Dear CREW New York,
I am extremely honored to serve as President of the New York chapter this year. After the uniquely challenging year we just had, we are all looking forward to a better 2021. I am exceptionally proud of Allison Robin, who did an enormously successful job leading the chapter through an incredibly difficult year. We achieved our goal of meeting the Network Chapter Challenge, with over 50% of our membership donating to Network Foundation, thanks to her passion and commitment, and I’m excited to keep that momentum going. I’m also extremely proud of our board for serving with such rigor in 2020.
Our Programs Committee, led by Michelle DeCarlo, coordinated new and creative virtual programming to keep our members engaged. We also successfully executed the “DIG This” program in collaboration with Non-Traditional Employment for Women (NEW), with the great work of Wendy Rossi, Barbara Champoux and Maria Elefante. We created a special DEI Task Force, led by Sheri Best, Julia Rocco and Andis Woodlief, who initiated the Social Equity Trust program that we are looking to continue in 2021.
We will continue to offer a wide array of events this year, with such program topics as Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; Powerful Women; a wine tasting; and other popular 2020 virtual events. We will also enhance our new “Wellness Program” that I’m very passionate about. This program will offer virtual personal training sessions including cardio, yoga and basic self-defense. The programming is free to members (but we encourage a nominal donation to Foundation), and we will be offering it to sponsor companies and their employees at no cost as well.
While no one is certain exactly what 2021 will bring, we are excited at the prospect of adding in-person events, at some point, to our virtual programming for even more opportunities to stay connected with members.
A few more key initiatives that we are undertaking in the New York chapter are:
- The creation of a new Member Services Committee led by Barbara E. Champoux. Its mission is the inclusion, engagement and retention of CREWNY's members within CREWNY & CREW Network, and efforts supporting their respective missions. They will focus on enhancing the member experience and connecting them to the platform of robust resources available from CREW NY & Network.
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The continuation of our DEI Task Force and the formation of a new committee that will focus on the diversity, equity and inclusion of membership, as well as special programming to continue the important conversations around social equity.
- The enrichment of the mentorship program through the Mentorship Rocket platform. With the help of the Member Services Committee, we are hoping to increase participation and deliver the many benefits that come with mentorship and career guidance.
- The establishment of the Past Presidents’ Advisory Council to provide strategic feedback to the Board of Directors.
- The commitment to meet Network’s Chapter Challenge and achieve 50% member participation in donations to Network Foundation. Past President Allison Robin will be our 2021 Chapter Champion, leading the efforts to help us meet our goals.
Our committees will continue the important work that they do, from promoting the successes of our members to introducing young women to the variety of CRE industry careers. I strongly encourage you to become engaged in one of our committees if you haven’t already. The benefits of this level of participation outweigh the time and effort put in, so don’t miss out on the opportunity to make meaningful connections with your fellow members. There are short and long-term positions as well as ways to contribute remotely on your own schedule.
As I watched our chapter stay engaged and active through 2020, I was truly inspired by how extraordinary and resilient our membership is. We have demonstrated that our commitment to stay connected was stronger than any challenge that 2020 had in store for us.
So, as we look ahead to the rest of 2021, I’m excited to see how our organization will continue to grow and become even stronger as we emerge from a year of adversity and uncertainty. I’m confident that we will forge ahead with our mission and thrive for years to come!
