The new volunteer position reflects ULI’s evolution as a global, member-centric organization.
Patricia R. “Trish” Healy, founding principal of Hyde Street Holdings in Raleigh, North Carolina, has been named chairman of the Americas for ULI. Healy, a longtime ULI member, ULI Foundation governor, and former ULI trustee, will serve in this position through June 30, 2018.
The ULI Americas chairman is a new volunteer position that reflects the Institute’s efforts to more effectively serve and learn from members in very different markets as ULI continues to expand worldwide. The ULI Americas region encompasses the United States, Canada, and Latin America.
The post held by Healy is part of the creation of a new ULI global governance structure, which is being overseen by ULI Global Chairman Randall K. Rowe. The structure already includes a ULI Europe chairman position, held by Roger Orf, partner and head of real estate in Europe for Apollo Management; and ULI Asia Pacific chairmanships for north Asia, south Asia, and Japan, which are held, respectively, by Raymond Chow, executive director, Hongkong Land Limited, in Hong Kong; Peter Holland, director, Urbis, in Melbourne; and Hiroo Mori, executive vice president, Mori Building Company, in Tokyo.
Implementation of a regional governance structure that covers the Americas, Europe, and Asia will foster more engagement by and more leadership opportunities for members in diverse markets around the world, Rowe says.
“ULI’s evolution as a global organization relies on our ability to improve local land use decisions on a global level,” he says. “To do this, we must ensure that what we are delivering as an institute helps our members advance ULI’s mission in a way that is tailored to the specifics of very different markets and regions.”
Rowe points to Healy’s oversight several years ago of a ULI member task force that created a new and highly successful governance structure for the ULI district council program. “Trish is a terrific choice to guide our work in the Americas, and we are thrilled to have her in this new leadership role,” he says. “She has a solid understanding of what is needed to help ULI thrive in the decades ahead.”
The creation of the ULI Americas chairman position represents “a tangible step toward unlocking ULI’s potential as a global organization,” Healy says. “For ULI to be truly impactful, we need to put members first. Creating this regional chairman position is part of building the next generation of ULI, with a goal of being more responsive, more productive, and more influential.”
Healy says the ULI Americas chairmanship suggests an emphasis on three areas:
- A revived, strong, and targeted focus on core networks. “There has been much discussion about how the other international areas (Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia) need their own focus, but this is entirely true for the Americas as well. To grow and maximize our value as an organization, we need to focus on member-driven local programs of work. And ‘local’ can mean many things, including all of the Americas,” Healy says.
- The continued evolution of the “member first” approach. “This new structure allows our core networks—district councils, product councils, meetings, content initiatives—and every member, including those reached virtually, to receive focused attention and have meaningful input,” she says.
- Ongoing decentralization. “Structured governance for our district councils, when coupled with a strong staff, has given us great advantage,” she says. “This [the global governance] is an extension of that ‘bottom-up’ concept. It’s a way to more successfully compete, with greater impact, in a world of over-information.”
In addition to the ULI Americas chairman position, the global governance plan includes an advisory board for the Americas region, as well as a new staff position, ULI Americas chief executive. Regional advisory boards are also planned for ULI Europe and ULI Asia Pacific, which are now served by chief executives Lisette van Doorn and John Fitzgerald, respectively.
“Regional chief executives and discrete regional governance, together with an empowered membership base, will greatly benefit ULI’s information exchange,” Healy says. “We will see improved collaboration between all regions based on their own best practices, leading to greater impact by ULI as a whole.”
Healy, an active ULI member for 20 years, “brings an invaluable perspective on creating a governance structure that reflects the Institute’s evolution into a global organization that is responsive to members with different needs and interests, but who are united in creating thriving, sustainable communities,” says Patrick L. Phillips, ULI global chief executive officer. “Trish can help us tremendously in keeping ULI’s momentum going as we identify new opportunities for engagement, sharing lessons learned, and exchanging ideas about what works best.”
Healy has a strong record of volunteerism with ULI. She currently serves on ULI’s Governance and Nominating Committee and previously was chairman of ULI’s Inclusivity Task Force. She is a former member of the ULI Executive Committee and was chairman of the ULI Foundation’s Annual Fund. She is actively involved in ULI Triangle, where she was treasurer, and was a member of its Advisory Board, Governance Committee, and Women’s Leadership Initiative Committee.
Healy’s firm, Hyde Street Holdings, concentrates on the strategic, operational, and financial opportunities created by either under-optimized circumstances or newly formed ventures by employing innovative solutions to add value. Hyde Street has built and sold companies; valued, consulted on, and acquired all real estate asset types; managed publicly traded commercial mortgage–backed securities debt; and restructured firms.
In the Raleigh area, Healy serves on the board and executive committee of Catholic Charities. She is a former chairman of the Green Chair Project and a former board member of the North Carolina Symphony, the Contemporary Art Museum Foundation, ArtSpace, and Triangle Tomorrow.
