Contributed in part by Jeanette Genovese, CMCA, AMS
In celebration of Women’s History Month in March, Ungated profiles women in the community association industry who give their time, creativity, and expertise to mentor others, build relationships, protect investments, and enhance communities. These profiles reflect women’s significant influence and their impactful contributions to the common interest housing model.
Phyllis Swink: Committed to Fiduciary Duty
Phyllis Swink doesn’t mince words when it comes to a board’s fiduciary duty.
“Personal interests alone are the wrong reason to join a community association board,” she says. “There is value in having people on the board who understand community governance.”
Her sense of community obligation is clear. “Think about the responsibility of the job,” she says. “You’re governing for everybody.”
Swink is a member of the board of the Cobblestone Owners Association in Urbandale, Iowa. She’s lived in the community for 40 years and knows its governing documents and bylaws.
A CAI member since 2021, Swink enjoys the learning, communication, and collaboration involved in community governance. Based on her experience, she knows a board composed of people who put the community first is important. Education also is critical. Homeowners need to get involved and pay attention. They need to know and understand the bylaws, ask questions, and attend board meetings.
Yet boards can’t do it alone. For Swink, effective management is essential. She values the experience and knowledge management brings and believes a positive and strong partnership between management and the board accounts for a community’s success.
When she served on the board 20 years ago, Swink was the only woman. Now, leadership is more evenly distributed. While she appreciates the knowledge and experience both genders bring to the table, Swink believes women may have an edge when it comes to collaboration and willingness to look at things from differing perspectives. She urges women to appreciate the value they bring to any group.
Regardless of gender, board members need to embrace their fiduciary duty and “recognize the value of association rules and regulations that protect their best interests,” she says. “It’s a great way to live when you know the expectations and accept the limitations.”
Carolyn Bonds: A Legacy of Leadership
Carolyn Bonds, PCAM, founder of Crest Management in Houston, built a community management company from the ground up in an era when few women served in leadership positions. Growing up in East Texas, she was raised to value honesty, integrity, and intellect. Those principles are the foundation of her leadership style.
In 1993, Bonds started her own management company with five properties. Today, Crest manages 215 properties with a team of 120 employees. Her story reflects a leadership style that inspires growth, loyalty, and innovation. She continues to seek better ways to operate and remains open to new ideas, actively tracking trends in technology, CAI designations, and legislative advocacy.
Family also is important to her. Her son, Bill Higgins, joined Crest in 2010. Bonds believes in empowering employees by giving them the tools to perform their jobs effectively. She is a strong advocate for professional development. Managers at Crest receive up to six weeks of comprehensive training before being assigned to their first property. Crest also requires managers to obtain the CMCA credential and AMS designation; the company fully funds classes and testing. Crest provides financial support for managers pursuing the PCAM and Large-Scale Manager designations.
Bonds encourages community engagement too. Crest participates annually in the Summer Juice Box Challenge, organized by a local nonprofit organization dedicated to ending childhood hunger in the greater Houston area. (See Common Ground, November December 2025, p. 9.)
Perseverance and hard work are important to Bonds. She hopes her legacy will be the continued success of Crest as a locally owned, family-led company that delivers boutique-style management with heart, purpose, and excellence.
Jeanette Genovese is with Crest Management in Houston.
>>Read more about female leadership and Women’s History Month in Common Ground March/April 2026.
