What led you to your current profession? I’m fortunate to have a liberal arts education as my foundation, and one of the things it taught me–besides making me more well-rounded as a writer and a scientist–is the need for excellent communication. I love that I get to apply my interests in geology and business and provide a unique perspective as a professional geologist with an MBA. The business side of science fascinates me, and I love that I can bring all of this to my work.

What time management strategies do you find to be the most effective for you? I use the Pomodoro technique: I set a timer for 20 minutes, block out all distractions, then knock out the thing hanging over my head. I feel much better afterward, and generally that thing I’ve been dreading isn’t so bad and can be accomplished with just a bit of dedicated time to focus. I also set a lot of reminders for myself in Outlook. You have to remember to follow up!

What are some of the benefits of being a mentor or having a mentor? I’m fortunate to have had strong mentors and sponsors throughout my career. Their guidance and direction led me to proactively achieve new skills, leadership, and take on new responsibilities and challenges. Sponsors elevated my name for special projects and opportunities, and now I can give back, especially through the LightBox Developing Leaders and CREW Boston mentoring programs, as well as Colgate University, my alma mater. It’s so important to invest in the next generation and continue to ensure quality and integrity in our community; they’re the future of our industry!

What trends will dominate your industry in the coming months? Speed, responsiveness, and prompt, efficient due diligence will become the primary competitive advantage. The challenge is to maintain quality, communication, and high utility in reporting to ensure potential physical property and environmental risk continues to be identified and mitigated for clients. We’re all striving to make up for lost time during this pandemic. We’ve got to make hay while the sun shines!

In the past year, what project, transaction or accomplishment are you most proud of? I’m most proud of the EBI team’s ability to navigate the limitations of the pandemic. They pivoted to virtual site visits for sites with interior restrictions (such as senior living communities), working collaboratively with in-house staff. They’re also responding to shrinking client timelines; our team is client-focused and working overtime to ensure clients have the timely, site-specific information they need to navigate their transactions.

What is one characteristic that you believe every woman in commercial real estate should possess? Communication skills, especially when it comes to articulating the value you bring to your organization, is critical to success. Sometimes others are too focused on their own work or accomplishments to recognize your contributions, so you need to clearly state your accomplishments. Be tenacious in advocating for yourself just as much as you emphasize collaboration and teamwork. Stay in touch, follow up, network, and you’ll be top of mind when someone needs your expertise.