Ada Chan is a senior vice president at Cain International, a real estate investment firm with over $14 billion in assets under management and offices in London, New York City, Miami, and Beverly Hills, California. As a seasoned real estate professional with more than 20 years of industry experience, Chan is responsible for capitalization of the One Beverly Hills development, a 17.5-acre (7.1 ha) mixed-use urban resort that represents the unification of several properties, including the iconic Beverly Hilton and Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills. She holds a BS in civil engineering building science, a MS in civil-structural engineering, and an MBA, all from the University of Southern California (USC). She is a registered professional civil engineer in California. Chan is an active member of ULI at the Americas and district council levels, currently serving as co-chair of Americas NEXT, vice chair of the Urban Development Mixed Use Council (Silver flight), a member of the ULI Los Angeles Advisory Board, and co-chair of the Capital Markets Initiative Council. Chan enjoys playing classical piano in her spare time and in 2019 earned an associate diploma in piano performance from the Royal Conservatory of Music, Toronto.

Ron Silverman is a senior partner of the law firm Cox, Castle & Nicholson, a 135-person firm specializing in and devoted to the real estate industry. This September 1, he will mark his 50th anniversary with the firm. Since 1988, Silverman has been actively involved with ULI. He has served as a ULI trustee, chair of the Audit Committee, chair of the Public/Private Partnership Council, a counselor to the District Councils program, and as a recent member of ULI’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Council. Silverman currently serves at the national level as a member of the ULI Women’s Leadership Initiative (WLI) Executive Committee, as one of two senior advisers to ULI’s Young Leaders/NEXT initiative, and as a member of the Steering Committee of the Marketing/Communications Forum. Locally, he is an active member of ULI Los Angeles, including serving as a member of ULI LA’s Advisory Board and its Governance and Management committees, as co-chair of mission advancement, and as a senior adviser to the ULI LA NEXT initiative.

In the following Q&A article, Chan and Silverman explore their passion for the commercial real estate industry and their experiences with ULI.

Q1. ULI: So many of us in real estate fall into the industry and, hence, commercial real estate (CRE) professional organizations. How did you get involved with ULI?

Ada Chan (AC): I joined ULI at Fall Meeting in 2005 when it was held in Los Angeles, just two months prior to graduating with my MBA degree from USC. My classmate, who was already in CRE, recommended ULI to me given its unparalleled industry network and my desire to switch careers from construction management to CRE finance and investments. Even though attending Fall Meeting was overwhelming at first, I was warmly welcomed into the organization. I didn’t know anyone, but then I met Nina and Claude Gruen at the Fall Meeting Women’s Reception, which they generously sponsored. For those who don’t know, the late Nina Gruen was ULI’s first female trustee. I vividly remember what Nina said to me at the reception: “Never say no to any opportunity that ULI presents to you. Always say yes!”

And the rest is history! I’ve been a ULI member for almost two decades and have shared with new and prospective members that I’m a “child of ULI” because I took Nina’s words to heart. I grew my ULI involvement in lockstep with my career progression and gained invaluable insights and friendships.

Ron Silverman (RS): Over 30 years ago, at the beginning of my real estate career, I identified ULI as being the organization whose mission and members most strongly resonated with Cox, Castle & Nicholson’s values and culture. And I have never looked back. From day one, I have treasured every moment of my involvement with ULI, both nationally and locally.