Bio
Maria Pope Toliopoulos serves as Chief Strategy Officer at Cullinan Properties, where she leads corporate strategy, portfolio growth, and long-term planning across the company’s diverse real estate portfolio. With more than two decades of experience in real estate strategy, leasing, and legal counsel, she is recognized as a respected leader and innovator in the commercial real estate industry.
Before joining Cullinan, Maria founded and led The Hyperion Group, a consulting firm focused on real estate strategy and development. She also served as Senior Vice President of Real Estate at Ashley Global Retail and Vice President of Real Estate Portfolio Strategy at Ulta Beauty. Earlier in her career, she spent nearly a decade at Retail Properties of America (RPAI), where she oversaw leasing strategy and national account relationships across more than 250 retail properties.
Maria holds a B.A. from Loyola University Chicago and earned both a Juris Doctor, cum laude, and an LL.M. in Information Technology and Privacy Law from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law. She also holds the Certified Retail Property Executive (CRX) designation and has been a featured speaker and author on topics related to commercial leasing and retail technology.
Active in industry and community organizations, Maria serves as a Board Member of Northwestern University’s Retail Analytics Council and is an OAC Committee Member and former Co-Chair for the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC). She also volunteers with Make-A-Wish Illinois, Simply From The Heart, and other organizations supporting children’s health and empowerment.