Manhattan, NY Members of the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY), New York City’s leading real estate trade association, recently elected Darrien Pinkman of Tishman Speyer as the new chair of their Diversity Committee. Pinkman replaces former chairs Darcy Stacom of Stacom CRE and Bernard Warren of Webb & Brooker, who oversaw a significant expansion of social impact activities at REBNY for seven years and will continue to serve as members of the committee.
REBNY’s Diversity Committee works to create and implement policies and programs that improve and promote the diversity of REBNY’s membership and the real estate industry more broadly. Darrien and Bernard spoke exclusively with NYREJ on the committee’s accomplishments and goals for 2025 and beyond.
1. Bernard, what do you think are some of the greatest challenges around diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) to face the industry during your tenure as diversity committee co-chair with Darcy Stacom, and what do you think are your greatest accomplishments?
Bernard: Real estate is a largely legacy industry, with many family-run and/or privately-held firms with limited staff and a habit of sticking to business practices that have brought success for generations. REBNY’s role is to encourage the industry to find new ways to evolve. We were able to highlight the benefits of DEI strategies and have seen companies of various sizes make changes and investments in this area, which we are very proud of.
Responding to the rise of #MeToo and the murder of George Floyd during our time as chairs brought challenges but we supported many members in streamlining anger into action and accountability. This includes shepherding the creation of the REBNY Fellows program, the first-of-its-kind mid-career leadership training program for real estate professionals of diverse backgrounds, placing interns of diverse backgrounds within over 80 member organizations and supporting networking opportunities and recognition for women in the industry
2. Darrien, what are your priorities as new chair heading into 2025?
Darrien: Building on the achievements of Bernard and Darcy, I’d like to continue to help REBNY members deepen their relationships with workforce development and community partners, grow their rosters of diverse suppliers and vendors, and foster more diverse pipelines of talent – from entry level to the C-Suite.
This is a large committee and as chair I want to encourage every member to be engaged, action-oriented and passionate. This will include creating meaningful relationships with other REBNY committees to help members gain exposure and facilitate meaningful mentorships with our talented mid-level committee members.
3. Where do things stand for supplier diversity in real estate?
Darrien: Supplier diversity is still very nascent in the real estate industry. Why? It’s rarely been a business imperative or been needed in the industry. We must prove that diversity in all aspects is good for business. What are some of the benefits of supplier diversity? They include: lowering costs by working with new businesses with less overhead, helping your employees and business practices gain exposure to unique perspectives, and encouraging competition among vendors.
4. How do we make the real estate C-suite more reflective of the communities the industry serves?
Bernard: We must continue to support a diverse talent pipeline not only coming into the workforce, but also for mid-career professionals, as is the focus of the REBNY Fellows. Real estate recruiters and hiring managers must also broaden their mindset to search for and recruit diverse executives in other fields, who have the skills needed to succeed in real estate.
Darrien: We must not only identify diverse talent early on and give them a clear pipeline for growth, but also help them build connections throughout internal teams and external business associates, like the REBNY Fellows program.
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