GARDEN CITY REAL ESTATE PROFESSIONALS FOUNDATION
Who We Are
Garden City Real Estate Professionals Foundation is a not-for-profit Organization dedicated to promoting personal and professional growth among Garden City real estate professionals while spearheading local philanthropic initiatives that benefit the community as a whole.
Our foundation serves as a dynamic platform connecting members through exclusive social events with emphases on community education, networking, industry advancement, and collaborative philanthropy. Since our inception in late 2016, we’ve grown to over 65 members, hosting numerous events, gatherings, presentations, and galas that have raised over half a million dollars for causes such as For All Who Fight, The Mollie Biggane Melanoma Foundation, Cancer Center for Kids at NYU Winthrop University Hospital, I’m Not Done Yet Foundation, and The INN.
We aim to unite the local real estate community for the shared purpose of amplifying life-changing philanthropy. Our goal is to effect positive change by establishing local pathways to address our community’s most pressing challenges. We strive to inspire and empower our members to invest their time, resources, and skills in the service of others. With continued support from our members and trustees, we are committed to expanding our reach, enriching the community, and supporting causes that are important to the residents of Garden City. Together, we work towards creating a better future for all.
Our Core Values
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Education -
Empowerment -
Advocacy -
Integrity -
Collaboration -
Compassion
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Education -
Empowerment -
Advocacy -
Integrity -
Collaboration -
Compassion
GCREPF Board of Trustees
Joseph A. Farkas
Founding Trustee,
and President
Joseph A. Farkas is Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Metropolitan Realty Associates LLC (MRA). With over 35 years of experience as a leader in the real estate industry, Mr. Farkas has a wide range of banking, financial, legal, political, brokerage, and management contacts to effectively acquire, develop, reconstruct, lease, and manage commercial and industrial properties in the New York Metropolitan area.
Mr. Farkas has been broadly recognized as a leader in the adaptive redevelopment of significant projects throughout the New York area, receiving engineering acknowledgement and government awards for development and job creation. As an industry leader, he is a frequent speaker on industry panels and television broadcasts, often quoted in major newspapers and trade magazines.
In 2016, Mr. Farkas founded the Garden City Real Estate Professionals Foundation to support charities dedicated to children’s medical care, medical research and education. A graduate of SUNY Stony Brook, Mr. Farkas resides in Garden City, NY, with his wife and two daughters.
Frank Liantonio
Founding Trustee,
Vice President, and
Co-Chair of Charitable
Events Committee
As Executive Managing Director of Cushman & Wakefield, Frank P. Liantonio oversees business development, consulting, and brokerage at the firm’s NY office. Since joining Cushman & Wakefield in 1981, Mr. Liantonio has held several key leadership positions, including co-head of the firm’s Valuation & Advisory practice and head of its Strategic Advisory Services practice. In 2005, he co-led the firm’s restructuring effort known as the G7 Initiative, and in 2006, was appointed head of U.S. Capital Transaction Services, providing leadership to two of the firms major Groups: Investment Sales, Corporate Finance & Investment Banking and Equity, Debt & Structured Finance. In 2015, he was awarded the Real Estate Board of New York’s Most Ingenious Retail Deal of the Year Award.
As co-founder of the GCREPF, Mr. Liantonio leverages his leadership skills to champion philanthropic causes. He has made significant contributions to the American Cancer Society’s Eastern Division, having served on its Board for six years. Currently, he serves as Vice Chairman of the Board for Tomorrow’s Hope Foundation and sits on the Board of Regents at NYU Winthrop University Hospital.
Salvatore Ciaravino
Founding Trustee,
Vice President and
Chair of Membership
Committee
Salvatore Ciaravino is a Senior Director of Real Estate at Benenson Capital Partners, LLC. Mr. Ciaravino is a dynamic real estate investment professional who is an innovative problem solver with over 25 years of comprehensive experience in sourcing, structuring, and managing transactions while effectively and constantly adding value to an existing portfolio of retail, industrial and office assets throughout the U.S.
Since joining the Benenson in 2000, he has played a pivotal role in over 100 transactions exceeding $1.5 billion in value. Mr. Ciaravino is responsible for identifying strategic investments, developing broker relationships, and leading real estate processes from site selection, property entitlement, sourcing tenants, partnerships, financing, and capital.
Mr. Ciaravino earned a Master’s Degree in Real Estate Investment from NYU and a BA in Accounting from Baruch College. He also served as an adjunct professor at the Schack Institute of Real Estate at NYU. He is an active member of ICSC.
As a compassionate leader, Mr. Ciaravino is a Founding Trustee of the Garden City Real Estate Foundation, a philanthropic foundation established in 2016. Through this Foundation, he assists in raising funds for charities and hospitals dedicated to children’s medical care, medical research, and education.
Joseph A. Farkas is Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Metropolitan Realty Associates LLC (MRA). With over 35 years of experience as a leader in the real estate industry, Mr. Farkas has a wide range of banking, financial, legal, political, brokerage, and management contacts to effectively acquire, develop, reconstruct, lease, and manage commercial and industrial properties in the New York Metropolitan area.
Mr. Farkas has been broadly recognized as a leader in the adaptive redevelopment of significant projects throughout the New York area, receiving engineering acknowledgement and government awards for development and job creation. As an industry leader, he is a frequent speaker on industry panels and television broadcasts, often quoted in major newspapers and trade magazines.
In 2016, Mr. Farkas founded the Garden City Real Estate Professionals Foundation to support charities dedicated to children’s medical care, medical research and education. A graduate of SUNY Stony Brook, Mr. Farkas resides in Garden City, NY, with his wife and two daughters.
As Executive Managing Director of Cushman & Wakefield, Frank P. Liantonio oversees business development, consulting, and brokerage at the firm’s NY office. Since joining Cushman & Wakefield in 1981, Mr. Liantonio has held several key leadership positions, including co-head of the firm’s Valuation & Advisory practice and head of its Strategic Advisory Services practice. In 2005, he co-led the firm’s restructuring effort known as the G7 Initiative, and in 2006, was appointed head of U.S. Capital Transaction Services, providing leadership to two of the firms major Groups: Investment Sales, Corporate Finance & Investment Banking and Equity, Debt & Structured Finance. In 2015, he was awarded the Real Estate Board of New York’s Most Ingenious Retail Deal of the Year Award.
As co-founder of the GCREPF, Mr. Liantonio leverages his leadership skills to champion philanthropic causes. He has made significant contributions to the American Cancer Society’s Eastern Division, having served on its Board for six years. Currently, he serves as Vice Chairman of the Board for Tomorrow’s Hope Foundation and sits on the Board of Regents at NYU Winthrop University Hospital.
Salvatore Ciaravino is a Senior Director of Real Estate at Benenson Capital Partners, LLC. Mr. Ciaravino is a dynamic real estate investment professional who is an innovative problem solver with over 25 years of comprehensive experience in sourcing, structuring, and managing transactions while effectively and constantly adding value to an existing portfolio of retail, industrial and office assets throughout the U.S.
Since joining the Benenson in 2000, he has played a pivotal role in over 100 transactions exceeding $1.5 billion in value. Mr. Ciaravino is responsible for identifying strategic investments, developing broker relationships, and leading real estate processes from site selection, property entitlement, sourcing tenants, partnerships, financing, and capital.
Mr. Ciaravino earned a Master’s Degree in Real Estate Investment from NYU and a BA in Accounting from Baruch College. He also served as an adjunct professor at the Schack Institute of Real Estate at NYU. He is an active member of ICSC.
As a compassionate leader, Mr. Ciaravino is a Founding Trustee of the Garden City Real Estate Foundation, a philanthropic foundation established in 2016. Through this Foundation, he assists in raising funds for charities and hospitals dedicated to children’s medical care, medical research, and education.
Lauren Scarantino
Trustee, Vice
President, Co-Chair of
Charitable Events
Committee
Lauren Scarantino is a partner in the Real Estate Group of the New York office of Alston & Bird LLP, an Atlanta law firm. Lauren graduated with honors from Georgetown University in 2002 and received a law degree, magna cum laude, from the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University in 2007.
Lauren focuses her practice on commercial real estate finance. She represents institutional investors, life insurance companies, commercial banks, investment banks, debt funds, and opportunity funds in a variety of complex single and multi-asset financings of commercial real estate lending transactions. These financings include permanent loans, bridge loans, mezzanine loans, mortgage loans for commercial mortgage-backed securitization (CBMS) programs, loan participations, loan assumptions, and sales and loan modifications, including loan pledges to warehouse facilities, and are secured by various types of real estate, including hotels, office and retail properties, shopping centers, multi-family residential properties, and vacant land.
Lauren was born and raised in raised in Garden City and, along with her three children, currently resides there as well. She has strong ties to the Garden City community and is committed to supporting and promoting philanthropic causes to benefit the Garden City community.
Tiffany Rufrano
Trustee
Read BioMrs. Rufrano is the Asset Management Director for the State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio where she is responsible for managing a 7 million sf portfolio of office, retail, multifamily and industrial assets in the East Region. Previously, Mrs. Rufrano was the Head of Asset Management for Related Companies’ national luxury rental and NYC street retail assets where she was responsible for driving operating performance across the $7B portfolio.
Prior to joining Related, Mrs. Rufrano was a Managing Director responsible for asset management, financing, recapitalization and disposition activities for Greystone Development’s national multifamily and mixed-use operating and development portfolios. Mrs. Rufrano also held VP roles at Paramount Group, a publicly traded office REIT, and in J.P. Morgan’s Global Real Assets group, where she collectively oversaw 15 million sf of trophy office assets in New York, Boston, Washington DC and Atlanta. Mrs. Rufrano began her career at Clarion Partners in 2005 where she had responsibilities in industrial asset management as well as acquisitions and capital raising.
Mrs. Rufrano holds an MBA from New York University Stern School of Business and a bachelor’s degree in finance from The University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business. She is a member of ULI New York’s Mixed-Use Council, a member of New York Women Executives in Real Estate (WX) and an Executive Board Member of the Garden City Real Estate Professionals Foundation which raises funds and awareness for local charities.
Lauren Scarantino is a partner in the Real Estate Group of the New York office of Alston & Bird LLP, an Atlanta law firm. Lauren graduated with honors from Georgetown University in 2002 and received a law degree, magna cum laude, from the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University in 2007.
Lauren focuses her practice on commercial real estate finance. She represents institutional investors, life insurance companies, commercial banks, investment banks, debt funds, and opportunity funds in a variety of complex single and multi-asset financings of commercial real estate lending transactions. These financings include permanent loans, bridge loans, mezzanine loans, mortgage loans for commercial mortgage-backed securitization (CBMS) programs, loan participations, loan assumptions, and sales and loan modifications, including loan pledges to warehouse facilities, and are secured by various types of real estate, including hotels, office and retail properties, shopping centers, multi-family residential properties, and vacant land.
Lauren was born and raised in raised in Garden City and, along with her three children, currently resides there as well. She has strong ties to the Garden City community and is committed to supporting and promoting philanthropic causes to benefit the Garden City community.
Mrs. Rufrano is the Asset Management Director for the State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio where she is responsible for managing a 7 million sf portfolio of office, retail, multifamily and industrial assets in the East Region. Previously, Mrs. Rufrano was the Head of Asset Management for Related Companies’ national luxury rental and NYC street retail assets where she was responsible for driving operating performance across the $7B portfolio.
Prior to joining Related, Mrs. Rufrano was a Managing Director responsible for asset management, financing, recapitalization and disposition activities for Greystone Development’s national multifamily and mixed-use operating and development portfolios. Mrs. Rufrano also held VP roles at Paramount Group, a publicly traded office REIT, and in J.P. Morgan’s Global Real Assets group, where she collectively oversaw 15 million sf of trophy office assets in New York, Boston, Washington DC and Atlanta. Mrs. Rufrano began her career at Clarion Partners in 2005 where she had responsibilities in industrial asset management as well as acquisitions and capital raising.
Mrs. Rufrano holds an MBA from New York University Stern School of Business and a bachelor’s degree in finance from The University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business. She is a member of ULI New York’s Mixed-Use Council, a member of New York Women Executives in Real Estate (WX) and an Executive Board Member of the Garden City Real Estate Professionals Foundation which raises funds and awareness for local charities.
Brad Wolk
Trustee
Read Bio
As a co-leader of Savills’ Integrated Consulting Strategies (ICS), Mr. Wolk guides the strategic planning, financial analysis, and contract negotiations for some of the firm’s largest clients. Joining Savills in 2005, Mr. Wolk rapidly ascended to become one of the youngest global Vice Chairmen. In 2022 he founded, and now leads, Savills’ North American Strategy & Finance Group — a pioneering consultancy of 50+ financial professionals collaborating on best practices and advanced analytics. His team has won multiple REBNY Most Ingenious Deal of the Year awards and numerous accolades for transactional excellence.
As an avid member of the GCRE Professionals Foundation, Mr. Wolk actively supports several medical institutions including Komansky’s Children’s Hospital, Winthrop University Hospital, and Memorial Sloan Kettering. A graduate of Brooklyn Law School, Mr. Wolk proudly resides in Garden City, NY, with his wife, three children, and labradoodle.
John Nero
Executive Board
Member
Read Bio
John Nero serves as Vice Chairman of Newmark’s Healthcare Capital Markets Group and Head of Healthcare Debt. Based in Newmark’s New York headquarters, John works on a variety of healthcare real estate transactions across asset and portfolio sales, financings and equity placements and development advisory on behalf of healthcare provider and institutional investor clients.
John has worked with a wide range of client types, including healthcare systems, hospitals, REITs, and private real estate investment and development firms. His experience with healthcare real estate spans a broad range of asset classes, including medical office buildings, post-acute care facilities, hospitals and others.
John joined Newmark in 2019 from Hammond Hanlon Camp, LLC, a strategic advisory and investment banking firm focused on the healthcare sector where he was a Director in the firm’s real estate group. Previously, he spent five years with Morgan Keegan and Co., where he worked in the firm’s healthcare real estate investment banking group. He began his real estate career at Wells Fargo Bank in their commercial real estate lending group. Nero is a FINRA licensed investment banking professional, holding Series 7 and 63 designations.
John is a Garden City resident where he lives with his wife, Danielle, and two children.
Linda O’Connor
Executive Board Member
Read Bio
As a licensed real estate professional with Douglas Elliman, Linda O’Connor provides trusted guidance to buyers, sellers, and investors with authenticity, integrity, and personal excellence. She specializes in assisting clients through major life transitions, offering thoughtful, strategic support tailored to their unique goals.
With a background in luxury concierge services, high-end sales, and VIP relationship management, Linda brings a refined approach to every client experience. Her global network of real estate experts allows her to serve an international clientele and deliver seamless results across markets.
Passionate about building meaningful relationships and exceeding expectations, Linda is dedicated to providing world-class service and creating exceptional outcomes for every client.
As a co-leader of Savills’ Integrated Consulting Strategies (ICS), Mr. Wolk guides the strategic planning, financial analysis, and contract negotiations for some of the firm’s largest clients. Joining Savills in 2005, Mr. Wolk rapidly ascended to become one of the youngest global Vice Chairmen. In 2022 he founded, and now leads, Savills’ North American Strategy & Finance Group — a pioneering consultancy of 50+ financial professionals collaborating on best practices and advanced analytics. His team has won multiple REBNY Most Ingenious Deal of the Year awards and numerous accolades for transactional excellence.
As an avid member of the GCRE Professionals Foundation, Mr. Wolk actively supports several medical institutions including Komansky’s Children’s Hospital, Winthrop University Hospital, and Memorial Sloan Kettering. A graduate of Brooklyn Law School, Mr. Wolk proudly resides in Garden City, NY, with his wife, three children, and labradoodle.
John Nero serves as Vice Chairman of Newmark’s Healthcare Capital Markets Group and Head of Healthcare Debt. Based in Newmark’s New York headquarters, John works on a variety of healthcare real estate transactions across asset and portfolio sales, financings and equity placements and development advisory on behalf of healthcare provider and institutional investor clients.
John has worked with a wide range of client types, including healthcare systems, hospitals, REITs, and private real estate investment and development firms. His experience with healthcare real estate spans a broad range of asset classes, including medical office buildings, post-acute care facilities, hospitals and others.
John joined Newmark in 2019 from Hammond Hanlon Camp, LLC, a strategic advisory and investment banking firm focused on the healthcare sector where he was a Director in the firm’s real estate group. Previously, he spent five years with Morgan Keegan and Co., where he worked in the firm’s healthcare real estate investment banking group. He began his real estate career at Wells Fargo Bank in their commercial real estate lending group. Nero is a FINRA licensed investment banking professional, holding Series 7 and 63 designations.
John is a Garden City resident where he lives with his wife, Danielle, and two children.
As a licensed real estate professional with Douglas Elliman, Linda O’Connor provides trusted guidance to buyers, sellers, and investors with authenticity, integrity, and personal excellence. She specializes in assisting clients through major life transitions, offering thoughtful, strategic support tailored to their unique goals.
With a background in luxury concierge services, high-end sales, and VIP relationship management, Linda brings a refined approach to every client experience. Her global network of real estate experts allows her to serve an international clientele and deliver seamless results across markets.
Passionate about building meaningful relationships and exceeding expectations, Linda is dedicated to providing world-class service and creating exceptional outcomes for every client.
Brian Pinnola
Trustee Emeritus and
Director Community
Affairs
Brian Pinnola
Trustee Emeritus and
Director Community
Affairs
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