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John Banks: Celebrate the leading ladies of real estate

Through the leadership of women in the real estate industry, New York City has benefited from some of the most impressive transactions and significant developments in the past few decades than in the entirety of our city’s history.

In the wake of Real Estate Weekly & EisnerAmper’s fourth annual Women’s Forum, you don’t have to look far to see examples all around us of our industry’s influential female leaders.

As Executive Vice President and one of the Principals of The Lansco Corporation, Robin Abrams, has been at the forefront of retail leasing, bringing some of fashion’s largest names to New York City.

ROBIN ABRAMS
ROBIN ABRAMS

The received The Louis Smadbeck Broker Recognition Award, which honors an executive who exemplifies the characteristics of a successful commercial broker, was a prior Chair of our Retail Leasing Committee, and serves on our Commercial Brokerage Board of Directors and Retail Committee.

Katherine Farley has been a key player in both foreign and domestic real estate for over 30 years.

Last year, as Chairwoman of the Lincoln Center for Performing Arts, she raised $10.4 million, negotiated a $100 million donation from philanthropist David Geffen, and was recently named co-chair of the International Rescue Committee, a humanitarian aid and relief organization.

Barbara Fox established herself as a residential real estate pioneer, founding Fox Residential Group, which originally consisted of five brokers in 1989 and has grown to over 45 today.

Barbara Fox
Barbara Fox

Among her accomplishments, Barbara has received REBNY’s Henry Forster Memorial Award for lifetime achievement, and serves as co-Chair of the Residential Deal of the Year Committee and as a member of the Residential Brokerage Board of Directors.

MaryAnne Gilmartin, President and CEO of Forest City Ratner Companies, is a strong force in New York City real estate development and a thoughtful leader who has played an integral role in some of the City’s most high-profile real estate projects, such as The New York Times Building, Pacific Park Brooklyn, and New York by Gehry.

MARY ANNE GILMARTIN
MARY ANNE GILMARTIN

A longtime member of our Executive Committee and Board of Governors, MaryAnne also dedicates time to serving on the New York City Ballet Advisory Board and as a board trustee for the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

Douglas Elliman President & CEO, Dorothy “Dottie” Herman is one of the most recognizable names in New York City’s real estate scene.

Dottie Herman
Dottie Herman

Today, Douglas Elliman is one of New York’s largest and fastest-growing real estate brokerage firms. Dottie’s business expertise, passion for real estate, contributions to the community, and determination is revered in the industry and she’s a valued member of our Board of Governors.

Leslie Himmel
Leslie Himmel

Leslie Himmel built a company that has become one of New York’s most active landlords. Since establishing Himmel + Meringoff Properties in 1985 with Steve Meringoff, she has created great value through the acquisition, disposition and financing of buildings suited for renovation and strategic re-positioning.

She was a recipient of REBNY’s Bernard H. Mendik Lifetime Leadership in Real Estate Award, serves as co-chair REBNY’s Economic Development Committee, and sits on the Executive Committee and Board of Governors.

Pamela Liebman is another trailblazer among the city’s real estate community. She has served as the President and CEO of The Corcoran Group since 2000, and in that time, was responsible for transforming the residential real estate firm and spearheading its acquisition of The Sunshine Group.

PAM LIEBMAN
PAM LIEBMAN

Her impressive professional work is only furthered amplified by her dedication to the community as a founding board member of the Wipe Out Leukemia Forever Foundation and service on our Board of Governors and Executive Committee.

JOANNE PODELL
JOANNE PODELL

Cushman & Wakefield Vice Chairman Joanne Podell has been involved in many of Manhattan’s most prestigious retail assignments and has led the charge on site acquisitions and strategic disposition for well-known national and international tenants. Her excellent leadership, attention to detail, and understanding of the pulse of this business, extends to her role as Vice Chairman of our Commercial Brokerage Board of Directors.

The Real Estate Board continually relies on the tireless efforts of Halstead Property’s CEO Diane Ramirez.

Since she founded Halstead Property alongside Clark Halstead in 1984, Diane has transformed the company from its original vision of three offices in Manhattan to almost three dozen offices throughout the Tri-State region.

DIANE RAMIREZ
DIANE RAMIREZ

The impact of her work extends beyond the real estate community through her philanthropic service, and her commitment is evident in her roles on our Board of Governors, Executive Committee, and Residential Board of Directors.

The impact of REBNY’s activities – from our seminars, panel discussions, and networking events to our awards ceremonies, luncheons, and dinners – owe a great deal to our very own Eileen Spinola who is now the namesake of REBNY’s newest award for distinguished achievement and served as.

Throughout the past two decades, Eileen helped transform REBNY into a New York’s leading real estate trade organization.

EILEEN SPINOLA
EILEEN SPINOLA

At our most recent Annual Banquet, we honored the Stacom family – Matthew, Tara and Darcy Stacom – with The Bernard H. Mendik Lifetime Leadership in Real Estate Award for their exceptional accomplishments in profession, leadership, and service to our industry over the course of their careers.

Tara Stacom, Executive Vice Chairman of Cushman & Wakefield, and Darcy Stacom, a Vice Chairman and Head of the Investment Properties group for CBRE’s New York Office, have had groundbreaking success in the real estate industry over the last two decades of their careers.

The Wall Street Journal crowned Darcy the “Queen of the Skyscrapers,” and Tara has served as the exclusive leasing agent for One World Trade Center, one of the world’s most iconic office buildings.

Darcy, Matthew and Tara Stacom
Darcy, Matthew and Tara Stacom

Elizabeth Stribling of Stribling Real Estate is heavily involved in our membership community, serving on our Board of Governors, and the real estate industry at large.

ELIZABETH STRIBLING
ELIZABETH STRIBLING

After founding Stribling & Associates in 1980, she oversaw the incredible growth of her company from its humble beginnings to its current status as a residential powerhouse, and continues to serve as Chairman with her daughter and President of the firm, Elizabeth Ann Stribling-Kivlan.

And last but not least, if not most importantly, Mary Ann Tighe has played a critical role in the revitalization of Times Square, rebirth of Downtown Manhattan, and the westward expansion of Midtown’s central business district.

Mary Ann Tighe
Mary Ann Tighe

In addition to being CEO of CBRE’s New York Tri-State Region since 2002, Mary Ann has made extensive contributions to our industry serving as the first female Chairman of REBNY from 2010 until 2013. She is a driven leader whose legacy includes the record eight Most Ingenious Deal of the Year Awards she won for her impactful transactions.

These are just a few of the women whose efforts have made a lasting impact on New York City and on REBNY.

They continue to pave the way for generations of female leaders and I greatly look forward to seeing the outstanding achievements of more women in our industry highlighted through events such as the annual Women’s Forum.

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