ICSC Foundation Awards Educational and Professional Development Scholarships and Fellowship at RECon

LAS VEGAS, May 23, 2017

The International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) Foundation presented scholarships and a fellowship to qualified students and dedicated industry professionals who demonstrate the potential to make significant contributions and excel in the retail real estate industry. The award recipients, who ranged from promising undergraduates to up-and-coming professionals, were honored during ICSC RECon, the premier international retail real estate conference held in Las Vegas. 

The ICSC Foundation has recognized the following 15 ICSC members who have exercised determined commitment to furthering their professional development with the John T. Riordan Professional Education Scholarship. The award grants complimentary admittance to a Riordan School–a week of rigorous study that leads to an ICSC Certificate of Completion.

• Samuel Cooper, Thompson Thrift Retail Group
• Olivia Montagna, Boston Pizza International, Inc.
• John Allan, Platform Properties
• Melinda Tolbert, KW Commercial
• Genevieve Walker, New York University
• Moses Hall, Miller Chicago Real Estate
• Bryan Kolle, Ivanhoe Cambridge
• Sarah Hazani, American Realty Advisors
• Andrew Stein, Federal Realty Investment Trust
• Kristin Smith, JLL
• Peter Brigham, HHH Properties Corp.
• Thomas Bolen, Crossman & Company
• Alyona Tsutskova, Saglo Development Corporation
• Dixi Wang, WRT Design
• Carly Li, Manager of Strategy and Research at Taubman

Carly Li, Manager of Strategy and Research at Taubman, was the highest scorer of the John T. Riordan Professional Education Scholarship and thus received the Melvin Simon Professional Development Scholarship.

The Harold E. Eisenberg Foundation Scholarship

The Harold E. Eisenberg Foundation Scholarship, which provides a John T. Riordan (JTR) Professional Education Scholarship to an ICSC member based in the U.S. Midwest, was awarded to Sam Cooper, Market Research Analyst at Thompson Thrift Retail Group.

The ICSC Foundation presented the Love Scholarship for Diversity to Drake Dickerson, a senior at the University of Central Florida majoring in Economics, Finance and Real Estate. The Retail Real Estate Diversity Scholarship was awarded to Heberto Alanis, a first year graduate student at the University of Texas at Austin pursuing a master’s degree in economics and finance. These diversity scholarships are designed to encourage and increase ethnic diversity within the retail real estate industry.

The Charles Grossman Graduate Scholarship

The Charles Grossman Graduate Scholarship, designed for ICSC members who are graduate students preparing for a career in retail real estate, was awarded to Ryan Lovell, a first-year student at The University of Chicago, and Kelsey Paggham, a second year MRP candidate at Cornell University, recognizing their unwavering enthusiasm to the industry. The Charles Grossman Graduate Scholarship is named in honor of the late Charles Grossman who served as the Foundation’s chairman from 2006-2007 and was instrumental in taking the Foundation in its current direction. The award provides each recipient with a $10,000 academic scholarship and complimentary trip to RECon.

The Schurgin Family Scholarship

The Schurgin Family Scholarship was presented to Raymond Herrera, a junior at The Ohio State University majoring in accounting and finance, and the Schurgin Family Entrepreneurial Scholarship was presented to Sam Sandhu, a junior at the University of Texas at Austin majoring in finance for his entrepreneurial drive. These two scholarships honor their active participation in and promising aspirations for the industry. Since 2008, the Schurgin Family Foundation Scholarship has provided tuition assistance to undergraduate students studying retail real estate or a related field. The recipients each receive $5,000 to help continue their education, which will better prepare them for a career in retail real estate, real estate development or shopping center leasing.  In addition to the scholarship, the students receive full admission to ICSC RECon, enabling them to enhance their professional development through networking and public recognition of their success.

The Fiala Fellowship

The Fiala Fellowship was awarded to Duncan Whitcomb, Manager of commercial leasing and sales at Martek Morgan Finch. Whitcomb, who has a degree in community design from Dalhousie University, and holds an impressive track record of supporting national and international clients in major assets throughout Canada. Launched in 2010, the Fiala Fellowship annually awards an outstanding professional under the age of 35 who demonstrates a commitment to retail real estate and has the potential to make a lasting contribution to the industry.

About ICSC Foundation

The ICSC Foundation is the charitable arm of ICSC. The ICSC Foundation is dedicated to career development through educational endeavors, and to engaging, promoting and recognizing those in the retail real estate industry who contribute to making their communities better. For more information, visit www.icscfoundation.org.