2021 Awards Nominees

Katherine Henriques: I am humbled and honored to be considered a candidate for the Candice Bladt Community Manager of the Year Award.

When I was just 18 years old, I started in the industry, working with the City of Newark’s real estate office handling Section 8 Housing. I joined RCP Management Company as a Portfolio Administrator in 2015. During that time, I had the opportunity to work with many property managers, board members, vendors, and professionals to learn about community association management and expand my professional network through CAI-NJ and other industry-related events. Very quickly, my future became apparent. I knew what I wanted. I didn’t just want to be a manager, I wanted to be the best manager I could be! I was very fortunate to work with a supportive team at RCP that always helped me and encouraged me to do more and grow as a Portfolio Manager. I am an active member of RCP’s Charity Committee Hands of Hope. Together we plan, coordinate and execute community service projects throughout the year. To dedicate yourself to your career, you must love what you do and who you are doing it with. I love what I do, and I am grateful to work with a company and an industry that values community service. The work we do is essential, but the life we build is what matters most! My 3-year-old daughter loves to pick up a laptop and sit down next to me and say, “I’m working!” She will also pretend to be in a meeting because she sees what I do working this past year remotely. I hope that I am setting a good example for my daughter to look up to a professional working woman who can balance a career and be a mom while also giving back to the community to leave this world a better place.

Stephen Slotnick, CMCA, AMS: I consider myself fortunate that I have a career in property management that I love. Though I may call myself a “property manager,” I am also a community manager. I used to think of those two roles as the same but have come to further define my two primary functions. As a property manager, I am responsible for the operation, maintenance and financial matters that pertain to my community. As a community manager, I try to maintain the health, safety and emotional well-being of my residents. My board and I have a fabulous working relationship, which is essential to the overall operation of our community. They set the policies for our community. I execute their wishes. This working model works well for us. They allow me the freedom to be myself, and to impart some of my personality into the communications I convey to my residents. This working model has created a “relationship” with our residents that is palpable. When we first step foot on the property we manage, there is so much to learn. Things as little

as street names can seem daunting. In time, this all becomes second nature. You recognize the small details. The bollard that is third from the end in the back of building 7 needs painting. You wouldn’t notice that when you first arrive. Now it’s second nature. One thing I have found consistent, whether I’ve managed a commercial building with tenants or a residential community with owners and tenants, it’s all about relationships and communication. In getting to know my residents, I’ve been able to communicate more effectively. When it comes to making major decisions, like when our community was deciding whether or not to open gyms and pools, we brought a focus group of residents together to provide us input, and for us to inform them of the guidelines. This helped reduce the “tension” on these topics. Since taking over as manager in my community, we have had 4 straight years without a fee increase and I have obtained my CMCA and AMS designations. I am looking forward to achieving and learning more as my tenure continues.