Real Estate Weekly Leading Ladies 2021

 After one of the most turbulent years in recent history, Real Estate Weekly is proud to introduce its

2021 Leading Ladies of Real Estate.
This elite group of trailblazing women have been acknowledged by their peers for their significant roles in the past, present and future of the business and all of its many facets.
From efforts to help their companies navigate a global pandemic, to contributions to the ever-evolving cityscape, they have each displayed incredible commitment not just to their job, but to using their talents to shape they way we interact with the built environment and their influence to make it better for everyone.
We are proud to celebrate them today and look forward to their continued success.

Joi Aberle
Associate General Counsel
BEB Capital
Most recent achievement: 2020 BEB Capital Dedication Award Recipient and 2016 BEB Contributor of the Year. While the spread of COVID-19 changed the face of business, Joi, in conjunction with BEB Capital, continued to provide uncompromising service and continuity of business throughout the challenging times in arranging rent deferral agreements with tenants and forbearance agreements with lenders to ensure all parties a successful future post COVID-19. As associate general counsel for BEB Capital for the past six years, Joi has facilitated the development and management for one of the largest Long Island-based real estate firms as it successfully targeted new business goals, handling acquisitions and divestitures of properties, assemblages of real property for rezoning, and re-development of industrial properties to mixed use, including those with an affordable housing component. Joi received a business degree from the New York Institute of Technology followed by a juris doctor degree from Hofstra University’s Maurice A. Deane School of Law. She began her career with a lengthy tenure at the law firm of Genoa & Associates. She is a member of the Theodore Roosevelt American Inn of Court, whose mission is to inspire the legal community to achieve the highest level of professionalism, ethics, civility, and excellence.

Wilma Abreu
Director of Construction Safety
Site Safety Plans and Programs Management
CR Safety Group
Most recent achievement: Wilma oversees the planning, design, coordination and development of construction safety plans and construction logistics plans and ensures compliance with NYC Building Code – Chapter 33, FDNY, DOT & OSHA regulations. Her background in architecture has been key to untangle the most complex project and make it tangible. She earned her Bachelors in Architecture from the Universidad Nacional Pedro Henríquez Ureña in the Dominican Republic and began her career in site safety with the NYC Department of Buildings. She is currently working on more than a 100 construction safety plans for low and high rise jobs, including Riverside Center, a 31.5-million-square-foot mixed-use development in five buildings; Queens Plaza Development (Tower A, B1 & B2) : and Pacific Park, the mixed-use commercial and residential development in Brooklyn.

Linda S. Alexander
President
Alexander Marketing Corp.
Most recent achievements: In November 2020, Alexander Marketing Corp. celebrated its 20th Anniversary –virtually! Staying active in the pandemic was challenging, but the past six months have been among the most rewarding in the firm’s history: In October 2020, AMC announced the grand re-opening of Turnstyle Underground Market, a milestone for the City. In February 2021, AMC announced the launch of GridRewards, a groundbreaking program and free mobile app that pays Con Edison customers to reduce their electricity use, while helping save the environment. In March, AMC introduced Marcus Garvey Village, an exciting 330-unit multi-family project that focuses on the unique culture of Harlem and the community, rather than promoting gentrification. AMC continues to represent great clients with important stories to tell! Linda founded Alexander Marketing Corp. in 2000, bringing decades of media, marketing and real estate industry relationships together. Linda’s extensive writing skills have served her through stints as a journalist, copywriter, copy editor, composer, lyricist, jingle writer, and cookbook author. She has held positions as a cooking instructor at the 92nd Street Y and contributed to its “International Kosher Cookbook.” She is the co-author of Crown Publishing’s best-selling “Pojanee Vatanapan’s Thai Cookbook with Linda Alexander,” one of the first Asian cookbooks created for Western kitchens. Much earlier in her career, she was the music therapist for Kirby Hospital at Manhattan State Psychiatric Center. A devoted Upper Westsider who has been active with block associations, parks, and community-based initiatives, Linda co-founded Teddy’s Run in Theodore Roosevelt Park 1998 and sits on the Board of Directors of Friends of Roosevelt Park. A long-standing member of Community Board 7/Manhattan, she currently serves as Co-Chair of the Business & Consumer Issues Committee, working with neighborhood retailers and restaurants.

Erika Banach
Vice president, Capital markets
Marcus & Millichap Capital Corporation
Most recent achievement: Developed operational and organizational infrastructure to facilitate the transition of the firm’s recent acquisition of Mission Capital. Erika has an extensive background in real estate and international business. She is responsible for expanding MMCC’s $7.67 billion total transaction volume by identifying synergies between the financing and investment sales professionals. Erika is developing tools and processes to grow staple financing revenue and build organizational infrastructure. MMCC completed multiple strategic acquisitions in 2020 and Erika is integrating these companies into the fabric of MM’s culture by identifying and implementing best practices company-wide. She is committed to promoting diversity and focused on expanding MMWomen, the newly launched internal women’s network that offers mentorship programs and supports community outreach initiatives. Before joining MMCC, Erika was director of Extell Development Company’s EB-5 Regional Centers where she raised over $775 million for numerous marquee developments. She holds a BS in Marketing from the University of Scranton, PA and an MBA from Baruch College, NY.

Susan Bands
Regional Manager
Marcus & Millichap Real Estate
Investment Services Inc
Most recent achievement: Expanded the firm’s Diversity and Inclusion initiative by founding MMWomen, a program which provides networking, professional development and mentorship opportunities for the women of Marcus & Millichap. Susan is Regional Manager of Marcus & Millichap’s Manhattan, Westchester, and New Haven offices. As such she drives a revenue stream of over $4 billion annually and offices of over 250 commercial real estate investment professionals. Susan oversees an inventory of $2.5 billion in exclusive listings, and the closing of over 900 investment sales and capital markets transactions yearly. In addition to her local responsibilities, she is spearheading the 2021 expansion of the firm’s diversity and inclusion platform, MMWomen, with quarterly newsletters and community outreach initiatives. Susan joined Marcus & Millichap in 2004 as an investment sales broker with the National Retail Group, managing the sale of shopping centers and net-leased properties throughout the U.S. Prior to joining, she worked with Forest City Ratner Companies as Director of Sales and Marketing for its New York hotel developments, and with Grubb & Ellis as Associate Managing Director of Investment Sales.

Sarah Berman,
Founder & President,
The Berman Group
Most recent achievement: Sarah’s most recent accomplishment has been to open regional offices in Washington DC and Boston during the pandemic as well as to grow the firm’s international client roster. As Founder and President of The Berman Group, Sarah works to develop creative communications programs that increase business and reach new audiences. Over the past 16 years, she has grown The Berman Group into a global integrated public relations, marketing, graphic design and events firm with a client list of influential global owners/developers, brokers, lenders, investors, and financiers, as well as top contractors, architects and engineers, who count on The Berman Group to help drive their growth objectives and take their PR and marketing campaigns to the next level. Sarah’s work with The Berman Group’s clients — spanning Fortune 500 companies to global developers, government agencies and nonprofits — to develop winning publicity and marketing strategies is based upon her philosophy that strong relationships are the foundation of successful campaigns. Sarah has more than 20 years of experience in strategic communications and has earned a strong reputation for her creative corporate identity programs, targeted cross-marketing campaigns, innovative advertising and sales training programs. Sarah has demonstrated a strong and unflagging commitment to mentoring and promoting the role of women in commercial real estate. Philanthropic and community involvement are at the heart of the firm’s values, and Sarah provides pro bono services committees leadership for a wide range of not-for-profit and charitable organizations. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Columbia University in Urban Planning and a Master of Urban Planning from the Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service of New York University.

Amy Blitz
Co-Founder,
URBN Playground
Most Recent Achievement: Within days of social distancing measures being announced, Amy commissioned and oversaw the creation of a “Return to Work” handbook for all amenity staff during Covid-19. Not only was this handbook used to support URBN’s own staff, but it was shared at no cost with URBN clients. Beyond a short-term response to help URBN’s clients stay open for business, Amy consulted with over 30 clients to help them plan for the long-term, working on initiatives such as implementing touchless entry/elevator selection, consulting on CDC regulations and guidelines, and providing invaluable insight to many property owners and managers on what has worked or not worked in other buildings/cities. Throughout Covid-19, Amy led her team of managers and frontline staff in the safe re-opening of over 30 facilities, with managed properties passing all Department of Health inspections. Amy oversaw the expansion of virtual concierge service offerings to residents in buildings via the URBN app as URBN added services to its app that include grocery shopping, package delivery, CDC-compliant cleaning, and more. She also co-created and hosted a webinar on “Gym Design During COVID-19 and Beyond” for the commercial and multi-family real estate industry. Amy co-founded URBN Playground with hospitality veteran Jeremy Brutus in 2016. A prominent lifestyle guru and fitness expert with an expertise in managing fitness facilities and programs, she oversees the fast-growing firm’s operations, fitness, programming, and customer service. Prior to founding URBN Playground, she served as Director of Fitness and Lifestyle programming for one of the nation’s largest amenity management corporations, and as founder of her own personal training company. She has completed more than 15 half-marathons as well as the New York City Marathon in 2019.

Tammy Ching
Director of Tenant Management
Samanea New York
Most Recent Achievement: Tammy has helped oversee the new Westbury mall’s $30 million renovation amid a global pandemic, working closely with tenants to direct all custom construction projects including large scale build outs and extensive interior upgrades. Formerly known as the Fortunoff Mall, the iconic Long Island commercial property spans over 750,000 s/f on 38-acres of land. Tammy has helped negotiate and facilitate the signing of a multitude of new tenants, including Bloomingdale’s Furniture Outlet, the property’s first anchor tenant in 20 years. She also helped sign the first 99 Ranch Supermarket in New York, which occupies over 45,000 s/f and is set to open late 2021, as well as developing construction plans for over 130,000 s/f of entertainment and home goods tenants. A member of Samanea New York’s executive development team, Tammy joined Samanea New York in 2019 and throughout 2020, worked alongside Dominic Coluccio, the property’s Chief Leasing & Marketing Officer, and oversaw the development of a Restaurant Row concept for the property’s new dining destinations including MoCa Asian Bistro, Korean Hot Pot & BBQ, and Szechuan Cuisine. Prior to joining Samanea New York, Tammy was the Director of Store Planning, Vendor Shops & Merchant Initiatives for Saks Fifth Avenue U.S. and Canada. She has also held positions with Bergdorf Goodman and DPC New York. Tammy received a Bachelor’s Degree in 2005 from the New York School of Interior Design. She is a member of the Project Management Institute and in 2016, was named a judge of the prestigious Retail Design Institute International Store Design Competition which works with universities across the country to develop retail design and architecture programs for students.

Lindsay Church
Account Director
Great Ink Communications
Most recent achievement: Lindsay celebrated her 10th anniversary at Great Ink Communications in 2021. She has a decade of experience directing PR campaigns for her clients in the architectural, engineering, construction and real estate industries. Her strong relationships with the local, business and trade media and ability to work with clients to tell their best stories has led to placements about projects, successes and trends for companies such as Thornton Tomasetti, Populous, EW Howell Construction Group, Kimmerle Group, and Pickard Chilton. Her creativity, persistence and organizational skills make her a valuable member of the Great Ink team.  Lindsay loves the close-knit bond that everyone who works at Great Ink has. Outside of the office, Lindsay is on the alumnae volunteer committee for the Northeast region of Delta Delta Delta.  In addition to client management, Lindsay, a member of the generation that has embraced social media, maintains Great Ink’s website, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter accounts. She also helps the firm’s clients make the most of these valuable communication tools. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Lisa M. Fischman
Vice President
Greystone
Most recent achievement: Lisa employed a prominent D.C. law firm to accurately opine on a complicated HUD 241A, resulting in a much lower rate structure for a NY state healthcare facility construction loan, enabling the non-profit owner to successfully complete a magnificent expansion within its fiscal allowance. Everyone said it could not be done, so she did it. In late 2020, Lisa was able to consolidate two loans into one and save a five-star healthcare campus in Indiana nearly $300,000 for the balance of their 30-year debt. Renowned, for-profit, multifamily developers and owners, throughout the country, have become loyal clients because, according to them, she visits every property to meet the team on the ground, she listens and she executes flawlessly, efficiently and consistently exceeds expectations. With over 10 years of CRE experience, Lisa has closed $430 million in multifamily and healthcare real estate finance transactions. She is an expert in ground-up 40-year perm construction debt, and long-term refinancing solutions from $5 to $100 million. Lisa leads a team of underwriters, analysts and project managers and ensures that each loan is tailored to accomplish the client’s short- and long-term goals. She has used innovative financing to secure over 90 percent of all costs for the construction of a new market rate multifamily community, and, separately, structured the refinance of several affordable housing investment properties to garner a significant cash-out for a major, national, non-profit children’s organization. Lisa has presented at the ICBA conference in NY, she has been a moderator for JBNetwork and has served as panelist for Bisnow’s 2020 Women’s event. Her former career at advertising giant JWT sharpened both her communication skills and adeptness in understanding a client’s challenges and staying laser focused on finding solutions.

Donna Gehnrich
Operations Manager
BEB Capital
Most recent achievement: One of Donna’s most recent achievements was ensuring all BEB Capital employees were set up to work remotely because of the COVID-19 pandemic, acting as the liaison between the IT provider and BEB Capital to create a seamless transition in daily operations. She worked with all parties to confirm the equipment needed for employees to work from home effectively was ordered and delivered and made sure in-office equipment needed for video conferencing was properly installed. Donna’s quick and comprehensive work enabled a seamless transition for BEB Capital’s operations and ensured all employees could continue performing at a high level while adjusting to work from home. Donna plays a pivotal role in facilitating BEB Capital’s expanding scope of activities. Having begun work there as a paralegal in 2014, her value to the firm quickly grew as she took on the responsibility of researching and overseeing implementation of new software systems. In addition, she fills key functions in investor relations, managing and coordinating investor opportunities, and serving as liaison between investors and the executive management team. Although not a practicing attorney, Donna holds a juris doctor degree and is a member of BEB Capital’s legal department.  She was a legal department manager for a Fortune 1000 company prior to joining BEB Capital and earned her law degree from Albany Law School. 

Cindy Cigdem Gokay
Head of Sales
Reuveni Real Estate
Most recent achievement: After generating over $30 million in new deals at 30E31 (NoMad) and Dahlia (UWS), Cindy was instrumental in the newly unveiled project, Era at 251 W 91st Street featuring 57 residences. Licensed in both New York and New Jersey, she has over a decade of real estate experience. Cindy was introduced to real estate by an industry pioneer and has been thriving ever since. She started off as an assistant, graduated to doing her own deals, and followed through with delivering a 200-plus unit luxury condominium new development project to her firm where she was intimately involved from the rendering phase to building completion. Cindy now oversees sales at Reuveni’s array of new construction projects and is intimately involved with sales planning and management of on-site sales teams. She consistently collaborates with developers and cross-functional teams from marketing, architecture, interior design to construction, legal, and lenders. Notable projects include ground-up new residential developments such as the 122-unit Charlie West at 505 West 43rd St.