From running a campus bus service to innovating how Washington, D.C. views real estate, Mitchell Schear '80 has built a life on hustle, vision and a refusal to stand still.
When Mitchell Schear '80 left his home in Scarsdale, N.Y., for college, he didn't arrive in the front seat of his parents' car. He came alone on a Greyhound bus, carrying a green Army duffel bag. Just off the waitlist, he felt lucky to get the nod from Hobart — his top choice — and stepped off the bus in Geneva eager to begin.
"My parents never saw the school until parents' weekend that fall," he says.
Schear's father, the son of Russian Jewish immigrants, owned Jespersen's, a well-known and well-regarded pastry shop in Scarsdale Village. He put his son to work there at the age of 14. "I made $1.85 an hour," then the minimum wage, Schear says. "My goal when I went off to a four-year school was to make more dough – pun intended – than my dad, but I didn't want to work as hard. I was sort of the bootstrap kid."
I wasn't the doctor's son or the investment banker's son, I was the baker's son.Mitchell Schear '80
And so, he hustled. That's how he approached his years at HWS. He was so active that a Pulteney Street Survey profile published in his senior year noted he "mastered the ability to be several places at once." Schear held roles in student government, admissions and residential life; served on a committee of the Board of Trustees; mentored peers; and ran track. As a young entrepreneur on campus, he launched a bus service to New York City and a refrigerator rental business. In the classroom, he designed his own Public Policy major and completed an Honors thesis examining the effectiveness of the Community Development Block Grant Program in Geneva, N.Y. Capping his academic career, Schear was recognized for his deep commitment to HWS with the Roger J. Frankel '72 Award, given to a senior who has made the greatest contribution to the community.
"There wasn't anything that I wasn't interested in doing, whether it was entrepreneurial or otherwise. It was a fertile environment," Schear says.
Schear didn't stop when he got his diploma. He got a job in Washington, D.C. and rented a furnished apartment because he didn't know if he'd want to stay. He stayed for more than 40 years, building "a career and a life" in commercial real estate. During his 15 years as president of Vornado/Charles E. Smith, Schear oversaw the Washington region's largest commercial real estate portfolio and helped reimagine Crystal City, Virginia, as a destination for tech and creative companies. From 2019-2023, he served as an executive partner at Camber Creek, a venture capital firm, where he focused on PropTech, the dynamic intersection of the creative/tech sector and traditional brick-and-mortar real estate. In 2023, Schear founded Ten Square, a firm that functions as an investment advisory for startups in technology-driven real estate solutions and sustainable development.
Along the way, Schear earned an MBA from George Washington University while working and starting a family. He also volunteers for and chairs boards related to real estate and the larger community, including the Smithsonian Board of Regents, on whose Facilities Committee he currently sits. His resume reflects the work of a key leader, and includes many organizations involved in shaping economic, civic and cultural life.
Schear credits HWS with shaping him as both a writer and public speaker. He learned to write with precision, drafting and redrafting until the work was right. Public speaking didn't come easily. He recalls "losing his breath" at first but practice brought confidence and purpose.
His goal became to leave audiences with something "new or different or informative or enlightening — a 'nugget' they could take home." Looking back, he says simply: "What an amazing learning experience."
Capping his academic career, Schear was recognized for his deep commitment to HWS with the Roger J. Frankel '72 Award, given to a senior who has made the greatest contribution to the community.
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