A passion for equity and access
Matt Paschall helps craft new services that embed diversity and inclusion into our real estate advisory business model
One of Matt Paschall’s favorite artists, the French DJ, Kaytranada, likes to experiment with genres and avoids categorization. Matt shares that desire to experiment. In the kitchen, he’s discovering new ways to cook, in his workouts, he’s adding yoga to his exercise routines, and in his work, he is helping pioneer new services at Baker Tilly.
A senior associate in our real estate advisory practice, Matt was interested in real estate from an early age. He was born and raised in the Washington, D.C., metro area where his mother was chief diversity officer for Wells Fargo and his father brokered residential real estate. Family dinner table discussions included the challenges Black Americans faced in society, especially when it came to building wealth through real estate ownership.
After graduating with a degree in real estate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he studied the intersection of social justice and economic development, Matt was looking for a career where he could act on his passion for helping people of color build wealth and gain access to the real estate industry.
He found his fit as a real estate developer services advisor with Baker Tilly, where, shortly after joining our firm, he also co-founded the Baker Tilly Black Community, a space where Black authenticity and community can thrive in a time of remote work and virtual meetings.
A new set of services, grounded in equity
Matt also took the initiative to create programming for his team around topics including bias, police brutality, the racial wealth gap, the role of housing authorities in facilitating residential segregation, and the opportunity gap. “Following the murder of George Floyd, as conversations opened up, we educated our team on the unique role we play in the affordable housing industry and some of the historical and social realities that inform
that space,” he said. “We brought diversity and equity conversations directly into our practice, with support from my manager, Nate Pekul, and Partner Don Bernards."