SAN DIEGO—From pre-conceived notions about women in the workplace to the salary gap and glass ceiling, women are making strides but still struggling with these issues, CREW San Diego's 2016 president Jackie Isidore tells GlobeSt.com. We spoke exclusively with Isidore, who is VP of marketing and business development for Johnson & Jennings General Contracting, before CREW San Diego's kickoff event Thursday—a lunch panel on "Market-Leading Insights & Analysis for 2016," led by Joe Quinlan, managing director and chief market strategist for US Trust Bank of America Private Wealth Management, and Spencer Levy, Americas head of research for CBRE; stay tuned for coverage on this—to discuss CREW San Diego's 2015 accomplishments, the year ahead for the organization and the issues and triumphs surrounding women in CRE.

GlobeSt.com: What were CREW San Diego's greatest accomplishments in 2015?

Isidore: 2015 was another great year. CREW San Diego has actually been experiencing great growth for the past several years, which has brought new opportunities to our members. Two things that stand out are the number of nominations and awards we were able to get for our CREW San Diego members and the number of business transactions that were done through the members of CREW San Diego. The awards and nominations not only highlight the specific member, gaining them recognition, but also point out what a strong organization CREW San Diego is. On our part, this takes time and effort to identify the member, get the information and compile the nomination, but it's huge for our membership. As for the business transactions, we've had $10-million and $15-million deals with five CREW members involved in the deal. This, to me, is the epitome of a successful chapter, and we look within the CREW network to change the San Diego landscape.

We also had another great year of successful education programs, great leadership events and special events including golf tournaments, winetasting and the summer social. Through these events, we raised a lot of money that was donated to the CREW Foundation, which provides scholarships to women interested in CRE at a college or graduate-degree level and funds research papers on the issues women are faced with in CRE.

GlobeSt.com: What are the main issues concerning women in real estate today?

Isidore: Since I work for a woman-owned company and our CREW chapter is such a strong group of women, I sometimes feel insulated from these issues. However, the salary gap still exists and balancing home life and career continues to be a challenge.  As a new mother, I am in awe of how working women have managed this for so long and so successfully.

GlobeSt.com: What strides have women made in the industry since you've been involved with it?

Isidore: I've been in the industry for eight years now, and during this time I have seen more and more women enter the industry. Organizations like CREW have done a lot to educate and inspire young women in pursuing careers in commercial real estate where opportunities previously did not exist. The world is changing and ever evolving and opportunities for women with it. As data continues to confirm that diversified companies are more successful, I feel we're seeing a lot more women in the higher positions throughout the industry rather than concentrated in certain areas.

GlobeSt.com: What are you excited about for the organization in 2016?

Isidore: I'm excited to keep the momentum going and to help shape the future of the San Diego chapter. Our membership increased by almost 50% in the last three to four years, and with that comes new opportunities. I'm thrilled to continue building on the foundation that is so strongly established. I'm excited about our board, which includes a great representation of enthusiastic women. What I've always loved about CREW is that our board and membership have never lacked passion. And, of course, I'm excited about our national conference, which this year is in New York in early October. The national convention is always great for bonding and CREW rah-rah. We've identified new growth opportunities to chart our chapter and continue the quality of what we offer to our members. We're in a transition phase; we're seeing the benefits and moving on to the next level.