Alexa Damon, 33

Alexa Damon was named Avison Young’s “Top Emerging Leader” in 2026, and for good reason. 

The senior associate played a pivotal role the year before in leasing up a struggling Meatpacking District office at 416 West 13th Street. Damon and her team brought the building from 50 percent to 100 percent occupancy, bringing in eight new leases in just six months. She executed another 12,000-square-foot lease late last year, finding Hex Technologies its home at 250 Park Avenue South. 

The Long Island native is less than three years into her first real estate gig, but her longtime interests in architecture and design, as well as her degree in finance from Baruch College, made the industry a natural fit. 

Damon previously worked in account management at Scratch Events, a DJ academy and events business started by Run DMC’s Jam Master Jay. She joined Avison Young in 2023, and was quickly attuned to the dramatic remixes of New York City’s commercial markets.

“It was really interesting coming into this industry post-COVID, and to see it transform into what it is today,” Damon said. “It’s night and day.”

She was taken under the wing of Joseph Gervino, a principal at Avison Young, and Peter Johnson, senior director at the firm’s New York City office, who taught her the ins and outs of the industry and how to leverage her professional network. More than two years on, her days are busy with canvassing, touring spaces, negotiating proposals and reviewing leases.

“Part of what I love about this job is that no day is ever the same,” Damon said. 

This year, she said she was especially proud to represent the Bronfman Fellowship, a scholarship program for Jewish high school students, in its 2,219-square-foot lease at 18 East 41st Street.

While DJ events are in the rearview mirror, Damon still enjoys live music events around the city, as well as spending time with her dog, Stevie, and planning her next international trip.