Manager Member Spotlight An Industry Educator with a Legacy of Giving

MANAGER

An Industry Educator with a Legacy of Giving

Cynthia Cattern, CCAM, PCAM, PowerStone Property Management CACM Manager Member since 1991

By Emily Stegman

When Cynthia Cattern, CCAM, PCAM, reflects on the impact she’s had on the community management industry, education and training are at the forefront of her mind. Her greatest legacy, she says, is the countless training programs and courses she’s developed for community managers and board members throughout her 28-year career.

Cattern (right) at the Be Aware Foundation’s Stomp Out Breast Cancer fundraiser in 2011, an annual event featuring grape stomping, wine tasting, and an auction. “The best thing about sharing my community management knowledge is when someone mentions it to me, saying they remember my course or what they learned. It’s nice to know how many people’s careers I’ve touched through my teaching, and to remember how they touched mine,” she says.

Cattern’s teaching résumé is impressive, including the years she spent developing and teaching courses for Cal State Long Beach, UC Irvine, and CACM. She also developed the staff training program for her former employer, Merit Property Management, ACMF. As the current Director of Community Relations for PowerStone Property Management based in Irvine, she manages one of the company’s largest accounts and is in the process of developing a board training program and strategic planning courses.

In addition to her contributions as an educator, Cattern has also made it a priority to create a culture of giving at each organization she’s worked for because she knows how much of a morale booster it can be for staff members.

“It allows you to escape the negativity of the industry and see people who are in real need of help,” Cattern says. “I think you grow by giving and you become a better manager because you become cognizant of the world around you, versus being caught up in your morning cup of coffee.”

Do you know a CACM Manager Member who has an inspiring story to tell? CACM is accepting nominations for our quarterly Member Spotlight, which is also featured in the Members Only section at www.cacm.org. Log in to learn more and access nomination forms.

Cattern (left) mentors fellow business women through Women Looking Forward, a giving circle within the Orange County United Way’s Leaders’ Society.

Cattern has participated in numerous races with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training since 1998, including two full marathons and countless half marathons.

Never one to shy away from “extra credit,” Cattern has gone above and beyond in all of her charitable pursuits: She’s stomped grapes for breast cancer awareness with the Be Aware Foundation, run marathons to support the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and mentored fellow business women through Women Looking Forward, a giving circle within the Orange County United Way’s Leaders’ Society that seeks to energize and inspire women to make a difference in the lives of local children and families.

Cattern’s involvement with the Be Aware Foundation is particularly personal for her, as she lost her mother to breast cancer when she was just 10 years old. The foundation focuses on educating people about the disease and offers free educational programs, as well as monthly self-exam reminders and annual mammogram alerts. Cattern, who has been a major contributor toward the growth of the organization since it formed in 2004, insisted on bringing a breast cancer education session to PowerStone for her fellow staff members to learn more about risk factors and early detection.

“Cindy inspires and educates those around her, whether it be sharing her industry expertise here at the office or with CACM, or giving her time, abilities and resources to several deserving organizations. She has a passion for service, and I’m lucky to have her as a member of my team,” says PowerStone Property Management CEO René Decker, CCAM.

Cattern is as dedicated to the community management industry as she is to her philanthropy work, admitting that entering the field was a breath of fresh air from her former work in the airline industry. “I had a huge epiphany a few years ago that I really love the flexibility in this industry,” she says. “It has allowed me to be the type of mom I want to be, and that has been the biggest plus.”

In true educator form, Cattern is eager to share some of the greatest lessons she’s learned throughout the years with fellow managers. “The most important tool you can have is the ability to compartmentalize, to live in the moment. Have a plan, live in the plan, and then let it go when you go home. Oh – and you have to have a sense of humor!”