Faculty – Weitzman Institute

Julie Lynch

Julie Lynch

Director of Real Estate

julie.lynch@utdallas.edu

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Julie Lynch is the Director of the Weitzman Institute for Real Estate, Associate Professor of Practice and Advisor the Real Estate Club at UTD. She has over forty years of commercial real estate experience and twenty years as an academic. She has taught both graduate and undergraduate courses for John Hopkins, Southern Methodist, North Texas Universities and guest lectured at Clemson and Texan Christian Universities. In addition, for the Cox School of Business Executive Education at Southern Methodist University she was an academic director having developed two award winning real estate leadership certificates and customized programs.

Her unique diverse career experience in commercial real estate, strong academic background, and forward-thinking approach to course development has been recognized by awards from real estate industry associations. Julie has had many successes presenting at international, national and local real estate industry association conferences for BOMA, CREW, IREM, and NAIOP. In addition, she has written several real estate cases for the NAIOP North Texas MBA “Shoot Out” and the Institute for Real Estate Management undergraduate management plan case competitions.

Julie’s commercial real estate career spans the entire development process, from market research, development, finance, brokerage and asset management to running a real estate company. During her career she has transacted over 10 billion dollars of commercial real estate. She has worked for well-known major national and regional companies in the real estate community, such as: Prudential Real Estate Investment Group, NationsBank, Provident Bank of Maryland, Spaulding & Slye (acquired by JLL), Oliver T. Carr Company (acquired by CarrAmerica), and REALM. In addition, Julie was a founding principal of her own real estate brokerage company in Maryland while teaching at Johns Hopkins University in the Master of Science in Real Estate and MBA programs before relocating to Dallas, Texas.

She holds a Texas Broker’s license and is a Texas Real Estate Commission approved provider of educational courses. Julie earned her Master of Science in Real Estate Development from Johns Hopkins University and Bachelor of Science from the University of Maryland University College. During the 1990’s she completed all the courses required to earn an M.A.I. designation by the Appraisal Institute.

Randall S. Guttery, PhD

Randall S. Guttery, PhD

Director Emeritus

guttery@utdallas.edu

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Randall S. Guttery earned BBA degrees in finance and risk management at The University of Texas at Austin in 1982, a Master of Finance at Louisiana State University in 1991 and a PhD in finance at the University of Connecticut in 1994. He received the Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) and Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) designations from the American College of Financial Services in 1985. He is clinical professor of real estate and director emeritus of real estate programs at The University of Texas at Dallas. Dr. Guttery has held a Louisiana real estate broker’s license since 1986. Prior to joining UT Dallas, he was the associate dean for graduate programs in the College of Business at the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas, from January 2007 to September 2011. Dr. Guttery was also professor of finance and real estate at UNT and served as its Certified Financial Planner program director for 16 years, where he had been since 1994.

Dr. Guttery has taught Real Estate Decision Making, Real Estate Principles and Investment Analysis, Real Estate Finance, Real Estate Valuation and Appraisal, Comprehensive Financial Planning, Personal Finance, Risk Management and Insurance, and Corporate Finance at the undergraduate and/or graduate levels. He also teaches and consults extensively for industry, trade organizations and governments.

Dr. Guttery has published academic articles in Real Estate Economics, American Business Law Journal, The Journal of Real Estate Research, Real Estate Finance, The Journal of Real Estate Portfolio Management, Institutional Investor’s Financial Consultant Journal, Real Estate Probate and Trust Law Reporter, The American Statistical Association Proceedings, The Journal of Property Finance, Journal of Insurance Issues, Mortgage Originator Magazine, The Valuer and Land Economist, Tierra Grande Journal, Real Estate Review and many professional journals. He has written a monograph on commercial real estate mortgages, has published a Real Estate Principles text for Prentice-Hall, has contributed chapters to several books and has co-authored a financial planning text with Dalton Publications.

Dr. Guttery serves as a special commissioner for the Denton County, Texas, District Court, where he hears cases related to eminent domain, on behalf of Judge Bonnie Robison. He is USA Today’s chat host on “Talk Today” when the topics are related to mortgages and/or refinancing decisions.

Dr. Guttery’s research has been featured in more than 100 print media and on several radio and television stations, such as The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, McCuistion on PBS, USA Today, Smart Money, The Los Angeles Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Chicago Tribune, The Boston Globe, The Seattle Times, The Pittsburgh Post Gazette, The Orlando Sentinel, The Denver Post, The Dallas Morning News, The Dallas Business Journal, The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Business Press, The Austin American-Statesman, The Houston Chronicle, The San Jose Mercury News, Real Times, The State Journal-Register (Springfield), Dayton Daily News, Crain’s Business, The News and Observer (Raleigh), The Des Moines Register, The Memphis Commercial Appeal, Asbury Park Press, The Fresno Bee, The Arizona Republic, Inman News Features, The Arizona Business Gazette, The Minneapolis Star Tribune, The Baton Rouge Business Report, CFP Today, The Chattanooga Times, The Kansas City Courier, The Greensboro News and Record, The Business Press, The Bozeman News and The Denton Record-Chronicle.

Daniel Lowrance, PhD

Daniel Lowrance, PhD

Associate Professor of Practice Management

daniel.lowrance2@utdallas.edu

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Dr. Lowrance earned BBA degree in Finance at The University of Texas at Arlington in 1995, a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in International Finance at The University of Texas at Arlington in 1997, and a Ph.D. in Urban and Regional Science from Texas A&M University in College Station. He is an Associate Professor of Practice at University of Texas at Dallas, where he has been since July 2023. Prior to joining UTD, he led the Masters of Real Estate program at The University of Texas at Arlington where he was the Graduate Advisor and recruiter for the MSRE program in the College of Business from November 2004 to May 2005.

His industry experience includes serving as Director of Investments at both public and private Real Estate Investment Trusts where he led underwriting of residential bulk acquisitions and Build to Rent initiatives deploying over a billion dollars annually. His experience also includes asset management and portfolio valuation for private equity. Dr. Lowrance currently holds a real estate and property tax consulting license in the State of Texas.

Daniel Zale

Daniel Zale, CCIM, IMBA, MSRECM

Adjunct Lecturer

Daniel.Zale@UTDallas.edu

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Daniel Zale is an accomplished lecturer at the University of Texas at Dallas, specializing in real estate finance and investments. With a strong academic background, he earned dual master’s degrees—an International MBA and a Master of Science in Real Estate and Construction Management—from the University of Denver’s Daniel’s College of Business. Driven by a passion for continuous learning, he further honed his expertise by obtaining the esteemed CCIM (Certified Commercial Investment Member) designation in 2012, which he maintains to this day.

Mr. Zale’s career extends beyond academia, with extensive experience in the banking and investment sectors. He possesses a remarkable track record in investment analysis and lending, having worked as an investment analyst for Northmarq Capital, underwriting approximately $1.2 billion in real estate investments. His financial acumen and strategic insights led to a seamless transition to the banking industry, where he served as a Vice President at United Texas Bank, originating $18 million in commercial loans and skillfully managing a substantial $58 million loan portfolio. Mr. Zale later assumed the role of Senior Vice President of Commercial Lending at Guaranty Bank & Trust, where he successfully built and managed a $20 million loan portfolio comprising both commercial real estate and C&I loans, showcasing his versatility and proficiency in diverse financial domains.

Combining his banking and investment experience with a passion for real estate investments, Mr. Zale has developed a robust portfolio of successful ventures over the course of his 20-year career. As a professor, he brings this wealth of real-world experience to the classroom, enriching the learning journey for his students and providing them with invaluable insights into the dynamic world of finance and real estate investments.

Blake Hedgecock, JD

Blake Hedgecock, JD

Adjunct Lecturer, Real Estate

blake.hedgecock@utdallas.edu

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Blake M. Hedgecock has been licensed to practice law in Texas since 2000. Mr. Hedgecock spent the majority of his career in private practice resolving real estate-related disputes in state and federal courts across Texas. His practice focuses on complex commercial litigation matters involving real property, including boundary disputes, trespass to try title claims, eminent domain/inverse condemnation/regulatory takings claims, landlord/tenant disputes, land use, lender liability, foreclosures, CMBS disputes, receivership applications, easements, partition suits and related matters.

Currently, Mr. Hedgecock serves as Assistant District Counsel (Real Estate), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth District. Mr. Hedgecock received a LL.M. (Real Property Development) from the University of Miami (FL) School of Law; J.D. from Texas A & M University School of Law f/k/a Texas Wesleyan University School of Law; and a B.B.A. (Real Estate) and M.S. (Real Estate Analysis) from the University of North Texas. He is licensed to practice law in all state courts in Texas; the U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Eastern, Southern and Western Districts of Texas; the U.S. Court of Federal Claims; U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th and Federal Circuits; and the U.S. Supreme Court.

Harold Huibing Zhang

Harold Huibing Zhang

Area Coordinator, Finance and Managerial Economics

harold.zhang@utdallas.edu | (972)-883-4777

Umit Gurun, PhD

Umit Gurun, PhD

Stan Liebowitz Professor, Accounting

umit.gurun@utdallas.edu | 972-883-5917

Steven Xiao

Steven Xiao

Associate Professor, Finance and Managerial Economics PhD Area Coordinator, Finance, PhD Programs

steven.xiao@utdallas.edu | 972-883-5056

Serena Wenjing Xiao

Serena Wenjing Xiao

Assistant Professor of Instruction

serena.xiao@utdallas.edu | (972)-883-4344

Academic Programs

The Herbert D. Weitzman Institute for Real Estate builds upon the Jindal School’s already successful undergraduate and graduate-level programs. The institute will provide resources, such as access to experts in the field who have worked with Herb Weitzman over the past 60 years and more case competition participation — to be expanded regionally and even nationally — further enhancing student experience.

Please click on one of the following links to learn more about our real estate programs.