New York Power Women

Sabrina Kanner

Executive Vice President, Design and Construction
Brookfield Properties

With Brookfield Properties and its predecessor, Olympia & York, since 1982, Ms. Kanner oversees design and construction in the U.S. She joined the construction division of Olympia & York in 1982 and was appointed to run Olympia and York’s construction company in 1986. In her tenure with the company, Ms. Kanner has played a key role in the construction, design and development or redevelopment of over 40 million square feet of signature Brookfield projects such as World Financial Center, Brookfield Place, 300 Madison Avenue, Bay Adelaide Centre, the restoration/renovation of the Winter Garden at World Financial Center after 9/11, and currently Manhattan West. She is a member of WX and sits on the Boards of Directors of the New York Building Congress (Treasurer), The Salvadori Center (Chair), The Opus Group, The Regional Plan Association, Urban Green Council (Secretary), Cedar Realty Trust, and National Academy of Construction and sits on the Board of Trustees of The National Building Museum (Secretary) and The Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation.

MaryAnne Gilmartin

Founder and CEO
MAG Partners

MaryAnne Gilmartin is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of MAG Partners, a New York-based real estate development company she founded in 2020. Most recently, MaryAnne also served as interim Chief Executive Officer and Chair of the Board of Directors of Mack-Cali Realty Corporation. Prior to founding MAG Partners, MaryAnne was CEO of L&L MAG. After a successful two-year partnership with L&L, MaryAnne spun out of L&L MAG to launch her own firm, MAG Partners. The company is currently developing a 480-unit residential building in Chelsea, designed by acclaimed architect COOKFOX. MaryAnne previously served as President and CEO of Forest City Ratner Companies, where she oversaw a period of game-changing ground-up development and managed its multimillion square foot residential, commercial and retail portfolio. In her tenure at Forest City Ratner Companies, MaryAnne spearheaded the development of some of the most high-profile real estate projects in New York City. She led the efforts to build Barclays Center, the state-of-the-art sports and entertainment venue and the centerpiece of the $4.9 billion, 22-acre mixed-use Pacific Park Brooklyn development. She also oversaw the development of The New York Times Building, designed by world-renowned architect Renzo Piano; New York by Gehry, designed by award-winning architect Frank Gehry; and the Tata Innovation Center at Cornell Tech, a new office building that is a first-of-its-kind space for tech innovation, designed by Weiss/Manfredi on Roosevelt Island. MaryAnne is a civic leader in the New York metropolitan area, serving as Chair Emeritus of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, member of the Executive Committee of The Brooklyn Academy of Music, member of the New York Public Radio Board of Trustees, member of the Executive Committee and Board of Governors of The Real Estate Board of New York, and part of the Industry Advisory Board of the MS Real Estate Development Program at Columbia University. In addition to her civic and industry board service, MaryAnne was appointed a member of the board of directors of the global investment banking firm Jefferies Group LLC in 2014.

Adelaide Polsinelli

Vice Chair | Licensed Associate RE Broker
Compass

In her 30+ years of extensive experience as one of New York City’s most active and high profile real estate brokers, Adelaide Polsinelli has an impeccable and prolific track record of consistently selling and shaping trends in commercial real estate. An innovative problem solver and a tenacious, yet diplomatic negotiator, Ms. 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, garages, co-ops, and condos interest. Ms. Polsinelli began her illustrious career as an advocate for families who had no real estate experience and needed dedicated representation to protect them from the pitfalls that abound while maximizing the value of their property. In addition to selling and advising on all real estate asset classes, Ms. Polsinelli also heads the Retail Sales Division at Eastern Consolidated, where she leads the firm’s sales brokerage, advisory, research financial structuring and marketing services for the sale of all retail driven deals from retail condominiums, office buildings, taxpayers, shopping centers, mixed use residential buildings, and hotels, to high street retail properties. Through her leadership, she was instrumental in classifying retail condos as the new real estate asset class, the urban equivalent to triple-net-leased single-tenant properties. Ms. Polsinelli’s mission of treating each deal not as a commodity but as a creation, allowed her to achieve record breaking prices for notable deals such as: The $107,000,000 Lee Portfolio in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, The Hotel Verite at 893 Broadway, The Sutton Place 280,000 square foot development, SoHo’s “The King of Greene” building at 72-76 Greene Street; 530 Lincoln Road and the “Diesel/ Dash” Retail Center in the heart of South Beach; The Hit Factory at 421 West 54th Street; 711 Madison Avenue “The Roberto Cavalli Building; The “Children’s Wear” office building in Midtown; The Marriott Courtyard Hotel site by the New Freedom Tower, The “Stefano Ricci” retail flagship on Park Avenue; The famed “Knitting Factory” building in TriBeCa; The Promenade a 350 unit Mitchell Lama Building; The “Le Figaro Café” building on Bleecker Street; The “Interior Design Building” in Midtown East; The “Dylan Hotel” on 41st Street; a nine-building package in Chelsea; four prominent Upper West Side hotels; and the “Eastbridge Landing” development site at First Avenue. Ms. Polsinelli was responsible for the development of a Times Square $200 million hotel development which is now a Marriott Hotel. She is also well established as the go-to broker for lenders, she has sold portfolios of notes, loans and REO’s. She is regularly called upon as a well-regarded co-op and condo expert, known for uncovering value for co-op and condos by methodically structuring the various components of their real estate to generate optimum value. She has created assemblages using inclusionary air rights and buying air rights from co-ops and condos, as well as unfolding entire co-ops and reorganizing the retail leases resulting in unexpected windfalls. Furthering her dedication as an owner’s advocate, she has produced a series of neighborhood tours, along with historian Kevin Draper of NY Historical Tours. The tours identify real estate trends and blend the past, present and future of neighborhoods with sales and leasing information to educate owners and investors to new emerging trends. Not only is Ms. Polsinelli is a celebrated expert in the industry for her ability to identify and forecast trends, but she can formulate opportunities to create additional value in her assignments. With her expertise and value-added approach to traditional investment scenarios, Ms. Polsinelli has mastered the art of building lucrative portfolios for her clients while also creatively resolving complex situations involving partnership disputes, financing challenges and various other obstacles. She is a co-op and condo liaison, sought after columnist, and speaker whose articles have appeared widely in the press. She is a contributing writer for several industry publications such as The Commercial Observer, Shopping Center Business, Real Estate Weekly, The Mann Report, National Real Estate Investor, The Retail Report, Real Estate Forum among others. She is an expert speaker and industry thought leader for a variety of functions and panels. Ms. Polsinelli is well known for her mentoring program where she offers college students opportunities to learn the business under her guidance. She has been named a “Woman of Influence” for over a decade by ALM’s GlobeSt.com and Real Estate Forum and one of Commercial Observer’s “People to Watch”. Ms. Polsinelli has also been the recipient of the prestigious Investment Sales Broker of The Year Award, and companywide Broker of the Year Award at Eastern Consolidated in 2013 and 2015. She is also featured on Globe St.com as one of New York City’s Signature Brokers. Ms. Polsinelli has been a guest lecturer at New York University’s real estate school. She has also been a regular source and thought leader for the Wall Street Journal, Crains, New York Public Radio, New York Times, New York Post, and Globest.com. She has also been a guest speaker at New York Appraisers Institute, Bloomberg News, Commercial Observer, and REBNY. Prior to joining Eastern Consolidated, Ms. Polsinelli was Vice President at a publicly traded national investment sales firm. She has served on the Board of Directors of both the Kidney & Urology Foundation of America and the St. George Foundation. Ms. Polsinelli was also the President of the Parent’s Association at St. George Elementary School and organizes an annual toy drive for local children’s charities. Most notably she had served as President of 2 Fifth Avenue for over a decade, a 350-unit co-op building where she successfully bought the land under the ground lease for the co-op. She founded the Central Village Co-op/Condo Association (CVCA). She is a member of REBNY, ICSC, The National Realty Club, RSA, SPONY, SBO, CHIP and CIASF. Ms. Polsinelli holds a Degree in Finance and Real Estate from New York University and also attended the Fashion Institute of Technology. By viewing each deal not as a statistic but as a trophy, Ms. Polsinelli proudly represents many of her clients for decades. “We have always viewed Adelaide as our Advisor. Adelaide has a level of sophistication that allows her to stand out from the rest of the brokerage community…Her most important attribute of all is her integrity.” –Domenic Lanni, L3 Capital LLC

Kara McShane

Head of Commercial Real Estate
Wells Fargo

Miriam Wheeler

Managing Director
Goldman Sachs

Miriam runs large loan origination within the Real Estate Financing Group, responsible for originating and structuring mortgage and mezzanine financings. Previously, she worked in Fixed Income, Currency and Commodities in mortgage sales from 2005 to 2007. Miriam joined Goldman Sachs in 2005 as an analyst, was named managing director in 2015 and partner in 2018. Miriam is a junior board member of Win Partners, a New York-based nonprofit that provides safe housing, critical services and programs to help homeless women and their children rebuild their lives. Miriam earned a BA, cum laude, in Ethics, Politics and Economics from Yale University in 2005.

Greta Guggenheim

CEO
TPG Real Estate Finance Trust

Greta Guggenheim is Chief Executive Officer and President of TPG Real Estate Finance Trust (“TRT”) and a Firm Partner of TPG. TRT is a NYSE listed commercial mortgage REIT (ticker TRTX) that originates commercial real estate mortgage loans in major markets throughout the U.S. Previously, Ms. Guggenheim was Co‐Founder and Chief Investment Officer of Ladder Capital. Ms. Guggenheim’s prior experience includes positions at Dillon Read Capital Management, UBS, Bear Stearns and Credit Suisse. Ms. Guggenheim serves on the ULI Board of Trustees, Board of Governors of CREFC as well as several charitable foundations. Ms. Guggenheim has a MBA from the Wharton School and a BA from Swarthmore College.

Andrea Olshan

CEO
Olshan Properties

Andrea Olshan serves as Chief Executive Officer of Olshan Properties and is responsible for the strategic direction of the company, its investment activity and capital partnerships. Through her membership in the Investment Committee, Ms. Olshan evaluates new investment opportunities and represents the Company in its third-party investments. Prior to the position of Chief Executive Officer of Olshan Properties, Ms. Olshan served as the Chief Operating Officer and was responsible for the day-to-day functions of the Olshan Properties operating divisions: leasing, property management, asset management, development and construction. Her strategic accomplishments included consistent double digit revenue and net asset value growth. During her tenure at Olshan Properties, the company has developed or acquired 7 million square feet of income-producing real estate including retail, residential, hotel and office assets. In addition to her real estate career, Ms. Olshan is actively involved in numerous civic and social service organizations. She serves on the Steering Committee of the Council of Conservators at the New York Public Library, as class Co-Chair for the Harvard College Fund, is President of the Graduate Board of the Hasty Pudding Club -- Institute of 1770, and serves as Trustee of the Horace Mann School. Ms. Olshan also serves as board member of the 92Y and co-chairs their Emerging Leadership Committee. Ms. Olshan graduated Magna Cum Laude from Harvard and received her MBA from Columbia Business School.

Margaret Anadu

Head of Urban Investment Group
Goldman Sachs

Margaret is head of the Urban Investment Group (UIG), a domestic, multi-asset class investing and lending business within the Merchant Banking Division (MBD) that provides equity and debt to real estate projects and social enterprises, as well as lending facilities to help small businesses grow and create jobs. Established in 2001, UIG has committed over $9 billion to community and economic development investments, serving as a catalyst in the revitalization of underserved, predominantly minority communities. Margaret serves on the MBD Real Estate Investment Committee and is chair of the Urban Investment Group Capital Committee. She is also on the Board of Advisors of Launch With GS, Goldman Sachs’ $500 million commitment to invest in companies and investment managers with diverse leadership. Previously, Margaret worked in Equity Derivatives in the Securities Division. She joined Goldman Sachs as an analyst in 2003 and was named managing director in 2013 and partner in 2018. Margaret serves on the boards of several community and economic development organizations, including the Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation, Center for an Urban Future, Core Innovation Capital, Low Income Investment Fund, New York Public Radio and The Africa Center. Margaret earned a BA in Computer Science from Harvard College in 2003.

Nina Roket

Partner
Olshan Frome Wolosky LLP

Nina Roket is a partner in the Real Estate practice at Olshan Frome Wolosky LLP in New York and leads the firm’s Commercial Leasing practice. Nina is also a co-administrative partner of the firm, chair of the firm's Hiring Committee and founder and chair of the firm's Women’s Committee. Nina concentrates her practice on commercial real estate law with an emphasis in leasing, conveyancing and finance transactions. She advises clients across the U.S. in sophisticated commercial real estate transactions, including leasing, sales, acquisitions and mortgage, mezzanine and preferred equity financings. Nina 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. Nina 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 also serves as a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) and the Urban Land Institute (ULI). She has also been acknowledged as a leading player in the New York real estate market by numerous business and real estate trade publications and client/ peer review organizations, including Crain’s New York Business, Real Estate Forum, Real Estate Weekly, Thomson Reuters New York Super Lawyers, New York Real Estate Journal and Real Estate New York.

Rachel Loeb

President & CEO
New York City Economic Development Corporation

Nicole Kushner Meyer

Principal
Kushner Companies

Nicole Kushner Meyer has been a partner and owner in all of Kushner Companies real estate investments since 1985. Her investment portfolio at Kushner Companies include ownership interests in over 15,000 multifamily units and 10 million sqft of commercial space. As an owner and member of the board, she has been involved in monitoring the portfolio as well as new projects and investments. In 2015, Nicole took a more active role in Kushner Companies as Principal, where she focuses on new developments and retail portfolio management. Kushner is currently planning and coordinating over 10 million sqft of new construction within New Jersey and Brooklyn and currently manages a retail portfolio that consists of over 3 million sqft.. Nicole’s responsibilities also include acquisitions and she is involved in the assessment of new opportunities. Nicole graduated Phi Beta Kappa from NYU in 2004 with a degree in Architecture and Urban Design, and received a Masters in Urban Planning from the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service in 2006.

Belinda Schwartz

Partner; Chair, Real Estate Department
Herrick, Feinstein LLP

Belinda Schwartz has chaired Herrick’s Real Estate Department since 2014, is a member of the firm’s Executive Committee since 2017 and is a 30+ year veteran of New York City’s commercial real estate market. She is a leader and mentor for 50+ attorneys and urban planners (23 of which are women) and one of the only women in the country to chair a major commercial real estate practice. One of the industry’s most creative real estate dealmakers, Belinda’s clients value her ability to find common ground in negotiations and achieve a desirable outcome as swiftly as possible. Her clients include prominent developers, owners, funds, investors and family-owned real estate businesses, whom she advises in complex debt and equity transactions including real estate restructurings and workouts; fund formation; property acquisitions and sales; joint ventures; development deals; construction matters; ground leases and commercial leases. Belinda frequently advises clients in single asset and portfolio transactions involving residential, hospitality, office and retail properties across the U.S. She has also advised on several of New York City’s largest development projects, including Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Empire Stores complex, Downtown Brooklyn’s 1.8 million square-foot City Point project, and one of the largest land swaps in Manhattan history, a deal which won REBNY’s coveted Most Ingenious Deal of the Year Award. Recently, Belinda has been leading her clients through the impact of COVID-19 on their real estate transactions, development projects, workouts and restructurings, loans and leases as a critical addition to her clients' business team. Belinda has consistently been ranked one of New York City’s leading real estate lawyers by Chambers USA, Super Lawyers, City & State and Real Estate Forum, which has twice named her a “woman of influence.” Belinda was named one of National Law Journal's Trailblazers in Real Estate/Construction Law in 2020. In 2019, Belinda was named one of Real Estate Weekly's, Real Estate Dealmakers, and in 2018, one of Real Estate Weekly’s Leading Ladies of Real Estate. In 2017, Belinda was named one of Crain’s New York Business’ top 100 women lawyers and for the past number of years she has been named one of Bisnow’s New York power women.

Amy Rose

CEO
Rose Associates

Amy Rose, President and Chief Executive Officer of Rose Associates, has 25 years of real estate experience, specializing in design, construction, leasing and management of premier high-rise and mixed-use residential buildings. She directs all Rose projects and ventures with partners and clients, and focuses on the firm’s accelerated strategic growth, firm positioning and sourcing new business, capital and investments. Currently, under Amy’s leadership, the firm is developing $2 billion in new projects across New York. Amy is actively working on new development projects at 222 West 80th Street and 210 Livingston in Brooklyn (Hoyt & Horn). She recently completed 7 West 21st Street, which achieved rents of over $107/sqft. A recognized expert on residential real estate in New York City, Amy is a frequent participant in professional conferences. She served as a panelist of the NYU Schack Institute of Real Estate’s First National Symposium of Women in Real Estate and at the primary event of the New York Real Estate Summit. Amy has served as a guest speaker for Columbia Business School, Family Business Program. Real Estate Forum named her one of the 2016 Women of Influence. At the top of the New York real estate sector for nearly a century, Rose Associates is known for its success in acquisitions and development throughout the tri-state area. Amy also oversees Rose’s leasing, marketing, and property management – recently ranked by The Real Deal as one of the region’s top five third-party property management firms.

Leslie Himmel

Managing Partner
Himmel+Meringoff

Leslie Wohlman Himmel is founder and co-managing partner of Himmel + Meringoff Properties, a leading owner/operator of New York-based commercial real estate and one of the only privately owned, first generation portfolios of Manhattan office buildings. Founded in 1985 with partner Stephen Meringoff, Himmel + Meringoff currently manages two million square feet of commercial real estate valued in excess of $2 billion. Ms. Himmel began her career as an acquisitions associate at Integrated Resources in 1979 and is today recognized as one of the foremost women leaders of the commercial real estate industry. Focused on creating value through long-term ownership, she is a creative and insightful hands-on owner responsible for the acquisition of property, strategic repositioning of assets and portfolio financing. In 2017, Ms. Himmel was named as one of the 50 Most Powerful Women in New York by Crain’s. She was honored as Harvard Business School Club of New York’s ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ for 2016 and, in 2011, received REBNY’s Mendik Lifetime Leadership in Real Estate Award for exceptional accomplishment and dedication to leadership in New York real estate. Ms. Himmel is a Board member of the M&T Bank Directors Advisory Council, New York City Mortgage Committee and the Harvard Business School Club of New York. In 1992, she founded and continues to co-chair REBNY’s Economic Development Committee which works with New York City officials to support economic development initiatives in the city. A member of REBNY’s Board of Governors since 2001, Ms. Himmel also serves on the Board of the Executive Committee. Ms. Himmel is a member of the Real Estate Roundtable, the UDMUC Red Council of the Urban Land Institute, Young Men’s/Women’s Real Estate Association of New York and YPO/WPO. Dedicated to women entrepreneurs, Ms. Himmel established “The Women’s Student Association Fellowship Fund” in 2008, which awards scholarships to Harvard Business School students. Ms. Himmel is also an early stage investor and Board advisor to Hello Alfred, a successful online concierge service, developed by two women who are recent HBS graduates. Ms. Himmel earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania, graduating Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa and received her MBA with high honors from Harvard Business School.

Jodi Pulice

CEO
JRT Realty

The firm is certified as a Minority- and Woman-Owned Business Enterprise (M/WBE) by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) and National Minority Business Council (NMBC). Today, JRT Realty is recognized as the nation’s largest certified woman-owned commercial real estate services firm and is certified by several other distinguished entities, including the New York Department of Small Business Services, State of New York, The Port of Authority of New York and New Jersey and Empire State Development (ESD). As CEO, Ms. Pulice is responsible for directing and overseeing all organizational activities, including transaction management and implementation; strategic consulting and project planning; property management; and leasing. Currently Ms. Pulice is responsible for a leasing and management portfolio of more than 10 million square feet on behalf of TIAA, one of the largest institutional real estate investors in America. Among her accomplishments are leasing and sales transactions totaling more than $3 billion, including the sale of the Seagram Building in Manhattan as well as representing the FDIC’s national field offices at 92 locations. Ms. Pulice is a member of Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY), Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) and National Minority Business Council (NMBC). She is a board member of United Nations Federal Credit Union Foundation, YMCA – Long Island City, as well as the Jeffrey Modell Foundation.

Laurie Golub

COO
Square Mile Capital

Wendy Silverstein

Chief Investment Officer, Real Estate Investments
The We Company

Wendy Silverstein currently serves as Chief Investment Officer for The We Company’s global private equity platform known as ARK. Prior to joining The We Company in August 2018, Ms Silverstein served as President and CEO of New York Reit (NYSE:NYRT). Ms. Silverstein took over the troubled REIT in early 2017 and by mid 2018 she had successfully completed the wind down and liquidation of the company pursuant to the shareholder approved plan of liquidation. Previous to New York Reit, Ms. Silverstein was Executive Vice President and Co-Head of Acquisitions and Capital Markets for Vornado Realty Trust (NYSE:VNO), one of the largest owners of commercial real estate in the United States, from 1998 to 2015. Ms. Silverstein was a member of the Investment Committee for Vornado's private equity fund, Vornado Capital Partners, L.P. On behalf of Vornado, she has served on the Board of Directors of Toys R Us, Inc., and the Board of LNR Property, LLC, the nation’s largest loan special servicer. Prior to joining Vornado in 1998, Ms. Silverstein spent 12 years at Citicorp. From 1990 to 1998, she was with Citicorp Real Estate in the Corporate Debt Restructuring Group, which she headed from 1994 to 1998. During this time she led the negotiation and restructuring of many complex debt and equity transactions of companies in the airline, hospitality, retail, office and residential real estate industries. She served on the Board of Directors of Shuttle, Inc. (d/b/a US Air Shuttle) from 1992 to 1997 and Alexander’s, Inc. (NYSE:ALX) from 1992 to 1995. From 1986 to 1990 she was with the Leveraged Capital Group at Citibank, N.A. providing sponsor financing for leveraged buyouts. Ms. Silverstein currently serves on the Board of Alexander’s, Inc., and TPG Real Estate Finance Trust. Ms. Silverstein is proud to serve on the Board and Chair the Finance Committee for Beit Ruth, an educational and therapeutic village for at risk teenage girls in Israel. Ms. Silverstein earned her Bachelor of Science in Economics, Magna Cum Laude, and a Master of Business Administration with Distinction from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. She is also a Certified Public Accountant.

Toby Moskovits

CEO
Heritage Equity Partners

Whitney Arcaro

EVP, Head of Marketing and Retail Leasing
RXR Realty

Kate Bicknell

Managing Director
Tishman Speyer

Ms. Bicknell joined Tishman Speyer in 2021 to lead the development of the Enterprise Research Campus across from the Harvard Business School in Boston. Prior to joining Tishman Speyer, Ms. Bicknell was Vice President and Head of New York Development for Oxford Properties Group where she was responsible for the development of St. John’s Terminal, the anchor of Google’s new Hudson Square campus in NYC. Ms. Bicknell also spent 13 years at Forest City New York where she led the development of Cornell Tech, and played a leading role in the development of Pacific Park Brooklyn and Barclays Center where she was responsible for the negotiations with the City, State & MTA. She also worked as a Legislative Aide for the late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, and was the Federal Policy Director for Smart Growth America. Ms. Bicknell was a 2017 Rockefeller Fellow and is a member of WX and ULI, including the University Development & Innovation Council. She holds her BS in Urban Studies from Cornell University, where she is the Vice Chair of the Cornell Alumni Trustee Nominating Committee and a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council. Ms. Bicknell holds her MBA from the Wharton School.

Megumi Brod

SVP & Regional Development Officer, Northeast
Rockefeller Group

Sonia Kaur Bain

Partner
Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner

There's nothing like the real estate industry in New York. And for Sonia Bain, conquering its unique and exciting challenges every day is what gets her out of bed in the morning. Sonia is a transactional commercial real estate lawyer who represents developers, retail companies, hotel groups, landlords and tenants, and family offices with acquisitions, dispositions, development, ground and space leases, financing and leasing of numerous types of commercial real estate assets including mixed-use, residential, retail, hotel and industrial properties in New York City and also across the country. Clients engage Sonia for her killer legal prowess, but they value her for her thoughtful guidance, counsel and partnership. Often coming to her to think through strategies and help them make decisions that are best for their business, Sonia is there for her clients for more than just their real estate legal needs. In addition to her legal and business advice, Sonia is also frequently sought-after as a speaker, moderator and panelist on topics relating to the real estate industry. Sonia also serves as a mentor to other women in the real estate industry. As co-chair of the WX Mentoring Committee which promotes and supports women in commercial real estate, Sonia is a passionate supporter of fostering the success of talented women entering careers in real estate. Sonia is a natural team builder. She enjoys making introductions and connecting people in social as well as business settings. She excels at bringing together individuals from different focus areas with different skill sets and motivating them to feel vested not just in their specific roles but also in the client's end goal. The bottom line - Sonia is there for her clients from the ground up.

Melissa Burch

Executive General Manager
Lendlease

Anna Zarro

Principal
ANNAZARRO&

Lisa Kiell

Vice Chairman
JLL

Lisa Kiell is a Vice Chairman in JLL’s New York office. She is responsible for planning and implementing transaction strategies for a wide range of clients with a focus on law firm, financial and technology clients in New York City. She also leads JLL’s New York women’s group, focusing on the retention and promotion of future leaders. Lisa has extensive experience providing strategic and implementation services to clients developing and executing real estate strategies both in New York City and around the globe. Her clients include Microsoft, Citi, Linklaters, American Express, Akerman, Medidata Solutions, United Heath Group, Nielsen, White & Case, Reed Smith, Morgan Lewis, Foley & Lardner, Sentinel Real Estate, US Bancorp, T Rowe Price, Piper Jaffray, BBC, O’Melveny & Myers, Kirkland & Ellis, TriNet, Cisco Systems, Brainly, IAS, Richards Kibbe & Orbe, Dressbarn/Ascena Retail Group, and Hilton Hotels. Lisa joined JLL in 1995, successor by merger to The Galbreath Company. Prior to that, she worked in real estate development/ leasing for LCOR in Jersey City and as an auditor for PricewaterhouseCoopers (successor by merger to Coopers & Lybrand). Lisa earned a master of science in real estate development from New York University and a bachelor of business administration in accounting from Emory University. She is a Certified Public Accountant in New York, as well as a licensed broker in New York and a salesperson in New Jersey. She serves on the board of the Jewish Community Center in Manhattan and is also an executive board member of the Greater New York Councils of the Boy Scouts of America.

Cynthia Wasserberger

Vice Chairman
JLL

As vice chairman, Cynthia Wasserberger is responsible for agency leasing and tenant representation client services including new business development and implementation. She specializes in the New York City metropolitan area real estate for boutique financial service clients. Over the course of her 22-year career in real estate, Ms. Wasserberger has completed in excess of 10 million s.f. of transactions in the New York Region. She has been actively involved in providing real estate services to financial service corporate clients such as Merrill Lynch / Bank of America, Morgan Stanley, State Street Bank, and Computer Associates and as leasing agent for prominent owners such as SL Green Realty and Boston Properties. Ms. Wasserberger’s current agency representation assignments include 601 Lexington Avenue, 159 E 53rd Street, 3 Hudson Boulevard and 540 Madison Avenue for Boston Properties, 437 Madison Avenue and 747 Third Avenue for William Kaufmann Organization, 1166 Avenue of the Americas and 51 Astor Place for Edward J. Minskoff Equities, 1345 Avenue of the Americas for Fisher Brothers, and 10 East 53rd Street for SL Green Realty. Additional agency assignments are 1330 Avenue of the Americas and 237 Park Avenue for RXR Realty, 10 Grand Central for Marx Realty, and 220 11th Avenue for Moinian Group. Ms. Wasserberger leads JLL’s alternative investment practice group. For the past two decades, she has assisted key prime brokerage groups and focuses on transaction work for numerous boutique hedge funds and investment management firms. She has completed in excess of 100 transactions over the past for clients including Davidson Kempner, Tiger Management, Tudor Funds, LibreMax, Traxis Partners, Canyon Capital, Bridger Management, Cadian Capital, Grosvenor, Investcorp, Metalmark Capital, Laurion Capital, Ospraie, Suffolk Capital, Saba Capital, and Royce Funds.

Joanne Podell

Vice Chairman
Cushman & Wakefield

Darcy Stacom

Chairman - NYC Capital Markets
CBRE

Crowned the “Queen of the Skyscrapers” by the Wall Street Journal in 1997, Darcy Stacom has sold both the largest residential and office transaction in history. Ms. Stacom’s prolific resume is a diverse to deal type and size, from $35 million trust and estates dispositions to the $5.4 billion sale of Peter Cooper Stuyvesant Town for Metropolitan Life. She has completed more than $84 billion in sales, financing, joint venture, leasehold and development transactions. Ms. Stacom is a Chairman and Head of the NYC Capital Markets Group. As the gateway to the global marketplace, the role is dynamic and ever-changing. In the last four years, Ms. Stacom has twice been the #1 Professional at CBRE globally, and twice the #1 Investment Professional globally. With more than 30 years of real estate experience, Ms. Stacom’s expertise is evidenced by her speaking engagements for industry and educational organizations including ULI, Harvard, NYU, Columbia, Wharton, AFIRE, PLI and many others.

Robin Levitt Topol

Partner
Meister Seelig & Fein

Robin Topol is a Partner at MSF and is a member of the Real Estate Group. Ms. Topol concentrates on commercial and retail leasing, and subleasing, sales and purchases of commercial property, shopping centers and other retail property, and financing. Ms. Topol represents top-tier national landlords, as well as first class commercial tenants and subtenants in major metropolitan areas, including New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Texas, California, and throughout the country. Her clients include some of the world’s largest national landlords, accounting firms, marketing and advertising agencies, global public relations companies, international electronic corporations, national insurance companies, as well as healthcare companies and medical offices with a growing regional medical practice. She also represents numerous financial services firms headquartered in New York City, including one of the world’s largest independently owned private equity firms. Ms. Topol has also advised numerous national and multinational big box tenants and subtenants in connection with multiple retail locations throughout the metropolitan New York area, leasing of shopping centers, landmark restaurants in New York and Las Vegas, office and garage leases in New York.

Tara Stacom

Executive Vice Chairman
Cushman & Wakefield

ince joining Cushman & Wakefield in 1981, Ms. Stacom has distinguished herself as one of the leading brokerage professionals in the real estate industry. She consistently ranks among the firm’s top producing brokers including top 3 in the New York Region and top 5 worldwide over the last 10 years, and she was Cushman & Wakefield’s number one broker worldwide in 2004. Ms. Stacom was honored with the Real Estate Board of New York’s highest achievement….the 2011 Most Ingenious Deal of the Year (First Place Henry Hart Rice Award) for the leasing of One World Trade Center. Ms. Stacom has also been ranked top landlord broker in Manhattan based on total square footage leased and has been responsible for representing tenants in the top 10 largest office leases the last several years. AWARDS & ASSOCIATIONS A compelling testament to her dedication to the real estate industry and the communities in which she lives and works is the great number of awards Ms. Stacom has received. She is the recipient of Crain’s New York Business 100 Most Influential Women in New York City Business, Realty Foundation of New York honoree, “Woman of the Year” of the New York Executives in Real Estate (WX), and Real Estate New York and Real Estate Forum’s Women of Influence. She received Northwood University's Distinguished Women's Award for recognition of the enormous contribution she has made to communities, businesses, volunteer agencies, and public and private sector services worldwide. Ms. Stacom serves the real estate industry as a Director of the Realty Foundation of New York; and a Member of the Real Estate Board of New York serving on the Ethics Committee. She is regularly called upon as an industry spokesperson by a wide range of media outlets. A believer in “giving back”, Ms. Stacom is a Director’s Circle Member and rotational Board Member of Girls, Inc., a national not-for-profit that draws upon prominent women in U.S. industry to support girls in their quest to become strong and independent women. Ms. Stacom has a passion and commitment for learning and development. She is a founder of ire@l, a real estate program in the business college at Lehigh University. She personally chaired the program which has enrolled more than 1,000 students since its inception in 2009. In recognition of her commitment and many years of service to Lehigh University, as well as, Greenwich Academy, Ms Stacom has received prestigious Alumni Awards from both organizations. Ms. Stacom serves on the Board of Trustees at Lehigh University where she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Finance. ASSIGNMENTS Ms. Stacom serves Cushman & Wakefield as an Executive Vice Chairman. During her 32-year career, Ms. Stacom has been responsible for executing in excess of 40 million square feet and some of the largest and most complex leasing, sales and corporate finance transactions. Most recently, as exclusive leasing agent for One World Trade Center, one of the world’s most iconic office buildings, she secured media giant Conde Nast as the anchor tenant for its 1, 200,000 sf headquarters. Ms. Stacom has managed and leased Class A office space for some of the most prominent owners and investors of real estate in New York. Among them are SL Green, Morgan Stanley, RXR Realty, Paramount Group, Sheldon Solow, The Prudential Insurance Co., Blackstone Real Estate Advisors, , Glorious Sun, Simone Development Companies, Landis/Normandy, L&L Holding Company and RREEF. Ms. Stacom is best known by her clients for her creativity, exceptional service and ability to structure unique transactions. She has represented a cadre of high-profile tenants both nationally and globally including Lazard Freres & Co. LLC on its 448,572 square foot corporate headquarters lease at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, Bank of America, The Bank of New York (BNY Mellon), Colgate-Palmolive Company, J. & W. Seligman & Company, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Visiting Nurse Service of New York (VNS), Gibson, Dunn, & Crutcher, The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Remy Cointreau, USA, and Expedia, Inc.

Laurie Grasso

Partner and Global Co-Chair of Real Estate
Hunton Andrews Kurth

Laurie, an accomplished deal maker, is partner and co-chair of the firm’s global real estate practice. She takes a client-focused approach to her real estate practice, often acting as in-house counsel for her clients and becoming a trusted member of their businesses. She has a long list of clients who have been with her since the beginning of her practice and appreciate her ability to adeptly and efficiently handle any type of real estate deal. She is recognized as a leading lawyer in Chambers USA 2021, noting that she is “a strong negotiator” and “she has a great business sense combined with legal knowledge.” Most recently, for the second year in a row, Commercial Observer included her in their elite “Power 100” list, which recognizes the most powerful players in real estate. Laurie represents real estate private equity funds, companies, institutional REITs, investors and other property owners in structuring and closing real estate transactions such as acquisitions and dispositions, developments, financings, portfolio transactions, preferred equity investments, leasing and real estate joint ventures. Her work touches all asset classes, including office, multifamily, affordable housing, workforce housing, mixed-use, life sciences, hospitality, retail and condominium. She also maintains an active capital markets and fund practice, representing investors in joint venture transactions and sophisticated fund and tax structures. Laurie is also well-versed in the Opportunity Zone program and helps clients through the process of structuring and investing in qualified properties and vehicles. Laurie is involved in a number of non-profit and charitable organizations focusing on increasing diversity in real estate. She serves on the Advisory Board and spearheads the firm’s legal partnership with Project Destined, an organization dedicated to transforming minority youth into owners in the communities in which they live, work and play. She also serves as co-chair for Rebuilding New York’s “She Builds” program, where she organizes an annual renovation day, rehabilitating a New York City community center in need.

Helen Hwang

Executive Managing Director
Meridian Investment Sales

Helen Hwang is Senior Executive Managing Director at Meridian Investment Sales, LLC and is head of the Institutional Investment Sales Group. Ms. Hwang has executed over 85 institutional sales and recapitalization transactions exceeding $26 billion in value. Prior to joining Meridian, Ms. Hwang spent 16 years at Cushman & Wakefield as an Executive Vice President, as the head of NYC Investment Sales. Ms. Hwang has worked on numerous prestigious sales assignments throughout her career, including 1865 Broadway, 220 East 72nd Street, 22 River Terrace, 101 Murray Street, 400 Madison Avenue, One Court Square, 60 East 12th Street, 510 Madison Avenue, 511 Fifth Avenue, Glenn Gardens, the MetLife Building at 200 Park Avenue, 666 Fifth Avenue, the portfolio sale of Park Avenue and 850 Third Avenue, and the ground leases under 625 Madison Avenue, 2 Herald Square and 75 Rockefeller Center. For the sale of 88 Leonard Street, Ms. Hwang was honored with the Real Estate Board of New York’s highest achievement, the 2012 Most Ingenious Sales Deal of the Year (Robert T. Lawrence Memorial Award). Ms. Hwang has marketed significant New York assets for clients such as Africa Israel Investments, Ashkenazy Acquisitions, Capmark Financial, Daishin Securities, Dermot Company, Epic UK, Five Mile Capital, Istithmar, J.E. Robert Companies, Paramount Group, Park Tower Group, Rockrose Development Corp, SL Green, Spitzer Enterprises, Vornado Realty Trust, and Macklowe Properties. She has been a trusted strategic advisor to numerous domestic and international family offices, institutions and not-for-profits, including American Bible Society, Archdiocese of New York, Children’s Aid Society, MTA, New York University, St. John’s University, and Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, and Fortune 50 Corporations such as Bank of America and Verizon. Ms. Hwang has been presented with numerous awards over her career for both her professional achievements and charitable contributions, including the Top Broker of the Year by Real Estate Forum Magazine, a leading trade publication, CoStar’s prestigious Power Broker of the Year award, Bisnow’s New York Power Women award, Rebuilding Together NYC ‘s Patty Johnson Outstanding Leadership Award, and Friendship Circle’s Humanitarian Award. She was also named one of the 50 Outstanding Asian Americans in Business by the Asian American Business Development Center. Ms. Hwang serves as Chair of the Membership Committee and member of the Executive and Advisory Committees for the Urban Land Institute’s New York City Chapter and as an industry expert guest speaker for numerous conferences and some of the top REIT equity research teams in the nation, including Bank of America Merrill Lynch, ISI Group, FBR Capital Markets & Co, JMP Securities, and UBS. Ms. Hwang received her Bachelor of Science degree from the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration (Real Estate Finance), where she graduated “With Distinction.” She also holds a Master’s degree in Real Estate Investment and Development from New York University. Ms. Hwang is a New York State Certified Real Estate Appraiser and is a New York and New Jersey Licensed Salesperson.

Lindsay Ornstein

Partner
Transwestern

Lindsay is a co-founder and leader of the Transwestern New York office. She also co-leads its Nonprofit Advisory Group and directs branding services within Transwestern Consulting Group. CAREER HIGHLIGHTS Lindsay’s experience exceeds 15 years and includes over five million square feet of transactions. She specializes in a broad range of industries including finance, technology, and nonprofit, successfully representing clients such as Robin Hood, JPMorgan Chase, Children’s Aid, Mitsubishi, and Goodwill. Her extensive Landlord advisory work includes buildings such as 2 Wall Street, 830 Third Avenue, 570 Lexington Avenue and 16 East 34 th Street.   Lindsay began her career in real estate at The Staubach Company in 2003 initially as a director of marketing and subsequently as a broker. Before joining Transwestern in 2011, Lindsay served as Principal of Centric Real Estate Advisors. Before joining the real estate industry, she worked in marketing and public relations for Nike Communications, Camdens.com and Ads on Tags. PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS/RECOGNITION Lindsay is a member of the Transwestern Board of Directors and co-founder of the Women's Leadership Council. She's also a member of YMREA, previously serving as Chairman and on the Board of Governors. She is a mentor for Trailblazers, and serves on the NY Advisory Council of Dream Foundation. She has received the Bisnow Power Women destinction, the Young Real Estate Professional of the Year Award from the Real Estate Board of New York, Women of Influence by Real Estate Forum, Women in Real Estate Spotlight by New York Real Estate Journal, Female Leader of the Year by Commercial Property Executive, NextGen: Women to Watch by Real Estate Forum, and was a Woman Who Dared honoree by the NCJW. Lindsay also helped lead the company to earn the No. 1 spot on the 2017 and 2016 “Best Places to Work in New York City” list by Crain’s New York Business. EDUCATION Lindsay graduated Summa Cum Laude and top in her class as a communications major from the University of Pennsylvania where she founded the Penn Women’s Varsity Golf Team.

Colleen Wenke

President & COO
Taconic Partners

Colleen is President and Chief Operating Officer at Taconic. She also leads Taconic’s Development and Construction practice. As President and COO, Colleen oversees corporate matters across the firm. As Head of Development and Construction she manages all aspects of development including strategic planning, zoning and entitlements, predevelopment, project budgeting, design management, construction oversight, procurement, risk management and insurance, community relations, branding, and marketing through sale or lease-up. Since joining Taconic in 2000, Colleen has planned and overseen both ground-up and restoration projects in the commercial, residential and mixed-use sectors, totaling over 7 million square feet of commercial space and 1,500 units of housing. In addition, Colleen leads Taconic’s development advisory business, which focuses on key partnerships for client-led development and construction projects. Colleen received a Bachelor of Arts degree magna cum laude in psychology from Boston College, and earned a Master of Science degree in real estate development and finance from NYU’s Schack Institute of Real Estate. Colleen is an active member of ULI’s Program Steering Committee, NYPEN, Professional Women in Construction, and sits on the Fordham Real Estate Executive Advisory Council.

Raizy Haas

SVP
Extell Development

Lesley Lisser

Senior Director, Asset Management
Invesco Real Estate

Julia Butler

Managing Director, Real Estate
KKR

Julia Butler (New York) joined KKR in 2017 and is a member of the Real Estate team. Prior to joining KKR, Ms. Butler was an executive vice president at iStar, a publicly-traded REIT, where she was responsible for sourcing and executing new investment opportunities as well as managing a portfolio of assets. Prior to iStar, Ms. Butler worked in the treasury department of The Walt Disney Company in Los Angeles, CA. Ms. Butler earned her B.A. in government, cum laude, from Harvard College.

Marion Jones

Managing Director
Ackman-Ziff

Laura Rapaport

CEO, Founder
North Bridge

Laura Yablon Rapaport is Founder and CEO of North Bridge. North Bridge was formed to create sustainable real estate solutions. Currently, the firm is active in providing C-PACE financing nationwide. Prior to starting North Bridge, Ms Rapaport was a Managing Director at L&L Holding Company, an owner-operator and developer in New York City where she was a key member in multiple areas for almost a decade. During her tenure she was head of Capital Raising, raising over $1.5 B of institutional equity as well as the Project Director for 425 Park Avenue, a $1 B+ Norman Foster designed 670 k sf office tower, the first ground-up office building on Park Avenue in the last 50 years. Ms. Rapaport was previously a Director in the New York development group of Tishman Speyer Properties, where she was a project manager of a 3.5 M sf mixed-use development, with additional focus on residential development and commercial acquisitions. She started her career at Lehman Brothers Global Real Estate Group in London, closing over $2 B in transactions for a securitization exit. Ms. Rapaport graduated cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania and received her MBA with honors from the Wharton School of Business. She is on the board of PACENation, member and former board member of New York Women Executives in Real Estate (WX), Co-head of Wharton Real Estate Alumni in NY and Co-founder of Penn Women in Real Estate. In 2017 she was named by Crain’s Magazine as one of New York’s “40 Under 40” Rising Stars.

Allison Berman

Managing Director & General Counsel
Greystone EB-5

Allison Berman is the Managing Director and General Counsel of Greystone EB-5 Holdings Corp. She is responsible for structuring and administering EB-5 compliant project investments. Ms. Berman is also responsible for working on general business matters for Greystone’s EB-5 program and preparing legal agreements, offering and loan documents in connection with each of Greystone’s EB-5 projects. Ms. Berman joined Greystone in 2006 as Deputy General Counsel and has been involved in all aspects of legal representation of the Greystone affiliated companies. Prior to joining Greystone, Ms. Berman was a partner in Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP’s New York real estate practice where she focused on financings including structured, syndicated, securitized and construction; senior/mezz intercreditor issues; and acquisitions and dispositions of assets and portfolios for both private and public companies in the real estate sector. She earned a J.D. cum laude from Boston University School of Law and an A.B. from Duke University.

Jackie Hamilton

SMD, Principal Investing
Macquarie Group

Melissa Libner

Head of Marketing
IOTAS

Tracey Gamble

Managing Director, Real Assets
Apollo Global Management

Ms. Gamble joined Apollo in 2015 and is a Managing Director in the Real Estate Private Equity Group. Ms. Gamble is primarily responsible for asset management of the Firm’s U.S. real estate investments and is also involved in the diligence and execution of acquisitions. Prior to joining Apollo, Ms. Gamble was a Vice President of Acquisitions & Development with Loews Hotel & Resorts, where she was responsible for the sourcing, underwriting, and execution of hotel acquisitions and management contracts. Prior to Loews Hotels, Ms. Gamble was a Vice President with Lubert-Adler Partners where she had acquisitions, asset management, and investor relations responsibilities. Ms. Gamble began her career with the Hospitality & Leisure practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers. Ms. Gamble graduated from Cornell University with a BS in Hotel Administration and holds an MBA with a concentration in Real Estate from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Ms. Gamble serves on the Board of Directors of Inspire Communities. She is also a member of WX, New York Women Executives in Real Estate, and sits on the Nardin Academy National Alumni Advisory Board.

Samantha Rudin Earls

Senior Vice President
Rudin Management Co.

Samantha Rudin Earls started working at Rudin Management Company in July of 2007. She sits on the executive committee of Rudin Management Company. She focuses on development, redevelopment, design and marketing for the Rudin portfolio. She was involved in the development of 130 W. 12th Street and The Greenwich Lane Condominium Developments in the West Village, in addition to the Rudin’s latest project, Dock 72, a 670,000 SF office building focusing on the Technology sector at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. In March of 2011, she joined the board of the Incarnation Children’s Center—the only skilled nursing facility serving children living with HIV/AIDS in New York City. In 2016, Samantha helped launch an Association for Better New York's Working Women's.

Anar Chudgar

Co-President
Artemis Real Estate Partners

Anar Chudgar is a Co-President at Artemis Real Estate Partners and sits on the Firm’s Investment Committee. She is head of the Income and Growth Fund and is responsible for developing and implementing the acquisition and asset management strategies. Ms. Chudgar joined Artemis in 2019. Prior to joining Artemis, Ms. Chudgar spent 9 years as a Partner at GCM Grosvenor, where she helped co-lead the creation and growth of the $3.0 billion real estate platform, expanding the business in 2012 as well as growing the team. She has closed on $1.7 billion in joint venture real estate transactions in North America and Europe spanning both equity and debt, leading all aspects of investment management including transaction sourcing and execution, asset management, portfolio management and capital raising. Prior to that, Ms. Chudgar was a Principal in Alternative Investments at Credit Suisse Group AG, and held positions at Onex Real Estate Partners, iStar Financial, Inc., and began her career at JP Morgan Chase in investment banking. Ms. Chudgar graduated magna cum laude from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and continues to be involved with the school. She is on the Board of Advisors of the Annenberg Center, a resource for the performing arts at the University. Additionally, Ms. Chudgar serves as a board member for the Pension Real Estate Association and SparkYouth. She is also an active council member of the McCombs Real Estate Center at the University of Texas at Austin, New York Women Executives in Real Estate (WX) and the Urban Land institute’s UDMUC Green Council.

Sarah Berman

Founder & President
The Berman Group

As founder and President of The Berman Group, Inc., Sarah Berman works with business owners and professionals to identify challenges and develop creative communications programs to increase business. Sarah has over 15 years of experience in strategic business communications and she works actively with major media outlets as well as with regional trade publications serving business-to-business markets. Sarah and The Berman Group team also produce frequent professional seminars and conference programs as well as special events and galas for clients in diverse industries. Recently, The Berman Group was tapped by the Mayor’s Office of New York City and New York City Economic Development Corporation to launch a public events series in Lower Manhattan to spur economic development along the Water Street corridor after Hurricane Sandy. The following year, The Berman Group worked with the same agencies to create a similar public events program on the beaches of Staten Island also hit hard by the Hurricane. The Berman Group has expanded its range of services to include a successful association management practice, including administration for the Urban Land Institute New York; CoreNet Global, New York City Chapter; International Facility Managers Association; the Greater New York Construction User Council and the national Real Estate Lenders Association organization. Sarah also serves as the Executive Director of the Avenue of the Americas Association, a civic organization comprised of owners and tenants on Sixth Avenue. Sarah serves on the Board of Directors of The Salvadori Center in addition to serving on the Non-Traditional Employment for Women Ambassador’s Council. The Berman Group also provides volunteer support for ACE Mentor, the Friends of Vietnam Veterans Plaza, New Partners for Community Revitalization, Civic Builders, Habitat for Humanity, and 14+ Foundation, among other important New York City nonprofits. Sarah earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Columbia University in Urban Planning and a Master's degree in Urban Planning at the Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service of New York University. Sarah was recently selected as an honoree for City & State’s 2017 CSR Responsible 100 awards, which recognizes “outstanding New Yorkers for their corporate social responsibility achievements.”

Beth Zafonte

Director of Economic Development Services
Akerman

Beth Zafonte has helped real estate developers, Fortune 500 companies, institutions, and other public and private businesses across the United States identify more than $3 billion in economic development incentives over the last 35 years. She has represented, Forest City Ratner Companies, Hearst Communications, JP Morgan Chase, Macy's, Vornado, Bose Corporation, Whole Foods Market, and other clients in the food services, hospitality, retail, and manufacturing sectors. Her work includes obtaining incentives packages and real estate financing for large scale urban renewal projects and mixed-use developments, as well as for major corporate retention transactions. Beth provides a broad suite of services and frequently consults on the structure, valuation, and negotiation of complex real estate projects. Clients rely on her as a project manager to oversee third parties, align stakeholders, and ensure project feasibility. Additionally, Beth has represented clients in real estate tax abatements, bond financings, sales tax exemptions, below-market-rate loans (including New Markets Tax Credit financings), EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program financings, tax increment financings, grants, and energy cost reductions. She is well versed in alternate financing sources and tax credit programs, including those available via special federal and state designated zones, workforce training grants, and other entitlement programs. An active voice in the commercial real estate community, Beth serves on various committees for prominent industry organizations, including CREW Network and The Real Estate Board of New York. She is a long standing contributing member of both organizations. Beth currently serves as President of WX New York Women Executives in Real Estate.

Gabrielle McMillan

CEO
Equiem

Gabrielle is the founding CEO of Equiem, leading the business from its 2011 inception to become the world’s leading tenant experience platform, used by 165,000+ people across 60 million sq ft of prime commercial real estate worldwide. Named in Business Insider’s Coolest People in Australian Tech (2016) and honoured in Bisnow’s 2019 NYC Power Women list, Gabrielle is an exceptional leader, with a commercial acumen honed across 15+ years of leading and growing organisations. In the space of just 8 years, she has developed the Equiem team from just two to over 230 employees. Today, Gabrielle's Equiem manages a client portfolio of 145+ buildings across Australia, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and the USA, leading the firm to be named in Deloitte's Tech Fast 500 (APAC 2016). In 2017, she moved to New York with her family to spearhead the company’s expansion in the USA. Gabrielle was previously Director of Sales & Marketing and Group General Manager of Advance Marketing, a leading marketing organisation operating in Australia, New Zealand and the UK. She is also a published writer and an accomplished global presenter having studied Business and Communications at Monash University in Melbourne. https://twitter.com/gabmcmillan https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabriellemcmillan gabrielle.mcmillan@getequiem.com +61 412 105 541

Madelyne Kirch

President
Sun & Moon Marketing Communications

Janet Delpozzo

Director of Marketing
SL Green

Lisa Knee

Partner
EisnerAmper

Lisa Knee is a Tax Partner with over 20 years of experience. Her expertise covers a range of real estate transactions and situations, including acquisitions, refinancing, like-kind exchanges, joint venture agreements, and structuring tax rehabilitation credits for a variety of clients, such as leading real estate owners, operators, investors, family offices, and developers, as well as hospitality companies, world-renowned restaurant groups, and financial service firms. She has also consulted with large boutique hotel groups on their acquisitions, dispositions, partner buy-outs, property renovations and rebuilds. As an advisor, Lisa assists high net worth individuals and family/owner-managed business clients with preserving and enhancing business and family net worth. She also provides business succession planning services for multigenerational families, including analyzing and updating estate plans, reviewing wills and trusts, and developing liquidity strategies. Lisa has worked on a variety of highly complex transactions for clients, including domestic and international tax structuring for portfolio companies, management companies, and individual owners. Her legal background has also made her adept in mitigating tax issues and providing expert litigation services involving partnership disputes. Lisa graduated from Boston University with a B.S. degree, with a concentration in Accounting. She received a J.D. cum laude from Brooklyn Law School where she was a research editor for the International Journal of Law; and a Master of Law degree in Taxation from New York University Law School. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants (NYSSCPA) as well as the New York State Bar Association (NYSBA), Nassau County Bar Association (NCBA), Commercial Real Estate Women New York (CREW New York) and Long Island Real Estate Group (LIREG). In addition, Lisa is frequently featured and quoted in various business publications, providing insight on tax and tax planning topics. She has also co-authored various articles for the Nassau Lawyer and moderated various real estate industry events. - See more at: http://www.eisneramper.com/professional-directory-Lisa-knee.aspx#sthash.l3zGABVG.dpuf

Cara Marino Gentile

SVP
Marino PR

A skilled communications strategist with a proven record of success, Cara Gentile has managed and implemented high-impact strategic communications programs for clients across a wide spectrum of industries, including well-known real estate and energy sector companies. Cara has managed a public relations program in support of The Real Estate Board of New York — the city’s leading real estate trade organization which has more than 17,000 members. She also manages the communications program for Con Edison Solutions, one of the country’s leading energy services companies. In addition to real estate and energy, Cara has been involved in successful communications efforts for JFK Airport’s Terminal 4, the only non-airline, privately-operated terminal, serving 30 airlines with an annual passenger volume of 17 million travelers. Cara’s work also includes public relations efforts for Silvercup Studios, New York City’s leading film and television production facility, Eastern Consolidated, one of the city’s most prominent real estate investment services firms, as well as TF Cornerstone, one of the city’s most active luxury residential housing developers. Cara began her career at Ogilvy PR before joining Marino in 2001. She graduated from Boston College and lives in Westchester with her three children.

Gail Donovan

Senior Director of Marketing, Tri-State
Avison Young

Gail Donovan is the Senior Director of Marketing for the Tri-State region of Avison Young. A widely respected professional with over two decades of experience, Donovan leads all marketing strategies and internal and external communications efforts for Avison Young throughout the Tri-State area. Prior to joining Avison Young, Donovan served as the Chief Marketing/Communications Officer for Eastern Consolidated, where she developed and managed the overall marketing and communications strategies for the company. Prior to that, she was the Director of Communications for investment sales brokerage Ariel Property Advisors, and also ran her own public relations firm, Donovan Communications. Earlier in her career, she worked for the Federal Reserve Bank of New York in the press office and in other communications positions, and also served as a reporter and news editor for several publications. Donovan has been the recipient of numerous awards throughout her career and is affiliated with many industry organizations, including REBNY, ICSC, and New York Women in Housing & Finance.