20 Women Transforming The South Florida Real Estate Market

Amarjit “Marj” Kaur Bains didn’t intend to have a career in commercial real estate. She had a temporary position as a receptionist that has turned into a career spanning more than 20 years.

Kaur Bains, who arrived in Miami from the United Kingdom after her family emigrated from India in the 1960s, has received several accolades for her work in the industry, including a 40 Under 40 Award from the Real Estate Forum and a Florida and Gulf Coast 2021 Women in Real Estate Award. 

Kaur Bains is a senior managing director at Cushman & Wakefield, but her experience climbing the corporate ladder has given her insight into how to train and mentor new employees. She is committed to teaching them to not only provide the best to their clients but also to their colleagues in the industry. 

A tireless advocate for the industry, Kaur Bains aims to elevate the profile of commercial real estate and to demonstrate its impact on all facets of life.

Donna Abood was one of only a few women working in commercial real estate when she started her career in the early 1980s and set out to welcome women into the industry when she founded Abood & Associates in 1989. 

While at the firm, which she said had the largest portfolio of properties of any privately owned company in Miami, Abood recruited and trained more than 15 young women in the business and has been thrilled to watch many of them grow successful and fulfilling careers. 

In her role as the leader of Avison Young’s Miami office, Abood is focused on office assets and is keeping a close watch on how the influx of companies from out of state has transformed the market and put pressure on local firms that aren’t able to compete with the rents that new-to-market tenants are willing to pay. 

Her father was a developer and inspired her to pursue a career in real estate. She described him as her “absolute role model and faith leader” throughout her career. He died recently, and she strives “to be a living legacy of him.” 

Abood’s market-leading approach has earned her accolades from the business press, industry groups and the state of Florida. She was inducted into the Real Estate Forum’s National Women of Influence Hall of Fame in 2018 and was honored as a Florida Business Ambassador by then-Gov. Rick Scott in 2015. 

Laura Kozelouzek is a serial entrepreneur with more than 30 years of experience in the hospitality and coworking industries. Before embarking on a career in coworking, she owned a restaurant in New York City and launched a real estate newspaper and a brokerage business. 

She founded Quest Workspaces in 2010 and has grown the company to 10 locations providing 360K SF of coworking space to more than 3,000 clients, making it the largest woman-owned coworking provider in the country. It is her second coworking venture after she founded Synergy Workplaces in 2004, growing the company to 25 locations and selling the firm in 2008 to Carr Workplaces. 

Kozelouzek believes in the power of giving back, and in 2012 she created Quest Cares, a program that provides complimentary office space and services through Quest and has served more than a dozen charities. 

Quest is frequently recognized as a market leader in the sector, and Kozelouzek made headlines in July when the firm launched the Barbie Dream Office at the firm’s Brickell location ahead of the Barbie movie premiere. The hot pink office space with accessories like a diamond-tufted swivel chair generated excitement for coworking schemes just as buzz around the movie reached a fever pitch across the country. 

Kozelouzek is also an adrenaline junkie and spends her off time on the ski slopes, scuba diving and water skiing with her son, Jordan.

Melissa Rose, a managing director in the Miami office at JLL, has closed on more than $3B in deals over her more than 15-year career, which has focused on debt and joint venture equity financing for a broad range of property types.

Rose is passionate about advancing women and underrepresented groups in the industry, serving on JLL’s diversity, equity and inclusion committee and holding a leadership position at CREW Miami, a networking group for women in commercial real estate. Watching the people she has mentored find success has been the most rewarding part of her career, she said. 

Prior to joining JLL, Rose spent three years as a managing director at Ackman-Ziff Real Estate Group and held capital markets roles in Aventura and New York City. 

She recommends newcomers to the industry find projects they believe in and invest their own capital into them, and she points to cold storage investments and the resilience of industries tied to food consumption as strong opportunities for growth even in a challenging economic environment. 

Rose loves to dance and took a brief break from real estate during the last market downturn to manage a DJ. When she isn't at work, her ideal day is spent on the water, boating with her family.

Vanessa Grout is a development expert with more than 20 years of experience who has two roles at Aman, the hotel and residence brand of developer OKO Group. She is the head of global residences and club for Aman and the CEO of Aman Property, the residential sales and marketing company of Aman Residences. 

Grout oversees various aspects of development and sales for Aman, including 15 branded residential developments in 10 countries, as well as a short-term development pipeline of another 21 projects. 

Prior to joining Aman, Grout was president of CMC Real Estate and oversaw the development of Brickell Flatiron, a 1M SF residential and retail condo project. She also served as CEO of the Florida real estate brokerage Douglas Elliman and grew the firm from a handful of agents to having a national presence. 

She is deeply invested in the success of South Florida and is an advisory board member of the University of Miami’s School of Architecture and Real Estate Development and the Florida International University College of Communication, Architecture + The Arts. She also serves as a mentor for The Women of Tomorrow, a nonprofit that provides group mentoring to at-risk young women in Miami.

Jessica Goldman Srebnick has spent her career at the intersection of commercial real estate and public art. As the co-chair of Goldman Properties, an award-winning real estate firm founded by her father in 1968, she oversees a diverse portfolio of restaurants, office buildings, galleries, retail properties and large-scale public art projects. 

In 2015, Goldman Srebnick founded Goldman Global Arts, a Miami-based creative collective that has helped to infuse public art into Hard Rock Stadium and the events surrounding Super Bowl LIV in Miami. She is also the author of Walls of Change: The Story of The Wynwood Walls, a retrospective of the illustrious Miami public art space’s most iconic installations. 

A leader who leans into discomfort, which she said is how “we grow and learn about ourselves,” Goldman Srebnick has been recognized as one of Forbes' Icons of Impact and one of the Knight Foundation Arts Champions for her community leadership in helping to enrich arts and culture in South Florida.

She enjoys spending time with her husband of 22 years and is cherishing watching her three sons grow up. Her goal is to “continue to grow a company that does purposeful work, that improves the quality of life in the places we work and to infuse color and creativity into the world,” she said.

Christina Villa, a senior associate at construction consulting firm Stantec, is dedicated to creating projects with sustainable designs that have a positive impact on their communities. 

She has more than 18 years of experience in project management and design and has worked across a broad range of sectors, including healthcare, residential and hospitality. Villa works closely with her team to deliver developments that build personality and purpose into communities. Her recent work includes the Ritz-Carlton Residences in Miami Beach. 

When she isn't helping create sustainable projects that encourage community growth, Villa spends her time with her husband, son and mother and provides services for her alma mater, the University of Miami School of Architecture. 

Catherine Warren has spent 25 years providing innovative solutions in the hospitality and spa industries. As the vice president of strategic partnerships at Arch Amenities Group, Warren oversees the firm’s preferred vendor program, Forbes Five-Star spa training program and supports business-to-business development and consulting. 

Warren leverages extensive experience in branding, public relations, financial services, market research and customer service to help create experiences that drive profitability and growth.  

Prior to her current role, Warren was vice president of training and corporate operations director of the spa division at WTS, which partnered with LifeStart and Meet Hospitality to form Arch Amenities Group. She has also had roles at Eau Palm Beach, InterContinental Miami, Atlanta Athletic Club and Norwegian Cruise Line. In 2022, she was named the top spa consultant by the Professional’s Choice Awards.

Tere Blanca, the founder, chairman and CEO of Blanca Commercial Real Estate, is dedicated to helping every member of her team of more than 40 professionals realize their full potential. 

Blanca founded her firm in 2009 and, through her leadership, has grown the company into one of the top 10 brokerages in South Florida. Her firm has more than 34% market share of all office lease transactions executed in Class-A and B office space in Miami since 2017. It has expanded to include three offices across South Florida. 

Her leadership and fostering of an environment that is focused on caring and giving back has helped cement her firm as a market leader, with a team that has “demonstrated remarkable growth and adaptability, allowing [it] to deliver successful outcomes for our clients while maintaining an unwavering commitment to excellence and top-notch client service,” she said. 

Blanca said she is “deeply committed to empowering more women leaders within our industry and fostering diversity.” When she isn't providing guidance on deals, she makes time to mentor the next generation of leaders and spends time participating in community initiatives that align with her values. 

She recommends that young professionals learn to trust their intuition and not be afraid to dig in and learn the facts.

“My instincts have often led me to make the right choices, so I have learned not to second-guess my intuition,” she said.

Selma Rabelo arrived in the United States from Brazil eight years ago to launch her career with Resia, where she is a vice president of corporate product, compliance and innovation. 

She believes commercial real estate could benefit from innovation and is determined to push boundaries that go beyond traditional construction and generate solutions that have a meaningful impact. Her latest mission is to tackle affordable housing, where her goal is to make sure “that every American can dream of a decent place to live.” 

Rabelo is closely tracking the integration of artificial intelligence into commercial real estate and believes it will help optimize operations and services like land acquisition, scheduling, cost estimation and property management.

“The traditional methods that have shaped the sector for years are being redefined by AI's efficiency and precision,” she said. 

Rabelo hopes to inspire young women and provide an example of how to break into the industry. She aims to marry innovation with action to help propel the industry forward and to “craft a new chapter for real estate — one that meets the demand, addresses the [housing] crisis, and shapes a more inclusive and dynamic future.”

Julie Northcutt-Dunn took an unusual path to become the executive managing director and market leader at Colliers. She got a degree in broadcast journalism before taking executive leadership roles in the financial services industry and then making the transition to commercial real estate. 

Northcutt-Dunn oversees all brokerage operations for Colliers in South Florida, where she handles new business development, talent recruitment and regional growth. 

She is especially focused on mentoring women in the industry and is a founding member of the Miami chapter of Chief, a national organization that connects women in senior executive roles to help them grow as leaders through networking and provides access to prominent business experts and programming. 

Peggy Olin has established a reputation as one of the top strategists and brokers in the luxury real estate industry since founding OneWorld Properties in 2008.

As the firm’s CEO, Olin has overseen over $4B in luxury property sales throughout the United States, Europe and Asia, including a $1B inventory in Florida. She has leveraged her expertise to handle complex sales and acquisitions — including being selected to oversee the sales and marketing of a 10,000-unit portfolio from Starwood Capital — and is the preferred consultant for financial institutions like SunTrust, JPMorgan Chase Bank, TotalBank, BankUnited and Green River Capital. 

Olin is actively involved in her community as a board member of the Broward Performing Arts Foundation, Miami Bridge, Birch State Park, and Broward Workshop. She's also a trustee for the Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce and an active member of the Young Presidents Organization.

Vicky Lee wants to make Focus a household name. As the senior vice president of development at the Chicago-based general contractor and development firm, Lee is tasked with growing the organization while she leads real estate acquisitions, development and architectural design on more than $800M worth of projects.

Lee was raised in Hawaii but headed to Chicago to experience all four seasons and explore the urban environment. She started at Focus in 2015 and was proud to have led negotiations for two purchase and sale agreements in Florida just one year after the firm announced plans to expand into the Southeast. 

She is keenly interested in how the rise of hybrid work will reshape demand for office space and said that any aspiring real estate professional should read the newspaper every day to stay on top of world events that often have profound implications for the industry. 

Outside of work, Lee enjoys exploring the world of wine and said that learning about different wine regions and varieties of wine brings appreciation to her life.

Arden Karson is the founder and managing principal at the real estate brokerage and advisory firm Karson Co. Since founding the firm, Karson has led her company to more than $5B in real estate transactions across all sectors with a focus on master-planned communities, single-family developments and affordable housing. 

Prior to founding the firm, Karson served in executive and leadership roles at CBRE, Related Group, Lennar, Bank of America and PwC. Her leadership has earned her several awards, including as a Power Real Estate Leader and Top Business Woman. 

She is an advocate for sharing knowledge and experience with the next generation of leaders and serves on boards at ECI Group, the University of Miami Master of Real Estate Development and Urbanism program, the South Florida and Caribbean Chapter of the Urban Land Institute and the Michigan Ross Real Estate Fund. 

When she isn't at work, Karson can be found hiking national parks and beach trails or trying new restaurants with her husband.

After serving as the student body treasurer at her high school, Coralee Penabad decided to pursue a career in finance.

She launched Urban-X Group in 2006 and now oversees all of the firm’s acquisitions, financing, marketing and operations. She sees Florida as the hottest market in the world, and her proudest achievement is the community she and her firm created at River Landing Shops & Residences in Miami’s Health and Civic District. The project in the evolving neighborhood added Class-A office space, two residential towers, retail and restaurant space, and parks along the Miami River. 

“Our goal was to unlock Miami's waterfront culture for everyone, building a vibrant and dynamic waterfront community for the public to enjoy what Miami has to offer,” she said. 

Penabad hopes to continue creating world-class projects in emerging neighborhoods in the city where she grew up, and she reminds people coming up in the industry to “enjoy the journey as well as the destination, and do not give up on your destination even when the road is bumpy and has unexpected turns.”

Cassie Resnick is proud of her ability to create a business plan and deliver to investors exactly what she has promised. 

As managing director at Mast Capital, Resnick provides oversight for all of the firm’s investments, asset management activities and business plan execution, and she is also involved in the acquisition, disposition and financing processes for the firm. 

She has extensive experience with equity offerings and has provided advisory and disposition services for hospitality and mixed-use assets. Resnick keeps close track of hotel fundamentals, which she said are a leading indicator of a recession.

Resnick enjoys being outdoors and loves to sail, go camping and play soccer. One day, she hopes to own a restaurant with her husband.

Emilia Howard leverages her 15 years of retail industry experience and extensive knowledge of Miami to help retailers find their ideal locations in the city. 

She is a tenacious advocate for her clients as an associate at Gridline Properties and provides the support that small businesses need to sustain themselves in a competitive market. Howard understands that Miami’s unique neighborhoods represent an opportunity for her clients to create synergies with the communities where they establish locations, and she aims to strengthen the retail marketplace with each deal she executes. 

Over the course of her career, Howard hopes to own a “commercial portfolio that is positively impactful and honors the past, present and future in communities that bring all walks of life together.”

When she isn't at work, Howard can be found at the beach or exploring the city. She also enjoys traveling abroad and once taught English in Spain.

Shannon Wilson is proud to have been involved in developments that will reshape the Miami skyline in her role as associate director at Berkadia. 

She is a capital markets expert focused on acquisition financing, loan refinancing and the construction of commercial and multifamily properties. Wilson is well on her way to her goal of closing deals in all 50 states, having been involved in more than $6B worth of transactions across 25 states. 

In Florida, she is closely tracking the implementation of the Live Local Act, a state law meant to spur affordable housing development, and is keeping an eye out for the unique proposals that it is likely to generate. 

In her off time, Wilson loves to watch college football — she roots for her alma mater, the Florida State Seminoles — and enjoys staying active by playing pickleball or doing Pilates.

Jessica Stefanowicz got a degree in civil engineering from the University of Miami and worked at an engineering firm before joining Atlas Real Estate Partners, where she is a development and investments associate. 

Her extensive experience as an engineer on a variety of development projects has given her a unique perspective as she assists in managing new construction and value-add projects at Atlas. 

In her first enterprise at the company, Stefanowicz took over the management of upgrades to a 481-unit high-rise called The Wayland in St. Petersburg, where the company had faced “a constant battle with deferred maintenance.” In a little over a year, Stefanowicz resolved the maintenance issues and completed a value-add program at the property, bringing it to the highest occupancy it has achieved since Atlas acquired it. 

She is closely tracking the rise of hybrid work and is creating solutions at Atlas’ properties that are tailored to the unique tenant mix at each development, finding a balance between demand for coworking spaces and more traditional amenities. 

When she isn't at work, Stefanowicz can be found outdoors with her fiancé, playing tennis and padel, golfing and walking her labradoodle.

Over the first eight years of her career, Merritt Etner has built a reputation as an innovator. She leverages her brokerage experience to bring novel solutions to her role as a vice president of asset management at Link Logistics Real Estate, a Blackstone subsidiary and one of the region’s largest owners of last-mile industrial assets.

She began at Cushman & Wakefield as an office leasing representative for landlords and tenants, blazing her own course and developing her own clients instead of the traditional path of supporting senior brokers.

Etner later transitioned to JLL, where she continued working in the office sector before returning to Cushman & Wakefield to join the firm’s industrial team just before the pandemic upended the industry. She brought a fresh perspective to the firm’s team of senior brokers and led the adoption of new technologies to better serve her clients. 

In her first year working with industrial assets at Cushman & Wakefield, her team completed 94 sales and leases totaling $315M and was recognized by Connect Media as one of the Florida/Gulf Coast 2021 Next Generation Award winners.