David Lichtenstein

David Lichtenstein is an American billionaire, entrepreneur, and real estate investor. He is the founder and CEO of The Lightstone Group, which he founded in 1988.

During the early years of the Lightstone Group, Lichtenstein focused on investing in multifamily properties. He rapidly grew his portfolio in the 1990s, before diversifying his portfolio and moving into retail. In 2003, Lichtenstein acquired Prime Retail for $638 million. Since 2007, Lichtenstein has been responsible for some of the largest acquisitions and sales in the retail and hospitality sectors. In 2007, The Lightstone Group acquired Extended Stay Hotels for $8.1 billion. Lightstone sold Prime Retail in 2010 for $2.3 billion, earning a large profit from the sale of the outlet mall group.

Mr. Lichtenstein serves on the Board of Governors of the Real Estate Board of New York, and is a Member of both The Economic Club of New York and the Real Estate Roundtable. He is a Trustee of The Touro College and University System and sits on the Board Supervisory Committee for The New York Medical College.

Mr. Lichtenstein previously served on the NYC Economic Development Corporation’s Board of Directors, appointed by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. He was also Co-Chair of the Real Estate Roundtable’s Real Estate Capital Policy Advisory Committee and a Trustee of the Citizens Budget Commission. He was formerly a member of the Brookings Institution’s Economic Studies Council.