As the inaugural Vice Chancellor for Real Estate, Anish Kumar established the University’s Office of Real Estate as a financially self-sustaining responsibility center. Under his leadership, the Office develops and implements the University's real estate strategy to meet core space needs, support community and economic development objectives, activate campus edges, and generate commercial revenue. Kumar’s team of real estate professionals is responsible for leasing, acquisition, and disposition of real property assets as well as management of the University’s commercial asset portfolio and strategic partnerships with private developers. A key function of the office is to synthesize the academic, economic, physical, social and civic implications of University real estate decisions and secure Board of Trustees approval for transactions.
Prior to joining Pitt, Kumar was head of Amtrak’s real estate department, where he led an 18-person team and oversaw all real estate activities in support of Amtrak’s operations nationwide. After Amtrak, Kumar was selected to serve as the inaugural Managing Director of the University of Pennsylvania’s 23-acre Pennovation Works campus, where he oversaw all activities (real estate management, design, development, marketing, leasing, programming, and operations) and strategic direction of the campus.
Kumar is a Registered Architect and Professional Planner who holds a bachelor’s degree in architecture from CEPT University in Ahmedabad, India and master’s degree in architecture with a certificate in urban design from the University of Pennsylvania. Kumar also served as an adjunct professor on the Faculty of Drexel University from 1996 to 2016, where he taught courses to students of architecture with an interest in improving urban life.