On Wednesday, September 16, CREW Boston and the CREW Boston Educational Foundation hosted a UCREW Networking 101 panel at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) during a meeting of WPI’s student chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). Students from other engineering disciplines were also invited to attend and hear from CREW Boston members who shared their career experiences and perspectives as engineers working in commercial real estate.

Moderated by Christina Ilie, President of WPI’s American Society of Civil Engineers, External Relations Chair of the Society of Women Engineers, and a Civil Engineering student in the Class of 2028, the panel included:

• Amy Apfelbaum, P.E., Principal, McPhail Associates, LLC
• Abigail Day, P.E., Associate Vice President, Technology Design Services and Smart Building Practice, CannonDesign
• Maureen McCaffrey, P.E., LEED AP, Director, MIT Investment Management Company and WPI alumna
• Catherine Picard, P.E., Project Manager | Environmental Engineer, Haley & Aldrich, Inc.
• Amy Prange, P.E., Deputy Chief Alternative Delivery, Capital Delivery, MBTA, WPI alumna, and CREW Boston President

Panelists shared their experiences and practical advice on building meaningful professional relationships throughout their careers. The conversation explored the fundamentals of networking, including how to get started, overcome the intimidation that can come with networking, maintain connections over time, build trust and long-lasting relationships, and make networking a priority alongside other professional responsibilities. Panelists also shared networking success stories and advice they would give themselves at the start of their careers.

Students had the opportunity to ask questions and hear directly from professionals working across engineering, development, construction, environmental consulting, and project management, providing practical takeaways they can begin applying as they build their own professional networks and explore careers in commercial real estate.

Thank you to WPI and the ASCE student chapter for welcoming CREW Boston and providing this opportunity for our members to connect with the next generation of industry professionals.