Sara Coers is a lecturer in real estate and is the associate director of the IU Center for Real Estate Studies. Coers leads the IU real estate program’s efforts on the IU Indianapolis campus. She has 15 years of experience in commercial real estate appraisal, with a specialty in expert witness testimony. Coers most recently served as senior vice president at Pillar Valuation Group, Inc., and before that, was the managing director at Valbridge Property Advisors.

Coers received her MAI designation from the Appraisal Institute in 2009, she holds her certified general real estate appraiser license in Indiana, and she received her master’s in technical and scientific communication from Miami University in Ohio. She was an instructor and program vice chair for the Institute for Professionals in Taxation’s Real Property Tax School from 2013-2018, and she was named Instructor of the Year in 2015. Coers has spent time as an adjunct professor at the University of Indianapolis and has worked with real estate classes through the Kelley School since 2015.

In her role as Executive Director, Michelle represents the region’s real estate market and provides the Boston/New England District Council with strategic guidance. Rising through the ranks in the District Council, Landers has been responsible for member engagement and public outreach, as well as working with members and communities in administering the District Council’s Technical Assistance Panel program to provide land use recommendations to under-resourced local governments and public agencies. Overseeing a dozen active committees and local product councils, Landers works closely with the staff, Advisory Board, Management Committee and member leaders to accomplish the goals of the organization. She is currently leading ULI Boston’s efforts to strengthen its impact throughout the New England region.

Prior to joining ULI, Michelle worked as the Manager or Marketing and Events at the Greater Newburyport Chamber of Commerce. In that role she worked with local business owners and members to produce events drawing thousands of visitors to downtown Newburyport. Michelle specialized in both member facing events like the Annual Meeting as well as community events like festivals, concerts, and more. She developed and grew the Newburyport Gift Certificate which saw sales of over $100k benefiting local businesses.

Michelle completed the University of Massachusetts Boston Center for Collaborative Leadership Emerging Leaders program, and is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire. She serves on the Advisory Council of the Lyric Stage of Boston and the Huntington Ave YMCA Board of Advisors. Michelle lives with her husband and dog in Boston.

Andrea works as a Senior Planner for the Indianapolis Metropolitan Planning Organization (IMPO) where she oversees housing and land use related projects aimed at increasing regional awareness on these subjects. Projects she’s managed include the Central Indiana Housing Study and the upcoming Maximizing the Value of Land Study which examines the fiscal impacts of different types of housing. In her time at the IMPO Andrea has guided planning processes, performed research on policy topics, developed public engagement processes, and facilitated conversations with stakeholders from across Central Indiana.

Originally from Central Florida, she holds a Bachelor of Business Economics from the University of Central Florida and moved to Indiana to pursue her Master of Public Affairs at Indiana University. Outside of work Andrea enjoys hiking, running, and reading fiction.

Joe Cox is a Strategic Account Manager and Fire Protection Specialist at Victaulic, where he helps construction teams navigate complex piping and fire protection challenges. A Purdue University grad in Selling and Sales Management, Joe blends technical expertise with a people-first approach to keep projects on track and clients at ease.

Outside the jobsite, Joe serves as President of the Cicero Town Council and is the former President of Economic Development, where he’s led efforts to support thoughtful, sustainable community growth. Whether he’s troubleshooting systems or local policies, Joe brings practical leadership—and just enough humor to keep things moving.

Andrea Kern serves as CEO of the Boone EDC, where she leads strategic efforts to foster sustainable growth, support local entrepreneurs, and strengthen Boone County’s position as a place where businesses and families thrive. With over a decade of experience in nonprofits and state government, Andrea brings deep expertise in community development, historic preservation, and coalition-building. Prior to joining Boone EDC, she led statewide initiatives at the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs, including Indiana Main Street, Stellar Pathways and PreservINg Main Street programs. Andrea is passionate about building vibrant, people-centered communities and ensuring that rural and rapidly growing areas alike have the tools they need to succeed. A proud Hoosier, she holds a B.A. in History from Indiana University and an M.S. in Historic Preservation from Ball State University, where she serves on the College of Architecture and Planning Advisory Board. She enjoys exploring small towns, gardening, and local coffee shops.

Andrea is the Founder of ALK Development, LLC. As a certified women-owned business, she is responsible for overseeing all real estate development activities, including acquisition, financing, oversight of construction and lease-up, and long-term operations.

She has spent the past eighteen years developing affordable multi-family housing throughout Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois. In 2020 she formed ALK Development to shift her focus back to her home state of Indiana. She drives the company’s strategic direction and has been responsible for the creation of over $160MM in affordable housing. These developments have ranged from new construction to acquisition rehabilitation, to historic adaptive reuse, serving both families and seniors. She works closely with municipalities in identifying their affordable housing needs and securing local, state, and federal financing to make visions turn to reality.

Andrea holds a B.S. in Construction Engineering Technology from Purdue University and studied for her Master of Urban Planning and Real Estate at the University of Washington.

Heather Presley-Cowen is the founder and force behind a nationwide movement to make housing production equitable, strategic, and achievable. With 25+ years of experience in housing finance, public-private partnerships, and federal, state and local housing program design, Heather created the H.O.M.E. Method—a proven approach for unlocking housing market potential through systems alignment, local leadership, and financial innovation.

But this is not a “disruptor” story.

Instead of throwing out the old system, Heather designed a method to optimize and align it. She brings together banks, lenders, builders, developers, realtors, employers, nonprofits, and local governments to co-create housing ecosystems that produce results—and build wealth along the way.