A temporary position as an administrative assistant at a Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac lender led to a long-lasting career in commercial real estate for Berkadia’s Rossana Bouchaya.

The mortgage bankers and the deputy chief underwriter at her first position out of college quickly became mentors to her and changed her life, teaching Bouchaya about the commercial real estate industry and giving her the opportunity to learn on the job, and eventually climb her way to becoming a senior underwriter and credit approver.

Rossana made the switch to production about two years ago and has enjoyed leveraging her credit background to secure her clients the best terms and execution. Bouchaya now spends every day serving her clients with business partners, Jonathan Pratt and Maggie Burke, who share her passion for helping others grow.

Rossana has been recognized as possessing an incredibly unique skillset to train people at every level and stage in their careers. Bouchaya even flew overseas to Berkadia’s Hyderabad, India office to hold in person trainings with new Berkadia employees. In just a week, she was able to successfully teach analysts how to underwrite and analyze commercial real estate transactions.

As a first-generation Lebanese American, Rossana is committed to furthering the much-needed diversity and inclusion initiatives in the commercial real estate industry. Leading by example, Rossana continually invests in others to help them grow in their career, which has also allowed her to scale her capacity to build a strong team.

These are just a few of the reasons we chose Bouchaya as one of the 2020 Women in Real Estate Award winners. Connect Media’s Women in Real Estate Awards honor the achievements and inspirational stories of women who have reached respected positions of leadership and play key mentorship roles for others.