Los Angeles -- Nicole McAllister has been appointed executive director of development and external affairs of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate. Over the past five years, McAllister has played a key leadership role at the Lusk Center contributing significantly to its direction and expansion that included the establishment of the Casden Real Estate Economics Forecast, the Keston Institute for Infrastructure and the Ross Minority Program in Real Estate. She was directly responsible for raising significant endowment funding, increasing Center membership four-fold and helping to raise the national visibility of the Center's research, academic and professional programs.
In her new role, McAllister will continue to be responsible for the ongoing direction and strategic operations of the Lusk Center and its subsidiaries. She will spearhead new initiatives in housing, capital markets, the regulatory environment and the retail industry. A former nonprofit affordable housing developer in Los Angeles, McAlister holds an MBA from the USC Marshall School of Business and a master's degree in planning from UCLA. She is actively involved with a number of nonprofit and political organizations and serves on the boards of the Genesis LA Economic Growth Corporation and Alternative Living for the Aging.