Real Estate Announcement

November 22, 2019

Dear Colleagues,
I am writing with mixed emotions that Andrea Salley, Senior Advisor for Real Estate, will be retiring at the end of November. Andrea has accomplished much during her twenty-seven years at the University, and we are grateful for her dedication in service to our campus community.
Andrea has worked on four campus plans, and nearly every new building, significant renovation, lease and property acquisition over the last three decades. She has helped secure approval for projects before the Zoning Commission and other city agencies, has reviewed, drafted and negotiated many of the University’s leases and other land use agreements in the District, other locations in the U.S., and internationally.
We are especially grateful for her exceptional contributions with a number of significant projects including zoning approvals for the Southwest Quadrangle, the Performing Arts Center, the McDonough School of Business and Arrupe Hall; the leasing and development of the School of Continuing Studies and the Center for Transnational Legal Studies in London; and the air rights and land transfer with the Jesuit Community. Significantly, she worked on the acquisition and long-term ground lease of property for the launch of the Capitol Campus.
Andrea has served as a mentor through the Georgetown Women’s Alliance, co-chaired the Georgetown Community Partnership Data Metrics Working Group, chaired the search committee for the Protestant Chaplain, participated in the 19^th Annotation, traveled to the Kakuma refugee camp and the Kibera slum in Africa with Mission and Ministries, participated in SAGE, and last May was delighted to be able to present her son his diploma from the Georgetown Law Center.
As part of this transition, I’m excited to announce that Kelly Blevins will be leading the Real Estate department as Executive Director and University Counsel effective 1/8/2019. Kelly began her career as an associate at the law firm Covington & Burling, where she worked on litigation, regulatory, and legislative matters. She started working in Georgetown’s Office of General Counsel in 2006 and has held several different positions, including Staff Counsel, Associate University Counsel, and University Counsel. She has advised departments across the University on a variety of legal issues, with a particular focus on issues related to sponsored research, research compliance, and the Medical Center. For the past several years, along with colleagues in the Department of Planning and Facilities Management and other offices, she has worked on numerous real estate matters, including the 20-year 2017 Campus Master Plan, the University’s acquisition of downtown properties, the renegotiation of the University’s affiliation agreement and lease with MedStar Health, and property development and management agreements.
Please join me in expressing both our appreciation to Andrea and wishing her all the best as she prepares to begin her retirement, as well as a warm congratulations to Kelly as she transitions into this new role.
Ben Kuo, VP, Planning & Facilities Management