2024 Ones to Watch - Industry Leaders: Taneshia Nash Laird, REAP

Three skills that you use every day in your position: 

Strategic planning, leadership, communication.

Best book, podcast, or app for aspiring leaders: 

Dare to Lead by Brené Brown.

Best advice for new leaders: “Listen earnestly, empower others, and embrace adaptive learning.”

What recent project, transaction or accomplishment are you most proud of? 

I’m most proud of initiating the Alumni Fellows program at Project REAP, building on our 25-year legacy of empowering professionals of color in commercial real estate. This suite of initiatives — REAP Board Builders, REAP Business Links, REAP Culture Club, and REAP Speak — equips our 2,000 alumni with advanced leadership training, enhanced networking opportunities, and platforms for thought leadership. These programs significantly bolster the professional trajectory of alumni, increasing their influence and visibility in commercial real estate.

What makes this nominee an Industry Leader? 

“The commercial real estate industry is famously entrepreneurial, requiring leaders who can guide decision-makers in discovering the business potential of historically untapped talent pools. Taneshia Nash Laird brings that entrepreneurial spirit to the oldest, and presumably largest, national talent initiative cultivating professionals of color.” - G. Lamont Blackstone, past chair, Project REAP.