ULI has selected 26 professionals in real estate development, planning, design, engineering, finance, and health care from across the United States to participate in the second cohort of the ULI Health Leaders Network, a program designed to empower real estate and land use professionals with the skills, knowledge, and networks to improve health outcomes in their professional practice and communities.

Longtime ULI leader Douglas D. Abbey, chairman of Swift Real Estate Partners in San Francisco, has been named chairman of the ULI Foundation. Abbey, whose membership with ULI spans 37 years, began his term as Foundation chairman July 1.

One of ULI’s longest serving Life Trustees and renowned industry expert Stan Ross, Chairman Emeritus of the University of Southern California’s Lusk Center for Real Estate and Distinguished Fellow of the university’s School of Policy, Planning & Development, passed away June 10. He was 82.

ULI Life Trustee Frederick Kober, chairman of the board of the Christopher Companies, passed away on March 17, 2018, in Los Gatos, California, following a lengthy illness. He was 80. Kober, who joined ULI in 1970, was named a life trustee in 2005, a recognition reserved for the Institute’s most dedicated and respected members, and bestowed to only 15 members in ULI’s 82-year history.

The Institute’s global chairman and a trustee who helped ULI’s development in Europe discuss how the organization has affected their careers—and how to enhance the tools available to members.

During my time as ULI’s global chief executive officer, it has become increasingly clear to me that one of the great attributes of the Institute is its ability to embrace change and evolve without losing sight of its core values. After eight very rewarding and fulfilling years at the helm, it’s time for me to step down.

Billy Grayson, an expert in sustainability program development for companies and organizations, has been selected to serve as the executive director of the ULI Center for Sustainability and Economic Performance.

We are delighted to announce that Ralph Boyd, an outstanding individual who is currently the chief executive officer (CEO) of the American Red Cross’s Massachusetts region, has accepted our offer to serve as ULI’s CEO for the Americas. He brings to ULI nonprofit CEO experience and membership-based organizational experience, familiarity with a decentralized organizational structure, financial leadership, gravitas, and the ability to act both strategically and tactically.

A redevelopment plan for a Chicago site presented by a team from the University of Texas at Austin has taken top honors in the 2017 ULI Hines Student Competition, an ideas competition that provides graduate students the opportunity to devise a comprehensive design and development scheme for a large-scale site in an urban area.

Taking the necessary steps to prepare for climate change—and the extreme weather events that go along with it—can be a daunting task. A new report includes separate case studies of distinct adaptation actions from a diverse group of 17 communities across the nation from Boston to El Paso, Texas.