It was a “girl power” evening at the recent Stemmons Award celebration, hosted at Hotel Anatole by the North Texas Commercial Association of Realtors. Along with presenting its annual Stemmons Service Award to Dowdle Real Estate Principal Lynn Dowdle, the organization honored Elizabeth Herman Fulton of CBRE with its Young Citizen Award. It’s only the second time the annual awards have both gone to women.
Now in its 47th year, the Stemmons Service Award is considered the Dallas commercial real estate industry’s highest honor. It’s peer-nominated and peer-voted award presented to a NTCAR member who best exemplifies the highest professional standards of a commercial real estate broker.
Dowdle, who also was named D CEO’s Broker of the Year in 2023, is one of the region’s most successful industry professionals, with extensive experience in hospitality site selection and land sales, restaurant, ground lease, build-to-suit, and development opportunities. Before forming her own company, she held executive posts at SRS Real Estate Partners (formerly The Staubach Co.), The John Bowles Co., Trammell Crow Co., and Tara Group.
She also has a long history of giving back to both the industry and the community. Dowdle is a longtime NTCAR member and past president, is on the executive board of TREC and past chair of its leadership committee and led the organization’s annual Fight Night fundraiser last year. Among other philanthropic organizations, she is on the Circle of Friends board with New Friends New Life.
Finalists for this year’s Stemmons Service Award were Frank Bullock with Henry S. Miller, Lawrence Gardner with OMS Strategic Advisors, and Michelle Hudson with Hudson Peters.
NTCAR’s Young Citizen Award recognizes an emerging professional who is actively involved in industry and community service and is a rising leader in the brokerage industry. This year, the honor went to Elizabeth Herman Fulton, vice president at CBRE. Finalists for the honor this year were Ben Davis with CBRE, Shelbie McDiffett with LGE Design Build, and Andrew Scudder with JLL.
Q+A With Stemmons Service Award Winner Lynn Dowdle
D CEO: What does winning the Stemmons Service Award mean to you?
LYNN DOWDLE: “The Stemmons Service Award is the highest honor bestowed to a commercial real estate professional. The recognition is one of the greatest highlights of my 30-year career.”
D CEO: Why does it hold such special significance?
DOWDLE: The award is a peer-driven award, so the amount of gratitude I have is extraordinary. It’s especially meaningful because industry icon John Stemmons wanted to recognize those who give back to Dallas. I have a ton of respect for every past recipient and couldn’t be more honored to be a part of such an accomplished group of humans.
D CEO: As you look back on your career to date, what are you most proud of, professionally?
DOWDLE: I hope I have made a difference to young men and women coming up in our industry. Mentoring and inspiring has always been a priority of mine. I will add this lifetime honor to those things that are most important and sacred to me.
D CEO: What advice do you have for others on how they can get involved in community and industry service?
DOWDLE: “We are fortunate to have the opportunity to be active in many amazing organizations here in Dallas. I always say, ‘Show up and lean in, and you’ll get there.’ It takes hard work and grit, but this industry rewards that. I now know that the efforts invested come back tenfold. I’m also grateful to have made lifetime friends in our industry. Quite simply, I’ve had the time of my life.”
D CEO: What has you most excited about the future?
DOWDLE: “I’m most excited because I don’t know the answer to that. It will be an adventure—that I’m quite sure of.”
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