M.J. "Skip" Beebe, an alumnus of and professor at Georgia Tech College of Management, died unexpectedly on Monday, November 7.

Beebe, who joined the College faculty in 2009, served as the Robert H. Ledbetter Sr. Professor of the Practice of Real Estate Development.

"In a fairly short time, he touched the lives of many students who might follow his example as a leader in the real estate field," says Dean Steve Salbu. "He truly played an invaluable role in helping take the College's real-estate course offerings to the next level of educational excellence."

Josh Bank, MBA 2011, shared his thoughts on Skip's impact: "It inspires me that I am just one of the many who can say Skip Beebe changed their life for the better. He was a mentor, teacher, colleague, family member, and friend to so many. He taught me to look at the world differently, to think about the past and future in a new way. Particularly, he pushed me to rethink where I fit into that world and the role and impact I want to have to make it a better place."

After graduating from Georgia Tech with a degree in industrial management in 1966, Skip worked for a few years in banking before starting his career in real estate. During seven years at Cousins Properties, he rose to senior vice president before becoming president of Mobil Land Development Corporation. An eventual move to the Dutch-owned company Wilma broadened his global perspective as he ran its operations in the Southeast. He later led The Landmarks Group before going into real estate services at CB Richard Ellis Real Estate in 1994.

He served as executive managing director for CB Richard Ellis’ Eastern Division before becoming the company’s chief learning officer. After retiring in 2007, he started Beebe Interests, providing executive coaching for top leaders in the United States and abroad.When he joined the College faculty in 2009, he said he was attracted to the opportunity because of his thirst to give back to Tech and develop leaders focused on building a better future. 

“Although I did not know Skip prior to his joining the College of Management faculty as the Ledbetter Professor of the Practice of Real Estate, I came to know and appreciate his enormous contributions to Georgia Tech,” said Douglas Allen, a member of the College of Architecture faculty who often lectured in Beebe’s courses. “Perhaps his greatest gift was his uncanny way of connecting people who were trying to do good and interesting things.”

Allen said Beebe had an insatiable appetite for knowledge. They often discussed the relationship of historical development patterns to the present day and the value of good architecture in the making of a better world. 

“He was simply a great colleague, actively serving on a search committee for the College of Architecture as we sought to fill the School Chair position in the Building Construction,” Allen continued. “We will all miss him. It is a great loss for all.

”Memorial contributions in Beebe's honor can be made to the George Tech Foundation and the Marist School.