President's message: fall season kicks off with networking event

I find myself at the helm of the Association of Real Estate Women (AREW), one of the real estate industry's leading organizations, during its 30th year of building relationships and knowledge for women in real estate. Founded in 1978, at a time when women real estate professionals were few and far between, AREW has maintained its prominence and value though the ensuing decades of extraordinary achievements by women in real estate. As a long-time AREW member and, now, its president, I am committed to AREW's mission of providing outstanding educational programs and networking opportunities that contribute to the career growth of both women and men in all segments and levels of the real estate. AREW's fall season kicked off with a networking reception at one of Midtown Manhattan's most luxurious venues, the Cornelia Day Resort. We have, to date, held three outstanding luncheons featuring top real estate industry leaders, and one educational seminar. Our officers, board and 30th Anniversary Gala committee are all hard at work planning programs, networking and special events that will make the second half of our season memorable and valuable. We will kick off 2008 with our annual Mid-Winter Networking Cocktail Reception on January 29 at the New York Yacht Club, a U.S. National Historic Landmark building in the Beaux-Arts style on West 44th Street. It will be a rare inside look at a uniquely spectacular building and an amazing collection of model ships and vessels generally available only to club members. Please also mark your calendars for January 15th, when AREW will present a "Meet the Real Estate Media" seminar with top editors and reporters serving as moderator and panelists. Our February luncheon will be a "2008 Economic Forecast," a particularly timely topic in light of recent market turbulence. The luncheon will feature two top industry professionals: Craig Thomas, a leading economist and currently, vice president and head of research at Citi Property Investors, supporting the global acquisition team; and, Jayne Day, senior vice president and chief risk officer at GE Real Estate. Jayne is responsible for managing and global risk exposure of the firm's transactions as well as its approximately $40 billion real estate portfolio in 92 markets worldwide. All of AREW's luncheons are held at Club 101, 101 Park Avenue at 40th Street, conveniently located near Grand Central Station, and include an hour of networking prior to the luncheon and program. Our 30th Anniversary Gala will be held on Thursday, May 8 at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Time Warner Center in Manhattan. One of the real estate industry's most anticipated events of the spring season, the event will serve as a benchmark of AREW's "Three Decades of Breaking Ground" as a leading organization for real estate professionals. I invite you to learn more about AREW's rich schedule of programs and events, as well as become an AREW member, by logging onto www.arew.org for all the information you'll need. Sincerely, Frances Delgorio sr. vice president, leasing & marketing, Cohen Brothers Realty Corp., AREW 2007-08 president, New York. N.Y.