Waterton, a Chicago-based real estate investor and operator, announced the appointment of Collete English Dixon to the the firm’s advisory board. Comprised of a group of three independent (non-Waterton) individuals and the two Waterton co-founders, David Schwartz and Peter Vilim, the board provides strategic counsel to Waterton’s leadership committee.
A long-standing member of the Chicago real estate community, English Dixon currently serves as executive director at Roosevelt University’sMarshall Bennett Institute of Real Estate and administrative chair of the real estate department of the Heller College of Business. She is a nationally recognized and accomplished real estate executive and, through her career, has been strategically involved in determining and executing investment strategies. English Dixon has significant experience in commercial real estate acquisitions, dispositions and financing in the multifamily, hotel, office, industrial and retail sectors across the United States.
“We are thrilled to welcome Collete to our advisory board and look forward to the contributions that she will make to Waterton as we continue to evolve,” said Schwartz. “She is an accomplished leader with considerable experience in the investment and disposition of real estate assets, as well as in a corporate advisory capacity, which will complement the firm’s leadership team and help to position us for the future.”
English Dixon currently serves on the boards of BroadstoneReal Estate Access Fund and Housing Partnership Equity Trust. Prior to joining Roosevelt University in 2017, English Dixon spent more than 30 years at PGIM Real Estate, formerly Prudential Real Estate Investors. As executive director and vice president of transactions at PGIM, English Dixon spearheaded the firm’s Midwest acquisition strategy and co-led PGIM’s national dispositions strategy. She has been involved in nearly $12 billion in transactional volume in her career.
“I am honored to be part of the advisory board at such an exciting time for Waterton,” said English Dixon. “It is a great opportunity to be a part of shaping their vision for the next phase of their growth.”
In addition to holding several leadership roles with CREW Network, CREW Chicago and the CREW Network Foundation, English Dixon was the 2011 CREW Network president. She is a member of the Economic Club of Chicago and serves on the board of the Oak Park and River Forest Food Pantry. English Dixon has a bachelor’s degree in business administration and finance from the University of Notre Dame and a master’s in business administration from Mercer University.
The Waterton advisory board includes the two Waterton co-founders as well as Roger Hill, leader and co-founder of The Gettys Group; Robert Langer, who was the central region real estate, hospitality and construction sector leader at Ernst & Young (now EY) before retiring in 2016 after 32 years with the firm, and Christopher Lee, president and CEO of CEL & Associates, Inc., one of the nation’s leading real estate consulting and advisory firms.
