Marianne Waggoner Day

As a young wife and stay-at-home mother, Marianne Waggoner Day was a “typical” June Cleaver housewife of the ’60s and ’70s—until her divorce necessitated “getting a job.” She started her career in sales and was promoted to various management positions. Ultimately, she became president of retail services for CBRE, where she led the largest commercial retail real estate practice in the world. Under her management, it outperformed the competition nearly two to one. Day was the first woman to earn a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 100-year-old company. She was a frequent speaker and facilitated learning and training sessions. Ten years ago, she elected to step down from her corporate role while continuing to consult with former clients and coach high-performing business professionals. Now in retirement, she has come full circle—from having her picture in the Wall Street Journal to spending much of her day caring for her grandchildren.