Marshall Bennett Institute of Real Estate Adds Six Chicago CRE Leaders as Instructors and Expands Course Offerings for 2020-2021 School Year

Collete English Dixon

CHICAGO, IL, July 23, 2020 – The Marshall Bennett Institute of Real Estate at Roosevelt University (MBIRE) announced today it has expanded course offerings and added six new instructors – all leading real estate professionals – to its Master of Science in Real Estate (MSRE) and its real estate development/finance and investment certification programs.

Linda Kanoski

The school now has 13 instructors, 12 of them working real estate professionals, giving students unparalleled opportunity to learn directly from successful industry experts.

Arathi Gowda

“One of our program’s key strengths is our ability to offer practical, real-world knowledge with instruction from industry practitioners with a proven career track record in real estate,” said Collete English Dixon, MBIRE executive director.

 Jeffrey M. Bramson

“Our seasoned industry professionals bring deep inside knowledge, the kind you only get when you’ve been in the field. 

"They also can provide networking, internship and other unique opportunities that may give students a leg up on their competition when entering the job market.”

The new instructors come from noted Chicago CRE firms, including CBRE, Draper and Kramer, Heitman, JLL, Court Ventures and SB Friedman Development Advisors.

They will teach courses ranging from project management to financial modeling online or in person for the summer and fall 2020 and spring 2021 semesters.

Summer 2020 – Linda Kanoski, AIA, LEED AP, senior project manager, CBRE, is teaching project and construction management online this summer. The course introduces students to project management principles with a focus on real estate projects from design through construction.

Timothy S. Kramer

At CBRE, Kanoski is responsible for large-scale corporate office projects, bringing a deep understanding of both project management and technical requirements.

Daniel Vickerman

She is a 30-year real estate industry veteran with experience as a managing director of interior architecture for OKW as well as a team leader for design firms including Epstein, HOK and Gensler.

Fall 2020 – Timothy S. Kramer, CPM®, ARM®, vice president and director of operations, management services for Draper and Kramer, Inc., will teach a course this fall on property management and marketing.

The course, scheduled to be delivered in a classroom, will focus on techniques and concepts used to meet the needs of owners and tenants.

 Industry professionals will serve as guest lecturers and students will complete a project related to creating value through property management and marketing.

Gary Cowen

Kramer's background includes 20 years of property management and construction project management experience. 

He currently manages a portfolio of approximately 6,500 multifamily units in Chicago, St. Louis, Dallas and San Antonio.

Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 – Jeffrey M. Bramson, senior managing director and managing broker, JLL Capital Markets, Americas, will co-teach the real estate process with Gary Cowen, president of Court Ventures, Inc., who first taught the class in August 2019.

Steve Friedman

 Scheduled to be offered in person, the course offers an introduction to the real estate industry covering real estate finance, law, property management and real estate development.

At JLL, Bramson oversees the firm’s Chicago investment advisory business and is a transaction professional for office investment advisory throughout the Midwest. 

A 30-year real estate industry veteran, he has closed more than $13 billion of investment advisory transactions.

As president of Court Ventures for almost 27 years, Cowen manages a portfolio of commercial and residential real estate and assists others in acquiring, developing and financing real estate.

 He also acts as an asset manager/advisor in acquisition, development, leasing and financing matters.

Thomas Hamilton

Daniel Vickerman, assistant vice president, investment research, Heitman, will teach financial modeling in the upcoming fall and spring semesters.


This course, also scheduled to be in person, will introduce students to the industry tools used to analyze real estate financial, investment and development opportunities.

Students will learn to integrate market research and financial analysis using state-of-the-art real estate financial modeling tools. 

They also will be exposed to numerous real-world real estate finance, investment and development modeling projects.

Mark Munizzo

At Heitman, Vickerman is responsible for analysis of the office and industrial property sectors, researching trends in macroeconomics, capital markets and property market fundamentals in order to form investment strategies. 

He also co-chairs Heitman’s disruptive trends committee.


Spring 2021 – Steve Friedman, FAICP, CRE, founder and president of SB Friedman Development Advisors, will teach public/private partnerships.

 This class examines how real estate projects that can only be completed via public/private partnerships are planned, financed and structured through the use of debit finance, private equity and public financing tools. Friedman started teaching the class in spring 2020.    

Jon Dennis

In his 50-year career, Friedman has advocated and advanced best practices for public-private partnerships and led the implementation of high-quality redevelopment by applying the demographic, real estate market and financial drivers of land use and urban development to planning efforts.


These six new hires join existing faculty including Thomas Hamilton, Fogelson Professor of Real Estate, Chair Real Estate; Mark Munizzo, president of The Equity Network, Inc.; Jon Dennis, director of development for UrbanStreet Group LLC; Andrew Savoy, director of development at CRG;

Andrew Savoy

 Stephen Cleary, JD, owner of Cleary & Associates, Ltd.; Christopher Groesbeck, principal at UrbanLab Architecture & Urban Design; and Arathi Gowda, AIA, AICP, LEED AP BD+C, associate director, Skidmore Owings & Merrill LLP.


“I’m beyond grateful for the knowledge and expertise of our faculty and for their generosity in sharing what they know with our students,” said English Dixon.

 “Now more than ever, students are looking for substantive programs with relevant content. 

"So, what could be better than learning from such a prominent team of real estate professionals as they navigate their businesses through one of the most challenging times in history?

Christopher Groesbeck

 "The best practices and industry applications students will gain from our instructors who are working on projects and deals in real time during a pandemic will be priceless.”


About Marshall Bennett Institute of Real Estate:

Established in 2002, the Marshall Bennett Institute of Real Estate at Roosevelt University (MBIRE) is a leading Chicago-based institution of higher learning offering master’s and undergraduate degrees as well as certificate programs in real estate.

 MBIRE also informs, connects and advances real estate professionals through events featuring industry-leading speakers and panelists.

Stephen Cleary

Conveniently located in the heart of Chicago’s Loop, MBIRE offers flexible and specialized programs geared toward successfully preparing professionals for today’s real estate challenges.

 MBIRE has graduated more than 350 students, many of whom hold leadership positions in development, investment, brokerage and property management in the residential and commercial real estate sectors.

 MBIRE graduates work at firms such as JLL, Lendlease, CBRE, Cushman & Wakefield, Libcor, Avis & Young, Barings and Chicago Public Schools just to name a few.

CONTACTS: 

Paula Widholm, pwidholm@taylorjohnson.com, (312) 267-4525

Kim Manning, kmanning@taylorjohnson.com, (312) 267-4527

www.roosevelt.edu/centers/real-estate/resources.