Passion for the profession: University of North Texas graduate Lindsey Daniel put her people skills to work as a Marketing Associate with United Dominion Residential Communities.

Lindsey Daniel's first choice of majors was psychology. But after a few courses in college on the subject at the University of North Texas (UNT), her self-analysis convinced her that she is a better talker than listener.

"Maybe psychology isn't for me," she told herself.

Seeking a different career, the self-described "people person" found her way into UNT's business department and enrolled in "Introduction to Real Estate," taught by UNT professor John Baen. The course helped Daniel to realize she could put her penchant for talking to work and still use psychology skills on the job.

After graduating in December 2005, Daniel today is a Marketing Associate with United Dominion Residential Communities at The Meridian in Carrollton, Texas, near Dallas.

"The residents come in and they want someone to talk to, someone who listens to them," Daniel said. "It's amazing how some will want to tell you their entire life-story. You show them compassion and you laugh with them at their stories and they become comfortable around you."

Daniel, who is one of three staff members (out of five) in the leasing office who is in her 20s, said the occupancy is high at her 520-unit Class A community. She said The Meridian has maintained excellent resident retention and that its residents continually refer it to friends. "Because of my educational experience, I'm able to relate well to my residents," Daniel said.

"I'm a people person and I love that my job allows me to interact with a diverse group of people," she said, citing that three UNT graduates have signed leases based on her recommendation. "And, our layout and location is great. People can relax here and have their space but they are near everything a resident would want, such as shopping, major roads and an airport."

Real-Life Inspiration

During Daniel's first real estate course at UNT, Baen's enthusiasm and real-life insight convinced her that the real estate industry was the right choice.

"[Baen] just had so much passion about real estate," Daniel said of the finance, real estate and law professor. "His classes were so exciting. He is in the industry, and that makes a big difference because what he says comes from first-hand experience. He works on his properties during the day and teaches the class by night. He said you can make a lot of money in real estate, but that it's not easy."

Daniel carried an ambitions schedule her senior year, working full-time as an intern at United Dominion Residential Communities and taking 18 university credit hours. She was one of approximately 150 students with a real estate major in her graduating class. UNT offers a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree through its business school, which, since spring 2003, has allowed its students to concentrate in Residential Property Management (RPM).

"I had an advantage among my classmates when looking for a job because I graduated with experience working in the industry," she said.

Baen helped Daniel to gain her initial interview with Cheryl Pucci, Vice President at United Dominion Residential Communities. "I met with Cheryl and wanted to just talk about the industry," Daniel said. "I showed her a pro forma I did in class about a community in Denton, [Texas,] and we hit it off really well. She then introduced me to the rest of the operations team. Altogether, I spent about two hours there, and by the time I left, I had a [conditional] employment offer."

Baen, who this fall welcomed 500 students to his courses, described Daniel as the perfect property management candidate because she was interested in all related and non-related subjects and classes at UNT.

"She wanted to be educated in finance, accounting and real estate investments," Baen said. "She had quantitative skills and people skills. She was interested in marketing, psychology, law, public speaking and team marketing projects. She has a high IQ and a high EQ (emotional intelligence quotient) and looks for solutions to problems and challenges."

Generating Talent

Sara Jo Light, Executive Vice President of United Dominion Realty Trust, who works in Denver, said, "Having talented associates like Lindse I is what makes our company successful. Lindsey is an employer's dream--an associate who wants to learn and to grow with the company. United Dominion focuses on developing our associates and helping them to perform at their very best."

The RPM program at UNT focuses on developing talent like Daniel's--students who have a solid foundation of knowledge about the industry and who view rental housing as a career. The Texas Apartment Association Education Foundation (TAAEF) chose UNT for its program because it would be associated with its College of Business, which has a strong real estate major.

"We believe that UNT's real estate program is a perfect fit because associates in our industry may ultimately manage multimillion dollar assets," said Gary Blumberg, CPA, TAAEF President and Past President of TAA. "This real estate and business education combination will help prepare them to do just that. It was a very proud moment when TAAEF contributed $500,000 to UNT to fund an endowed professorship in Residential Property Management, which is currently held by Dr. Michael Braswell."

Pucci, who is also serving as 2006-07 TAA President, said, "Lindsey could be the poster child for the RPM program. Her enthusiasm, educational background and excitement about our industry make her a great addition to our company's team. And the program is producing more and more talent like Lindsey's. Our company has been really involved with the program, and I've been lucky enough to meet many of the students. Based on the talent I'm seeing, I wish we could hire them all."

With input from TAAEF's Advisory Board, the program is expanding, from the recent addition of an RPM minor and certificate program to the upcoming addition of a third course.

"We are very proud of the progress we've made, and we are excited about new opportunities to market the program to students," Blumberg said. "Since developing the TAAEF/Larry Niemann Scholarship Program two years ago, we have distributed 10 scholarships to deserving students, one of whom is the current UNT student body president. These kids are driven, and I am continuously impressed by them," he said.

The future is bright for Daniel and for the TAAEF/UNT RPM program. "We all know how important it is to cultivate future talent for our industry," Pucci said. "This program and the talent it is generating for us are prime examples of the value of getting involved. I encourage all NAA members to support similar programs in their areas and to get to know the talent they are cultivating. After all, these students are the future of our industry."

Paul R. Bergeron III is NAA's Director of Communications. He can be reached at 703/518-6141 Ext. 137 or [e-mail].