Over the next three days, our DC newsletter will be rolling out the Bisnow Power Women 2014 winners, including JLL's Elizabeth Cooper, who always thought she’d become a lawyer. But after working as one for Covington & Burling doing real estate transactions and falling in love with the business side of things, she found her calling. She handled a pro bono office lease consolidation project for DC, where she worked closely with two brokers, one of them JLL’s Greg O’Brien (above). He asked her to join The Staubach Co (now JLL) and she left Covington on sabbatical in 1998. She’s been at JLL ever since. Here's Elizabeth in the early days of her career with Roger Staubach.

DC planning director Harriet Tregoning has always been in public service—including stints with the EPA and as Maryland Secretary of Planning. But before being named to her current post by former Mayor Fenty in ‘07, she had never served in local government. Now she works hard to see through her goal of a DC that’s more walkable and less auto-oriented. She’s also proud of smart-growth initiatives she’s pushed through. Her advice to young women: Aim to be an asset that organizations can’t do without. Click here for today's edition of DC Power Women, and check back Monday and Tuesday of next week for the rest of the list!