CREFC Center for Real Estate Finance Announces 2026-2027 CREFC Scholars

CREFC and NYU scholarship program supports the next generation of commercial real estate finance professionals

NEW YORK, Aug. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The CRE Finance Council (CREFC) and the Schack Institute of Real Estate at the NYU School of Professional Studies has announced their 2026-2027 CREFC Scholars. This year's class includes three undergraduate scholars and three graduate scholars.

Undergraduate Scholarship Recipients:

• Laura Gruber
• Noah Kim
• Jacqueline Richardson

Graduate Scholarship Recipients:

• Benjamin Amsuess
• Ashley Monahan
• Shujin Zhang

The CREFC Center for Real Estate Finance at the Schack Institute and the CREFC Endowment Committee selected this year's scholars based on academic excellence, leadership potential, and demonstrated interest in commercial real estate finance. The program continues to attract a highly competitive pool of applicants from across NYU's real estate programs.

In addition to receiving merit scholarships, CREFC Scholars are granted complimentary CREFC Academic membership with access to CREFC's Resource Center, Career Center, and educational programming. Scholarship recipients are also eligible to participate in CREFC's mentorship program, which pairs students with experienced industry professionals, and are invited to attend CREFC conferences, seminars, and networking events throughout the year.

"The CREFC Scholars Program reflects our commitment to investing in the future of the commercial real estate finance industry," said Toby Cobb, Co-Founder and Co-Managing Partner of 3650 Capital and Chair of CREFC's Executive Committee and Board of Governors. "Each year, we are inspired by the caliber of students entering the profession, and we are proud to partner with the Schack Institute to provide meaningful educational, mentorship, and networking opportunities that help prepare the next generation of industry leaders."

About the CREFC Center for Real Estate Finance at the Schack Institute

Launched in 2020, the CREFC Center for Real Estate Finance at the Schack Institute serves as a hub for industry collaboration, innovative programming, and student engagement. The Center was established through CREFC's 2019 endowment gift to NYU Schack and supports student scholarships, an industry-leading certificate program for CREFC members, and a CREFC-focused course offered each semester that is available to all CREFC members.

Learn more about this year's scholars here. For more information about the CREFC Center for Real Estate Finance at the Schack Institute, click here. 

About CREFC
The CRE Finance Council (CREFC) is the trade association for the over $6 trillion commercial real estate finance industry with a membership that includes more than 400 companies and 19,000 individuals. Member firms include balance sheet and securitized lenders, loan and bond investors, private equity firms, servicers, rating agencies, and borrowers. For over 30 years, CREFC has promoted liquidity, transparency, and efficiency in the commercial real estate finance markets, and acted as a legislative and regulatory advocate for the industry, playing a vital role in setting market standards and best practices, and providing education for market participants. For more information, visit www.crefc.org.

SOURCE CRE Finance Council