This year has changed our lives and the commercial real estate industry in many ways. But, now more than ever, we see the amazing resilience and talent of our members.
Each day, our CRE professionals strive for personal, building and city-wide excellence. In today's BOMA/Chicago Foundation newsletter, we will highlight some of these professionals. Below, we recognize a few of our Foundation scholarship recipients. As you will see, the hardships of 2020 have not stopped our recipients from achieving personal and professional success.
We also invite you to read through inspiring testimonials from our 2020 Foundation Sponsors, including Diamond Sponsor (JLL), Foundation Sponsor (BEAR Construction), Platinum Sponsors (EQ Office and A&A Maintenance) and our Gold Sponsors (ABM and CELTIC Companies).
We will continue to keep you in the loop about our BOMA/Chicago Foundation scholarship recipients, volunteers, donors and diversity initiatives.
If you would like to become a sponsor, make a donation or learn more about the BOMA/Chicago Foundation, please reach out to us at any time. We thank each of you for your ongoing support.
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Updates from BOMA/Chicago Foundation
Scholarship Recipients
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Alexandria (Allie) Borrego, 2019 Full Designation Scholarship Recipient
Assistant General Manager at JLL
In 2019, I was awarded the Full Designation Scholarship. By the time that I was recognized at the 2019 TOBY/Gold Circle Awards Gala, I had taken my first RPA class and passed the exam. Since then, I hit the ground running and have signed up for and completed every class offered. That is, until I had my daughter earlier this year!
In February, my husband (Mike Calme, MB Real Estate) and I welcomed our first child – Charlotte Capri Calme. Charlotte is the absolute light of our lives and by far my biggest accomplishment.
Saying 2020 has been an eventful year would be quite the understatement. Buying a house at eight-months pregnant, becoming a new mother, working full time and navigating through a pandemic has been a unique experience; however, BOMA/Chicago and JLL have made this unprecedented circumstance manageable by offering flexible schedules and resources at my fingertips. I can’t begin to thank them enough.
As it stands, I have only one more RPA class to take before earning the designation. Through the process, I have also received my CMCP certification, renewed my real estate license (while on maternity leave) and became a member of the JLL AGM-University Committee.
I am very grateful for the opportunities presented to me and the continued support I receive from BOMA/Chicago. I look forward to continuing my involvement in the organization!
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Caroline Foulk, 2020 Full Designation Scholarship Recipient
Property Associate at JLL
Since I was awarded the scholarship in January 2020, I have transitioned to a Property Associate role at 550 West Washington and 363 West Erie. I have led several projects at these buildings, including a building re-measurement and a camera server upgrade, as well as a GCFD food drive and a back to school supply drive with Big Brothers Big Sisters.
Regarding my education, I have completed three RPA classes, and I received my real estate broker license this month. I also attend as many BOMA/Chicago webinars as possible.
I also continue to volunteer in my community. I am currently tutoring students remotely with Aquinas Literacy Center, attending monthly stewardship days in McKinley Park and participating in a mutual aid network that focuses on helping families affected by the pandemic to buy groceries and pay rent.
In September, I will be the maid of honor at my sister’s very small “backyard” wedding.
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Christina McInerney, 2018 Ollie Scholarship Recipient
Senior Assistant Property Manager at Cushman & Wakefield
Since becoming the 2018 Ollie Scholar, I transitioned from a Property Administrator role with JLL to Senior Assistant Property Manager with Cushman & Wakefield. I currently manage an 870,000 square foot, Class A office property in Rosemont. In this role, I manage tenant improvement construction projects and capital projects, including two lobby renovations. I have also managed a BOMA Suburban TOBY Awards application for a Downers Grove property. And I am happy to report that we were the 2020 Local TOBY winner for the Corporate Facility Category!
Last month, I completed my final RPA exam and I expect to have my RPA designation by this fall. I am also pursuing my MBA at Northeastern Illinois University and I will graduate in spring 2021. In 2019, I was awarded the Goldie B. Wolfe Miller scholarship for my MBA studies. This scholarship program runs for two years and includes mentorship, professional development training and $10,000 in MBA funding each year.
And lastly, I celebrated my one-year wedding anniversary in May!
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Joe Sherman, RPA/FMA, 2014 Full Designation Scholarship Recipient
Production Manager at Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Since earning the Full Designation Scholarship in 2014, I have earned both my RPA and FMA designations. I also have moved from a student to a teacher role during this time! For the past three years, I have been teaching the Ethics is Good Business course and I am proud that my students have had a 100% pass rate on the Ethics exams all three years. This past June, I taught the Ethics class online, which was a brand-new experience for me. Although online courses may not be ideal, I feel honored to help students continue their studies amid COVID-19. I am also the Chair of the BOMA/Chicago Foundation Scholarship Committee and it is so rewarding to help our emerging talent become future leaders with a $10,000 full-tuition RPA scholarship.
Most recently in my position at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, I coordinated the production of two public outdoor CSO Chamber performances. One was at Daley Plaza on July 13. At the request of Toni Preckwinkle, the President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, this CSO quartet played (along with singers from the Lyric Opera of Chicago and dancers from the Joffrey Ballet) to welcome Cook County employees back to the office. The other performance was on August 11 at Douglas Park. This was to support healthcare workers from adjacent Esperanza Health Centers, Lawndale Christian Health Centers, Sinai Hospital and St. Anthony Hospital.
I have also worked on two projects for BOMI, one where I was a subject matter expert and developed questions for their Exam Redesign project. I was also selected to work on the FMA Capstone Experience project, where I took a comprehensive FMA exam; the overall goal of this project was to assess the validity of the exam.
I am tremendously proud to be a Full Designation Scholarship recipient. I encourage everyone to earn the RPA or FMA designation and apply for a scholarship. The scholarship and designation will not only educate you as a CRE professional, but build your network of peers and open other doors of opportunity that you never imagined!
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2021 Scholarship Opportunities
Mark your calendars to apply for $10K full tuition RPA scholarships!
In a few months, we will open the scholarship application seasons for the 2021 calendar year. You could be our next recipient, so mark your calendars!
Full Designation Scholarship: Opens September 10 and Due November 4
Needs-based scholarship that pays the $10,000 tuition for all eight RPA/FMA classes
Ollie Scholarship: Opens November 12 and Due February 3
Scholarship for underrepresented CRE professionals and pays the $10,000 tuition for all eight RPA classes
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Foundation Sponsor Spotlight
Thank you to our generous sponsors and volunteers!
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Stephen V. Zsigray, Jr.
Regional Director of Property Management at JLL
2020 Foundation Diamond Sponsor & Five Year (2015 to 2019) Celebration Platinum Sponsor
JLL is very proud to be the Diamond Sponsor of the BOMA/Chicago Foundation as it strives for further diversity and inclusion in Chicago’s real estate community. Our corporate and property management leadership are fully committed to intensifying efforts towards recruiting, hiring and developing diverse and minority employees. JLL successfully employs many talented and diverse colleagues. However, we still have much more to do. The Reginald Ollie and Full Designation Scholarships offered through the Foundation are a tremendous benefit to those individuals receiving these awards. Achieving the RPA designation is an important milestone in a CRE career. And recipients gain immediate notoriety and credibility within the real estate community. JLL applauds the extraordinary efforts of the Foundation and Diversity Committee in providing career-enhancing opportunities to underrepresented groups.
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Scott Kurinsky
Executive Vice President at BEAR Construction Company
2020 Foundation Sponsor & Three Year (2017 to 2019) Celebration Gold Sponsor
BEAR Construction is honored to be a part of the BOMA/Chicago Foundation and the diversity program, highlighted with the annual Ollie Scholarship. Now, perhaps at any time since the 1960’s era of Civil Rights, seems the perfect time to celebrate and encourage the diversity that makes this nation great. The recent weeks and months have galvanized my belief that one of the best ways to combat inequality of all kinds is through direct involvement with mentorships and programs like the Ollie Scholarship. But to truly make a lasting change, those efforts need to be coordinated with and backed by real economic opportunities at all levels of corporate America, including our own CRE industry. BEAR has a long history of working to improve those opportunities and we are committed to furthering those efforts moving forward. Congratulations to all past and future Ollie recipients. We look forward to working with you!
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Gary Michon
General Manager for EQ Office at Willis Tower
2020 Foundation Platinum Sponsor & BOMA/Chicago Board Member
At EQ Office, we aspire to bring humanity to the workplace. One way we are doing that is through promoting and celebrating an inclusive and diverse culture through our Diversity and Inclusion program, which positively aligns with the great work being done by the BOMA/Chicago Foundation. As we partner with our tenant “customers” at Willis Tower, we place great importance on how we can support their efforts, along with creating an office environment that inspires great talent. We are also proud of our own EQ staff member, Marisol Olvera, who is a former Ollie Scholar and current Diversity Committee Member for the BOMA/Chicago Foundation.
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Philip Marzullo
Executive Vice President at A&A Maintenance
2020 Foundation Platinum Sponsor & Two Year (2018 and 2019) Celebration Gold Sponsor
As one of the largest privately held and minority owned commercial cleaning companies in the country, A&A proudly supports the BOMA/Chicago Foundation. A&A was founded in 1973 by two Latino immigrants that were given a small opportunity to enter the cleaning industry. Through hard work and dedication, A&A has grown to a be predominant national provider servicing offices, corporate campuses, the medical industry and more. We are now a three-year sponsor of the Celebration and BOMA/Chicago Foundation. We honor the Foundation's efforts to engage, support and develop diversity within our CRE industry.
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Mary Pat Bitner
Customer Account Executive at ABM
2020 Foundation Gold Sponsor & Six Year (2014 to 2019) Celebration Gold Sponsor
ABM Industries continues to be a proud member and supporter of the BOMA/ Chicago Foundation and its mission to advance the development of diverse leaders within the CRE industry. As an over 35-year active member of BOMA/Chicago and recent Affiliate of the Year Award Winner, it’s been remarkable to witness the growth of so many young and diverse professionals and the positive effect that the three scholarships have had on our tight-knit community. I continue to be inspired by BOMA/Chicago’s commitment to bring real change to the workplace. I look forward to working with the BOMA/Chicago Foundation and its important place within the CRE community.
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Mandy Manalli
Director of Business Development at
CELTIC Companies
2020 Foundation Gold Sponsor and 2018 Celebration Gold Sponsor
It is both and honor and a privilege to support the BOMA/Chicago Foundation. The ideals of the Foundation are in alignment with what we are striving to achieve at CELTIC Companies and in our own personal endeavors. Recent events have put on full display the gross injustices minorities face in this country. Formed 25 years ago, the Foundation's Diversity Committee has been battling to fight theses injustices before they were largely called upon to. We at CELTIC stand with and behind these objectives to create a community of support and strength in which we can be proud of. Although we could not see you at the Celebration this year, we look forward to working with you and seeing all of you soon!
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Learn More About the BOMA/Chicago Foundation
Watch a Video Highlighting our Volunteers!
The BOMA/Chicago Foundation is a strong non-profit organization that touches the lives of CRE emerging leaders and Chicago's underserved youth. Behind every successful non-profit stand the leaders who volunteer their time, expertise and uplifting spirits. Our volunteers walk the walk when it comes to diversity and that is why the Foundation is still going strong after 12 years. YOU are our lifeblood. YOU are the BOMA/Chicago Foundation!
The mission of the BOMA/Chicago Foundation is to advance the development of emerging talent in commercial real estate, inclusive of underrepresented groups, through education, exposure and outreach. Learn more by visiting our website and watch a video highlighting our mission and volunteers.
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2020 BOMA/Chicago Foundation Sponsors
Thank you for your support!
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DECADE OF DIVERSITY SPONSOR |
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Thank you to our 2020 BOMA/Chicago Premier Partners!
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