Ann Crowley, seeking a career in marketing, practically stumbled into the commercial real estate industry.
Now, more than two decades later, the Hampstead resident is stumbling into a new field, conflict resolution - something she hopes to one day put to use during her mission trips to developing countries.
Crowley, 46, spent the early part of her career working for The Rouse Company, a Baltimore-based commercial real estate development firm. There, she was able to use her wit and creativity on big projects such as the redevelopment of Baltimore's grimy Mondawmin Mall and the Towson Town Center.
During her time in marketing, Crowley helped to introduce the first permanent eyesight correction company to the Baltimore market, launch a new book and music store concept, lead book and literacy fundraisers and re-launch a specialty leading program in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
But last year, when her employer, General Growth Properties, which had purchased Rouse, went bankrupt, she decided it was time to embark on a new journey.
Crowley enrolled in a mediation program at Baltimore Mediation, a firm mediating interpersonal and multi-party disputes and facilitating group dialogue.
Crowley said she hopes to not only use her mediation skills to help parties in the United States, but also one day to take her skills abroad to places like Nicaragua, where she'll be traveling this week.
For the past several years, Crowley and her family have participated in missionary trips with their church, Crossroads Community Church, an independent Bible church in Westminster. Crowley said her family has gone on several trips to Nicaragua to minister to locals, but also help local leaders and organizers with efforts to help stabilize the area.
Crowley is headed on a trip to Nicaragua Wednesday. While there, she will be participating in an in-service with educators to teach methods of sensory learning to help increase understanding and competency for students in the classrooms.
On May 30, Mother's Day in Nicaragua, Crowley said the group will be hosting a brunch and ministering effort with local women to teach the importance of education, giving them a vision for the impact of a formal education.
While Crowley won't be formally using her mediation talents during her trip to Nicaragua this year, she hopes to leave a few skills behind to the women in the area.
"We'll be talking to the women about how to be an active listener," said Crowley, which she said is an important aspect of mediation.
A mediator is a neutral third party allowing all sides to come together in a forum to discover opposing views, in hopes to move toward a resolution, Crowley said, skills she'd like to teach people in developing countries, like Nicaragua.
"I think there is an opportunity in a place where the legal system doesn't really work to develop a program where people could learn to be community mediators to resolve disputes without the legal system," Crowley said.
