Featured Podcast: Diversity and Inclusion, Women of CoreNet
03.27.18 // CoreNet Northern California Chapter is especially pleased to offer our listeners this thought-provoking podcast about diversity and inclusion. Recorded at the Women of CoreNet event held at Palo Alto Networks in Santa Clara on February 28, 2018, it features two extremely dynamic speakers, Cheryl S. Durst, Executive VP & CEO of the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) and Bari A. Williams, Head of Business Operations Management, North America at StubHub. The casual conversation format of the session created the perfect environment for candor. Consequently, both speakers delved deeply into their personal experiences holding little back!
While this provided an extra rich learning experience, at times the dialogue included strong language and is, therefore, suitable for mature audiences only.

Chapter Meeting Recaps
January Chapter Meeting // Thursday, Jan 18th // Foster City
Annual Economic Forecast
Members and guests experienced a new twist on the chapter’s annual forecast event on January 18, 2018 at VISA’s Headquarters in Foster City. The programs committee stepped outside the box and invited guest speaker Wayne Best, VISA’s Chief Economist. Best, who has a knack for translating notoriously snoozy econometric analyses into relatable plain English. Best educated (and entertained) the crowd of 180 with a fascinating look at consumer behavior in the trillion-dollar payments industry and its impact on global economic trends.
Key take-aways included:
- Consumer Behavior - Taking on Debt and Not Saving
- Labor Market - Low wage growth
- Price Changes and What goods people are buying
- Sharing Economy - VISA's study reports on 56 companies
- Economic Update - Predicts recession possible in min 2020
February Chapter Meeting // Thursday, Feb 15th // San Jose
Run, Walk, Sprint – Get your Heart Rate Up on Corporate Wellness
On February 15th over 150 members and guests participated in an engaging, interactive discussion at the February Chapter meeting which centered around the role of corporate real estate in developing wellness programs. The event, which was held at Adobe’s Headquarters in downtown San Jose, focused on best practices and featured companies leading the wellness movement
Moderator: Alex Spilger, Sr. VP, Global Occupier Services, Cushman & Wakefield
Panelists:
- Sara Torres, Global Wellbeing Straregist, Adobe
- Kris Herrera, Global Operational Support & Strategies Manager, Adobe
- Gary Smithson, Chief Medical Officer, RedBrick Health
- Michael Susi, Director of Global Wellness, LinkedIn

March Chapter Meeting // Thursday, March 15th // South San Francsico
Genentech’s View of the Work Environment of the Future
The CoreNet Global Northern California Chapter sends a special thank you out to the Genentech Workplace Effectiveness Team who pulled out the stops to host a refreshing program with a unique format on March 9, 2018 at their South San Francisco Campus. After a brief introduction by Ann Bamesberger, Senior Director of Workplace Effectiveness and Sara Anderson, Director of Real Estate Management, the 180 members and guests in attendance crowdsourced ideas at interactive tabletop discussions focused on six key themes impacting the future of the work environment. The Genentech team also raised the bar on the classic CoreNet networking experience at the cocktail reception by giving attendees the unique opportunity of speaking with Genentech team members at subject matter poster stations situated throughout the room.
Key themes included:
- Collaboration
- Heads-down focused work
- Commute and transportation
- Working flexibility
- Community
- Connected, smart building


Young Leaders Update
The Corenet Young Leader group hosted their Membership Drive on Feb. 2 at LinkedIn. The event, "Crucial Conversations in the Workplace" included a talented panel consisting of Aliza Skolnik (VP at ESD) as moderator, with Emily Ransone (Principal & Owner of SideMark), Sara Anderson (Director of Real Estate at Genentech), and Melissa Pesci (Principal and VP at HGA) as panelists.

Request for New Committee Members
Volunteer! A great way to maximize your membership is by volunteering within the Chapter. We have a variety of options available on our various committees – Communications, Sponsorship, Programs, Special Events, Membership, Young Leader, Women of CoreNet, Technology Special Interest Group and CoreNet Apprenticeship Program (CAP). Specially, the Sponsorship committee is looking for member-volunteers to fill concierge/liaison roles for sponsors, and to participate in planning the annual VIP event scheduled for later this year. To discuss this, and all volunteer opportunities, please contact Michelle Lagos at michelle.lagos@cbre.com.

Thank You to our 2017/2018 Volunteers!
From our monthly educational events to our fundraising efforts, CoreNet serves to help you stay abreast of industry trends and obtain directly applicable professional knowledge while making valuable professional contacts around the Bay Area; none of which would be possible without our amazing volunteers. Thank you for all you do to make the Northern California Chapter so special!
Julia Campbell |
Barry Toner |
Jay Sholl |
Janet Merriman |
Jill Hagaman |
Andrew Shapiro |
Terri Melzer |
Lary Wolfert |
Ylva Sandberg |
Raffy Espiritu |
Meera Agrawal |
Neal best |
Elizabeth Monti |
Kris Herrera |
Carter Kennedy |
Roxanne Bell |
Eoin McCarthy |
Ezra Gonzalez |
Lori Edwards |
Abraham Villarreal |
Molly Griffin |
Ted Klaassen |
Kris McFarland-Werner |
Melissa Pesci |
Laura Hapka |
Rachelle Ageev |
Rhonda Felicity |
Shannon Knuth |
Michael Bangs |
Pierce Nienken |
Cynthia Innecken |
Barabara Greenberg |
Michael Phelps |
Elizabeth Arslaner |
Disha Mehtani |
Lori Edwards |
Sharon Barrett |
Darrin Wolfe |
Aliza Skolnik |
Nadria Akbari |
Brandon Maddox |
Cameron Love |
Clayton Jones |
Evan Synstad |
Justin Zaronzy |
Katie Spurlock |
Leo Garrido |
Maggie Beitler |
Rob Van Harken |
Ryan O'Shea |
Shannon McHugh |
Shaun Lee |
Tyler Kellogg |
Ed Shea |
Meredith Wylie |
Kristi Pearce-Percy |
Lauren Whitlock |
Candy Ramirez |
Steve Bosco |
Lou Galiano |
Jamie Moore |
Linda Marie Santiago |
Terry Wood |
Dick Palomba |
Liz Chaney |
Jana Gunsul |
Michael Casolo |
Denise De Ville |
Kathy Popvec |
Chris Hom |
Clarinda Bisceglia |
Nancy ly |
Terri Rodriguez |
Joy Torab |
Mary Curtiss |
Andrea Traum |
Rebecca Ancich |
Shaun Scrivens |
Coleen Hurley |
Cassidy Zerrer |
Antonia Cardone |
Michael Pereira |
John Bruno |
Linda Jansen |
David Nelson |
David Radcliffe |
Randy Smith |
Steve Hargis |
Larry Yim |
Cara Trani |
Alex Spigler |
Julia Hyson |
Shap Roder |
Tina Ogg |
Lisa Weeks |
Brian Thomas |
Daniel Carfora |
Steve Morton |
Suzanne Coppola |
Ron Paradies |
John Lucas |
Roy Stark |
Teddy Stray |
Adam Price |
Aileen Lerch |
Jaclyn Guasco |
Joanna Augustine |
Matt Macko |
Patrick Wong |
Tim Ogilvie |
Amy Hanlon |
Jeremy Agraz |
Jean Chene |
Larry Bell |
Therese Hazelroth |
Chris Chandlee |
Joan Price |
Tracy Hawkins |
Aimee Hallgrimson |
Candace Hunt |
Laurie Orlov |
Grace Dalman |
Soraya Farrah |
Sandy Heistand |
Michelle Lagos |
James Morgensen |
Morgan Simunovich |
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Upcoming Events
Women of CoreNet Happy Hour // Wednesday, May 9th // San Jose
Please join us as we kickoff the year with the Women of CoreNet May Happy Hour. New this year - we will be providing our WOC community with a summer reading book list in May. A selected book from this list will be discussed at future WOC Happy Hours. Don’t worry, you don’t have to read the book to attend. We look forward to seeing new and old faces at this upcoming Happy Hour.
Venue: WeWork 6th Floor Lounge, 75 E. Santa Clara St, San Jose, CA 95113
Time: 4pm - 7pm
Cost: Member: FREE // Non-Member Service Provider: $10.00 // Non-Member Service Provider: $15.00
May Chapter Meeting // Thursday, May 17th // Santa Clara
Blockchain Cryptocurrency and the Applications for CRE
The hype surrounding cryptocurrencies has reached global pitch with the value of Bitcoin increasing over 1,000% in the past few years. As speculators & investors cash-in on the rapid rise in the price of cryptocurrencies, the question remains as to whether there might be practical, real-world application for this emerging technology. Many experts believe that the value of these new ‘digital coins’ lies not in their purchasing power, but in the blockchain technology that powers their platform. Come learn from one of the leading experts on this exciting new field as we uncover practical applications for blockchain technology in the commercial real estate industry.
Speaker: Ragnar Lifthrasir
Venue: Palo Alto Networks, 3000 Tannery Way, Santa Clara, CA 95054
Schedule: 3:30p: Registration // 4:00p: Program // 5:30p: Reception
Cost: Member: $35.00 // Non-Member End User: $60.00 // Non-Member Service Provider: $85.00
MCR Classes are Coming to the Bay Area this May!
The Northern California Chapter has partnered with CoreNet Global to offer MCR classes in San Clara, May 21-25, hosted by Service Now (3260 Jay Street Santa Clara, CA 95054). Learn more about the following offerings on the CoreNet Global website. For questions or more information contact: learning@corenetglobal.org or call 404.589.3200.
- Project Finance and Capital Markets (SLCR) - Learn More
- Enterprise Alignment (Required for MCR) - Learn More
- CRE Technology Essentials: Approaches, Tools, and Practices (MCR Elective) - Learn More
- Transforming Corporate Real Estate Management Through Lean Six Sigma (SLCR) - Learn More
- Real Estate’s Impact on Financial Statements (Required for MCR) - Learn More
- Capstone: Leadership and Strategy (Required for MCR) - Learn More
- Corporate Real Estate Technology: Selection and Implementation (MCR Elective) - Learn More