By Jaime Clark, Small Giants
CREW Denver’s inaugural DEI Signature Event showcased a distinguished panel of industry experts. The event fostered a supportive and inclusive environment, celebrating diversity with an engaging Q&A session that inspired attendees. Through personal narratives, these accomplished women shared their journeys and insights on securing a well-deserved position in the commercial real estate industry’s marketplace.
Panel members included: Denyse Airheart, business development professional at Mortenson; Hoshi Brooks, Sr. interior design manager at Galloway; Carrie Duffy, president & owner of Black Dirt Land Sales & Management; Hope Dunleavy, enterprise managing consultant at Real Foundations; Veronica Unnikrishnan, partner & global head of innovation at 5Q. The moderator was Mary Greblunas, senior project manager at Douglas Design + Build.
Tackling sensitive subjects, this panel shared their successes and challenges throughout their career journey. Each panelist brought a distinct background, entering the industry through diverse avenues. Some boasted extensive education and targeted, traditional growth in commercial real estate, while others navigated formidable obstacles to achieve their current professional success.
Answering a question prompted by Mary Greblunas, Hope Dunleavy highlighted the importance of personal mentorship in her career, explaining that both mentors and sponsors had played a critical role in her career success. Mentorship offered her guidance, while sponsorship afforded a direct advocate overseeing her career. Her sponsor provided her with increased visibility within the company and industry along with various opportunities for advancement. Hope’s advice was to find both a mentor and a sponsor–people who truly care about you, your future, and can provide a path forward, particularly when things become difficult, because they will.
At a pivotal moment in the event, the panelists addressed a question about their insecurities and challenges with refreshing vulnerability. They openly shared personal struggles encountered throughout their career journeys, touching on diverse themes such as overcoming introversion in high-stakes executive meetings, striving for greater emotional intelligence, confronting ageism, navigating the school of hard knocks, facing internal fears, the hurdles of mastering English as a second language, seeking therapy for mental health support, and grappling with confidence issues to achieve the self-assuredness essential for demanding careers.
From a recent social media post: “Last Wednesday, a few of us attended CREW Denver’s inaugural Signature DEl Event with RF as the sponsor. The evening included networking and DEl dialogue with an inspiring panel of women, which included our very own Hope Dunleavy. The panel of women shared their personal stories, DEl challenges, and their journey to claiming their seat at the table. It was a great evening filled with laughter, tears, networking, and food.” – Kim Kuykendoll.
A key insight gleaned from this event was the fundamental role of hard work in achieving career success. Panelists emphasized the importance of perseverance, patience, and adaptability in navigating their professional paths. A recurring theme among them was their resilience in overcoming significant challenges, embracing their unique backgrounds as integral parts of their identities, and cultivating a supportive network of individuals around them.
We give a heartfelt thanks to this year’s panel for their invaluable contributions to this year’s DEI event. Your insights and dedication were instrumental in making it a great success. We’re already looking forward to next year’s event and hope you can join us in furthering our mission and creating another impactful experience.
This year’s event was held at Raices Brewery and hosted by CREW Denver’s Member Engagement DEI Committee. This committee features spotlight stories ranging as drastically as human life experiences do. Read more from CREW Denver members at: https://denver.crewnetwork.org/resources/news
To learn about the CREW Denver Member Engagement DEI Committee, visit: https://denver.crewnetwork.org/about/our-commitment-to-dei
