Frederick W. Pierce, (Founder - In Memoriam)
President and CEO (1995-2024)

Fred Pierce was President and CEO of Pierce Education Properties (“PEP”), a leading national student housing investment and operating company listed amongst the Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies in America (2018 & 2019). Mr. Pierce was selected as one of 24 national “Student Housing Pioneers” by Real Estate Forum (2013), received Ernst & Young’s San Diego Region “Entrepreneur of the Year®” Award for the Real Estate & Construction Industry (2012), was named one of “50 Influential Leaders in San Diego” by the San Diego Daily Transcript (2017, 2018 & 2019), was included amongst the “San Diego 500 Influential Business Leaders” (2018, 2019 & 2020) by the San Diego Business Journal, was a finalist for the “Most Admired CEO” by the San Diego Business Journal (2018 & 2019), and received the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce’s “Moving San Diego Forward Award” (2019) on behalf of the Friends of SDSU for his work on the successful SDSU West ballot initiative (Nov. 2018). Fred was twice awarded San Diego State University’s (“SDSU”) “Distinguished Alumni Award” from SDSU Alumni Association (2021) and Fowler College of Business (1999).

PEP operates a nationwide portfolio of approximately 8,300 beds. PEP was ranked in 2020 by Student Housing Business Magazine as the 13th largest owner and 17th largest manager of student housing in the U.S. and had been listed by the magazine as an “Industry Titan” every year since 2016. In 2020, PEP ranked #6 nationally amongst student housing companies in J. Turner’s “Online Reputation Assessment (ORA) Power Rankings.” Since 2007, PEP completed more than $1.1 billion in acquisitions representing approximately 27,000 beds, ranking it among the leading buyers of student apartments in the country during that period. For over 10 years, the firm served as master developer of the award-winning, 131-acre, multi-billion-dollar College Community Redevelopment Project at SDSU together with SDSU Foundation. PEP earned numerous national and international awards for its projects including three “Gold Nugget Awards of Merit” from the Pacific Coast Builders Conference (“PCBC”) and the “Award of Excellence” as The Outstanding University Real Estate Project in the country from the Association of University Real Estate Officials. He was also honored with the prestigious Beta Theta Pi Oxford Cup, the highest award bestowed by the fraternity, recognizing his distinguished service and achievements. Fred was also posthumously awarded an honorary doctoral degree from Franklin Pierce University—bestowed during the university’s 60th Commencement on May 10, 2025—in recognition of his visionary leadership as former Board Chair and his lasting contributions to student success.

Prior to founding PEP, Fred was a principal and Chief Financial Officer of Los Angeles-based Platt Companies where he directed the acquisition and financing of $400 million in real estate assets. Prior to that, Fred was Western Regional Director of Real Estate Consulting for Price Waterhouse, as well as Director of Real Estate Investment Consulting for KPMG Peat Marwick/Goodkin Group. Fred was a Trustee Emeritus of the 482,000-student, 23-campus California State University (CSU) System and also served as Past President of the Board of Trustees of the City of San Diego’s Pension Fund (SDCERS, $8.4 Billion), where he also chaired its Real Estate Investment Committee. Fred was Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Franklin Pierce University and Chairman of the NMHC Student Housing Research Fund Advisory Board. He was a Board Member of The Campanile Foundation (SDSU’s Endowment), SDSU’s Fowler College of Business Board (former Chairman), SDSU’s Corky McMillin Center for Real Estate, SDSU Mission Valley Campus Residential Advisory Board, Sonoma State University’s Wine Business Institute, University of Georgia’s Residential Property Management Advisory Board, and the Beta Theta Pi Foundation. Fred was also a former Board Member of INVESCO’s $350 million Real Estate Fund I, and Past President of the CSU Alumni Council, SDSU Alumni Association, and Poway Unified School District Foundation Board. Fred completed real estate finance studies in the MBA program at SDSU and earned a bachelor’s degree in finance, cum laude, from SDSU.