CREW Austin Board Member Spotlight: JoEllen Eggert Powell
JoEllen Eggert Powell was selected for the Board member spotlight for September 2021! She is the Vice President of Development at Mill Creek Residential, and has been a member of CREW Austin since 2018. She graciously agreed to answer the questions below so we can all get to know her better.
1. When did you join CREW Austin? What motivated you to become involved with CREW?
I joined CREW in August 2018. Rachel Duck is a good friend – She knew I also worked in the CRE field and recruited me to join CREW. I’m passionate about seeing women succeed in this industry as well as helping students and sowing into the next generation, so CREW Austin and the CREW Careers Committee was an easy fit for me. I was motivated by making a difference; however, I met so many amazing people while working on the committee and through the convention that it further motivated me.
2. When did you join/how long have you served on the Board? What inspired you to take your involvement in CREW to the next level?
Last year – I’m sort of an “all in” or “all out” type of person. Serving on the Board is a greater opportunity to support those in Austin CRE, so I was all in! 😊
3. How has CREW affected your professional career? How has it changed your business and personal relationships in the Real Estate Community?
CREW has given me an opportunity to meet a lot of new faces in the industry. I cannot count the number of times I’ve met someone thru a CREW event and then ended up crossing paths on a project a few months down the road!
Business transactions are great, but even more valuable for me as been the support network. I’ve made several good friends with which I can have authentic conversations about how to do my best work while juggling the uncertainty of a pandemic, changes in the market and also being present for family.
4. How much time a month do you volunteer to serve on the board? What would your advice be to CREW members who would like to serve on the board in the future?
Since I’m the liaison for a more event-based committee, it varies month to month. I think it also varies depending on how much time you spend supporting your committee chairs and reaching out to the individual members on the committee. My goal is to know each member on the committee so I might spend more time than others. If you focused on just meeting the core responsibilities of a Board Director, it’s just a few hours each month.
5. What is your favorite CREW Austin event? Why is it your favorite?
It’s difficult to choose! I think it will be the fishing tournament once that starts!! 😉 CREW Careers is the obvious answer because those students are incredible and it just gives you so much hope for the next generation of leaders. Convention is awesome because you have time to really get to know people and also meet people from other chapters.