Cushman & Wakefield has appointed Nadine Augusta as Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer (CDEIO).
As a member of the firm’s Global Management Team, Augusta will hire a supporting team of professionals to address DEI challenges and opportunities specific to Cushman & Wakefield.
Augusta brings more than 20 years of experience in financial services, with key positions in management consulting, project management, sales and trading, and diversity and inclusion.
Most recently, she led Diversity & Inclusion for Goldman Sachs’ 35,000 employees across the Americas division. Prior to that, she served as Executive Director for the global financial services company DTCC, leading Global Diversity & Inclusion and Corporate Social Responsibility, covering 16 countries in North America, Asia Pacific and Europe.
She also previously served as senior vice president, global diversity & inclusion for Bank of America, and held other transformation and operations roles within the company.
Augusta holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Saint Peter’s University in N.J.
Cushman & Wakefield is a platinum sponsor of Project REAP (The Real Estate Associate Program) to support their mission of advancing DEI in the commercial real estate industry, and is one of more than 80 companies participating in Business Roundtable’s new, multi-year effort to reform companies’ hiring and talent management practices.
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Jack Resnick & Sons has appointed Wayne Taub as executive managing director of operations.
In this newly-created position, Taub will supervise operations across Resnick’s office, retail and residential portfolio and will manage corporate office processes, including IT, technology, finance, insurance and energy management efforts.
Taub previously served for more than a decade as vice president and Global Head of Strategic Planning and Transactions for WarnerMedia, where he guided all functions for Time Warner’s 15 million square-foot corporate real estate portfolio, including leasing, facilities operations and construction management.
Before that, Taub was Senior Managing Director of Global Corporate Services at CBRE.
Taub received a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Rider University and earned a Master of Science in Real Estate Development and Investment from New York University.
In addition, Taub has served as guest lecturer at Columbia University’s School of Urban Development and as an adjunct professor at New York University’s School of Continuing Education.
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Madison International Realty announced the appointment of Ehud Kupperman as director and head of its New York City Urban Retail Portfolio.
Kupperman will further develop, manage and execute a business plan to oversee the retail portfolio Madison acquired from Forest City Realty Trust consisting of more than two million square feet of transit and tourist-based retail space in the Tri-State region.
Kupperman has 20 years of experience in portfolio strategy, operations and management, with a substantial focus on retail assets.
Previously, he was Senior Vice President, Development for Urban Edge Properties, where he was responsible for local retail properties including Bruckner Commons, Yonkers Gateway Center, Hudson Mall and Gun Hill Commons.
He also held the positions of Senior Vice President, Head of Development at Cedar Realty Trust, and Vice President, Development at Equity One, Inc. He began his career and spent a decade in executive operations positions with Blumenfeld Development Group, Ltd.
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The Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute at Cornell Tech announced that Rohit T. “Rit” Aggarwala has joined the Urban Tech Hub as a Senior Urban Tech Fellow.
Aggarwala will lead a new initiative: the creation of an Urban Tech Agenda for New York City, a set of strategic recommendations for how the next mayoral administration and City Council can leverage technology to improve the lives of New Yorkers.
Prior to joining the Urban Tech Hub, Aggarwala served as the Head of Urban Systems at Sidewalk Labs (where he remains Senior Advisor) and previously led the New York City Office of Long-term Planning and Sustainability which created PlaNYC, the landmark sustainability plan for New York City.
The Urban Tech Agenda will focus on issues big and small, tackling everything from institutional infrastructure, municipal operating systems, and procurement processes to the ways technology can address issues in city government.
It will also look at wide-ranging regulatory recommendations, such as privacy laws and data protection.
Aggarwala was a founding member of the team that built Sidewalk Labs, an urban innovation firm founded by Dan Doctoroff and Google.
He is best known in New York for his time as Director of New York City’s Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability (2006-2010), where he led the team that produced and implemented PlaNYC: A Greener, Greater New York, which was Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s sustainability agenda.
From 2010 to 2015, Aggarwala worked at Bloomberg Philanthropies on the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group.
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The Douglaston Companies announced the launch of DD Nationwide to pursue real estate development opportunities outside of the New York metropolitan.
DD Nationwide has one project already in development in Seattle and is actively pursuing additional opportunities, while Douglaston Development will remain primarily focused on the New York metro area.
Michael Kaye has been named as President of DD Nationwide, after serving as CEO of Douglaston Development for 15 years.
Before joining Douglaston Development, Kaye worked as an attorney in private practice specializing in transactional real estate. Early in his career he was an Assistant Attorney General on the executive staff of New York State Attorney General Robert Abrams.
Kaye currently serves as a Director on the board of directors of Urban Pathways, a not for profit organization that provides housing and service to the homeless. He is a board member of New York State Association for Affordable Housing and is also the former Chair of the Brooklyn Real Estate Roundtable.
He holds his B.A. from the University of Rochester and his J.D. from SUNY Buffalo.
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Signature Bank announced the expansion of its executive management team with the appointment of two executives.
Lisa Bond was named to the newly created position of Senior Vice President and Chief Corporate Social Impact Officer, which encompasses Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) initiatives, areas in which the Bank is expanding its efforts companywide.
Ana Harris, Signature Bank Senior Vice President and Director of Human Resources, was also promoted to the post of Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO).
Concurrent with these appointments, Signature Bank’s Board of Directors created a Corporate Social Responsibility (D&I and ESG) Committee.
Bond brings more than 30 years of human resources experience to Signature Bank. Most recently, she was Vice President Senior Leadership and Professional Search at Macy’s, Inc., in New York. Before that, she held various senior positions at several top luxury brands, including Bulgari, Lacoste and L’Occitane. Bond began her human resources career at Republic National Bank of New York, where she worked with two of Signature Bank’s co-founders and current executive management.
Harris, with nearly 30 years of related experience, has led human resources for Signature Bank since its inception in 2001.
Prior to joining the Bank, she worked at Republic National Bank, where she served as a member of human resources management.
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Duval & Stachenfeld LLP announced that Danielle Ash, David Gardner and Ilya Leyvi have been elected to the Firm’s partnership effective January 1, 2021.
Danielle Ash joined the firm in 2015 as an associate after beginning her career at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP.
She has spent her tenure becoming an integral part of specialty practice groups, including Opportunity Zones, Fund Formations, Real Estate Finance, and The Bronx.
Ilya Leyvi joined the firm in 2013 as an associate. He has become a leader of the firm’s Real Estate Finance Practice. Leyvi specializes in complex financing transactions.
David Gardner joined the firm in 2013 as an associate from the real estate department of Cooley LLP. He focuses on joint venture agreements, financing, preferred equity arrangements, acquisitions and dispositions.
Recently, Gardner has been involved in the origination of PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) loans, as well as the creation of funds and other corporate investment vehicles, including under the Qualified Opportunity Zone program.
He is a graduate of The University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School.
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JLL announced Robert Coughlin will join the Brokerage team as Managing Director in the firm’s Life Sciences industry practice in early 2021.
The departing President and CEO of the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council, the leading trade association and policy advocacy group in New England, will serve life science companies in the Greater Boston market, as well as other primary and secondary life sciences markets.
Coughlin’s career has spanned both the public and private sectors.
Before joining MassBio, he served as the Undersecretary of Economic Development within Governor Deval Patrick’s administration. Prior to that, he was elected as State Representative to the 11th Norfolk district for three terms.
Coughlin has also held senior executive positions in the environmental services, capital management and venture capital industries.
He is a graduate of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy where he majored in Marine Engineering and served as an officer in the United States Naval Reserve.
In 2014, he was awarded for his leadership in Biotechnology by the Massachusetts Society for Medical Research.
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Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver, Chair of the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency announced that Melanie R. Walter, DCA Director of the Division of Local Government Services (DLGS) and a former Deputy Attorney General, was appointed as Executive Director by the board.
Walter served as Department of Community Affairs (DCA) Director of the Division of Local Government Services (DLGS) and Local Finance Board Chairwoman for two and half years, first as Acting Director, then under permanent appointment.
Most recently, Walter has developed and implemented numerous COVID-19 response and recovery measures.
Prior to joining DCA in 2018, she served as Deputy Attorney General in the New Jersey Division of Law’s Personnel, Community Affairs, and Elections section. I
Walter earned her Juris Doctor from the College of William and Mary School of Law, her master’s in public policy from the Thomas Jefferson Program in Public Policy at the College of William and Mary, and her bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Mary Washington.
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Ira Zlotowitz, president and founder of Eastern Union, has been accepted into the Forbes Real Estate Council, an invitation-only community for executives in the real estate industry.
Zlotowitz was selected by a review committee based on the depth and diversity of his experience. Criteria for acceptance include a track record of successfully impacting business growth metrics, as well as personal and professional achievements and honors.
As a member of the Council, Zlotowitz has access to a variety of exclusive opportunities designed to help him reach peak professional influence. He will connect and collaborate with other respected local leaders in a private forum.
He will also be invited to work with a professional editorial team to share his expert insights in original business articles on Forbes.com, and to contribute to published Q&A panels alongside other experts.
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Ariel Property Advisors announced several new hires to its Investment Sales team.
Appointments include Chris Afriyie, Associate Director, Investment Sales, Brendan Dal Col, Associate Director, Investment Sales, Jeff Henley, Jr., Associate Director, Investment Sales, and Courtney Lee, Associate Director, Investment Sales.
Chris Afriyie has experience in capital markets research, bond research, structured financing and marketing.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in Economics from New Jersey City University.
Brendan Dal Col has a background in acquisitions and private equity, particularly in the affordable housing sector.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in Economics and Finance from Bentley University and his master’s degree in Real Estate Finance and Investments from NYU’s Schack Institute of Real Estate.
Jeff Henley, Jr. has experience in commercial brokerage activities on behalf of local and institutional landlords, as well as with managing and optimizing real estate portfolios for Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 companies.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in Economics from Louisiana State University.
Courtney Lee has extensive experience conducting Property Condition Assessments and Environmental Site Assessments on offices, retail plazas, hotels, industrial buildings and multifamily residential complexes.
She earned her bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies with a minor in Professional Writing for Multimedia from the University of California at Santa Barbara.
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Thornton Tomasetti announced that Brian G. Morgen, Ph.D., P.E., S.E., LEED AP has joined the firm as vice president and Seattle office director.
Morgen has more than 16 years of experience in the Seattle market and an extensive background in structural analysis and design, and project management.
Prior to joining Thornton Tomasetti, he was a principal in Magnusson Klemencic Associates’ Seattle office .
Morgen holds a doctorate and a master’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Notre Dame, and a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Washington State University.
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Kate Thatcher, AIA has been named Chief Executive Officer of Architecture + Information (A+I).
Thatcher began her career at A+I in 2004. Leaving in 2007 to pursue her Masters in Architecture at Yale University, she returned to the agency in 2011.
Since then, she’s led design teams creating headquarters for world-class companies like Equinox, and Horizon Media, as well as the adaptive re-use of 430 W 15th Street in New York and work for non-profit organizations including the Urban Justice Center.
In 2018, she was named Principal and began making executive level decisions for the company.
As part of the agency’s continued growth, A+I co-founders, Brad Zizmor and Dag Folger will now center their work on deepening relationships with clients to lead the next generation of ground-breaking work.
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Arch Companies announced that Patrick Hoyle the firm as Development Director.
He brings more than 15 years of experiencein design, entitlements, construction, finance, leasing and marketing. Most recently, he worked at Carmel Partners, where he focused on ground up multifamily developments in the New York and Washington, D.C. markets.
Hoyle holds an M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, with concentrations real estate management and finance, and a B.S. in Architecture from the University of Michigan.
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Douglas Ellliman has welcomed Donna Einemann, Laurell Frein and Paul Bologna to its Long Island management team, where they will serve as Branch Managers of Rockville Centre, Syosset and Manhasset, respectively.
Donna Einemann joins Douglas Elliman as the Branch Manager of its brand new Rockville Centre office. The former manager of Daniel Gale’s Rockville Centre office, Einemann is known for her expertise, work ethic and high level of professionalism.
Laurell Frein joins as the Branch Manager the Syosset office. With over 19 years of experience, she most recently served as the former sales manager of Daniel Gale’s Huntington office.
Paul Bologna will be Branch Manager of the Manhasset office. He has more than 25 years of experience in real estate, including six years as a Douglas Elliman sales manager in Manhattan.
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Houlihan Lawrence has announced that Ben Burton and Zack Morris have joined the company as agents for the New Rochelle brokerage.
Ben Burton’s real estate experience includes work with developers Westrock Development and Alfred Weissman Real Estate.
Burton will be working with the Jocelyn Burton Team at Houlihan Lawrence, which is headed by his mother Jocelyn Burton who is the number one agent in the New Rochelle office.
Zack Morris was previously a sales assistant with The HES Group. Prior to that, he worked as a baseball coach and instructor. He will be working with the Jocelyn Burton Team at Houlihan Lawrence.
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Sean McPeak, formerly of Halstead, and his team have made the move to join the SERHANT brokerage.
The team includes Jordan March, partner and co-team lead; Katie Thurber, founding member of the team and its new development and social media marketing expert; and agent Chris Rassam.
The McPeak team specializes in new development projects, specifically in Midtown, Downtown, and Brooklyn.
March previously recruited and trained 450 agents to LG Fairmont and also handled institutional clients for Mirador Real Estate.
