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Lea Sandoval had booked a well-deserved vacation to Bali far before the job opened at Kilroy Realty. At the time, she didn’t know a head of property and asset management role would be available at the organization. It could have weighed heavily on her mind during what was supposed to be both a regular vacation and one that would include a women’s retreat for reflection and relaxation. But that’s not how it played out at all.

“That vacation really gave me the space to think it through,” Sandoval explains. “I took the time to think about what that shift would mean if I could land the job, what that responsibility would look like, and really think about what I wanted the next phase of my career to look like.”

Sandoval would ultimately complete the interview process and accept the position as senior vice president and head of property and asset management. It seems like the rest of the Kilroy Realty organization agreed with the promotion.

“My office looks like a flower shop right now,” the SVP says, laughing. “It’s almost embarrassing, but I feel overwhelmed with the support and a humbling sense of gratitude. I feel energized by what’s ahead for my team and me. There is so much amazing talent here, and I know they are going to help me grow into this role just by nature of being so good at what they do. I’m excited that together, we have an amazing opportunity to build on our successes, take on new challenges, and continue to grow as a team.” 

The new role is a pivot for Sandoval, who has been with Kilroy since 2019, after spending a large part of career focused on third-party clients. What the SVP’s most looking forward to is acting as owner-manager and employing a much wider perspective, one focused on long-term ownership, value creation, and more holistic decision-making. Her purview isn’t maintaining assets for several different clients; Kilroy is the owner.

“If I can help just one person, no matter how much time I have to put into it, then it was 100 percent worth it.”

Lea Sandoval

The timing—vacation included—couldn’t have been better. Sandoval felt she had accomplished everything she wanted to in her previous position. Taking on the head of property and asset management position would offer the SVP a completely new challenge.

The promotion is so new that the congratulatory flowers haven’t left her office yet. That said, Sandoval says it’s going to take some time to fully wrap her head around exactly what kind of evolution is going to be necessary so she can provide her very best in the new position. There’s no doubt that she can—she just needs to get her feet under her.

“I intend to lead with intention and focus on the person,” Sandoval explains. “We are all one team, but I really try to lead by connecting personally with the people behind their titles. The work will always be there, but it’s important for me to know more about what drives and inspires my team, knowing where they want to grow in their own careers and how I might be able to help.”

And while Sandoval may have felt like she had outgrown her previous role, her impact is still a seismic one. Through the SVP’s active participation in the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA)’s international and California-level organizations, Sandoval says she’s so proud of the attention she and her team have been able to bring back to Kilroy.

“In my early days at Kilroy, I was at a BOMA awards banquet and was surprised that Kilroy wasn’t up for any awards,” Sandoval explains. “We are so well known for our work, being innovative and trailblazers, but that night it was like we didn’t exist. One thing I’m very proud of is that if you go to a BOMA event today, you’ll see Kilroy well represented, and that’s a credit to everyone on the team here. For the first time in its history, we have five buildings competing at an international conference that will take place at the end of June [2025]. That’s unprecedented and incredible.”

Awards weren’t the reason Sandoval got involved with BOMA. She currently serves on the executive board as vice chair for the Los Angeles chapter, but her participation dates back to her early days. She valued the change and policy advocacy the organization was always spearheading, as well as the education it provided for those in the industry and the community BOMA brings to its members.

That mission goes doubly so for Sandoval’s work with the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, where the SVP also serves on the executive board as secretary. COVID, the political unrest, and the unhoused situation happening right in the leader’s backyard encourages her to be part of a larger movement of positive change.

“One person will never solve the issue,” Sandoval explains. “But this is a group whose buildings are here, whose people are here, and it’s where we live. There’s so much work that we in the private sector can do to use our voice to implement change. John Kilroy Jr., who just retired last year, always used to say that we’re not carpet merchants. We can’t just roll up and move somewhere else. We have roots here. We have to take care of our community.”

Sandoval says it may be an all-too-common maxim, but it’s one that she takes incredibly seriously.

“If I can help just one person, no matter how much time I have to put into it, then it was 100 percent worth it,” the SVP explains. So while one person may not be able to handle a city like Los Angeles completely on her own, there’s a reason there are so many flowers sitting in her office right now. Sandoval has demonstrated time and time again that it’s about people, not promotions. It’s about helping her team grow, and whatever new perspective she may gain as a result of her new role, she’ll use it to help others achieve their dreams.

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