The Baker Program in Real Estate is pleased to announce the formation of Cornell Real Estate Women (CornellREW), a newly established professional and graduate student organization at Cornell. The mission of CornellREW is the promotion and advancement of professional women in real estate. Starting with current graduate and professional students at Cornell, the main objective of CornellREW is to provide networking and mentorship opportunities with female industry leaders in order to build connections between future and current professional real estate women.
CornellREW looks to increase the visibility of women in real estate by attracting more female real estate executives to come to Cornell, supporting members in securing internships and jobs in a timely manner, and encouraging more female participation in case competitions. Furthermore, CornellREW aims to attract more female students to join the Baker Program in Real Estate. Finally, CornellREW hopes to prepare members for their future professional career, ensuring that all members are comfortable in the industry and in their work environment.
As part of its purpose, CornellREW aims to fill the void that has persisted within professional graduate real estate programs by creating a network to bridge connections between professional women in real estate and the women who wish to enter the industry. “To elevate the real estate industry to the level of other professional industries, we require an organization dedicated to women in real estate,” said Caitlin Elliott ’17, President and Founder of CornelREW. “Women in real estate are highly underrepresented, especially in the commercial sector. There was no dedicated space at Cornell for women in real estate to excel. There was a void between women in the real estate industry and women at Cornell, both of whom are already minorities in their own areas. It is apparent in talking to these professionals that they want to help students who are aspiring to work in real estate succeed, and they want to increase the presence of fellow women in their fields. Until now, there has been nothing bridging these professionals with these students who are working hard to succeed. CornellREW is that bridge.”
CornellREW has arranged several events that showcase some of the leading female executives in the industry, and has already successfully hosted two key leaders, Kate Bicknell of Forest City Ratner and Catherine Von Seggern of Ernst and Young’s Construction and Real Estate Advisory Services. CornellREW will be hosting a networking event prior to the start of the Cornell Real Estate Conference in New York City on October 13th at the Westin New York at Times Square. The networking event will feature some of the top companies and executives both based out of New York City and elsewhere.
