M
ichelle Herrick has made a lasting impact in the male-dominated Wall Street industry over her 20-year career. As she prepares to lead JPMorgan Chase's $145-billion commercial real estate division, Herrick will remain based in Chicago rather than relocating to New York. With an MBA from the University of Chicago, she rose through the ranks at La Salle Bank and Bank of America before joining JP Morgan in 2017 as real estate banking central region manager.

    Herrick's territory spanned from Seattle to Atlanta, but after a promotion, she oversaw JPMorgan's CRE business nationwide. In January, she will take over the entire CRE division, reporting directly to John Simmons, head of commercial banking. Herrick has already made her mark on Chicago by playing a key role in securing a $549 million construction loan for Salesforce Tower, one of the city's largest financing deals in 2020.

    She also founded Yield Chicago, a program with the Urban Land Institute aimed at increasing diversity among developers in the city. Despite Chicago's office market struggles, Herrick is confident navigating commercial lending's challenges, citing JPMorgan's focus on serving clients' needs rather than solely managing debt exposure.