April and May events celebrate R.E. achievements and success

One of AREW's most well attended and popular luncheons is our annual panel featuring successful women real estate professionals who discuss their work, career paths, experiences, achievements and challenges faced along the way. To be held on Tuesday, April 1st, the "Influential and Powerful Women in Real Estate" luncheon program panel will be Michelle Felman, executive vice president, Acquisitions, Vornado Realty Trust; Jodi Pulice, founder & president, JRT Realty Group; Kathy Wylde, president & CEO, Partnership for New York City; and Danielle Zimbaro, senior director, Cushman & Wakefield - outstandingly successful women all! Theresa Agovino, commercial real estate reporter for Crain's New York Business, will moderate. Michelle Felman runs the Acquisitions Department at Vornado, the second largest U.S. REIT, and is responsible for all real estate and corporate acquisitions. Additionally, she, along with Wendy Silverstein, is responsible for Vornado's structured investment activities, including all mezzanine lending. Jodi Pulice has served as founder and president since 1996, when she established JRT Realty Group, Inc. as a woman-owned, full-service commercial real estate services firm to address industry-wide supplier diversity initiatives. Responsible for directing and overseeing all organizational activities, her accomplishments include leasing and sales transactions totaling more than $2 billion, managing more than 15 million s/f of commercial and industrial real estate, and spearheading the company's strategic alliance with Cushman & Wakefield. An internationally known expert in housing, economic development and urban policy, Kathryn Wylde is president & CEO of the nonprofit Partnership for New York City, the city's business leadership organization. She joined the partnership in 1982, serving as founding president & CEO of its major two affiliates, the New York City Investment Fund and the Housing Partnership. Under her leadership, the partnership played a major role in the revitalization of the city and its neighborhoods. With nearly a decade of experience helping companies navigate the New York City commercial real estate market, Danielle Zimbaro has quickly established herself as a leading professional. In 2004, she was named most promising professional at Cushman & Wakefield, one of the world's largest privately held commercial real estate services firms, and in 2007 became the youngest person ever appointed a senior director. She has also assumed leadership positions in major industry and business organizations. This event is open to the industry at large. An hour networking from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. precedes the luncheon and program to be held at Club 101, 101 Park Ave. at 40th St. Achievement and success is also a theme for AREW's 30th Anniversary Gala on May 8th at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. Under the theme "Three Decades of Breaking Ground," AREW will be acknowledging the strides made by women in real estate and honor the outstanding achievements of three distinguished New York companies in these categories: Innovative development: Swig Equities, LLC, Kent Swig, president; Urban Renewal: Forest City Ratner Cos., Joanne Minieri, president and COO; and Creative Capitalization: Apollo Real Estate Advisors, Richard Mack, managing partner. If you haven't experienced AREW, I invite you to attend one or more of our events. Whether luncheon, seminar, tour or reception, we have a rich schedule of educational and networking opportunities. It is heading towards the end of the 2007-08 season, but if you are considering becoming an AREW member, please don't let that deter you! In addition to the above events, we will be hosting a May luncheon and program featuring a prominent industry leader, a behind-the-scenes tour, a breakfast with a real estate industry leader and our annual Members Only Luncheon in June. As an incentive for anyone considering membership, if you join by the end of April, your membership will begin in May and continue through the 2008-09 season, extending your benefits for two months of programs. Please feel free to email me at [email protected] about AREW. I promise you my personal attention. Our website, www.arew.org, also has full information. Frances Ann Delgorio is the 2007-08 AREW president and senior vice president, leasing and marketing at Cohen Brothers Realty Corp., New York, N.Y.