Racial Equality: Diversity & Mentorship In CRE

Graham Grady is a partner at Taft Law where he advises real estate developers, investors and property owners. He assists clients in building consensus with local elected officials, government entities, community organizations and other stakeholders. As a former Zoning Administrator, Buildings Commissioner and Ex-Officio member of the Chicago Plan Commission, his practice encompasses zoning, land use, economic incentives, building code compliance, licensing, construction agreements, government and legislative approvals. Graham helps clients obtain government entitlements and solve problems with units of local government. With a focus on the city of Chicago and Cook County, he helps secure necessary approvals for land developments in the Chicago metropolitan area. A consensus builder and negotiator, he maintains excellent relations with community organizations, local elected officials and other stakeholders. Graham provides legal counsel for compliance, regulatory, public policy and encompasses zoning, land use, building code compliance, licensing, construction agreements, government contracts, procurement and legislative approvals. In the land use area, his experience includes securing all types of land use entitlements through planned developments, zoning map amendments, special uses, variations, text amendments and public way approvals. He represents property owners, real estate developers and every classification of real estate including retail, residential, commercial, industrial and myriad specialized land uses. He regularly represents clients before the Department of Buildings and the Fire Department. In addition, he has obtained approvals through boards and commissions, including the: • Building Board of Appeals • Chicago Plan Commission • Committee on Standards and Tests • Chicago Plan Commission • Committee on Zoning • Chicago City Council • Commission on Chicago Landmarks • Community Development Commission • Zoning Board of Appeals Graham also serves as legal counsel to one of the five annuity and benefit funds of the City of Chicago, advising in a broad range of areas including compliance with the Illinois Pension Code, investment management agreements, open meetings and freedom of information act compliance and the fiduciary obligations of the trustees of the pension fund.

Kimberly Dowdell is a licensed architect and frequent speaker on the topic of architecture, diversity,sustainability and the future of cities. In her current role as the 2019-2020 national president of theNational Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA), she is working closely with her board of directorsand staff to increase opportunities for women and people of color to gain more equitable access to thebuilding profession. Kimberly’s career aspirations are rooted in her upbringing in Detroit whereshe wasinitially driven to utilizearchitecture as a tool to revitalize cities. She earned her Bachelor of Architectureat Cornell University and her Master of Public Administration from Harvard University. Her professionalexperience has spanned from architecture to government and teaching to real estate development.Kimberly is currently a Principal in the Chicago studio of HOK, a global design firm. She is a LEEDaccredited professional, a co-founder of the SEED Network and an AIA 2020 Young Architect of the Yearawardee.Kimberly’s overarching mission is to improve the quality of life for people living in cities

Damona is an experienced real estate development project manager responsible for over 4 million square feet of building projects valued at over $1.2 billion for mixed-use, commercial office, retail & entertainment, multifamily residential, and higher education uses. Her involvement has included all phases: planning & due diligence, budget & schedule development, benchmarking & programming, entitlements & approvals, design, documentation, value engineering, permitting, utility coordination, construction, tenant coordination, FF&E and occupancy. Damona has served as consulting project manager on build-to-suit projects. She is a strong manager, able to successfully assemble and lead a project team and deliver on-time, on-budget, with the utmost quality and the client's complete satisfaction. Prior to joining JLL, Damona served as Vice President of Development at Boston Properties where her responsibilities included leading development projects for the firm’s commercial office portfolio and for corporate office and higher education clients. Project requirements included both new, ground up development and interior fit out. Before that, Damona served as Project Director of Design & Construction at The Peterson Companies. Her responsibilities included leading a mixed-use, retail, entertainment district development in a public-private partnership. Damona is a licensed Architect in the state of Illinois and holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Architecture, and BS Architecture from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is a LEED accredited professional.

Growing up around the construction industry, Nosa knew early on where he wanted to make his career. Nosa worked throughout high school as a laborer and carpenter alongside his father on properties in the city of Chicago, gaining a life-long passion for construction and a focused work ethic. Before starting his own company, Nosa worked with Gilbane Building Company for 10 years, quickly becoming one of the organization’s youngest senior managers. It was in July of 2013 that he decided to leave their Special Projects Group and begin what would become Bowa Construction. Nosa’s experiences in construction management span through K-12, Mission Critical, Higher Education, Retail, Healthcare, interior renovations, Higher education, Residential, and Financial Institutions. Nosa holds an MBA from Purdue University and a Bachelors in Construction Systems Management from The Ohio State University. While at Ohio State Nosa was an All American full-scholarship student-athlete in Track & Field. Among his accomplishments on the track, he claimed the Olympic B qualification and Big Ten Championship in the triple jump. The drive, discipline, and determination that Nosa honed on the field still act as the guiding principles for the way he conducts business. Nosa built Bowa Construction on the notion of civic engagement, believing that companies should do more than simply perform projects in a community.

Bob started Clayco with the goal of finding new, better ways to do business, and hasn’t looked back since. Over the past 35+ years, Bob has grown Clayco into one of the top full-service building firms in North America while building Clayco’s commitment to the communities in which they work and becoming a national civic and business leader. Bob has established and nurtured a culture of innovation, collaboration and a can-do attitude that continues to make Clayco the best option for clients, and one of the best places to work in the country.