Our travelers have been meeting once a week throughout the spring semester to plan, organize and prepare for the trip. These meetings cover everything from creating our itinerary for each country to packing for adventure travel (one small carry-on bag!). We have been working to be as prepared as possible, so we can hit the ground running—literally!

Let us introduce you to the travelers:

  • Jim Hill: Jim is the Master of Real Estate Development program’s Developer-in-Residence, volunteering his time to enrich the student experience. Jim is currently partner with East West Partners and active in real estate development acquisition. His career spans 30 years, including nine years with the Walt Disney Company focusing on real estate and resort projects in Europe, Latin America and North America. Based in Paris, France, he opened the first hotel at Euro Disney as project manager of the 1,000-room Hotel Cheyenne. He lives in Park City with his wife, Cathy. They have three adult children who live in Istanbul, Siberia and Paris. Hill enjoys travel, having visited over 60 countries, and is fluent in French.
  • Adam Loser: Adam Loser from Cedar Hills, Utah. He is a partner with a small-fee developer, managing projects in Park City, Utah, and Austin, Texas. He enjoys traveling and has visited South America and Europe. He is looking forward to his first trip to Asia with the MRED program. He also enjoys outdoor recreation with his family, which now includes twin babies. Adam is fluent in Spanish.
  • Evan Hyde: Evan was born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska. He detoured to Tennessee for college before landing in Park City, Utah, where he is pursuing his MRED degree at the University of Utah. Evan loves to ride mountain bikes and travels as much as possible. Evan is fluent in Japanese.
  • Mike Glauser: Mike is from Salt Lake City, Utah, and works for a local commercial developer, The Boyer Company, as a project manager. He loves to play competitive volleyball, softball, and ping pong. He lived abroad in the Czech Republic for two years and loves traveling and learning about other cultures. Mike is fluent in Czech.
  • Joe Evans: Originally from Kennewick, Washington, Joe is an undergrad at BYU. He has eight years of financial/lending experience with commercial/construction/residential loans. He’s traveled to Brazil several times, is a licensed real estate agent, and once served as a public-relations intern for the Baltimore Ravens.
  • Joseph Powell:  After working in finance in Florida for four fours at Citibank and MetLife, Joseph recently moved to Utah for the MRED program at the University of Utah. He has a passion for real estate and is utilizing the program to give him the experience and education he needs to succeed. This is the first time Joseph will be traveling outside of North America. He is excited to visit and talk with developers about their projects and experiences to learn how the cultures of different countries impact the global development process.
  • Christian Traeden: Christian is from Bountiful, Utah, where he lives with his wife and three daughters. He is a project manager for United Contractors, a general contracting company specializing in commercial projects including auto dealerships and high-end tenant improvements, as well as exceptionally custom residential projects. He has traveled in Europe and calls Prague his favorite city visited so far.  Christian was also an All-American marksman as a student at the University of Utah.
  • Dejan Eskic: Dejan was born in Sarajevo, Bosnia. With his family, he immigrated to Salt Lake City in 1997, and he still lives in Utah. One of his favorite memories was at the age of 13, riding across 30 different states during the summer in a semi-truck. His favorite place to visit is the Adriatic Sea in Croatia. He currently does research at the University of Utah Metropolitan Research Center, work focused on how we can build better communities and economies through real estate. His free time is spent outdoors with friends and playing soccer.
  • Erin Kennelly: Erin’s career has focused in higher education—largely student recruitment, admissions and advising at universities from Pennsylvania to Utah. She grew up in New Hampshire and has traveled to Europe, Africa, and made multiple trips to Australia. While she has led Habitat for Humanity trips around the United States with students, this will be her first time leading an international trip. In her free time she enjoys skiing, mountain biking, camping and the Boston Red Sox.

Left to right in the photo: Jim Hill (faculty director), Adam Loser, Evan Hyde, Mike Glauser, Joe Evans, Joseph Powell, Christian Traeden. Not pictured: Dejan Eskic, Erin Kennelly (faculty director).