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REBNY President John Banks Stepping Down

John Banks is retiring as president of the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY), and will focus on his family and philanthropic causes. REBNY’s board of governors confirmed Jim Whelan, who has served as EVP for the past nine years, as the group’s next president, effective July 1.

“Throughout my career, I have been extremely fortunate to work with people and organizations that have helped me grow both personally and professionally; and because of this tremendous support I now have the ability to make this very personal choice,” said Banks.

A veteran of 33 years in the public and private sectors, Banks joined REBNY in March 2015. Previously, he was VP of government relations at Consolidated Edison for nearly 13 years. He was also chief of staff for the New York City Council and deputy director of the Council’s finance division, and served in the Mayor’s Office of Operations during the Koch administration.

“John led the Real Estate Board with a steady and expert hand, and the organization and our industry is better for his leadership,” said REBNY chair William Rudin. “He successfully guided us through many challenges and complicated issues.”

For comments, questions or concerns, please contact Paul Bubny

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About Paul Bubny

Paul Bubny serves as Senior Content Director for Connect Commercial Real Estate, a role to which he brings 16-plus years’ experience covering the commercial real estate industry and 30-plus years in business-to-business journalism. In this capacity, he oversees daily operations while also reporting on both local/regional markets and national trends, covering individual transactions across all property types, as well as delving into broader subject matter. He produces 7-10 daily news stories per day and works with the Connect team and clients to develop longer-form content, ranging from Q&As to thought-leadership pieces. Prior to joining Connect, Paul was Managing Editor for both Real Estate Forum and GlobeSt.com at American Lawyer Media, where he oversaw operations at both publications while also producing daily news and feature-length articles. His tenure in B2B publishing stretches back into the print era, and he has served as Editor in Chief on four national trade publications. Since 1999, Paul has volunteered as the newsletter editor of passenger rail advocacy groups (one national, one local).

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