Leadership within organizations changes for a reason. Different people bring different skill sets and experiences to the table. They lend fresh perspectives, which keep an organization fluid. As incoming 2013-2014 president of NEWiRE, that's exactly what I plan to do.
In many ways, my family and my career have provided me with a unique perspective. I grew up surrounded by many aspects of real estate, as my mother was a residential real estate broker and my father a developer. In law school, I knew that I preferred transactional work and landed in the corporate/real estate department of a law firm and then in-house at a national title insurance company. I feel I have a lifetime of experience to contribute to NEWiRE, and I am honored to do so.
Over the past 10 years, I have attended luncheons and served on committees as a member of NEWiRE. I have also taken advantage of the numerous monthly events and programs such as the Legacy lunch series, Public Strategies breakfasts, Membership social events, Charity Golf outings, Project Spotlight tours and our exceptional seminars, to name a few. Needless to say, I have some new ideas for this year.
My primary goal for the coming year is to maximize the benefits of NEWiRE membership. This includes looking for ways to improve on our existing programs and engaging members to help them get the most out of their membership. Some areas of focus include:
Achievement Awards - I am pleased to announce that we already have plans to update our annual achievement awards reception in 2014 to allow for more networking. We listened to feedback from our attendees and talked to other Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) Network members about their awards. It's time for a change and you will see it at the April 2014 event.
Social Media - All of our members can take advantage of social media. However, I think we can do a better job of educating them about how they can be maximizing their NEWiRE connections. Whether it is via LinkedIn, Twitter or the NEWiRE web site, online communication is equally vital to networking these days. Hence, we will be working to enhance that experience for our members in different ways.
CREW Awareness - NEWiRE is now 462 members strong and the largest chapter of the CREW Network. All members of NEWiRE are automatically members of the CREW Network. This gives us access to invaluable professional information and networking opportunities with 8,000 other members in 72 major North American markets. I would like to see our members start capitalizing on those connections.
These are just a few ways we can maximize NEWiRE membership. It all starts with fresh perspectives and leadership that is open to new ideas in order to effectively bringing about change. My plan is to do that at the membership level in order for NEWiRE to evolve as a whole. For existing, new and prospective members of NEWiRE, these are exciting times! I look forward to being part of them.
Gayle Bourdeau, vice president/associate senior underwriting counsel at Stewart Title Guaranty Company-National Title Services, is the 2013-2014 president of New England Women in Real Estate (NEWiRE), Boston, Mass.
To learn more about NEWiRE and upcoming events visit www.newire.org, find us on LinkedIn, or follow us on Twitter @NEWiREBoston.