Building with Purpose: Lydia Tan on Development, Leadership & Impact

In this episode of the NAIOP SFBA Podcast, host Drew Hess sits down with Lydia Tan, a real estate leader whose three-decade career spans nonprofit affordable housing, institutional investment, large-scale mixed-use development, and professional sports. Lydia shares how her famously non-linear path—from architecture to BRIDGE Housing, Related California, Bentall Kennedy, the Oakland A’s, and now the Oakland Roots & Soul—has shaped her approach to development as both purpose-driven and financially disciplined. She reflects on what it takes to deliver high-impact public-private projects, why there is “no single right answer” in real estate development, and how understanding risk, community, and stakeholders is central to creating lasting places. The conversation explores Lydia’s leadership philosophy, her deep commitment to mentorship and teaching at UC Berkeley, and her current work helping build Oakland-rooted sports infrastructure that centers community, culture, and civic pride. Lydia also offers candid advice for emerging leaders, insights from decades of complex development work, and an optimistic vision for Oakland’s future.