Megan Roth Abraham is The Goldie Initiative’s first Chief Executive Officer. An entrepreneurial non-profit builder and executive based in Chicago who has made a career as a leader in nonprofits and associations to expand and scale, Megan was previously Executive Director at The Goldie Initiative from 2016-2020. She most recently served as the Chief Advancement Officer of JCC Chicago, and her experience includes roles at the National Association of Realtors, the International Real Property Foundation, the International Consortium of Real Estate Associations, and other organizations.
In her new role as CEO of The Goldie Initiative, Megan will lead the charge to shape the next generation of commercial real estate leaders by expanding opportunities for mentorship, providing unique and impactful career development activities, and awarding generous scholarships at esteemed graduate school programs nationwide.
Abraham has a Master of Science degree in Public Services Management from DePaul University and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.She also serves on faculty at Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership.
Latricia ‘ Trish’ Gordon is currently a JLL PDS Vice President. Trish is passionate about Commercial real estate and introducing early career talent to the profession through her YouTube channel and varios social platforms. Professionally, she leverages her design and team-building capabilities to develop and lead project teams in successful project delivery. She uses collaborative problem-solving to work with global clients on delivering their real estate portfolios totaling over 1.5M square feet internationally.
Trish earned a dual MBA in Real Estate and Finance. She has received the honor of scholar for the Goldie B. Wolfe Miller Women Leaders in Real Estate (Goldie Initiative), Commercial Real Estate Woman Network (CREW) and Society Of Industrial and Office Realtors (SIOR) and a member of Delta Mu Delta the International Honor Society in Business.
Trish is a wife ( 17 years) and the mother of 3 amazing children in Stephen (15), Grace (13) and James (11) , this energetic family is always on the go! Trish enjoys building new relationships and public speaking which she uses as a Program Facilitator for Commercial Real Estate Women (C.R.E.W.). Trish is PMP and LEED certified, a Illinois licensed Broker, and a Licensed Interior Designer.
Founded by iconic commercial real estate broker Goldie B. Wolfe Miller in 2007, the mission of the Goldie B. Wolfe Miller Women Leaders in Real Estate® Initiative is to prepare women for senior leadership roles in all sectors of commercial real estate. The Goldie Initiative does this by providing scholarship support for graduate study, mentorship, and networking opportunities to women with high potential who are committed to becoming leaders in the real estate industry.
Goldie scholars attend top graduate schools across North America. Schools participating to-date include:
- Chicago-Kent College of Law
- Columbia University
- Cornell University
- DePaul University
- Georgetown University
- Loyola University Chicago
- Marquette University
- New York University
- Northeastern Illinois University
- Northwestern University
- Roosevelt University
- The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
- University of Chicago
- University of Illinois, Chicago
- University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
- University of Michigan
- University of Notre Dame
- University of Wisconsin-Madison
For further information about The Goldie Initiative, visit https://goldieinitiative.org/.
Connect with Megan and Trish on LinkedIn
Interview questions:
Q1. Let’s make sure the readers understand how passionate we both are about women’s leadership! Megan, for listener context, can you introduce yourself and then briefly describe the work of The Goldie Initiative’s mission?
Q2. Can you tell me about how The Goldie Initiative is making a positive impact on the CRE industry and for female leaders around the world? Can you quantify that impact for me?
Q3. What is next for The Goldie Initiative under your leadership as CEO? How do you expect The Goldie Initiative to grow over the next few years?
Q4. What differentiates The Goldie Initiative from other women’s professional organizations? And how has partnering with other women’s organizations helped The Goldie Initiative grow and meet its goals?
Q5. How does mentoring help women reach the C-Suite in CRE and what are the organizations strategies related to mentoring Goldie Scholars and other up-and-coming female leaders?
Q6. Your own career has taken twists in turns in the real estate industry and non-profit world. How did you get to where you are, and who have been the mentors who helped you arrive at CEO?
Q7. Why should young women pursue careers in commercial real estate, and specifically, why should they pursue graduate programs? Beyond the scholarship dollars by being a Goldie Scholar, what should young women know more generally about the importance of networking and mentorship, two major pillars of The Goldie Initiative program?
Q8. How can companies, organizations and individuals support and get more involved with The Goldie Initiative. How might companies interested in supporting women gain access to this impressive pool of female leaders in the CRE industry?
Q9. Which of your personal values have you intentionally instilled into The Goldie Initiative?
Q10. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve heard in the context of The Goldie Initiative?
Recent News: https://goldieinitiative.org/news/
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