Stephanie Hainley, Class of 2015
Chief Operating Officer, White + Burke Real Estate Advisors
1. Tell us a little about your current position.
As Chief Operating Officer at White + Burke Real Estate Advisors, I manage the company day to day, supporting our team and business development. Also working as a Senior Project Manager, I provide commercial real estate consulting services for clients with land-use and property-related needs. Right now, I am advising five municipal clients on various public-private partnerships. I have been at White + Burke for almost 13 years and no two days are alike.
2. What’s new since you graduated from Leadership Champlain?
Since graduating Leadership Champlain, I became the first and only female CCIM (a national designation in commercial real estate finance) in the State of Vermont and also joined the Board of Trustees of Champlain College. I have also become a homeowner and am getting married in September. It’s been a busy four years.
3. What is your favorite Leadership Champlain memory?
I often reference the teaching style of one particular presenter. He used a method I had never seen in a small seminar setting and I’ve used it several times since. One of the key attributes of the LC program is the diversity of presenters, topics, classmates, and community partners.
4. How has Leadership Champlain helped you get to where you are today?
Leadership Champlain rounded out my community understanding and helped me position myself in the type of leadership roles where I feel most effective. Having a network of professionals in varying fields is a huge confidence-booster when trying to make things happen in our area – both professionally and personally.
5. What does leadership mean to you?
Leadership is about empowerment: being selfless in the mission to harness others’ talent and potential and staying humble in the exploration of doing your personal best.
6. Any final thoughts?
Leadership Champlain is not just for those who want to become leaders sometime in the future. Leadership Champlain is for everyone who wants to be inspired, informed, and rooted in the community where we live. Whether new to the area or having been here for years, there is so much we don’t know (especially when we stay in our silos); Leadership Champlain is a gateway to being connected, educated, and a pioneer in your own way.