Welcome from the Chair

Wayne Ratkovich
Chair

Building on a proud heritage

During my term as Chair of the Executive Committee for ULI Los Angeles, I will be working to fulfill our stated mission of providing leadership in the responsible use of land. Our voices are much too silent in a city and a region that continues to grapple with the issues of growth and the quality of life. It is my intention to develop affiliations with groups that have like purposes such as the AIA, or our local universities, and work collaboratively to expand our avenues of land use leadership.

When the 2007-2008 year began for ULI LA on July 1, we made some changes to the District Council's organizational structure, which will form the basis for what will be very interesting and important times for ULI LA. The District Council is now organized in four groups: the Governance Committee, the Board of Advisors, the Executive Committee, and the Resource Council.

The Governance Committee consists of past ULI LA Chairs, and its purpose is to recommend the incoming ULI LA Chair. In the future, the Governance Committee may also be an appropriate entity for the nomination of membership to the Executive Committee.

The Board of Advisors consists of senior real estate professionals that have distinguished themselves in their profession and through their ULI service. I invited 12 individuals to serve on the Board of Advisors, and I am pleased to say that all have agreed to participate. The Board of Advisors includes the Honorable Bill Bogaard, Rick Caruso, John Cushman, Gail Goldberg, Stuart Ketchum, Bob Lowe, Bruce Ludwig, Rob Maguire, Mike Matkins, Buzz McCoy, Stan Ross, and Bill Tooley. This distinguished group will provide both credibility and counsel to ULI LA.

The Executive Committee will continue to provide ULI LA leadership. My plan is to bring new faces to the Executive Committee, again looking to those that have distinguished themselves professionally and in their service to ULI. The Executive Committee will meet quarterly-rather than monthly-and it will have a new and more focused subcommittee structure.

The 2007-2008 Executive Committee has been reduced in size, which will require that we adopt a practice of rotating the membership. It is our intention to maintain the involvement of members from the prior year's Executive Committee, who have rotated off this year. To that end, we have created a fourth group-the Resource Council. Members of the Resource Council have been invited to continue their ULI LA service and involvement by serving on subcommittees and task forces formed by the Executive Committee. The Resource Council will also provide an opportunity for new faces to begin their affiliation with ULI LA.

ULI Los Angeles has been one of the most successful District Councils in the country-often used as an example for others to follow. This proud heritage deserves a proud future, and that is what I propose to provide during my term as Chair of ULI LA's Executive Committee.

-Wayne Ratkovich