The Emerging Professionals Committee hosted their first event of the year: Food for Thought featuring Kristin Howell, RPA, FMA Vice President/Director of Business Development of Meissner CRES. As a part of the BOMA San Diego Lunch & Learn series, Kristin spoke to the emerging professionals on her career journey in the CRE industry, leadership in property management and how she has leveraged BOMA as an industry career partner along the way.

As a BOMA SD Past President, Kristin spoke candidly to the group of property management professionals on how to leverage the resources that BOMA provides to aide in career development – highlighting educational offerings for industry designations, scholarship opportunities for chapter membership and conferences, as well as networking opportunities.

A theme that also resonated with the audience was involvement and advocacy. We talked about the professional payoff of getting involved and serving in a leadership capacity and how that makes us all better at what we do. Whether joining a committee, serving, or leading an event, there are numerous opportunities within the CRE industry and BOMA to serve others and lead thoughtfully. The evening ended with a Q&A with Kristin and “How to Advocate for Yourself” one-pagers distributed to the group. Here are some takeaways from the audience:
 

• Jennifer Labosky, USD Student Member: “From the Lunch and Learn with my mentor Kristin, I gained valuable insights into the world of commercial real estate. A major takeaway from how Kristin built her career is the importance of relationship building and surrounding yourself with driven individuals. As I continue to learn and start my own journey in the industry, I always appreciate hearing from seasoned professionals.”
• Paulina Tejeda, Kilroy Realty: “Being part of the subcommittee that helped plan the very first BOMA San Diego Emerging Professionals Lunch & Learn was an incredible experience. 

Kristen Howell demonstrated how anything is possible if you put your mind to it and really motivated those of us who are still fairly new to [the] industry to continue excelling in our careers. Not only did she share professional advice, but Kristen also shed light on some personal struggles that we all go through and encouraged us to keep pushing forward towards achieving our full potential. Her perseverance and determination were beyond inspiring and motivated the entire group of Emerging Professionals that attended the event. 

The event overall was a huge success, and I can’t wait to be a part of future Emerging Professional committee events.”

BOMA’s mission is to advance a vibrant commercial real estate industry through advocacy, influence, and knowledge. The Emerging Professional Committee’s desire to contribute to this message is clear and the Food for Thought event was the kick starter for more to come. Stay tuned!