The Leader - January/February 2008 - (Page 82) execUtive developmeNt spotliGht by megan mccann Joann lane Joann lane, mcr.h, slcr, passes it on When Masters of Corporate Real Estate (MCR) designees were recently challenged with “passing it on” by mentoring a leader of corporate real estate (CRE) through the MCR program, JoAnn Lane took the challenge to heart. She mentored not one, but two CRE professionals, John Schultze, Corporate Solutions for Colliers-Pinkard and Ward Nunnally, Real Estate Leader for Philip Morris, USA. Lane is Global Real Estate Leader for Genworth Financial – headquartered in Richmond, Va. Her current focus is managing an international portfolio of office sites in 28 countries. She was formerly with GE Financial Assurance (a newly formed insurance division under General Electric) for eight years as U.S. Real Estate Leader; along with 10+ years CRE experience at AON Corporation subsidiary, Life Insurance Company of Virginia. Lane attended Virginia Commonwealth University; and currently holds a Masters of Corporate Real Estate with Honors (MCR.h) designation along with Senior Leader of Corporate Real Estate (SLCR). She is a CoreNet Mid-Atlantic Chapter Board Member acting as the Richmond liaison. Why did she take the challenge so seriously? “Selfishly, first as a Chapter Board member, I wanted to support chapter membership growth by mentoring someone within our region — both became members as well as candidates,” Lane says. “Second, Colliers-Pinkard provides my company global corporate solutions, transaction and lease administration service so I knew by attending the classes and sitting with my CRE colleagues, sharing war stories, lessons learned and best practices, I would ultimately benefit.” In her role as mentor, Lane shared with Schultze and Nunnally past experiences regarding classes she had attended, instructors, lessons learned, tips and served as a guide on their first CoreNet Global Summit experience. “We did not set scheduled meetings but rather kept each other updated via e-mail and occasional calls,” she explains. “John established a target of completing the MCR requirements under a ‘fast track’ mode. Ultimately, he received his designation within 15 months. Ward realized he had personal and job challenges that would require a much slower approach.” Lane has recommendations for others interested in getting colleagues to join the MCR program. “First, you have to be the example — even though I have reached both designations, I strive to attend one class yearly, recommend future courses to the CoreNet Global EDP staff; and ceaselessly share my experiences with others,” she says. “Second, be a mentor — surprisingly minimal amount of time involved. The outcome is how rewarding it is to see the designee become more 2 0 0 8 th e le ade r knowledgeable in the field of Corporate Real Estate by achieving their MCR or SLCR; along with creating an expanded network of CRE colleagues.” Lane received her MCR designation under a 12-month goal, the .h the following year and SLCR the first year it was offered (the .h refers to an honors program offered through NACORE, one of the former organizations that merged to create CoreNet Global). “Through taking the classes over the past eight years, I have had the opportunity to meet many of my global corporate counterparts along with providers of CRE services many of which I still converse with today,” Lane says. “No surprise to me, the continuation of learning in our field is constant in order to be of value within our corporate environment. A great example four years ago, I attended a new class — Designing the Optimal CRE Organization; and marveled in the fact that the majority of the attendees had 20+ years of corporate real estate experience.” As for her mentorees, Lane says: “I am really excited about their success and look forward to continuing to monitor and/or assist in their EDP endeavors. John has expressed a desire to continue his learning process, and possibly strive to reach the SLCR level; and Ward is focusing on attending San Diego to complete another MCR course.” 82 J aN Ua rY / F e B rUa r Y
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