New York People and Company News, Week of August 21, 2026

Veteran dealmaker Lisa A. Lim has returned to Akerman LLP’s Real Estate Practice Group as a partner in New York City, where she will serve as Chair of Affordable Housing Transactions. Lim has previously served as general counsel of the New York City Public Housing Preservation Trust, and earlier in her career held positions at Empire State Development, the New York State Housing Finance Agency, the New York State Office of the Attorney General, and the New York City Housing Authority. She focuses her practice on real estate finance and development, economic development, and affordable housing.

Ted Moudis Associates (TMA), a leading workplace architecture and interior design firm, announced that Arjav Shah has joined the firm as Senior Studio Design Principal. Bringing more than 18 years of design and leadership experience, Shah will help advance TMA’s creative practice and bring new perspectives to the firm’s work as organizations continue to rethink the role and potential of the workplace.

NAI James E. Hanson, the largest New Jersey-based full-service independent commercial real estate firm, announces that Associate Ayush Patel, MSRE, is now a licensed real estate salesperson in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. Patel is the only associate at the firm currently licensed across all three states, positioning him to better serve clients with holdings throughout the Tri-State area and manage transactions across state lines.

Larken Associates, a full-service commercial and residential real estate firm, announces the hiring of Michael Leibowitz as Leasing Manager. He will oversee leasing strategy across the firm’s approximately 3,000-unit, 20-community Larken Living residential portfolio.

AVAIO Digital, a next-generation developer and operator of sustainable data centers, has appointed Matt Cox, CPA, as Vice President of Construction Accounting. Cox brings ten years of experience in real estate development, project accounting, FP&A, and capital management to AVAIO’s expanding global portfolio.

The Passive House Network has added two new members to its Board of Directors: David Komet, Founder and Principal of Urban Earth LLC, and Nidhi Shah, Sustainability Lead & Architect from Retrofit Action for Tomorrow. Komet and Shah are based in San Antonio and Atlanta, respectively.

The Bronx Chamber of Commerce recently convened the first Bronx Real Estate & Housing Agency Forum, drawing 91 registrants, including Bronx property owners, managers and housing professionals, for a direct, practical exchange with the New York City Department of Buildings and the Department of Housing Preservation and Development ( on the rules that shape their work. The forum, a program of the Chamber’s Real Estate and Housing Policy Council, far exceeded expectations for a mid-August program organized on a compressed timeline.