On Tuesday, November 30, 2021, 11 students at the Girls Leadership Academy of Wilmington or GLOW Academy, graduated from an innovative partnership with Cape Fear CREW that introduced them to career paths in commercial real estate. GLOW Academy’s broad STEM curriculum brings into focus a number of careers in science, technology, engineering, art, and math but this fall, the all-girls public charter school’s students explored careers in an industry long dominated by men as Cape Fear CREW, the leading organization for women in commercial real estate in the Cape Fear region, brought a new and customized learning experience to the academy. The new educational partnership, GLOW Academy Commercial Real Estate Club, provided seven, weekly, after-school club meetings that showcased multiple career paths in commercial real estate throughout the fall, culminating in last night’s graduation event. The curriculum and guest speakers included:
- Commercial Brokerage – Selling/Buying/Negotiations: Kelly Stuart of Carolinas Commercial/Intracoastal Realty
- Design/Architecture: Daniela Ayers of LS3P
- Civil Engineering: Tamara Murphy, PE, PMP of the US Army Corps of Engineers and Tammy Spivey of SEPI, Inc.
- Construction/Budgeting: Linsey Honaker, Bettina Acosta and Colleen Coons of Monteith Construction
- Real Estate Finance/Commercial Banking: Connie Ronner of Live Oak Bank
- Legal: Title/Land Use/Zoning: Faison Sutton of Murchison, Taylor & Gibson, PLLC
- Property Management – Marketing/Leasing: Karrie Westphal of Cape Fear Commercial and Susan Arredondo of Cameron Management, Inc.
Cape Fear CREW Foundation Committee Chairperson and a former Cape Fear CREW President, Julie Andrews of Logan Homes, noted, “Core to CREW’s mission is the education of girls and young women about the career opportunities available to them and to create mentoring relationships to make connections, help women find career paths and provide insights on the impact careers in commercial real estate can provide. CREW Network Foundation, established by our national organization in 1998, is the only organization that dedicates its resources solely toward this mission. I am thrilled to lead our chapter — and our members and representatives from our partner companies that are so generously offering their time and experiences — in this landmark partnership with GLOW Academy.”
“At GLOW we are intentional about preparing our students for what lies ahead. Our vision is, “She will graduate, go to college and succeed in life,” so we are always looking for ways to prepare our girls for opportunity and present a future with tremendous options. We are delighted to be partnering with CREW to introduce career paths in a thriving industry that has a big impact on southeastern North Carolina,” said Jahleese Hadley, GLOW’s Director of College Access.
About Cape Fear CREW and CREW Network
The Cape Fear chapter of Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW), with more than 60 members from a wide array of commercial real estate interests, has as its mission to advance the success of women in commercial real estate. CREW Network is the affiliated national association that represents over 12,000 women in commercial real estate in chapters across more than 75 major markets globally. For more information on the Cape Fear chapter, including membership and partnership information, visit the Cape Fear CREW website at www.capefearcrew.org and follow us on Facebook @CapeFearCrew, Instagram @cape_fear_crew and LinkedIn.
About GLOW Academy
The Girls Leadership Academy of Wilmington is North Carolina’s only single-gender public charter school. The school opened in August 2016, with its inaugural sixth grade class, adding a new sixth grade each successive academic year. The first class of students will graduate in the 2022/23 academic year. With a focus on providing a single-sex educational choice for students from predominately underserved communities who are often the first in their families to attend college, the 6th thru 12th grade school is part of a nationwide network of 16 groundbreaking and successful single-gender schools. This Young Women’s Leadership Network is guided by a proven educational model focused on academic rigor, personal responsibility, leadership and college preparedness. At GLOW Academy, she will: graduate, go to college and succeed in life. For more information about GLOW Academy, visit www.glowacademy.net or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/GlowAcademy1/.
