THE CULTURAL ARCHITECT

How Taneshia Nash Laird Is Revolutionizing Commercial Real Estate

Photography by Nicole Modestin Photography

It’s June 2024, and with unmistakable determination, Taneshia Nash Laird appears on the Zoom screens of Project REAP’s board of directors. Just twelve hours earlier, she had orchestrated a star-studded Juneteenth Jubilee at Boston’s Grace By Nia supper club in partnership with Boston Symphony Orchestra CEO Chad Smith. The event drew more than 200 attendees willing to risk missing the start of Game 5 of the NBA Finals, where the hometown Celtics would clinch victory. That evening, Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll had taken the microphone, praising Nash Laird’s leadership as the inaugural CEO of the Greater Roxbury Arts & Cultural Center.

But today, Nash Laird isn’t resting on accolades. She’s making her case to become the first-ever REAP Academy graduate to lead the 27-year-old organization that transforms the commercial real estate industry through diversity.

“I don’t just see REAP as a training program,” she tells the board with conviction, her voice carrying the authority of someone who has spent decades navigating spaces where faces like hers are rare. “I see it as the catalyst for transforming a $20 trillion industry that has historically excluded people who look like me.”

The board was convinced. Less than seven months later, Nash Laird’s vision is already taking concrete form. From establishing REAP’s first-ever national headquarters in Boston to launching the innovative Alumni Fellows program, she has wasted no time making her mark. She’s built a team of professionals, nearly doubled the philanthropic support of the previous year, and created an ambitious suite of initiatives to empower the organization’s network of more than 2,000 alumni spanning from Los Angeles to New York.

Recently named a “2024 One to Watch – Industry Leader” by New England Real Estate Journal, Nash Laird is transforming Project REAP from a respected industry program to an essential pipeline reshaping who gets to build America’s skylines.

“The commercial real estate industry is famously entrepreneurial, requiring leaders who can guide decision-makers in discovering the business potential of historically untapped talent pools,” says G. Lamont Blackstone, past chair of Project REAP. “Taneshia Nash Laird brings that entrepreneurial spirit to the oldest, and presumably largest, national talent initiative cultivating professionals of color.”

What makes Nash Laird uniquely qualified for this architectural feat isn’t just her business acumen, it’s also her ability to seamlessly traverse worlds that rarely intersect: entertainment and real estate, culture and commerce, street credibility and boardroom gravitas.

BLUEPRINT FOR CHANGE

Long before Nash Laird reimagined REAP’s future, she was reimagining cultural spaces. Her journey through America’s most exclusive industries began in an unexpected place: 1990s hip-hop. While still in college, she hosted Manhattan Cable’s “NY Rap” show, working alongside legends of a burgeoning cultural movement that would eventually reshape global entertainment.

Those early years taught her a fundamental truth that would become the cornerstone of her philosophy: authentic culture creates economic value, but only when the creators maintain a stake in the outcome.

“I watched brilliant artists build empires for others,” she reflects during our conversation while waiting to begin a video conference with WACO Theater Center in Los Angeles, where she serves as an advisor to the nonprofit arts presenter founded by Tina Knowles. “That experience shaped everything I do now—whether I’m advising entertainment executives or developing real estate professionals, I’m focused on who builds, who owns, and who benefits.”

This awareness took professional form in 2004 when she collaborated with NFL star Troy Vincent on his hometown real estate development project. Though ultimately unrealized, the project caught then-Mayor Douglas H. Palmer’s attention, leading to Nash Laird’s appointment as head of economic development for Trenton, New Jersey. Suddenly, the former music industry insider was overseeing a portfolio of municipal housing and commercial projects. This was an unexpected bridge between culture and development that would define her career.

Her facility leadership credentials deepened when she co-founded MIST Harlem in 2012 with her late husband, Roland. The New York Times and Wall Street Journal recognized the innovative cultural space, not just for its programming but also for its business model. The Lairds crafted a commercially viable cultural institution that preserved community access while attracting investment. When she later took the helm at the struggling Newark Symphony Hall in Newark, NJ as CEO, she orchestrated a remarkable turnaround, securing over $15 million in funding while ensuring the historic venue remained accessible to local artists.

These weren’t just career moves; they were case studies in what’s now her signature approach: building sustainable cultural ecosystems that balance commercial viability with community empowerment. She’s now scaling this methodology through REAP’s expanding programs.

THE REAP REVOLUTION

At the heart of Nash Laird’s vision for REAP is the newly launched Alumni Fellows program, which she proudly cites as her most significant accomplishment since taking the helm. This comprehensive suite of initiatives—REAP Board Builders, REAP Business Links, REAP Culture Club, and REAP Speak—provides advanced leadership training, enhanced networking opportunities, and platforms for thought leadership to the organization’s 2,000+ alumni.

“These programs significantly bolster the professional trajectory of our graduates,” Nash Laird explains, “increasing their influence and visibility in commercial real estate.” This focus on long-term career development represents a strategic evolution for REAP, extending its impact beyond initial training to create sustainable pathways for leadership.

The REAP Academy provides intensive education across all commercial real estate sectors: office space, multifamily housing, retail, hospitality, and industrial development. But Nash Laird’s vision extends beyond individual careers to community transformation.

Consider Siree Morris, a 2011 REAP Academy graduate now driving Newark’s renaissance through his company, MCI Collective. His Museum Parc development—a $94 million mixed-use project delivering 250 apartments and a new gallery for the Newark Museum of Art—exemplifies Nash Laird’s insistence that development should serve culture, not displace it.

Newark native and REAP graduate

Allan Suarez demonstrates another path through his company, All Renovation Construction LLC. By transforming a blighted property into Newark Foundry Workspaces, Suarez created an affordable collaborative environment for entrepreneurs, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds.

These success stories multiply as REAP graduates ascend to influential positions across the real estate ecosystem—from London Kemp Boykin, Director of Global Real Estate at Amazon, to Angele Robinson-Gaylord, who leads store development in America as SVP at Starbucks. Their reach extends to every aspect of the industry: brokers, underwriters, asset managers, and lenders, bringing diverse perspectives to development decisions that shape cities for generations.

“We’re building more than diversity statistics,” Nash Laird says with characteristic intensity. “We’re creating sustainable pathways for professionals of color to shape how commercial real estate impacts our communities, whether through housing development, cultural spaces, or business districts.”

CULTURAL CALCULUS

While REAP occupies the center of Nash Laird’s professional universe, her influence radiates far beyond commercial real estate. Her recent appointment to Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey’s Cultural Policy Development Advisory Council recognizes nearly two decades of transforming cultural facilities, expertise she now brings to both government and entertainment circles.

At the Recording Academy, she helped shape the Grammy Museum’s 50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop exhibition, bringing personal historical perspective to the culture’s milestone celebration. This full-circle moment—from hosting “NY Rap” to advising cultural institutions—informs her approach to advising entertainment executives and Wall Street moguls looking to establish cultural credibility.

Her advisory methodology reflects the integrated philosophy that guides all her work: rather than focusing on immediate projects, she helps clients build lasting cultural ecosystems. This approach has proven valuable to entertainment’s elite and financial leaders seeking to translate economic success into cultural impact.

Between leading Project REAP’s national expansion and these high-profile advisory roles, Nash Laird prioritizes educating the next generation. As an associate professor at the prestigious Berklee College of Music, she teaches “Entrepreneurship in Black Creative Expression,” ensuring that emerging creators understand both the artistic and business dimensions of cultural production.

When asked about her leadership philosophy in her New England Real Estate Journal profile, Nash Laird offered advice that appears to guide her approach: “Listen earnestly, empower others, and embrace adaptive learning.” This commitment to empowerment extends beyond her professional life. As a breast cancer survivor and widow who has rebuilt both personally and professionally, she brings uncommon resilience and perspective to her work, balancing career achievements with raising two daughters.

The economic benefits of her approach extend beyond individual careers. When residents participate in local development, more dollars circulate within communities, and projects are more likely to include affordable housing components, create local jobs, and incorporate spaces serving neighborhood needs.

In an industry famous for constructing imposing physical structures, Taneshia Nash Laird is building something far more enduring: a new architecture for who creates America’s built environment, one visionary leader at a time.