CREW Network unveils strategic plan built on four priorities

Shaped by five months of member input, the plan puts women at the center of commercial real estate’s biggest shifts

CREW Network, which has more than 14,000 members and 90 chapters, has introduced a strategic plan built on four priorities (Connection, Advancement, Influence and Access) designed to help women lead change in commercial real estate rather than simply keep pace with it. The plan arrives as the industry navigates shifts ranging from artificial intelligence to the need to invest in a new generation of leaders.

More than a refreshed mission statement, the plan is focused on business outcomes: deals, wealth-building and leadership seats, Alison Beddard, CEO of CREW Network, said during a Sept. 24 interview at the 2026 CREW Network Convention in Miami, Florida.

“When women rise, everyone rises; that belief drives every choice in this plan,” Beddard said.

Here is how each of the four priorities puts that belief into practice.

1. Connection

The first priority is to deepen the value of networking, so every member connection leads to tangible business outcomes. For CREW, that means treating relationships as a source of deals and growth, not as an end in themselves.

“From across the street to across the globe, CREW gives you the network to elevate your business,” said Beddard, who before becoming CREW CEO, spent two decades with Cushman & Wakefield, most recently as managing principal for the firm’s Washington and Oregon markets.

2. Advancement

The second priority is to accelerate the careers and professional growth of all women in commercial real estate. Advancement is tied to real results, including leadership seats and wealth-building.

“I want every member in CREW to rise as far and as fast as their ambition will take them,” Beddard said.

3. Influence

The third priority is to position CREW and its members as the premier thought leader and the most inclusive business network in the industry. The goal is to put members’ voices and insight where the whole industry is listening, so that the experts shaping commercial real estate are women, Beddard said.

4. Access

The fourth priority is to ensure every member, everywhere, can realize the full value of CREW membership. The next generation of leaders is already here, Beddard said, and the goal is to open doors and keep them open so more women lead, are seen and are rewarded for it.

A plan shaped by member voices

Beddard joined CREW in 2008 and said the organization changed her life. Since then, she has served in many board, leadership and committee positions, both locally with CREW Utah and globally with CREW Network. She was appointed president of CREW Network in 2017 and became a CREW Network Foundation Visionary in 2018.

“I had been used to being the only woman in the room and hadn’t found my voice yet,” Beddard said. “CREW helped give me the confidence to say that my voice mattered.”

Inspiring that same confidence in others drove Beddard and her team to spend five months speaking with members to shape the new plan. The result is one clear direction, guided by the four priorities above.

Men are allies

Although CREW is an organization built for women, 5% of CREW’s members are men and everyone is welcome, according to Beddard, who said she is grateful for the men who support the mission.

“I want them to feel as comfortable and as welcome, too,” she said. “It’s important to have allies. We are building an inclusive real estate community.