction and management of ULI Colorado staff and contractors. As one of ULI’s largest and most active District Councils, ULI Colorado delivers over 40 impact-oriented programs annually and is strategically focused on ULI Mission Priorities such as Decarbonization, Net Zero, Housing Affordability, and Educating the Next Generation. ULI Colorado will also be hosting the 2025 ULI Spring Meeting in Denver, giving the District Council, its members, and supporters a great opportunity to showcase the development landscape within the highly attended three-day conference.

Kaia has been committed to ULI at both national and local levels for over 15 years. She has participated in many committees such as the Women’s Leadership Initiative (WLI) and the Building Healthy Places Initiative, holding leadership roles serving as co-chair for the Business Development Committee, activating local sponsorship and engagement, and serving as co-chair of the WLI, co-leading the Hines Grant application and launching the WLI “Breaking the Glass Ceiling” mentor program in 2019. An expert in her field, Kaia has served nationally on the Community Development Product Council and currently serves on the National Urban Revitalization Product Council. She additionally has presented at the 2017 ULI Fall Meeting in Los Angeles and the 2023 ULI Spring Meeting in Toronto. As an advocate for ULI, she has grown HDR’s ULI involvement in over 15 states and provinces across North America. HDR is also a Corporate Partner, sponsoring spring and fall meetings at the national level as well as sponsoring ULI Colorado annually. As Vice President for HDR, Kaia leads the national urban design, planning and landscape architecture practice, driving geographic and strategic growth through centers of design excellence. With community ties that run deep, Kaia is a member of the Downtown Denver Partnership, volunteers with Denver Urban Gardens, and currently serves on the advisory board for the University of Colorado Denver, Department of Architecture and Planning.

As CMA, Michele Raftery, FSMPS, CPSM, WELL AP, will support Kaia and ULI Colorado’s opportunity for impact and act as a liaison between the Colorado District Council and the greater ULI Americas. Michele will advise and help create annual programming for the District Council with focus on ULI mission priorities and ensure that ULI practices, policies, and programs are integrated into the District Council’s activities and outreach. Michele has developed educational programming and mission-focused opportunities for ULI Colorado over the last decade, including research-led studies in partnership with  the Terwilliger Center, programming around walkability in association with the 15-minute Walk Campaign, showcasing missing middle housing projects and strategies, identifying pathways for diversity in development, building a vocabulary to combat nimbyism, and addressing themes around what was considered to be an impending retail apocalypse. In addition to serving ULI Colorado in the Young Leaders Group (YLG) and participating in professional development programs like Partnership Forum, Discovery 360, and chairing the Women’s Leadership Initiative as an education lead, Michele brings over 15 years of professional experience leading a mid-sized architecture firm, lecturing at local university commercial real estate and design programs, conducting international research for typologically appropriate user behaviors, and serving on numerous non-profit industry boards.

One of the first major events happening under Kaia and Michele’s leadership was the ULI Colorado Summer Reunion on August 30^th, which brought over 200 members together to share their experiences participating and serving ULI Colorado in various capacities. Attendees also toured transformative developments throughout downtown Denver including Denver Union Station, Market Street Station, McGregor Square, Dairy Block, and the Colorado Convention Center Expansion. The next major event is the 2023 Impact Awards on October 18^th, where the best of Colorado’s real estate and land use projects will be celebrated across categories of Innovation, Infill, Influence, Inspiration, and Inclusivity. The ULI Colorado Impact Awards are based on the ULI Awards for Excellence, the most highly respected international program of land use awards. Central to this program, is ensuring that the projects recognized exemplify ULI best practices while also providing successful business and economic models.

To ensure successful and prepared futures for all, ULI Colorado has a strong emphasis on professional development, such as the Real Estate Diversity Initiative (REDI), Breaking the Glass Ceiling, Etkins Scholars, Partnership Forum, and Discovery 360; offers four local Product Councils; and foundational ULI programming like Technical Assistance Panels (TAPs), Women’s Leadership Initiative, Building Healthy Places Initiative, Young Leaders Group, and UrbanPlan.

About the Urban Land Institute
The Urban Land Institute is a nonprofit education and research institute supported by its members. Its mission is to shape the future of the built environment for transformative impact in communities worldwide. Established in 1936, the Institute has more than 48,000 members worldwide representing all aspects of land use and development disciplines.

More information about ULI and the Colorado District Council is available online at www.uli.org or [email protected]