Professor James Hagy founded and directs The Rooftops Project, which provides conferences, workshops, research, and resources for the charitable sector in the United States and internationally about the role of real estate – owned, leased or hosted physical space – in the operations, financial performance, and achievement of mission of not-for-profit organizations (charities) of all sizes and mission types.

Few charities would describe themselves as being in the real estate business. Many understandably view property as a mere supporting resource. But, once engaged in a dialogue, each has a story to tell about a success or challenge concerning physical space – the one it has now or the one it dreams of having someday. All face decisions about how best to forecast and address their occupancy needs in a way that promotes the organization’s core purpose and mission, provides an efficient, suitable environment for staff, clients, and visitors, and is consistent with the organization’s budgetary resources from both a capital investment and an operating perspective. Those decisions can have a potentially profound impact on the future: whether to own or to lease; whether to be hosted by others or to operate “virtually” without a fixed location; whether to stay or to move; whether to “dream big” or to “stay small”; whether to renovate or to build anew; whether to outsource or to self-perform work or tasks; or whether to become “green” or to stay whatever that other color is.

Professor Hagy will share observations, drawn from the Project’s research and collaborative work, about the contributions that a disciplined approach to property can play in charitable organizations, from the arts to places of worship, from social and human services to education and advocacy, and from those with a single location to those with a national or international presence.

Professor James Hagy is Distinguished Lecturer in Residence at Loyola University Chicago School of Law. He also serves as Distinguished Adjunct Professor at New York Law School and as Affiliated Transnational Professor of Law at Peking University School of Transnational Law, and lectures frequently at other law schools in the United States. He also founded and directs The Rooftops Project, which provides conferences, workshops, research, and resources about the role of real estate – owned, leased or hosted physical space – in the operations, financial performance, and achievement of mission of not-for-profit organizations (charities) of all sizes and mission types. Prior to his second life in academia, he spent almost 30 years with one of the largest global law firms, leading one of its global practices and serving in a variety of management roles.