Celebrating Rick Peiser, the Visionary Builder Behind Harvard’s AMDP in Real Estate
This year marks an important milestone for the Advanced Management Development Program in Real Estate (AMDP). As the AMDP welcomes Class 27 in July, Professor Rick Peiser will be stepping down from his role as faculty chair after 28 years at Harvard and decades of shaping the program’s vision, curriculum, and global community.
From its early days, the AMDP has been defined by the belief that real estate leaders must integrate design, finance, policy, and urban development to make a lasting impact. Rick has been at the heart of that vision. Under his leadership, the AMDP has grown into a premier executive program that equips experienced professionals to navigate complex markets and shape the built environment at scale.
Over nearly three decades, he has guided the evolution of the curriculum to meet the ever-changing demands of the real estate industry—expanding global perspectives, integrating new forms of practice and finance, and continually refining how participants learn from one another as peers.
Rick’s impact has always extended far beyond the coursework. The AMDP was intentionally built as a collaborative, cross-sector endeavor.
Over the years, he has worked closely with early Developers in Residence such as Gerald Hines, Joe O’Connor, and Jim Chaffin; co-chairs including Bing Wang and Ray Torto; and an exceptional group of faculty drawn not only from Harvard but also from leading universities around the world.
Partnerships with organizations such as the Urban Land Institute and NAIOP helped introduce the program to a broader professional audience and strengthen its ties to practice.
Equally defining has been the AMDP community itself. Rick’s recent announcement letter to alumni notes that many of them have become his closest friends. He has taken particular joy in visiting graduates in their home states and countries and welcoming them back to campus for reunions. The global, engaged network surrounding the AMDP today reflects this personal commitment.
The AMDP Alumni Community
As Rick prepares to retire from his role as faculty chair in June, the AMDP will move into a new chapter of leadership. Professor Nestor Davidson, the Emma Bloomberg Professor of Real Estate, and Teo Nicolais, Lecturer in Urban Planning and Design, will serve as the program’s new co‑chairs. Nestor brings deep expertise in real estate law, policy, and practice, as well as in urban law. Teo is a real estate entrepreneur and award-winning teacher in Harvard Extension School’s Real Estate Graduate Certificate. He has taught more than 8,600 Harvard students and his ties to the program and community reach back 24 years when, as undergraduate at Harvard, Rick’s classes forever changed the course of his life and career.
Together, they will steward a program that Rick has helped build into an internationally recognized platform for advanced real estate leadership.
New AMDP Co-Chairs
Nestor Davidson
Co-Chair of the AMDP
Emma Bloomberg Professor of Real Estate
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Teo Nicolais
Co-Chair of the AMDP
Lecturer in Urban Planning and Design
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Although he is retiring from his leadership role, Rick will not disappear from the AMDP. He will continue as Professor Emeritus and will support Nestor and Teo in the transition while serving as Ambassador to AMDP alumni. He looks forward to future reunions and to staying engaged with the community he has helped nurture.
As the AMDP’s July term approaches, we recognize that each of the program’s alumni cohorts—and the global leaders they have become—reflect Rick Peiser’s dedication to excellence in real estate education, his belief in the power of multidisciplinary collaboration, and his genuine care for the people who come to Harvard to learn.
Our entire team extends its deepest appreciation to Rick for his extraordinary leadership and service. The foundation he has built and the community he has inspired will continue to shape the AMDP and the future of the real estate industry for years to come.
“Rick – You meet thousands of students over the years. Many of whom you will likely never hear from. I want you to know that my experience at AMDP was extremely impactful, and I am beyond grateful for and impressed with your instruction, direction, organization and passion. I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. I wish you much continued success and look forward to shaking your hand again one day.”
Marc Watkins, CEO, Rockledge Ventures, LLC, AMDP Class 07