About Me

Andrew J. Nelson, CRE, MLAI

I am a writer and an independent consultant advising leaders in the real estate sector. Starting in 2021, I have been lead writer of the industry report Emerging Trends in Real Estate, published annually by the Urban Land Institute and PwC. I am a contributing writer for Seeking Alpha and Propmodo, and publish articles on various topics on Medium. I also comment on issues on LinkedIn and Twitter, and am a frequent guest speaker at industry and private events.

I served as Chief U.S. Economist for Colliers International for almost five years, where I led the national research team and supervised the content of the firm’s national market reports and white papers. I also developed the firm’s economic and property market perspectives and served as the firm’s primary U.S. economic spokesperson in the media and at industry events.

Prior to Colliers, I spent eight years at Deutsche Asset Management (RREEF), most recently as Director, Research & Strategy in the Americas, where I managed the U.S. Research team and was the retail sector and sustainability specialist. I’ve also held a variety of other leadership positions in both the public and private sectors, including Vice President of HOK Advance Strategies, where I served as national practice leader of the Portfolio Services service line; managed a construction-lending program for the World Bank in Russia; held a two-year “Community Builder” fellowship with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; and managed the regional real estate consulting practice at Deloitte & Touche in San Francisco.

Education and Professional Certifications

I earned a Master of City and Regional Planning degree from the Harvard Kennedy School at Harvard University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Harpur College at Binghamton University.

Professionally, I’ve been designated a Counselor of Real Estate (CRE) since 2015 and as a Member, Lambda Alpha International (MLAI), the land economics honor society, since 2014. In 2015 I received a Gold Medallion Award for research from the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC).

Industry Involvement

I am the author of numerous articles on macroeconomics, retail sector dynamics, real estate sustainability, and other topics in property economics, market research, and demographics. You can find a sampling here.

Among other industry involvement, I serve on the Editorial Board of Real Estate Issues, the CRE’s flagship publication. I served on the Urban Land Institute’s (ULI) Commercial and Retail Development Council — Platinum Flight and was both Chair and Vice-Chair of the North American Research Group for ICSC.

You may learn more on my background and experience at my LinkedIn page.