Steers Center Expands Leadership With Two Key Hires

The Steers Center for Global Real Estate at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business has appointed Jim Reid, past president of Americas Strategic Initiatives at CBRE, as executive in residence and Robert and Lauren Steers Chair in Global Real Estate and George Yeonas (B’77), former real estate advisor to builders, developers, and financial institutions, as managing director.

“We are extremely excited about the additions of Jim and George because they both have a depth of experience in building real estate companies, which fits perfectly with the ambitious future of the Steers Center,” said Matthew L. Cypher, Atara Kaufman Professor of Real Estate and director, Steers Center for Global Real Estate. “Most importantly, however, they both share a genuine concern for the individual student and for ensuring our students are the most well trained in the country, which will result in the highest quality employment opportunities.”

In his new role, Reid will focus on enhancing the visibility of the Steers Center brand through his global network. Also, he will teach the foundational real estate course for undergraduate students. Before joining the Steers Center, Reid served in a number of key roles at CBRE, including president of Americas Strategic Initiatives, where he accomplished a range of corporate acquisitions that complemented the firm’s strategy. Earlier in his career, Reid was chief operating officer of the Americas for CBRE, where he oversaw the financial and operational management of the firm’s Americas business. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Virginia and an MBA from Harvard University.

“I am excited to help scale the tremendous work being done through the Steers Center so that it can reach the highest level of global prominence,” said Reid. “Joining the Georgetown University community allows me to contribute to providing students with a premium, industry-grade education that produces graduates who compete aggressively for the very best real estate jobs around the world.”

As managing director, Yeonas will be responsible for collaborating with Cypher on the strategic plan for the center and, ultimately, its execution. Also, he will have various roles both inside and out of the classroom where his diverse background is leveraged. His extensive real estate career ranges from master plan community design and development to loan workouts and restructurings, which pairs with the Steers Center’s goals of pursuing excellence in real estate education and research. Previously, Yeonas was the chief restructuring officer for a Dutch bank where he was responsible for the liquidation of a $2 billion North American loan portfolio.

“It is a great honor to join the Steers Center for Global Real Estate, which enriches the intellectual life of both the university and the global real estate community,” said Yeonas. “I am looking forward to working with Matthew Cypher and Jim Reid to continue the Steers Center’s development into the finest knowledge center for real estate in the country.” Yeonas is an alumnus of Georgetown McDonough and earned his MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.