Last year on International Women’s Day, I wrote about why women alone around aren’t the solution to the lack of diversity we experience in tech and real estate. I’m encouraged to see more organizations treat DEI as a business priority, but we have a long way to go before a vision of inclusion and belonging exists in these industries and our organizations (including at coUrbanize).
Women have shouldered so much of the burden during this pandemic, particularly women of color. Women have lost the most jobs, with so many struggling to balance the simultaneously impossible tasks of being teachers, caregivers, and full-time workers. Women may not be afraid of the impossible, but we shouldn’t have to always conquer it either.
Today, our team is 70% women. In honor of International Women’s Day, let me tell you a little about them and what they’ve accomplished in the last year.
Johanna Power is our CFO who helps us navigate all things funding, revenue modeling, and cash flow with a formidable combination of grace and fearlessness.
Every time I talk to a customer, they sing their praises for Aoife O’Flaherty, our customer success manager. They rely on her expertise, advice, and steady presence from the earliest phases of pre-development and planning work.
Erin Esco, Suzi Dao, and Tarin McAdoo Comer make up 75% of our software engineering team. It’s an honor to see the solutions they build for our customers and to see the work they’re doing beyond their day jobs to get other women and girls to code.
Christene Fair brings our product vision to life with thoughtful designs and an eye for user experiences that will make our customers’ lives easier.
Courtney Porcella and Kristen Veit are the duo behind our marketing and so much more at coUrbanize. Courtney leads our sales team, Kristen activates engagement strategies for our customers – just two examples of how they elevate our business every day.
Our board of directors is also woman-led. Joanne Wilson and Zeina Taljie Grinnell give us invaluable guidance and an insider perspective on the real estate industry every time we meet and throughout the entire year.
The team and I are also fortunate to have an extended support system of female advisors, contractors, and freelancers. Emily Green, Sarah Van Dell, Danica Cheslofska, Jill Queenan, Carla Gates, and Jessica Nelson Kohel – thank you for everything you do.
Having all these women in my corner is an honor – and I’m proud to be in theirs too.
