CREW NY’s ‘DIG This’ Program reaches youth and industry leaders

New York, NY CREW New York (CREWNY) concluded its three-session DIG This: CREW Careers Program, a collaboration among CREWNY, CREW Foundation and Nontraditional Employment for Women (NEW). The program focused on the Development Lifecycle to educate NEW graduates about substantive elements of that lifecycle, where their roles as tradeswomen fit into it, how their acquired jobsite skills and knowledge can be translated to other commercial real estate roles, and CRE career opportunities beyond the trades.

The program’s overarching goal was to inspire, encourage and motivate all participants to pursue and achieve their full potential–whether in CRE or otherwise. A dominant force for women real estate professionals in NYC, CREWNY has long been a leader in advancing women in CRE through education, skills and relationship building, and community outreach. As a chapter of the CREW Network, it provides its members with direct access to 12,000+ CRE professionals in 76+ major global markets.   

The program culminated in a Mock RFP Team Challenge, in which teams of NEW graduates developed and presented proposals responding to a Mock RFP for the hypothetical development of new headquarters at Bronx Point to a panel of judges. The judges were comprised of:

• Christine Chipurnoi, MS, CPCU, RPLU, senior vice president, national real estate, construction & hospitality, USI Insurance Services;
• Linda Foggie, SVP, New York and North America & head of corporate occupier, Turner & Townsend;
• Elizabeth Muskat, a CREWNY past president and managing director, global head of architecture, design & construction | corporate real estate, BNY Mellon;
• Jaimee Nardiello, Esq., a CREWNY past president and partner, Zetlin & De Chiara LLP;
• Kennetha Pettus, director, Nassau County Housing & Community Development; and
• Jennifer Stewart, managing director / global head of real estate, BNY Mellon.

All of CREW New York would like to congratulate the 2020 DIG This winning team, “Team Elite Women Developers,” consisting of Kim Spicer and Olivia Walsh. Team Achievement Award winners included: Loli Cheung; Elsie Ingabire; Esther Minton; Leslianette Ramirez; Linda Ramirez-Gonzalez; Keana Rivas; and Robin Sokoloff.

The first two sessions included educational and training sessions, panel discussions and small-group networking with distinguished leaders in the field of real estate and construction. Also featured was CREW Network CEO, Wendy Mann, who discussed taking risks and achieving one’s full potential.

45 CREWNY members and other CRE leaders invested time, effort, wisdom and experience in the program and the NEW graduates to support and advance more women in the CRE pipeline. These contributors included Chipurnoi; Foggie; Mann; Muskat; Nardiello; Pettus and Stewart; as well as Heidi Blau, partner, FXCollaborative Architects, LLP; Barbara Champoux, principal, Champoux Law Group PLLC; J.J. Falk, principal, Perkins Eastman Architects; Ines Olesen, director, head of dispositions, and New York asset management | office sector Americas, Nuveen Real Estate; Kasey Pace, senior project manager, Zubatkin Owner Representation, LLC; Karen Ramos, managing director, loan syndication / co-global sector coordinator (real estate, lodging & gaming), Credit Agricole CIB; Beatrice Sibblies, managing partner, BOS Development; Alana  Sliwinski, Esq., associate, Troutman Pepper LLP; Leisa Crawford, SVP, Langdon Title; Sheri Best, director of marketing & business development, Carter, Milchman & Frank Inc.; Betty Castro, managing director, Cushman & Wakefield; Kathleen Culhane, president, Nontraditional Employment for Women (NEW); Maria Elefante, SVP, Treasury, Arbor Realty Trust; Allison Robin, CREWNY 2020 president, owner & co-founder, Envoie Projects LLC; Wendy Rossi, senior project manager, Akerman LLP; Claire Gondon, project manager, JDS Development Group; Rachel Merva, principal, RM Consulting; Stella Schirripa, senior asset manager, commercial real estate, Bank of America, N.A.; Andis Woodlief, principal, Contractor Compliance LLC.; Soudeh Ahmadian, P.E., project engineer, Langan Engineering; Sheru Kagalwalla, CPA, director, Friedman LLP; Robin Landow, partner, Landow and Landow Architects; Sarah Marsh, president, MAAI Marsh Architects DPC; Nicole Radumski, VP, Valley Bank; Julia Rocco, senior director of asset management, Kimco Realty Corporation; Kenne Shepherd, AIA, LEED, AP ID+C, principal, Kenne Shepherd Interior Design Architecture, PLLC; Lily Zivkovic, principal, Z & Z Group, LLC; Anuska Amparo, director of marketing, client services & corporate events, Amtrust Title Insurance Co.; Erik Antokal, assistant VP, programs, Nontraditional Employment for Women (NEW); Deborah Farahmand, associate, Akerman LLP; Madelyne Kirch, president, Sun & Moon Marketing Communications, Inc.; Amanda Kogut-Rosenau, VP, programs, Nontraditional Employment for Women (NEW); and Sheila Soufian, retirement planning specialist | financial consultant, Equitable Advisors.

This virtual program series was successful due, in part, to the generous DIG This program sponsors including: Gilbane Building Co., the Digital Platform Sponsor; JLC Environmental Consultants, Inc., the Jeopardy Sponsor; Zetlin & De Chiara LLP, the Toolkit Sponsor; Phase Integration, the Technical Director; and the two Award Sponsors: Arbor Realty Trust Inc. and Welby, Brady & Greenblatt, LLP.

Because of the incredible success of the program, its managers and steering committee, which include Best, Champoux, Elefante, Rossi and Lanauze, are already considering a 2021 Program.