A Message from the BREAA President

To the BREAA Community:

What a wild few years it’s been! I took over BREAA as we started to emerge from a two-plus-year global pandemic that forever changed our personal and professional lives. For two years many of us worked from home and had few in-person interactions with friends, family, or professional colleagues. We hunkered down and waited for the world to return to normal.

During those two years, the BREAA community remained solid thanks to our strong leadership and dedicated Board Members. Our programming went virtual. We learned together through panels on topics like gentrification in development, we worked out together with our virtual sweatworking series, and we shared libations over virtual happy hours from our homes across the country. While it was inspiring to experience our community virtually, I am thrilled that BREAA is back in person!

As we adjust to a new “normal” BREAA continues to support alumni and graduating students with programming to build connections beyond just networking. The BREAA community prides itself on creating relationships that go beyond business card exchanges. We recently held our third annual Gala honoring Bill Falik, who has touched the lives of so many Berkeley students and professionals over his 14 year tenure as a professor and mentor at the University. The gala sold out in a matter of days, demonstrating the draw of an organization such as ours. It truly felt like a family reunion!

Looking ahead, I am excited by the launch of our Advisory Board – comprised of 25 senior leaders who will provide ongoing strategic guidance to our organization. We are already reaping the benefits of their years of experience and knowledge that will surely help BREAA continue to grow and become a sustainable organization.

In the near term, we face tremendous uncertainty in our industry and across the globe. For many of us, this is the first recession we will experience professionally, and I for one am grateful to have the support of the BREAA community as we face what will surely be a difficult period. No matter what the future holds, BREAA will continue to provide programming for our members to support each other during these challenging times, to bring us together, and to remind us of the strength and wisdom of the Berkeley community.