The Real Estate & Finance Association (RE&FA) starts with a new charitable partnership and a sold-out forecasting luncheon

February 27, 2026 - Finance

Boston, MA RE&FA starts with a new charitable partnership and a sold-out forecasting luncheon. RE&FA is pleased to be supporting Breaktime, FamilyAid, and new this year, the BASE, as our charitable partners for 2026! Breaktime, FamilyAid, and The BASE are the designated charities of RE&FA’s signature events, including the Charitable Golf & Tennis Tournament, Gala, Programs, and community service activities.

We hope you can join us for a membership-wide community service fundraising activity to benefit Breaktime and FamilyAid – The Winter Walk, on Sunday, March 22, 9:00 AM, Boston Common. Learn more on our event page at www.REFA.org.

On January 21, RE&FA’s Annual Events Committee hosted its highly anticipated The Annual Forecasting Luncheon, at WilmerHale, 60 State St. The sold-out event featured leading economist, Abby Corbett, global head of investor insights, senior economist, Cushman & Wakefield, who provided a comprehensive overview of the CRE industry, sharing key insights on 2025 trends and projections for 2026. The market analysis set the stage for a dynamic discussion led by Amy Lousararian, managing director, capital markets, JLL, RE&FA board of director, and a panel of industry professionals, William Berger, managing director, Rialto Capital, Bob Brown, executive vice president, Brookline Bank, a division of Beacon Bank & Trust, Matthew Godoff, executive vice president, head of investments, Synergy, and Keith Largay, head of capital markets, Bain Capital Real Estate.

RE&FA’ Programs Committee hosted their first program of the year, The Winter Conference Recap, on February 24, at Nutter; 155 Seaport Blvd. Moderator, Jennifer Keller, SVP, debt capital markets, GID, RE&FA board of director, led the recap and discussion on the biggest insights from four of the most influential commercial real estate conferences: ALIS, CREFC, MBA, and NMHC. The panel featured speakers, Jeff Black, SVP, debt & structured finance, CBRE, Michelle Liu, executive director, PGIM Real Estate, and James Whelan, managing director, originations, Bank OZK.

RE&FA’s president John Roach, managing director, Berkshire Residential Investments, along with all division presidents and Greater Boston Real Estate Board Leadership, will be sworn in on March 11, at the GBREB Soiree – Installation of Officers, at WilmerHale, 60 State Street. We welcome in:

GBREB Officers

• Chair - Dino Confalone, Realtor, Gibson Sotheby’s International Realty

• Chair-Elect - Sarah Matthewson, regional SVP, property operations, AvalonBay Communities

• Treasurer - Nilesh Bubna, founding partner & CFO, Longpoint Realty Partners

• Assist. Treasurer/Clerk - Melissa Fish-Crane, principal and CEO, Peabody Companies

Division Presidents

• BOMA Boston - Jennie Brennan, vice president-property management, Newmark

• GBAR - Joselin Malkhasian, Realtor, Lamacchia Realty, Inc.

• MAA - Joseph Thifault, divisional vice president WinnResidential, WinnCompanies

• RE&FA - John Roach, managing director, Berkshire Residential Investments

Learn more about RE&FA, including membership, events, and ways to get involved, please visit us at www.refa.org. Follow RE&FA’s LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram @REFABoston.