Q&A with Taylor Camp: Getting candid about her career journey, plans for the future, advice to young professionals, and more!

About Taylor

Taylor Camp is an Analyst on Walker & Dunlop’s GSE Underwriting team and a proud graduate of Spelman College. Taylor joined W&D in September 2020 after working in business development for a non-profit in the DC Metropolitan area. She credits W&D partner Project Destined for exposing her to a career in commercial real estate. Read on to learn more about her journey to date, her advice for newcomers to the industry, and what area of CRE she has her sights set on next.

Tell me about your childhood. 

I was raised in Prince George’s County Maryland by my mom and Grandma. My mom kept my sister and I very busy. When I would go into school my teachers and friends would anticipate my “hectic” weekend stories of clubs, sports, and community service activities. We were all over the place, which is probably why I did not want to join any clubs in college! Some of my favorite memories include my mom picking my sister up from school in Annapolis and then shopping at Nordstrom and having dinner at California Pizza Kitchen and talking about cool things that happened at school and pretending like I understood her “adult days.” My mother is a land-use and deeds lawyer and growing up I always wanted to be a lawyer too. I still think about going to law school, though I am enjoying my career in commercial real estate so far!  

Where did you go to college and why? 

I attended Spelman College, which is a historically black liberal arts college for women located in Atlanta, Georgia. A lot of the women close to me studied at Spelman and initially I did not want to go because I wanted to create my own path. But thankfully I made the right choice and enrolled. There is no other place in the world like Spelman and every time I step on campus it feels like a big hug. I studied Political Science and had some great internships and extracurriculars. I spent two years as Legislative Aide for Representative Mack Jackson through the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus, got to host cool community service events through my Sorority, and spent a month studying abroad in Ferrara, Italy.  

Both you and your sister ended up in commercial real estate? 

That’s right. She works at Berkadia and we have the same exact job. She started in commercial sales though at another company. We are extremely close and somehow always end up doing the same things! It’s cool though. 

How did you hear about Walker & Dunlop? 

When I was a senior at Spelman, I participated in Project Destined, which is a real estate development program for students. Cedric Bobo and Fred Greene created Project Destined, which allowed me to participate in case studies, analyze operating income sheets, and perform valuations of real property throughout Atlanta. That experience really opened my eyes to a career in commercial real estate. I really am passionate about developing underserved communities, which is a focus of PD and W&D. I didn’t realize how in-depth my experience really was until I started working here at Walker & Dunlop. 

If you had a younger sister or friend who wanted to enter a career in commercial real estate, what advice would you give them? 

Learn the basics. Network. Talk to people to figure out what you might like.  Read everything as the commercial real estate world is changing every day. And learn to play golf! 

Are you any good at golf? 

I don’t know about that anymore. I used to golf a lot and got some new clubs recently. But I really just like to relax and drive the cart. 

What do you like to do in your spare time? 

My favorite thing to do is spend time with my family. I’ve gotten to spend more time with my older cousins recently. I also love to read – fiction and biographies are my favorite. I love traveling, right now my dream trip would be to the south of France! 

What do you think of the company’s diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts? 

I think our efforts have been really good. I’m part of the DE&I Leadership Council so I get to see and get involved in the planning and execution.  I’d encourage more people to raise their hands and get involved in DE&I. But I feel like the whole company cares and is committed to making W&D a great place for everyone to work. I heard that firsthand during the first Black Employee ERG meeting. Everyone is excited about what we can achieve. 

What can we do better as a company? 

I think, as with many companies, seeing that all leadership is invested in DE&I. On all levels having individuals learn and train on inclusion and how it ties to the business. I’m learning every day so I think that together as a company we can achieve a workplace that everyone feels comfortable in and has the opportunity to succeed. From what I have heard from outside peers Walker & Dunlop is already ahead and I think we can continue to differentiate ourselves from other companies. Also, of course, I’d love to see more recruitment at HBCU’s, especially my Spelman!

Where do you see yourself in five years? 

Over the next few years, I want to explore and develop skills in client-facing roles. I want to have gained experience in leading deals for major clients and bringing together people from all sectors to create innovative deals while incorporating talent in those communities in which we work.

Interested in working with Walker & Dunlop? Check out our open positions.