Stacy Kurko of Jay Paul Company has lived all over the United States. The experience of moving from city to city gave her a unique perspective on life as a professional and as a parent. She grew up in a suburb in Cleveland and attended college in Maryland. After college she made her way to San Francisco, then New York City, and back to San Francisco after she got married. After they had their son, their family moved to Savannah, GA for her husband’s work. The big move to the South also opened the door for Stacy to place her property management career on pause and allowed her to be a stay-at-home mom.
In 2017, fourteen years after stepping away from property management, Stacy’s family moved to San Diego for a couple of reasons - to give her son a chance to live in a larger metropolitan area before he left for college, and to live closer to her husband’s two brothers. The big move also gave Stacy the chance to restart her property management career. Today she works as a General Manager for Jay Paul Company, where she manages an office campus in Rancho Bernardo.
Moving around gave Stacy the chance to be a part of BOMA chapters in different markets - from San Francisco and Oakland to New York City. In 2019, she joined BOMA San Diego and has been an integral part of growing our membership. Stacy has a wealth of knowledge and has a genuine aspiration to build value for her property management colleagues by sharing her story on how BOMA participation has benefited her career. She has her RPA designation and proudly shares her story about how she toted her RPA binders from city to city, and continues to reference them at work. With all of her experience and drive, Stacy accepted her first committee leadership position and serves as the current Membership Committee Chairperson.
Read below to learn more about Stacy and her take on being a leader:
BOMA San Diego: How long have you worked in property management? What was your starting role in property management and what is your current role?
Stacy: I’ve worked in property management for 20 years. I started as an Administrative Assistant in a two-person office, and am now a General Manager.
BOMA San Diego: Congratulations on becoming BOMA San Diego’s Membership Committee Chairperson. What motivated you to step into the chairperson role and what are your top 3 goals for the chapter?
Stacy: This year the Membership Committee and the Emerging Professionals Committee separated after having been combined for a few years. With the committee now totally focused on membership, I thought it was a good time to step in and share my ideas. My top goal for the committee is to increase the number of Principal Members. My other goals are to let the San Diego CRE community know that BOMA is the only organization whose members are exclusively CRE professionals, and to educate property management companies and owners about the RPA designation and its value.
BOMA San Diego: What is your leadership philosophy?
Stacy: I trust my team to carry out their respective roles and make appropriate decisions. I am available for guidance and support if needed. I share responsibility with my team so that we can all learn and grow. I aim to act with empathy, thoughtfulness, and kindness.
BOMA San Diego: What is the most difficult decision you’ve had to make in your career?
Stacy: Whether to return to work or stay home after I had my son. I ended up staying home, which I don’t regret, but I suspended my career to do so.
BOMA San Diego: We interviewed you for our special ASP video series called Meet a Property Manager back in 2021, and you mentioned that you earned your RPA designation a few years ago. How has obtaining your RPA designation through BOMI helped shape your career?
Stacy: It has given me the knowledge base I needed to feel comfortable in my roles as I have been promoted in the industry. It has helped me get jobs at great companies that often make the designation a requirement.
BOMA San Diego: Who inspires you and why?
Stacy: My dad always inspired me. He grew up in a trailer park in Dayton, OH, put himself through college, and became a very successful financial advisor to different corporations and organizations. His strength was that he demystified the financial industry by explaining it without jargon or pretentiousness. He treated everyone equally, it made no difference if you were the CEO of a Fortune 500 company or a member of the Teamsters worried about your pension. My dad advised me to speak up for myself, not to be afraid to ask questions, and not to make myself “small.” Most of the time, if you ask your question or admit that you don’t know what a word or acronym means, the people around you are relieved because they have the same question. I’ve since learned that the most confident people at a meeting ask those types of questions (i.e., what is a CAM charge? CAM stands for common area maintenance).
BOMA San Diego: What leadership legacy do you want to leave behind for the next generation?
Stacy: Be curious about what you do and about the people you work with.
BOMA San Diego: What 3 books do you recommend for professional development?
Stacy: Dare to Lead by Brene Brown, The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday, and most recently, I read and loved Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara.
Thank you for being an amazing role model, Stacy!