ROBIN ABRAMS
EASTERN CONSOLIDATED
Robin Abrams is Retail Vice Chairman and Principal at Eastern Consolidated where she heads the Abrams Retail Strategies group, focusing on retail leasing and consulting.
Throughout her accomplished career, Abrams has secured locations in New York City and nationally for some of the biggest players in the fashion industry. She and her team also work closely with online retailers leasing brick and mortar stores, national chains, major banks, and home/design tenants. In addition to her tenant rep work, she represents many of the city’s largest landlords.
Abrams was chairperson of the Real Estate Board of New York’s Retail Leasing Committee from 2003-2007 and continues to serve on that committee and on the Board of Directors of REBNY’s Commercial Division.
In 2013, she received REBNY’s prestigious Louis Smadbeck Memorial Broker Recognition Award, and was the winner of REBNY’s “Most Creative Deal of the Year Award” in 2010.
TERRI ADLER
DUVAL & STACHENFELD LLP
Terri Adler is a founding member of Duval & Stachenfeld LLP, chair of the Firm’s Real Estate Department, and a member of the Firm’s Management Committee.
Adler is one of the most talented and creative attorneys in real estate. She is an unmatched powerhouse in corporate real estate transactions requiring complicated structuring, which plays to her strength of being innovative.
While overseeing one of the largest real estate practices in NYC, Adler has developed a wide range of expertise in all areas of national and international real estate practice with a particular focus on complex joint ventures and corporate real estate transactions.
Adler has been at the forefront of many industry trends, whether involving the creation of new real estate platforms, to strategic investments in existing real estate platforms to preferred equity investments and multi-tiered joint ventures.
KATHY ANDERSON
PROGRESS CAPITAL
Kathy Anderson is Founder and Managing Partner of Progress Capital, a commercial mortgage brokerage firm that specializes in commercial real estate loans, joint venture relationships and private equity.
Since founding Progress Capital in 1990, she’s grown the business and expanded in 2017 with an office at 40 Wall Street in NYC.
With more than 30 years of banking and finance experience she has led Progress in securing over $40 billion in closed transactions.
Anderson’s expertise in the industry allows her to maintain an unparalleled network of banking and investor relationships that facilitates her ability to match clients with the ideal lender in relation to their long-term objectives.
In 2014, she also formed ‘Progress Direct’ – a direct lending platform funded by a network of private investors that has financed over $100 million in bridge loans.
Progress Capital’s clients hold Anderson and her team in high regard, referring to them as the ‘outsourced financial arm of their business,’ relying on honest advice and expert execution.
Anderson also serves on the Board at Regal Bank, headquartered in Livingston, NJ, has been retained as expert legal witness in CRE litigation and is a featured speaker at annual industry conferences.
OSAYAMEN ASEMOTA-BARTHOLOMEW
PROJECT REAP
(Real Estate Associate Program)
In Osayamen Bartholomew’s five years with Project REAP, and one year as associate program director, she has been responsible for launching successful new programs in Kansas City; Dallas; and Columbus, Ohio, as well as running, in conjunction with local committees, fall and spring 10-week courses in many of the nation’s major urban centers including New York City; Washington, D.C.; Atlanta and LA.
Each year, she helps locate distinguished faculty members and, together with the executive director, oversees programs and monitors the progress of 75 to 100 new students.
Her work with REAP takes her nationwide to meet with local administrators, aid them in setting up and managing programs and recruiting students.
She works in close collaboration with REAP’s executive director to identify potential sponsors/supporters representing major companies and financial institutions and organizes networking association meetings hosted by REAP sponsors.
Osa holds a joint BS degree in English/Communications from Lincoln and Temple University, PA, and an MA in Communication Arts from the New York Institute of Technology.
KAREN BELLANTONI
RKF
Karen Bellantoni has more than 35 years of experience in retail, retail leasing and merchandising, specializing in tenant and landlord representation in Manhattan and throughout the United States. She joined RKF in 1999.
Among other high-profile clients, Bellantoni has represented Intermix in more than 25 transactions, Apple in the leasing of its three Manhattan flagship locations, and J. Crew in the leasing of several locations. She has also arranged leases for Kiehl’s, NYX Professional Makeup, The Body Shop, lululemon, rag & bone, Elie Tahari, Bose Corp., The Frye Company, Operations, M&M’s World, Diesel and Oliviers & Co., Esprit, Godiva and Hublot.
Bellantoni represented Taconic Investment Partners and ING Clarion in the leasing of 401 West 14th Street to Apple, Hugo Boss, Moschino and Tudor Investment Corporation. She was responsible for the merchandising and leasing of Chelsea Market, arranging a lease for Jamestown Properties with Anthropologie. She arranged to bring Mulberry, Chanel, The Limited and Under Armour to Calliope Associates’ 134 Spring Street.
Bellantoni holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from Ohio University.
VALERIE CAMPBELL
KRAMER LEVIN NAFTALIS & FRANKEL
Valerie Campbell is a leading member of Kramer Levin’s elite Land Use practice in New York City and has represented some of the city’s major developers and institutions.
Campbell’s recent accomplishments include the successful representations of Macklowe Properties, Extell, HFZ Group, Anbang Insurance and Acuity Capital Partners.
She stands out for her ability to navigate clients through complex city reviews. For Anbang, the owner of the Waldorf Astoria, she worked on two applications for work on the hotel before the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission and secured unanimous approval.
Campbell also represents The Frick Collection where she is working on the landmarks approval for the historic museum’s planned enlargement.
Campbell’s clients benefit from her three decades of experience working on city land use and real estate matters, which includes her work in previous positions as General Counsel to the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission and as Deputy Counsel to the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.
Campbell is on the Board of Broadway Housing and provided pro bono assistance related to the development of the Sugar Hill Project which includes affordable housing, children’s education and the Sugar Hill Children’s Museum of Art and Storytelling.
NICHOLE CORTESE
LOEB & LOEB
Nichole Cortese has worked at Loeb & Loeb since 2008. She is a talented attorney and a shrewd real estate professional who possesses a unique blend of legal intellect, market knowledge and nimble negotiation skills to deliver the highest quality service to her clients.
Cortese worked on one of Manhattan’s largest lease transactions in 2017 when she and her team represented Ivanhoe Cambridge and its partner in two separate leases to 21st Century Fox and News Corp totaling more than 1.2 million square feet of office space at 122 Avenue of the Americas in midtown Manhattan.
In addition, Cortese also recently represented Joseph P. Day, RFR Realty, Brookfield Properties and Trinity Real Estate and played a key role in the representation of 120 Park Avenue Associates LLC and Willis Group Holdings
JESSICA CURTIS
CBRE
Jessica Curtis has spent the last decade of her career navigating the national real estate landscape on behalf of up-and-coming restaurant brands. Her exclusive representation for Barteca Restaurants has taken her to nearly every major market from Boston to Miami and Dallas to Denver, along with secondary markets like Nashville, Raleigh, Charlotte and Birmingham. Curtis has been responsible for Barteca’s real estate since 2008 and arranged for upwards of 40 deals for the company.
She began her career with Gordon Group, creator of The Forum Shops in Las Vegas, and quickly became fluent in shopping center development, specializing in entertainment destinations.
She was later recruited by Retail Portfolio Solutions, a luxury retail real estate consulting firm based in Newport Beach, Calif.
Prior to joining CBRE, Curtis was a senior managing director for Newmark Knight Frank, and also served as an associate director at Cushman & Wakefield.
LAUREN DAVIDSON
TRANSWESTERN
Lauren Davidson has over 12 years of experience advising clients across all industries on their real estate needs.
On each of her landlord assignments, she’s exceeded expectations by raising taking rents and improving occupancy rates. A testament to Lauren’s performance, her tenant clients have engaged her on multiple transactions over the years. At Transwestern, she is regularly recognized among the firm’s top producers.
Before joining Transwestern in 2012, Davidson was the Director of Business Development at the Empire State Building. In this role, she focused on marketing and leasing the nearly three million-square-foot building. She was involved in over 500,000 s/f of leasing transactions during her tenure, and responsible for executing a consolidation program, playing an integral role in designing a new pre-built program.
Davidson began her real estate career as an associate at Cushman & Wakefield in the Global Business Development Group, representing institutional clients such as TIAA-CREF and Citigroup.
She received an MBA degree from NYU Stern and her bachelors in economics from the University of Pennsylvania.
KATHLEEN DEEGAN DICKSON
FORCHELLI DEEGAN TERRANA
Kathleen Deegan Dickson concentrates her practice in the areas of real estate development matters and, in particular, land use and zoning law.
She has an extensive track record of success with and before municipal boards and agencies on significant projects throughout Long Island.
She has a reputation for effectiveness and integrity in the pre-hearing meetings and outreach to municipal planning staffs and civic groups that are now a must in Long Island’s current development climate.
Deegan Dickson is former counsel to the City of Glen Cove Planning and Zoning Boards, and currently represents many developers, property owners, corporations, and private individuals in real property transactions, zoning, and land use.
Deegan Dickson has been awarded an “AV” legal ability and ethics rating by Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory – the very highest rating this nationally recognized publication has established.
She is a Board Member of the Women Economic Developers of Long Island.
FRAN DELGORIO
JACK RESNICK & SONS, INC.
Fran Delgorio is a 35-plus year veteran in the commercial real estate sector.
In June 2009 she joined Jack Resnick & Sons, Inc., as Managing Director and is responsible for the leasing and marketing for their midtown Class A office properties as well as retail space. Her background includes expertise in institutional investment, development, corporate real estate, portfolio management and leasing.
Her real estate career began at Sibag Investments, a former investment division of Siemens, A.G., as Portfolio Manager for both investment and corporate housed properties, followed by Prudential Insurance Company of America as a national Director of Real Estate Operations.
She also held positions as Sr. Vice President of Leasing & Marketing with Cohen Brothers Realty Corporation in New York and with Albert B. Ashforth, Inc. as Director of Leasing and Marketing for an office portfolio previously owned by the General Motors Pension Fund in White Plains, New York.
Delgorio is a summa cum laude graduate of New York Institute of Technology with a B.S. degree in Marketing and earned a Master of Science degree from New York University’s Shack Institute’s Real Estate Development and Finance program.
She is the 2007-2008 past president of Association of Real Estate Women (AREW), the 2005 recipient of AREW’s Founder’s Award and has also served as Chairperson of AREW’s Charitable Fund. She continues to serve on New York’s CREW’s Scholarship Review Committee.
She is a Board Member of the East Midtown and Grand Central Partnerships and the Bryant Park Corporation and serves on the REBNY Plaza and Grand Central Committees.
TRACY DENNIS
HUNT MORTGAGE GROUP
Tracy Dennis is a seasoned attorney who has represented lenders and borrowers in numerous commercial real estate transactions over the course of her career and brings and shares her wealth of transactional experience in the commercial real estate and structured finance industries to Hunt Mortgage Group.
Before joining Hunt Mortgage Group, she was Senior Underwriting Counsel at First American Title Insurance Company. Before that she was a Director at Credit Suisse where she worked in the CMBS group, providing warehouse lines and seller financing to the firm’s commercial real estate and structured finance clients.
Earlier in her career, she was a Partner at Mayo Crowe and an Associate at Brown Raysman Millstein Felder & Steiner LLP.
Dennis is playing a vital role in helping Hunt Mortgage Group achieve its strategic growth goals and provides a solid leadership base to draw from as the firm enters new industry sectors.
In the past year, in addition to managing the closing department, which had a record breaking year of closing over 500 loans, as counsel, she was integrally involved in negotiating and closing two new repo facilities, a new fixed rate loan program, and a new mezzanine lending program.
MARTINE DUPHREZIN
RCGA ARCHITECTS
Martine Duphrezin has more than 26 years of experience in design and construction development.
She is Principal Design Architect at RCGA Architects and a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Accredited Professional.
She coordinates all RCGA efforts with consultants from preliminary programming through construction.
Her expertise and accomplishments include airport developments, transportation, hotel / restaurants, commercial, industrial, educational, houses of worship, and residential projects.
She holds a BS degree in Architecture from City College of New York (School of Architect and Environmental Studies).
In addition, Duphrezin is committed to technical and personal excellence and provides leadership and oversight for all technology solutions (CADD, BIM and Project Management Solutions). She has been successful in implementing Building Information Modeling (BIM) technology at RCGA.
She currently serves as a Nassau County CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) member for the Office of Emergency Management (OEM).
DONNA FALZARANO
CBRE
As vice president of CBRE’s Capital Markets, Debt & Structured Finance team, Donna Falzarano’s expertise is in financial and market analyses, deal marketing and placement and transaction due diligence.
In 2017 alone, she and her team were responsible for closing $380 million in financing.
The team represented Hartz Mountain Industries and Panepinto Properties on the recent financing of 3 Journal Square in Jersey City, NJ, a newly constructed, 240-unit apartment property. The largest transaction in 2017 was the acquisition financing of 597 Westport Avenue in Norwalk, CT, a 235-unit multifamily property. Falzarano handled this complex execution which involved a first and mezzanine execution totaling $89.25 million.
Falzarano recently celebrated 25 years with CBRE’s Capital Markets, Debt & Structured Finance team, where she currently serves as vice president in the Saddle Brook, NJ office.
Prior to joining CBRE, Falzarano managed the investment underwriting group for David Cronheim Mortgage Corporation. She analyzed and marketed mortgage loan investments, managed life company correspondent relationships and oversaw the underwriting team responsible for the preparation of offering memoranda and transaction due diligence.
Falzarano is a member of CBRE Tri-State Women’s Network and CBRE’s Multi-Housing Group.
CARA FASKE
PACE ADVERTISING
As CEO of Pace, a full-service marketing, advertising and branding agency based in New York City, with offices in Boca Raton, Orlando, Miami, New Jersey, and Philadelphia, Faske is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the business.
Her career spans over 25 years and has been dedicated to marketing real estate.
Faske has built a reputation for exceptional creativity with real estate marketing ideas and campaigns that always break the mold. Over the years, she has spearheaded strategies and directed marketing campaigns for many of the largest residential and commercial real estate developers and companies in the U.S. Faske founded and served as president of Cara Martin, an advertising and branding agency that was launched in 2003. In 2011, she merged her firm with Pace, a WPP company. Under her leadership, Pace has continued to expand and evolve, emerging as one of New York’s and South Florida’s pre-eminent women-led agencies. In 2017, Faske and her Pace team launched Common Ground, a campaign focusing on gender equality in the commercial and residential real estate sectors.
She holds a degree in marketing from Syracuse University.
CHRISTINE FAVARA MONTI
EVP, ADVANTAGE TITLE
As Executive Vice President and National Transaction Counsel for Advantage Title, Christine Favara Monti, Esq. regularly contributes her knowledge of national and international title insurance law and practice to her clients, playing an integral role in propelling Advantage to be recognized as one of the largest and most well-regarded title agencies in New York.
Monti regularly counsels attorneys, large institutional lenders, real estate developers and investors on complex title matters. Her extensive multi-state and international experience involving the disposition and financing of commercial real estate, mezzanine financing, equity participations, and construction lending sets her apart from others in her industry.
In her impressive career, Monti has serviced transactions throughout the United States, Latin America, and Europe.
She began her career with Advantage Title as National Counsel in 2007. In her 11 years with the company, she has spearheaded the development of Advantage Title’s national transaction department, concentrating on commercial transactions outside of New York. Under her supervision, the department has grown exponentially, counting among her clients some of the country’s most influential real estate professionals.
Recently, Monti acted as sole title counsel to a transaction involving the acquisition of a 790 megawatt combined cycle natural gas fired generation power plant for $800 millioMITZI FLEXER
MITZI FLEXER
CUSHMAN & WAKEFIELD
Mitzi Flexer is a Director of Brokerage at Cushman & Wakefield and has spearheaded some of the most creative, forward thinking deals in the outer-boroughs.
Deeply integrated into the marketplace as a lifelong resident of New York City, Flexer utilizes the advantages of Cushman & Wakefield’s platform in combination with her local knowledge of the movement and development in various New York neighborhoods. She has developed a reputation as a professional who knows how to timely close a deal, and who will ensure her tenants secure much sought after space.
Mitzi is active in her community both personally and professionally as she is a member of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce; a member of the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY), where she sits on the Brooklyn Retail Committee; a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC); and a member of the Latino Professionals Association. She is also a member of CREW and is the Divisional Coordinator of Brooklyn AYSO Region 473.
Flexer earned her Bachelor’s degree in History and Comparative Literature from Hofstra University, and a Master’s of Arts in Organizational Leadership, Supervision and Administration.
KELLY GEDINSKY
WINICK REALTY GROUP
Kelly Gedinsky has become one of the most successful young female brokers in the industry, leasing over 700,000 square feet of retail in her over 10 years at Winick. Throughout her career, Gedinsky was always willing to take on new and challenging projects, which has allowed her to amass a unique skillset and knowledge base that sets her apart from her contemporaries both male and female.
She has cultivated a comprehensive understanding of major lease transactions, legalese, zoning laws and classifications, as well as a detailed understanding of ground-up construction and LED spectacular signage.
Now a manager and a mentor in her own right, Gedinsky is proud to be one of the go-to sources for young brokers at Winick Realty Group looking to learn about the retail leasing industry.
Her main goal is to ensure her clients’ satisfaction at every step of the leasing process. This is evident in some of her most notable transactions, including Saint Laurent at 3 West 57th Street, Lowes at 2000 Broadway, the first Nordstrom Men’s Store in the world at 3 Columbus Circle, Snapchat’s only retail location at 5 East 59th Street and the leasing at Columbus Square, which includes HomeGood’s first Manhattan location and Michael’s first urban location in the country.
KATE HEMMERDINGER-GOODMAN
ATCO
Kate Hemmerdinger-Goodman oversees ATCO’s Human Resources Department, the Residential Management and Operations Divisions, Essential Design + Build and both the Commercial and Residential Brokerage divisions, respectively ATCO Brokerage Services and Essential New York.
She is also responsible for spearheading many of the company’s large projects and facilities management.
In the role of asset manager for ATCO’s legacy portfolio, Goodman tackles the negotiation of leases, advises and oversees design implementation, and all related aspects in the startup and renovation stages of managed properties.
She also plays an integral role in assessing and developing new lines of business to better serve ATCO’s clients.
Previously, she worked for a major public relations firm and in the documentary department of CBS News, Inc.
Goodman maintains a leadership role in a number of important community and charitable organizations. She is member of C200, and Women Presidents’ Organization, Platinum Chapter. She currently sits on the board of KiDS of NYU Langone Medical Center. Some of her other activities have included serving as a Board Member for Children for Children, as a committee member of the Stephen D. Hassenfeld Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders and as a Co-Chair of Brown University’s Manhattan Alumnae Interview Process.
Goodman is a Licensed Real Estate Broker and a graduate of Brown University.
LINA GOTTESMAN
ALTUS METAL, MARBLE & WOOD
Lina Gottesman was introduced to the construction business early on through a Long Island-based, family-owned stone and masonry company. In 1989, Gottesman returned to her roots and founded Altus Metal & Marble Maintenance. Altus, the Greek symbol of excellence, demonstrates the company’s commitment to high quality workmanship.
For over 29 years, Altus, a certified WBE (woman-owned business enterprise) based in Smithtown, L.I., has performed restorations for numerous prominent commercial, residential and historic buildings in the metropolitan area: World Trade Buildings 1 and 2 following the terrorist bombing of 1993; Grand Central Terminal; The Port Authority Bus Terminal; Columbia University; Carnegie Hall; The Empire State Building; The New York City Public Library; and Macy’s Herald Square. Altus is certified as a WBE with many major public agencies such as New York City Small Business Services; the Port Authority of NY & NJ (PANYNJ); the MTA; and WBENC (Women’s Business and Economic National Council).
Gottesman has been honored by such groups as the Regional Alliance for Small Contractors and the PANY/NJ at the Competitive Edge Conference.
She serves on the board of the NY Women’s Agenda; is the Chair of the NY Women’s Chamber of Commerce; board member at the Long Island Center for Business and Professional Women, and is an active member of the Women’s Presidents’ Organization (WPO).
JUDY GUARINO
JPMORGAN CHASE
Judy Guarino is the Regional Manager for Commercial Term Lending’s Northeast Commercial Mortgage Lending group, responsible for executing the CML business strategy in Metro New York. She leads a team of bankers who provide term financing solutions from $1 million to $25 million+ to real estate investors for the purchase or refinance of retail, mixed use, industrial, and office properties. Additionally, she remains heavily involved and up to date on the state of the New York City real estate market and community. Prior to joining Chase in 2005, She spent six years in financial services as Vice President and Regional Sales Manager of Small Business and Middle Market for the New York region at Fleet Bank.
Guarino started her career at Bank of New York where she spent 10 years working with the retail bank, which included sales management for 46 branches throughout Bergen County of New Jersey.
Commercial Term Lending is a market leader in the multifamily and commercial mortgage lending business, and the nation’s top originator of multifamily loans.
CHERYL HARDT
CBRE
A first vice president in CBRE’s Saddle Brook, NJ office, Cheryl Hardt is recognized for her attention to client service, as well as her ability to collaborate with multi-disciplinary teams to create innovative solutions to clients’ real estate requirements. Among her many accolades, she received CBRE’s Platinum Award in 2013 and 2007; NAIOP’s Economic Impact Deal of the Year Award in 2011; and CBRE’s Market Leadership Award in 2007, among others.
Hardt has more than 25 years of commercial real estate advisory and transaction experience for investors and corporate occupiers in northern New Jersey with a specialty in Newark.
She has completed more than 10 million square feet of leasing and sales transactions in her tenure with CBRE. She is passionate about creating value and workplaces that inspire, and to this end she advises not-for-profits, educational institutions and charter schools on their real estate strategies and transactions. In 2017, Cheryl advised Newark Public Schools in their relocation to their new central office at 765 Broad Street.
Hardt served as CREW Network’s Foundation Chair in 2016 and has held various positions on the Board of Directors for CREW Network and CREW NJ. Additionally, she was a William Paterson University Foundation Board Member from 2011 to 2014.
Prior to joining CBRE, Hardt led the leasing effort for the two-million-square-foot portfolio owned by Bellemead Development Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Chubb Corporation.
AMANDA HERTZLER
MKDA
Amanda Hertzler leads MKDA’s innovative Miami architecture and interior design studio, and provides design services on commercial building, office, retail, mixed-use and hospitality assignments, creating spaces unmatched in creativity yet rooted in the business of real estate.
An advisor on investment and development opportunities to real estate owners East End Capital, Brickman, Goldman Properties, RedSky, The Safra Family and The Gindi Family, Hertzler’s work includes Wynwood Park, the adaptive-reuse of a city block into 50,000 s/f of retail and 20,000 s/f of rooftop space; 2407 NW 2nd Avenue, the adaptive-reuse of a Wynwood art gallery into two floors of retail; and 2509 N. Miami Avenue, the adaptive-reuse of a former printing warehouse into a three-story office and retail building.
She is also leading the design of a Wynwood hotel, and Spanish Court Hotel Resort, a $12.5 million, 120,000 s/f hotel redevelopment in the Caribbean.
Hertzler’s integrated approach has been applied to workplaces for Creative Artists Agency, SproutLoud, DLD Lawyers, Ink Global, Retail Outsource, Bayview Loan Services, Burr and Forman, VUMI, Liberty Power, Fanatics, Banyan Street Capital, and Offizina, a 16-story, ground-up office condo.
She earned a Masters in Interior Design at New York’s Pratt Institute School of Art and Design after studying design and architecture in Paris, France at the Université de Sorbonne.
NINVE JAMES
REALTOR.COM
A 15-year industry veteran, in November 2015, James was hired to develop and lead realtor.com’s initiative to enter the New York City real estate market, a priority for News Corp. and realtor.com leadership.
She blew by internal and external expectations for the effort, growing realtor.com’s number of New York City listings to equal those of its leading competitors within one year. And that was just for starters: realtor.com now has 20 percent more listings in New York City than its largest competitor.
To achieve those results, James cultivated realtor.com’s relationships with the city’s top real estate firms and, as a result, last year realtor.com became the first national real estate website to sign a direct listing syndication agreement with the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY). In addition, she directed the launch of the company’s New York-focused advertising campaign website features.
From 2008 – 2015, James worked for Trulia, where she served as a Senior Manager of Strategic Partnerships and managed the development of Trulia’s broker product offering. She began her career as a Senior Account Executive and Regional Director at realtor.com.
ELIZABETH A. JOYCE
AMTRUST TITLE INSURANCE COMPANY
As part of the senior executive team, Elizabeth. Joyce is focused on business development and management. She is a veteran of the title industry, serving clients throughout the Greater New York Metropolitan region for more than 25 years.
Joyce has long-standing relationships in the industry and has worked on a wide variety of commercial and residential transactions, representing major builders and prominent developers. Among her many professional affiliations, Joyce is on the Board of Directors of the Institute of Real Estate at Hofstra (IRE); an Associate Board Director for the Association for a Better Long Island (ABLI); on the Board of Directors of the Long Island Real Estate Group (LIREG); A member of Commercial Industrial Brokers (CIBS); a member of Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW); and a member of the Energeia Partnership Class of 2008.
AMANDA KELLER
SCG RETAIL
Amanda Keller works on tenant and landlord representation in New York City. Working alongside David Firestein on Starbucks, she focuses on their Manhattan leasing. Her most recent deals include 125 St. Marks Place, 21 West End Avenue, and 152 West 45th Street.
Keller also oversaw the leasing for Canon NYC, a clothing boutique, at 150 Sullivan Street, and represented the landlord at 55 East Houston Street in a transaction with City Hats, a high-end hat store.
Keller earned her B.A. from Fairfield University. While attending Fairfield, she was a four-year team member on the Women’s Division I Field Hockey team. After graduating, she worked at Massey Knakal (now Cushman & Wakefield), and then at TerraCRG, where she focused on Investment Sales in Brooklyn. In 2015 Amanda joined SCG Retail.
Keller stays active by participating in two Field Hockey leagues in Manhattan. She is a dual citizen of Italy and the United States.
HEIDI LEARNER
SAVILLS STUDLEY
Heidi Learner serves as Savills Studley’s Chief Economist, based in the firm’s New York City headquarters.
She focuses on the macroeconomic and legislative environment affecting commercial real estate markets on a national and regional basis. She develops real-time measures of supply and demand for commercial space to assist the firm’s clients in understanding the continually evolving economics of the real estate markets.
Savills Studley relies on Learner’s research and quantitative analysis in executing client transactions — from leases to asset acquisitions and dispositions. A former fixed-income strategist and portfolio manager, Learner spent almost 20 years on Wall Street and served in a number of buy-side and sell-side roles. She started her career at Salomon Brothers, and holds the designation of Chartered Financial Analyst.
Learner attended University of Pennsylvania, where she received a bachelor’s degree in finance and bioengineering, and earned a master’s degree in mathematical finance from Columbia University.
JULIA LINDH
MKDA
Julia Lindh, NCARB, is an executive managing director and director of design in MKDA’s Stamford office. She established the office as a “one man shop” in 2006, and has since grown her team to 11 designers and project managers who service diverse corporate clients in multiple markets nationwide.
Lindh is recognized for the strategic advisory services she provides commercial building owners, such as RPW Group, George Comfort & Sons and ClearRock Properties. She has led the repositioning of buildings like 700 and 850 Canal Street for ClearRock and 2187 Atlantic Street for Black Diamond with work that includes façade design, lobby renovations, prebuilt programs, and marketing and turnkey suites.
Her corporate work for brands that include Guggenheim Partners, Design Within Reach, Bank of Ireland, Tradition Energy, Workpoint, Eldridge and Arbour Lane Capital Management integrates the unique corporate character of a corporation into an efficient and visually pleasing workplace.
Lindh is licensed in Connecticut, New York and Alabama; and, as a National Council of Architecture Review Board (NCARB) certificate holder, she has completed work in Florida, California and Texas.
She is a member of NAIOP, and has been recognized as a “Women Making an Impact” for her commitment to the local community. She holds a B.Arch. from Pratt Institute.
ALISON LEWIS
NEWMARK KNIGHT FRANK
Alison Lewis joined Newmark Knight Frank in 2013 and serves as chief administrative officer.
As a member of NKF’s executive leadership team, Lewis provides guidance and oversight of NKF’s business lines, support services and office operations. She also focuses on national recruiting and strategic acquisitions for the firm.
Lewis works to improve support to NKF’s brokers by promoting technology, creating operational efficiencies, and leveraging the firm’s marketing, presentations, research and financial analysis resources. In addition, Lewis supervises the business operations managers across NKF’s national offices.
Previously, Lewis spent five years at CBRE as the senior managing director of New York Tri-State Region brokerage. In this role, she was responsible for the development, management, recruitment and training of the firm’s New York brokerage staff, as well as all activities relating to the region’s national and global urban retail initiative.
Prior to her work at CBRE, Lewis served as part of the executive management team at Studley for Julien Studley. As senior vice president, she was instrumental in the development and execution of its corporate business strategy to enhance and grow the firm’s brand and market share.
Lewis earned a bachelor’s degree in international business/foreign careers from Lehigh University.
MINDY LISSNER
CBRE
Consistently one of the top producers in CBRE’s New Jersey offices, Mindy Lissner has successfully completed transactions valued in excess of $4 billion over her career. Along with her CBRE partner, Bill Waxman, she was responsible for more than 12.5 million sq. ft. of transactions valued at more than $891 million in 2016—and more than 61 million sq. ft. over the past five years.
The team’s impressive deal volume ranks them among the top five brokers in the state. Recent notable deals such as Home Depot’s two renewals in NJ totaling 1,584,739 s/f, the sale of a 24-acre redevelopment site to Sitex, several multimarket deals for Mainfreight, and the 216,049 s/f lease of One Lladro Drive in Moonachie, NJ to Office Star. She represents a wide range of clients such as General Motors Corporation, Ford Motor Company, US Gypsum and Duke Realty.
In March, Lissner, Waxman and CBRE’s Jeffrey Babikian and Thomas Sullivan, represented the sellers in the disposition of a 350-acre tract of land in Linden, NJ. A partnership of Advance Realty and Greek Development purchased the development parcel.
Lissner, executive vice president of CBRE’s East Brunswick office, has more than 28 years of experience in industrial brokerage.
She serves as an advisor and subject-matter expert to clients, providing guidance and direction in the areas of real estate, labor, tax incentives and supply chain solutions. Her specialties include industrial property acquisition and disposition services, strategic planning and implementing, market evaluation and analysis and global portfolio oversight.
Lissner received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Delaware.
CARRI LYON
CUSHMAN & WAKEFIELD
Elinore Carrington “Carri” Lyon has over 28 years of real estate experience and currently serves as Co-Chair of Cushman & Wakefield’s national Not-for-Profit Advisory Group. In addition to the technology, marketing, legal and financial services companies she has represented, Lyon has assisted numerous nonprofit organizations in space acquisitions and dispositions and is regarded as one of the leading nonprofit brokers in New York City.
Prior to working in commercial leasing, Lyon was an attorney with the firm of Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP where her practice focused primarily on real estate finance and commercial leasing.
Lyon is a member of WX/Women Executives in Real Estate, the New York State Bar Association and the Real Estate Board of New York.
A graduate of Yale University and New York University School of Law, Lyon serves on the Board of Directors of the HealthCare Chaplaincy Network and Maria Droste Counseling Services and has been honored by Community Access and the Stonewall Community Foundation for her many years of charitable work.
SUZANNE MACNOW
CBRE
A leading tenant and ownership representative in the Central New Jersey marketplace and nationally, senior vice president Suzanne Macnow has experience with a variety of high-profile corporations, from K. Hovnanian, Tyco Electronics Subsea Communications, Gannett, Visiting Nurse Health Group, CentraState Medical Center and Merrill Lynch to Mack-Cali Realty Corp., Alaska Pension Fund, Valley National Bank, American National Insurance Company, AEGON Life Insurance and Markel Insurance.
Among her most notable accolades were earning a spot in 2017’s CBRE Top 20 percent Producer nationwide, Trademarks 2017 Women of Distinction, CBRE 2015 Top Producer, 2012-2017 CoStar Power Broker, CBRE 2015 top N.J. office producer, CBRE’s Market Information award in 2012, the Mid-Atlantic Real Estate Journal’s Executive Women in Business honor in 2011, CBRE’s Most Transactions award in 2010.
As Senior Vice President in CBRE’s East Brunswick, NJ office, Macnow specializes in office leasing and sales, representing tenants and owners in the Central New Jersey market since 1989.
Her expertise is in Monmouth, Middlesex and Somerset Counties, as well as the execution of transactions across the nation for several clients.
Macnow is a member of the New Jersey Legislative Economic and Business Policy Committee, guest lectures at Monmouth University’s Real Estate Institute, CBRE’s mentor program and is a certified commercial real estate expert in Monmouth County by the NJ Tax Court.
She graduated from Rider University with a Bachelor of Science in Finance and a concentration in Business Law and Art History. She received her real estate certificate from Monmouth University and took classes towards her masters in real estate at NYU.
KATIE MAHON
CUSHMAN & WAKEFIELD
Katie Mahon is Cushman & Wakefield’s Senior Managing Director of Retail Operations & Strategy for the Americas. Previously, she served as the Managing Director of New York Tri-State Retail Brokerage Services, where she managed the activities of 65-plus retail brokers and 25 administrative and marketing support staff.
Mahon possesses over 15 years of experience in the commercial real estate industry. Prior to joining Cushman and Wakefield, she was the Managing Director of Brokerage Services & Operations for the New York Tri-State Region at Cassidy Turley. She handled business development and the overall marketing of the firm’s full-service capabilities, and coordinated for the regional profit center, which included Capital Markets, Consulting, Leasing, Marketing, Research and Administrative staff.
Mahon started her career at Insignia/ESG as a legal assistant, and post-merger with CBRE, she became a research analyst in the Retail service line. She left CBRE as the Operations Manager of the New York Tri-State Region for Retail Services. In that role, she oversaw the day-to-day operation for seven retail locations throughout New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.
Mahon is professionally affiliated as a member of the Real Estate Board of New York and the International Council of Shopping Centers.
JILLIAN MARIUTTI
MISSION CAPITAL
Jillian Mariutti is director in Mission Capital’s debt and equity group. Pior to Mission Capital, Jillian worked at derivatives advisory firm JCRA Financial LLC as the Head of Real Estate North America, where she was responsible for providing foreign exchange and interest rate risk management services to real estate firms. She joined JCRA from Wells Fargo in New York where she was a vice president and marketed and structured interest rate management solutions for public REITs, multifamily and hospitality clients.
While at Wells Fargo, Mariutti spent a year working in the firm’s San Francisco office, where she provided interest rate risk management services to the gaming sector and the firm’s West Coast real estate capital markets team. She started her career at Wachovia in 2007 and covered a variety of industry groups within the firm’s corporate and investment banking platform.
An industry leader in the world of commercial real estate finance, Mariutti was named a 2014 Rising Star by the Women’s Bond Club of New York, an accolade given to women on Wall Street who have demonstrated leadership qualities and are viewed as future leaders in the financial services industry.
Mariutti has spoken at industry conferences produced by ALIS, IMN, and the New York State Society of CPAs, and keynoted an event of the YMBA.
Mariutti graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. degree in Mathematics from the University of Pennsylvania.
ALEXIS MICHAEL
HINES
Alexis Michael is a Managing Director in the NY Office of Hines. She joined Hines in 2007 and currently oversees office leasing for the 12 Hudson Square assets (six million RSF) Hines owns with JV partners Trinity and Norges. Additionally, she is on the team managing repositioning of these assets through the infusion of nearly $100 million in discretionary capital.
Prior to the JV with Trinity and Norges, Michael worked on 100 East 53rd Street and One Vanderbilt. Alexis worked as a project manager for 100 E 53rd until the topping out of superstructure concrete and the formation of the GMP in 2016. At One Vanderbilt, Michael was on the team that developed the materials for the equity and debt financing of the project.
In 2014, Hines represented owner Fosterlane in the 20-year renewal of Morgan Stanley for 420,000 s/f at 750 7th Avenue. She was the point person from Hines on this transaction. In 2013, she also worked on the negotiation of a 15-year renewal of 550,000 s/f law firm STB at 425 Lexington Avenue in advance of selling the asset in June of 2013.
Prior to joining Hines, Michael was an Associate at DRA Advisors from 2005-2007. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Architecture from Columbia University.
ALISON MILLER
ABS PARTNERS REAL ESTATE
Alison’s grandfather, uncle and mother inspired her decision to enter the real estate field after her grandfather began a development enterprise on the West Coast.
She began her real estate career as a summer intern at Douglas Elliman’s New York. When she joined the ABS Partners Real Estate team in 2016 as a research analyst, she supported the firm’s research and marketing efforts and helped develop collateral materials for ABS properties. Miller enjoys finding new opportunities to grow as a real estate professional while cultivating a deep understand each tenant’s specific needs.
One year later, Alison was tapped to join the brokerage team marketing the firm’s property at 1001 Avenue of the Americas and was instrumental in the following transactions:
Accutime Watch Corporation renewed its lease for a seven-year term on its full-floor 12,000 s/f space;
InfoStretch Corporation signed on for a 2,000 s/f lease;
Carbon Lighthouse signed on for a 6,200 s/f lease;
StockTwits expanded to 12,000 s/f of space
As part of the ABS team representing the 224 West 30th Street building, Miller was involved in the transaction with Knotel on its 12,683 s/f of space in the building.
Born in Texas, Miller graduated from Wake Forest University with a major in communications and a minor in entrepreneurship.
CLAIRE MILONAS
IONIAN MANAGEMENT
Claire Milonas has over 20 years of experience in the direct private equity investing space. She is a Vice President of Ionian Management Inc., which oversees the Ionian Group’s interests in shipping, oil and gas, and real estate. The group’s interests are centered on actively operating the various business lines within the portfolio.
Prior to joining Ionian, Milonas was a corporate development executive for Gruner + Jahr (a subsidiary of Bertelsmann A.G.), initiating investment opportunities for the group. Prior to G+J, she co-founded the Athens, Greece based Zephyr Publications, best known for its magazine Odyssey.
Milonas is a member of REBNY, the Real Estate Board of New York and WISTA, the Women’s International Shipping and Trading Association, and a founding member of the Family Office Roundtable (FORT). She has served as a Foundation Advisor to the Los Angeles based XPRIZE foundation and is currently a member of the Yale University Library council, an Honorary Sponsor of the Athens based Museum of Cycladic Art, and a patron of New York City based Park Avenue Armory.
She holds a BA cum laude in history from Yale and an MBA with honors from Harvard Business School.
SOFIA MILONAS
IONIAN MANAGEMENT
As Vice President of Ionian Management, Milonas is currently working on the $10-million-plus refinancing and repositioning of a historic landmark building located in Columbus Circle in Midtown Manhattan.
The façade is currently being restored to its historical grandeur and will pair with the property’s modern amenities and connectivity.
The project is expected to be completed in 2019 and will welcome retail chain Nordstrom with a two-story retail space (located in the lobby and second floor) totaling 16,891 square feet and 12,111 square feet on the third floor for office space.
Milonas also currently serves as Board Treasurer for Advance Charter School at District 9 in the Bronx.
She holds a BA from Yale University and an MBA from Columbia University.
THERESA MORZELLO
CBRE
As Managing Director for Asset Management, Theresa Morzello directs services ranging from property management to project management, due diligence and accounting activities, as well as providing hands-on leadership for more than 65 properties totaling close to 30 million square feet.
Prior to joining CBRE in 2013, Morzello served as portfolio manager for Cushman & Wakefield. She was also a general manager for a dual-campus portfolio for New York Presbyterian Hospital/Royal Charter Properties.
In between her roles at Cushman, she spent a period at CBRE as property manager for 650 Fifth Avenue, a 385,000 s/f Midtown office tower.
Beyond her experience in real estate, she has also held management positions at MetLife, as well as providing facilities expertise as a property manager for Emigrant Savings Bank. She began her career as a maintenance and plant system engineer for the New York Power Authority at the Indian Point Nuclear Generating Facility and has also held the role of director of technical services.
A graduate of Loyola College with the Bachelor of Science in Engineering Science, Ms. Morzello is a licensed real estate salesperson in New York State, is on the REBNY Management Division Board of Directors and is an active member of BOMA/NY.
CYNTHIA MITCHELL
SEYFARTH SHAW LLP
A member of Seyfarth’s Real Estate and Health Law groups, and co-chair of the Firm’s Healthcare and Real Estate Finance Practice Group, Cynthia Mitchell represents clients locally and nationally in the acquisition, disposition, leasing, and financing of various types of real property and on the real estate-related aspects of transactions pertaining to corporate sales, acquisitions, and mergers.
Currently, Mitchell serves as a lead Real Estate partner for DaVita, Inc., the Fortune 500 parent company of DaVita Kidney Care. DaVita Kidney Care operates 2,510 outpatient dialysis centers located in the United States serving approximately 198,000 patients. The company also operates 237 outpatient dialysis centers located in 11 countries outside the United States.
Mitchell also represents some of the largest skilled nursing home operators, such as Mariner Health Care, Inc. and institutional healthcare finance lenders, such as Bank of Texas. Most recently, Mitchell represented Bank of Texas in connection with a $23 million bridge loan for the acquisition of a skilled nursing home facility in Washington, D.C.
Mitchell has been active in the New York community, having volunteered with organizations such as Project Sunshine and the Alzheimer’s Association, participating in community activities such as the EIF Revlon Run/Walk for Women, and contributing significant legal pro bono time, including counseling clients through the Holocaust Survivors Justice Network and the Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts (VLA).
ALICJA MYNARSKA
WITHUM
Alicja Mynarska, CPA, is a Senior Manager at Withum, a national public accounting and consulting firm. Her leadership has exemplified trust, integrity and collaboration over the past 14 years.
She has served various real estate clients, including: commercial and residential property owners, managers and operators, investors, brokers, tenants, developers, and home builders.
Mynarska is passionate about developing strategies for effective business operations to increase profitability and regularly advises her clients on tax-saving opportunities.
Her expertise in the real estate industry includes financial reporting, tax planning, property tax certiorari filings for refunds and tax reduction, acquisition due diligence, lease analysis, and consulting.
She has served as a national real estate expert in lease transactions for prominent international clients.
As Vice President of the American Business Women Association NYC Chapter, Mynarska advocates for national issues impacting women, financial literacy and the development of young business leaders. She is also involved in NYSSCPA’s activities, including annual real estate conferences.
She practices martial arts and holds a black belt in Taekwondo.
JAIMEE NARDIELLO
ZETLIN & DE CHIARA
Born into a family that has been in the contracting business for decades, the building industry has always been an important part of Jaimee Nardiello’s life.
An active litigator, Nardiello has carved a niche for herself in construction, protecting the rights of owners, developers, design professionals, contractors and other members of the industry.
Her work has set precedents, with decisions changing the course for future clients and real estate industry members. Her professional achievements include successfully obtaining dismissal of a multi-million-dollar mechanic’s lien on behalf of developer where a construction manager breached fiduciary duty; obtaining a multi-million-dollar arbitration award in favor of a developer where a contractor wrongfully terminated its agreement and representing a world-renowned architect in $18 million claim by the owner of a sports facility.
Nardiello is the President of Commercial Real Estate Women of New York (CREW) and Immediate Past Chair of the Design Division of the American Bar Association Forum on Construction Law.
Nardiello frequently speaks and writes about topics impacting the construction industry. Her most recent publication, “Key Considerations for the Use of Peer Reviews in Construction,” which she co-authored, was published in the spring edition of The Construction Lawyer.
JACQUELINE NOVOTNY
CBRE
Novotny joined CBRE’s Westchester/Fairfield office less than five years ago and quickly climbed to the position of First Vice President.
In addition to her account leadership, she provides tenant and owner representation, consulting and investment sales throughout the northern suburbs of New York City and Fairfield County in Connecticut.
In addition to her professional achievements, Novotny sits on the development committee for The Carver Foundation in Norwalk, Conn. She also served as the co-chair for the Foundation’s 2017 annual gala, which raised over $420,000, and the 2018 80th Anniversary Gala which raised over $1.2 million.
In September of 2017, Novotny organized a concert to benefit the victims of Hurricane Harvey that raised over $12,000 and was attended by over 400 people.
For the past four years, she has been on the Real Estate Breakfast Committee for the March of Dimes in Westchester with a yearly attendance of approximately 600 people.
She earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from George Washington University and is a licensed Real Estate Broker in both New York and Connecticut.
MICHELE O’CONNOR
LANGAN
Based in Langan’s New York City office, Michele O’Connor is a Principal and co-leader of the office’s site/civil engineering practice. Her project experience spans several industries, including massive commercial developments to university expansions and infrastructure improvements.
While O’Connor has played an integral role in several large-scale developments throughout the New York metropolitan area, what truly sets her apart is her commitment to supporting, mentoring, and empowering women.
In September 2015, she founded Women@Langan with two other senior woman leaders. Since its launch, the program has provided a forum for individuals to develop a community, share experiences, and form lasting professional relationships.
Inspired by O’Connor’s continuous promotion of the program, industry leaders have asked for advice on how to execute similar initiatives at their firms.
O’Connor is also involved in women-oriented organizations outside of Langan. She is a past president of Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) New York, board member of Women Builders Council, and member of Professional Women in Construction.
Her impact on the industry has not gone unnoticed – the Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation honored her with the Pillar Award, which recognizes a woman who shows leadership and mentorship in her profession and works to increase opportunities for other women.
PHYLIS PEZENIK
DJK RESIDENTIAL
Phyllis Pezenik possesses sophistication and levels of industry knowledge and experience that make her the “best in class” in Manhattan real estate.
A lifelong New Yorker, she has an unparalleled knowledge of the city and has successfully built an intercontinental real estate reputation based upon a foundation of integrity, compassion and faultless execution. In 2011, she led the Manhattan Association of Realtors (MANAR) as its President. She currently serves on the board of MANAR and was recognized as MANAR’s “Realtor of the Year” in 2011. Additionally, she is a member of The Employee Relocation Council and a featured lecturer at The Real Estate Academy of New York.
Her accomplishments include developing a successful architectural design firm; serving as the chairman of the Old Westbury Board of Appeals; and being recognized as a multi-million dollar producing sales agent at a top Manhattan brokerage firm.
Pezenik continues to enhance her real estate skills and certifications as a member of the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY); the New York State Association of Realtors, and the National Association of Realtors. With her experience spanning from mansions to commercial properties — working with both buyers and sellers — Phyllis is an advocate for her clients and brokers.
ADELAIDE POLSINELLI
EASTERN CONSOLIDATED
In her 30-plus years of extensive experience as one of New York City’s most active and high profile real estate brokers, Adelaide Polsinelli has track record of consistently selling and shaping trends in commercial real estate. An innovative problem solver and a tenacious, yet diplomatic negotiator, Polsinelli has proven her talents as a commercial brokerage All-Star.
She has personally sold over 1,300 properties, valued at over $20 billion in every asset class from multifamily, retail and office to SRO’s, IMD’s, co-ops and condo sales, unsold shares, retail condos, partnership interests, loans, note sales, hotels, air rights, inclusionary rights, assemblages, developments, and garages.
Polsinelli was honored with Eastern Consolidated’s prestigious Investment Sales Broker of The Year Award in 2013, and companywide Broker of the Year Award in 2015. Polsinelli launched a neighborhood tour series for Bisnow and is frequently quoted in the real estate press. She also is a contributing writer for several industry publications.\
SAREE PTAK
TARTER KRINSKY & DROGIN LLP
Saree R. Ptak represents developers, owners, investors and institutions in complex commercial real estate transactions. Her experience in acquisition and disposition, development, leasing, financing and strategy planning has led to her handling numerous complex office, retail, industrial and mixed use projects.
Ptak’s deep experience in acquisitions, construction and mezzanine financing uniquely qualifies her to help clients navigate through complex business and legal issues. She has significant experience representing both US and foreign investors.
Her corporate practice focuses primarily on midsize privately held companies. She acts as general counsel handling matters as diverse as negotiating operational and transactional documents to evaluating and resolving potential disputes and litigation matters.
Ptak represents retailers, manufacturers and distributors in all aspects of their business needs.
CHRISTEN PORTELLI
ROOTED SPACES/HIGHCAP GROUP
Christen Portelli began her career in real estate in 2001 and is presently a Principal at Highcap Group focusing on investment sales and sourcing creative opportunities for her clients.
Rooted Spaces allows her investment sales background, appreciation for architecture and design and humanitarian passions to collide: Positively impacting developers and landlords by advancing their buildings into a unique, elite and profitable category while enhancing the mental well-being and professional productivity of individuals.
Some of the noteworthy and iconic transactions which Portelli has been involved in include: Temple Court in Downtown Manhattan; The Whitman in the Flatiron District; The Allerton House in Midtown; the Met-Life building in Bronxville; the Henry Fernbach building in Soho; The Seville in the West Village; and Morgan Lofts in Midtown.
Responsibilities at Rooted Spaces include consulting landlords and developers on biophillic elements and design in residential buildings, office buildings, medical asset classes and hotels. The company incorporates natural components such as urban farming/rooftops, air filtration systems, living walls, wall murals and environmentally friendly architecture. These unique “green” concepts promote a healthier lifestyle in a unique higher quality building while producing significantly better financial returns.
LISA R. RADETSKY
PHILLIPS NIZER
Lisa R. Radetsky co-chairs the real estate practice at Phillips Nizer. An astute, pragmatic and experienced practitioner, she has repeatedly been named a New York Real Estate SuperLawyer.
Radetsky represents developers in acquiring, financing, constructing and converting properties vacant and occupied residential and mixed-use properties to condominium or cooperative ownership, including commercial and community facility uses.
Among her noteworthy recent representations include:.
Conversion of a building designed for laboratory research into a fee condominium for Cornell University and the sale of a Unit located therein to the City University of New York;
Representation of Cornell University in the negotiation of a net lease and the creation of a leasehold condominium for designed for laboratory research and the sale of a unit therein to the Hospital for Special Surgery;
Creation of a leasehold condominium for Open Society Institute n/k/a The Open Society Foundations, and the subsequent conveyance of units to the sublessor;
Represented Grace Church School in the creation of a leasehold condominium and the subsequent conveyance of units to the lessor and the securing of an exemption from real estate taxes.
Represented the Icahn Medical School at Mount Sinai in the creation of a leasehold condominium.
In addition, Radetsky’s offering plans for the conversion of rental buildings include: the Nolita Place Condominium at 199 Bowery; the 22 Riverside Drive Condominium ; and the 235 West 71st Street Condominium. She also has prepared plans for The Sweeney Building and the 70 Washington Street Condominiums in DUMBO. Her recent projects include the 25-27 Mercer Street Condominium, the 471 Washington Street Condominium, the One North Moore Condominium, the 11 North Moore Condominium and 290 West Street in TriBeCa.
DIANE M. RAMIREZ
HALSTEAD
A greatly respected and passionate leader, Diane M. Ramirez is the Chairman and CEO of Halstead Real Estate. Under her thoughtful and careful leadership, Ramirez has strategically grown the firm from its original goal of three storefront offices in Manhattan to its current size of nearly three dozen strategically located offices with 1,300 agents throughout Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Riverdale, the Hamptons, Hudson Valley, New Jersey and Fairfield County, Connecticut.
Licensed in New York, Connecticut and Florida, Ramirez has been an active real estate executive and broker for over three decades.
She started her career in Palm Beach, Florida where she worked as an agent for several years before returning to her hometown, New York City, where she quickly became a top real estate broker.
She and Clark Halstead together founded Halstead in 1984. Their vision for the company was a high-end firm that utilized advanced technology with old fashioned elegance that covered all segments of the market and located in the communities that they serviced.
Due to their vision, Halstead became the first big firm to utilize storefront offices in Manhattan as well as the first to be on the West Side and in Downtown.
MIMI RAYGORODETSKY
LANGAN
As one of the highest ranking woman leaders in Langan’s New York City office, Mimi Raygorodetsky plays a significant role in the success of the firm and its employees.
She is a co-leader of Langan’s environmental practice, corporate leader of Women@Langan, and highly sought-after mentor for the firm’s mentorship program. Throughout her career, she has directed several large-scale, multi-disciplinary redevelopment projects on brownfield sites by mitigating environmental liabilities and translating technical jargon into language her clients can understand and utilize in their models.
Although her professional achievements are impressive, her dedication to helping women succeed is even more remarkable.
Through Women@Langan, Raygorodetsky fosters an atmosphere of mentorship and support to empower women to achieve career and personal success. She does this by providing a forum for her colleagues to network, share experiences, and form professional identities. Mimi also mentors junior engineers, working on-on-one to instill confidence, develop skills, and tackle each individual’s strengths and weaknesses head-on.
Beyond Langan, Raygorodetsky is actively involved in professional organizations, including New York Women Executives in Real Estate and New York Building Congress’ Council of Industry Women. These groups allow her to expand her circle of female associates while shaping the future of the industry.
JENNIFER S. RECINE
KASOWITZ BENSON TORRES LLP
Jennifer Recine, partner at Kasowitz Benson Torres and member of Kasowitz’s management committee, is a powerful woman litigator leading high stakes disputes involving real estate, land use and environmental issues. Her clients include Beverly Hills Unified School District, Steel Equities, investors in Miami Savoy Hotel, investor Eric Hadar, Syracuse University, and Harry and Linda Macklowe. Recine is also a leading member of the firm’s Women’s Initiatives Committee, mentoring women lawyers at the firm.
Recent accolades include: Benchmark Litigation’s Top 250 Women in Litigation; Diversity Journal’s Woman to Watch; Bisnow’s Female Power Players
Recine is lead trial counsel for the Beverly Hills Unified School District in its environmental litigation challenging the extension of the purple line subway in Los Angeles, and is playing a pivotal role in interpreting how the Federal Transit Administration may have violated The National Environmental Policy Act. The alignment of the subway is set to be constructed through oil and methane fields beneath the campus. Recine secured a victory when the federal district court ruled that the FTA violated environmental law by determining that tunneling beneath the campus was not a “use” of historic resources. Recine and the School District then offered alternatives that would not disturb the school’s historic buildings, but the agencies claimed that each would require the subway to proceed beneath other historic houses. In February 2018, Recine and the School District filed suit again, exposing that the purportedly historic houses had been demolished decades earlier. Litigation is pending.
DEBORAH RIEGEL
ROSENBERG & ESTIS
Deborah Riegel joined Rosenberg & Estis, P.C. in 1994 and became a member in 2000.
Riegel has become one of R&E’s most experienced trial lawyers. Her in-depth experiences in the real estate industry have taught her the need to recognize the real world value of a case to a client, and that negotiation and compromise are often the most valuable skills in litigation.
Also, her networking and ability to work with transactional lawyers allows her clients a one-stop, integrated approach to managing clients’ legal needs with an eye toward risk management and early dispute resolution.
LORYN RIGGIOLA
ZETLIN & DE CHIARA LLP
Loryn Riggiola’s father’s business introduced her to the basic principles of construction, management and business, but it was her college professors who introduced her to the law and suggested a career in the courtroom.
The first in her family to graduate college and law school, with her roots in business and building, she naturally gravitated to the areas of construction, real estate and commercial litigation.
Riggiola handles matters in the US and abroad related to a variety of construction defects, delay issues and geotechnical issues.
Over the span of 29 years, she has represented clients on troubled projects and transitioned that representation into project counseling to avoid disputes, transfer risk, and implement mechanisms for early intervention of project issues; thereby reducing exposure, litigation costs and project delays.
Riggiola adheres to the maxim: success is achieved when you do your best and prepare for the worse. Projects that deliver on time and within budget make construction predictable and attractive to investors and government.
Through her work, she strives to help industry professionals to reduce their business risk on projects so their focus can remain on building and progressing, rather than on recovery.
NINA ROKET
OLSHAN FROME WOLOSKY LLP
Nina Roket is a partner in Olshan’s Real Estate Practice group and chairs the firm’s commercial leasing practice. She is a co-administrative partner at the firm and a member of the firm’s executive committee. She is the head of the firm’s hiring committee and founder and chair of the Women’s Committee at Olshan, which serves as a networking, business development and mentoring platform for the firm’s women lawyers and their clients and colleagues.
Roket’s greatest responsibility is to her clients across the U.S. She provides legal advice in sophisticated commercial real estate transactions, including leasing, sales, acquisitions and mortgage, mezzanine and preferred equity financings.
She represents owners, developers and tenants in leasing transactions across the real estate spectrum, including office, retail, hotel, industrial, restaurant and telecommunications space.
Roket is landlord’s counsel at numerous office buildings in Midtown and Downtown New York City. She also manages complex retail leasing transaction projects on behalf of numerous developers and owners at significant, high profile retail sites across the U.S., including New York, Miami Beach, Las Vegas, Beverly Hills and Atlantic City.
Roket serves as a member of WX, New York Women Executives in Real Estate, an invitation-only association of executive-level women actively engaged in the commercial real estate industry in New York and as a board member of Sarcoma Foundation of America.
SAMANTHA RUDIN
RUDIN MANAGEMENT
Samantha Rudin is Senior Vice President and sits on the executive committee of Rudin Management Company.
She focuses on development, redevelopment, design and marketing of the Rudin portfolio.
She has been actively engaged in the development of 130 W. 12th St. and The Greenwich Lane Condominium Developments in the West Village, in addition to the Rudin’s latest project, Dock 72, a 670,000 s/f office building focusing on the Technology sector at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
She sits on the boards of Incarnation Children’s Center and The Roundabout Theatre.
Rudin is a graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.
SAMANTHA SAX
ELAD GROUP
Samantha Sax is the Chief Marketing and Design Officer for Elad Group, where she oversees all aspects of marketing, sales and interior design for the firm’s portfolio of commercial and residential real estate projects throughout the United States.
Through groundbreaking partnerships with notable brands and meticulous attention to detail, Sax has created unique living experiences at Elad Group’s developments. The success of her efforts has drawn the attention and accolades of media and luxury brands around the world.
Sax is also intricately involved in the company’s pre-development planning, design development and business development.
Under Sax’s direction, Elad Group’s portfolio of iconic properties has earned numerous awards.
Prior to joining Elad Group, Sax served as Senior Marketing Director with Douglas Elliman Development Marketing, where she managed the pre-development planning, marketing and sales of new construction and conversion developments in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Long Island City.
After attending The School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University, Sax was Assistant Director of Development for a Moroccan based real estate and hotel developer.
KAREN SCANNA
STROOCK & STROOCK & LAVAN, LLP
Over the past year, Scanna has advised on numerous high-profiled real estate transactions in New York City.
She represented the developers of Essex Crossing, a nine-parcel, six-acre development on the Lower East side that will include 1.9 million square feet of usable real estate, with 1,000 new residences, 800,000 s/f of retail and 400,000 s/f of office space, along with cultural offerings, community facilities and green spaces.
Her work included advising the developers in bringing the International Center of Photography as a cultural anchor for Essex Crossing.
Also this year, Scanna represented developer TF Cornerstone in its successful bid to create a 1.5 million-square-foot destination on two City-owned sites along Long Island City’s East River edge. The project will contain 400,000 s/f of commercial/retail space, 100,000 s/f of industrial space, and 1,000 residential units, plus recreational and educational facilities.
Scanna also represented L&M Development Partners and Type A Projects in its successful bid to develop City-owned property in the Lower Concourse section of The Bronx into Bronx Point. This mixed-use development project will feature public open spaces, hundreds of permanently affordable housing units, a home for the Universal Hip-Hop Museum, a state-of-the-art multiplex theater, education space and a food hall.
ALEKSANDRA SCEPANOVIC
IDEAL PORPERTIES GROUP
Aleksandra Scepanovic is Managing Director of Ideal Properties Group, a leading residential real estate firm specializing in premier Brownstone Brooklyn and Manhattan neighborhoods.
The firm was founded in 2007 by Scepanovic and her partner Erik Serras, who identified a need to build a technologically innovative infrastructure for sales and rentals in key Brooklyn neighborhoods.
Earlier in her career, Scepanovic worked as an editor and media analyst in her home country of the former Yugoslavia. She came to New York with a desire to design and create, which led her to pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Fashion Institute of Technology. The program awakened her inner eye for detail, and invigorated her passion for architecture and interiors.
After graduation, she joined a boutique real estate firm in Manhattan. She soon developed her vision to launch a real estate enterprise.
With offices in Cobble Hill, Gowanus, Park Slope, Williamsburg and Chelsea and a staff of over 250 highly-trained real estate brokers and salespeople, Ideal is rapidly expanding across Brooklyn and Manhattan.
KARA I. SCHECHTER-RAKOWSKI
BELKIN BURDEN WENIG & GOLDMAN
Kara I. Schechter-Rakowski is a co-head of the firm’s Administrative Law Department.
Rakowski became a Partner in 1999, and has been at the firm since 1991. She practices administrative law, with concentrations in representing property owners/buyers in rent regulation, development of rent regulated property, Certificates of Non-Harassment, Single Room Occupancy/Hotel Stabilization, and human rights.
Rakowski represents property sellers, buyers and lenders in connection with rent regulatory due diligence and affordable housing issues.
She has represented owners in numerous proceedings before the New York State Division of Housing & Community Renewal, New York City Department of Housing Preservation & Development, New York City Environmental Control Board, New York City Department of Buildings, New York City Commission on Human Rights, New York State Division of Human Rights, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the New York State Public Service Commission.
She has also represented owners in litigation challenging determinations made by these agencies. She has advised many owners regarding their compliance with city, state and federal lead-paint regulations and HEFPA.
Rakowski is a graduate of the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. She is a member of the New York Bar and is admitted to practice in the Southern and Eastern District Courts of New York.
JAIME SCHULTZ
LEE & ASSOCIATES NYC
Jaime Schultz began her real estate career at Prudential Douglas Elliman, primarily involved in development site sales, before she gravitated to commercial real estate.
Schultz joined Lee & Associates’ New York office in January 2014 as a director in the retail leasing division.
Prior to joining Lee NYC, she was a leasing broker with GFI, where she was instrumental in building its retail group. While at GFI, she completed the leasing of 20,000 s/f in the Finger Building in Williamsburg and closed deals with both The NoMad Hotel and Ace Hotel.
Schultz is highly respected by her clients and fellow brokers alike as a true expert in the Brooklyn market.
BELINDA G. SCHWARTZ
HERRICK, FEINSTEIN LLP
Belinda Schwartz chairs Herrick’s Real Estate Department, one of the largest commercial real estate law practices in New York City.
As the leader of the department, Schwartz manages the day-to-day of the department including assessing staffing needs, allocating assignments, reviewing and mentoring associates, preparing invoices and coordinating monthly department meetings.
She continually reassesses and implements the means for the real estate department to operate more efficiently, including establishing procedures to ensure follow up on matters requiring action.
Schwartz champions a collaborative culture where market intelligence and knowledge is shared by every lawyer and urban planner at the firm.
Schwartz is known for her creativity at the deal table, having closed hundreds of highly complex transactions for prominent developers, owners, funds and investors.
Recently, she advised L+M Development Partners in the financing of 25 Park Row, a 45-story mixed-use building currently under construction across from City Hall.
In Brooklyn, Schwartz advised HK Organization in the joint venture redevelopment of the historic Empire Stores building into a modern creative hub.
She also led a team that negotiated the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s ground lease for the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, and earlier in her career, she negotiated a massive Manhattan land swap which netted REBNY’s Most Ingenious Deal of the Year Award.
Schwartz is also a go-to advisor for two types of investors with unique concerns – multigenerational family-owned real estate businesses and family offices, for whom she serves as outside general counsel; and foreign investors from China, Israel, Turkey and South America and other countries, who count on her to bridge different cultural and business practices, and demystify the intricacies of New York City’s real estate market.
SARAH MAE SELNICK
CIGNATURE REALTY
Sarah Mae Selnick grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, where her grandfather owned and managed commercial and multifamily real estate. Her father was also involved in the family real estate business and eventually took over the multifamily side of the business. From a young age, Selnick accompanied her grandfather and father to their real estate properties and became intrigued by the industry.
She interned extensively in marketing, research and real estate analysis.
As a research analyst at a leading global real estate firm, she developed reports on commercial real estate deals in various Ohio markets, performed space lease abstractions, organized due diligence materials and created property marketing literature. At Cignature Realty, she dedicates her efforts on the firm’s Downtown West territory.
Selnick earned her Bachelor of Arts in English from Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia. She was an active member of the Washington and Lee Real Estate Society where she was head of the retail real estate group.
FELICE K. SHAPIRO
AMTRUST TITLE INSURANCE COMPANY
Felice K. Shapiro was previously the executive director and counsel for a rating agency for title insurance in the state of New York, known as TIRSA.
Prior to that, Shapiro was vice president and senior NYS counsel at a leading title insurance company from 1992 to 2009, and vice president and counsel for another recognized title insurance company from 1987 to 1992. She was also an assistant vice president and branch counsel at a well-known title insurance company from 1983 to 1987.
Shapiro has lectured extensively for the NYSLTA for CLE and CE credit. She has also acted as an expert witness in real estate and claims related litigation.
In her present role as Executive Vice President and Chief Underwriter for AmTrust Title Insurance Company, Shapiro is tasked with building a national legal department for the growing national underwriter and overseeing both underwriting and compliance for the company.
Shapiro has spent her entire career in the title insurance industry.
CAROLYN SICA
CBRE
A leading tenant representative in the New Jersey marketplace and globally, senior vice president Carolyn Sica’s skills and experience – coupled with the national scope of CBRE, the quality of the company’s employees and the wide array of company services – has created a formula for success in executing transactions across the nation.
Sica has been recognized with a variety of awards, including Real Estate New Jersey Woman of Influence in 2008, Kennedy Associates – Project Team of the Year Award in 2008, Asset Services Leasing Performance Award 2007, CoStar Group Power Broker for 2006, Top Women in Real Estate – New Jersey Woman Fund in 2003.
Additionally, Sica has been a top-five producer in CBRE’s Central New Jersey office since 1993. To date she represents and is working on over 2,000,000 s/f of Agency and Tenant transactions.
A senior vice president in CBRE’s East Brunswick, NJ office, Sica began her commercial real estate career with the firm in 1986. Early on, she chose to focus her energies on representing tenants in the New Jersey marketplace. This ultimately led corporate clients to seek her advice and assistance with their real estate requirements in markets outside of New Jersey.
In 1997, Sica formed a Global Corporate Services Team with her business partner, Kurt Burdack, who has a similar client-focused background. Their goal is to serve as trusted advisors to their clients and help them manage and refine their real estate practices, as well as their transactions. Together, Sica and Burdack complete over 125 acquisition/disposition assignments annually on behalf of their clients.
A graduate of Lycoming College with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration, Sica was a Past President in 2007 and served on the executive committee for six years of Crew New Jersey formerly known as Industrial Commercial Real Estate Women (ICREW).
She is active in the CBRE Women’s Network Group and believes in mentoring new professionals as they enter the business.
KRYSTYNA SIEMIENIUK
ABS PARTNERS REAL ESTATE
Krystyna Siemieniuk is the controller of ABS Partners Real Estate and has worked with the firm since its inception in 1999. She has a deep passion for the accounting profession and enjoys translating that passion to the complexities of the real estate sector.
As a manager, she directly supervises 11 team members and takes the time to understand each individual’s career goals. She prides herself on a management style that includes inspiration, education and constructive feedback.
Siemieniuk was drawn to ABS at its inception because of its reputation as a prestigious firm with strong growth potential and robust network real estate industry connections.
Prior to joining ABS, she was an accounts payable coordinator who was promoted to property accountant working for companies such as Insignia and MHP Real Estate Services.
Krystyna was born and raised in Poland and attended The University of Warsaw, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in economics. After moving to the United States, she attended Mercy College for financial accounting.
MELISSA SIEVWRIGHT
LEVIN MANAGEMENT
Melissa Sievwright heads Levin Management Corporation’s (LMC’s) corporate branding efforts, implements promotional campaigns for select client properties, and supports the firm’s leasing team in marketing LMC’s 100-property, 14 million-square-foot shopping center portfolio.
Sievwright joined LMC’s marketing department in 2010 and was promoted four times in just over four years to her current management position as Vice President of Marketing. With a strong background in graphic design and marketing, she is deeply focused on a branding that marries LMC’s more than 65 years of rich tradition with its modern approach to doing business.
Sievwright strives to help LMC and its clients leverage opportunities resulting from the rapid evolution of online marketing and the increasing technological savvy of the commercial real estate community.
To that end, she recently spearheaded the formal launch of LMC’s business-to-consumer marketing services. This key new component of the company’s services platform offers shopping center rebranding; website development; and social media, email and digital advertising strategy and implementation.
JUDY LYNN SIMONCIC
FORCHELLI DEEGAN TERRANA
Judy Lynn Simoncic started her legal career working in the Oyster Bay Town Attorney’s office before joining the Firm in 1992. She became the first woman named partner by the Firm in 2003.
Simoncic concentrates her practice in the areas of zoning, land use, environmental, municipal, and real estate law. She represents national franchises, Fortune 500 companies, national corporations, large real estate development companies as well as individual real estate developers in the development of both residential and commercial properties throughout Nassau and Suffolk Counties.
She regularly appears on behalf of her clients before municipal boards on a wide range of zoning applications such as variances, special use permits, changes of zones, site plan approval, and major and minor subdivisions.
She has secured zoning approvals for senior housing projects, retail and office complexes, multiple dwelling projects, planned unit developments, assisted living facilities, equestrian facilities, public storage facilities, fitness clubs, public utility facilities, restaurant franchises, among others.
She was listed in Long Island Business News’ Who’s Who in Women in Professional Services, a Top 50 Most Influential Women in Business, Long Island Press Power Women in Business and a New York SuperLawyer.
IRENA ŠKODA
ŠKODA DESIGN + ARCHITECTURE
Irena Škoda is a bold and honest European-American sustainable design architect, speaker and consultant making her mark in the architecture design world by being a catalyst to increased human productivity, comfort and wellbeing and creating ideal live-work environments for today’s times.
Škoda works with individuals and private companies. She takes her passion for designing healthier, more comfortable and energy-efficient buildings through the Passive House building standard.
Škoda started her journey 25 years ago in multi-family design, ranging from affordable to high-end residences. Before opening her own architectural practice in 2007, ŠKODA Design + Architecture, pllc, she worked as a design associate at top residential firms in New York City, including work on 90-story residential towers.
Together with her husband, Mladen Škoda, they co-founded ŠKODA Painting LLC, a high-end interior finish painting company.
Škoda is one of the co-founders of The Designers and Builders Alliance of Long Island, a nonprofit organization that brings together professional industry and home trades that aid worthy charities.
She is a registered architect in NY and NJ (NCARB), NCIDQ- Certified Interior Designer, a USGBC LEED BD+C Accredited Professional, and a Certified Sustainable Building Advisor.
DARCY STACOM
CBRE
Darcy Stacom serves as Chairman and Head of the NYC Capital Markets Group for CBRE. As the gateway to the global marketplace, her role is dynamic and ever-changing. Her prolific resume is a diverse mix of deals and properties, from $35 million trust and estates dispositions to the $5.4 billion sale of Peter Cooper Stuyvesant Town.
In the last four years, Stacom has twice been the No. 1 Professional at CBRE globally, and twice the No. 1 Investment Professional globally.
With more than 30 years of real estate experience, her expertise is evidenced by her speaking engagements for industry and educational organizations including ULI, Harvard, NYU, Columbia, Wharton and many others.
Stacom is a committed and active member of numerous industry organizations, including as Governor of the Real Estate Board of New York, board member for CBRE’s Women’s Network and she additionally serves on the advisory board of the New York University Schack Institute of Real Estate.
She has also served as a board member of the Madison Square Boys & Girls Club, the Nontraditional Employment for Women Organization and is president of The New York Restoration Project. She is a graduate of Lehigh University.
LAURIE STANZIALE
TARTER KRINSKY & DROGIN LLP
Laurie A. Stanziale is a partner in the Construction Practice. She represents domestic and international developers and owners, major construction companies, trade contractors, architects, engineers and consultants. Stanziale guides clients in all phases of construction law including the preparation and negotiation of agreements with neighboring properties for easements, licenses and access; construction and design contracts; insurance policies, financing and leases; project management, development, branding and brokerage agreements; review and negotiation of construction easement and license provisions in zoning lot development agreements; and joint venture agreements.
Stanziale prosecutes and defends construction claims in state and federal courts. She also assists clients with construction defects, payment disputes and construction liens.
Stanziale is an active speaker, published author and CLE instructor. She has taught a CLE program with National Law Institute for the past seven years.
She is a member of Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) New York, including serving this year as Vice Chair of the Programs Committee, and is also a member of the Women Builders Council.
STEFANI STEINBERG
CBRE
Stefani Steinberg is a highly-respected woman in a male-dominated industry, enabled to mentor to other women (and men) looking to enter the business.
An experienced fashion industry professional with a background in both retail and wholesale operations, Steinberg brings a unique approach to her work.
She has a deep understanding of how her clients operate their business and their goals and translates that knowledge into successful real estate strategies.
As a board member of the CBRE Tri-State Women’s Network, Steinberg has served as Chairperson on several philanthropic endeavors where her core mission is to empower other women, including her work with The Young Women’s Leadership Schools and Bottomless Closets. She has also taken leadership and business management courses through Harvard Business School and completed an Executive Retail Fundamentals and Strategy Course.
Steinberg holds a degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
MARY ANN TIGHE
CBRE
Mary Ann Tighe has been at the forefront of the transformation of New York City’s skyline during her 31 years in the real estate industry.
She has served as CEO of CBRE’s NY Tri-State Region, which is comprised of 2,500 employees, since 2002.
Tighe has conceived, structured and negotiated virtually every form of deal and has been responsible for more than 101.6 million square feet of commercial transactions, anchoring more than 14.4 million square feet of new construction in the New York region.
She has enjoyed unbroken, long-term relationships with a number of public and private companies and non-profit organizations, shaping and implementing their real estate strategies for large and small projects. Her ongoing accounts include the Archdiocese of New York, AMC, Crain’s, 21st Century Fox, News Corp and WPP Group.
A nine-time winner of the REBNY’s Deal of the Year Award for ingenious brokerage — a record number of wins since the award was created in 1944 — she has also received the Louis Smadbeck Memorial Broker Recognition Award, REBNY’s highest award in brokerage, and REBNY’s Bernard H. Mendik Lifetime Achievement Award.
Tighe was also honored by the NYU Schack Institute of Real Estate with its Urban Leadership Award; she was the first woman to receive this award.
Tighe served a three-year term starting in January 2010 as Chairman of REBNY; she was the first woman to hold this position in REBNY’s then 114-year history, and the first broker in 30 years.
ANDREA TSOUKALAS CURTO
FORCHELLI DEEGAN TERRANA
Andrea Tsoukalas Curto joined the firm in 2005 and became Partner in 2011. She serves as Co-Chair of the Renewable Energy practice group. She concentrates her practice in zoning, land use, environmental, and municipal law matters.
Tsoukalas Curto represents a variety of clients in the development of commercial and residential properties. She also has experience in appeals concerning land use and zoning matters.
Her practice is unique as she represents both applicants and municipalities. Counseling zoning boards, which includes drafting decisions on their behalf, gives her an invaluable perspective when representing applicants such as what a board is looking for, the importance of a municipality’s comprehensive plan, and how community support can affect the outcome of an application.
Tsoukalas Curto is general counsel to the Long Island Gasoline Retailers Association, a nationally recognized non-profit trade association with over 600 members. She also serves as counsel to the Village of Kensington Board of Trustees, Zoning Board of Appeals, and Architectural Review Board. She also serves on the village of Roslyn Harbor’s Planning Board.
DIANE VIGGIANO
METROPOLITAN VALUATION SERVICES, NCc.
As senior vice president of Metropolitan Valuation Services (MVS), Diane Viggiano co-manages the firm’s quality control and appraisal staff development programs, as well as serving as an appraiser.
She joined MVS from New York Community Bancorp, Inc. where she served as vice president, senior commercial review appraiser, commercial loan division. She also served as a senior appraiser with Appraisal Consultant Corp. for 11 years, working with private and public-sector clients and specializing in appraisals for litigation and commercial valuation assignments.
She is an adjunct instructor, New York University, Schack Institute of Real Estate, on the subject of real estate valuation modeling and feasibility analysis; an instructor for the Appraisal Institute and Appraisal Foundation; and is a qualified expert witness.
She holds a New York State and New Jersey Real Estate General Appraiser license; the MAI and AI-GRS designations from the Appraisal Institute. She is also an AQB certified USPAP instructor and a premier member of CREW New York.
ELISE WAGNER
KRAMER LEVIN NAFTALIS & FRANKEL
Elise Wagner has established herself as one of New York’s leading land use attorneys. In the past several years, Wagner successfully led numerous representations that further burnished the firm’s reputation.
An example of Wagner’s talent for navigating the city’s complex public review procedures is her management of the firm’s representation of the Madison Square Garden Company in the renewal of its special permit to operate the arena, and to obtain entitlements to allow large signage for the arena.
Wagner also led the team that obtained landmark and zoning approvals for Larga Vista Companies for the development of a new building at 300 Lafayette Street. Wagner has obtained a special permit and several variances for NYU Langone Medical Center.
Wagner is leading the team representing Plaxall in connection with the rezoning of a 12-acre site on the waterfront at Anable Basin in Long Island City.
Wagner is also a Board Member of the New York Building Congress, a Board Member and Chair of the Programming Committee of WX Women Executives in Real Estate, and a Board Member of the Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy at New York University.
BIANKA YANKOV
SPIRE GROUP
SPIRE Founder and Principal Broker, Bianka Yankov, is among the most successful brokers in the US – ranked in the Top two percent by National Association of Realtors.
Her record-setting stats (92 percent closing ratio, 224 transactions in calendar-year, and numerous top production awards) paved the way for her swift rise in the NYC Real Estate market, accomplishing more by age 27 than most agents achieve in a lifetime.
She is a Certified Real Estate Advisor, master coach, and featured speaker at NYREI and Real Estate Academy.
CHRISTINA YING
HERRICK, FEINSTEIN LLP
Christina Ying is a partner in Herrick’s Real Estate Department, where she represents owners, developers, investors and lenders in finance, sale, acquisition, development and joint venture transactions.
Ying’s clients include seasoned investors and developers, many of whom are entering the New York City market for the first time. One of those is a New York City developer whom she helped redevelop an office building into a Marriott-branded hotel in Midtown Manhattan. When dealing with loan transactions and loan workouts, Ying calls on her prior experience as a commercial litigator focused on real estate foreclosures.
Her recent finance work includes a number of complex transactions for Centennial Bank in Colorado and Utah; and in New York City, she advised on L+M Development’s $350 million financing for the construction and development of a residential condominium building at 25 Park Row in lower Manhattan.
Ying is an active member of the Asian legal and real estate communities. She’s a member of the Board of Directors of the Asian Real Estate Professionals Association (AREPA) and she also serves as co-chair of the Asian American Bar Association’s Asian Practice Committee.
JESSICA ZOLOTOROFE
ANSELL, GRIMM & AARON, PC
Jessica Zolotorofe is an attorney focused on commercial real estate transactions, including financing, acquisitions, development, sales, leasing, and structuring tax-deferred exchanges.
She is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers and the National Association of Realtors. She is a licensed real estate salesperson in New Jersey and was previously licensed in New York.
Zolotorofe is a member of the Monmouth County Bar Association, is an active volunteer for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and on the board of directors of The DZ Foundation.
She is frequent contributor to real estate related trade publications, including The Mid-Atlantic Real Estate Journal, CCIM’s Commercial Real Estate Investment magazine, the Real Estate Report, and Real Estate Review magazine. She resides in Jersey City, New Jersey.
