Barb Jackson
A visionary, a builder, a leader
Barb Jackson is a builder. Seems fitting as the director of the Franklin L. Burns School of Real Estate and Construction Management.
In Jackson’s case, “building” has a broader definition—Jackson is entrepreneurial, she thinks big, dreams big and she had a vision for the Burns School before she even applied to the role. Now, her vision is complete and she is retiring after nine years at the helm.
Jackson came to the Daniels College of Business in August 2013 from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, where she was a professor in the College of Architecture and Environmental Design’s Construction Management Department and director of the California Center for Construction Education.
Hugh Rice
Hugh Rice, retired chairman of the board of FMI Corporation, met Jackson during her job interview at Daniels. Although Rice isn’t a Daniels alumnus, he was heavily invested in the College, even sitting on the Daniels Executive Advisory Board, because FMI hires Burns School graduates.
“I was a supporter [of hers] because she was trying to expand the purview of the Burns School to encompass the entire built environment,” Rice said. “I was in favor of that.”
As Rice explained, FMI would often hire students from either a construction management program, an engineer program or a real estate program. Regardless, he’d have to put new employees through further training to fill in the gaps in their industry knowledge.
That problem is something Jackson was keenly aware of, and why she was so interested in coming to Daniels.
“I saw that this was the only real estate and construction program in the country that was in a college of business, and that is such a unique position,” Jackson said. “When you consider that along with my background in integrated services, I saw such potential.”
One of the first things that Jackson did as the director of the program was to re-structure the curriculum to represent the full life-cycle of the built environment, including courses representing the real estate dimension, the project delivery dimension, and the asset management dimension. Course offerings include real estate finance, investment and development, as well as courses in construction management and design phase management, and then finally courses in property management and corporate real estate. This led to the re-naming of the degree program from Real Estate and Construction Management to Real Estate and the Built Environment, thus expanding career opportunities for students.
Dominique Galardo (REBE 2016) graduated from the program in 2016 and is now the assistant project manager and project engineer for Howell Construction. She considers Jackson a teacher and mentor.
“She has expanded my horizon and left an indelible mark on my life,” Galardo said. “She has believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself. She saw my drive and pushed me to run with it. Her contribution and impact are immeasurable.”
Jackson’s students aren’t the only ones who think that. Jackson hired Eric Holt, assistant professor of construction management, to revitalize the construction management offerings at the School. Holt, along with Daniel Trujillo, assistant professor of teaching, are the two main construction management faculty.
“She’s worked very hard to put quality people in the program and nationally elevate our reputation as a program,” Holt said. “Barb is highly respected in industry because she honors people, she is an expert in her field—and just the way she carries herself, she’s a class act. She is known internationally. You go to all these conferences and everyone knows who Barb is and highly respects her.”
Eric Holt
Holt, along with the other faculty at Daniels, will remember Jackson as a great mentor, but also because she’s leaving behind a state-of-the-art interactive space on the third floor of Daniels, a project she’s dreamed of since 2014. It’s known as the Marion J. Crean Collaboratory.
“This was my goal coming in, for the Burns School at the University of Denver to become the hub for the most advanced education in the built environment,” Jackson said.
The Collaboratory includes a curved display of LCD screens called the Liquid Galaxy, a Bluescape interactive wall and an Advisor Network conference room with multiple digital monitors. The technology allows faculty or students to utilize satellite imagery to zoom in on any construction site or real estate property in the world, overlay data and discuss that information with alumni or industry partners virtually.
“It’s really going to change how I teach and how we integrate with industry,” Holt said. “Barb’s vision that she had years ago is finally coming to fruition. I know that this is part of why she can step away now, she’s seen everything she’s hoped for coming into place.”
Ceci Smith, assistant director of operations and outreach, was hired at Daniels just before Jackson started. She’s helped Jackson bring her vision to life, including the Collaboratory.
“I can’t believe it’s here,” Smith said. “It’s such a nice legacy for her to leave behind. Our hope is that she will continue to share her vision by providing many talks on the Collaboratory stage named in her honor.”
As a builder and visionary, Jackson admits that she could not have accomplished so much without her quality support staff. Those who have worked for her say Jackson never hesitates to trust them to execute even her grandest ideas.
“She’s a big thinker, she has a big vision, and then she hands it over to watch it come to fruition,” Smith said. “There’s a lot of trust; she always says that she trusts my discernment and that’s one of the nicest compliments, really.”
Even though Jackson is retiring, don’t expect her to take it easy. She’s still a builder, after all. She plans to continue her involvement with the Leadership Bootcamp for women in construction, along with many other speaking, consulting and writing opportunities.
“Startups and the visioning process are truly my forte,” Jackson said. “I’m happy, thrilled and truly honored to pass it on. My mission going forward is what my mission has been since the day I got into this business, which is to transform leadership and culture in the construction and real estate industry.”