We are delighted to announce that a group of 11 Wisconsin Real Estate alumni and friends have come together to create an endowed directorship for the James A. Graaskamp Center for Real Estate at the Wisconsin School of Business. This generous gift will endow the position currently held by Mark Eppli (PhD ‘91, MS ‘84, and BBA ‘83), an experienced and highly regarded professor and administrator who joined the Graaskamp Center in 2018. In addition to supporting the Directorship, these funds will provide stability and give the center a clear strategic advantage by ensuring funds are available for innovative applied learning activities for the Program’s record 538 real estate undergraduates.
Inspired by a matching dollar gift made available by John and Tashia Morgridge, this group of donors quickly stepped up to meet the challenge by raising $775K in two weeks. With the Morgridge’s match, this $775K will double to $1.55M. The fact that the group achieved the fundraising goals so quickly is a testament to its collective passion for the Wisconsin Real Estate Program and for Mark Eppli, who has been expanding the Center’s stature and visibility within the real estate industry on several fronts during his tenure at the Graaskamp Center.
“We are deeply appreciative of the generosity and vision of this group of passionate alumni and friends of the Wisconsin Real Estate Program,” said Tim Riddiough, Department Chair and Graaskamp Center Academic Director. “The Real Estate Alumni Directorship will help us retain and build our world-class Center by supporting Mark Eppli’s position and providing improved applied learning opportunities and outcomes for undergrads. Our Program, currently the #1 ranked public real estate program in the world by US News & World Report, is strong today and will be strong tomorrow because of the involvement and support of these dedicated alumni and industry leaders.”
Thank you to the following alumni and friends who made the new endowed Directorship possible.
- Brian Eisendrath, BBA ’00, Vice Chairman & Managing Director, CBRE
- Pat Dempsey, BBA ’86, MS ’88, Senior Vice President, Walker & Dunlop
- Jim Cope, BBA ’87, MS ’89, Executive Vice President & Managing Director, Walker & Dunlop
- Larry Bond, BBA ’84, Co-Founder & Chairman, Bond Companies
- Rob Bond, MS ’83, Co-Founder & President, Bond Companies
- Mike Brennan, Irgens Executive Director of the Graaskamp Center; Co-Founder, Chairman, and Managing Principal of Brennan Investment Group
- Jim Martell, BBA ’74, Chairman & CEO, Logistics Property Co.
- Mike Arneson, BBA ’79, MS ’81, Managing Principal – Retired, TOLD Development Company
- Tom Zale, BBA ’88, MS ’95, Vice President – Real Estate, Northwestern Mutual Real Estate
- Kevin Coakley, BBA, MS, Principal – Retired, TOLD Development Company
- Fran Brzezinski, BBA, MBA, CEO & Partner, Interstate Partners
On, Wisconsin!
Categories: