UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State Smeal College of Business recently named David Murphy, vice chairman of CBRE, to the executive committee of the Penn State Real Estate Advisory Board.
The board includes business, government and academic professionals who have an interest in promoting real estate education and scholarship at Penn State. Board members make a financial commitment to the college in support of Smeal’s Borrelli Institute for Real Estate Studies.
Murphy graduated from Penn State with a degree in real estate in 1994. Among the youngest individuals to ever hold a Pennsylvania real estate license, he worked with a State College real estate agency while enrolled at the University and as an agent and appraiser at his father’s residential real estate brokerage, Murphy Real Estate, before joining CBRE in 1998.
He has spent the last 27 years with CBRE and currently serves as vice chairman. In this role, Murphy leads a multi-disciplinary industrial and logistics team in central Florida, providing services ranging from land acquisition and leasing to dispositions for both small business owners and Fortune 500 companies.
Brent Ambrose, the Jason and Julie Borrelli Faculty Chair in Real Estate and director of the Borrelli Institute for Real Estate Studies, said he was looking forward to welcoming Murphy to the board at its spring meeting, which will take place in New York in March.
“David brings more than three decades of experience to the board. His deep market knowledge and strong industry relationships will be an incredible asset, and his record of excellence and leadership in the field will provide valuable insights for our students and help shape the future of the program,” Ambrose said.
Murphy credits his success to forming professional relationships at a young age.
“I’ve worked in real estate since I was 18 years old. I believe that when students combine the technical skills they are learning at a world-class institution like Penn State with interpersonal and networking skills, they can be quite successful in this business,” he said. “The connections I formed early in my career continue to benefit me today.”
He called his experience at Penn State “instrumental to my success.”
“I’m not saying everyone needs to follow my exact path, but I would love to see more students take advantage of the vibrant real estate market in central Pennsylvania. Go to industry events. Find a mentor,” he said.
“I’m at the stage of my career where it’s time to give back. I’m excited to get started.”
Donors and volunteers like Murphy advance the University’s historic land-grant mission to serve and lead. Through philanthropy, alumni and friends are helping students to join the Penn State family and prepare for lifelong success; driving research, outreach and economic development; and increasing the University’s impact for students, families, patients and communities across the commonwealth and around the world. Learn more by visiting raise.psu.edu.
