Draper and Kramer’s Kathryn Jorgensen Named Among CRE’s Aspiring Leaders for 2026 by GlobeSt.com

CHICAGO - (June 22, 2026)

Draper and Kramer, Incorporated, a national full-service real estate firm, is pleased to announce Kathryn Jorgensen, vice president of investment management, has been named among CRE's Aspiring Leaders for 2026 by industry publication GlobeSt.com. The annual accolade recognizes talented professionals under the age of 40 who are making significant contributions to their company's overall success and creating lasting impacts on the commercial real estate industry.

"As a 133-year-old firm that has been guided by many generations of leadership over the course of our history, we know how much our continued success depends on our ability to nurture and support rising young professionals who will serve as the next leaders of our company as well as our industry," said Blas Puzon, Draper and Kramer's chief investment officer. "Kathryn has proven herself to be not only incredibly capable in overseeing a significant portion of our multifamily portfolio, but also someone with the initiative, dedication and problem-solving abilities that makes her a standout in her field. We're incredibly proud to see her honored among her peers and agree she is a young leader who will go far in this industry."

The GlobeSt. recognition specifically highlights Jorgensen's hands-on approach to complex challenges, such as how she navigated the departure of an anchor tenant and environmental hurdles to seamlessly complete a recent asset disposition. The honor also calls out the importance of her retail expertise in repositioning commercial space at select multifamily properties, and her efforts to implement new protocols and processes that have enhanced efficiency and ensured consistency across departments.

Jorgensen joined Draper and Kramer in 2020. In her current role she is responsible for asset management, acquisition and disposition functions for a portion of the firm's multifamily portfolio that spans Chicago, St. Louis, Dallas and Austin, including improving and monitoring the performance of the portfolio throughout each asset's lifecycle. She is currently focused on positioning existing assets, including recent acquisitions, to maximize return on investment through strategic planning of property renovations and operational enhancements.

Additionally, Jorgensen is active in the industry through her involvement with groups such as the Near South Planning Board, a nonprofit whose mission is to plan, guide and encourage a program of development for the near south area of Chicago bordered by Jackson Boulevard to the north and 35th Street to the south, including the South Loop. She also actively helps encourage young professionals to enter the industry through involvement with the University of Virginia's student real estate organizations.

Jorgensen first entered the real estate industry with a leasing position after completing her bachelor's degree at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Ill. This sparked her interest in asset management as an opportunity to be involved in big-picture strategic decisions around property budgets, planning capital improvements and more. To facilitate this transition, she earned her MBA at the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business.

"Before I started out in property management, I didn't realize the breadth of career options available in this industry," she said. "Learning about different functions and how a property runs not only opens up career options and possibilities, but also is an important knowledge base in whatever real estate path you choose."

About Draper and Kramer, Incorporated

Founded in 1893, Draper and Kramer, Incorporated, is a trusted financial and property services provider with a deep commitment to people, excellence, service and integrity spanning more than 125 years. Family-owned and one of the leading privately held real estate services firms in the U.S., Draper and Kramer is headquartered in Chicago with a national reach and broad offering of services. The company's decades-long heritage has evolved over the years to meet the needs of its clients and today spans expertise in residential and commercial development, acquisition, property management and leasing; and debt and equity financing for commercial properties. Draper and Kramer provides a single source of real estate-related counsel to a diverse group of real estate investors across the U.S. including corporations; private and institutional owners and users of real estate; government agencies; and foundations. For more information, visit https://www.draperandkramer.com.

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Editors:

For more information, contact Vanessa Irving, [email protected], (312) 267-4531.