Two prominent women in the real estate industry have joined the New Jersey Builders Association’s leadership team, the organization announced Monday.
Debra Tantleff, founding principal of Jersey City-based development firm TANTUM Real Estate, has been named builder vice president, while Kim Manicone, a vice president in USI Insurance Services’ Property & Casualty Division, has been named second associate vice president.
In their new roles with the NJBA, Tantleff and Manicone will help support the organization’s efforts to advocate for quality housing solutions throughout New Jersey, the organization said.
“Deb and Kim are examples of two exceptional women leaders that have dedicated their careers to substantively advancing our industry,” NJBA President Michael Canuso said in a prepared statement. “We’re lucky to have both of them as part of NJBA’s state leadership, and we’re confident that their perspectives will elevate our ongoing efforts to improve access and affordability of quality housing in New Jersey.”
Tantleff, a well-known developer whose boutique firm specializes in multifamily and mixed-use redevelopments, represents the first woman builder named an NJBA state officer since 1998. She is a longtime NJBA member and a trustee of the organization’s political action committee.
“It’s an honor to bring my perspective to NJBA’s leadership, having closely navigated the complexities that face the homebuilding industry in our state,” she said in a statement. “I am committed to our mission to foster collaboration between the state, local governments, developers and the end user in order to better promote overall housing affordability.
“This is particularly critical in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, as the shelter industry has the opportunity to lead our region’s economic growth in a meaningful way.”
Manicone, a veteran insurance industry executive, is the first woman to hold the second associate vice president’s post since 2015. She had been in a leadership role with an NJBA local affiliate, the Shore Builders Association.
“Having been a 20-year partner to the New Jersey real estate industry, including many NJBA members, I’m extraordinarily invested in the success of this association and the regional real estate community at large,” she said in a statement. “I’m eager to serve as a resource for our increasingly diverse membership, helping to empower large-scale developers and individual homebuilders alike to build stronger networks that support the long-term growth of their businesses.”
