Beth Letscher has been named executive director of the Urban Land Institute St. Louis (ULI St. Louis).
Letscher previously held roles at the Cortex Innovation Community and St. Louis Economic Development Partnership, focusing on real estate and community development.
With more than 250 members, ULI St. Louis unites thought leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. Its members include real estate, design, construction, institutional, legal, and accounting professionals along with civic leadership.
Letscher succeeds Kelly Annis as executive director. Annis is shifting to serve ULI nationally as a consultant focused on its industry-leading Advisory Services Panels and Technical Assistance Panels. Annis will remain in St. Louis and support ULI St. Louis with her work, as needed.
Letscher previously served as vice president of strategic communications with the Cortex Innovation Community, working on master planning, real estate, public-private partnerships, and strategic planning. She has been an active ULI-St. Louis member, volunteering as a mentor for the organization’s Real Estate Diversity Initiative (REDI), serving as an UrbanPlan volunteer, and serving on a Technical Assistant Panel (TAP).
Letscher will work with ULI St. Louis leadership to increase ULI St. Louis’ impact and provide greater engagement opportunities for its members while advancing its many benchmark programs, including REDI, UrbanPlan, TAP, informative real estate programming and its annual “Emerging Trends in Real Estate.” Letscher seeks to increase organizational membership and sponsorship, plus continue the development of a continuum of real estate development programs aimed to catalyze development careers for the next generation of diverse leaders.
Letscher is certified by the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP). She earned her history and political science degree from Loyola University Chicago and has a master’s degree in urban planning and policy from the University of Illinois Chicago. In addition to serving the Cortex district in various capacities for more than five years, Letscher has also been honored as a planning champion by the American Planning Association, St. Louis Metro Section in 2020. She was also part of the Leadership St. Louis Class of 2015-16, FOCUS St. Louis.
