16 minute read
The 2021 Hall of Fame
from ABODE August 2021
A Heart for Service
Beth Van Winkle, a regional vice president of property operations for Highmark Residential, is being inducted into the Houston Apartment Association’s Hall of Fame.
By Morgan Taylor, HAA Staff, Photgraphed by Mark Hiebert, Hiebert Photography
For 20 years, she has poured her heart into volunteer leadership, serving HAA, the Texas Apartment Association and the National Apartment Association. To know Van Winkle is to know her strength. She is driven and hardworking. She has high expectations, but she also has a soft spirit that is grounded in kindness and compassion. There is vulnerability and courage in her strength.
If you ask anyone to describe her, people speak of Van Winkle as a conscientious, ethical, honorable person who is committed to her team, her family and her friends. She has strong values and lives her life in alignment with those values. It’s simple. She just believes in doing the right thing and doing it to the best of her ability. Whether that means giving one of her employees the tools and encouragement to grow in their career or building an orphanage halfway across the world. What Van Winkle feels called to, she will do, and she will give it her all.
Only three other women before her have been instated into the HAA Hall of Fame. Eileen Subinsky in 2001, Darlene Guidry in 2011 and Suan Tinsley in 2017. Nora Krakower was the first and only female supplier partner to date who has been honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award, a comparable achievement for a supplier partner.
The HAA Hall of Fame is the highest honor for a volunteer leader, symbolizing the culmination of one’s achievements and impact on HAA, the members we serve and the overall apartment industry.
Van Winkle started serving on the HAA board of directors in 2000. In 2004 through 2009, she served TAA as a director/alternate. Then, in 2005, she joined the HAA Executive Committee as treasurer and served NAA as a delegate/alternate. With each year, Van Winkle moved up the HAA executive ladder. The structure back then went from the treasurer position to secretary, then vice president, then president-elect. In 2009, Van Winkle was installed as HAA president. Highmark Residential Senior Regional Management Kyle Brown has worked with Beth Van Winkle for nearly 20 years. Van Winkle encouraged Brown to pursue more leadership positions within HAA, leading him to serve on the HAA Executive Committee and eventually as HAA's 2017 president. Here is what he had to say about HAA’s 2021 Hall of Fame inductee.
After her HAA presidency, Van Winkle continued to serve on the HAA Executive Committee as immediate past president. She then became a TAA vice president at large from 2010 to 2012. In 2015, she led TAA as president. The following year, Van Winkle remained on the TAA Executive Committee as immediate past president and served her final year as a delegate/alternate for NAA. In 2017, Van Winkle became a region regional vice president for NAA, then as a voting regional vice president and finally as an alternate regional vice president, a position she resigned from this year. In this Q&A, we learn the stories that reveal Van Winkle’s vulnerability, strength and heart for service.
What is your story?
My story is short, like me. My story, first and foremost, is that I am a child of God redeemed by a savior. That, to me, is the most important part of me. That’s who I am. After my God comes my family. If you ask family members who I am, I’m the mother of a beautiful daughter and son-inlaw, I’m granny to my grandchildren, I’m a sister, I’m an aunt, I’m a great aunt, I’m a cousin – I have many different titles, but that story is only second to my first story, being a child a of God. And thirdly, I’m a U.S. citizen, proud to be an American. I love this country. I love having the blessing of being born here and being part of something that is so incredible. Incredible enough that my father fought and was a hero in his battles. The fourth part of me is my job. There are two components to my job. It’s not just my work job, it’s my volunteer job as well. There are layers and stories within those four pieces that to me are very special and define who I am as a whole, but if I look at who I am, these four pieces make up who I am and my story.
Describe your parents. What were they like?
I am so proud of my father and my mother. They raised five children. Daddy took on the task of also supporting my Granny, whose nickname I took to honor her, and my two twin aunts. My twin aunts were just a few years older than me, so they weren’t working. He and my mother had a lot on their shoulders as they supported our family members. They weren’t afraid of hard work. I was the eldest, so I was daddy’s girl. I’m really proud of my dad for his service in the Armed Forces. He was a Command Sergeant Major. He fought in Korea and Vietnam. In Vietnam, he came back with several bronze stars and a silver star. I’ve looked at that silver star so many times. I’ve had it since he passed. To think of my dad going out with bullets flying around him, bringing his men back over hills into bunkers, knowing they were bombing his area – but to my dad, it didn’t matter. He was going to do whatever it took to bring those guys back home. I think he thought of his troop as his kids. Back then, a troop was a group of people. He didn’t have to go to war because he was much older and he had so many dependents. It was such a sacrifice for our family and for him, but he went, and he came back a hero. He never really talked about it. It was no big deal to him, because that was just who he was. He just did what he was supposed to do. I’m really proud of him and what he accomplished. His heart for service continued when he became a police detective. After he left the army, he became a police officer, as a patrol officer. He got promoted to detective, worked in homicide and vice. He really loved his final position with the police department, working with juveniles. He took so many kids under his wing. He saw some really brutal things that affected him and that he was angry about, but he loved kids and he loved all of us. That translated to being a really good detective and being an advocate for the juveniles. And then my mom, she continued to support all the people he left behind. Sometimes, he would go out into the field for 30 days. She would keep the house going and she worked at night. They really sacrificed a lot. She worked for a long time at night as a waitress just so there was someone at home with us all the time. As we got older, she got a day job. Almost all of our clothes were handmade by our mother and grandmother. They knew how to make a pot of goulash go a long way. Daddy passed away from esophageal cancer, as I mentioned in this article (pointing to her 2009 presidential profile feature in ABODE magazine). Then my mom passed away during my presidency at HAA. She was in the hospital during my installation. I left from the hospital to go get dressed for the installation gala. She passed away a few months after that. I lived with her and took care of her for about 15 years, so that left a big hole in my heart. I still want to call her. When I was told about the hall of fame, my first thought was, “I want to call my mom and tell her.” I think mother and daddy would be very proud. I think I’ve honored who they are and what they taught me in doing what I do.
Tell me about your path into the apartment industry.
Laughs. You know, it was in 1980, and like everybody else back then, it was by happenstance. I had moved to Houston as a single mom with two children, recently divorced. I was looking for apartments in several areas because I had several job offers. I was in the process of finding a place to live when I met Sarah Jane Oakes – a delightful lady. She took me under her wing after her boss asked if I had a job. I told him I had three and that I was looking for an apartment. He said he had a job for me that included an apartment. So, I got a free, three-bedroom apartment, all bills paid, and I think I made $750 a month. I thought I was in high cotton. Laughs. I had arrived in the big city! It was awesome. And that’s how it happened. It was supposed to be temporary. I was taking the place of a bookkeeper who was having surgery. She didn’t come back, and the rest is history. I found that I loved it. At the time, I didn’t realize it. I guess I knew inherently. I fell in love with it because it’s a service industry. That’s what my parents did. Looking back, it just seems natural that I fell into and fell in love with this industry.
Highmark Residential has gone through several name changes over the years. How long have you been with the company?
This September it will be 26 years. We have changed names several times because we’ve changed ownership. But the interesting thing about all of us is our whole group has stayed together. When we sell, we move lot, stock and barrel. The most recent transaction was with Starwood and we’re very excited about that. I mean, who wouldn’t be excited? It’s Starwood. It’s just so incredible that so many of us have been together for so many years. I think it attracts ownership, too. With every ownership transition, the overriding and overreaching part of our culture is that the family stays together. I’m retiring people after 30 years. We have community directors right now who have been with me ever since I’ve been with the company. It really is great. We’ve seen our children grow up, get married and have babies. We’ve buried loved ones together. It’s truly something I never dreamt would be possible after having been raised in the military – to have a home base now that feels so grounded. Even though we’ve changed ownership, there is a stability and a grounding that to me is incredible.
In your 2009 presidential interview with ABODE, you expressed that during the interview process with the then Concierge Management, you were in awe of Dee Bindhammer and Carol Pettigrew. These two women were in high leadership positions. At that time, it wasn’t typical to see women in leadership positions. Do you think the apartment industry still has a long way to go in terms of females in leadership positions?
Yes. I think there are a lot of women who broke many glass ceilings, but at the end of the day, I do think that there is still room for women to move up into leadership roles within their organizations and associations. I think there’s a way to go on that. It’s still somewhat of a boy’s club, but there is a lot of emphasis on diversity and inclusion today. Companies that are looking at leadership through a different lens are going to make a difference because there are some very capable women who deserve to be in leadership positions.
What makes you a unique HAA Hall of Fame inductee is your vast association volunteer work on all levels, local, state and national. What has driven you to be involved at all levels?
My sisters would probably tell you it’s because I’m bossy. And my brother, too. I was the oldest and I was bossy! Laughs. But it’s not because I’m bossy. It’s because I believe I can make a difference. I believe I can bring value to whatever I’m doing – whether it’s my job or my volunteer work. I believe I can bring value and I want to make a difference, especially in this industry. This industry has been such a blessing – I can’t even begin to describe what a blessing this industry has been to me personally, professionally and to my family. To be able to give back to an industry that means everything to me, it’s the right thing to do. If I can make a difference to people coming up in the ranks or if I can make a difference to help our industry, legislatively, to protect our industry, I’m going to fight that battle. I’ve got my dukes up. For me, it’s never been about the recognition. It’s about being involved, making a difference and protecting the industry, so that the folks coming up behind me will enjoy it as much as I have and will reap the benefits as much as I have.
I feel it is important to talk about your volunteer work outside of HAA, TAA and NAA because it makes up so much of who you are. What led you to mission work?
That was a God thing, truly. My daughter had been killed in 1999, and when that tsunami hit (the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami), there were so many orphans and so many lives lost. I was going to work, listening to KSBJ. They called out for volunteers to go and build orphanages for these kids. I had just exited Westheimer to go onto the Beltway, and God spoke to me. I literally heard the voice of God say to me, “You’re going.” I pulled off onto the side of the road, I was so shaken. I had burst into tears, and I called my boss, Steve Lamberti, from my car. I said “Steve, I need to be off for two weeks. I’m going to Sri Lanka. Just trust me. I’m going on a mission trip.” I got home that night and told my mother I was going to Sri Lanka to go help build an orphanage. She said, “Well, where is that?” We pulled out our atlas and looked through it. Sri Lanka is exactly halfway around the world. I didn’t know a soul, but I went. I was 55 years old when I went, but God calls us, and He equips us. He gave me supernatural strength to be able to dig ditches, tie rebar, mix concrete by hand, pour concrete and clear the jungles. I was right there with the young whippersnappers. It was wonderful. So much so that I went back the following year. It was lovely.
TAA Executive Director Chris Newton cherishes you for teaching him the importance of transparency in decision making and the importance of doing the right thing, no matter the cost to you or the organization. Tell me more about the importance of doing the right thing and being authentic no matter the result.
It goes back to my parents. I’m so honored to be a military brat. A lot of folks think that’s not a very nice term, to be a brat, but it is an honor. By extension, military brats are service members, and we were taught that at home. That’s how my moral compass came about. Do the right thing. Do it right and do it to the best of your ability the first time. I try to instill that same value in my children, my grandchildren and my associates. I have high expectations, but the thing I understand about that is it helps people grow. For me, doing that right thing is every day. In relation to my presidency at TAA, that was a transition year. It was one that folks weren’t really looking forward to. There was a lot of angst because George (Allen) was leaving. He was Mr. TAA. How are we going to fill his shoes? How are we going to keep the staff? There was a lot going on during that time. I was on the nominating committee, and we knew Chris was the guy. I was so excited to have him come on board. I didn’t know I taught him that much. I just wanted to shepherd him through the processes and be as transparent as we could as we made the change. I knew that would be important for him going forward, to just put it out there. Win, lose or draw, just put it out there. Chris has done such an incredible job and I’m so proud that we hired him. I know we made the right decision. He’s such a good guy. When he talked about transparency, I think he’s done an admirable job with that.
Do you think your service to others and association leadership translates to your career?
Absolutely. This is a service industry. We sometimes get bogged down by the technology and all the other things that come with our industry nowadays, but at the end of the day we are providing a home to somebody. What’s more important than a home? It seemed so natural when I joined this industry to make people happy in their homes. I think my work outside of the industry has helped. It’s a symbiotic relationship. In this industry, at the end of the day, we serve the people who live in our homes. If we keep that at the forefront, we’ll be successful.
In reading your story and talking to your colleagues, you have displayed a large amount of grit, courage, resilience, perseverance, faith – there are so many words I could use to describe your ability to show up when times get tough. Coming off the pandemic, with the collective human experience being hardship, loss and stress, pushing through tough times is hard for a lot of people right now. What motivates you when times get tough?
Being a BRAT. People have tried to turn “brat” into an acronym to explain what it stands for. I think one of the most accepted is Brave, Resilient, Adaptable and Trustworthy. So, I’m a brat. If you combine your earthly experience with your faith, you can’t beat it. This pandemic has taught us a lot. I’ve never seen this kind of isolation throughout the country. It makes me think about people who don’t have family, who don’t have the support system to make it through something like that. Beyond just the illnesses people experienced, the terror and the fear has changed how a lot of us feel about our everyday lives. I hope that fear wanes and people start connecting again. There is such a need for that. We need that human connection. It’s so important. We need to do a better job of reaching out to each other and understanding we’re in it together. It’s been a tough time.
What is next for Beth Van Winkle?
I hope heaven can wait. Laughs. But when it happens, I will go joyously. My volunteer work outside the industry has certainly slowed down because of the pandemic and I’ve been through a rough three years with an injury and five surgeries. As I look to the future, I have to redefine who I’m going to be. I’m blessed to have the luxury to understand that’s something I need to do when I retire, to redefine who I am. I’m working on the plan. It might include a great grandchild because my granddaughter just got engaged. So, who knows, I might be babysitting! That would be a blessing! I’ll continue volunteering. I also hope God calls me to mission work in Africa. That would be so awesome!
