**New York People and Company News – Week of February 13, 2026**
**American Landmark Apartments** has expanded its capital markets team with the addition of Andrew Yam as Senior Managing Director and Global Head of Capital Markets, and Jessica Wichser as Senior Executive Portfolio Manager. Both roles are based in New York and strengthen the firm’s senior leadership team as it deepens its ties with institutional investors.
**Black Bear Capital Partners**, the financing affiliate of Black Bear Asset Management, continues its national expansion plans into 2026 with the addition of key talent. Robert Serra joined as Director in the New York office, where he leads business development and the execution of structured debt and equity transactions across all property types. This follows the recent hires of Freddy Johnson as Managing Director in Chicago in October 2025—focused on ground-up and transitional multifamily—and Romulus Avram as Executive Director in Basking Ridge, NJ, who manages client relationships, underwriting, and data initiatives.
**Claros Mortgage Trust, Inc. (CMTG)** appointed Denise Olsen to its Board of Directors effective March 2, 2026. She will serve as an independent director and as a member of the audit committee. Additionally, Vincent Tese announced he will retire from the Board at the end of his term and not seek re-election at the upcoming annual meeting.
**Prime X**, a title insurance agency backed by RXR and Fidelity National Financial, appointed Toni Carasig-Carlos as Underwriting Counsel. Based at the firm’s Uniondale, NY, headquarters, Carasig-Carlos brings over 20 years of legal and industry experience to help grow the firm’s commercial real estate portfolio in the New York Metro area and beyond.
**Everspan Group**, a specialty property and casualty insurance platform and subsidiary of Octave Specialty Group, Inc., has made leadership changes to fuel its next growth phase. Effective immediately, Darwin Lucas has been named President, succeeding Steve Dresner. Nicole Crowley has also been promoted to General Counsel. Lucas will continue in his current role as Chief Underwriting and Reinsurance Officer.
**J.F. Lehman & Company**, a prominent alternative asset manager in aerospace, defense, maritime, environmental, and infrastructure sectors, has announced a series of promotions and new appointments. Michael S. Friedman, William J. Hanenberg, and David F. Thomas have been promoted to Partner, Private Equity. R. Benjamin Hatcher and Kevin Vallès were named Managing Directors, Alec M. Schmidt was promoted to Principal, and additional promotions include Isabel Grabel to Vice President, Marketing & Investor Relations; Sarah Cabrera to Vice President, Controller; and Mokhtar Akhtari to Fund Controller. The firm has also welcomed Emilie Q. Ascione as Associate on the Investment Team and Mila A. Schuster to the Administrative Team.
**DIGroup Architecture (DIG)** associate principal Kelli Glasgow has been named 2026 President of the AIA Newark & Suburban Architects (AIANS), representing more than 600 members. AIANS is the largest local segment of the American Institute of Architects in New Jersey.
**Apex Commercial Exchange (ACE)**, a tech-enabled commercial real estate marketplace, has entered a strategic syndication partnership with Buildout, an AI-driven brokerage platform. The integration significantly enhances property listing visibility via expanded distribution to ACE’s targeted buyer marketplace. Brokers maintain full control of listings while benefiting from enhanced exposure.
**Cerity Partners**, a top-tier independent investment and wealth management firm, announced a merger with Verus Investments, an institutional investment consulting firm overseeing approximately $1.2 trillion in assets. The firms will align under the Cerity Partners name, creating a stronger, unified brand rooted in shared values.
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