New York Women Leading Real Estate Steering Committee

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  Abbe Franchot Borok

  Managing Director, Head of US Debt

  BGO

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  Whitney Arcaro

  As the Chief Revenue Officer, Residential Ms. Arcaro is responsible for the overall revenue strategy and its implementation for RXR’s extensive residential portfolio, across multiple regions in the United States. She oversees an integrated workstream across Operations, Development, Marketing, Sales/Leasing, and Portfolio Management to enhance the product, create brand premium, and drive revenue streams above competitive assets in each market. Ms. Arcaro joined RXR in 2017, serving as Executive Vice President – Head of Marketing and Retail Leasing for the company. She was responsible for overseeing the marketing and communications of RXR’s 25.6 million square feet of commercial assets in Manhattan and the surrounding region, as well as the concepts, design strategy, marketing and strategic branding initiatives for more than 6,200 multi-family units in planning across the region at the time. As the Head of Retail Leasing, Ms. Arcaro oversaw the strategy and implementation for the 1.1 million square feet of retail space across RXR’s New York City and Tri-state portfolio. Prior to joining RXR, Ms. Arcaro served as Managing Director of Business Development for SHVO, a luxury real estate company, where she was integral to key elements of the business, comprising capital raising, EB5 financing, hotel partner relations, retail activity and sales/marketing efforts. Ms. Arcaro was senior member in the company’s strategic growth initiatives, effectuating a $3.5 billion investment and development pipeline in a 24-month period. Previously, Ms. Arcaro served as Senior Vice President of Marketing at Vornado Realty Trust, one of the largest publicly traded REITs in the U.S. with over 100 million square feet across multiple markets during her time there. At Vornado, Ms. Arcaro was responsible for creating and implementing marketing strategies including office, retail, residential, and hotel properties, new developments and major asset repositions. Ms. Arcaro oversaw Vornado’s major branding initiatives. Among her accomplishments includes building an interdisciplinary, multi award-winning marketing program for Vornado’s corporate, New York, and street retail platforms, which included innovations in digital marketing and technologies, as well as industry-leading sales centers and product positioning. She oversaw the marketing and communications plan of the company’s nationally recognized sustainability program, and also created a successful public holiday tradition in partnership with the San Francisco 49ers in California. Before Vornado, Ms. Arcaro was a commercial real estate broker working on tenant representation, landlord agency, consulting services and investment opportunities for multinationals and institutional organizations. Ms. Arcaro has been listed as one of New York’s Real Estate Power Women in each year since 2018. She is a member of the Leadership Committee of the American Lung Association. Ms. Arcaro has produced award-winning feature length and short films featured at SXSW and Sundance Film Festivals, including a critically and politically hailed feature on conditions of Veterans, which garnered over 12 awards and coverage in the Washington Post, International Herald Tribune, and the New York Times.

  RXR

  Chief Revenue Officer, Residential

  Whitney Arcaro

  Chief Revenue Officer, Residential

  RXR

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  Laurie Grasso

  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.

  Hunton Andrews Kurth

  Global, Co-Chair of Real Estate

  Laurie Grasso

  Global, Co-Chair of Real Estate

  Hunton Andrews Kurth

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  Lesley Lisser

  Senior Director, Multifamily Asset Management

  Empire State Realty Trust

Development & Investment Honorees

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  Rebecca D'Eloia

  Rebecca D’Eloia is a real estate development executive with 25 years of experience in large- scale, public/private redevelopment projects primarily in the metropolitan region. As Executive Vice President of Development at RXR, she leads development activities across multiple asset classes within the company’s ground-up portfolio. Her project experience includes complex, multi-phased master plans such as the Innovation District at Nassau Hub, the 72-acre site surrounding Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum;  Garvies Point, a $1B+, 1,100-unit mixed-use redevelopment project which is reclaiming a 56-acre former industrial site along the waterfront in Glen Cove; Veridea, a 1,100 acre, mixed use greenfield in the Research Triangle region of North Carolina; and the redevelopment of Long Island University’s Downtown Brooklyn campus.  Prior to joining RXR, Rebecca was Senior Vice President at Forest City Realty Trust, focusing on the entitlements and development of Pacific Park (Atlantic Yards) in Brooklyn, and the design and construction of Barclays Center, home of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets.  She also led the $160M renovation of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Nassau County.  Prior to Forest City, Rebecca was part of the team leading the redevelopment of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, a $1.2 B reconstruction of the campus housing eleven world-renowned performing arts organizations, including the New York Philharmonic, the Juilliard School and the Metropolitan Opera.  Rebecca began her career at the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, where she oversaw revenue contracts and licenses for the agency.  A graduate of Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations, Rebecca resides in Huntington, Long Island with her husband and 2 children.

  RXR

  EVP, Development

  Rebecca D'Eloia

  EVP, Development

  RXR

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  Pamela West

  Real Estate: Affordable Housing Acquisitions, Asset Management, Dispositions and Portfolio Management

  Nuveen

  MD, Impact Investing

  Pamela West

  MD, Impact Investing

  Nuveen

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  Julie Ingersoll

  Julie Ingersoll joined CBRE Investment Management in October 2021 as Chief Investment Officer for Americas Direct Real Estate Strategies. Julie joined the firm from CPP Investments, an approximately $500 billion Canadian Pension Plan, where she was Managing Director overseeing portfolio strategy design and execution for 50 million square feet of U.S. residential and retail investments. At CPP, Julie focused on core-plus, value-add and development risk profiles, leading efforts across the investment lifecycle from identifying new strategies, originating and structuring joint ventures, acquisitions, asset management and dispositions. Julie was previously CEO & COO of RREEF Property Trust, a core diversified open ended fund, and held senior positions at RREEF/DWS, part of the asset management arm of Deutsche Bank, in portfolio management and business development. From 2012 to 2018, Julie served in Portfolio Management for RREEF/DWS where she was responsible for launching RREEF Property Trust, a core diversified publicly registered non-traded REIT. During her tenure, she served as Lead Portfolio Manager, CFO, COO and ultimately CEO for the REIT. Prior to this position, Julie was a Vice President of Business Development from 2007 to 2012, where she sourced, underwrote and executed strategic transactions, in addition to product development, for RREEF Real Estate. Prior to joining RREEF, she held various positions with Deutsche Bank in Mortgage-Backed Securities and the Corporate Investments group. Julie began her career in the industry at Deutsche Bank in 2001 as an analyst in the Investment Banking team. Julie currently serves on the ULI UDMUC Silver Council and from 2016 to 2018, she co-chaired the NCREIF Daily Pricing Committee Julie graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Washington & Lee University.

  CBRE Investment Management

  Chief Investment Officer

  Julie Ingersoll

  Chief Investment Officer

  CBRE Investment Management

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  Hilary Spann

  Executive Vice President

  Boston Properties

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  Sherry Wang

  Sherry Wang is a Partner at The Vistria Group in Real Estate. Prior to joining Vistria, Sherry was a managing director and co-head of the Urban Investment Group at Goldman Sachs. Under her leadership, UIG invested $12 billion in public-private partnerships to create equitable economic development across the United States. Prior to joining the Urban Investment Group, Sherry worked in the Investment Banking division at Goldman Sachs. Sherry received a B.A. in Economics & Mathematics from Yale University, magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. Sherry serves on the New York Advisory Board of Enterprise Community Partners, where she co-chairs the policy committee. She is on the Board of Directors of the Center for an Urban Future. She is a Salzburg Global Fellow and was recognized on the 2023 Power 100 list by Commercial Observer.

  Vistria Group

  Partner

  Sherry Wang

  Partner

  Vistria Group

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  Amanda Ryzowy

  Amanda joined L+M Fund Management (“LMFM”) in 2013, which acquires workforce, affordable and mixed-income housing throughout the United States. Amanda’s responsibilities include sourcing and structuring the acquisition and disposition of LMFM assets along with developing LMFM’s growing investment strategies. Since its inception in 2010, LMFM has acquired over 20,000 multi-family units with a total capitalization of over $4 billion. Prior to L+M, Amanda began her career in the Commodity Finance Group within J.P. Morgan’s investment bank in New York City, structuring and funding the development of wind farms as well as oil and natural gas fields. Amanda serves on Rebuilding Together’s “She Builds” committee, organizing community revitalization projects to support under-resourced women and their families. Amanda graduated from Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a degree in Physics and is from New York City.

  L+M Fund Management

  Partner

  Amanda Ryzowy

  Partner

  L+M Fund Management

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  Madeleine Roy

  Madeleine joined Domain as Director of Development in 2021 and is responsible for managing real estate transactions across a diverse, owner-operated portfolio in New York, New Orleans and Salt Lake City – including acquisitions, capital markets, and all components of new development from predevelopment stages through stabilization. Prior to Domain, Madeleine led over $2.5B of acquisitions and capital markets transactions in her roles with institutional real estate owners, including ARK Capital Advisors (WeWork’s $3.0B private equity arm) and the private New York development firm, Edward J. Minskoff Equities, Inc. Madeleine is a Chartered Financial Analyst and holds a Bachelors of Science degree from the Cornell School of Hotel Administration with a concentration in Finance, Real Estate, and Accounting.

  The Domain Companies

  Director of Development

  Madeleine Roy

  Director of Development

  The Domain Companies

Legal, City & Professional Services Honorees

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  Terri Adler

  Terri L. Adler is a founding member of Adler & Stachenfeld LLP, the Managing Partner of the Firm, a member of the Management Committee, and the founding member of the Firm’s women’s initiative. Ms. Adler is also the co-chair of the Ground Lease Practice Group, Real Estate Platform Investment Group, and Distressed Real Estate Practice Group, chair of the Fund Formation Practice Group, Crowdfunding Practice Group, and International Practice Group, and former chair of the Real Estate Department. Ms. Adler is one of the most talented, creative, and innovative attorneys in real estate and an unmatched powerhouse in corporate real estate transactions requiring complicated bespoke structuring. Her success can be traced in part to her ability to evolve as the real estate industry has evolved as well as her expertise in guiding clients through the various economic and industry crises throughout her career. As a result, Ms. Adler has developed a wide range of expertise in all areas of national and international real estate practice with a particular focus on platform creation and investment, GP capital funds, complex joint ventures, ground leases, and corporate real estate transactions. As a result of almost three decades of experience, Ms. Adler can address not only the real estate and corporate aspects of a particular transaction but also the unique needs of clients in their national and international transactions and relationships. Ms. Adler’s clients include private equity funds, family offices, property owners, fund managers, developers, REITs, CPACE lenders, real estate platforms, founders of real estate platforms, ground lessors, ground lessees, and foreign investors. As the founder of Adler & Stachenfeld’s women’s initiative, Ms. Adler is actively involved in mentoring and assisting women inside and outside the Firm. She regularly speaks on women’s issues both in the legal industry and the real estate industry and is passionate about issues concerning gender inclusion and parity. In addition to others, Ms. Adler is individually ranked by Chambers and Partners as well as named as a Distinguished Leader by the New York Law Journal in 2023, and a Notable Women in Law by Crain’s New York Business in 2023, recognizing women for distinguished careers and exceptional civic and philanthropic activities. She is consistently named as one of New York's Super Lawyers in real estate, and one of the Top 50 Women Attorneys in New York. Ms. Adler is a Fellow of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers (ACREL) – the preeminent association of commercial real estate lawyers, an advisory board member of Law 360's Real Estate Authority, and a board member of the Urban Green Council. She is admitted to practice in New York. Ms. Adler loves the New York Mets, the New York Islanders, and begrudgingly supports the New York Jets because her husband likes them. Ms. Adler also watches Premier League soccer every weekend during soccer season, knits, gardens, and is surprisingly crafty.

  Adler & Stachenfeld

  Partner

  Terri Adler

  Partner

  Adler & Stachenfeld

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  Michelle Kleger

  Michelle Kleger is a Senior Vice President of Business Development at Kensington Vanguard (owned by Truist Insurance Holdings). KV is one of the largest title insurance agencies in the country, servicing transactions in all 50 states. Michelle has developed strong relationships with hundreds of clients and closed over 1,500 deals in the past few years, providing title insurance for several billion dollars of transactions. Michelle’s clients range from some of the largest institutional owners/operators and lenders in the space to local and regional sponsors and developers. Michelle is a co-founder of Girl Gang CRE, is on the Founders Council of Cradles to Crayons New York, and is a member of She Builds, WLI, JNF and a REX member of UJA. Michelle was born and raised in Andover, Massachusetts. She graduated in 2013 from the University of Delaware Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics. Michelle currently lives in Manhattan.

  Kensington Vanguard

  SVP

  Michelle Kleger

  SVP

  Kensington Vanguard

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  Sandhya Espitia

  Sandhya Espitia is a Colombian-American business transformation executive with experience in five continents. Sandhya is the first Chief Operating Officer at the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) where she leads organization-wide strategy and operations for programs, products and services touching 15,000 members and 1,000 corporations. In February 2022, Sandhya was appointed by Governor Kathy Hochul to serve as a member of the NYS Board of Real Estate, where she supports the Board’s work to promulgate rules and regulations affecting real estate brokers and salespersons throughout New York. Prior to joining REBNY, Sandhya was Global Vice President at ICSC where she managed learning and innovation initiatives in retail real estate. Her work reached 60,000 members in the Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East. Sandhya also worked at Harvard University as Senior Program Officer for the Americas where she managed the Fulbright program in science and technology for the U.S. Department of State, and served as knowledge development advisor to seven developing countries. During her 18-year career, Sandhya has worked closely with foreign governments, non-profit organizations and corporations across industries leading their plans for productivity, competitiveness, change, and innovation. Sandhya holds a B.S. in Film, Digital Media and Communications from TCU, a M.A. in International Education Management from the School for International Training, a Post-Graduate Fellowship in Management and Administration from Harvard University, and an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business. She is a coach for women across leadership levels at women.nyc, a member of the women’s committee at the Association for a Better New York, and an advisor to female entrepreneurs at Vital Voices. Sandhya is a half-marathoner, a passionate coach committed to elevating women in the workplace, and an international traveler. She lives in New York City with her husband and daughter.

  REBNY

  COO

  Sandhya Espitia

  COO

  REBNY

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  Edith Hsu-Chen

  Executive Director

  NYC Department of City Planning

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  Elizabeth Gable

  Elizabeth Gable is a partner at King & Spalding and specializes in representing a diverse group of clients in a wide range of real estate finance transactions. She has substantial experience representing domestic and foreign financial institutions in connection with the structuring, origination, acquisition and modification of complex construction, permanent and leverage loans secured by collateral located throughout the country. Her client base participates in each level of the capital stack, ranging from privately and publicly held financial institutions making leverage, mezzanine, bridge and participating loans to institutional lenders making single or multi-lender syndicated construction and mortgage loans. Her transactions are secured by a variety of collateral, which routinely include trophy office buildings in the heart of Manhattan and other metropolitan areas, hotels flagged with premier franchises, assemblages of land positioned for future developments, the reconfiguration and development of city centers with multi-asset developments together with condominium and rental projects across the United States.

  King & Spalding

  Partner

  Elizabeth Gable

  Partner

  King & Spalding

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  Alexis Kremen

  Alexis Kremen is General Counsel, Senior Vice President of Related Companies, where she serves as Related’s top legal officer and advisor. In her previous role at Related, Ms. Kremen served as General Counsel of Hudson Yards, where she oversaw all legal aspects of New York City’s newest neighborhood, and the largest real estate development since Rockefeller Center. Prior to joining Related, Ms. Kremen was Special Counsel in the Real Estate Department of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP. Ms. Kremen holds a Bachelor’s degree cum laude in Child Development from Tufts University and a Juris Doctorate with High Honors from the George Washington University Law School.

  Related Companies

  General Counsel, Senior Vice President

  Alexis Kremen

  General Counsel, Senior Vice President

  Related Companies

Financing Honorees

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  Jessica Bailey

  Prior to co-founding Greenworks Lending in 2015, Jessica led the design, management, and implementation of the nation’s first successful C-PACE program at the CT Green Bank. In its first two years, the program financed $75 million in clean energy projects and executed the first securitization of commercial efficiency assets – more than doubling the volume of C-PACE transactions between 2013 and 2014. From 2004-2012, Bailey worked at the Rockefeller Brothers Fund (RBF), an $800 million foundation based in New York. As the Fund’s program officer for sustainable development, she co-managed a $7 million portfolio of grants focused on mitigating climate change and promoting clean energy. Jessica has received numerous awards and positive recognition for her work. Most recently, she was selected for Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneurial Winning Women of 2019 program. In 2014, Bailey was named a “Champion of Change” by the White House for solar deployment. For her work designing the successful Connecticut C-PACE program, The Hartford Business Journal dubbed her a “Green Warrior;” and after co-founding Greenworks Lending and scaling C-PACE nationally, Jessica was named to Connecticut Magazine’s 2018 list of “40 under 40.” Jessica received her graduate degree from Yale University and undergraduate from the University of Notre Dame. She is a member of YPO and sits on the board of PACENation, the League of Conservation Voters, CT and CTNext.

  Nuveen Green Capital

  President & CEO

  Jessica Bailey

  President & CEO

  Nuveen Green Capital

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  Nailah Flake

  Nailah Flake-Brown is a Managing Partner in Brookfield’s Real Estate Group responsible for the origination, underwriting and asset management of Brookfield’s real estate finance funds. Ms. Flake-Brown joined Brookfield in 2017 and has over 18 years of real estate finance and capital markets experience. Prior to Brookfield, she was a Managing Director and Head of Originations for the Commercial Real Estate Lending Group at Morgan Stanley. Ms. Flake-Brown holds a bachelor’s degree from Spelman College.

  Brookfield

  Managing Partner

  Nailah Flake

  Managing Partner

  Brookfield

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  Katie Keenan

  Katie Keenan is a Senior Managing Director in the Blackstone Real Estate Debt Strategies (“BREDS”) group and Chief Executive Officer of Blackstone Mortgage Trust (NYSE:BXMT), a publicly-traded commercial mortgage REIT managed by Blackstone. Ms. Keenan leads all aspects of BXMT, a real estate finance company that originates senior loans collateralized by commercial real estate in North America, Europe and Australia. Ms. Keenan is also involved in commercial debt investments across the global BREDS platform and is based in New York. Before joining Blackstone in 2012, Ms. Keenan held positions at G2 Investment Group, Lubert-Adler Real Estate Funds and in the Real Estate Investment Banking Group at Lehman Brothers. Ms. Keenan graduated cum laude with an A.B. in History from Harvard College. She sits on the Board of Directors of Getting Out and Staying Out and the Advisory Board of Governors of NAREIT, and is a member of WX New York Women Executives in Real Estate.

  Blackstone

  Senior Managing Director

  Katie Keenan

  Senior Managing Director

  Blackstone

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  Julia Butler

  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.

  KKR

  CEO of KKR Real Estate Select Trust

  Julia Butler

  CEO of KKR Real Estate Select Trust

  KKR

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  Laura Rapaport

  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.

  North Bridge

  CEO, Founder

  Laura Rapaport

  CEO, Founder

  North Bridge

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  Catherine Chen

  Managing Director, Real Assets

  Apollo Global Management

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  Melissa Farrell

  MD, Head of US Debt Originations

  PGIM

Sales & Leasing Honorees

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  Helen Hwang

  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.

  Meridian Investment Sales

  Executive Managing Director

  Helen Hwang

  Executive Managing Director

  Meridian Investment Sales

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  Ramneek Rikhy

  Ramneek Rikhy is an Executive Vice President in CBRE’s Consulting Group in New York City, where she is responsible for developing, analyzing, and executing real estate strategies for companies across various industries. Since joining CBRE in 2004, Ramneek has completed in excess of 20 million square feet of assignments. Ramneek has been involved in the negotiation and structuring of complex lease and sales transactions for a wide range of tenants across a variety of industries, with a focus on financial services, legal services and media. CREDENTIALS Education • New York University, Stern School of Business, Bachelor of Science in Economics • Stuyvesant High School, New York City Professional Credentials / Affiliations • Member, Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) • Licensed Broker, State of New York • Co-Chair, CBRE New York Diversity Taskforce • Co-Chair, CBRE Asian Pacific Network – NY Chapter • Board Member, Partnership with Children Industry Recognition • New York Real Estate Journal’s “Women in Real Estate” (2016) • GreenDeal Award, “Most Significant Transaction” (2016) • GreenDeal Award, “Most Significant Transaction” (2014) • Consulting Group, Professional of the Year (2011)

  CBRE

  Executive Vice President, Consulting

  Ramneek Rikhy

  Executive Vice President, Consulting

  CBRE

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  Leslie Lanne

  Leslie Lanne is a Managing Director at JLL, specializing in institutional landlord and tenant representation in the sale and leasing of industrial real estate in Northern and Central Jersey, the outer Boroughs of New York City, eastern Pennsylvania, as well as for select clientele throughout major US industrial markets. Ms. Lanne currently handles 1.3M square feet of agency leasing in the New York/Outer Boroughs and is a subject matter expert when it comes to the NY region and what clients and owners alike are looking for. She is also the lead for JLL’s Urban Infill practice. Experience Prior to joining JLL in 2017, Leslie served as Senior Vice President with GLP US, running the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic region which included overseeing all leasing, acquisitions, dispositions, property management and project management for more than 30 million s.f. of distribution space. Prior to GLP, Leslie was a member of the founding senior team of IndCor Properties (a Blackstone Company) with the same region and responsibilities she continued to execute on at GLP, when they acquired IndCor for $8.1 billion. Before that, Leslie was Vice President at Prologis, responsible for its 24-million-s.f. portfolio in New Jersey. Earlier, she held roles at Deutsche Asset Management and was a commercial real estate office broker with Spaulding & Slye (acquired by JLL) in Boston, MA. Leslie has extensive experience and history with institutional investor/owners and has been involved with over 100 million s.f. of transactions with ecommerce, distribution and warehousing tenants, giving her insight and access to decision makers and how they evaluate their real estate from site selection to lease execution. Leslie’s 19 years of experience across real estate verticals, in multiple regions and markets enable her to help our clients achieve unparalleled results. Education and affiliations Leslie holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Northern Arizona University. She is a licensed real estate broker in the States of New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.

  JLL

  Managing Director

  Leslie Lanne

  Managing Director

  JLL

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  Susan Mello

  Based in the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area, Susan Mello heads Walker & Dunlop’s entire Capital Markets platform. Ms. Mello brings over 28 years of experience in real estate investments and joint ventures, and she is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the company’s structured debt and equity transactions through a wide range of capital sources. Prior to joining Walker & Dunlop, Ms. Mello served as Managing Director and Portfolio Manager at PGIM Real Estate where she oversaw a series of U.S. multi-product closed end equity funds, with direct responsibility for capital raising, investment strategy, portfolio construction and investment selection. During her time at PGIM Real Estate, Ms. Mello held a variety of roles in transactions, portfolio, and asset management, and was directly involved in the structuring, negotiation, and management of more than $5 billion of value-add investments. Prior to PGIM, Ms. Mello was a partner at McCarter & English, LLP law firm where she worked extensively on structuring real estate investments and joint ventures on behalf of owners. Ms. Mello earned a Bachelor of Science in economics from Rutgers University, an LLM in taxation from New York University, and a JD with high honors from Rutgers University School of Law. She is a member of the National Multi-Housing Council (NMHC); the Urban Land Institute (ULI), where she is on the leadership team for Urban Development and Mixed Used Council, Gold; the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC); and the tax policy committee of the Real Estate Roundtable. Ms. Mello is also active in diversity and inclusion efforts within the industry and is a member of NMHC’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, as well as the Steering Committee for KPMG's Women in Real Estate.

  Walker & Dunlop

  EVP, Group Head, Capital Markets

  Susan Mello

  EVP, Group Head, Capital Markets

  Walker & Dunlop

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  Karen Bellantoni

  Karen Bellantoni is a Vice Chairman with Newmark, specializing in tenant and landlord representation in New York City and urban markets across the country. Bellantoni brings over three decades of retail real estate and merchandising experience to her profession. As a tenant representative, Bellantoni is responsible for implementing the national and regional strategic plans and rollouts for an impressive list of retailers, including Elyse Walker, A.L.C., The Westside/everafter, The Frye Company, J.Crew, Madewell, UGG, Hoka One One, Apple and lululemon. Throughout the country, Bellantoni has executed transactions on behalf of Intermix, Elie Tahari and L’Oréal brands Kiehl’s, The Body Shop and NYX Professional Makeup. In New York City, Bellantoni represented J.Crew in numerous Manhattan locations for their various concepts. She recently completed two Elyse Walker deals, including their first East Coast location; four additional Madison Avenue transactions; several Hoka One One locations; and secured a flagship location on 5th Avenue for UGG. Bellantoni has represented numerous owners throughout Manhattan. Among her notable assignments are consulting with Related Companies on the Time Warner Center; she represented Crown in leasing 15 Little West 12th Street to Amyris for their new flagship; representing TF Cornerstone in leasing 90 and 100 Gansevoort Street to Allouche Gallery, By Killian, Christian Louboutin Men’s and Intermix; successfully leasing 40 Mercer Street on behalf of Hines and Andre Balazs to Bose, Dermalogica, Vivienne Tam and Wachovia; representing Taconic Investment Partners and ING Clarion in leasing 401 W. 14th Street; merchandising and leasing Chelsea Market on behalf of Jamestown Properties; and arranging a 16,153-square-foot lease with Anthropologie. She also served as an advisor to the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey for the World Trade Center redevelopment. In addition, Bellantoni has actively leased space on Greenwich Avenue in Greenwich, Connecticut, to AllBirds, Warby Parker, Aesop and Herman Miller. Professional Affiliations Bellantoni is a licensed real estate salesperson in the State of New York. She is also a member of the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) and the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC). Education Bellantoni earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications from Ohio University.

  Newmark

  Vice Chairman

  Karen Bellantoni

  Vice Chairman

  Newmark

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  Ashley Mays

  Chief of Place and Real Estate

  Newark Alliance

• 

  Janet Woods

  Vice Chairman, Northeast Region Lead

  Savills

• 

  Avery Silverstein

  Managing Director

  Cushman & Wakefield

Operations & Asset Management Honorees

• 

  Karlene Holloman

  CEO

  Common

• 

  Linda Foggie

  Global Head of Real Estate & Corporate Services

  Scotiabank

• 

  Allison Wolfe

  Ms. Wolfe is the Chief Financial Officer and Global Head of Portfolio Management of Oxford Properties, a $60 billion global real estate investment, development and management business. Ms. Wolfe leads a team of over 200 professionals responsible for financing and balance sheet management, strategic planning, portfolio management and capital allocation, risk management, financial reporting, tax, valuations and research on a global basis. Ms. Wolfe is a member of Oxford’s Executive Management Team and co-chairs Oxford’s Investment Committee. Allison has served on several OMERS enterprise wide committees related to third-party capital, strategic planning, risk management and technology. Ms. Wolfe has 20 years of real estate investment, finance and advisory experience and has worked on a wide variety of transactions in Canada, US, Europe, Asia and Australia. Prior to joining Oxford in 2010, Allison was a Vice President at Morgan Stanley where she worked in both principle investing and real estate advisory in New York, San Francisco and Toronto. Allison holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree (Honours) from Queen’s University and currently serves on the advisory board for the Master of Financial Innovation & Technology program at Smith School of Business (Queen’s University)

  Oxford Properties

  EVP, CFO & Global Head of Portfolio Management

  Allison Wolfe

  EVP, CFO & Global Head of Portfolio Management

  Oxford Properties

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  Heather Moore

  Heather Moore is Managing Director of Real Estate for Greystar in New York. She oversees the Operations, Construction, and Marketing Teams. She oversees approximately 40 buildings with 7,000 units primarily in NYC. Heather has operational expertise in capital investment, value-add strategies, and value execution, and has led operational teams on multiple new developments through stabilization. Heather has experience with public and private investors for both individual owners and third-party managers. Heather has been active in the multifamily industry since 1997. Prior to joining Greystar in 2017, Heather spent 10 years operating communities in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and San Francisco for AvalonBay. Prior to that, she oversaw a portfolio of communities in the Midwest for Village Green Companies. She attended Arizona State University and holds CAM, PAM, and NALP Property Management designations.

  Greystar

  Managing Director

  Heather Moore

  Managing Director

  Greystar

• 

  EB Kelly

  EB Kelly currently oversees Rockefeller Center. In her role, EB had been leading the redevelopment of the center and manages day-to-day operations, including leasing, asset management, placemaking, and the operating businesses - Rainbow Room, the Skating Rink, and Top of the Rock.  During her tenure at Tishman Speyer, EB has worked on the New York Development team, Debt Capital Markets, Innovation, and the launching of ZO., and served as the Investment Committee Secretary. Prior to joining Tishman Speyer, EB was the Special Project Coordinator for the New York City Mayor’s Office of Capital Project Development under Mayor Mike Bloomberg, where she managed implementation of priority development projects including the High Line, the new Whitney Museum, and the Brooklyn Cultural District.  She also worked on the redevelopment of the World Trade Center site for the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation. EB is the Chair of the board of the Friends of Governors Island. She holds a BA from Yale University and a JD from Harvard Law School.

  Tishman Speyer

  Managing Director

  EB Kelly

  Managing Director

  Tishman Speyer

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  Caroline Gadaleta

  Executive Managing Director, Property Management

  JLL

• 

  Rachel Wachtel

  Rachel is Executive Vice President, SPACE+, where she is responsible for Brookfield Properties’ flexible workspace strategy and the delivery of SPACE+ across the portfolio. Rachel joined Brookfield Properties in 2002 and held a variety of workplace, operations and communications roles across Brookfield Properties and Brookfield Asset Management. In 2017, she took a brief hiatus to create and manage the real estate and workplace strategies for a leading Fintech broker-dealer before returning to Brookfield Properties in 2019 to focus on the creation of its global flexible workspace strategy. Rachel holds a Bachelor of Science in Design & Environmental Analysis from Cornell University.

  Brookfield

  EVP, Head of Real Estate Experience

  Rachel Wachtel

  EVP, Head of Real Estate Experience

  Brookfield

• 

  Alexis Michael

  Alexis is focused on the strategic repositioning and leasing of a critical segment of Hines’ New York commercial portfolio. Since joining the firm in 2007, Alexis has been instrumental in delivering creative amenities, securing tenants, managing third-party teams, repositioning assets and negotiating transactions. Throughout her 14-year tenure with Hines, Alexis Michael has generated significant value within many high-profile assets. She is currently leasing the six-million SF, 12 property, Hudson Square portfolio. Within this project, she led and executed one of 2019’s largest leasing deals in lower Manhattan, with a record 960,000 SF single-tenant lease. Alexis is founding member of the OneHines Women’s Network. Alexis earned her BA in Architecture from Columbia University, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude.

  Hines

  Managing Director

  Alexis Michael

  Managing Director

  Hines

• 

  Nancy Goldsmith

  Nancy Goldsmith, Managing Director of Operations, has worked with the principals of The Bozzuto Group for 25 years. Nancy oversees operations for an apartment portfolio of over 37,000 units across 135 communities containing over 700,000 square feet of retail in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. Nancy works in conjunction with the executive team to drive performance at the property level and provide strategic support to both her clients and team. Throughout her career in property management, Nancy has led the completion of over 100 lease-ups in various markets. During her time as Senior Vice President, she led a team of eight regional managers focused on expanding operations from the Mid-Atlantic into New England. During her time as a Regional Portfolio Manager she was responsible for 30 different communities. Prior to this role, she served as a tenured Property Manager for five Bozzuto managed communities. Nancy also worked for Simpson Property Group, Legacy Partners, and the Housing Opportunities Commission in Montgomery County, Maryland.

  Bozzuto

  Managing Director, Operations

  Nancy Goldsmith

  Managing Director, Operations

  Bozzuto

Construction, Architecture & ESG Honorees

• 

  Julie Lurie

  Julie Lurie joined Tishman Speyer in 2006. In her role, she is responsible for developing and implementing portfolio and asset strategies across the firm’s global markets, and leading investor relations functions. Julie works closely with all the regional business teams and the geographic portfolio teams in the U.S., Brazil, Europe, and China. She sits on the firm’s Investment Committee and is the Chair of the global ESG Committee, bringing environmental, social and governance to each project and helping Tishman Speyer to lead in this area. Julie also provides senior management oversight to the firm’s marketing function. Prior to joining Tishman Speyer, she was a portfolio manager at DRA Advisors LLC and a vice president at Lend Lease Real Estate Investments with experience in debt advisory, acquisitions and asset management. She holds a BA and BS from the University of Pennsylvania, with a degree in economics from the Wharton School of Business, where she was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa Society.

  Tishman Speyer

  Senior Managing Director, ESG Chair

  Julie Lurie

  Senior Managing Director, ESG Chair

  Tishman Speyer

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  Mimi Raygorodetsky

  Principal

  Langan

• 

  Charlotte Matthews

  Head of Affordable Electrification

  Google

• 

  Gina Bocra

  Chief Sustainability Officer

  NYC Department of Buildings

• 

  Nancy Ruddy

  Co-Founder

  CetraRuddy

• 

  Sara Kendall

  As the Vice President and General Manager of Turner New York’s Interiors division, Sara is responsible for developing and overseeing short- and long-term strategic plans that affirm Turner’s position as one of the largest and most trusted construction service providers. In this capacity, she oversees a portfolio of commercial and healthcare interior projects across New York City, as well as providing executive oversight on matters related to Turner’s operational, financial and sales initiatives. Turner Interiors performs approximately $750,000,000 in revenue annually with 200 employees. Upon completing her civil engineering degree at Cornell University, Sara joined Turner as a field engineer beginning her career at the Times Square Tower project. In 2003, Sara was promoted to positions of greater responsibility including New York’s first Source Blue Manager and Project Engineer on the Visionaire, NYC’s first LEED Platinum certified residential building. In addition to her day-to-day responsibilities, Sara is the executive sponsor to Turner’s SkyWell employee resource group. Turner’s employee resource groups seek to foster an environment where all people experience inclusiveness and empowerment through genuine conversations and intentional actions required in a multicultural workplace. SkyWell in particular aims to create a supportive environment for Turner employees of Asian descent to develop the necessary skills to better serve Turner and our clients. Sara resides in Manhattan with her husband and two children.

  Turner Construction

  VP & General Manager

  Sara Kendall

  VP & General Manager

  Turner Construction

Marketing & Communications Honorees

• 

  Sarah Berman

  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.”

  The Berman Group

  Founder & President

  Sarah Berman

  Founder & President

  The Berman Group

• 

  Cara Faske

  Cara has directed marketing campaigns for many of the largest real estate companies in the U.S over the past 30 years. Cara’s expertise includes branding, marketing strategy, integrated marketing, traditional and digital advertising, email marketing, video production and much more. In 2003 Cara founded Cara Martin, a successful full-service advertising and branding agency. In 2011, she merged her agency with Pace/WPP and expanded her services and reach with the addition of offices in Florida. She became CEO of Pace in 2014 and in January of 2019, she left the WPP family, went private and partnered with Diana Riser, who had been President of the Florida Division. Cara and Diana have their eyes on growth and continue to expand and evolve by constantly focusing on top talent, new technologies, new service lines and new capabilities to better serve the firm’s clients. Cara holds a degree in marketing from Syracuse University and resides in Westchester County, NY. She enjoys cooking, gardening, traveling and spending time with her adult children and very bossy shih tzu.

  Pace Branding & Marketing

  CEO

  Cara Faske

  CEO

  Pace Branding & Marketing

• 

  Abbie Newman

  Abbie comes to LIVunLtd after spending more than two decades working at renowned luxury hotels around the globe. She is a multi award-winning concierge, and a former member of the prestigious International Concierge Society’s “Les clefs d’Or.” While hospitality service remains at the core of her DNA, she is extremely proud to have identified the need for hotel-caliber services in residential and commercial properties, leading, in 2001, to her co-founding Abigail Michaels Concierge. Abbie’s vast network of contacts and her impeccable reputation make her the go-to resource for real estate developers, property managers and hotel owners who seek to differentiate their properties. Vastly different from a “credit card concierge,” LIVunLtd’s concierge team is a diverse collective of in-the-know tastemakers with a golden Rolodex from decades in the business. Their reputation as the undisputed leader in concierge service remains one of the primary pillars of their brand. When it comes to concierge service, they wrote the book on it ── literally. LIVunLtd is a global luxury brand specializing in all facets of the service experience, delivered on-site, off-site or a combination of the two. It is a collection of four established industry-leaders coming together to create the first genuine, single-source amenity solution. Its services are retained by the most iconic residential, commercial and hotel properties in New York City and beyond to provide an elevated level of hospitality through amenity space activation and management, fitness and wellness programming, spa management and five-star concierge services.

  LIVunLtd

  President

  Abbie Newman

  President

  LIVunLtd

• 

  Joanna Rose

  Partner, Global Head of Corporate Communications

  Apollo Global Management

• 

  Terry Villani

  Founder & President

  Villani Group

• 

  Rosemarie McElwee

  Rosemarie is the head of Marketing and Business Development at UC Funds. She leads the launch of new products and platforms as well as all necessary brand positioning and lead gen for assets under management and the organization’s businesses. She has more than twenty years of marketing, sales, and business development experience with more than 10 years in the commercial real estate, lending, and real estate development industry. Prior to UC Funds, Rosemarie worked with The O’Neill Companies in the development, launch and management of new assets spanning multifamily, retail, office, healthcare, hospitality, and mixed use. Her earlier work included leading global marketing and sales teams with SaaS software, learning and training platforms, and business transformation and migration from physical to digital assets, Rosemarie has a BA from The University of Pennsylvania and Business Analytics Certificates from Wharton Online. She is a volunteer coach of multiple sports for youth and volunteers with Back on My Feet and Philadelphia Youth Sports Collaborative.

  UC Funds

  SVP, Marketing and Business Development

  Rosemarie McElwee

  SVP, Marketing and Business Development

  UC Funds