Ryan M. LeVasseur is a visionary real estate leader with 20+ years of development and project management experience. He has participated in $9.0B of highly profitable, large-scale urban developments and value-add projects. 

As the founder of LeVass Ventures, his urbanist commitment to the growth and continued reemergence of American cities is driven by his unique perspective and ability to foster enduring partnerships between real estate developers and institutions. His creativity, curiosity, and team-focused partnering strategy were shaped by his roles within a global development firm, a top-tier university endowment, and a leading strategy consulting firm. 

Currently, Ryan advises clients on diverse growth initiatives including a university's 500-acre mixed-use development, a $250 million research and innovation hub, a 16-acre private development in central Houston, a multi-state sports facility partnership program, and the transformation of a public/private innovation and collaboration space.

Prior to LeVass Ventures, Ryan held key leadership roles such as Managing Director of Direct Real Estate and Co-Head of the Real Estate Portfolio at Rice Management Company, where he led development of the Ion District and Rice Village. He also served as a Managing Director at Hines' New York office, working on significant projects like One Vanderbilt and the Hudson Square portfolio. Early in his career, he honed his skills at HR&A Advisors, focusing on urban development strategies.

Ryan's education includes an MS in Real Estate Development from Columbia University, where he was a Kinne Fellow, and also a Bachelor of Architecture and a BA in Architecture from Rice University. From 2013 to 2019, he taught real estate market analytics as an adjunct professor at Columbia University.

Dedicated to community involvement, Ryan serves on the boards of the Lawndale Arts Center, the Midtown Management District, the Houston chapter of NAIOP, and the ULI Houston Advisory Council. In his leisure time, he coaches youth basketball, little league baseball, and softball.