"It's a challenge that I really look forward to and I hope that my experience over the years can bring value to the organization," Fanoe tells GlobeSt.com. "CoreNet has done a lot for me over my career and I am happy to be able to give something back."

Fanoe will helm CoreNet, an international association of corporate real estate executives with 6,500 members, at one of the most challenging times ever for commercial real estate. With trillions of dollars in loans coming due over the next five years, he points out that industry recovery may take longer than past rebounds from recessions.

"We are in a significant transition point in the real estate industry, so there is always the challenge for CoreNet to stay current and flexible," Fanoe says. Among the key challenges for the group in years to come are returning membership counts to where they had been during good times while making sure that educational and other programs continue to meet the needs of current members, he says.