UW News

August 8, 2016

Runstad Center for Real Estate Studies names new permanent director

UW News

Simon Stevenson of the United Kingdom’s University of Reading will be the next director of the University of Washington’s Runstad Center for Real Estate Studies. The Runstad Center is part of the UW’s College of Built Environments.

Simon Stevenson is the new director of the Runstad Center for Real Estate Studies in the UW College of Built Environments.

Simon Stevenson

Stevenson is a professor of real estate and finance at Reading’s Henley Business School and director of its graduate program in real estate finance. He will begin transitioning to the new position on September 1, and will become full-time at the Runstad Center in January 2017.

A past president of the International Real Estate Society, Stevenson in 2006 received the society’s Achievement Award, given for excellence in research, service to the society and corporate leadership. He is also co-editor of the Journal of Real Estate Portfolio Management, an industry-focused publication of the American Real Estate Society. Stevenson previously held positions at City University London and University College Dublin. After undergraduate work at Liverpool John Moores University, he earned a master of science degree from the University of Stirling and a doctorate from University College Dublin.

Stevenson’s research focuses mainly on public real estate markets, particularly real estate investment trusts and the economics of investment management and housing. He has published over 75 papers in leading real estate and finance journals.

He said he is looking forward to joining the Runstad Center at “an extremely exciting” point in its history.

“I hope that, together with the great team already in position, I can contribute to the continued growth and development of the center and its activities,” Stevenson said. “An added attraction and benefit is Seattle itself. Moving to such a vibrant economy and real estate market has huge appeal professionally.”

Stevenson succeeds Peter Orser, a Washington real estate executive who has served as interim director for the past year. The last permanent director was Stephen O’Connor, who served in that role from 2012 to 2015.

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For more information about the Runstad Center contact Orser at 206-795-7008 or porser@uw.edu.

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