2024 Women in CRE:
Jeanette Foote, Arbor Realty Trust

Why should this nominee be recognized in our Women in Commercial Real Estate Spotlight? 

“I would like to congratulate Jeanette on this recognition and for the leadership she provides to her colleagues every day. Foote inspires a diligent approach, critical and creative thinking, and a learning mindset in everyone she works with. She has created a culture on her team and with others she works with to ask questions and share knowledge because she realizes doing so benefits everyone.” - Daniella Muller, Executive Vice President, Human Resources and Associate General Counsel at Arbor Realty Trust. What recent project, transaction, or accomplishment are you most proud of? 

My biggest success is leading and helping evolve the Operational Compliance team at Arbor. We have built strong communication between each other, and with Arbor teams located in various offices. We manage several large Agency/Rating reviews, perform quarterly Quality Control audits of our Servicing portfolio, maintain 165 policies and procedures, and manage our in-house training program. Having a geographically distributed team handle all of this says a lot about our strength. 

What are the most important factors young women should consider when choosing a firm to build their career with? 

A company should match your values and work style. You need to ask: ‘Will you be able to accomplish what you want to do?’ and ‘Is it a growing company?’ A company should always be looking at the future. Are there opportunities to work with multiple teams across a firm? Even when there are challenges, companies should not slow down. I’m honored for the opportunity to be able to grow my position to what it is today and the responsibilities that my team has. Arbor gives you the opportunity to grow and it is up to you to move forward.