BOMA/Chicago Appoints New Director of Member Services and Director of Education

CHICAGO, July 16 /PRNewswire/ -- The Building Owners and Managers Association of Chicago (BOMA/Chicago) announced today that it has appointed Beth Halat as director of member services and Lisa Bluhm as director of education, effective immediately. Together, they bring more than 30 years of experience in client services and employee training and development to their new roles at BOMA/Chicago.

As director of member services, Halat will oversee all aspects of BOMA/Chicago's building and affiliate membership, including strengthening member relationships, managing labor negotiations, overseeing the organization's emerging leaders group and producing BOMA/Chicago's annual trade show. In her new role as director of education, Bluhm will manage all member education and professional development initiatives, including planning and facilitating continuing education seminars, assisting members with the completion of industry certification programs and producing best practice sessions on topics ranging from sustainability to tenant relations to emergency preparedness.

"Beth and Lisa's successful track record of creating and sustaining meaningful relationships with key stakeholders will be a huge asset to our organization and the members we serve," said Michael Cornicelli, executive vice president of BOMA/Chicago. "As the premier commercial real estate organization in Chicago, it is critical that we consistently offer high-quality educational opportunities and create business value for our members. Beth and Lisa's combined expertise in these areas will ensure that we deliver significant benefits to all BOMA/Chicago members."

Halat brings more than 15 years of experience in member and client services within the real estate industry to her new role as director of member services. As the former vice president of sales and marketing at Corporate Concierge Services in Chicago, Halat managed vendor contracts and planned property events, anniversary programs and trade shows on behalf of clients, as well as assisted building management with marketing and tenant retention. She previously served as a property service coordinator at Jones Lang LaSalle, where she managed all tenant service functions, including promoting building activities, overseeing office repairs and on-site meeting scheduling, and planning and supervising events held at the building and the surrounding plaza.

Bluhm has a successful track record of designing and delivering effective training programs for professionals across a variety of industries, which she will utilize in her new role as director of education. She formerly served as a training and development consultant at LMB Consulting Services in Chicago, where she helped clients design and facilitate training programs, develop training assessment and measurement tools and recruit, coach and develop new talent. Previously, as the vice president of professional development at Baird & Warner, Inc., Bluhm established and managed the company's Professional Development Center, developed a company-wide leadership development program, revamped a mandatory two-week training program for all newly-hired sales associates and managed continuing education and industry certification programs on behalf of employees.

"Beth and Lisa's expertise in two of BOMA/Chicago's core membership areas will ensure that we continue as a valuable asset to Chicago's commercial real estate community today and in the future," said Cornicelli.

Halat graduated from Michigan State University with a bachelor's degree in advertising. Bluhm holds a bachelor's degree in communications and marketing from Loyola University Chicago.

About BOMA/Chicago

Now in its 108th year and the oldest BOMA Association in the world, BOMA/Chicago represents the interests of the people and companies that own, operate, manage and service Chicago's commercial buildings. BOMA/Chicago members make up 81 percent of downtown's total rentable building area and nearly 90 percent of rentable space in Class A buildings downtown. These valuable assets are the core of one of the world's greatest business districts. By advocating the interests of the owners of these valuable assets, BOMA/Chicago also supports the businesses that are housed in them--businesses that require quality office space and quality service.

SOURCE Building Owners and Managers Association of Chicago