Interview

Nakira Carter

First Citizens Bank

About Me

As a senior vice president, I lead design and project management for First Citizens Bank. In this role, I am responsible for the team that ensures every product built or renovated for the bank is completed on time and on budget and meets our desired specifications. As a first-time high school and college graduate, obtaining […]

In Conversation

Tell Us About Your Business / Organization

As a first-time high school and college graduate, obtaining a degree in architecture seemed unattainable at times, but with God and an amazing support team, I did it. And now, some 27 years later, while I still remain as one of the few in this space of commercial real estate and development, I pride myself on giving back and educating women in this space as much as I can.

I’ve reached the point in my career where my ladder is sitting on a wall in my garage. So, while I do the work required of me at the bank, I also enjoy the opportunity to bring folks who look like me into the fold. Unfortunately, the inner workings of this industry remain a mystery to many, so I’ve made it my personal goal to share as much knowledge as possible. So, whether it be through cadences that connect with women looking to learn more about commercial real estate or career fairs/info sessions for high school and college students, I am committed to the cause.

It brings me so much joy to be a catalyst in expanding this field to include women and people of color. I’ve made numerous sacrifices over the years to serve as what felt like the lone token, but I now know it was all part of God’s plan, and for that, I am grateful.

What is your story

I am the daughter of Mary Peay, known to everyone who knew her as Mama Peay. She became a mother at age 15, and by age 18, that number had grown to 4. My twin sister and I came along some 13 years later, and as one could imagine, we benefited from her growth as a woman and mother.

Very early in life, I realized I loved the built environment and often told my family I would be the next John Crosland, a single-family home developer from my childhood. I turned the dream into reality by graduating from high school and entering college, where I pursued and earned a degree in Architecture.

Upon graduating in 1998, I moved two hours from home, but at the time, it felt far away. In 1999, I started my career with a small real estate development company, traveling throughout North Carolina to secure sites for affordable housing apartments and guide them through the entitlement, design, construction, and lease-up processes. It was here that I gained the basic skills that would become the backbone of everything that I would do in my career.

After five years as a road warrior, I took a job with a regional commercial and residential firm, where I led the development of the American Tobacco Campus in downtown Durham. It was here that I cut my teeth on the transaction side of commercial real estate while bringing some of the first market-rate apartments to this redeveloping part of the city. The adoption of our daughter led to a career move, landing me a position at a large real estate services provider.

At JLL, I joined the Carolinas Project and Development Services (PDS) team. While there, I served as a project manager, training lead for the PDS PMO, eventually landing as the Raleigh Market Lead, the first black woman at JLL to ever hold this role. COVID hit, George Floyd was murdered, and as the token black girl, I was pulled into every DEI conversation, and I was exhausted. In 2021, I decided to make a much-needed change and joined Cushman & Wakefield (C&W).

At C&W, as the Global Transition Lead, I had the opportunity to travel and manage real estate projects worldwide. As glamorous as it was, after three years, I was over the time zones and the work that came with them, so I decided a self-imposed sabbatical was in order.

In June 2024, I left C&W and focused on my mental health, spending time with my sweet hubby and our high school senior, while also pursuing a passion project: teaching math to GED students. After six months away from the hustle and bustle of corporate America, I felt God leading me back. As I considered my next role, I was intentional about my ask toGod – 1) I wanted to work for an end user and no longer as a service provider, 2) I wanted to be back in a physical office because I craved the in person connection that WFH could not bring, 3) I wanted a job that would allow me to the ability to continue to train up folks in the real estate space and 4) I wanted a normal work week where 60 hours was not the norm.

In His perfect wisdom, I was contacted about my current role at First Citizens Bank, which landed me in a position that answered each of my asks. So even as I type this note, I am pulled to reflect on the fact that I am living in answered prayers and enjoying every moment of it.

Accomplishments/Accolades/Awards

– PUBLICATIONS
• Here’s How COVID-19 Changes the Workplace Forever; Article for WRAL TechWire, October 2020
• Taking a More Holistic Approach to Designing Office Space; Article for WRAL TechWire, August 2020
• The 5 Key Pillars of Next Generation Leadership; Whitepaper with Walk West, July 2020

HONORS AND AWARDS
• 2024 Career Mastered National Women’s History Emerging Leader Award
• 2021 GlobeSt Women of Influence – Development Professional Award Winner
• 2020 Triangle Business Journal – Leaders in Diversity Award Winner
• 2020 JLL Project and Development Services – Diversity in Leadership Award Winner
• 2020, 2019 JLL Project and Development Services – Leader of the Year Award Nominee
• 2016 JLL Spotlight Program Prism Award – Advancing Diversity and Inclusion
• 2006 Struever Bros. Eccles & Rouse – Silver Hammer Award

CERTIFICATIONS
• PMI Project Management Professional
• Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional
• Prosci Certified Change Management Practitioner

Personal Life

I am a wife of 24 years to the most amazing man in the world and mother to an incredible 19-year-old daughter, who is both my greatest joy in life.
I enjoy entertaining, cooking, and baking, so our home is often filled with people looking to be fed.

I am always open to adventurous travel, especially across the pond.

I also possess a passion for teaching/training and plan to do so upon my retirement in a few years.

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Principles to Live By

What advice would you give your younger self?

Let Them! – I recently read “The Let Them Theory” and it literally transformed my life and the way that I deal with people and situations. I would tell my younger self to focus on me and the things that I can control and everything else…just let them! I wasted too much time and energy, in this life, on things that I had no control.

About

Nakira Carter

business or organization

First Citizens Bank

office location of a business or organization

Raleigh, North Carolina

Address

Phone Number

9197248908

Email

nakiracarter@gmail.com

Social Media Profiles

IG - nakira1026; FB - Nakira Peay Carter; LI - Nakira Carter