Tara Davis

Manager of Customer Relations, BRE Properties

As Manager of Customer Relations for BRE Properties, Inc., I am in charge of customer relationship management activities, overseeing a $22 million budget and responsible for training fellow associates in marketing, sales and customer service.

I attribute much of my success to being a member of DECA both in high school and college. Through DECA, I gained leadership, as well as communications and business knowledge. Because of my involvement, I was enticed to pursue a degree in Marketing at the University of Arizona.

In 2001, I was elected as a state officer for the Arizona DECA chapter and served for a year. As a state officer, I traveled extensively throughout Arizona and the country promoting the organization and learning valuable leadership skills along the way. I had the opportunity to compete in several DECA competitions and earned top recognitions.

After completing an internship with the International Genomics Consortium, I became a course instructor for Business Administration. I taught six classes of 30 college students in the areas of business, leadership and ethics and was responsible for developing and implementing interactive course lesson plans for the students.

I later became a marketing assistant for a mortgage company, where I served as a liaison between clients and loan officers for marketing and sales activities. I ensured customer satisfaction and integrated marketing efforts to develop a consistent brand image for the company. In 2006, I got into the apartment industry and remain active in it today.

As a certified training specialist, I assist in the creation of company standards and operation policies. I also create and manage multiple projects designed to increase revenue and minimize expenses, as well as strengthen customer relations. I am responsible for budgeting and handling all management activities that impact approximately 65,000 residents.

I am confident that my leadership skills and customer focus come from being an active member of DECA. The organization gave me the tools that allowed me to be successful in the apartment industry today.

DECA is an international association of high school and college students studying marketing, management and entrepreneurship in business, finance, hospitality and marketing sales and service. Their goal is to improve education and career opportunities for students interested in careers in marketing, management and entrepreneurship. DECA chapters operate in over 4,500 high schools and 200 colleges across the U.S., Puerto Rico, Guam, Canada and Germany.

To learn more about DECA’s partnership with NAAEI, click here!