2026 Women in CRE: CREW Boston member spotlight

CREW Boston’s mission is to develop, advance and champion the success of all women in the commercial real estate industry by:

• Creating a diverse, multi-cultural and welcoming community• Building a forum for all women to impact the future of commercial real estate.
• Providing excellence in programming to create both professional and personal growth opportunities for all women throughout all stages of their career. 
• Engaging, involving, and connecting members through networking and relationship building.

www.crewboston.org

Heather Campisano, Principal at Leavitt Strategies

What professional accomplishment or experience are you especially proud of?
The achievement I’m proudest of is the leap itself. After more than 22 years in the public sector, from Deputy Director of Development Review to Chief of Staff at the Boston Planning & Development Agency, I launched my consulting firm, Leavitt Strategies. Relationships built over two decades of permitting and stakeholder engagement made that transition possible. Staying active in professional networks, especially CREW Boston, keeps me connected to peers, current on the market, and part of a community opening doors.

Valerie Moore, Partner at Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP

What has helped shape the way you approach your work and career?
Permitting hearings for housing projects, and particularly affordable ones, are often controversial and are dominated by existing residents of a neighborhood. During those moments, I think a lot about the people I have had the opportunity to meet and hear from who end up living in the affordable units that I have helped permit. Their voices are rarely heard from in public hearings, but the life changing difference those units can make for families are the reason I enjoy this work.

Amy Prange, Deputy Chief for Alternative Delivery at MBTA

What advice or perspective would you share with women building their careers in commercial real estate?
My advice is to do three things as much as possible: say yes to new opportunities, especially the ones that scare you; ask questions in meetings, because chances are someone else is wondering the same thing; and build relationships with people at your career stage. You’ll grow together, support one another, and 15 years from now, you’ll be giving each other business. Careers are long, and it’s hard to know where you’ll end up, but you’ll always be glad to have a network to call on.

Joanna Hilvert, Vice President at BioMed Realty

What advice or perspective would you share with women building their careers in commercial real estate?
Build your career on your own terms. There is no single mold you have to fit or path you have to follow, and the pressure to conform can close off the very opportunities you are looking for. Be authentic, trust your instincts, and do the work your way. The opportunities will come, and when they do, embrace them. The best things in my career have come out of change.

Joanna Hunt Real Estate Audit Principal at Baker Tilly

What advice or perspective would you share with women building their careers in commercial real estate?
Be curious and be useful. Don’t be afraid to ask questions or take risks; you’ll be rewarded with growth and expertise. Learn your craft and do the hard work, but remember that your career will be built through relationships, not your résumé alone. My mentors have become friends and sponsors. What they share is trust, support and a willingness to challenge me. Find those people, invest in those relationships, and as you grow, be that person for someone coming behind you.

Alexandra Toteva, Managing Director at Harvard Allston Land Company

What professional accomplishment or experience are you especially proud of?
I’m especially proud of celebrating the opening of the initial phase of Harvard’s Enterprise Research Campus this summer  –  an entirely new urban block anchored by Allstonway, a vibrant public open space, alongside 900,000 s/f of innovation-focused mixed-use development including the David Rubenstein Treehouse Conference Center. After years of guiding this work through planning, design, and delivery, seeing it come to life for the community has been deeply gratifying. I’m also excited to be joining the CREW Boston Board, continuing my commitment to advancing women in commercial real estate.

Robin Adams, Founder at Robin Adams Design (RAD) 

What professional accomplishment or experience are you especially proud of?
I am proud to have led the interior design for the $100 million reinvention of International Place. The challenge was honoring the postmodern opulence of these iconic towers while infusing avant-garde luxury into a Trophy asset. We transformed three lobbies, a winter garden and common spaces, integrating a new brand identity throughout. We also commissioned custom artwork, bespoke furnishings, one-of-a-kind rugs, custom lighting and signage – bringing a bold new identity to a landmark Boston destination.

Amy Apfelbaum, Principal, Partner at McPhail Associates

What are you most excited about in your work or the commercial real estate industry right now?
I’m really excited about the continued increase in opportunities for women in commercial real estate. That comes with being asked to do a lot in this industry. Learn what drains you as much as what fuels you – projects, people, actions, culture. My advice is to know your “no” to protect your “yes” - keep capacity to try new things and take the big chances - this will drive real growth.

Gail Sullivan, Founder and Managing Principal at Studio G Architects

What professional accomplishment or experience are you especially proud of?
I love my job! As an architect, I have opportunities to create long-term positive social and environmental impacts in zero-fossil fuel projects like Franklin Cummings Tech which transforms the lives of students and is a neighborhood anchor; Wellfleet’s Residences at Lawrence Hill, a multigenerational neighborhood that quintupled the town’s affordable housing, and 273 Highland St. in Roxbury - 23 lower income households who will build financial equity in their energy positive homes. 

Alexandra Wannop, Counsel at Sullivan & Worcester LLP

What has helped shape the way you approach your work and career?
Early in my career, a mentor told me that solutions to complex title problems are rarely found in the black-and-white reading of the law, but in the shades of gray. That became a guiding principle for how I approach my work and career. I’ve learned that what looks like a dead end is often an unexamined assumption. The hardest deals close not because there are no obstacles, but because someone questions the conventional approach.