Huntley will focus on coordinating ULI’s efforts to address racial inequity and systemic racism in the real estate industry and across communities in the Americas

WASHINGTON (February 8, 2021) – The Urban Land Institute (ULI) announces that Sonia Huntley has been appointed as the Institute’s senior vice president for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).  ULI is the world’s oldest and largest multidisciplinary real estate organization whose work is driven by more than 45,000 members worldwide.

Huntley, who was formerly ULI’s vice president for Global Customer Service, will report directly to ULI Americas president Gwyneth Jones Coté. Huntley will be responsible for heightening ULI’s overall focus on DEI, including significantly increasing the representation of under-represented groups within ULI’s membership, staff and leadership. Huntley will also expand ULI’s content and learning opportunities to help tackle structural systemic racism within the real estate industry.

“Sonia is a longtime leader in the Institute’s DEI efforts, and we are proud that she will become the Institute’s full-time resource dedicated to DEI issues,” said ULI Americas Chair Jonathan Brinsden. “Our organization and our industry must look more like the communities we serve. We are working to increase the racial diversity of ULI’s members and staff, and we are raising awareness of the need for the organization to significantly strengthen its support of policies and practices that promote DEI. Sonia will help us in our efforts to shape the future of the built environment for transformative impact in communities worldwide.”

Huntley was a co-leader of ULI’s DEI initiative, where she managed the efforts of the DEI staff taskforce of more than 70 ULI team members. She served on the ULI Member/Staff DEI Council, a working group whose output has positioned ULI to more fully and expediently address inequities in commercial real estate. Huntley has also been accepted into the Summer 2021 cohort of Georgetown University’s DEI Executive Certificate Program. The much sought-after course is specifically designed for senior professionals with diversity and talent management responsibilities in the government, non-profit, or private sectors.

“Sonia is a proven leader, both at ULI and in the DEI space,” said Coté. “The DEI position is incredibly important, not just for the Institute but for the real estate sector and communities across the United States. We know that the real estate industry has historically played a role in many of the inequalities that are perpetuated in communities across the nation. Creating this new position is the next step for ULI continuing to drive the changes needed to create equitable communities for all.”

“I am honored and humbled to accept this important position,” said Huntley. “Now, more than ever, ULI is positioned to be a leader in creating thriving, equitable communities. I am ready to get to work with our talented staff and our devoted membership in righting the injustices of the past and creating a better future for communities around the Americas.

The calls for racial justice throughout the summer of 2020 accelerated ULI’s resolve to promote DEI as a fundamental force for creating thriving communities worldwide, and the Institute has taken a number of steps to increase awareness of and dismantle systemic biases in the real estate industry. The Institute partnered with Project REAP to conduct its first ever Fall Academy, with the goal of increasing the number of real estate professionals of color in the commercial real estate industry. The Institute has also published a staff and demographics report, which will track performance in increasing diversity within ULI itself. Along with this, ULI has mandated unconscious bias training and diversity training within its own staff. Additionally, the Institute has conducted several Advisory Services panels in the last year looking how to increase equity in communities, including Kansas City and Austin.

Before working at ULI, Huntley worked for the Division of University Relations at the University of Maryland, where she was Director of Membership and Marketing for the Alumni Association. At the university she developed strategies leading to increased retention rates and executed the launch of the associations’ lifetime member recognition wall.  During her tenure at the university, she also worked for the Annual Fund where she served as the Director of Emerging Constituent Philanthropy responsible for DEI focused philanthropic engagement.

Huntley is a native Washingtonian who resides in Maryland, where she actively serves in her church as a ministry leader and teacher, on her local Board of Elections, and as a high school mentor. She received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland and an MBA from the University of Maryland Global Campus.

For more information on ULI’s DEI Initiative, please email [email protected].