R
eal estate’s worth hinges on location, but the deals that shape the industry depend on who you know. In a recent conversation with alumni of Harvard Graduate School of Design’s Advanced Management Development Program in Real Estate (AMDP), we uncovered how the program’s case‑study curriculum and tight‑knit cohort help participants close high‑impact transactions. Three graduates now share how peer connections turned into career‑shaping deals—from nationwide data‑center development to managing a billion‑dollar healthcare portfolio and building a new economic city in Saudi Arabia. AMDP grads consistently lean on each other to pioneer the next wave of global real‑estate projects.
### Proptech and Data Centers
Forrest Corral (Class of 2024) entered AMDP with nearly three decades of commercial real‑estate experience. He first dipped his toes into Harvard by taking a virtual undergrad course, fell in love with the school, and enrolled in the AMDP. Corral describes the program as a “symbiotic” learning environment: students from around the world tackle a case study, burn through hours of reading, and then discuss provocative questions posed by the professor. He likens the experience to “going to church,” where a diverse group gathers for a common purpose and builds lifelong connections.
Corral’s network has fueled deals across the continent. He helped launch a billion‑dollar, thousand‑acre development in California, imported proprietary home‑building software from Canada, and recently partnered on a data‑center venture on the East Coast. While drafting an option agreement for classmate Ryan Fletcher—who is building a 150,000‑sq‑ft storage facility in Connecticut—Corral spotted an opportunity: “He has another 20 acres adjacent to that storage site, and I told him, ‘This would make a great data center if we could get the power.’” The Connecticut data‑center play is part of a stock‑option agreement with a large Silicon Valley tech company that tasked Corral with building as many data centers as possible. “I never would have done that deal if I wasn’t in the AMDP,” he says. “Without these connections, it never would have happened.”
### Elevating Careers Before Graduation
Nancy Hanright (Class of 2025) entered the real‑estate arena while working in healthcare. As a manager at Boston Medical Center, she oversaw interior buildouts across the hospital’s holdings. “I felt that to take the next step, I needed formal training,” she explains. The timing was perfect: months after enrolling in AMDP, Boston Medical Center’s real‑estate portfolio tripled when it absorbed two hospitals previously owned by Steward Health Care. Hanright was promoted to Executive Director of Real Estate and Space Planning, responsible for integrating the two new hospitals into the BMC Health System network.
Hanright tapped her AMDP peers to navigate this new role. “There’s a mutual respect for what we’re all doing. Everybody learns from each other,” she says. The network proved invaluable as she tackled the economic challenges of the expanded system, leveraging insights from classmates who had tackled similar large‑scale integrations.
### From Illinois to Saudi Arabia
Many AMDP graduates already hold C‑suite positions when they begin the program. Michael Chihoski (Class of 2012) was Senior VP at OSF HealthCare System, overseeing 17 hospitals and 300 off‑site locations. An engineer by training, he was thrust into real estate and sought a program to deepen his knowledge. During AMDP, he met the CEO of King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC), an ambitious planned city in Saudi Arabia’s Mecca Province. Their friendship grew through intensive team projects and class discussions.
A few months later, Chihoski relocated to the Red Sea and spent two years as COO of Emaar, the master developer behind KAEC. He oversaw day‑to‑day construction on the $100 billion project, leveraging both his experience and the AMDP network. For example, he facilitated a joint venture between KAEC, Babson College, and Lockheed Martin. Through other AMDP classmates, he connected with the president of Babson College, resulting in a 10‑year Lockheed Martin commitment to fund a Babson Global campus in KAEC.
After Saudi Arabia, Chihoski returned to the United States, serving as CEO of Aristo Properties Group, Senior Associate Vice President at the University of Rochester, and most recently Vice President of Facilities, Design & Construction for UCHealth. “The real estate here is at a much higher level than what I was doing previously,” he says. “They claim that AMDP is life‑changing. I’m a poster child of that.”
### The AMDP Experience
AMDP’s curriculum is built around case studies that mirror real‑world challenges. Students work in close‑knit cohorts, engaging in intensive team projects and lively class discussions that foster deep relationships. The program’s alumni network becomes a powerful tool for launching and scaling projects worldwide.
If you’re looking to elevate your real‑estate career, consider the AMDP. The program offers an exclusive educational opportunity that can transform your professional trajectory. For more details, visit the program’s website or request the brochure below.
