Chapter Leadership

Chapter Leadership

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CHAPTER MISSION

The mission of the New York City Chapter is to connect groups of professionals, end-users and service providers in order to advance knowledge, promote personal excellence and add value to each individual and their respective enterprises. Our chapter accomplishes our mission through facilitating and sponsoring a variety of diversified programs that provide members educational and networking opportunities.

EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP

Alison Kwiatkowski

CHAIR
Senior Vice President, Global Workplace Experience Lead
Warner Music Group

Alison Kwiatkowski is the Global Head of Workplace Experience for Warner Music, overseeing real estate, project delivery, facilities and operations, sustainability, health and safety, and internal events.  Prior to her current role, Alison served as the Americas Business Partner for Deutsche Bank’s Global Real Estate Division, as well as the Business Strategy Lead for the Bank’s Americas Headquarters Relocation to the newly rebranded Deutsche Bank Center at One Columbus Circle. Alison holds a Masters in Real Estate Development from New York University and a degree in Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania. Fueled by a passion to foster the professional development of emerging talent in the New York real estate industry, Alison has previously served as the Vice President, Programming and Outreach Chair, Communities Committee Vice Chair, and Young Leaders Committee Chair for the CoreNet New York City Chapter.

Larry Charlip

PRESIDENT
Interim Global Facilities Lead
Warner Music Group

Mindy Williams - McElearney

VICE PRESIDENT
Director
Turner & Townsend

Mindy Williams-McElearney is a Vice President at L&K Partners Inc., a general contractor and construction management company based in New York City. She has more than 25 years of experience working in partnership with the real estate, design and construction industries. As Vice President, Mindy collaborates with the firm’s partners to bring strategic vision and direction on all marketing, branding and client-relations initiatives. Her previous work experience at design firms and furniture companies, as well as her involvement with CoreNet and IFMA, lends a unique perspective on industry trends and market trajectories.

Sandra Yencho

SECRETARY
Vice President
Pacific Program Management

Christian Bryan

TREASURER
Vice President, Head of Global Real Estate 
Alteryx

Experienced Real Estate Executive with a demonstrated history of working in the media, technology, software and the sports industry. Strong business development professional skilled in Operations, Project Management, Construction, Negotiation, Budgeting, Front Office, Customer Service, and People Management.

EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBERS

Christian Bryan
FINANCE & INVESTMENT

Vice President, Head of Global Real Estate 
Alteryx

Sandra Yencho

GOVERNANCE & NOMINATING
Vice President
Pacific Program Management

Courtney Grill

MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS
Business Development Director
Skanska USA Building

Courtney Grill is a Director of Business Development for Skanska USA Building’s Metro New York Region and is responsible for establishing strategic partnerships and strengthening client relationships. Prior to joining Skanska, Courtney worked on the owner’s representative, project and program management side of the industry for Faithful+Gould and their parent company, Atkins North America, an infrastructure-focused design and engineering firm. While at Faithful+Gould / Atkins North America, Courtney was a National Capture Manager for all sectors and previously a Senior Marketing Manager for the corporate real estate sector of the firm. Courtney assumed the role of Chair of the Marketing & Communications Committee in May 2021, having previously served as the Vice Chair and on other CoreNet Committees with various roles including the Vice Chair of the Public Policy Committee and as a member of the Young Leaders and New Year’s Party committees. Courtney earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Elon University.

Chelsea Flaim

MEMBERSHIP
Senior Manager
CBRE

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Margaux Jaffa

PROGRAMMING & OUTREACH
Director of Client Services
IA Interior Architects

Experienced Business Development leader and Client Liaison with a demonstrated history of working in the CRE and architecture & planning industry. Strong professional skills in Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Contract Negotiation, Sales, Client Prospecting, Marketing and Brand Implementation.

Debra Cole

SPECIAL EVENTS
Principal/ Client Relations Director of New York
hlw

Debra Cole is Client Relations Director for the New York Office of HLW International, and builds industry relationships with a diverse range of clients including broadcast and media, financial corporations, technology, academic institutions and residential buildings. She is the New York industry face of HLW, with more than 30 years of experience connecting clients, architects and consultants. Prior to joining HLW International, Debra led business development efforts at Perkins+Will and prior to that at SOSH Architects. Debra also currently serves on the Executive Board for the New York City Chapter of CoreNet, as well as the Executive Board for both CREW NY & the Women’s Builders Council and is an active member of IFMA and New York Building Congress. In addition, she serves on the leadership event committee of SHARE (Self Help for Women with Breast or Ovarian Cancer) and the event committee for the Special Olympics Real Estate and Construction Gala.

Laura Patel

SPONSORSHIP
Managing Director | Global Head of Business Analytics Sales & Client Solutions
CBRE

With over a decade in the architecture, engineering, and construction industry, I'm dedicated to promoting tools at the cross section of technology and real estate: PropTech.

An experienced sales and partnerships leader, I'm skilled at scaling sophisticated and transformational products with challenger-based sales models. I have a proven ability to build accomplished sales teams and am passionate about talent enablement, with a track record of hiring and developing top-performing business leaders.

A thought leader on AI, virtual reality and PropTech, I've spoken at nearly two dozen exhibitions and conferences around the world, including The World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting of New Champions (Dalian, China), Thin Air Festival (Park City, UT), The Art, Science and Bottom Line of Innovative Designs Technologies (NYC, NY), The Emerging Trends Summit (New York, NY), and The Office of the Future Summit (NYC, NY).

An active member of the New York real estate community, I serve as Chair for CoreNet New York’s Programming and Outreach Committee, and on Urban Land Institute’s Technology and Innovation Council. I’m also a proud board member at BUILD: NYC, a student mentor with Student Sponsor Partners, and a post-secondary coach with Syrian Youth Empowerment. A travel enthusiast, I've visited 40 countries— most recently exploring Taiwan, Bosnia, and Guatemala. 

 

Sonya Dufner

STRATEGIC PLANNING
Client Relationships Management Committee Member, Principal
Gensler

Sonya is a member of Gensler’s Client Relationships Management Committee, an advisor to the Financial Services Practice Area and Director of Workplace Strategy in the firm’s New York office. She is a frequent speaker at events and conferences such as "The Future of Work and Play" at Microsoft and the Global Coworking Conference, and her work has been featured in The Huffington PostEntrepreneurFastCo Design, and more. She is an active member of CoreNet and the American Society of Interior Designers, in which she is a Fellow and a former board member. Sonya serves on the Advisory Boards for Rutgers University Customer Experience Program, the New York School of Interior Design, and Design Ignites Change. She also participates in Real World Design Week.

Jeremy Libby

TECHNOLOGY
Real Estate, Operations Lead
Google

Jeremy Libby is the Real Estate Strategy & Operations Manager at Google. Working alongside Google’s Director of Real Estate, Jeremy is responsible for developing strategy, leading transactions, overseeing development and managing a vast portfolio of initiatives in Manhattan that enable the company to thrive. Prior to joining Google, Jeremy led Global Real Estate Strategy and Portfolio Planning for American Express. Previously, he served as Chief of Staff and Real Estate Strategist to the Head of Real Estate at Bridgewater Associates. Jeremy currently serves on the Executive Board for the CoreNet New York City Chapter and on the Young Leaders Board of CoreNet Global.

CONTENT COUNCIL

Nekesha Sawh 
CAREER DEVELOPMENT
Senior Portfolio Programs Manager
Hines

Corporate Real Estate Integrated Facilities Management professional providing clients operational excellence within Class "A" commercial office buildings. Detailed oriented to launch site openings, projects, develop teams, managing vendor partners relationships creating a workplace of learning, creativity and diversity.

Sarah D'Annibale
DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION
Senior Client Services
M Moser Associates

Thomas Baade-Matheisen

ESG
Partner & Chairman
The Switch

Thomas Mathiesen is Vice President at Altanova - Sustainable Strategy and Innovation, and oversees corporate engagements from concept through project delivery and further partnerships. In real estate, he currently advises a growing portfolio of companies on projects ranging from site selection to portfolio optimization and strategies for high profile build-outs. 

Nishar Fatema

END USER FORUM
Global Workplace Strategist, Workplace Services
ServiceNow

Calandra Cruickshank

PROPTECH
Founder/ CEO
StateBook International

Darrien Pinkman

LANDLORD CIRCLE
Senior Director
Tishman Speyer

Katie Schiavi

PUBLIC POLICY
Director of Business Development I Project Management
Avison Young

Bill Mooney

STRATEGY & PORTFOLIO PLANNING
Executive Vice President
CBRE

Bill Mooney is an Executive Vice President and leads the New York-based Transaction Management HUB in the Northeastern United States for CBRE’s A&T Brokerage-Occupier division.  Mr. Mooney is responsible for creating real estate advisory and process-driven account management solutions for large, global occupiers. Mr. Mooney's portfolio management approach to managing client real estate needs leads to optimum structuring of lease and investment transactions to meet their diverse financial operations and objectives.

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Jack Senske

UNIVERSITY RELATIONS
Associated Director, Global Brokerage & Advisory Services
Colliers International 

Jack Senske is an Associate Director at Colliers International, one of the largest real estate services firm in the world. With over 5-years of experience, Jack has advised a wide range of companies, from early stage start-ups all the way to corporate, multi-market institutions. Jack is originally from Long Beach, California and received a duel degree from Virginia Tech in Real Estate and Business Administration.

Lisa Speltz

WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP

Managing Director, Net Lease Real Estate
Angelo Gordon 

Lisa Speltz joined Angelo Gordon in 2011 and is a Managing Director and Head of Asset Management for the firm’s net lease group. Lisa has over 28 years of broad strategic asset management and corporate real estate experience as well as design and construction experience. Lisa was Director of Real Estate for 10 years of the industrial and office portfolio for Nestle’ Waters North America, Inc. In addition, Lisa was an Alliance Director and Director of Project Management for Trammel Crow Corporate Services; Asset Manager for an office and retail portfolio for ITT Hartford Group, Inc. and an Associate for Cesar Pelli & Associates. Lisa is a registered architect and alumna of the Harvard University Graduate School of Design. Lisa received an M.B.A. in Finance from the University of Connecticut School of Business and a Masters of Architecture from the University of Minnesota’s School of Architecture. Lisa is a Fellow of the Industrial Asset Management Council.

Mark Fischer

YOUNG LEADERS
Account Executive
Lane Office

ADVISORS

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Pay Wu

ADVISOR
Founder
MWBE

Pay Wu is a seasoned executive with more than 20 years in corporate estate management and advisory. As the Executive Managing Director for Strategic Consulting, she heads consulting services for the Tri State region, Cushman & Wakefield’s largest region of corporate clients. Prior to Cushman & Wakefield, Pay served as Senior Vice President, Head of North American Real Estate Client Relationship Management for TD Bank’s Corporate portfolio, where she gained extensive experience solving complex challenges across portfolio, workplace and location strategies. Pay brings her deep operational experience in commercial real estate when navigating Cushman & Wakefield’s broad real estate brokerage. Pay drives value for clients with her vast experience in business service. Pay is a frequent speaker in industry events and published author of numerous articles. She is an MCR workplace and technology instructor on the CoreNet MCR faculty and currently serves as a Senior Advisor to the Executive Board for the NYC Chapter of CoreNet Global.

Dale Schlather

ADVISOR
Executive Vice Chairman, Brokerage Services Chairman of Tenant Advisory Group (TAG)
Cushman & Wakefield

During his 32 year career at Cushman & Wakefield, Dale Schlather has been responsible for the financial structuring, analysis, and negotiation of major corporate and institutional relocations involving the assessment of current leasehold interests and the feasibility of lease/equity transactions, development opportunities and joint venture partnerships. He has played an integral role in the implementation of more than 40 million square feet of lease/purchase transactions in over 50 cities across the United States and internationally, as a tenant representation broker. Dale joined the Midtown office of Cushman & Wakefield as Senior Director in 2001. In 2012, he was promoted to Executive Vice Chairman and was the top producing broker. Dale is also the chairman of Cushman & Wakefield’s tenant advisory group globally.

Gina Rizzo

ADVISOR
Global Client Relations
MillerKnoll

Gina Rizzo is Global Client Relations for Herman Miller and has 30 years of experience in providing solutions to the changing workplace environment. Gina is responsible for the marketing and new business efforts globally within the corporate real estate community and concentrates on building and maintaining relationships early in the process with top decision makers. To assure a strong partnership between Herman Miller and the client, Gina teams with Herman Miller’s global resources to bring an effective and long-term solution for the corporate environment. Gina led the CoreNet NYC Chapter as Chair and President 2009-2011 and served on the CoreNet Global Executive Board 2011-2014.

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Marcus Rayner

ADVISOR
Vice Chairman, New York Region
Colliers International 

Marcus Rayner has more than 30 years of real estate experience and is a recognized leader in our industry. He specializes in strategic planning and execution for tenants and has completed transactions for more than 10 million square feet of space in New York alone, including some of New York’s largest and most successful tech companies. Marcus is a former Chair of the New York City Chapter and a former Member of CoreNet’s Global Executive Board. Prior to joining Colliers, Marcus was a Managing Principal of Cresa from 2001 to 2014. He began his career as a Chartered Surveyor in the United Kingdom. Within the Chapter, Marcus focuses on Public Policy issues, the Landlord Circle, Programing and Mentoring.

Tommy O'Halloran

ADVISOR
Vice President of Business Development
Structure Tone, Inc.

Tommy O’Halloran is a Vice President in the New York headquarters of Structure Tone, where he drives the strategic direction of the firm’s client relations on local and global levels. For the last 13 years, he has spearheaded new business opportunities for the firm and maintained relationships with the firm’s clients, including high-profile commercial landlords and tenants. During this time, he has been responsible for the procurement of new clients representing millions of dollars in revenue streams. Prior to joining Structure Tone, Tommy was an Associate Director and licensed NYS Real Estate broker in the Midtown office of Cushman & Wakefield. Tommy is a graduate of Manhattan College with a Bachelor of Science in Political Science. Tommy is an active volunteer in his local and professional communities, having served charitable causes such as the Archdiocese of New York, the CYO of Westchester/Putnam Counties, Little League Baseball and The Boy Scouts of America, among others.

Lou Nowikas

ADVISOR
Vice President
Hearst Corporation
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Sheena Gohil

ADVISOR
Executive Director
Colliers International

Sheena Gohil is an Executive Director based in Colliers International's New York City office. With more than 12 years of experience as a broker, Sheena provides brokerage and advisory services to corporate, multi-market clientele. Sheena originally started her career in Boston, where she graduated from Boston University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with dual concentrations in Accounting and Finance.

Dan Fishbein

ADVISOR
Adjunct Faculty
NYU Schack Institute of Real Estate

Lou D'Avanzo

ADVISOR
Vice Chairman, Managing Principal
Cushman & Wakefield

Lou D’Avanzo is a Vice Chairman at Cushman & Wakefield, one of the world’s largest real estate services firms and is one of the firm’s leading brokerage professionals. After beginning his career there in 1991, Lou has advised many of the world’s largest financial institutions, hedge funds, private equity firms, law firms and telecommunications firms on their real estate occupancy requirements worldwide. He received his Master of Business Administration in Real Estate and Corporate Finance from Columbia University.

Jason Aster

ADVISOR
Managing Director, Growth
KBA Lease Services

Jason Aster is a Managing Director at KBA Lease Services where he oversees firm management and operations, corporate development, new product ideation, business development, account management and strategic partnerships. Jason is also a subject matter expert with respect to lease administration and audit implementation, processes and negotiation strategies as well as real estate BPO organizational structure. Prior to joining KBA, Jason practiced in a big law corporate real estate and structured finance department as well as a litigation consultant to a boutique Wall Street firm, representing major international banks, federal agencies and private lenders with a focus on real estate and finance.

Neil Austin

ADVISOR
Vice President, Real Estate Portfolio Management and Transaction Services
Omnicom Group Inc.

Barry Alton

ADVISOR
Managing Director and Global Head of Corporate Real Estate and Services
Jefferies & Company, Inc.

In his current role at Jefferies LLC, a full- service Investment Bank with a real estate portfolio of more than 1 million square feet distributed across more than 35 cities through the U.S., Europe and Asia, Barry Alton is responsible for strategic planning, real estate transactions, project design and build, critical infrastructure and on-going maintenance of all sites within the company’s portfolio. Previously, Barry was a Vice President and Manager of Premises and Logistics at BNP Paribas. His early career as a Mechanical Engineer led him into corporate real estate while working closely with landlords and tenants on creative infrastructure projects.