The Fordham Real Estate Institute (REI) brought together hundreds of business and real estate professionals at its Lincoln Center campus June 18 for the second annual “Building Futures” premier awards gala to celebrate industry visionaries and support future careers in commercial real estate.
The event benefitted Fordham’s Building Futures Scholarship Fund, which offers low-income New Yorkers access to REI’s courses and programs, and to careers in real estate and construction.
“We are proud to honor the women and men who are leading the real estate industry to the next level,” said Dr. Anthony R. Davidson, dean of Fordham University’s School of Professional and Continuing Studies. “We also recognize the importance of preparing the future leaders of real estate and creating opportunities for students to achieve their career goals.”
Steven Roth, chairman and CEO of Vornado Realty Trust, served as honorary host and presented the 2024 Visionary Award to Ethan Penner, CEO of Mosaic Real Estate Investors. Penner has built and led numerous investment and origination businesses. In 2015, he founded Mosaic, which specializes in high-quality fixed-income investment opportunities and at its peak had assets under management near $1 billion. In 2008, he founded and led CBRE Capital Partners. He has taught at the University of Southern California’s graduate business school and Pepperdine University and is the author of “Greatness Is a Choice.”
“We live in a very confusing time and the need for visionary leadership, action and courage is unprecedented. It is my hope that in my small way, I can inspire many others to find their visionary selves,” said Penner.
This year’s Groundbreakers Award was presented to Annemarie DiCola, CEO of Trepp Inc., a leading provider of information, analytics and services to the structured finance, CRE and banking markets. Mosfigul Aktar, CEO of AlphaRithm AI, received the Titan of Tomorrow Award. Aktar co-founded AlphaRithm AI, which uses data-driven insights and democratized analytics to revolutionize the real estate industry.
