ARLINGTON, VA - The National Apartment Association Education Institute (NAAEI) has selected Melissa White, director of marketing and training for GFI Management Services, Inc., as the recipient of the first Alexandra Jackiw Leadership Scholarship, which supports leadership training for minority employees working in the apartment industry.
As recipient of the scholarship, White will attend the NAAEI Leadership Experience: Powered by Dale Carnegie course that will be held April 30 to May 1 at the Hotel Monaco in Baltimore. The scholarship covers tuition and travel to the two-day course, which teaches mid-level managers how to successfully lead, inspire and motivate.
“As a new emerging leader and department head within my organization, I aspire to influence a new generation of leaders,” said White, who serves as national director of marketing and training for GFI Management Services, Inc. “The trajectory of my career is due to servant leaders who mentored me, and I intend to pay it forward on their investment in my development by committing to hone my skills so that I can be the same leader to others. After all, we are in the people business.”
The two-day NAAEI Leadership Experience: Powered by Dale Carnegie course covers topics such as developing personal leadership, communicating to lead, coaching for performance, delegating and building trust, credibility and respect. These skills are critical for people moving into mid-level management roles in the apartment industry.
“It is refreshing to see NAAEI partner with the reputable Dale Carnegie Training to combine Dale Carnegie’s proven leadership principles with the core competencies of multifamily management,” White said.
NAAEI developed the course after hearing from industry executives and managers that the apartment industry does a good job training its onsite staff but falls down in providing the necessary training when those people are promoted into mid-level leadership roles. It held a pilot version of the course last fall in Atlanta. The course was held a second time earlier this month in Dallas.
Kendra Majors, NALP, area manager for Western Rim Property Services, mentors teams at six communities and attended the Dallas course.
“This course helped me recognize the areas in which I needed improvement to make me a more effective leader and to empower the people around me,” she said. “I recommend the course to other regional employees because you will learn so much about yourself, how to be an effective leader and how to delegate responsibilities to develop and train others.”
As part of the scholarship, White also will have the opportunity to travel and meet with scholarship namesake Alex Jackiw, CAPS, CPM, for an in-person mentoring session. The scholarship is the National Apartment Association’s way of honoring Jackiw for serving as 2013 NAA Chairman of the Board.
Learn more about NAAEI Leadership Experience: Powered by Dale Carnegie by clicking here.
About the National Apartment Association Education Institute (NAAEI)
The National Apartment Association Education Institute (NAAEI) is the education arm of the National Apartment Association. The mission of the NAAEI is to provide broad-based education, training and recruitment programs that attract, nurture and retain high-quality professionals and develop tomorrow’s apartment industry leaders. For more information, please visit www.naahq.org/education or www.apartmentcareerhq.org