Name: Barbara Oddo - President of CREW Boston
Position: Vice President
Company: Lincoln Property Company
What is the best advice you have received and who was it from? After taking time off for a few years to be with my children, I was considering my next steps. Wasn’t sure I wanted to get back into the commercial real estate world. The greatest advice came from my husband (a broker who understood the industry). “Know your strengths and play to those. Time off has given you time to reflect. You’re going back more prepared than ever.” That statement was all I needed to move forward confidently.

Name: Jill Sharif - President-Elect of CREW Boston
Postion: Vice President - National Business Development
Company: First American Title - National Commercial Services
What recent honor, achievement or recognition has meant the most to you and why? When I returned to Boston in 2011, I wanted to build strong professional relationships that could help me learn and grow in my new role. I was told that I must join NeWiRE, which we all now know as CREW Boston. It is within this group of professional women in the CRE field, that I made connections, and have found true friends who have supported me, while navigating the ever changing commercial real estate market. This is why I am honored to be chosen as the CREW Boston president for 2019-2020. I am humbled to be given the opportunity to serve an organization that has given me so much.

Name: Lisa Serafin - Past President of CREW Boston
Postition: Founding Principal
Company: Redgate
What recent honor, achievement or recognition has meant the most to you and why? I was honored to serve as CREW Boston president this past year and am continually impressed by the depth and breadth of real estate experience of our 500 members at various stages of their careers. It was an interesting year as issues of diversity and equality gained global awareness. We have seen intentional efforts to include women on panels and diversify teams and many firms have instituted programs around unconscious bias and diversity. CREW is uniquely positioned to play an important role in this dialogue and I was proud to be able to advance these efforts locally.

Name: Katelyn O’Brien - Clerk of CREW Boston
Title: Counsel
Company: Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP
What is the best advice you have received and who was it from? “Follow the money.” Kathy Bachman, a former partner at WilmerHale (and past president of CREW Boston), knows that it’s all too easy to get wrapped up in the details of a deal and lose sight of the thing your client cares about the most – the money. Whether it’s the income stream from an anchor tenant or the purchase price from the sale of an asset, she taught me to always keep the financial aspects of the deal in mind. The broader lesson was to internalize my client’s goals and keep everything in perspective, which has been invaluable advice.

Name: Erin Channel - Treasurer of CREW Boston
Position: Director
Company: Sun Life Investment Management
What recent honor, achievement or recognition has meant the most to you and why? I just completed my first year of my three year term as treasurer and board member of CREW Boston. Serving on the Board of this 500+ member organization has not only been beneficial for growing my network, but has also strengthened my leadership and communication skills. Working alongside women from so many different disciplines has also enabled me to gain valuable industry knowledge. It has truly been an honor and privilege to help lead this organization in its mission of promoting the advancement and parity of women in commercial real estate.

Name: Kerry Hawkins - Director of CREW Boston
Position: Senior Director
Company: HFF
What is the best advice you have received and who was it from? The best advice I ever received was that “If you’re comfortable, you’re not moving forward” from keynote speaker Molly Fletcher at last year’s CREW annual meeting. It’s very easy to be complacent, do what comes easily and to stop challenging yourself. That advice inspired me to pivot my career recently, with a move from the leasing side of the commercial real estate business to the investment advisory side with a different firm. Taking on new challenges and garnering new skills has been incredibly motivating and refreshing. Comfortable is boring. Sometimes you need to get a little uncomfortable to grow.

Name: Elizabeth Krol - Delegate of CREW Boston
Position: Partner 
Company: Engineering & Science, Inc.
What recent honor, achievement or recognition has meant the most to you and why? Being selected as the CREW Boston Delegate to the international CREW Network. I am truly honored to represent our chapter to the global network of more than 11,000 members who are committed to the advancement of professional women in CRE. Through the annual convention and thrice annual Leadership Summits conducted by CREW Network, members are provided quality professional development and vast business development opportunities. Representing our chapter amongst the high caliber professionals that comprise this organization is a significant achievement in my career, I’m grateful to my chapter and the CREW Network for this important opportunity.

Name: Pamela Messenger - Director at CREW Boston
Postion: General Manager
Company: Friends of Post Office Square
What recent project or transaction are you most proud of? In 2016 I signed a Power Purchase Agreement with Dominion Energy by which my company offsets 100% of its electric consumption with solar power produced at Summit Farms Solar in N.C. Joining MIT and Boston Medical Center, our 25-year deal was the largest aggregated renewable energy purchase by non-affiliated parties in the U.S., and allowed Dominion to retire an aging coal-fired plant ahead of schedule. I’ve presented our project at national conferences and have welcomed the opportunity to model how a small business can navigate in the large-scale renewable energy market and achieve its climate goals. 

Name: Mellissa Noone - Director of CREW Boston
Position: Senior Business Development Manager
Company: Neoscape
What is the best advice you have received and who was it from? I can’t pinpoint the best but there are three that I standby on. 
• My dad told me to always be truthful even in situations that may be risky. It has developed meaningful, trusting relationships throughout my life. 
•My former boss trained everyone on a customer-first mentality to never assume and always set expectations. 
• Finally, my current boss who has helped build my confidence in a very male dominated industry told me to just to be yourself. When you be yourself, all your qualities and skills outshine more and your confidence shows. 

Name: Patricia Pinto - Director at CREW Boston
Postion: Senior Vice President and Principal
Company: Sanborn, Head & Associates, Inc.
What time management strategies do you find to be the most effective for you? I find it takes great organization and diligence to be effective at managing my time. Above all else, delegation and collaboration with an effective team is fundamental to driving success. In my day-to-day activities, I use my calendar as a tool to keep myself organized, both professionally and personally. I also strive to focus in the moment, so that I can be attentive and effective with the task at hand, and not distracted by other attention grabbers.

Name: Julie Ann Schultz - Director at CREW Boston
Position: Managing Legal Director of Leasing
Company: New England Development
What recent honor, achievement or recognition has meant the most to you and why? Winning the 2017 Esprit de Coeur Award at the annual CREWBoston Achievement Awards this past April was exceptionally important to me. During my speech, I shared that I nominated myself for the award and challenged other women to seek attention for an achievement. I did not expect my acceptance speech to be as well received as it was, and it has been gratifying to still hear the buzz about my speech these many months later.

Name: Lisa Strope - Director at CREW Boston
Postition: Vice President, Director of Research
Company: JLL
What recent honor, achievement or recognition has meant the most to you and why? This fall, I became an Adjunct Lecturer at Babson College teaching a real estate investment course to MBA students and I am thrilled to be a part of the academic community. The opportunity to teach and continually learn about a subject I am passionate about, engage in professional development, build relationships with other faculty, and be a mentor to the students can’t be matched. Leading this double-life while pursuing my career in industry may be a challenge, but I look forward to having my views on real estate refreshingly challenged by the students. 

Name: Hayley Suminski - Director at CREW Boston
Position: Multifamily Mortgage Banker
Company: KeyBank Real Estate Capital
Who or what has been the strongest influence on your career and why? My mother, a stay at home mother to three, always encouraged me to pursue a career in order to earn my own, independent livelihood. While my parents had a great partnership and both raised me to have a strong work ethic, my mom wanted me to pursue financial independence and capitalize on opportunities that weren’t available to her. I’m very thankful for her guidance, encouragement and support.

CREW Boston’s mission is to bring together women professionally engaged in commercial real estate and related service industries in order to:

• Promote the advancement and parity (in opportunity, influence and power) of women in the commercial real estate industry;

• Facilitate the exchange of information and ideas concerning the commercial real estate industry;

• Provide a forum for the discussion of issues in the commercial real estate industry;

• Provide educational programs that foster the development of women in the real estate industry;

• Encourage involvement in community activities;

• Provide and encourage participation in networking opportunities for women employed or seeking employment in the commercial real estate industry;

• Engage in fundraising activities to support the purpose of the association; and

• Engage in any other business permitted to be engaged in by a Massachusetts charitable corporation.