Faith Hope Consolo
Leasing and Sales Division Prudental Douglas Elliman

Networking for the Future

Faith Hope Consolo, chairman of the retail, leasing and sales division of Prudential Douglas Elliman, says her contacts in the industry provide invaluable insight and guidance that she never takes for granted. "I send'notes and e-mails to say thank you. But I think what people most appreciate is that I pass on information, too; anything I think might be helpful to someone else in the business," she says, "as well as to young women who might think of entering it."

Lynny Osenbaugh, CREW's president-elect, is a third-generation real estate appraiser who grew up listening to industry talk around the dinner table. Yet, she knows her girlhood is not the norm, which is why CREW is making an aggressive effort to make sure commercial real estate is a career option presented to young women.

The organization has partnered with Wal-Mart Realty for its CREW Career Zone, a program designed to educate college-aged, as well as mature, women about the profession. Girls are also being targeted through CREW's joint efforts with nonprofits, such as Girl Scouts of America, which conduct information sessions for middle-schoolers.

"There is no clear-cut degree program to tell young people 'This is how you become a commercial real estate developer; this is how to become a broker,"' Osenbaugh notes. "One of the things I'm looking forward to is continuing the wonderful outreach CREW is doing with women in college and even at the middle school level, educating them about careers they might never have thought of. The better we do that, the sooner parity will be achieved."