Two Fordham Alumnae Recognized Among Top 50 ‘Powerful Women in New York’

Two Fordham graduates, MaryAnne Gilmartin and Ellen Alemany, were named to Crain’s New York Business’ list of the “50 Most Powerful Women in New York.”

Gilmartin, a two-time Fordham graduate, is the CEO of MAG Partners, a woman-owned, urban real estate company. She previously served as the CEO of Forest City Ratner Companies, where, Crain’s noted, she was “the driving force behind some of the city’s most important developments” in recent decades, including “the Barclays Center and Pacific Park, which transformed Brooklyn, as well as the New York Times Building” in Manhattan.

After graduating from Fordham College at Rose Hill in 1986 with a degree in political science, Gilmartin earned two New York City Urban Fellowships. She chose to work in the city’s public development corporation and soon realized she’d found her passion.

“Senior economic development managers would literally say, ‘Here’s the west side of Manhattan, what should we do with it?’ It was remarkable,” she told Fordham Magazine in 2008. “Some of the most significant development initiatives, like Times Square, were seeded during those years. I felt blessed to be in government at that time, and I imagine I felt like I was adding value.”

Gilmartin is also a board member of New York Public Radio and an executive committee and board member of the Real Estate Board of New York.

Alemany, who earned her MBA at the Gabelli School of Business in 1980 and received an honorary doctorate from Fordham in 2019, is the chairwoman and CEO of CIT Group and the CEO of CIT Bank. In the five years since she “called it quits on early retirement” to lead CIT, Crain’s wrote, “she has sculpted the commercial finance company into a top-20 national bank.”

She also serves as chairwoman of Fidelity National Information Services’ Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee; and as a board member for the Center for Discovery, Catholic Charities of New York, and the Partnership for New York City.

Both women have shared their expertise with Fordham and Fordham students. Gilmartin, who earned a master’s degree at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences in 1990, has been involved with the Fordham Real Estate Institute, speaking on multiple panels and returning to campus to mentor and support current students, particularly through the Smart Women Securities group. Alemany also has returned to speak with students, including at a 2019 fireside chat with Gabelli School of Business Dean Donna Rapaccioli, Ph.D., GABELLI ’83, where she offered five tips for anyone looking to “begin or advance in any industry.”

On Linkedin, Rapaccioli said that she was “delighted to see” her friends and fellow alumnae recognized for their achievements.

“I am proud to know them, and I am grateful for all that I have been able to learn from them through the years,” Rapaccioli wrote. “I know you will continue to create change and pave the way for other women who will come after you.”