We could not do what we do as leaders in corporate real estate without our dedicated sponsors, committee leaders and board of directors. Plus, we have some of the most dynamic CRE industry members in our chapter, so don’t miss out on connecting professionally and personally with the top real estate professionals in the region. Now is the time to join - check out our member benefits page to discover all the value CoreNet Global New England can offer, including some of the most authentic and exciting networking opportunities, discounts to summits and professional development programs, and so much more. For any membership or sponsorship-related questions, please reach out to Karyn Houde, our executive director.

In recognition of my Doing Well by Doing Good platform, I want to thank all those who continue to support our community through CoreNet Global New England’s partnership with The Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston, having raised more than $20,000 for the club in 2022, to help reduce the burden of financial stress on families in the New England region. We had fun celebrating with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston at our Annual Holiday Party hosted by Boston Art, sponsored by Red Thread and Steelcase, and presented by the chapter’s Young Leaders Committee.

CoreNet Global New England is a longstanding champion of our early career professionals. Through leadership training and educational programs, scholarships to attend global industry events and even mentorship, I’m proud of our chapter’s commitment to our next gen leaders. Some of the educational programs we provide include the Young Leader Professional Development Program, for which the 2022 cohort has successfully culminated in a panel presentation on “Building Community in a Hybrid Workplace” in November at the Toast HQ and will graduate at our annual Awards of Excellence on April 27^th. The 2023 cohort of 11 enthusiastic young leaders kicks off this month! Additionally, we look forward to the final case study presentations from our Leadership 2.0 grads this spring as they are more than halfway through their leadership program and will graduate at CoreNet Global New England’s Annual Meeting in March. 

Are you looking for an intern to join your organization this summer? Once again, our Commercial Real Estate Success Training (CREST) partnership has continued to generate a lot of interest and we have an ambitious goal to pair as many as 30 mentors with their respective interns in the upcoming year! The program provides meaningful summer internships along with personal and professional skills development to highly motivated college students who have been historically underrepresented in our industry. Internship placements and mentorships are open to all organizations and we encourage everyone to apply or learn more by visiting our website.

The chapter relentlessly continues to facilitate both virtual and in-person conversations with some of the top thought leaders, engaging in conversations from how the pandemic shaped our approach to inclusive design and accessibility to strategies supporting ESG goals. We recently hosted a workshop-style session called Silencing the Sustainability Static with case studies to illustrate the challenges faced by end users and service providers alike when it comes to climate action planning. This was immediately followed by an exhilarating visioning session with experts in their fields: Architecture, life sciences and technology. We’re bringing to the forefront trends and major issues that will impact CRE in the coming years. 

I look forward to seeing you on January 11^th at our upcoming Equitable Leadership presentation and happy hour hosted by Creative Office Resources at their beautiful Seaport office to explore best practices within DE&I using real-life case studies with a renowned leader in diversity, equity & inclusion, Dr. Dwinita Mosby Tyler of The Equity Project. Big thanks to our special event sponsors, Structure Tone and Perkins Eastman. Space is limited so register online now! 

On January 31^st at Rapid7, the New England chapter will host a panel with ArtLifting on How to Achieve DEI Goals through Art. ArtLifting champions artists impacted by housing insecurity or disabilities. Speakers from Rapid7, WS Development, Google and Liz Powers, who founded ArtLifting, will connect artists’ innovative practices with the needs and goals of corporate real estate professionals. Touching on ESG and DEI principles, this panel will spark creativity, promote diversity and demonstrate how to elevate your brand through a corporate art strategy. We are proud to provide the space for our chapter to come together and learn from each other and share how we will make our values visible in our roles as corporate real estate leaders.

Maureen Rystrom is the president/chair of CoreNet Global New England Chapter and vice president of marketing | partner at J. Calnan & Associates.