GROW Mentorship Program

Take Your Career to the Next Level

ULI Los Angeles is delighted to launch the Grow Relationships and Opportunities at Work (G.R.O.W.) mentorship program. Led by the Women’s Leadership Initiative, G.R.O.W. provides leadership and career advancement opportunities to mid-level professionals of all genders.

Through cohorts led by an industry leader, professionals of all genders will come together for group discussions, share information with industry peers, and gain insight into what it takes to advance their careers.

The ULI LA GROW Program Provides

  • A confidential, trusting environment and structured curriculum for discussion
  • Exploration of professional interests and issues
  • Opportunities to network and further develop people skills
  • Leadership skills cultivation
  • Personal growth

The purpose of G.R.O.W. is for mid-level ULI members to network while exploring topics of interest related to real estate, development, and land use. G.R.O.W. Mentees will explore issues that their peers may be facing in their careers, such as: career enrichment, guidance on next steps, career advice, balancing professional and private life, engagement, exposure to various professionals in the real estate community, and networking.

Similar to ULI’s Product Councils and other ULI-LA mentorship programs such as the YLG Partnership Forum, NEXT, and REACH Initiative, G.R.O.W. will foster thought leadership through ULI’s culture of sharing best practices, lessons learned through mistakes and experience gained. Participants share information in a trustworthy setting, as all group discussions are confidential.

Empowerment Through Leadership

  • Each cohort group will consist of one female Industry leader and up to 15 ULI members of any gender who are mid-level in their careers (approx. 10+ years’ experience).
  • Smaller groups will meet every other month to discuss topics related to the many facets of real estate, development, land use, and career and professional development.
  • G.R.O.W. groups meet every 4 to 6 weeks, at a minimum, from February through December of the next year.
  • Attendance is mandatory to create a close-knit community. Mentees who miss more than two meetings during this time may be removed from the program.
  • Selected mentees will be notified late January/early February.
  • The G.R.O.W. Kick-Off Ceremony marks the start of the program in February and allows all G.R.O.W. Mentors and Mentees to meet.

Criteria To Apply As A G.R.O.W. Mentee: 

  • Must hold active ULI membership of any level.
    • Non-members are welcome to apply. Those accepted into the GROW program will need to join ULI-LA as members.
  • Must be available to attend every meeting
  • Must be mid-level in their career, which we define as:
    • Have worked in their field for at least eight (8) years
    • Be a mid-level manager, or like position;
    • Have a job position with relative independence and decision-making authority (i.e. not an entry level position), but not an executive.
  • Must be 35 or older. Candidates younger than 35 years old are only eligible to participate in this program if they had previously participated in the Partnership Forum and meet all other requirements
  • Must not participate in any other concurrent ULI-LA mentorship program. Mentorship programs include: YLG Partnership Forum, REACH Initiative, and NEXT. The applicant must select one or the other when applying.

 

BECOME A 2026 GROW MENTEE:

Our Past GROW Mentors Include:

  • Loryn Arkow, Partner, Stroock & Stroock & Lavan
  • Kristin Cavanaugh, Vice president, Studio & Production Affairs at Sony Pictures Entertainment
  • Anne Fletcher, Managing Principal, HOK
  • Pam Huning, Senior Vice President Marketing and Client Care, Lincoln Property Company West (LPC West)
  • Jenna Hornstock, Deputy Director Special Initiatives at Southern California Association of Governments
  • Sonnet Hui, General Manager and Vice President, Project Management Advisors, Inc.
  • Dafna Kaplan, Founder/CEO, Cassette
  • Crystal Lofing, Partner, Allen Matkins
  • Allison Lynch, President, Watt Properties
  • Emily Murray, Partner, Allen Matkins
  • Carol Schatz, President Emeritus of Los Angeles BID
  • Vicky Schiff, Managing Partner, Mosaic Real Estate Investors
  • Katie Sprague, Senior Vice President, CallisonRTKL
  • Laurie Stone, Senior Vice President for Real Estate and Asset Management, USC
  • Jennifer Taylor, Managing Principal, Ambiculture Advisors
  • Sondra Wenger, Head of Commercial Acquisitions, CBRE Global Investors
  • Nancy Wilhite, groW consulting (formerly Vice president for the Americas Sales Management Leadership Team, CBRE)
    *Listed in alphabetical order & titles at the time as a mentor