Women Leaders of PECO: Tanya Brady

Tanya Brady joined PECO in 2013 as Vice President and Assistant General Counsel. She has served as Senior Vice President and General Counsel since 2015. With over 20 years of experience in commercial real estate and corporate transactions, Tanya oversees PECO’s full-service, in-house legal department with 24 team members focused on all areas of the company’s legal needs, ranging from corporate matters to securities, to transactions and leasing. She is also an advisor to PECO’s executive leadership team and board of directors, providing guidance on strategic initiatives, corporate governance and other company matters; and plays an integral role in PECO’s compliance, risk management, data privacy and cyber-security functions.
 
Tanya frequently contributes her time and financial resources working with PECO Community Partnership (PECO’s associate-led community service program) as well as to The Edison Foundation (a charitable organization that grants scholarships to family members of PECO employees). She also serves on the Advisory Board for PECO NOW (Networking Opportunities for Women) which is dedicated to providing leadership opportunities to women at PECO.
 
Tanya is active in CREW Utah, serving on the sponsorship committee, and is a member of the National Association of Real Estate Investments Trusts (NAREIT) and ICSC. She was awarded Corporate Counsel's Women, Influence and Power in Law Award in 2019 and 2020, as well as Connect Commercial Real Estate's 2019 Women in Real Estate Award (National).  She was also named as a 2019 Women of Influence by Real Estate Forum / GlobeSt.
 
With a wealth of experience and insight into the rewards and challenges of being a successful female leader, Tanya is an outstanding example of “women helping women” pursue and achieve their professional goals. Passionate about mentoring and dedicated to helping her team grow and develop their skills, Tanya is always willing to share her knowledge and provide guidance. We asked her to share some of that wisdom with us. Here’s what she had to say.
 
What advice would you give to a young person just starting out in their career?
One of the pieces of advice that I often give younger associates is start networking immediately. It’s really important. Develop a strong network and build solid relationships – both inside and outside of your industry and specialty. You can learn a lot and benefit significantly if you really make the effort. Also, don’t wait to start building that network – do it now. Get involved in professional groups - find the time to invest in this - because it will pay dividends 10, 15 and 20 years later.
 
I also advise younger associates to take 30 minutes each day to prepare. Block time out on your calendar. If you don’t have a plan, if you don’t control your day – it will run away from you and others will plan your day for you. Taking the time to set a couple of goals for what you want to achieve and to map out how your day will go is vital to accomplishing the bigger picture, high impact items rather than spending your time putting out fires.
 
Seasoned professionals often have a “learning moment” that they vividly remember. Tell us about one of your “learning moments.”
 
Very early in my career I got called into the corner partner’s office. I just walked in and we started chatting. After a few minutes he stopped and said, “You know, I’ll give you a piece of advice, don’t ever show up without a pen and paper.”  That was a real learning moment for me. It made me realize that I wasn’t just coming by to say “hi” and chat – I was there to work and he was going to give me a task that would probably require that I take notes. To this day I carry a pen and paper with me almost everywhere I go.
 
What other lessons have you learned along the way that you would share with emerging leaders?
First, you’re not going to get everything from work. Find things outside of work that help you learn and build your brand. For example, public speaking – you may never have the opportunity to do that in your current job but you can join a group and start to build that skill for yourself elsewhere in a more social setting.
 
Also, growth is painful. If you leave work every day feeling wonderful – never experiencing failure or fear – you’re probably not growing. You have to put yourself out there, learn new skills and get involved in things that are outside of your comfort zone. When you’re doing that, you’re going to experience some discomfort and you may even fail. But I believe that the greatest growth you have comes from moments of failure. Don’t be afraid of that.