Lauren Gilchrist is Senior Vice President/Senior Director of Research for JLL in Philadelphia, where she directs JLL’s local market research platform for the region. Lauren’s specialties include urban and regional economics and demography. Prior to joining JLL, Lauren served as the Manager of Research & Analysis at the Center City District in Philadelphia and as a Research Analyst/Program Manager at the Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness in Arlington, Virginia. Lauren received her MS in Public Policy and Management with concentrations in Urban and Regional Economic Development and International Trade and Development from Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College and a BS in Business Administration from Bucknell University. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Philadelphia Chapter of NAIOP, the Advisory Board for Temple’s Professional Science Master’s in GIS, and the Board of Directors for the Old City Community Fund. Lauren is a frequent lecturer and commentator on topics related to commercial real estate and economic development, with recent work cited in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Globe Street, and NBC10, among other outlets. She was named a Philadelphia Business Journal “40 Under 40 Honoree” in 2016.