CIAP Friday Member Spotlight: Anna Maria Kowalik of Curly Consultancy LLC
At Chicagoland Italian American Professionals (CIAP), our Friday Member Spotlight series is a chance to introduce the people who make our community what it is. We celebrate members’ professional experience, personal stories, and the relationships they build along the way. This week, we’re pleased to spotlight Anna Maria Kowalik, Principal and C-PACE Consultant at Curly Consultancy LLC, and a longtime member whose commitment to the Italian-American professional community reflects the care she brings to her work.
Anna Maria’s career has taken her through international banking, payroll and benefits at Jewel-Osco, commercial property management, sustainability initiatives, and specialized clean-energy financing. Along the way, she developed a practical understanding of business, buildings, and the value of strong relationships. When the company she had worked with closed, she carried that experience forward and built something of her own.
A career shaped by curiosity and experience
Anna Maria’s professional path has not been a straight line, and that’s part of what makes it so valuable. She began in international banking, then moved into payroll and benefits at Jewel-Osco. Those roles gave her experience with financial systems, operations, and the people behind the work.
Her next chapter brought her into commercial property management. There, she gained firsthand knowledge of how buildings are operated and maintained, and of the decisions owners face when considering improvements. That experience became a strong foundation for her later work in sustainability and commercial real estate finance.
Over the years, Anna Maria developed a specialty in C-PACE, a financing tool that can help commercial property owners make eligible sustainability improvements. She is a 30-year commercial real estate veteran and a nationally recognized C-PACE professional. Her previous leadership roles include serving as Senior Vice President and Director of Business Development at Inland Green Capital LLC, and as Senior Vice President at the Illinois Energy Conservation Authority.
Her work has also earned industry recognition, including the 2022 PACENation PACESETTER Award, a 2022 Most Unique Small Commercial Deal of the Year recognition, and GlobeSt.’s 2022 Elite Woman of Influence designation in the Finance Executive category. These achievements reflect years of helping people understand a specialized financing option and move projects forward.
What is C-PACE?
C-PACE stands for Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy. In simple terms, it is a financing structure that can help commercial property owners fund eligible improvements (such as energy-efficiency, renewable-energy, water-conservation, or resilience upgrades) without covering the full project cost upfront.
The financing is generally repaid over time through a special assessment connected to the property, with details shaped by the applicable state and local program. C-PACE can be a useful tool, but it is still a financial obligation, and owners should review program requirements and project terms carefully.
That’s where Anna Maria’s mix of experience matters. She understands both the property side and the financing side, and she helps make a complicated process more approachable. Through her work, she provides transaction facilitation, education, and support for clients exploring C-PACE opportunities. You can learn more about her work at Curly Consultancy LLC.
Carrying the work forward with Curly Consultancy
When the company she had been working with closed, Anna Maria faced a turning point. She could let the work end there, or find a way to continue serving the clients and projects that mattered to her. She chose to build something of her own.
That decision led to Curly Consultancy LLC. As Principal and C-PACE Consultant, Anna Maria helps guide C-PACE financing transactions and promotes education about the financing tool in Illinois and nationally. The company draws on her experience across both the for-profit capital-provision side and nonprofit program administration, bringing together perspectives that can help clients navigate a nuanced process.
Starting a business takes persistence, especially when you’re building on a specialized field and a strong professional legacy. Anna Maria’s story is a reminder that experience isn’t just a record of where you’ve been. It can become the foundation for what you build next.
“Faith, Family, Food, and Fun!”
Ask Anna Maria what being Italian American means to her, and her answer comes with no hesitation: “is EVERYTHING: Faith, Family, Food, and Fun!”
Her family roots are three-quarters Barese/Pugliese and one-quarter Cosentina/Calabrese. Those connections to Puglia and Calabria are part of the heritage she carries with her, while the values she names (faith, family, food, and fun) sound right at home in a community gathering. And, as anyone who has shared a meal with Italian-American friends knows, “food” is doing a lot of important work in that sentence.
For Anna Maria, professional relationships and community are connected. Her longtime involvement with CIAP reflects the importance she places on staying engaged with people who share a sense of heritage, purpose, and mutual support. That spirit is at the heart of what we hope to build: a welcoming network where you can meet people, learn from one another, and find ways to contribute.
Anna Maria’s advice: stay flexible and lead with heart
When asked what advice she would share with others, Anna Maria keeps it direct:
- Be flexible. Plans change, and the ability to adapt can help you find the next opportunity.
- Never take anything personally. Keep perspective, learn from the moment, and move forward.
- Do whatever you do wholeheartedly. Bring genuine care and commitment to your work.
It’s simple advice, but it carries the perspective of someone who has moved across industries, adapted to change, and built a new business from experience and determination. For anyone navigating a career shift or considering a new venture, Anna Maria’s story offers a practical reminder: your next chapter can grow from everything you’ve already learned.
Get to know CIAP, and help us celebrate a member
We’re grateful to Anna Maria for sharing her story and for the experience she brings to the CIAP community. Her journey captures what member spotlights are all about: celebrating professional accomplishment while making room for the personal values and connections behind it.
Do you know someone we should feature next? We’d love to hear your nomination. Contact Salvatore at salvatore@chicagolanditalians.com to suggest a future spotlight member.
And if you’re looking to connect with an Italian American Chicago professional community, we invite you to explore CIAP membership and browse the CIAP Business Directory. Whether you’re a business owner, an independent professional, or part of an organization, there’s room to meet people, share what you do, and get involved. CIAP is more than a Chicago Italian American club. It’s a community built through professional relationships, shared culture, and showing up for one another.