Our 25^th Annual Achievement Awards took place on Wednesday, April 24^th at the Fairmont Copley Plaza in Boston.  Over 350 guests were in attendance to honor and celebrate 13 CREW Boston members for their outstanding and impressive achievements in commercial real estate.  In addition to our Achievement Awards honorees, we also recognized two very special groups this year, our Mentor Program and our cohort of members from our Leadership Academy.  Through these three groups that we recognized – our earnest Mentors and Mentees, our future Leaders, and our esteemed Achievers- attendees witnessed how the CREW organization supports its members as they grow both personally and professionally.
 
CREW Boston President Maureen McCaffrey kicked off the ceremony by welcoming everyone and thanking all our sponsors, especially our three corporate event sponsors, Hackett Feinberg, P.C., The RMR Group, and Samuels & Associates. Also joining Maureen was incoming President Shelly Gouin, our two emcees of the evening. 
 
Honorees
The team that worked on 400 Summer, comprised of 8 CREW Boston members, were the recipients of the Networking Award. This award recognizes a transaction, project, or project team that most clearly exemplifies the goals and purposes of CREW Boston and showcases a business-to-business networking success story. This team of 8 were intimately involved in ensuring the success of this project. 
 
Also known as Block P of the Seaport Square Master Plan, 400 Summer is a 630,000 square foot lab and office building sitting at the Southern terminus of the Boston Seaport.  The project includes 600,000 square feet of lab and office space which is fully leased to Foundation Medicine Inc., a subsidiary of Roche and a leader in the field of cancer sequencing.  The building also includes 30,000 square feet of retail across two levels and a three-level below-grade parking garage housing 525 spaces which will be shared with the future 350 Summer (Block N) tower. The project provides a significant public amenity in the form of the Summer Steps, a grand stair that transforms the way people move between the elevated Summer Street bridge and the Seaport. Project costs total $575 million, including $343 million in hard costs for the core and shell construction. The building expects to receive LEED Platinum certification early next year.

The project broke ground in December 2019 but has been in the works for over 25 years.  The project was contemplated as far back as the mid-1990s, when a prescient former landowner worked with the Central Artery/Tunnel Project to install supporting infrastructure around what came to be known as the Pill Parcel as part of a land taking. An omnibus settlement agreement dating to 1997 was uncovered during due diligence for WS Development’s 2015 acquisition of remaining development rights in Boston’s Seaport. The agreement detailed the numerous structural landing points, support of excavation components, and legal rights conferred upon the Pill Parcel’s owner. Without this infrastructure having been installed at the time of tunnel construction, development on the parcel would have been severely restricted, if not impossible, due to the close proximity of CA/T tunnels.
 
As one member of the team remarked, “In my 13-year career in commercial real estate development, I have never before had the opportunity to work on a team with as many brilliant, collaborative, and humble women as I have on the 400 Summer project. It has been a team of women supporting women, and it is thanks to the ingenuity, camaraderie, and support of the women on this team that we were able to navigate the myriad of complex challenges we faced.” Overall, over 40 women played key roles as consultants, counsels, brokers, and tenants with 8 of those women being current members of CREW.

Our recipients of the Networking Award were:

Leslie Doyle, Jocelyn Goglia, Amy Prange, and Ali Ribeiro with WS Development.

Marya Gorczyca with Haley & Aldrich, Inc.

McKenna Teague with CBRE.

Karen O’Malley and Yareni Sanchez with Goulston & Storrs, P.C.
 
Accepting the award on behalf of the group was Leslie Doyle, who talked about the teamwork needed to bring this project to fruition:
 
"This achievement could not have happened without the endless support and partnership of the women who came together through many tough conversations and new challenges to design, advise, and construct this extraordinary project. There were over 30 women leading the way, 8 of whom are CREW members, from MassDot to Stantec, Goulston to Haley & Aldrich, CBRE to Suffolk to BuroHappold.
 
We thank each of those fearless leaders and hope they’ll join us in forever remembering the cooperation and camaraderie that this project represents."
 
Anna Beheshti, Senior Civil Engineer at Arup, received this year’s Espirit de Couer Award.  This award recognizes a member who demonstrates a strong commitment to CREW Boston’s goals and purposes and embodies the heart and soul of our organization.

Anna was first introduced to CREW as an intern at Nitsch Engineering. She recalls listening to Judy Nitsch share her experience and she knew it was the group she needed to join once she finished school.  After graduating, Anna joined CREW Boston in 2017 and made the transition from being a newcomer who nervously popped into conversations at luncheons to someone who is actively involved in the organization through the Rising Leaders Group, Development Project Management Group, and the Mentor Program, just to name a few. She now can confidently walk into any event and catch up with fellow members and welcome new faces.  Her consistent involvement has not only allowed her to expand her professional network, but also to grow as an ambassador for the organization and as a leader.

Anna’s passion, dedication, and active involvement makes her the ideal role model for any member. We are so grateful to have her as a part of our CREW.

After receiving her award, Anna expressed her gratitude to CREW Boston, crediting her involvement in the organization for being a big part of her personal and professional growth. 
 
"I am so proud to be a part of an organization that not only advocates for gender diversity but also fosters a sense of community and support within in industry where that can be very rare. I am committed to continuing my efforts to further CREW Boston's goals and purposes, and I am truly honored to be a recipient of the Esprit de Coeur Award this year."

Shelley Balanda was presented with the Entrepreneur of the Year Award. This award recognizes a member who isn’t afraid to take a risk and has the courage to step out on her own to either start a business or grow a business organically within an organization.
 
After spending nearly half of her commercial real estate career working for owner-operator firms, Shelley launched Footprynt, a practice purpose-built to help commercial real estate organizations implement transformational initiatives that positively impact their operations. Founded in 2020 under the disruption of COVID, Footprynt was established to fill a void in the marketplace – to fuel a firm's pursuit of capitalizing on opportunities at a competitive pace while helping preserve its bottom line to support its growth agenda and expand its footprint.

Now Shelley and Footprynt are helping executive teams tackle some of the industry's most-challenging overlapping themes in today’s market – technology implementation, valuations, and positioning their story for the next chapter of opportunities.

Shelley is an inspiration for other professional women in commercial real estate who seek to start their own company.  Since successfully launching Footprynt, Shelley's engagements have included diverse and impactful projects for her clients, including Interim Chief Operating Officer, PropTech Implementation, Strategic Marketing Director, and Asset & Portfolio Valuation Manager.

During her acceptance speech, Shelley thanked CREW for providing a platform for the risk-takers. She also expressed her gratitude to CREW Boston’s Entrepreneur Exchange Group for being a source of inspiration. 
 
"I want to take a moment and acknowledge some of the most fearless women I’ve come to know - the CREW entrepreneurial committee and the vibrant community gathered here today. Your dedication and efforts serve as a beacon of inspiration for emerging entrepreneurs like myself, encouraging us to embrace our ideas, cultivate solutions, and display courage and resilience even in our most challenging times. Your influence is the catalyst for the much-needed change our industry desperately seeks and I look forward to joining you in supporting that fight."

The Suzanne King Public Service Award was presented to Kimberly Martin-Epstein, a woman who exemplifies the essence and spirit of Suzanne’s legacy.  This award recognizes a CREW Boston member who, either as a career or through volunteer activities, is committed to strengthening the community through effective action and leadership.

Kim joined Hackett Feinberg in 2005 as an associate, became a partner in 2014 and in 2021 was named co-managing partner.  Kim has built a reputation as an experienced attorney in affordable housing finance, and she strives to continue to expand the Firm's commitment to diversity.

Kim concentrates her practice in the areas of commercial lending and real estate transactions, including financing and conveyancing, with a special focus on community development and affordable housing financing, including tax exempt bond financing, as well as low income, historic, and New Markets tax credits.
Her practice includes representing banks, other financial institutions, nonprofit organizations, developers, and governmental and quasi-governmental agencies, including those of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and various municipalities. Her practice further includes representing lenders in a variety of routine and complex loan restructures, and work-out transactions, including commercial foreclosure.

Kim has been member of CREW for over 10 years. During that time, she’s been involved in our Programs Committee as well as our Housing & Community Development Committee.  In addition, Kim was selected as the co-chair for the 2023 CREW Network Affordable Housing Council.
Aside from her involvement with CREW, Kim is also a board member of the Real Estate Bar Association, co-chair of the Affordable Housing committee of REBA, and a member of the President’s Council of Cornell Women. Combining professional expertise with personal interests, over the last 20+ years, she has served on many non-profit boards and related committees including the Women’s Lunch Place, Neighborhood of Affordable Housing, Inc., CASCAP, Inc., the Clarke School PTO, Inc., the North Shore Community Development Coalition, Inc., and B’nai B’rith Housing Corporation. Kim has also served as co-chair to the real estate financing and the title and conveyancing committees of the Boston Bar Association’s Real Estate Section.

Upon receiving her award, Kim talked about the core belief in CREW and how it helps us all do better.
 
"Of course that is the core belief in CREW: uplifting, supporting, promoting one another so we all can do better. For me, having an everyday working environment where my colleagues value one another’s success really led to my own professional growth and personal satisfaction. And this provides me with energy to help create this beyond my home, beyond my firm. This support is what we want to see in our world – in our economy - because this leads to more equity. Public service isn’t one person working alone to do some nice things. It’s working in service of a better community and bringing everyone together to do so."
 
Veronica Bulman received the Professional Service Award, honoring her significant contributions and leadership within her company as well as her commitment and dedication to delivering superior service and achieving great results.
 
Veronica has been working in the commercial real estate industry since 2008. She is a trusted advisor and a leader in the commercial real estate industry, serving owners, lenders, developers, managers, and operators. Veronica has also been instrumental in developing and implementing the real estate audit policy and strategy for the firm, as well as writing the real estate audit guide and developing other tools for the real estate auditors. She is a member of the National Real Estate Strategy Leadership team and the first Real Estate Audit Policy Leader.

As the initial Real Estate Audit Policy Leader, Veronica showed the way for the other industry audit policy leaders and set the example by bringing the most methodology and tools to her industry. Veronica is still serving clients and is going back to client service full time this Spring. Through all her contributions to her clients and the field, Veronica attained the position of Real Estate Partner at RSM on January 1st, 2023. While she still sits in the assurance line of business, Veronica solely focuses on commercial real estate clients and how to best advise them.

Veronica has been an active member of CREW since 2013 and has been a member of the Golf Committee for 6 years. Additionally, she served on the CREW Boston Educational Foundation Board of Directors for 5 years, 4 of those years as President.

Veronica has demonstrated her excellence and innovation in the real estate field and has become someone that all CREW members can learn something from.

During her acceptance speech, Veronica thanked her family, real estate partners, and CREW for the support, encouragement, and mentoring over the years. 
 
"While building mentorships through my internal real estate network at RSM, I was also able to find external mentors through CREW Boston and the Educational Foundation. There are so many of our leaders who have come through the Foundation Board. One of my mentors, Karen, who I got to know through the Foundation, was very supportive and insightful in my path to partner as having been through the process at her firm and the challenges that can come with the career path."

The final award of the evening was presented to Jill Sharif, recipient of this year’s Leadership Award. This award recognizes a member who has inspired, motivated, and supported CREW Boston year after year and contributed her time, energy, and talents in leadership roles within the Greater Boston real estate community. It honors an individual who leads by example and works both personally and professionally to advance women in the real estate industry.  Recipients of this award are some of the most well respected and committed women in our industry, and Jill is no exception.
 
Jill’s career in commercial real estate began in 2000.  Prior to joining Commonwealth Land Title Insurance Company NCS in 2021, Jill worked for a major underwriter where she was consistently recognized companywide as one of the highest performing members of the sales and escrow teams for commercial real estate transactions in the country. She has worked on numerous complex single and multi-site transactions throughout the country for all asset classes whose title insurance liabilities amounts exceed billions of dollars.
 
Title and escrow services are possibly the most critical and least understood aspects of commercial real estate transactions and throughout the underwriting and closing process, underwriting guidance can oftentimes protect large commercial transactions from any number of failures that either delay or outright cancel the closing. Jill prides herself on being the single point of contact for owners and lenders throughout the country to assist them with these sometimes complex and daunting processes.
 
A leading voice in the title insurance industry, Jill has participated on many industry panels and spoken at several university classrooms and career events, clarifying and expanding on title insurance. In addition to title insurance, she is one of the leading experts on the application of UCC Insurance, Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code, and title insurance for real estate mezzanine transactions. Jill has also provided numerous CLE presentations to companies that want a detailed look at UCC and other commercial transactions and co-authored “Mitigating the Risk of a Loan Portfolio Acquisition with UCC Insurance" published in The Practical Real Estate Lawyer.
 
Jill joined CREW in  2011 and wasted no time getting involved. Within the first year of her membership, she joined the Membership and Program Committees, followed by the Golf and CREW Network Committees a few years later. In 2016, she joined the board and served as President in 2019-2020. During her time as president, Jill refocused and led the organization through the height of the pandemic, a difficult time for any organization. 
 
After her presidency, her dedication and commitment to CREW continued. She co-chaired our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Task Force and to this day, continues to mentor many women in the commercial real estate industry.
 
In addition to her contributions locally, Jill is also involved nationally at the CREW Network level.  She was named the 80th CREW Visionary in 2020, a recognition for charitable giving to advance the careers of women in commercial real estate.
 
In 2021, The Boston Real Estate Times honored Jill as one of 10 Outstanding Women Leaders in Boston commercial real estate. She was also recognized by the GlobeSt.com Women of Influence Awards as a Diversity Champion for her groundbreaking work with CREW Boston’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives.
 
Aside from her involvement with CREW, Jill is also a member of ICSC, NAIOP, ULI and is currently the 2024 President-Elect for REFA. As a graduate of the University of Connecticut, she is a member of the UConn Boston Leadership Committee, tasked with increasing UConn’s visibility by building stronger networks among UConn alumni, supporting more jobs for UConn students in the Boston area, encouraging philanthropy, and promoting corporate sponsorships and research.
 
Lastly, Jill has also been a member of the Heading Home Housewarming Committee for the past 3 years. This year, in place of Heading Home’s Housewarming event, teams of Boston leaders set out to raise $1 million for Heading Home. As a result, 200+ industry leaders raised over $2 million to help families exit homelessness. Jill served on the Wonder Women team, captained by fellow members, Leslie Cohen & Kristin Blount, which raised the 2nd highest amount for the campaign.
 
To quote one of her former mentees when they saw she would be recognized tonight, “I have known Jill for a few years now and most recently as my formal mentor. Jill has been generous with her time and has made many introductions on my behalf to leaders in the field. I am extremely grateful for her friendship and cannot think of a better person to receive this award and recognition.” 
 
After accepting her award, Jill thanked CREW Boston and spoke about being your true, authentic self.

"CREW Boston, thank you for always having my back - you have been an amazing organization that has given me many tools that I will always use. From the fantastic networking, educational opportunities, and mentoring programs, it’s no surprise to see how successful our Chapter has become in terms of reputation in the market, the number of members and number of sponsors (both of which I believe are at an all-time high!).
I was so fortunate to find a network of professionals, many of whom I now have the privilege of calling friends, when I needed them most. Now I have the opportunity of paying this forward by dedicating my time to help the next generation. While I follow my new path, as President of the Real Estate Finance Association in 2025, I will use the lessons I learned here to make a difference there.

I don’t know what the future holds, but I go into it being better prepared because of my experiences with all of you. Being your authentic self is not so bad after all. And it certainly beats being what everyone else says you should be. To quote Taylor Swift, ‘Just be yourself, there is no one better!’."
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CREW Boston is the region’s leading professional organization promoting the advancement of women within the commercial real estate industry. Since its creation in 1982, CREW Boston has been an important force behind the increasing success of women in New England’s real estate community. Currently, more than 550 women gain opportunities for professional growth and business development as members of this vital organization. CREW Boston’s goal has always been to provide professional support, development, education, encouragement, and networking opportunities to its members and the commercial real estate community.
 
Since 1996, CREW Boston has been a member of CREW Network, founded in 1989 to bring together women involved in the many aspects of commercial real estate to exchange information, develop business contacts, and help each other succeed professionally. Today, CREW Network is the premier business network dedicated to transforming the commercial real estate industry by advancing women globally.  We provide support to our 12,000 members worldwide through business networking, leadership development, industry research, and career outreach.