Finding the Best Team 

Derek Sullivan is reminded every day of how Northwestern Engineering’s Master of Science in Executive Management for Design and Construction (EMDC) program influenced his career.  

It was the EMDC program that enabled him to join international commercial real estate developer CBRE Group. 

“It was actually a relationship within EMDC that got me an opportunity with CBRE,” Sullivan (EMDC ‘21) said. “A classmate of mine was working with my current manager, and the need for more project managers came up in conversation. My classmate mentioned my name, and the connection was made.”  

Prior to EMDC, he worked as a project manager at Clune Construction, a national general contractor with more than 700 employees located in seven offices across the U.S. Today, he is a project manager at CBRE, a company with over 100,000 people in more than 500 offices dispersed throughout 100-plus countries. CBRE operates across every dimension of commercial real estate and has clients that are a who’s who of global Fortune 500 companies. 

Sullivan likened his responsibilities to those of a sports franchise's general manager.   

“I am hired to find and hire the best team," he said, "the one that can work well together, execute a project effectively, and deliver a quality product to the client.” 

To do that successfully, Sullivan employs many of the lessons he learned during his time in the EMDC program. Of greatest importance might be his ability to communicate effectively, he said.   

“I have to speak to different groups of people on a daily basis, whether that be the client, the design team, the contractor, or the contractor's subcontractors,” he said. “I have to be prepared to speak in an intelligent and persuasive manner for that particular group of people, and I believe the EMDC program helped me gain more experience in that manner.” 

Sullivan first became interested in the EMDC program because of the way it links business skills with the architecture, engineering, and construction industry.  

Sullivan had been in construction management for nearly a decade before turning to EMDC to accelerate his career growth and diversify his skillset. He considered pursuing a MBA before he learned of the EMDC program and saw how tightly the program aligned with the field in which he wanted to grow his career.  

“I realized I could get the business education I was looking for with a concentration in design and construction,” he said. “I felt, in a highly specialized field like design in construction, this program would be a differentiator for me against a standard MBA graduate.” 

That proved to be the case. The EMDC program also helped him adapt quickly to the fast-paced environment at CBRE. The company's work touches a wide variety of industries, from healthcare and aerospace to life sciences and government. 

Sullivan said he enjoys that his role allows him to be involved with projects from their inception through final walk-through.  

“I get to help shape an idea into a physical product, employing my expertise to gather the greatest minds of design and construction in the same room to deliver a beautiful and functional office space to my client,” he said. “I experience a lot of pride in that.” 

He is also grateful to the EMDC program for how it helped shape his future. He recently joined the EMDC's Alumni Ambassador program as a way to connect with prospective students and give back to a program that gave him so much. Taking that commitment a step further, he is serving on the inaugural EMDC Alumni Board alongside Joe Washington (EMDC ‘22) and Kim Darke (EMDC ‘22).  

“I see the potential this program has,” he said. “This program helped me set myself apart from my peers. I want other people to realize the opportunity they have in EMDC.”