Austin Women Leading Real Estate

At AQUILA Commercial, Abby manages a diverse portfolio of Class A and B office buildings throughout Austin. She also acts as the asset manager for AQUILA's investment and development projects. Abby specializes in cultivating relationships with her clients, tenants, and team while focusing on asset success. She joined AQUILA Commercial in 2021 after moving to Austin from Charlottesville, VA, where she started her career in residential management. Since then she has made a successful shift to the commercial realm, where she has been thriving for the past three years. While still somewhat new to the Austin area, Abby is involved in the local Austin community as a Big Sister with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas and as a volunteer with PEAS (Partners for Education, Agriculture and Sustainability) Community Farm & Orchard.

Amanda is a Project Manager for the Project and Development Services group (PDS) in the Austin office of Cushman & Wakefield. In this role, Amanda provides diverse project management support functions for design, construction and modernization projects. She assists with managing all phases of a project including planning, design, construction, FF&E, technology, move management, and occupancy. She also compiles project scopes, budgets and schedules and procures and manages local architects, engineers, general contractors and subcontractors and specialty vendors. Prior to her role with PDS, Amanda worked as a Property Manager for Cushman & Wakefield where she was responsible for Met Center 10 & 15 and 800 Brazos, a mixed-use downtown condo project. She has had experience managing multiple product types including commercial office, industrial and mixed-use retail. Throughout her property management role, she oversaw many large capital projects including re-roofs, tenant finish outs and building infrastructure upgrades.

Anna has been with Sixthriver for over 12 years, starting as a junior employee and working her way up to Principal and Architect of Record. She is kind, firm, confident in her work, and excellent at communication. She takes on all of her roles and responsibility with excitement, and is a driving force behind many of the designs and construction documents, pushing her team to provide some of the top projects in Austin, and around the country. She takes time to mentor the junior designers so that they grow into new positions at Sixthriver. She is an excellent leader and partner throughout the whole process, and we are lucky to have her.

Brooke Harlander is Regional Partner for St. John Properties, Inc., and oversees all development activities for the company’s Texas office. St. John Properties is one of the largest privately-held commercial real estate developers in the nation. They manage site selection, acquisitions, development, design, construction, leasing, marketing, financing, and property management, all in-house. St. John Properties has developed, constructed and owns more than 22 million square feet of office, flex/research & development, retail, and warehouse space. In 2020, Harlander was recognized as one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women by the Maryland Daily Record for her leadership and commitment to community service. She earned a degree in Law & American Civilization from Towson University, and a Masters in Real Estate and Infrastructure from Johns Hopkins University. Harlander is a member of NAIOP, the Urban Land Institute and the Real Estate Council of Austin, and currently serves on the Real Estate Alumni Network board for the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School.

Claudia Taylor joined Stream Realty Partners in 2021 and serves as an Associate within Stream Austin’s Tenant Representation division. Claudia is responsible for developing new business opportunities, financial underwriting, and advising clients on their real estate transactions. Her expertise lies in advising both local and national occupiers on office relocations, expansions, right-sizing, and lease restructuring. With a deep understanding of the Austin market and a keen eye for detail, she can advise her clients in navigating the complexities of the leasing process while ensuring their real estate decisions are aligned with overall financial, cultural, and strategic business objectives. Claudia has experience working with law firms, professional services firms, VC-backed technology firms, and non-profits. Claudia is a proud born and raised Austinite. She earned her BBA from the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas.

As a firmwide sector manager, Cristina manages Page’s office, retail/mixed-use, multifamily residential, workplace, and hospitality portfolio in 20 offices across the US and internationally. Cristina develops and implements the sector strategic plan and manages the financial operations of the market sector. She leads strategy through the lifecycle of a project from initial market research, relationship development, and pursuit strategy through project completion. At completion, Cristina advances strategic market sector goals through her guidance in photoshoots, awards, and PR. In her four years in this role, the sector’s revenue has grown 180%. Cristina has played a strategic role in the architecture of many notable projects in Austin including 44 East, The Modern, 70 Rainey, Indeed Tower, Austin Energy, Mueller Alpha and Bravo Office Buildings, Highpoint at 2222 and 6th and Blanco.

Ellie Aiello has a unique and diverse background in design. Growing up in Cambridge, England with a family submerged in design, Ellie was able to understand the design process at a young age from many different facets. With the opportunity to attend hospitality and commercial trade shows, meetings with countless architecture and interior firms all around the world, and present to key individuals in the design industry at a young age, Ellie has been exposed to many different aspects and is able to apply this knowledge in the design process. Ellie truly believes each client and project will have a different approach and process that needs to be established during the early stages. This personalized attention to each project has allowed Ellie to create long-term and trusted relationships with clients and design aesthetically pleasing and individual spaces. Ellie obtained her Bachelor of Science in Interior Design from The University of Texas at San Antonio.

Eva is a rising star in the commercial title insurance sector of CRE. She has built an impressive array of clients in a very short time, and she is a major contributor to the growth of Austin Title's commercial division.

Haley Smith has provided commercial real estate services for ECR since 2013 and specializes in office leasing and tenant representation. As a commercial broker, Haley helps clients negotiate contracts including new leases, expansions, renewals, buyouts, purchases, subleases, and relocations. Haley works with both office and medical tenants. Haley has been named multiple times by the Austin Business Journal as a “Heavy Hitter” in addition to being featured in the Austin Business Journal’s “Profiles in Power” list and as an “Austin Under 40” nominee. Outside of ECR, Haley is on the board of the Make-A-Wish Austin Regional Board where she helps grant over 300 wishes per year for Central Texas families. Haley was previously on the board of the Commercial Brokers Association and she is also involved in Ronald McDonald Charities as well as Africa New Life Ministries. Haley received her B.A.S from Indiana University, where she studied Communications and Marketing.

Irulian is an active Broker in Central Texas. She is also a CTCAR board member for 4 years and this year's president.

Jennifer Petrovich joined Edge as a Senior Associate in the Austin office. She focuses on tenant and landlord representation and handles new store site selection for many retailers including Michaels, 7Brew, Nekter Juice Bar, Blue Pearl Specialty & Emergency Vet, Fantastic Sams, Medspa810, State & Liberty, Auto Glass Now, among others. Her list of landlords include Reger Holdings, Headwall Investments, ShopCore, Intercontinental, First Capital Advisors and Buzz Oates. Jennifer is also a site plan design consultant and specializes in pre-leasing new construction developments. From concept to completion, Jennifer collaborates with developers and their teams on optimal site plan design and pre-leases the projects to quickly bringing them to 100% occupancy. Growing up in a family specializing in retail development, Jennifer gained invaluable industry experience and unique exposure to the real estate markets, playing a vital role in her family’s development and leasing of over 4 million square feet in Northern California. Jennifer was named as a CoStar Top Retail Leasing Broker for 2020, and was additionally recognized for closing the largest single transaction in the first quarter of that year. Before working in the family business, Jennifer was a bilingual real estate agent in Madrid, Spain where she was the top performing agent throughout the country for the company. Jennifer graduated from Columbia University as a NCAA Division 1 student athlete who still holds three athletic records in Women’s Volleyball. During her collegiate career, Jennifer frequently was named on the highly esteemed Ivy League Dean’s List for academic excellence.

As a senior designer for Sixthriver, Jessie prides herself on her strategic approach to creating an elegant and imaginative design that exceeds the client’s expectations. Her strengths encompass a broad spectrum of skills needed to ensure a successful project, including communication, leadership, implementation, creativity, and attention to detail. With over 10 years of experience, she has gained extensive knowledge and expertise to create inspired spaces that are both functional and memorable. She is known for her resourcefulness, constantly researching new approaches to design that are applicable to her work at Sixthriver. Her design philosophy values creating not only stunning spaces but high-quality environments and an experience that is strongly tied to a sense of place. Her attention to detail, strong technical skills, and overall adoration for all things design allow her to successfully produce projects from concept to completion. Jessie is highly invested in inspiring the designers around her to do more and push the limits of their creative thresholds. Jessie is an active member of the Interior Design Association (IIDA) and has served on several boards. She is passionate about creating opportunities to learn, educate, and give back to the community, and has been invited to participate in many charity events and student project reviews.

Katie advises clients in a broad range of transactional and development matters covering all asset classes, including acquisitions and dispositions of assets for development and investment; real estate finance (including debt and equity); project finance; leasing and hospitality; condominiums and community governance; and land use and entitlements. She represents real estate developers and investors, lenders and borrowers, landlords and tenants, and emerging companies. Katie is passionate about developing innovative technology solutions to support and enhance legal services and leads one of the firm's innovation initiatives. She also serves as the Co-Chair of Women in Norton Rose Fulbright (WiN) for the Austin office and as the President of the board of Texas Accountants & Lawyers for the Arts, which provides pro bono legal and accounting services to Texas artists and arts nonprofits.

Katherine is an Austin native and a proud graduate of Texas A&M University. She is a client-oriented and results-driven professional and is enthusiastic about maintaining positive and effective communication while taking projects from start to finish. When not working, you can find Katherine on a nearby lake or on a Hill Country outdoor adventure.

Lindsay Bonilla, CPM®, CCRM® is a Central Texas-based Regional Property Manager with Greystar. She is a dynamic operations leader well versed in innovative management of Class A mixed-use urban assets and new developments. Her career has spanned markets across the country including Chicago, St. Louis, San Antonio, Austin, and Los Angeles. Lindsay currently oversees client services, financial reporting, and operations of a $1B+ portfolio in Austin, Texas. Her empowering leadership and collaborative communication style are aided by her diverse background and passion for professional development in the real estate management industry. As a continuous learner, Lindsay also serves the real estate community as a chair and member of multiple professional associations at the local and national levels.

Macie Morris was raised in Seymour, Texas, and graduated from Texas A&M. As an agent, Macie focuses on the details, ensuring she understands the client’s needs and wants the best solutions and results for every deal. She received her Real Estate license in 2014 while working in College Station. Macie then worked for Edge Realty Partners for four years, focusing on tenant representation and leasing for national retail clients. Macie likes playing tennis, being outdoors, and spending time with friends and family outside of work.

As VP of Urban Activation, Raasin will lead the management team for Republic Square park and manage productions, partnerships and ideation for cultural-based placemaking and activations that welcome everyone to downtown Austin. Raasin is the Founder and CEO of Raasin in the Sun. She is a visionary, creative, and Track and Field Olympian whose career spans nearly a decade specializing in community arts initiatives in cross-disciplinary collaborative work. Raasin attended the University of Texas at Austin where she earned a BA in Communications. She has extensive experience in managing, producing, facilitating and coordinating mural arts, public arts, creative placemaking, restorations and community engagement initiatives. Raasin currently attends the Mural Arts Institute Philadelphia as part of an Art & Environmental Justice Capacity Building two-year grant initiative.

As a resident in Central Texas for over 20 years, Marie has a deep knowledge of the community and culture shaping development in the region. In her role as Director of Business Development at Structura General Contractors, Marie leverages her connections and experience in the AEC industry to help bring together the best project teams to take on the booming growth in Austin. Her experience on both the design and construction side brings a wholistic knowledge of the breadth challenges facing successful project completion while forging strong relationships and trust. Her unique background, entrepreneurial mindset, and exceptional communication skills make her an invaluable team member in a time where seismic change is prevalent, and adaptation is key to success.

Runi Duvall studied civil engineering at the University of Texas. She later obtained her master’s degree in construction engineering and project management.

Sarah has a long track record for establishing productive relationships with real estate clients and helping them grow their brands and achieve their goals in an ever-evolving market. With over 18 years of experience in business development and project management focused on hospitality, amenities and wellness for some of the world’s most prestigious commercial and mixed use properties in the nation she is looking forward to continuing to grow the Corgan brand and presence across Austin. As a proven thought leader and influencer, Sarah mentors fellow team members in business development to secure the firm’s future.

Since its inception five years ago, Onyx Development Partners has made remarkable strides in the industry under Shailene's astute leadership, developing an impressive $35 million in single-family homes. Shailene is the co-founder & mastermind behind these premium developments. Harnessing her extensive experience & keen insights into real estate developments, she empowers her clients--predominantly female investors & entrepreneurs--to manifest their visionary projects.

Darlene has been involved in the Central Texas real estate field for 25+ years, and currently responsible for overseeing land and residential development for Hines in the Austin and San Antonio markets. She joined Hines in 2016 and is responsible for central Texas land development projects including acquisition, development and disposition. Key project milestones include being named Master Planned Community of the Year for Lakeside at Tessera (a 2,000 lot masterplan in Lago Vista, Texas), restructuring debt on several large projects, issuing new Public Improvement District bonds, and executing pod sales totalling over $58 million. Prior to joining Hines, Darlene was a Vice President responsible for a $110mm portfolio of master planned communities and commercial developments at Forestar Real Estate Group (NYSE: FOR). She has served on the board of CREW-Austin (Commercial Real Estate Women) and is a member of the Real Estate Council of Austin and the Urban Land Institute. She received her MBA and BBA-Finance from St. Edwards University in Austin, Texas.

Judy Roessner, with over 30 years of experience, leads Sixthriver Architects as President, emphasizing excellence in design, processes, and communication. Her expertise spans the design process, from concept to project completion, with a focus on mixed-use, hospitality, commercial office, retail, and medical office spaces. Judy prioritizes collaboration within the team and oversees firm operations and project delivery, ensuring innovative solutions. Recently, Judy launched an innovative project delivery process, assisting development clients with complex projects from feasibility through development management services. Sixthriver partners with leading real estate development service providers in Texas to expand the firm's services well beyond traditional design. Judy holds degrees in Interior Design and Architecture, is NCARB certified, and holds licenses as a Registered Architect in Texas, Missouri, Florida, and Montana. She is actively engaged in professional organizations, including AIA, ULI, RECA, the Austin Housing Coalition, and sits on the Board of the Anderson Community Development Corporation. Furthermore, she serves as an architect advisor for equity preservation and is involved in affordable housing initiatives, aiming to promote workplace health and meaningful design solutions.

Shelly Mitchell, P.E., Vice President of Pape-Dawson’s Austin Commercial Land Development team, has two decades of experience in civil engineering, including feasibility studies, master planning, design, and project management for commercial, multi-family, industrial, and institutional land development projects. Her responsibilities also include obtaining city, state, and agency approvals for entitlements and construction plans, as well as coordinating project construction. She efficiently navigates City of Austin, Travis County, and TxDOT permitting processes based on her vast experience with projects in the greater Austin area. Shelly has successfully provided analysis, design, and project management on hundreds of Central Texas projects, including the Domain South End District 32-acre mixed-use development, Austin’s Parks and Recreation irrigation system, the 69-acre Living Spaces location in Pflugerville, and the Texas State University Bobcat Stadium expansion. She currently serves on the Austin Urban Land Institute (ULI) Technical Assistance Panel (TAP) oversight committee, and served on the Board of Directors for the Real Estate Council of Austin for 6 years. She has been involved in numerous City of Austin and Travis County Stakeholder meetings, where she provides an engineering perspective and works to find equitable solutions for all interested parties. Shelly earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Tulane University in 2003 and is a registered Professional Engineer in the state of Texas.

Candiss Escobar is a managing director of real estate for Greystar in Austin] , Texas. Active in the multifamily industry since 1985, she joined Greystar in 2008. Candiss oversees 75 properties which equates to 23,00 units in the Austin Market. Her knowledge spans a variety of multifamily asset types and investment strategies, including full rehabs, repositioning communities, lease ups, new construction, mid-rise, high-rise, and mixed-use. Candiss has expertise in several markets across the country and specializes in assessing underperforming assets and executing improvement strategies while providing world-class customer service for the residents and clients. She has extensive knowledge working with all types of clients ranging from institutional owners, REIT structures, private equity, and small ownerships. She also holds the Institute of Real Estate Management CPM® designation, as well as the CAM and CAPS designations from the National Apartment Association. Candiss has served as a board member of the Austin Apartment Association, and as a member of Commercial Real Estate Women. She received the Austin Greystar Regional Property Manager of the Year award, and was awarded Austin Apartment Association Property Supervisor of the Year as well.

Alison Satt is Vice President and Division Manager overseeing the Austin office. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Purdue University, Alison worked her way up in the construction industry and attained her Professional Engineering License before joining Swinerton in 2016. In her tenure from Project Manager to Project Executive, Alison worked primarily on core and shell office, affordable housing, and multi-family residential projects; and is known for creating fair and honest environments where project partners function as one efficient and effective team, from preconstruction to punch list. Alison and her husband reside in Austin with their two young children. She is passionate about maintaining a healthy lifestyle and outside of work you will find her swimming, running or training for her next triathlon.

As Chief Executive Officer of STG Design, Sandra leads the largest integrated architecture, interiors, and planning firm headquartered in Austin, Texas, with additional offices in Nashville and Houston, serving the world's most innovative companies across the U.S. and internationally. She fosters seamless collaboration in architecture, interiors, and consulting disciplines. As an innovator in effective project delivery, Sandra has refined the way companies work with design firms by elevating design excellence, establishing efficiencies and consistencies through team composition and ideal delivery approaches, customized and scalable to each client’s real estate objectives. Her main objective at the helm of STG is growth for STG’s employee owners through expansion of services, project teams and the clients they serve. She holds a Master of Architecture and a Bachelor of Environmental Design from Texas A&M University, as well as executive education certificates from the Harvard Design School Office of Executive Education and Columbia Business School Executive Education. She currently serves as Presiding Officer, Texas Military Department, Real Property Advisory Council. A member of AIA, Parét is licensed in 38 states, and she is a Registered Interior Designer. Prior to joining STG Design, Sandra Parét was Senior Vice President at AECOM, Global Commercial and Corporate Market Sector practice director. She led strategic planning for the market sector practice, working closely with regional leadership to align AECOM talent with client requirements. Her expertise relied on understanding clients’ business challenges and real estate assets and then focusing on consistent design and delivery across geographies and internal business structures. Prior to AECOM, during her 18-year tenure at HOK, Sandra held several leadership positions, including Managing Principal of the Dallas office and Global Strategic Accounts lead for corporate clients. Her thought leadership includes contributing to a Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) publication: "Future Office: Next Generation Workplace Design,” as well as Future of Work research, publication and speaking engagements.