Director of Economic Development Services Beth Zafonte was named among the 2015 Women of Influence in New York by Real Estate Forum. Zafonte was recognized alongside a select group of 30 distinguished female executives, whose leadership has advanced the role of women in the industry and the community. Zafonte's nomination follows her continued involvement in the successful completion of complex, transformational economic development projects in New York and nationwide. Throughout the course of her career, Zafonte has been involved in projects that have used more than $3 billion worth of incentives.

Zafonte has had a longstanding track record as mentor and industry leader. She is a member of the Association to Invest in USA (IIUSA) and sits on the association's building committee. As an IIUSA member, Zafonte supports the organization's efforts to promote investments in regional centers based on the federal Immigrant Investor Program, also known as EB-5. She also is a member of the economic development committee of the Real Estate Board of New York and is part of the board of WX New York Women Executives in Real Estate, an invitation-only association of executive-level women in commercial real estate. Zafonte is among the latest recipients of the Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) Network Impact Award in the member-to-member business category and is a director of CREW's New York chapter.