Tommy O'Halloran

CHAIR

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.

Alison Kwiatkowski

PRESIDENT

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

VICE PRESIDENT

Larry Charlip, Vice President of Facilities Management and Corporate Real Estate, manages the global real estate portfolio and facilities operations for Take-Two Interactive. T2 and its subsidiaries operate 40+ offices and over 1 million square feet of office space in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. Larry has more than 25 years of experience in facilities management and corporate real estate across multiple industries including commodities trading, pharmaceutical research, law firms, publishing and interactive entertainment. Larry has taken on many responsibilities at T2 over the past seven years. Prior to joining T2, Larry spent six years as Director, Facilities and Security at Wenner Media, publishers of Rolling Stone, Us Weekly and Men’s Journal magazines.

Frank Cuevas

FINANCE & INVESTMENT

Frank Cuevas is a real estate executive whose experience spans more than 25 years of service to some of the most respected companies in the world in more than 140 countries. Most recently, Frank served as Vice President, Global Real Estate at IBM Corporation, headquartered in Armonk, New York. Frank joined IBM’s senior executive team in November 2015 as a transformational leader and catalyst to fuel the continuing transition of the enterprise and its workplace from product focus to SaaS and technology services. He led the management of IBM’s global real estate operations, including finance, business controls, energy, environmental and M&A. The portfolio comprised 82 million square feet worldwide, including data centers, research labs, manufacturing and office space for approximately 370,000 employees.

Sarah Brown

SECRETARY

As the portfolio manager for the NorthEast Sarah handles real estate and workplace strategy from occupancy planning, design & construction, client management, facilities management, to amenity services. Prior to Capital One Sarah owned Global Corporate Services at a legal consulting firm with a core focus on the real estate portfolio, gaining 10 years of experience in the industry. An active member of CoreNet, Sarah has previously participated in the Annual Dinner, SIG, Awards and Young Leaders committees, working with Young Leaders to start their Community Outreach program.

Christina Fish

DEVELOPMENT

In her role overseeing Tri-State Operations for Project & Development Services, Christina is responsible for supporting strategic development and construction operations throughout the Tri-State Region, managing approximately $4 billion in annual project volume, representing 3,750,000 SF of work put in place throughout the Tri-State area. Christina interfaces with Global Occupier Services and our global team in other PDS markets to develop comprehensive, client-centric portfolio solutions. 

A skilled team builder and knowledgeable construction professional, Christina joined Cushman & Wakefield from a national general contractor. Christina’s background is in construction litigation and alternative dispute resolution, with a focus on complex projects.

When she isn’t getting her boots dirty, Christina enjoys spending time on the water with her husband, daughter, and dog.

Frank Cuevas

FINANCE & INVESTMENT

Frank Cuevas is a real estate executive whose experience spans more than 25 years of service to some of the most respected companies in the world in more than 140 countries. Most recently, Frank served as Vice President, Global Real Estate at IBM Corporation, headquartered in Armonk, New York. Frank joined IBM’s senior executive team in November 2015 as a transformational leader and catalyst to fuel the continuing transition of the enterprise and its workplace from product focus to SaaS and technology services. He led the management of IBM’s global real estate operations, including finance, business controls, energy, environmental and M&A. The portfolio comprised 82 million square feet worldwide, including data centers, research labs, manufacturing and office space for approximately 370,000 employees.

Sarah Brown

GOVERNANCE & NOMINATING

As the portfolio manager for the NorthEast Sarah handles real estate and workplace strategy from occupancy planning, design & construction, client management, facilities management, to amenity services. Prior to Capital One Sarah owned Global Corporate Services at a legal consulting firm with a core focus on the real estate portfolio, gaining 10 years of experience in the industry. An active member of CoreNet, Sarah has previously participated in the Annual Dinner, SIG, Awards and Young Leaders committees, working with Young Leaders to start their Community Outreach program.

Courtney Grill

MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

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.

Mindy Williams - McElearney

MEMBERSHIP

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.

Laura Patel

PROGRAMMING & OUTREACH

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. 

Jeremy Libby

TECHNOLOGY

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.

Sonya Dufner

STRATEGIC PLANNING

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 Post, Entrepreneur, FastCo 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.

John Pavone

CAREER DEVELOPMENT

John is a Senior Managing Director with Colliers International's New York City office where he focuses on tenant representation and select landlord agency assignments, primarily in Midtown Manhattan. John works directly on a team with Michael T. Cohen, President of the Tri-State Region for Colliers International's NYC office.

During his 20+ years in the business, he has been involved in over 8.0 million square feet of sale and lease transactions. While primarily focused on the Manhattan market, he has advised numerous corporate tenants with multi-market transactions and strategic management of their office portfolios, including mark-to-market analysis.

He has advised entrepreneurial landlords as well as institutional ones, such as CalStrs with the successful leasing and marketing for their NYC based assets, including 551 Madison Avenue.

John is a notable adviser to the flex office sector, primarily with Knotel, where he has concluded 250,000 sf of lease transactions in NYC, as well as other consulting assignments within and outside of NYC for the flex office provider; other flex office occupiers John has represented include Virgo Business Centers and HelloAlma in the healthcare sector. 

Cassandra Charles

DIVERSITY, EQUILY AND INCLUSION 

Genesys
Cassandra has over a decade of project management experience. Areas of expertise include project and cost control management including capital projects as large as 400,000 square feet and in excess of $80 million. Sectors include: retail, hospitality, corporate core, shell and interiors as well as luxury residential development and institutional restorations. Cassandra received her BA from New York University and MBA from F.W. from the Olin School of Business at Babson College. Her leadership role is complimented with her proven ability to interact effectively with partners, finance professionals, contractors, and others as an owner’s representative and client.

Jennifer Stein

LANDLORD CIRCLE

Jennifer Stein, Director of Rockefeller Group’s New York leasing portfolio, is responsible for leasing Rockefeller Group’s owned real estate in midtown Manhattan, which contains approximately 4.7 million square feet of office space and approximately 100,000 square feet of retail space. Jennifer negotiates economic, operational and legal issues with respect to commercial real estate leases. Since joining Rockefeller Group’s New York leasing team in 2012, Jennifer has been directly involved in the completion of leases for approximately 3.9 million square feet of office. She joined Rockefeller Group in 2008 and previously held positions in the property management and design and construction departments for Rockefeller Group’s New York office portfolio. Jennifer holds a Bachelor's Degree from Rutgers University and a Master of Science from New York University’s Schack Institute of Real Estate.

Neil Austin

OCCUPIER FORUMS

Katie Koncar

PARTNERSHIPS

Brigitte Beltran

PROPTECH

Self-directed and driven real estate professional with comprehensive accomplishments leading business development and key account management partnerships to achieve goals. An innovative thinker with strong marketing, client insights, presentations, public relations, and industry relationship management acumen. Demonstrated success in developing and executing plans in complex, competitive organizations. Recognized for implementing impactful strategies to understand the competition, emerging trends, and stakeholder relationships. Highly organized, creative problem-solver who excels at guiding teams through challenging projects. Expertise includes sales pipelines to closing and advising C-level executives. 

Space Matrix is a digital design build consultancy enterprise with 15 locations in Asia, Australia and the United States that specializes in workplace design. The firm has developed a unique client focus that creates and delivers profitable, sustainable and future-ready workplace solutions. Space Matrix mission is to continue revolutionizing the delivery of design and build services in Asia and globally.

As part of the Global team, Brigitte is responsible for the development of global key corporate real estate occupiers and partners with operations in the APAC region. She makes it her mission to support her clients with the best value driven solutions throughout the Asian market.

Margaux Jaffa

PUBLIC POLICY

Margaux Jaffa is a Vice President of Business Development at NELSON, focusing on developing and implementing new business across NELSON’s global solutions platform and network of offices. In this role, Margaux works directly with various client real estate teams, connecting them with corresponding NELSON teams, facilitating and securing new projects and global account agreements.

Debra Cole

SPECIAL EVENTS

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.

Bill Mooney

STRATEGY & PORTFOLIO PLANNING

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.

Thomas Baade-Matheisen

SUSTAINABILITY

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. 

Jack Senske

UNIVERSITY RELATIONS

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

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.

Chelsea Flaim

YOUNG LEADERS

Barry Alton

ADVISOR

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.

Neil Austin

ADVISOR

Jason Aster

ADVISOR

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.

Lou D'Avanzo

ADVISOR

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.

Paul Darrah

ADVISOR

Paul Darrah is Director of Real Estate for Google where he is responsible for overseeing all aspects of real estate strategy, design and development in the New York area. This includes delivering innovative workplace solutions and amenities that enable Googlers to thrive, while accommodating Google's continued growth in New York City. Prior to joining Google, Paul was Director of Corporate Services and Real Estate for Bridgewater LP, as well as Director of Real Estate for Lehman Brothers. Paul also served as Director of Real Estate for Bloomberg, where he managed their global portfolio and delivered 731 Lexington Avenue. Paul received his Bachelor of Architecture from Virginia Tech and started his career in New York City as an architect for Brennan Beer Gorman, also opening offices in Washington, D.C. and Kuala Lumpur.

Dan Fishbein

ADVISOR

As the head of Global Real Estate at CIT, Dan Fishbein is responsible for strategic real estate planning, transactions management, subleasing, and lease administration for CIT locations worldwide. As part of his role, he also participates in business unit acquisitions and dispositions. Dan’s past experience includes seven years as Director of Real Estate at The Vanguard Group and asset management responsibilities for investment real estate at BNY Mellon and The Rubenstein Company. He began his career at Boston’s Economic Development Industrial Corporation rising to the position of Director of Real Estate and Planning. After graduating from Boston University, Dan received a Master of City Planning degree from the University of Pennsylvania. Dan has held leadership roles in CoreNet Global since 1994.

Sheena Gohil

ADVISOR

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.

Marcus Rayner

ADVISOR

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.

Gina Rizzo

ADVISOR

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.

Dale Schlather

ADVISOR

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.

Pay Wu

ADVISOR

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.