Jackie Knight

Jackie Knight is COO and President of Ackerberg Group, a boutique real estate firm in Minneapolis. In this role, she does a little bit of everything. Assets under her direction experienced an increase in crime during 2021 and 2022, partly due to COVID-19 and social justice tensions. Knight did everything in her power to help tenants in those areas through the issues, including helping with the effort to create a violence interruption program. She also worked with them on lease and debt restructuring.

Under Knight’s guidance, properties in the Ackerberg portfolio earned Energy Star, BOMA 360 Performance and IREM Sustainable Property certifications. She oversaw significant building system upgrades and an amenity overhaul at Lakeside Center, along with other capital projects throughout the portfolio, while laying the groundwork for the firm’s next investment fund launch.

Knight was selected as one of 50 participants for the nine-month Leadership Twin Cities program. She completed a DEI certificate program, is an active participant in the Real Estate Racial Justice group, and participated in a ULI-MN DEI working group subcommittee as part of her commitment to personal and industry change. She was also invited to join the ULI’s national NEXT steering committee in 2021.

She was elected as president on the Lake Street Council Board in spring 2020, weeks before George Floyd’s murder. During that period, Knight and the group focused on ensuring that community needs were met during the crisis, while also implementing a $10-million grant program. Overall, Knight loves working with urban communities, those that were challenged in both 2020 and 2021.

These are just a few of the reasons we chose Jackie Knight as one of the Chicago & Midwest’s 2022 Women in Real Estate Award winners. Connect CRE’s Women in Real Estate Awards honor the achievements and inspirational stories of women who have reached respected positions of leadership and play key mentorship roles for others.