MICHAEL J. CORCORAN, BOARD CHAIR AND PRESIDENT
PRESIDENT, CORCORAN JENNISON COMPANIES
Michael J. Corcoran is President of Corcoran Jennison Companies, a real estate development and management firm with more than $4 billion worth of assets under management and development. Michael has been with Corcoran Jennison for the past 30 years. Corcoran Jennison provides a full-range of real estate services including acquisition/disposition, feasibility, financing, planning and development, asset management, construction administration, accounting, deal structuring, and both low-income housing and historic tax credit rehabilitations.
Michael has vast experience with institutional real estate clients having formed a private real estate investment trust (REIT) which raised capital from plan sponsors to purchase existing multifamily properties. He also served as the Dublin Port Company’s real estate advisor, reporting directly to its Chief Executive Officer from 2008 to 2011. During this same period, Corcoran Jennison, through its subsidiary Corcoran Jennison Europe, managed more than 1,500 units in Dublin.
Presently, Michael is overseeing the expansion of two Corcoran Jennison-owned hotels in Boston, the buildout of a 1,600-unit development in Pittsburgh in partnership with the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh, the expansion of Ocean Edge Resort in Cape Cod, and the build-out of a newly acquired 600-acre golf resort in New Hampshire. In addition, he is responsible for the asset management of the Corcoran Jennison existing real estate portfolio, which is made up of over 100 real estate partnerships.
Michael is a past or present member of multiple industry organizations, including Urban Land Institute Multi-Family Council, National Multi-Family Housing Council, Mortgage Bankers Association, Pension Real Estate Association, and the National Housing Roundtable.
DHARSHI DUPEE
TREASURER, CORCORAN JENNISON COMPANIES
Dharshi Dupee serves as Treasurer of Corcoran Jennison Companies. Since joining the firm, she has been responsible for the financing and debt restructuring of multifamily housing developments, office acquisitions, and Corcoran Jennison’s hospitality division. In 2002, Dharshi directed the development and financing of the Crosstown Hotel and parking garage, a multi-phase $250 million mixed-use urban revitalization effort undertaken in joint venture with the City of Boston in 2002. Her work in 2007 restructuring the financing for Harbor Point, a 1,248-unit mixed income development in Dorchester, MA, later became the model for the current State Housing Assistance for Rental Production (SHARP) restructuring program.
Before joining Corcoran Jennison, Dharshi was with the audit firm of Coopers & Lybrand. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accountancy from Bentley University and is a Certified Public Accountant.
HEIDI GLUNZ
DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION LEAD, CALIFORNIA POLYTECHNIC STATE UNIVERSITY
Heidi Glunz is currently the Digital Transformation Lead at Cal Poly. Formerly, she served as Senior Director of International Public Affairs at McDonald’s Corporation on the Global Government and Public Affairs team. In that role, Heidi focused on the areas of food, nutrition, and children’s well-being, working with internal subject matter experts on relevant initiatives, as well as with external stakeholders such as the Clinton Global Initiative. Prior to joining the Global Government and Public Affairs team in 2012, Heidi spent her first five years at McDonald’s with the Global Corporate Social Responsibility/Sustainability team, focusing on a wide range of areas, including nutrition and well-being, issues management, strategy, and communications.
Before joining McDonald’s, Heidi worked in strategy and operations at Deloitte Consulting, and earlier in policy development for the State of Illinois, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and at the federal level in the Office of Management and Budget. She began her career in community and economic development, as well as working overseas for a non-governmental organization in Poland.
Heidi holds an undergraduate degree from Boston College and an M.P.P. from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, where she was awarded a Public Service Fellowship. She volunteers with a number of organizations in Chicago, particularly in support of the annual events of the Fabretto Children’s Foundation, Catholic Charities Self Sufficiency Program, and the Women’s Global Education Project.
RICKIE GOLDEN
VICE PRESIDENT, REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT, ALEXANDRIA REAL ESTATE EQUITIES
Rickie Golden is Vice President, Real Estate Development at Alexandria Real Estate Equities, where she oversees the master planning and development of life science development projects in Greater Boston. Previously, Rickie was Vice President, Development at The Davis Companies and President of JECSP, a spin-off company of Corcoran Jennison Companies focusing on large-scale, mixed-use urban projects with a public benefit strategy. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania (Bachelor’s, 2005, Art History) and Harvard University Graduate School of Design (Master’s, 2012, MDes Real Estate Development), Rickie worked in development in New York City and at The Museum of Modern Art prior to attending GSD.
In addition to being a member of the Board of Directors of The American City Coalition, Rickie serves on the Alumni Council of the Harvard Graduate School of Design, is a member and former Vice Chair of the Urban Land Institute Responsible Property Investment Council and has held a variety of leadership positions at CJP. She has lectured and spoken on panels at Harvard College, Boston College, Boston University Law School, Harvard University Graduate School of Design, The Boston Society of Architects and the Urban Land Institute.
CHARLAYNE MURRELL-SMITH
VICE PRESIDENT, BOSTON CHILDREN’S MUSEUM
Charlayne Murrell-Smith is the the Vice President of External Relations and Corporate Development at the Boston Children’s Museum. Charlayne stewards the museum’s stakeholder civic, community, corporate relationships to advance its mission, programs, public profile, and financial health. She also plays a pivotal role in Boston Children Museum’s many outreach initiatives benefiting the children and families of Boston and beyond.
Charlayne is the recipient of a Pinnacle Award for achievement in non-profit management from the Women’s Network of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce. She has received several recognitions, including EXTRAordinary Women of Boston by the Mayor’s Office of Women’s Advancement, 100 Most Influential People of Color by Get Konnected and the National Center for Race Amity at Wheelock College, Leading Women by the Girl Scouts of Eastern MA, and Harbor Hero by Save the Harbor/Save the Bay.
Her current affiliations include the Boards of Directors of the Boston Children’s Chorus, Friends of Fort Point Channel, Friends of Martin’s Park, Inc., Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Foundation, Third Sector New England, Seaport TMA, Wellesley College Alumnae Association, and YMCA of Greater Boston. She is also on the advisory boards of Boston Harbor Now and the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Women’s Network and Hospitality and Tourism Leadership Council.
A resident of Roxbury, Charlayne holds a BA from Wellesley College and a MEd from Northeastern University. Prior to joining BCM, Charlayne was Director of Client Services and Strategic Planning for the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, where she was responsible for the coordination and delivery of programs and services to Chamber members and functioned as its chief operating officer. She has also served as Project Vice President and General Manager of the Wishnow Group, Inc., a public affairs consulting company specializing in local and national social issues campaigns; Community Affairs Director of WHDH-AM and WZOU-FM; and was a guidance counselor in the Cambridge and Newton Public Schools.
WILLIAM WALCZAK
RETIRED; FOUNDER CODMAN SQURE HEALTH CENTER
Bill Walczak, now retired, is the founder of Codman Square Health Center and former President and CEO of South End Community Health Center. Previously, he was President of the Lewis Family and Grand Circle Foundations and Vice President of External Relations at Shawmut Design and Construction, a leading national construction management firm.
Bill is founder of the Codman Square Health Center, a multi-service center where he was CEO from 1980-2011. Bill is founding president of Codman Academy Charter School. The Codman Health and Education Center is considered a model of a collaboration which uses the medical and educational systems as a platform for community regeneration. Bill was a founder of the Edward Kennedy Health Careers Academy. From 2011-2012, he was President of Carney Hospital, and in 2013, he was a candidate for Mayor of Boston.
Bill is a co-founder and was Co-CEO of DotWell, a partnership with the Dorchester House Multi-Service Center. Bill is the founding president of the Massachusetts Nonprofit Network, Massachusetts’ association for nonprofits. He is on the Executive Advisory Council for WBUR. Bill is past president of the UMass Boston Alumni Association (where he is on the Board of Visitors). He was founding President of Boston HealthNet, a network of community health centers with Boston Medical Center. He is chairman of the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education and on the board of Daily Table. He serves on the Advisory Board of the Boston Landmarks Orchestra, is a member of the Boston Leaders for Education coalition, the Haiti Fund, and the Epiphany School Advisory Board. He served on Gov. Deval Patrick’s and Gov. Charlie Baker’s Health Care Transition Committee and on the New England Steering Committee for the Barack Obama presidential campaign. He is a Barr Foundation Fellow. He has received numerous awards and has worked in a number of countries on community development efforts.