Posted on May 15, 2013 by Wendy Frost
The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) College of Business is taking steps to develop its real estate program. Tony Ciochetti, Ph.D., who serves as executive director of the Real Estate Finance and Development program and holds the Elmo James Burke Jr. Chair, joined UTSA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and brings with him a wealth of professional and academic experience.
Tony Ciochetti at lecturn
“It is an exciting time to be at UTSA, and I’m looking forward to helping move the existing program to new levels,” said Ciochetti. “It is becoming increasingly important for our students to recognize the broader impact of real estate and see the industry through a global lens. My goal is to build synergy with the city’s industry leaders, create cross-discipline opportunities within the university, and develop strategic partnerships with national and international companies.”
Ciochetti’s approach centers on the role commercial real estate has in the world’s built environment. He believes real estate developers have a responsibility to work more closely with city planners and designers to create sustainable buildings that have a positive impact on the people who live, work and play in our diverse communities.
“The various disciplines associated with the creation of ‘places’ need to better understand each others’ objectives and points of view and work collaboratively to achieve larger objectives,” Ciochetti stated.
Throughout his 25-year career, Ciochetti has held academic positions as the Thomas G. Eastman Chair, chairman and professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Center for Real Estate and as director of the Center for Real Estate Development at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He was instrumental in helping create a new graduate program in real estate finance and development at Cambridge University and was a visiting professor there for eight years.
He also teaches executive courses on topics such as real estate development, portfolio and asset management, and asset securitization for both industry and academic organizations.
Ciochetti regularly travels internationally to speak at real estate conferences and seminars and to build relationships with global industry leaders.
Before his academic career, Ciochetti spent 12 years in the private sector in the areas of commercial real estate development and consulting.
Ciochetti’s research interests lie in two broad areas: commercial mortgage credit risk and the role of real estate within pension plan portfolios. He also is active in the areas of sustainability and responsible commercial real estate development and investment. His work has appeared in leading scholarly journals including Real Estate Economics, the Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics and the Journal of Real Estate Research.
Active within the real estate industry, he serves on the board of directors for the Real Estate Research Institute, is a member of the Real Estate Investment Committee for the Ohio State Teachers Retirement System, and serves on the investment committee of Benchmark Senior Living, one of the preeminent operators of senior housing in the Northeast. He also serves on the editorial and advisory boards of Real Estate Finance and CMBS World. He regularly consults on behalf of investment banks, rating agencies, institutional clients and development companies and has been active as a board member on a number of commercial real estate companies.
Ciochetti received his doctorate and master’s in real estate and urban land economics from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and his bachelor’s in finance at the University of Oregon.
Nationally ranked and recognized, the UTSA College of Business is accredited by AACSB International and enrolls 5,700 students. The college is dedicated to raising its academic profile to become one of the best business schools recognized for developing “Knowledge for a New World.”
— Wendy Frost
