{"id":1004726346,"date":"2024-08-28T12:38:04","date_gmt":"2024-08-28T20:38:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/?p=1004726346"},"modified":"2024-09-19T01:36:24","modified_gmt":"2024-09-19T09:36:24","slug":"women-in-cre-melanie-jefferies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/women-in-cre-melanie-jefferies\/","title":{"rendered":"Women in CRE: Melanie Jefferies"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"Melanie<\/a>
Melanie Jefferies<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

For Melanie Jefferies, commercial real estate was not a choice. As she immersed herself in community work, it became a calling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI saw the untapped potential for real, tangible change through development, and I couldn\u2019t ignore it,\u201d said the COO of Engineering Services at Milhouse Engineering & Construction and principal of Milhouse Development LLC in Chicago. \u201cThe chance to revitalize communities and empower residents is what drew me in and keeps me committed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As COO of Milhouse Engineering and Construction, Jefferies oversees planning, performance and delivery, cross-function collaboration and financial success. As principal of Milhouse Development, she creates and manages a real estate portfolio across seven markets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jefferies, who holds a bachelor\u2019s degree from Penn State University and a master\u2019s degree in organizational science from The George Washington University, has built a reputation for operational excellence, innovative and solutions-based problem solving, with a focus on diversity and inclusion of African-American people and women of color in male-led industries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In July, Jefferies was appointed by Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson to a new Cut the Tape Task Force, which aims to create more housing and stimulate commercial development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Jefferies, success isn\u2019t just about personal achievements but rather the broader impact she can make.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLiving in one of the communities I serve, I witness firsthand how our efforts inspire and create a sense of possibility,\u201d she said. \u201cDevelopment isn\u2019t just about building. It\u2019s about igniting hope for a brighter future and sparking a belief in change that the entire community can rally behind.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Chicago\u2019s South Side, Milhouse and a co-developer are currently collaborating on a $46 million mixed-use project featuring 74,000 square feet of dining retail, entertainment and recreational space.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Deconstructing biases<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To eliminate barriers in CRE and foster true inclusivity, Jefferies notes, the industry must offer more funding and opportunities for women and underserved communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs a woman commercial real estate developer and owner\u2014a tiny 2 percent fraction of an $82 trillion industry and lesser as a Black woman\u2014I see my role as not only breaking barriers but also setting a precedent,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy advice to aspiring leaders is to push relentlessly, and most importantly, pull other women along with you. Our success is collective and supporting each other is the key to lasting impact.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read the September 2024 issue of CP<\/a>E.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The engineering leader and developer strives for real and inclusive change through real estate projects.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1068,"featured_media":1004726379,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1521,44033],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1004726346","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-digital","category-executive-profiles"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWomen in CRE: Melanie Jefferies - Commercial Property Executive<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/women-in-cre-melanie-jefferies\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Women in CRE: Melanie Jefferies\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The engineering leader and developer strives for real and inclusive change through real estate projects.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/women-in-cre-melanie-jefferies\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Commercial Property Executive\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CPExecutive\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-08-28T20:38:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-09-19T09:36:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2024\/08\/Melanie_Jeffries_Milhouse.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Gail Kalinoski\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@cpexecutive\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@cpexecutive\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/women-in-cre-melanie-jefferies\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/women-in-cre-melanie-jefferies\/\",\"name\":\"Women in CRE: Melanie Jefferies - 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