Today, we bring you the ninth installment of our 10-part Power Women series profiling the 50 most influential women in San Diego commercial real estate. Then join Bisnow and partner Allen Matkins on June 25 for a cocktail awards reception to honor these amazing leaders at the San Diego Public Library, 6-8pm.

LIZA STROM, SENIOR LEASING DIRECTOR, IRVINE CO

Irvine Co senior leasing director Liza Strom tells us market opportunities in SD are abundant, with Irvine Co moving forward on its first high-rise development here (scheduled for summer delivery to the UTC market). After completing her time as an electrical engineer and captain in the Air Force, Liza landed in commercial real estate starting with LaSalle Partners, where one of her first jobs was to lease the Bank of America Tower in downtown SD. Her advice is threefold: Stay focused, don’t take no for an answer and be good at everything. When she’s not spending time with her husband and four kids, Liza’s an avid runner and skier and, as a graduate of Duke, she’s a huge basketball fan.

RENEE MEZO, DEVELOPMENT PROJECT MANAGER, CITY OF SAN DIEGO

City of San Diego development project manager Renee Mezo handles discretionary projects, from single-family homes to large developments, before they go through the permitting phase. Notable ones she's been involved with include Kilroy's One Paseo, a proposed mixed-use neighborhood in Carmel Valley, and The Regents on Fifth, a high-rise condo mixed-use project in the Uptown community. “The job handles a broad spectrum of development, and I love that you don’t do the same thing every day,” she tells us. Her advice: Don’t jump the gun on decisions; make sure they’re well thought out and look at all different perspectives. Outside of work, she runs a monthly women’s group that focuses on different issues women face. The mother of two boys, 9 and 12, also loves being outdoors, vacationing and practicing yoga.