Karrie Westphal's life is like a Journey song: She was just an Ohio girl, living in a lonely world when she took a train going to KSU and eventually Atlanta's commercial industry. Now as CREW Atlanta's executive director, her life is just as rockin' as an '80s tune. Since 2007, Karrie has led the all-women commercial real estate professional org in Atlanta, spearheading a number of initiatives during a time when the industry has seen much upheaval. She reduced the board to a handful of members, allowing CREW to become more nimble and strategic, while at the same time kept membership up to some 300 people—one of the highest levels in the industry. It's why CREW is considered a prime networking organization, she says.
We weren't joking about Karrie's '80s roots, as seen by her teenage picture here. Among her CREW initiatives: a mentor program that now has nearly two dozen mentors and proteges; a summer internship program for college students; a scholarship program; and events that raise money for CREW Network Foundation and Atlanta's Women's Foundation. Karrie's currently doing the 10k Challenge at Lifetime Fitness (walking 10,000 steps a day through this month) and is writing a time-travel novel that involves Henry VIII.
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