Chapter Leadership

Louis D’Avanzo is a Vice Chairman at Cushman & Wakefield, the world’s largest independent real estate services firm and is one of the firm’s leading brokerage professionals. After beginning his carreer there in 1991, Mr. D’Avanzo 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 MBA in Real Estate and Corporate Finance from Columbia University.

Daniel Fishbein is a strategically focused asset manager for corporate and investment real estate. Current responsibilities include planning, transactions management and lease administration for CIT locations worldwide.  At BNY Mellon/Urdang and The Rubenstein Company, he drove the performance of over $1 billion of commercial real estate assets as he executed turn around strategies resulting in annualized returns exceeding 15% for most properties. Mr. Fishbein headed the Real Estate and facilities functions at The Vanguard Group as the company achieved a sixfold increase in size and transitioned into a newly constructed corporate campus.  He began his career at Boston’s Economic Development Industrial Corporation where he rose to the position of Director, Real Estate and Planning. Having received an MA in City Planning from the University of Pennsylvania, Mr. Fishbein is currently a member of the Zell Lurie Real Estate Center. He received his BA from Boston University.

Ms. Nanna is Director of Global Administration of General Atlantic. She is responsible for managing all the Executive Assistants in the firm, as well as handling Real Estate, Travel and general Office Administration. Prior to joining General Atlantic, Ms. Nanna worked as a Senior Associate at VVA Project Managers & Consultants where she garnered her extensive experience in project management, engineering, construction and land development. Ms. Nanna has a BS from the University of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied Science.

Dino Piccini, Treasurer

As a Senior Vice President of DTZ, Dino Piccini is responsible for securing, developing and managing global occupier services accounts. Prior to joining DTZ in 2000, Mr. Piccini gained significant corporate real estate experience at Air Products, PepsiCo, and JP Morgan Chase before joining leading real estate advisory firms Richard Ellis in 1990 and CBRE in 1997. Mr. Piccini served on the Board of CoreNet Global as it’s Treasurer and is a Boardroom Executive Affiliate of the National Association of Corporate Directors as well as a member of the Real Estate Board of New York. He earned his Bachelor of Engineering degree from Stevens Institute of Technology.

Barry Alton, Communities

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

In his current role at Jefferies & Company, Inc., a full service Investment Bank with a real estate portfolio of over 1 million SF distributed across more than 30 cities through the US, 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, Mr. Alton 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.

Jonathan Coun, Membership

Associate Director of Corporate Real Estate, Interpublic Group

Jonathan Coun currently serves as the Associate Director of Corporate Real Estate for the Interpublic Group. In this capacity, he is responsible for transaction management, strategic planning and project management for Interpublic's 6.5 million RSF North American portfolio. Prior to 2014, Mr. Coun had the same responsibilities for Interpublic's 5 million RSF International portfolio. Prior to joining Interpublic, Jonathan performed senior CRE consultinf roles at two New York based real estate brokerage companies and the the position of Director, Portfolio Management, at Prudential Financial. Mr. Coun received his BS in Industrial Engineering from Rutgers University and a MBA in Finance and International Business from Seton Hall University.  

 

Jody Brown, Programs

Senior Director, Global Sourcing - Real Estate & General Services, Thomson Reuters

Jody Brown is a Senior Director at Thomson Reuters, the world's leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals with over 65,000 employees in more than 100 countries.  Jody leads a team of senior strategic sourcing professionals, who partner with business leads to innovate and deliver on savings objectives, mitigate risk, ensure compliance and increase value.  Jody spent the bulk of her career in real estate strategy, design & construction and workplace strategy in major financial/pharma institutions, co-founded a CAFM company and has experience as a service provider.  She has a degree in Environmental Design from University of Vermont, graduate study in Interior Design from Pratt Institute, and an MS from Cornell in Facility Planning and Management.

   

Mindy Williams-McElearney, Special Events

Vice President, L&K Partners Inc. 

In her position as Vice President at L&K Partners Inc., Mindy Williams-McElearney collaborates with the firm partners to bring strategic vision and direction on all marketing, branding and client-relations initiatives. She has over 20 years of experience working in partnership with the real estate, design and construction industries.  Her previous work experience at design firms and furniture companies, as well as her involvement with CoreNet, will lend a unique perspective on industry trends and market trajectories. Prior to joining L&K Partners Inc., Ms. Williams-McElearney worked with IA Interior Architects as their Director of Business Development, served as the Business Development Manager for TSC Design Associates and spent over a decade at Knoll, Inc.

   

Saeid Garebaglow, Special Industry Groups

Vice President, Faithful+Gould

With more than 20 years of experience in architecture and the corporate real estate industry, Saeid Garebaglow has worked in such diverse fields as design, systems, project management and real estate strategic planning. As Vice President at Morgan Stanley, he was  responsible for Americas Project Management and leads teams through design and construction stages to complete projects. Prior to Morgan Stanley, Mr. Garebaglow worked in Citigroup’s Global Workplace Solutions, where he led the initiative to develop and implement Citigroup’s Global Occupancy Management System. He holds a BA in Architecture from at City College of New York and has completed further studies in Ecole des Beaux Arts in Fontainebleau, France. Mr. Garebaglow is a New York state registered architect.

     

Cindy Quan, External Relations

Vice President of the Infrastructure Planning Group, Corporate Services and Real Estate, Goldman, Sachs & Co. 

As Vice President in the Infrastructure Planning Group in Corporate Services and Real Estate, Cindy Quan oversees Goldman, Sachs & Co.’s global environmental initiatives including the green building portfolio and the firm’s carbon reduction strategy. She was responsible for the LEED Gold Certification of the World Headquarters building located in Downtown Manhattan at 200 West Street.  Ms. Quan graduated with a BS in Facilities Management and Policy Analysis from Cornell University. 

Ted Moudis, AIA, Sponsorship
Senior Principle, Ted Moudis Associates 
Ted Moudis, AIA, has a distinguished 30-year career. In 1990, he founded Ted Moudis Associates. Mr. Moudis’ business acumen and leadership have propelled his firm to be a widely recognizable and respected presence in the industry, consistently ranked in the top 10 design firms in New York and top 50 nationwide. Mr. Moudis’ diverse and extensive experience in architecture and interior design ranges from corporate headquarters for financial firms, insurance and media companies to luxury retailers, with projects spanning the globe.  He inspires the best in design and performance, delivers beyond what is expected and endeavors to achieve the highest standards for every client. Mr. Moudis is also leading the way towards efficient, environmentally responsible design and is committed to helping clients reach sustainable (LEED) goals.  He has earned the respect of his colleagues and the steadfast loyalty of many clients through his day-to-day involvement, quality control and conviction of providing superior services and technical expertise with high quality design. 

Sheena Gohil, Workshops
Director, Colliers International
Sheena Gohil is a Director based in Colliers International's Midtown New York office. She focuses on providing brokerage and transaction management services to corporate/institutional clientele as well as small ad medium sized professional service firms in varying industries. Prior to joining Colliers International, Ms. Gohil worked in Boston, where she was concentrated on both tenant and landlord representation. Ms. Gohil graduated from Boston University, where she received a Bachelor of Science in Business administration with dual concentrations in Accounting and Finance. 


Jason Aster, Counsel
Vice President KBA Lease Services
Jason Aster is Vice President at KBA Lease Services where his duties include business development and client relations, with a primary focus on the New York market. Mr. Aster has coupled his legal background with experience in corporate communication to develop and implement strategies for KBA’s lease audit services. Prior to joining KBA, Mr. Aster practiced general corporate law and litigation in New York, representing major international banks and private lenders with a focus on real estate and structured finance. Mr. Aster attended both the University of Virginia School of Law and University of Virginia School of Arts and Sciences, where he obtained a degree in History, Sociology and a Juris Doctor.

Pay Wu is a Vice President in American Express’ Global Business Services division, focused on Global Real Estate and Workplace Enablement. In this capacity, Ms. Wu and her team are responsible for end-to-end real estate delivery and customer relationship management for the Americas Portfolio. In addition, she leads American Express’ innovative workplace strategy, BlueWork, and is in charge of enterprise program standards, management and deployment of BlueWork programs globally. Ms. Wu has a BS in Design and Environmental Analysis and Facilities Planning and Management from Cornell University and is MCR certified and currently working towards her SLCR designation.

With over 20 years experience providing corporate real estate advice to clients in the US and specializing in strategic planning and transaction services, Mr. Rayner previously served as the Managing Principal of Cresa’s New York office. Mr. Rayner is a former member of the firm's Board of Directors and is a qualified member of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (MRICS) in the UK.

Dale Schlather joined Cushman Realty Corporation, which later merged with Cushman & Wakefield, as National Director of Financial Services. After having founded the San Diego office in 1991, he served as Senior Managing Director at Cushman & Wakefield before being promoted to Executive Director. Throughout his career, Mr. Schlather has been responsible for the financial structuring, analysis and negotiation of major corporate and institutional relocations, development opportunities and joint venture partnerships, playing an integral role in the structuring, analysis and implementation of lease transactions across the US.