Born in the Bay Area and raised in Southern California, Teresa Henning has called San Diego home since 1978. She lived near Ocean Beach and Sunset Cliffs for 13 years before moving inland to the Mission Trails Area.
 

As one of our most beloved leaders, Teresa is one of BOMA San Diego’s most active Principal Members. She’s served in a variety of leadership roles throughout the years, notably as the Committee Chairperson and Vice Chairperson of the Awards & Scholarships Committee. She also chaired the Emergency Preparedness Committee for many years - overseeing numerous Active Shooter Drills and in 2019 teamed up with Sonia Miro, Ryan Burrow and me to oversee the merger of the EP committee with the Sustainability Committee. 
 

A few years ago, Teresa stepped up, applied for the BOMA San Diego Board of Directors, and earned her spot on the Board as a Member-At-Large. After serving as a MAL for 2 years, Teresa started her role as our Chapter’s Secretary on the Executive Board.
 

We asked Teresa to give us insight on her take on being a BOMA leader. Here’s what she had to say:
 

BOMA San Diego: You have been one of our most active BOMA Principal Members to date. What and/or who inspired you to take on leadership roles in BOMA San Diego?

Teresa: Lynn Hulbert was my primary mentor. She was ever-persistent in her pursuit of me. She believed that I was ready for the Board, and kept asking for about 4-5 years??  I finally gave in and am so glad I did!

BOMA San Diego: How would you define yourself in three words?

Teresa: Thoughtful, generous, brave.

BOMA San Diego: What behavior or personality trait do you most attribute your success to, and why?

Teresa: It’s difficult to limit this to one word, but if I had to, I’d say ‘hardworking,’ and then ‘dependable’ and ‘adaptable.’ Our business has changed so much since COVID ‘walked in’ on the scene; we’ve had to adjust and stay the course.

BOMA San Diego: What energizes you about being involved in BOMA? 

Teresa: Accomplishing meaningful goals for our community – giving back and getting involved at the ground level with legislative initiatives that will impact the CRE industry.

BOMA San Diego: How do you show BOMA’s value to your employers? 

Teresa: Bringing to light the most recent, proposed legislation and its potential, direct impact on us, and peer trends – what are other property owners doing to engage their tenants and improve their assets, and lastly, sustainability.  We’re on top of this through our Government Affairs Committee and the Emergency Preparedness & Sustainability (EP_S) Committee. Property owners need to be ahead of the many mandates that have and will come down the pipeline.

BOMA San Diego:  You were the moderator at the March luncheon on International Women’s Day. Have you ever moderated a BOMA event before this event? 

Teresa:  I’ve never moderated before, but I loved it! 

BOMA San Diego: How did you prepare yourself for the day of and what was your biggest takeaway from participating in this event? 

Teresa: Preparation involved research of International Women’s Month, seeing what other organizations were doing, developing a thoughtful introduction and dialogue, and then rehearsing it. It was so inspiring to hear what these women had to say about their experiences, and the bonus was hearing back from women in the audience who were touched by those stories and wanted more.

BOMA San Diego: What’s a BOMA-related accomplishment you’re really proud of?