2024 Power Players in Real Estate

A partner in Fried Frank’s industry-leading real estate department, Laurinda Martins represents clients in complex commercial real estate transactions, including large-scale acquisitions, disposition, equity and debt financings, joint ventures, and development projects. Laurinda’s practice focuses on commercial mortgage, mezzanine, and construction financing on behalf of lenders and borrowers; preferred equity investments; joint ventures; acquisitions and dispositions; and loan restructures and workouts.

Michael McKee has been a tenants’ rights organizer and advocate for 50 years. He co-founded the New York State Tenants & Neighbors Coalition in 1973. Since 1997 he has been treasurer of Tenants Political Action Committee. Tenants PAC played a central role in flipping the state senate from red to blue in 2018, which electoral victory led directly to the enactment of the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019, which expanded rent control applicability statewide.

Is there a project you are excited to work on or see completed in 2024?
Helping more tenants in upstate municipalities working to convince their local legislative bodies to opt into the Emergency Tenant Protection Act, like Kingston and Newburgh have already done.

What is your favorite part of working in real estate?
Consistently defeating the real estate lobby despite the lopsided power relationship between it and the tenant movement. David beats Goliath. (Their power comes from their money, and their money comes from the rents we pay them. Tenants should never forget this.)

Jolie Milstein is president and CEO of the New York State Association for Affordable Housing (NYSAFAH), the largest affordable housing trade group in the country, and serves as a housing expert and leading advocate for policies on matters that advance the industry. Through partnerships with agency, elected and corporate leaders, Jolie has helped transform NYSAFAH into the foremost voice on housing issues in both New York City and State.

Is there a project you are excited to work on or see completed in 2024?
I’m excited to see some development in Brooklyn’s Gowanus neighborhood, which has started the process of adding 8,500 new apartments as part of a comprehensive rezoning plan. The rezoning is a testament to what residents can do to invest in existing infrastructure and create housing – it’s the result of almost a decade of community reviews, collaborations, and negotiations. I’m hopeful the impact will increase affordability while expanding public resources and supporting all residents.

What is your favorite part of working in real estate?
I’m inspired every day by the commitment to expanding housing affordability and availability for all New Yorkers – regardless of income. Each phase of the affordable housing development, from its initial proposal to the ribbon cutting, requires a firm commitment to some of our most vulnerable residents. I’m proud to work across public agencies, private companies, and nonprofit organizations to advance this vision.

What qualities do you believe make up a successful real estate professional?
Innovation and resourcefulness are crucial to a career in real estate, particularly when working in affordable development. Working in the industry means always working on thin budget margins with limited resources. The mark of a successful real estate professional is an ability to use all available tools to create high-quality housing for residents – even in spite of the restrictive zoning practices, limited funding, political roadblocks, and NIMBYism that may at times limit development.

Matthew Murphy is the executive director of the NYU Furman Center. Previously, he served as deputy commissioner for the Office of Policy and Strategy at the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development. Working at the intersection of housing policy, affordable housing finance, and land use, he is a leading expert on New York City and national housing issues and is regularly quoted in the New York Times, CNN, NBC, NY1, Politico, among other news outlets.

The proud daughter of a real estate agent, Neda is focused on bringing Compass’s mission to life across the United States. Prior to Compass Neda was the director of urban systems at Sidewalk Labs, the division of Google focused on building smart cities. Neda also spent years in the Bay Area working at high-growth technology companies, and in East Africa building programs to support female entrepreneurs. Neda started her career as a management consultant at McKinsey & Co. She earned her MBA from Harvard Business School and her B.A. in economics from Columbia University.

Jay advises a broad range of clients with the development, ownership and financing of real estate projects, including high-profile mixed-use, commercial, retail, and residential projects throughout the country. A nationally recognized transactional lawyer, Jay represents institutional and private equity funds, and other investors, in joint ventures, the acquisition and sale of property, and a broad variety of developments. He represents major international funds and financial institutions in lending transactions, preferred equity investments, loan restructurings and workouts.

Is there a project you are excited to work on or see completed in 2024?
2024 will see the opening of the landmarked Broadway Palace Theatre which was raised 30 feet in an incredibly innovative transaction as well as the designation of a Manhattan casino site. 2024 will require creatively matching the enormous confluence of funds with challenging transactions in a dynamic market.

What is your favorite part of working in real estate?
My favorite part of working in real estate is the need to work creatively and collaboratively, often with very colorful personalities, to accomplish a win-win. The transactions have become even more complex often with participants with very divergent perspectives. Getting to a completed transaction is incredibly gratifying. 

What qualities do you believe make up a successful real estate professional?
There is simply no substitute for being smart, working hard and being responsive. There’s also never a reason to be a “jerk”. You could be a zealous advocate without taking unreasonable positions, and never ever break your word. It takes years to establish a reputation, and only a moment to ruin it.

A senior hospitality executive with deep roots in the industry, Anton has spearheaded the development and operations of many of the travel industry’s premier destination resort brands – holding various leadership positions at MGM Resorts International. As CEO of Seaport Entertainment, Anton oversees the Seaport in Lower Manhattan and the company’s ownership stake in Jean-Georges Restaurants, in addition to the Las Vegas Aviators Triple-A Minor League Baseball team and the Fashion Show Mall air rights.

Is there a project you are excited to work on or see completed in 2024?
We’re developing a new approach to neighborhood planning – transitioning from a traditional tenant-relationship model to true partnerships with mutual investment in success. This transition presents a lot of unique challenges, but also incredible opportunities. In most neighborhoods, the experience is siloed; though like-minded businesses may come together eventually, it can take a long time for that to happen organically. Here, we can accelerate these connections, ensuring a complimentary and vibrant experience for our visitors.

What is your favorite part of working in real estate?
In real estate, we have the opportunity to build dynamic environments that can foster exceptional holistic experiences for our visitors and tenants alike. Our actions can have broad impacts on the character of a neighborhood, and we have the unique ability to help create cohesive, welcoming communities. To see that vision brought to life, and to exceed expectations, is exciting.

What qualities do you believe make up a successful real estate professional?
You must always keep an eye on the future – thinking of your future constituents and their needs. From determining your construction budget to leasing the space, it is essential to have a good sense of what type of business will thrive there. At the same time, you must be aggressive and actively pursue partnerships that will advance your vision instead of waiting for opportunities to come to you. 

Jimmy Oddo is the commissioner of the New York City Department of Buildings. Commissioner Oddo was appointed after serving in the Adams administration as chief of staff to Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi since January 2022. He brings decades of elected, legal, and academic experience to the administration and this new role. Commissioner Oddo received a J.D. from New York Law School and a bachelor’s degree in history from Fordham University.

Entrepreneur R. Donahue Peebles leads The Peebles Corporation (TPC), a major real estate and development firm established in 1983. TPC has an impressive track record of over 10 million square feet in real estate development and a pending pipeline of $8 billion across key U.S. cities. Mr. Peebles, an industry leader in large-scale urban development, focuses on Affirmative Development™ principles to bridge racial wealth gaps. He is a top-selling author, commentator, and civic leader.

David L. Picket, Gotham Organization’s CEO since 1991. As a fourth-generation leader, he has overseen the creation of 5,000 housing units with another 3,000 in the pipeline and 1.7 million sq. ft. of urban retail. Under his direction, Gotham has prioritized public/private partnerships, fostering the development of affordable housing, schools, community facilities, and job programs. David’s innovative leadership has perpetuated Gotham’s 110-year legacy.

Is there a project you are excited to work on or see completed in 2024?
We are thrilled to complete 550 10th Ave, a 453-unit development in Midtown West. Highly amenitized, it will offer 20,000+ SF of indoor and outdoor amenities including a 45th-floor sky deck. The ground floor will feature 9,000 SF of neighborhood retail space, while two podium floors totaling 27,000 SF are dedicated to Covenant House. The location is a few blocks from Hudson Yards and major office markets, adding to its appeal.

What is your favorite part of working in real estate?
The different skills required to develop a building – acquisitions, entitlements, design, construction, marketing, leasing, property and asset management.

What qualities do you believe make up a successful real estate professional?
Not all that different from what makes any professional successful – the ability to listen, to synthesize information, to convey your point of view to varying audiences, to embrace difficult situations, to constantly pay attention to what your employees, tenants, partners and lenders need.