New England Women in Real Estate (NEWiRE) has started its 2011/2012 membership year with a bang. This year is pivotal for NEWiRE, as we celebrate our 30th year of promoting the advancement of women in commercial real estate. We are off and running with many events on the calendar.
To kick off the NEWiRE year, our first luncheon program entitled, "Looking Ahead - A Financial Outlook," was held on September 21st and featured economist Dr. Nicholas Perna. NEWiRE's luncheon programs are a popular venue for networking and professional development and there were more than 200 attendees at the luncheon. Perna's comments on the economy were insightful, and he managed to keep us all laughing with his comical anecdotes - which is what we need in these economic times!
NEWiRE also hosted a joint event with the New England Chapter of SIOR at the Hotel Indigo in Newton on September 21st. The event was sponsored by Normandy Real Estate Partners. It was a fantastic night with great food, cocktails and networking.
CREW (Commercial Real Estate Women) Network, of which NEWiRE is a member organization, recently held its 2011 Convention on September 14th-17th in Washington, DC. CREW has 74 chapters with over 8,000 members located throughout the Unites States and Canada. I am glad to report that over 20 NEWiRE members attended the CREW Convention. As usual, the convention had many great speakers with the keynote luncheon presentation featuring Andrew Ross Sorkin, author of the New York Times bestseller Too Big to Fail. Nora O'Donnell, chief Washington correspondent at NBC News and award winning journalist, led an enlightening discussion that focused on lack of diversity and women in public office. Three notable statistics to consider: women are responsible for 83% of all consumer purchases; women hold less than 15% of corporate board positions in the U.S. although statistics show that companies with women on their corporate boards perform better; and 72% of high school valedictorians were women last year. The convention had over 700 attendees, and the programs and networking opportunities were outstanding.
Looking ahead to NEWiRE events in October, don't miss our next luncheon program on October 20th at the Four Seasons Boston. Guest speaker Don Briggs, president of Federal Realty Boston, will present "Assembly Square - Boston's Next Great Neighborhood." Briggs will provide an update on Assembly Row, a five million s/f mixed-use urban district under development in Somerville. Registration is free for NEWiRE members and $85 for non-members.

NEWiRE's 30th anniversary celebration will be held on October 26th from 6-8 p.m. at the Exchange Conference Center on the Boston Fish Pier, 212 Northern Ave. Peter Meade, director of the Boston Redevelopment Authority, will be our guest speaker. It will be a great night of networking and reflecting upon the accomplishments of members over the past 30 years. Registration is $50 for NEWiRE members, $75 for non-members.
Please visit our website at www.newire.org for a complete listing of upcoming events and registration information.
Janet Pirrello is the 2011-2012 president of New England Women in Real Estate (NEWiRE), Boston, Mass.