By Joshua Burd
An accomplished broker and his team have joined JLL to lead the nonprofit, education and government practice based in the firm’s Manhattan office.
David Carlos, who holds the post of vice chairman, comes to the role with more than 15 years of industry experience and a client roster that includes Weill Cornell Medicine, Jewish Theological Seminary, the City University of New York, New York Public Library and KIPP Charter Schools. He arrives at JLL alongside Andrew Dzenis and Rekha Pednekar, who will serve as managing director and associate, respectively.
All three were previously with Savills, where their top-producing nonprofit practice group was responsible for some of the most complicated and high-profile real estate transactions in New York City, according to a news release. They’ll now look to leverage that experience to further strengthen JLL’s platform across the tristate.
“David is a highly skilled broker whose experience executing complex, multidimensional transactions will be a tremendous asset as JLL continues to expand its capabilities in New York and beyond,” said Peter Riguardi, president of the New York region for JLL. “We are thrilled to welcome David, Andrew and Rekha to JLL.”
A three-time REBNY Ingenious Dealmaker winner, Carlos has provided real estate planning and analysis, acquisition, disposition and development services to a host of mission-based organizations, the news release said. He has also represented major corporate players such as StepStone Group and Kroll Bond Rating Agency, for which he most recently negotiated a 95,000-square-foot relocation while subleasing the company’s vacated space to facilitate the agency’s rapid growth.
Carlos is a graduate of Cornell University, where he earned a bachelor’s in consumer economics, having also completed a minor in international studies at the Universidade Clássica de Lisboa in Portugal. He is fluent in Portuguese, a member of the Mamaroneck Schools Board of Education, a guest lecturer at Cornell University and a member of The Real Estate Board of New York.
Dzenis has worked with Carlos since he joined Savills in 2018 as an associate before ascending to his previous role, the news release said. This summer, he was recognized with REBNY’s Most Promising Commercial Salesperson of the Year Award.
Pednekar is a Fordham University Gabelli School of Business graduate who joined Carlos’ team at Savills in 2021. The United Kingdom native began her real estate career in the residential sector before honing her craft as a multidisciplinary adviser with the nonprofit practice group.
“We are excited to bring our deep market knowledge and local expertise to the JLL platform during a period of dislocation across the commercial real estate landscape,” Carlos said. “The nonprofit sector is a major contributor to the city’s economy and overall financial health, employing over 18 percent of all workers in New York City. I look forward to building on my team’s success and making JLL the leader in this space at a critical time for tenants, owners and investors.”
