Women Who Define Leadership

In honor of National Women’s History Month, the AANC PR & Marketing Committee proposed the idea of featuring two women who are known as being pioneers in our industry, Mary Beth Woodard, Regional Vice President with Highmark Residential, and Cindy Clare, Chief Operating Officer and a partner at Bell Partners. We wish to highlight their positive impact within our industry and share a little about their unique experiences.

Throughout the history of the National Apartment Association, which was
founded in 1939, there have only been two women to hold the seat as Chairman:
Mary Beth Woodard in 1999 and Cindy Clare in 2017.

Mary Beth Woodard

As a Regional Vice President with Highmark Residential, the largest Owner Operator of multifamily in the US, Mary Beth’s responsibilities include overseeing eight regional managers with responsibility for 10,000 units in North and South Carolina as well as Kentucky. She opened the Carolinas region in 2016 when Highmark acquired a portfolio. She has been in the business since 1979, with a 2-year stint with a securities firm, so over 40 years, and has been with Highmark Residential for 7 years.

"When I got into the industry, it was definitely a man’s world in upper-level management. There were really no women to speak of," stated Mary Beth.  She decided to throw herself into making a move and becoming recognized in a leadership role. She did this by getting involved on the local, state, and national level with the apartment associations. This also helped advance her career within her company, which at the time was Summit Properties. The pinnacle for her was when she became the first Chairwoman of the National Apartment Association. Mary Beth said, “I broke the glass ceiling, and it was a very proud moment for me.”

When asked, what traits help define a good leader, Mary Beth responded with, “In my opinion, a good leader has to embody the following characteristics: the ability to inspire, being able to delegate, communication, sense of humor, confidence, commitment, good attitude, creativity, intuition, and honesty.”

Cindy Clare

As the Chief Operating Officer and a partner at Bell Partners, Cindy’s responsibilities include overseeing all of Operations, Human Resource, and Training, as well as being a member of the Executive Committee and Investment Committee. She started out in an administrative role many years ago for a local company in Northern Virginia and worked her way up to a Regional role, then a VP role with another company, and finally became the President of a regional management company in Northern Virginia. During this time, Cindy was active in the local and then National Apartment Associations. She has been with Bell Partners for five years.

When thinking about the future of women in leadership roles, Cindy said, “We need diversity of all kinds in leadership, and that includes more women. This allows for more perspectives and better decision making. Women tend to look for consensus, which helps lead to improved performance.” Cindy believes a good leader listens and constantly strives to learn. A leader doesn’t have to know all the answers but should be willing to admit when something isn’t working and pivot if needed. Being authentic and engaged with your team is also critical.

When faced with gender bias, she is motivated to prove people wrong when they say she “can’t” do something. Cindy says, “I keep working until I can achieve my goals.” She is grateful for all the women who paved the way before her.

During Women’s History Month, we can take the time to reflect on the progress that has been made in advancing women’s rights and opportunities, and to consider the work that still needs to be done to achieve true equality for all women. In what ways have the women in your life made a positive impact?