Preyaa Strzalkowski, 29

If you look at the success that Preyaa Strzalkowski has already achieved in her career in commercial real estate finance, you might not believe she didn’t originally plan on the path she’s taken. 

“Truthfully, I completely stumbled into the real estate industry,” she said. “I was a pre-med student who switched to finance toward the end of college. I wanted to find a career that encompassed both my finance skills and a level of relationship-based interactions in my day-to-day work, and real estate lending checked all the boxes — especially the production role that I sit in today.” 

Her first foray into the industry was an internship at Barclays, before she landed at Wells Fargo Multifamily Capital in 2021. 

As a partner in the senior originations team, Strzalkowski has helped to execute a whopping $4 billion in multifamily loan closings during her tenure with the bank. Further, her team is consistently in the top three when it comes to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac affordable housing originations. Phew! 

Notable deals include a $293 million refinancing for Rockrose Development’s Lyra Apartments in Manhattan’s Hudson Yards in December 2023, but the most significant deal she’s closed to date is the $621 million HUD refinance of Co-op City in the Bronx — one of the largest affordable housing complexes in the world and home to 45,000 residents. 

The financing, which closed in April 2022, extended the complex’s affordability for another decade and included proceeds for capital improvements to the complex’s 15,000 units, including heating, air conditioning and electrical system upgrades. 

Strzalkowski graduated with the highest honors from NYU’s Schack Institute of Real Estate. In addition to her role at Wells Fargo, she is the founder and president of the Full Life Foundation for Lynch Syndrome, where she’s responsible for the foundation’s vison and strategy. Strzalkowski founded FLF in 2019 to raise awareness around Lynch syndrome and also raise funds for research into the disorder. 

As for her role at Wells Fargo, for any readers who are considering a career in multifamily or affordable housing lending, Strzalkowski has some savvy advice: “There are a variety of paths one can take when entering the multifamily/affordable housing industry, whether it’s loan originations, development, equity investments or government representation, but what I’ve learned over the course of my career is that open collaboration with all parties is key to a successful transaction.”