Approximately 50 CREW Boston members journeyed to Austin, Texas to attend the 2025 CREW Network Convention on October 8-10. They joined over 1,400+ other CRE professionals from around the globe for the event.
Following the traditional Wednesday evening Marketplace and Boston chapter dinner at La Condesa, the Convention opened Thursday morning with words from Alison Beddard, CREW Network’s new CEO. Allison outlined the opportunities that she sees for CREW Network’s growth in this new chapter of the organization. Alison was hired this summer to follow Wendy Mann, who served as CEO for nearly ten years. Following Ms. Beddard was keynote speaker Chely Wright, Vice President at ISS. Ms. Wright was named Academy of Country Music’s top female vocalist in 1994 and in 2010 became the first country artist to publicly come out as gay.
Bookending the convention was Friday’s closing keynote speaker Rt. Hon. Dame Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand from 2017-2023. Dame Ardern is the youngest and first woman to serve in the role and the crowd was rapt by her very frank assessment of being a young female global leader in the time of Covid and partisan politics. She also shared intimate stories of rising to lead despite imposter syndrome and the timing of her fertility journey. Throughout the three-day conference, attendees engaged with robust panels on a range of topics from the impact of tariffs on development costs to self-care in the face of professional and personal demands. Thursday’s lunch speakers included a keynote overview of economic conditions and trends from Hessam Nadji, CEO of Marcus and Millichap.
Led by Chair (and CREW Boston member) Gayle Bourdeau, the CREW Network Foundation continued its amazing work this year. It awarded 40 scholarships to undergraduate and graduate students pursuing careers in real estate. Convention attendees were inspired by this next generation of impressive women as they filled the convention stage. The Foundation also unveiled its Benchmark Study that assesses women’s progress in the industry and identifies additional work to be done. The study can be found here:
2025 CREW Network Benchmark Study: Workplace Data and Trends in Commercial Real Estate | CREW Network.
A huge congratulations to Jill Sharif on her election to the CREW Network Board of Directors. Jill has served as CREW Boston President, Board Member, and CREW Delegate and is VP at Commonwealth Land Title Insurance Company National Commercial Services. The Network is so fortunate to have Jill’s wisdom and leadership at this critical time in the organization’s growth. We also congratulate Natalie Breen for being honored with CREW Network’s Rising Star Impact Award. This award honors outstanding volunteer contributions, participation, and engagement on the CREW Network level. Director of Business Development at Cummings, Natalie is civically and professionally active and has served on the CREW Network Membership Education Committee.
Convention extracurriculars included the Foundation Gala with the theme of Boots and Bling at the Broken Spoke, an historic Austin dance hall. There were a number of official excursions to highlight interesting projects in the City throughout the three days. Many of our members also enjoyed the Austin City Limits music festival, BBQ, Austin’s famous bats ,and the City’s many alternative mobility options including joyful pedicabs, driverless Waymos, and electric scooters.
Next year’s convention is at the Fontainebleau in Miami Beach on September 23-26, 2026. In the meantime, join us for Winter and Spring Summits in Costa Mesa, California in February and Minneapolis, Minnesota in June, respectively.
