Berman Lecture: Women In Real Estate

Women in Real Estate

Elizabeth Cotter, Senior Vice President, Capital Markets at JBG SMITH
Jade Dai, Chief Financial Officer and Co-Founder of GL Capital
Eleanor Tessier, Chief Credit Officer, Real Estate Finance at CIT Bank

Thursday, March 24, 2022 | 5:00-5:45 p.m. EST

Presented by Johns Hopkins Carey Business School
Join us in celebrating Women's History Month with a virtual edition of our Berman lecture, presenting a panel of women in real estate. This conversation will address technological innovations in the industry, adapting to a post-pandemic real estate market, and navigating being a woman leader in the male-dominated commercial real estate space, in conversation with Elizabeth Cotter, Jade Dai, and Eleanor Tessier.

Elizabeth Cotter is Senior Vice President of Capital Markets at JBG SMITH, a fully integrated pure-play REIT focused exclusively in the Washington DC region. At JBG SMITH, she is responsible for sourcing and managing all aspects of the Company's debt portfolio and capital planning. Prior to joining JBG SMITH, Cotter spent 8 years at Bank of America where she managed a $1 billion credit portfolio and underwrote and structured complex commercial real estate transactions. She began her career in the Commercial Real Estate Banking Group at LaSalle Bank in Chicago. Cotter holds a Masters in Real Estate from Johns Hopkins University and a B.S. in Business Administration from Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business.

Jade Dai is the Chief Financial Officer of GL Capital. GL Capital helps people build wealth through real estate investment. The firm is focused on commercial real estate, student housing, multifamily housing, mixed-use properties, green developments, and property technologies. As the controller of the company, Jade manages all accounting, reporting, and investor relation functions. She is leading the team to bring more than 100 investors, ranging from individuals to family offices and private equity institutions from Canada, England, China, Singapore, India, and states across the USA. Jade was named to Baltimore Business Journal's 40 Under 40 class in 2020.

Jade volunteers for SoGal Global, the largest global platform for the education and empowerment of diverse entrepreneurs. Jade is also the founder of World Youth Value Society and Elite Education non-profit and has been helping students in need from the United States, China, and Kenya. In these endeavors, more than 5,000 underprivileged students gained access to technology and essential education services.

Eleanor Tessier is Chief Credit Officer, Real Estate Finance at CIT Bank. At CIT she is responsible for commercial real estate credit risk, as well as Small Business and Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) credit. Eleanor is responsible for loan decisioning, contributing to the development of the annual portfolio strategy, and the creation and implementation of the real estate lending and SBA credit policies. She also provides guidance on portfolio management and real estate market analysis. She is chair of the Real Estate Finance Credit Committee, and a member of the CRA Credit Committee. She has over 30 years of commercial real estate experience including real estate research at LaSalle Investment Management, consulting with PwC, and real estate credit at French corporate and investment bank, Natixis. Eleanor holds a B.A. in English from the University of Baltimore, and an M.S. in Real Estate from the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School.

Post-event Networking
Are you interested in connecting with fellow students and alumni? Join us for a networking session after the conversation. Stay on Zoom, and participants will be placed in breakout rooms for casual conversations. Pop in and stay as long as you can! 5:45 - 6:30pm. All are welcome.