UMKC Names Troy Nash as Director of Lewis White Real Estate Center

The University of Missouri-Kansas City announced Troy Nash is now the as director of the Lewis White Real Estate Center. Photo credit: UMKC.

Posted November 3, 2025

Troy Nash has been named the new director of the University of Missouri-Kansas City’s Lewis White Real Estate Center.

Nash, a Kansas City native, succeeds Chuck Connely as the director of UMKC’s real estate school. Connely took the position in 2016.

The Lewis White Real Estate Center operates as part of the UMKC Henry W. Bloch School of Management. The center enables UMKC students to study commercial real estate, including real estate finance, appraisal, development and asset management. Nash first joined the UMKC as a student in 1994 and returned in 2023 as a faculty member at the Bloch School of Management.

Nash previously served as executive vice president and principal at Newmark Zimmer and is a U.S. Air Force veteran, as well as a former Kansas City councilman, according to a post from the UMKC introducing Nash. The post outlines Nash’s vision for a “bold new chapter” in UMCK and the Lewis White Real Estate Center.

“My vision is to position the Lewis White Real Estate Center as the Midwest’s leading platform for real estate entrepreneurship and innovation. We’ll honor its legacy of academic excellence while expanding into emerging areas, like AI-driven market analysis and community-based development. Students will learn to model deals, assess risk and forecast market trends using cutting-edge tools. The goal is to prepare students not just to enter the industry, but to reshape it,” Nash said.

In addition to announcing Nash’s new role, UMKC is also launching Real Estate Leaders of Tomorrow, an initiative designed to connect students with industry leaders, expand internship pipelines and integrate case-based learning into the classroom.

Real Estate Leaders of Tomorrow aims to engage students and industry leaders in addressing current issues, including housing affordability, climate resilience, urban revitalization, and ethical development.

“Professionally, this role represents the convergence of my life’s work: real estate development, public service and education. It’s a chance to empower students with the tools to lead, innovate and build communities that reflect both entrepreneurial spirit and community purpose,” Nash said.