Rocky Mountain Communities Launching Initiative to Attract and Support Talented Students to be Future Affordable Housing Development Leaders; Seeking Investment from Industry and Community to support 75 College and High School Students from Underrepresented Groups Annually
In 2025, the organization will create two real estate internships; sponsor and mentor 15 local college students in the industry-led Next Gen Talent Academy; and hold development workshops with industry leaders for high school juniors and seniors in underserved communities throughout Colorado.
Rocky Mountain Communities (RMC) is investing in high school and college students to be the future generation of affordable housing leaders by establishing the “Building the Future of Development” initiative that contains three programs with the goal of supporting 75 talented students annually starting in 2025. RMC is currently sponsoring five college students in one core program of the initiative: the Next Gen Talent Academy. In 2025, RMC aims to expand their support by sponsoring 15 more students in the three sessions that will be offered. The program is led by the Housing Partnership Network and Project Destined with RMC and other affordable housing developers from across the country leading weekly sessions and acting as mentors. The Next Gen Talent Academy is a virtual 7-week bootcamp that exposes college students from underrepresent communities to the affordable housing sector, provides college credit, and builds a pool of talent that sponsoring organizations can tap to recruit and grow the next generation of housing leaders. “Developing the next generation of affordable housing leaders requires collaboration, investment, and vision,” said Robin Hughes, President and CEO of the Housing Partnership Network. “RMC’s commitment to our Next Gen Talent Academy program exemplifies the leadership needed to ensure a future where diverse talent drives innovative solutions in affordable housing. Housing Partnership Network is honored to work alongside organizations like RMC to inspire students and build stronger communities.”
“We are extremely excited to partner with Housing Partnership Network and Rocky Mountain Communities to launch our Next Gen Talent Academy Cohort in Colorado,” said Cedric Bobo, CEO and Founder of Project Destined. “This program will provide Colorado students with hands-on training, networking opportunities and a pathway to becoming part of the development industry, owners and leaders in their community.”
A second program of the initiative is a paid internship program. RMC is establishing a paid real estate internship program for up to two college students to gain valuable development experience over a 6- to 12-month period in its Denver office.
The third program of the initiative will be a series of one-day workshops for high school juniors and seniors to gain greater awareness and connections for the multiple careers in the affordable housing industry including finance, insurance, construction, architecture and city planning. RMC will partner with multiple organizations across the affordable housing industry in 2025 to hold career workshops for more than 60 high school juniors and seniors in Colorado to create greater opportunities for our communities. “Lack of affordable housing will be one of, if not the most important issues that Colorado will face over the next 10 years,” stated Mark Marshall, President and CEO of RMC. “To meet the challenge of producing more housing we need to start training and investing in the future housing developers today.”
To help raise critical funds for this new initiative RMC is holding its inaugural Golf for the Future Tournament on June 11, 2025 at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in Denver, CO – home to both the Men’s and Women’s Colorado Open Championships. Sponsorship opportunities are currently available, and registration will begin in early 2025.
If you are interested in being a sponsor for the Golf Tournament or learning about other ways you can support RMC’s Building the Future of Development initiative, contact Tony Frank at tfrank@rmcommunities.org, or call 720-799-0996.