In this conversation, 2026 NAIOP Chair Celeste Tanner, co-founder, president and chief development officer of Confluent Development, shares the leadership principles that have shaped her career in the collaborative world of commercial real estate. She discusses why stepping outside your comfort zone unlocks opportunity, how empowering experts leads to better decisions and details the “breakout evolutionary cycle” she sees ahead for CRE. She outlines her priorities as chair, including changing public perception of the industry and fostering connections between members across cities, states and provinces. She also lands a punchline about what happens when you put a developer, an architect and a contractor in a room. Recorded on Jan. 15, 2026.

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

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