Each year CREW Boston comes together to welcome our new members and to celebrate our legacy members, who include our longest-standing members and our past presidents. This year, we were honored to have with us many of the founding members of our organization which gave us a chance to honor our beginnings, where we started, how far we have come and what our future looks like. The over 100 members in attendance had a chance to hear from a couple of them and was inspired by their commitment to the promotion of women in the real estate industry and how it all began. It all started with a small group of women coming together in 1982 with a vision after determining that there was a huge need for the women in the industry to be brought together. Ranne Warner and Susan Leff, along with all the Founders, shared stories of how this amazing organization was started along with their personal vision for NEWiRE, now CREW Boston. It was a great trip down memory lane for them and a powerful and inspiring message for everyone in the room.
Cara Nelson, a partner in the real estate group at DLA Piper and this year’s CREW Boston President, shared how incredibly inspired she was by the amazing response received when reaching out to all of our founders and past presidents. The fact that so many of them agreed to celebrate with us was heartwarming and makes her proud to be a part of CREW Boston. Although we have certainly made progress in 35 years, Cara would suggest that we have not yet made enough progress. We continue to need this organization, which is why CREW Network (on a national basis) has grown to over 10,000 members globally and why CREW Boston has grown to about 500 members. Cara would encourage all of our members to always be thinking about how you can help other women in the industry. Take every opportunity that comes your way to advance your own skills, whether those skills are business or management or leadership. Use the opportunities that CREW Boston provides to expand your network and to become the best version of yourself. Above all, enjoy what you do every day.
Additionally, attendees were welcomed to the Harvard Club by the first woman president of the Harvard Club and CREW Boston member, Karen van Winkle.
*****
CREW Boston member Diane Danielson, Chief Operating Officer, SVN International Corp., shared her thoughts after attending the 35
th Anniversary Celebration. Read her story by
clicking here.