New York People and Company News, Week of August 23, 2024

We’re adding executive-level openings to our Friday New York Weekly People & Company News. Please send entries for consideration to [email protected].

• Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust, Inc. (BREIT) announced that current COO Wesley LePatner will become BREIT’s CEO as of Jan. 1, 2025. She will succeed Frank Cohen, who, after nearly 30 years, plans to retire from Blackstone at year-end.  Cohen will remain chairman of BREIT’s board of directors. 

• MFA Financial, Inc. announced that Bryan Wulfsohn, MFA’s co-CIO, will assume the additional role of president effective Sept. 3. He will assume the role of president from CEO Craig L. Knutson, who will remain as CEO. The company also named Lori Samuels as MFA’s chief loan operations officer, where she will be responsible for overseeing MFA’s asset management, underwriting, contract finance and other loan-related operations 

• VeriFast, an AI-powered verification-as-a-service platform that automates financial analysis and decision making for resident screening, mortgage underwriting and consumer lending, hired Bob Hansen as VP of sales. Most recently, Hansen was a principal at Second Nature, a developer of a fully managed resident benefits platform. In addition to hiring Hansen, VeriFast has promoted team member Jeanne Klein from VP of sales to SVP of sales and Becca Stafford to VP of operations. 

• Following its $75-million Series D fundraise, EliseAI has added veteran multifamily executive Jacob Kosior to its leadership team as VP of client strategy. He brings more than 10 years’ experience in multifamily, spanning operations, marketing, and centralization efforts across conventional, student housing, affordable housing and build-to-rent communities. 

• Kensington Vanguard National Land Services said that Heather Bell has been sworn into the executive board as secretary/treasurer for the New Jersey Land Title Association. This appointment kicks off a four-year term, where in her final year, she will serve as president. In addition, the NJLTA awarded Bell the Certified Title Professional designation in May and will present it to her at the annual NJLTA convention this fall. Bell currently serves as EVP – national title examination at KV, where she began working in 2006.  

• SL Green Realty Corp. announced that its board of directors has declared a monthly ordinary dividend of $0.25 per share of common stock, the equivalent of an annualized dividend of $3.00 per share. The dividend is payable in cash on Sept. 16, 2024 to shareholders of record at the close of business on August 30.