It’s impossible to have a con-versation about the greatest New York commercial brokers in the business without talking about Mary Ann Tighe. The Real Estate Board of New York chairwoman has made the art of the complex negotiation look easy (maybe be-cause it is, to her) and has closed deals that seem to be shaping not only the city’s landscape but the development of whole neighbor-hoods in Manhattan.

Ms. Tighe is a seven-time win-ner of the Real Estate Board of New York’s Deal of the Year award, and has received REBNY’s Louis Smadbeck Memorial Broker Recognition Award, the Bernard H. Mendik Lifetime Achievement Award and the Schack Institute of Real Estate’s Urban Leadership Award—which she was the first woman to receive.

Recent large deals include her representation of Condé Nast in its move to 1 World Trade Center, and retailer Coach as it takes on anchor-tenant status in the new

Hudson Yards development in Midtown West.

According to Ms. Tighe, the industry is significantly more gender-neutral than it was even 10 years ago. “I’m hardly ever in a meeting anymore where I am the only woman in the room.” That rarely happened when she began, over 27 years ago, she added. As more female figures in the real estate market become major forc-es in the industry, it will become a more gender-blind business world, she explained. “The curve is moving in the right direction.”

Ms. Tighe considers herself a mentor, hoping to give less ex-perienced brokers the benefit of her knowledge. “I learn from them as well,” she said. The CBRE CEO counts other CBRE brokers such as Lauren Crowley-Coronet, Ramneek Rikhy and Joan Meixner as pupils of sorts, among many others.

A business that rewards merit, commercial real estate allows its practitioners to watch the city

grow and develop while working with companies in all industries, Ms. Tighe explained. “This is a business that touches all of it.” —Karsten Strauss

Mary Ann Tighe, CBREPresident, Tristate Area

46 | DECEMBER 11, 2012  | THE COMMERCIAL OBSERVER

Deborah RomanoCBRE

Senior Project Manager Year joined: 2000

Clients include American Express and Morgan Stanley.

Ahouva RubinsteinMurray Hill Properties

Sales and Leasing BrokerYear joined: 1999

Fluent in English and Hebrew and conversant in German and

French.

Amy RoseRose Associates

Co-PresidentYear joined: 1989

Co-heads the firm, which manag-es over 27,000 apartments.

Nancy RuddyCetraRuddy

Founding PrincipalYear joined: 1987

Clients include Extell Development, Tishman-Speyer

Properties, Vornado Realty Trust and Columbia University.

Beth RosenRKF

Managing DirectorYear joined: 2001

National tenants include Carlo Pazolini, Madewell, Oakley, Tumi,

J.Crew, Monika Chiang, Diesel, Free People and Anthropologie.

Ellen RudinCBRE

Managing DirectorYear joined: 2006

Head of CBRE’s Long Island and outer borough operations.

Shannon RzeznikiewiczJones Lang LaSalle

Vice PresidentYear joined: 2009

Clients include Interupublic Group of Companies, ADP Inc.

and Ipsos NA.

Rosemary ScanlonNYU Schack Institute of Real

EstateDivisional Dean

Year joined: 2000Named Divisional Dean of NYU

Schack Institute of Real Estate in 2012.

Kara Schechter-RakowskiBelkin Burden Wenig & Goldman

LLPPartner

Year joined: 1991Specializes in property develop-

ment and demolition.

Janelle RovegnoCBRE

Assistant Real Estate Manager Year joined: 2006

Clients include Kate Spade, Coty Inc. and Artisanal Fromagerie &

Bistro.

Jennifer Ruschways2design

PresidentYear joined: 2001

Works in various fields of design such as residential, hospitality,

retail and commercial.

Lori Samet SchwarzZetlin & De Chiara LLP

PartnerYear joined: 2003

Represents architects, engineers, construction managers, sure-

ties and developers in a variety of construction-related matters.

Karen ScannaStroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP

Partner, Real EstateYear joined: 1996

Helped Silverstein Properties in the 2001 acquisition and financ-

ing of the World Trade Center.

Amber SchneiderNewmark Grubb Knight Frank

DirectorYear joined: 2012

Specializes in facility real estate planning and design.