A reflecting on NEWiRE's 30th year from the president

What a year it has been! As summer is upon us, the NEWiRE year is winding down. This has been a year of celebration and reflection on 30 years of NEWiRE's accomplishments. In celebration of our 30th anniversary, throughout the year we focused on women and leadership and highlighted the successes and leadership skills of our members and their contributions to the commercial real estate industry. NEWiRE would not be the organization it is today without the energy and commitment of its members. NEWiRE has been an important force behind the increasing success of women in New England's real estate community. This year NEWiRE continued to provide many exceptional networking opportunities, seminars, social events, professional development and educational programs. We reflected on the past 30 years of the organization and paid tribute to our founders and leadership. It has been a year of extraordinary women. Our programming continued to provide insightful discussion on relevant topics relating to the commercial real estate industry. Luncheon speakers included three of Boston Magazine's "50 Most Powerful Women in Boston": Gloria Larson, president of Bentley University; Cathy Minehan, dean of the School of Management, Simmons College and former president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston and Susan Windham-Bannister, president and CEO of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center. At a special networking event our members had the privilege of hearing from Barbara Lynch, also ranked one of Boston's 50 Most Powerful Women, who shared her success story as well as demonstrated a few of her culinary delights. Our annual meeting continues with this theme of accomplished women, when we will have the honor of hearing retired Judge Nancy Gertner speak about the challenges and accomplishments in her career. As a women's advocate, she will provide advice for women professionals. NEWiRE is excited to have the following four members join the board of directors for a three-year term commencing July 1st: Robyn Duffy, Jamestown Properties; Sarah Lagosh, Eastdil Secured; Angela Parziale, Walter & Shuffain, P.C.; and Susan Shelby, Rhino Public Relations. These members have been active in NEWiRE and will bring their leadership skills and expertise in the real estate industry to the NEWiRE Board. We have four members who have completed their term and will be retiring from the Board: Robin Davis, Megansett Advisors; Jacquelynn Henke, TD Bank; Joan Parsons, Reimer and Braunstein and Sophie Stein, Commonwealth Land Title Insurance Company. These women have helped advance numerous initiatives within the organization and have dedicated many hours chairing committees and organizing programs and events for our membership and other women in the commercial real estate industry. Their contributions to the organization are greatly appreciated. The NEWiRE mission is to promote the advancement of women in commercial real estate industry. For three decades, the organization has provided a forum for networking and professional development to women in various commercial real estate disciplines throughout the Greater Boston area. Over 400 members strong, NEWiRE is the largest affiliate chapter of the CREW Network which has over 8,000 commercial real estate professionals and 74 chapters across the country. NEWiRE looks forward with anticipation that the future will bring much continued success built on the strong foundation of our leadership and the dedication of our members. Please visit our website at www.newire.org for a complete listing of upcoming events and registration and membership information. Janet Pirrello is a senior vice president at BayNorth Capital and the 2011-2012 president of New England Women in Real Estate (NEWiRE), Boston, Mass.