Executives-in-Residence are thought leaders and senior decision-makers in real estate investment, finance, development, sustainability, and digital transformation. They collaborate closely with Stern faculty to advance applied research and support initiatives that engage students, shape industry practices, and inform public policy.
William J. Ferguson
Co-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Ferguson Partners
Executive-in-Residence Since 2023
William J. Ferguson serves as Co-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Ferguson Partners. Mr. Ferguson conducts leadership mandates, with a specialization in Chief Executive Officer searches and Board recruitment. He also facilitates CEO succession planning assignments and Board assessments.
In 2022, Mr. Ferguson launched the Ferguson Centers for Leadership Excellence (CLE) Foundation. The foundation’s program helps racially and ethnically diverse students by offering tuition/financial assistance, mentoring/coaching and the opportunity to earn undergraduate degrees and secure promising careers in real estate and related sectors. Mr. Ferguson and his spouse, Penny Ferguson, are committed to creating an ecosystem of inclusion, opportunity, and justice for future generations.
Before founding Ferguson Partners in 1989, Mr. Ferguson was a Managing Director with Russell Reynolds Associates. There, he co-managed the firm’s national real estate practice. Prior to focusing on real estate, Mr. Ferguson worked for General Mills, Inc. in Minneapolis in strategic marketing. Mr. Ferguson holds a Bachelor’s degree from Harvard University, where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and an MBA in marketing from the Wharton Graduate School of Business.
Mr. Ferguson conducts leadership and governance research through his appointment as Executive-in-Residence for New York University’s C. H. Chen Institute for Global Real Estate Finance and as a Fellow at The University of Virginia’s Center Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy.
Gregg N. Gerken
Former Head of Commercial Real Estate and Executive Vice President
TD Bank
Executive-in-Residence Since 2025
Gregg Gerken joined the Chen Institute as an Executive-in-Residence in early 2025. He collaborates with the Institute's industry partners in areas related to banking, capital markets, and sustainability, drawing on over 35 years of leadership in commercial real estate finance. He also mentors Stern MBA and undergraduate students pursing careers in real estate.
In his policy work, Gregg has co-chaired the Real Estate Roundtable’s Capital Policy Advisory Committee and Homeland Security Task Force and has served on the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Senior Bankers Executive Committee. In the philanthropic realm, he serves as Treasurer of the Tax Credit Board for Theatre Square at NJPAC. He has also held leadership roles with the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
Gregg retired in 2023 after a 26-year career at TD Bank—building and integrating commercial real estate lending platforms and overseeing a $30 billion investment-real-estate portfolio and a $3.5 billion LIHTC business. Prior to TD Bank he held senior real estate lending roles at Fleet Bank, National Westminster and Citizens First. He earned his Bachelor's degree in International Business and Political Science from Ohio University in 1982.