Wilbur A. Levin Award Honorees

MaryAnne Gilmartin, Founder and CEO of MAG Partners

MaryAnne Gilmartin is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of MAG Partners, a WBE-certified real estate development company she founded in 2018.  Today, the company has a $1B development pipeline in New York, including three luxury mixed-income buildings: Ruby at 243 W. 28th Street and Mabel at 335 Eighth Avenue, designed by COOKFOX, and Anagram Turtle Bay at 300 East 50th Street, designed by BKSK.  In partnership with Sagamore Ventures – the family office of Under Armour Founder and CEO Kevin Plank – and Goldman Sachs Asset Management, MAG Partners is leading the development of Baltimore Peninsula, a 235-acre masterplan in Baltimore, MD. 

MaryAnne previously served as President and CEO of Forest City Ratner Companies, where she oversaw a period of game-changing ground-up development and managed its multimillion square foot residential, commercial and retail portfolio.  She led the efforts to build Barclays Center, the state-of-the-art sports and entertainment venue and the centerpiece of the Pacific Park Brooklyn development. She also oversaw the development of The New York Times Building, designed by world-renowned architect Renzo Piano; New York by Gehry, designed by award-winning architect Frank Gehry; and the Tata Innovation Center at Cornell Tech, a new office building that is a first-of-its-kind space for tech innovation, designed by Weiss/Manfredi on Roosevelt Island. 

MaryAnne is a civic leader in the New York metropolitan area, serving as Chair Emeritus of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, member of the Board of Trustees of The Brooklyn Academy of Music, member of the New York Public Radio Board of Trustees, member of the Executive Committee and Board of Governors of The Real Estate Board of New York, and part of the Industry Advisory Board of the MS Real Estate Development Program at Columbia University.  In addition to her civic and industry board service, MaryAnne was appointed a member of the board of directors of the global investment banking firm Jefferies Group LLC in 2014, and is currently chair of the ESG, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. 

A Brooklyn resident, MaryAnne has called her work a “bet on New York City.” We are pleased to honor her with the Wilbur A. Levin Award, recognizing her contribution not only to the Alliance, but also to the good of the greater Brooklyn community.

Council Member Crystal Hudson

Crystal Hudson is the Council Member for New York City’s District 35 in Brooklyn, representing the neighborhoods of Crown Heights, Prospect Heights, Clinton Hill, and Fort Greene. A third-generation Brooklynite and daughter of Jamaican and Honduran immigrants, she was elected in 2021 and made history as the first out gay Black woman ever elected in New York City. 

Crystal is the author of A Black Agenda for New York City, a comprehensive policy plan that provides recommendations for city government to tangibly improve the lives of Black residents across the five boroughs. She previously served as co-chair of the Council’s LGBTQIA+ Caucus, and co-authored The Marsha & Sylvia Plan — a first-of-its-kind policy agenda outlining priorities to support New York City’s growing population of LGBTQIA+ residents. In her first term, Crystal led two large-scale community planning efforts, including a community-led rezoning of Atlantic Avenue, and a land-use framework to ensure community priorities are integrated into the land use processes in District 35.

Council Member Hudson is one of the most effective legislators in the City Council, passing the seventh most legislation of anyone in the 51-member Council during her first term, including  her #AgeInPlaceNYC package, the How Many Stops Act, and bills to address the Black maternal mortality crisis and growing discrimination against LGBTQIA+ communities across the country.

Crystal is currently co-chair of the New York City Council’s Black, Latino, and Asian Caucus. She is a proud graduate of Spelman College and holds a master’s degree from George Washington University. Crystal lives with her wife and daughter in the district she represents. She is the first queer parent in the New York City Council.

Crystal is an advocate for Brooklynites and a champion for diversity, accessibility, inclusion, and vibrant community. We are pleased to honor her with the Wilbur A. Levin Award, recognizing her contribution not only to the Alliance, including a commitment of $12M for our Lakeshore project as part of City of Yes, but also to the good of the greater Brooklyn community.