By Joshua Burd
Newmark has made five new additions to a team that supports corporate tenants, including a recent hire in its New Jersey office.

Debra Mitchell-Ruranga joins the firm’s Global Corporate Services platform as a managing director of transition and integration, according to a news release. Prior to joining Newmark, she held roles as the managing director of TIAA’s Practice Management and Engagement group and the vice president of planning and strategic business engagement for Prudential Financial, where she was instrumental in creating a shared services delivery model to support the business internationally.
Mitchell-Ruranga has also held positions at Bridgewater Associates and UBS, driving group-wide change programs in corporate real estate, IT and HR services, the news release said. In her new role with Newmark, she specializes in the oversight of transition, integration and continuous improvement projects on behalf of large, multiservice clients for the practice.
Also joining Newmark’s Global Corporate Services team are Marisa Austin as director of procurement, Jessica Baldassare as director of operations, Taylor Kwasniewski as director of workplace management solutions and Emily Richardson as director of performance management. Austin and Richardson are based in the firm’s New York office, while Baldassare are based in Connecticut and North Carolina, respectively.
“GCS bench strength continues to be a priority as we structure our team with the specialized operational and business transformation experience necessary to address complex client requirements,” said Rick Bertasi, CEO of Newmark GCS. “Building out this collaborative and highly skilled group of commercial real estate professionals enables us to continue to provide even more customized client solutions that address the transition, integration and ongoing flexibility that is essential to the current workplace environment.”