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Biography
Following a 25-year career as a real estate attorney, developer and broker, Prof. Sears began teaching at Leeds in 2008. In 2011 he became a full-time Instructor, was promoted to Sr. Instructor in 2014, and became the first finance faculty member at Leeds to receive the title of Teaching Professor in 2018. Prof. Sears has taught many undergraduate courses including Principles of Real Estate, Real Estate Law, Real Estate Development, and Sr. Seminar in Real Estate, and Real Estate Principles in the Master of Science in Real Estate program. He serves as the sponsor and principal instructor for the undergraduate real estate case analysis, presentation, and competition program and assists with the graduate case competition program. In 2013 Prof. Sears was recognized as the CU Real Estate Center's Instructor of Distinction. In 2014 he received the Marinus Smith Award given by students and their families to faculty/staff who have had a particularly positive impact on students. In 2022 he received the highest teaching award at Leeds, the Joseph L. Frascona Teaching Excellence Award. And in 2023 Prof. Sears received the inaugural Welch-Nguyen Family Faculty Scholar award in recognition of his teaching and service contributions to Leeds. Prof. Sears received his undergraduate degree with an emphasis in real estate from the Cox School of Business, Southern Methodist University (1983), his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Colorado Law School (1992; Law Review; Order of the Coif) and completed the AACSB Bridge Program for Professionally Qualified Faculty (2008).
Education
JD, University of Colorado
BA, Business Administration, Southern Methodist University