Melissa Clarke, a partner with Saul Ewing LLP and president of CREW NJ, spoke during the organization’s sponsor expo and board induction event in mid-December. — Photos by Dakota Moyer Photography / Courtesy: CREW NJ
By Joshua Burd
The new year means new titles for Melissa Clarke, a Princeton-based attorney with Saul Ewing LLP and one of just two in New Jersey to join its partnership ranks on Jan. 1.
Three weeks earlier, Clarke assumed another important role when she took the reins as president of CREW NJ, beginning a 12-month term as the face of the organization and its efforts to create a “stronger, more inclusive” commercial real estate sector.
“While we’ve made significant strides, challenges persist,” she told fellow members during CREW NJ’s recent sponsor expo and board induction event at the Basking Ridge Country Club. “Women still face structural barriers — including the wage gap, especially in commissions and bonuses — and the need for greater access to information, capital and mentorship.
“This brings me to the upcoming year. Hopefully, together, we can lead the change in the commercial real estate industry in New Jersey.”
Clarke, who focuses on environmental law and real estate litigation, assumes the role a decade after joining the New Jersey chapter of Commercial Real Estate Women Inc., an organization that includes some 14,000 professionals worldwide. She’ll spend the next year focused on bolstering networking and mentorship programs, she said during the Dec. 11 event, as well as driving professional development opportunities to position its members for success.
Both are essential functions of the organization and its volunteer leaders. That includes the 13-member board that is installed each December with a roster of leading service providers and commercial real estate executives from around the state. Along with Clarke, the 2026 board is as follows:
- President-elect: Dana Gene Reynolds (The Holder Group)
- Past president: Courtney Brooke Rosenkrantz (Cushman & Wakefield)
- Treasurer: Laura Riso (WithumSmith+Brown PC)
- Secretary: Melanie Rogacki (Partner Engineering and Science Inc.)
- Director
- Kara Carelli (Dresdner Robin)
- Birdia Chambers (EXP Commercial)
- Margaret Garcia (Partner Engineering and Science Inc.)
- Erica M. Godun (Ware Malcomb)
- Beth A. Johns (Fulton Bank)
- Olivia LaFata (WB Wood NJ)
- Banafsheh Soltani (Bana Design)
- Jessica Trifiro (GEI Consultants Inc.)
Rosenkrantz, who served as CREW NJ’s 2025 president, yielded the post to Clarke but only after recapping a year that was filled with networking events, project tours and volunteer opportunities. She implored attendees to get involved in one of the chapter’s many committees in 2026, noting that each “has a different level of exposure and a different level of time commitment” while adding that upcoming events will shed more light on those options.
SLIDESHOW: CREW NJ’s 2025 sponsor expo and board induction
“It’s the best way to get the most out of your membership,” Rosenkrantz said, although CREW NJ provides other ways to volunteer and contribute, such as speaking on panels, showing a client’s space or donating a raffle or prize for an event.
The Cushman & Wakefield director also recognized board members “who (went) above and beyond” in 2025, including Rogacki and past presidents Godun and Krista Korinis for their support of her term as president throughout the year.
“This job seems a little bit easier from the outside, but then when you’re in it, you realize that there’s so much that goes on,” Rosenkrantz said before presenting an award to Godun and Korinis. “And I truly could not have made this a successful year without you two.”
She pledged her own support to Clarke, a former co-director of programming, who’s likely to draw on that experience as she looks to “equip our members with the necessary tools and knowledge — leveraging new real estate opportunities (and) mastering authentic leadership to be prepared for the future of our industry.”
“I’m excited about the opportunities ahead,” Clarke said, “so let’s embrace the challenges, leverage our collective strength and make a lasting impact, not just for ourselves, but for the generations of women … who might follow in our footsteps in this dynamic industry.”
