(Portland, OR) (February 19, 2021) – Kali Bader, Vice President of Rembold Properties, will be the new Chair of ULI Northwest Portland office, which serves Urban Land Institute (ULI) members in Oregon and Southwest Washington. As ULI Northwest Vice-Chairperson, Kali Bader will serve on a voluntary basis for a 2-year term that ends on June 30^th, 2023. She is succeeding Chris Nelson of Capstone Partners LLC whose two-year term will come to an end on June 30^th, 2021.

Kali was introduced to ULI as a graduate student at UC Berkeley in 1999 and found the organization to be on the forefront of development leadership, knowledge, and engagement. She connected with ULI Northwest in Portland roughly three years ago through the Urban Product Council and then through the Women’s Leadership Initiative.  Kali appreciates ULI’s continued focus on sustainable and innovative development.

“When I was asked to consider taking on another leadership role, I was flattered and interested, particularly because of ULI’s new energy around their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiative.  Portland has had very strong leadership over the past few years and together with Seattle, it is a powerful region for ULI.  I look forward to continuing my relationship with the local chapter and new challenges that are ahead for driving diversity and inclusion within the real estate industry,” Kali said. Read more about Kali’s work, her vision for ULI Northwest, and what she likes to do outside of her work in the interview below!

ULI Northwest is also proud to announce Victoria Oestreich as the new Manager for Oregon & Southwest Washington. Victoria has been a part of ULI Northwest since 2014 and was formerly an Associate and then Program Manager for the Seattle office. She is currently pursuing a Master of Public Administration at the Evans School of Public Policy and Governance at the University of Washington and will graduate in June 2021. Outside of work, Victoria is an avid hiker and has completed a 700-mile section hike of the Pacific Crest Trail in Oregon and Washington. She holds a B.A. in Psychology and a certificate in sales and marketing from the University of Washington.

The district council also welcomes the new Associate for Oregon & Southwest Washington, Gabriel Sapuay, who started with ULI Northwest in January. He has previous work experience with non-profits in Baltimore City, serving disadvantaged communities. Gabriel is excited to join the team and advance his knowledge of the real estate industry so that he can work to expand the DE&I efforts of ULI Northwest.

Kali’s Q&A

What is your favorite thing about being in CRE? 

I love the fact that as a developer, a project starts as an idea about how to best use a piece of land and results in a tangible asset that allows for everyone working on the building to say, “that is my building.” 

What is your favorite project that you’ve done and why?

It depends on when you ask me because we get better with each new building.  The work we have done in downtown Beaverton over the past six years has been instrumental in changing the landscape and fabric of that neighborhood.  We took a chance when few others were willing, and we now have developed four buildings spanning the district.  The most recent, Verso Apartments has a unique exterior and highlights our strong team and partnership.

What is your favorite city (other than Portland) and why?

There are few places that elicit more reactions than New York City.  New York city is always alive, changing, and exciting.  I also love Sydney as it reminds me of all the great parts about San Francisco but has warm weather, real beaches, and a very internationally focused vibe. 

What are some things you like to do when you’re not working in real estate?

I really love traveling in normal times, although with three kids, we have not done as much of it in recent years as I would have liked. I am a voracious reader (I tracked my reading in 2020 and got through 60 books – although 2020 was certainly a non-normal year), love playing sports of all kinds, coaching my kids in said sports, and spending time with friends and family so long as it does not involve camping.

Share with us one disruption that you think will change real estate in the coming years.

While self-driving cars and the shared car revolution have been in the works for years, I still think this will be a real change to how we develop real estate.  Parking is always the most significant problem on any deal, regardless of zoning requirements.  Investors have a hard time investing in deals with no parking, especially in the suburbs. Less parking use could allow for denser development and reimagine current flat parking lots, contributing to solving the affordability problem.  If we do not have to bear the costs of building a home for cars, we can build more affordable homes for people.

What is your favorite thing about ULI?

I have had the chance to meet and become friends with many people through committee and event work with ULI.  Engaging with people, who do similar work but have different perspectives and approaches and are willing to be so open and honest about their work, has been a wonderful part of my time with ULI.

Over your two-year term as Chair, what is the one thing you’d like to accomplish?

We have all been myopic in real estate and allowed the “old boys’ club” mentality to persist for too long.  Real estate is exciting, but to evolve and reflect society, we need to do a better job recruiting people who challenge the status quo, bring fresh perspectives, and can truly be themselves in the workplace.  That is hard work, and we need leadership and alignment through the industry to better improve the number of women and BIPOC leaders and employees in real estate.  I hope that through Urban Plan and the great work the DE&I initiative is doing, we will be able to point to a measurable change in the industry.  We will all be better for it!

Share something interesting that our members might not know about you.

Janet Yellen was my econ professor while I was getting my MBA at Berkeley in 2000.  I thought she was a brilliant, very kind woman, little did I understand that she was supremely humble and crazy accomplished! 

About the Urban Land Institute
The Urban Land Institute is a nonprofit education and research institute supported by its members. Its mission is to shape the future of the built environment for transformative impact in communities worldwide. Established in 1936, the Institute has more than 45,000 members across the globe representing all aspects of the land use and development disciplines.

ULI Northwest includes operations in both Seattle and Portland and carries forth the ULI mission as the preeminent real estate forum in the Pacific Northwest, facilitating the open exchange of ideas, information, and experiences among local, national, and international industry leaders and policy makers. With over 1,050 members across the region, ULI Northwest represents one of ULI’s largest District Councils. ULI Northwest has a small, talented staff. Meet our staff.

For more information, contact [email protected].