Growing stronger

JPM spoke with 2025 IREM President Dawn Carpenter, CPM^®, who shares what IREM has meant to her and her vision for this year and beyond. Carpenter is broker-owner of Dawning Real Estate Inc., AMO^®, in Staten Island, NY.

How did you get into real estate management?

I was working in banking and was lured away to do bookkeeping in property management. In the late 1990s, when I opened my company Dawning Real Estate Inc., AMO^®, I realized that it was important to get as much education in managing all types of properties. I knew IREM would help me achieve that goal. I first got involved with IREM in 1999.

Did you have a mentor, either in your PM career or in your life overall? 

I’ve had several. Jesse Holland, CPM^®, who got me involved in property management; Gail Duke, CPM^®, from Chapter 26 who served as local president, RVP, SVP, and Foundation President; and Tony Smith who I first met in Washington, D.C., on 9/11 while I was taking an IREM class. All three mentors taught me different things, and collectively they helped my leadership skills. Leadership is always about the customer/client relationship.

What does it mean to be a leader, either in your real estate company or within IREM? 

Listening is quintessential in leadership. In order to have your employees’ or members’ buy-in, you must listen to their needs. I am more than humbled to be an IREM leader. I get the opportunity to help advance the property management industry and help our profession thrive. 

As an IREM leader, what have you learned about what real estate managers need and how IREM can fill that gap? 

In a rapidly changing world, educating and informing our members on how to navigate change, whether it be artificial intelligence (AI), ESG, or laws that infringe on our clients’ businesses, we are the “go-to” organization, i.e., the group that steers the “ship” through every changing storm. Education is key, along with sharing information to help each other. 

What are IREM’s strengths as we enter 2025, and what will you focus on throughout your tenure to make it more vital? 

Education, first. Also, the sustainability of our chapters, which will benefit under our Model IREM Chapter Bylaws that allow ARMs^® and ACoMs^® to become presidents of their chapters. I’ll also be focused on growth in our international markets. 

What IREM programs are you excited about in 2025?

We’ve listened to our members and learned how they want to use their volunteer time. An exciting outcome of this work is the introduction of PropertyCon, our new event focused on cutting-edge education and networking, which will debut in Boston this April. We’re also launching the IREM Leadership Forum, scheduled for November in Chicago, an event that streamlines our governance process, so our volunteers can spend their time more efficiently.

IREM made significant strides in expanding its international presence in 2024. How do you see this continuing in 2025?  

We already have seen members from many countries speaking with our international staff regarding education and membership, so I expect we will see more enrollment in certification courses, as well as more designations and certifications being issued in 2025. The governments in both South Africa and the United Arab Emirates are very engaged in the success of our IREM programs in those countries. And while the culture in each country is different than the U.S., we all have the same goals.

What do you tell new and prospective IREM members you meet in your business about the role IREM has played in your career? 

IREM has not only given me a solid, successful career but has also helped my entire family advance in the field of property management.