2021 Women in CRE: Carrie Villani, LERA Consulting Structural Engineers

Name: Carrie Villani

Title: Director of Marketing

Company Name: LERA Consulting Structural Engineers

In the past year, what project, transaction or accomplishment are you most proud of?
LERA is currently working on the design phase for the new NYC Public Health Lab in Harlem and the construction phase for the Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hospital at Coney Island. Participating in these essential life science and healthcare projects that will offer indispensable services to their local communities is incredibly rewarding.

How do you advocate for your fellow women in real estate?
I am proud to be an active member of Professional Women in Real Estate (PWC) and Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW). I encourage engineers at LERA to join me at their events and actively submit them for awards and other industry honors including the Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation Emerging Leaders Program. Meeting and engaging with other successful women in the industry gives younger professionals powerful guidance and confidence as they move forward in their own careers.

Tell us a thing or two about you that is NOT on your resume or LinkedIn profile?
I designed the curving and geometric timber framing on the exterior of my 1926 Tudor home and am very proud of the final project.

How do you contribute to your community or your profession?
I promote organization involvement, networking and self promotion early on in your career. For the young professionals at LERA, it is vital to their advancement and career growth and facilitates excellent project management and client engagement skills. Getting involved and always expanding your knowledge are key. I am currently on the board of Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS NY) as Westchester Hudson Valley affiliate director and am also a chair of communications with Association of Medical Facility Professionals NYC (AMFP NYC).

How do you keep your team motivated despite conflicts and obstacles?
By always celebrating our successes! There is a lot on the line for my team at LERA, we bring in work to the firm, our efforts, branding, marketing and proposals are often the main communication vehicle to our clients before the project starts. We work on structural engineering proposals for billion dollar developments, the stakes are high so you can bet when we do win a proposal and see it through to successful completion, we are there to celebrate and elevate the position of LERA even higher.

Why should women consider a career in commercial real estate and related services?
There are so many fantastic opportunities and such a wide variety of skillsets and talents required. If you are interested in design, engineering, problem solving or collaborating with people and seeing the impacts of your work right in front of you, there is a career in commercial real estate waiting for you.