Karen Cherry
Vice President, Office Leasing
The Howard Hughes Corporation

Karen Cherry considers her proudest professional accomplishment in her career thus far to be ongoing. As vice president of office leasing for The Howard Hughes Corporation, she is working to further the vision of developer James W. Rouse by transforming downtown Columbia into a regional urban hub of commerce, technology and culture.

“Working on a team that is literally transforming a city is incredibly gratifying,” she said. “Every day that we are working on bettering downtown Columbia is a day that I consider to be fortunate to be on that team.”

A graduate of Elizabethtown College, Cherry was working in sales and business development for a computer consulting company when she was recruited to join the real estate field. Before joining The Howard Hughes Corporation in 2016, she previously worked as a principal for Lee & Associates Chesapeake Division, director of brokerage services for Cushman & Wakefield and a commercial real estate adviser for SVN International Corp.

“I love the fact that every day is different, she said of her current job. “Every deal is different. You are constantly being challenged to think creatively and figure out solutions that work for whatever prospect or client you are working with. There really are no two deals that are alike, and I love that.

Commercial real estate tends to be a male-dominated industry so Cherry aims to support and mentor those who have not had a large presence in the field. “I feel like that is my passion — to give back to the industry by helping the next generation of women and minorities feel more comfortable in the business,” she said.