About Real Estate Exchange (REEX) Summer Programs

The History of REEX

Founded in 2016 by Kirk Sykes (Board Chairman, Real Estate Executive Council (REEC)) & Steve Martin (then Chairman, NAIOP), the REEX (Real Estate Exchange) Summer Programs are aimed at addressing  the lack of diverse representation in the commercial real estate (CRE) industry.  In 2017, REEX launched its inaugural summer program at Georgia State University (GSU), and expanded to three (3) additional universities in 2018 at Villanova, Columbia University and Fordham University.  In 2019, REEX impacted 103 new diverse students at Cornell University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Roosevelt University, and the University of Miami (Miami, FL). 

In 2020 and 2021, propelled by the continued support from REEX’s lead sponsor, The PREA Foundation, the REEX program successfully pivoted from an in-person program to an online platform, with a total of two hundred and eighty three scholars participating in the virtual summer experience.

REEX continues to grow significantly each year as the industry’s leading high school CRE immersion program, and to date, has exposed over six hundred students to the industry. REEX returned on-campus in 2022, with the introduction of the REEX JumpStart Summer Program with LEAD, and will be back in 2023

Our Mission

To expose teens of color to a variety of colleges and universities, as well as career opportunities.  Our goal is to expose 1,500 scholars to careers in commercial real estate by 2023.

Our Team

The Real Estate Executive Council

Board of Directors

Tammy K. Jones – Board Chair

James H. Simmons III –  Board Vice Chair

Jeffrey Beckham

Kyle D Bolden

Gwendolyn Hatten Butler

Gina Baker Chambers

Roland S. Merchant, Jr.

Amanda G Strong

Pamela M. West

Gregory M. Weston

Stephanie L. Williams

REEC Staff

Ken McIntyre – CEO

Oscar Groves – Executive Director

Get in Contact!