By Joshua Burd
R.J. Brunelli & Co. has bolstered its brokerage team with a 22-year veteran of retail real estate.

As a salesperson with the Old Bridge-based firm, Michelle Ann Barron will work on landlord and tenant representation accounts throughout New Jersey and neighboring states, according to a news release. She joins the organization after nearly five years with Washington Prime Group, where she directed activities for a team of leasing managers covering 25 open-air shopping centers and regional enclosed malls in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Southeast.
Barron reports to Danielle Brunelli, president and principal.
“Michelle brings a wealth of experience dealing with national, regional and local tenants,” Brunelli said. “Beyond her deal-making skills, she brings a proven history of leadership and excellent client relations. We are thrilled to have her on our team.”
Barron spent most of her career at Simon Property Group, beginning in 1999 as a visual merchandiser for the Ocean County and Brunswick Square malls before shifting to leasing in 2002, the news release said. As a local leasing representative, she was responsible for recruiting local tenants for the Menlo Park, Ocean County, Deptford, Granite Run and Springfield malls in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, while also assisting on the Quaker Bridge Mall, the Court and Plaza at King of Prussia Mall and Dover Mall in Delaware.
Simon promoted Barron in 2010 to regional leasing manager. In that role, she directed activities of leasing associates for 12 Simon malls and throughout the Northeast, while also assisting on several major properties in the company’s Mid-Atlantic region.
The Jackson resident joined Washington Prime Group in late 2015, the news release said. She holds an associate’s degree in applied science from The Fashion Institute of Technology and an associate’s in humanities from Brookdale Community College.