Ready for launch

To learn what’s ahead for IREM in 2025 and beyond, JPM spoke with the incoming 2025 IREM Officers:

President: 
Dawn Carpenter, CPM^®
Dawning Real Estate, Inc., AMO^® 
Staten Island, New York

President-Elect: 
Mindy Gronbeck, CPM^®, CCIM, CSM, CRX 
Hawkins Companies LLC, AMO^® 
Boise, Idaho

Secretary/Treasurer: 
Kim Collins, CPM^®
Bradley Company, AMO^®
Indianapolis, Indiana

President Dawn Carpenter, CPM^®

Dawn Carpenter, CPM®

JPM: As the 2025 IREM President, what long term initiatives do you hope to bring to the role?

Dawn Carpenter: Expanding our international outreach has been part of our strategic plan and an initiative for the last two years. For me, the longer the reach, the better the Institute, so it’s been a personal goal of mine since I was nominated for this position. Right now, IREM has members in more than 45 countries, and we are expanding to more. We just approved the new chapter of the UAE, and we have other places, such as Zimbabwe and Saudi Arabia, interested in our services. 

It’s not just gaining chapters and members; it’s also reaching out to universities and corporations to use our courses to educate their students and their employees. When we were recently in South Africa, we signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the University of Pretoria, to offer our courses in their master’s degree program.

It’s amazing to see these goals come to fruition. It’s a team win for everyone, not only the volunteers, but also for HQ. Everyone at HQ has worked hard in making this happen, and I really have to recognize their work. HQ is like Disneyland—we don’t see what goes on behind the scenes, and they make it look effortless.

The second big initiative is creating our new strategic plan for 2026 and beyond. We’ll be working with the Board of Directors to formulate that for the future of IREM.

JPM: What strengths do you think this Leadership Team brings to IREM leadership and how can you expand on last year’s work?

DC: My theme for this Leadership Team is “better together.” We each have our own strengths, perspectives, and expertise. For example, I work with many property types: commercial, residential, multifamily, affordable housing, manufacturing, medical. Mindy, she has expertise in retail, multifamily, and charter schools. Kim’s expertise is in various types of commercial. We also work in different areas of the country, so we have different styles and knowledge based on location. One of the strengths I bring is that I’ve led many organizations. Those positions required me to be a good listener, hearing many different opinions and ways of doing things. 

Together, our team has a camaraderie and loyalty to each other that is beyond reproach. We have the most thoughtful conversations and respect for each other. We are all very good listeners, and we bring a lot of grace to our roles. 

JPM: What 2024 project are you proudest of?

DC: Working with the RVP Advisory Council as their chair. I’m very proud of that team. They’ve really worked hard, and they’re very respectful, thoughtful, and focused on leadership and the sustainability of the Institute.

I am also proud of signing the UAE chapter. 2024 IREM President Libby Ekre, CPM^®, and I will soon be traveling to the UAE and installing about 35 CPMs, as well as new ARMs & ACoMs. I’m also proud of how our team—both the Leadership Team and the Board of Directors—has worked together during the search for our new CEO.

JPM: Can you talk more about the unique perspectives our international members bring to the Institute?

DC: They each bring unique cultural differences in how they do business. For example, in Japan, the respect that they have for their colleagues and properties is amazing. They were so grateful for IREM to come to Japan and support them. In South Africa, we saw many differences in housing. We also learned about how their government and property managers work together. When we installed South African CPMs, there were actually members of the government there. It was great to see that government involvement. 

International property managers also deal with different issues than managers in the U.S. For example, South Africa is dealing with water shortages, and the property managers have to figure out how to get water to their consumers. In New York City, I don’t deal with water issues; that’s the Department of Environmental Protection. So to see them learning that expertise and gaining the knowledge on how to do that is amazing. 

President-Elect: Mindy Gronbeck, CPM^®, CCIM, CSM, CRX

Mindy Gronbeck, CPM^®, CCIM, CSM, CRX

JPM: How will your experiences as 2024 IREM Secretary/Treasurer inform your new role as President-Elect?

Mindy Gronbeck: I’ve learned the importance of collaboration, so with the current Leadership Team and the IREM HQ team, I’ll prioritize really getting to know them, having open dialogue, and strengthening relationships. Second, I understand the financial decisions that we’re making as an organization and how that plays into our current strategic plan. That’s been critical in understanding what the next years need to look like financially. I have also made it a point to meet as many members as I can, whether that’s in person or online. I love how IREM allows me to expand my network, and I am super excited to continue to do that over the next two years! 

JPM: What are some common pain points among IREM members, and how can IREM best adapt to the changing needs of membership?

MG: A common theme is employee and talent management. We often hear that it is hard to get good people, or in smaller communities like mine, people or companies are recruiting our good employees. How do you compete against that? IREM’s top-notch education can provide employees with that edge. Especially with younger or newer talent, IREM education is a quick and easy way to provide knowledge if you need to get an entry-level person quickly to a level where they’re competing against seasoned managers. 

Second is AI. It’s scary and exciting. Every month I hear of a new software that promises to boost efficiency and reduce the time that your teams spend on certain tasks. How do you know which tools are proven and effective in helping lessen that talent management gap and compensating for staffing shortages?

JPM: As IREM works to expand in the international arena and with the new generation of real estate managers, what programs or practices are needed to foster and strengthen these new relationships?

MG: To foster new relationships, we need to use our existing relationships—CCIM, SIOR, National Association of REALTORS^® (NAR) and all of our partners under the NAR umbrella. They are in more countries than we are, so we need to ask how we can use their relationships as an entryway into those countries that we are not in. Next, we need to understand that the way IREM operates in other countries may look different than the way it operates in the United States. We need to adapt and explore what works in other countries, within other customs, and within the ways they
do business.

JPM: What advice do you have for new or prospective IREM members on getting the most from their IREM experience?

MG: Get involved, volunteer in your chapters, attend your chapter events, attend PropertyCon and the Leadership Forum next year and use the resources at IREM.org. There’s so much on our website, and it will help you in your day-to-day job. Meet other members, network, seek knowledge, and ask questions. When I started with IREM, I used IREM to learn leadership skills. We have very tenured employees in our company, so if I was going to stay with the company that I currently am with—I’ve been with them for
22 years—I needed to find other ways to strengthen my leadership skills, and IREM allowed me to do that. 

JPM: IREM’s organizational values include leadership, collaboration, integrity, inclusion, and knowledge-sharing. Is there a particular value that has allowed you to become the leader you are today?

MG: Integrity. The ethics portion of IREM’s values is one of the things that stood out to me when I was exploring which designation or credentials I wanted when I started in the industry. It is also the cornerstone of leadership. If you don’t have integrity, then the other values don’t really mean much. Maintaining integrity is usually not the cheapest or easiest option, but it is crucial to uphold. Without integrity, it tarnishes the other values that you may carry, personally and professionally, and the best leaders have that ethical integrity standard.

JPM: Where does the future take us? Any new plans in mind or specific projects we should keep an eye on?

MG: The new strategic plan goes into effect in 2026, so the Leadership Team and Board of Directors are responsible for determining this five-year plan. It’s very exciting. We will be very thoughtful and intentional about it, because our world is changing at such a quick pace that it’s hard to know what’s going to be relevant or important even next month. I’m focusing on understanding what is impacting our members, understanding how IREM needs to serve their needs and help them in their day-to-day and career future. I would love to hear from members about what they think the strategic plan needs to include.

Secretary/Treasurer Kim Collins, CPM^®

Kim Collins, CPM^®

JPM: You’ve served on various IREM committees. How will these organizational experiences inform your role as Secretary/Treasurer?

Kim Collins: Working with people around the country has opened my eyes to the different experiences of property managers. My experience as a property manager in Indianapolis is much different than the experience of a manager in Florida. There are different issues to worry about and different types of preventive maintenance to perform. 

What I learned very quickly serving on these committees was to listen first. I can learn more by hearing from these smart people and amazing talent from all over the country coming together with their shared experiences and knowledge.

Especially in my early days of IREM, my chapter volunteer positions were so valuable. Just getting to lead a team, run a meeting, or build an agenda. Not only do you get this peer network, but you get to practice all of these skills in an environment that’s really welcoming and supportive. 

JPM: How can IREM increase member engagement in 2025?

KC: We are working hard on listening and learning how to meet people where they are. For members who don’t live near a strong, active chapter with networking opportunities, how can we engage them and bring them virtual or in-person events? IREM offers amazing education and certifications, but once someone gains their certifications, we want to understand how we keep them coming back. How do we give them something that’s useful for them to keep them engaged? How do we give them in-person options? Our team will be exploring all of these questions.

JPM: What specific area will merit more attention in the upcoming year?

KC: First, technology. We really need to hone in on how we can use all of the tech, like digital twins and AI. How am I, as a property manager, going to use this? What is it going to do for my building, for my client, for my tenants? Proptech seems abstract, so we want to continue offering information on how it can impact you, how to use it, and where you can go to find the tools, affordable options, and resources to implement it.

Second, international growth and presence. IREM is reaching far and wide. From each international chapter we need to ask, “What can we learn from them?” There are very interesting ideas that we may not be doing in the U.S. By growing that space, it benefits our U.S. members through knowledge-sharing and hearing different ideas and new ways of doing things. It’s mutually beneficial.

JPM: What are your priorities during your term? 

KC: I am an advocate of making property management
a career of choice, not just a career of chance. So many people have fallen into this career, so I think the awareness campaign of property management is still really important. 

I am also passionate about making sure we are reaching all members, so this will be a priority. We’re never going to be all things to all people, but how can we provide the most value for members? They do so much for IREM, so we must engage them, develop and support them professionally, and give them a network of people to lean on and learn from.

JPM: What does IREM need to do to position the organization and members for success in five years? Ten years? 

KC: We’ve got to think outside the box and find new ways to deliver value to our members. We want to find ways to be the go-to resource for anything a property manager might need throughout the day. Whether it’s a stat or how to use AI to fix a spreadsheet, I would love for members to come to IREM’s website for an answer to any property management question they have.

We should also explore new ways to engage all of the different people who have a hand in serving our clients, like maintenance workers and real estate accountants. How can we offer them access to resources? Could we offer education to these different groups to identify new opportunities for revenue? 

Finally, continuing to pioneer efforts in the international space. There’s so much opportunity there. 

We’re also creating the new strategic plan, which will contribute to IREM’s success. The Leadership Team would love to hear from members. What do you need? What’s important to you? If we understand what’s impactful for our members, we can bring those priorities to the table. We want members’ voices to be heard.