WoI Speaker: Persevering in the Face of Many Obstacles
Collete English Dixon currently serves as executive director at Roosevelt University's Marshall Bennett Institute of Real Estate and is also the administrative chair of the Real Estate Department of the Heller College of Business.
➤➤ Join the GlobeSt.com Women of Influence 2019 conference July 10th and 11th in Broomfield, CO, which celebrates the women who drive the commercial real estate industry forward. The event will address the critical role of women in the CRE business. Click here to register and view the agenda.
As part of our ramp up to our inaugural Women of Influence event we are profiling the speakers at the conference. Today we catch up with Collete English Dixon.
English Dixon currently serves as executive director at Roosevelt University’s Marshall Bennett Institute of Real Estate and is also the administrative chair of the Real Estate Department of the Heller College of Business.
“The most fulfilling aspect of my role at the Institute is my engagement with the students,” she tells GlobeSt.com. “Working with many of them to figure out what they want to do and can do in the real estate industry really makes me feel like I can make a difference for the future talent in the industry. I want to make sure we are providing the right education for our students to be successful and to contribute to the firms they work for, work with, or create themselves.”
English Dixon currently serves on the boards of Waterton, a real estate investor and operator, the Broadstone Real Estate Access Fund and the Housing Partnership Equity Trust. Before joining Roosevelt University in 2017, English Dixon spent over 30 years at PGIM Real Estate, formerly Prudential Real Estate Investors. In her role as executive director and vice president of Transactions at PGIM, English Dixon led the firm’s Midwest acquisition strategy and co-led PGIM’s national dispositions strategy. She has been involved in nearly $12 billion in transactional volume throughout her professional life.
As she has advanced in her career, English Dixon has overcome her fair share of obstacles but has persevered.
“My most major obstacle was when I began my career as a young woman of color in an industry that had very few participants who looked like me, combined with starting my career in the south. It was very important to learn my job well, not to have a chip on my shoulder or to be overly sensitive, and to identify allies who could help me establish my credibility. I also benefited by working for a very significant company which provided some support as I met new people or engaged in new projects,” English Dixon explains.
English Dixon has served in various leadership roles with CREW Chicago, CREW Network, and the CREW Network Foundation. She is a board member of the Oak Park and River Forest Food Pantry and is a member of the Economic Club of Chicago.
English Dixon graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and finance and attained her Masters in Business Administration from Mercer University.
“Some of the life lessons I have lived by and which continues to motivate me are to to treat others like you would want to be treated—with respect, honesty and kindness; to engage in the community overall and to provide value to others whenever possible; to be informed and to share information; and to do what you say you will do,” she concludes.