UF Director of Real Estate

Charlie Lane, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer

I am pleased to announce that Lee Nelson, director for real estate and development for the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, has been selected as the director of real estate for the University of Florida. He will begin his new role September 15.

This position will cover considerable territory, figuratively and literally. Lee will be responsible for formulating and implementing a strategic development plan for UF in Gainesville and statewide; evaluating and acquiring evaluations of potential gifts, purchases and sales of real estate for UF’s long-term use; and managing current real estate assets held for UF’s long-term use.

Lee has held the University System of Georgia post since 2010. There, he was responsible for coordinating real estate transaction and issues among the 31 public universities that make up the University System. During his tenure, Lee acquired and/or developed student housing, land and academic buildings valued at approximately $100 million.

From 1999 to 2009, he worked for Colonial Properties Trust and predecessor companies, which included Florida-based CRT Properties and Koger Equity, where he began as an asset manager and was promoted to vice president in 2005 and senior vice president in 2008. From 1996 to 1999, Lee was vice president at Pinnacle Realty Management, and prior to that was director of leasing for Portman Holdings, where he managed the leasing campaign for One Peachtree Center (now Sun Trust Plaza), a 102-million-square-foot-office development in downtown Atlanta.

Lee earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Yale University. He is a member of the Association of University Real Estate Officials and has served as a consultant to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, advising on evaluating and positioning loan assets for disposition as part of FDIC structured loan sale programs.

Given his vast experience, I am confident that Lee is extremely well-suited for his new position. Please join me in welcoming him to the University of Florida.