Chicago, IL – April 3, 2024 – The Goldie B. Wolfe Miller Women Leaders in Real Estate Initiative (‘The Goldie Initiative®”), a nonprofit organization designed to prepare women for senior leadership roles in all sectors of commercial real estate, has received a grant from the Debbie Frank Legacy Fund in support of funding The Goldie Initiative’s Goldie Scholars program and establishing a strategic partnership with CREW Chicago. The Goldie Initiative has created a professional community of women with extraordinary academic and leadership potential, known as Goldie Scholars.
With a unique strategy of scholarship, mentoring, networking and skills development, The Goldie Initiative cultivates talented women into future leaders. The program supports women pursuing graduate-level studies in business, law, design, or management with a focus on real estate. Over 30 current Goldie Scholars are studying in real estate-related programs at nearly 20 universities nationwide.
The focus of this strategic partnership is to fund one additional Goldie Scholar associated with a Chicago-area graduate institution. The collaboration has been funded by the Debbie Frank Legacy Fund. Debbie Frank, who passed away in 2020, was a respected and accomplished leader in the Chicago area Commercial Real Estate community and she was passionate about helping women succeed in the field.
The Debbie Frank Legacy Fund/CREW Chicago/Goldie Scholar will be chosen from among the 2024-25 cohort of Goldie Scholars via collaborative efforts. Thanks to this generous contribution, the 2024-2025 Goldie Scholar cohort will increase in size and impact. Above and beyond programming and benefits provided by The Goldie Initiative, CREW Chicago will provide the Debbie Frank Legacy Fund/CREW Chicago/Goldie Scholar with Graduate/Undergraduate organizational membership. The Debbie Frank Legacy Fund/CREW Chicago/Goldie Scholar will be announced at the same time as the overall Goldie Scholar 2024-25 cohort, in August 2024.
The Goldie Initiative 2024-25 Scholarship Application is now open.
An informational session will be hosted online on May 1, for interested candidates. Applications will be accepted through June 2, 2024, for the 2024-25 school year.
About the organizations
Debbie Frank Legacy Fund
The mission of the Debbie Frank Legacy Fund is to support the professional development of women in commercial real estate. As an initiative of the Golub Family Foundation and Golub & Company, the Fund contributes to organizations that are dedicated to education, mentorship, and community involvement. Since 2021, the Debbie Frank Legacy Fund’s primary beneficiaries have been the impactful scholarship programs offered by CREW Chicago and The Goldie Initiative.
The Goldie Initiative
The Goldie Initiative offers a prestigious leadership program designed to develop the next generation of women executives in the commercial real estate (CRE) industry. The mission of The Goldie Initiative is to prepare women for senior leadership roles in all sectors of CRE. The Goldie Initiative does this by providing scholarship support for graduate study, mentorship, and networking opportunities for women with high potential who are committed to becoming leaders in the real estate industry.
CREW Chicago
CREW Chicago was founded in 1987 to connect commercial real estate women in Chicago for business opportunities. Today, with more than 300 members, our mission is to advance all women in commercial real estate through business networking, leadership development, career outreach, and industry research. CREW Chicago aligns with CREW Network’s commitment to strengthening and expanding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) throughout our global organization.