Steven Witkoff

Steven C. Witkoff is Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Witkoff, which he founded in 1997. Since founding the firm, Mr. Witkoff has leveraged his extensive real estate expertise to successfully lead the financing, repositioning, and construction of over 70 properties in major business districts in the U.S. as well as abroad and with offices in New York, Los Angeles, and Miami.
 
Before founding Witkoff, Mr. Witkoff co-founded Stellar Management Company, where he acquired and repositioned a portfolio of residential buildings in New York City. Earlier in his career, he practiced real estate law at Dreyer & Traub and Rosenman & Colin, where he represented a number of large developers and investors.
 
Mr. Witkoff has served on the Executive Committee for the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) as a trustee for the Intrepid Foundation, and as a board member for the Jeffrey Modell Foundation. Mr. Witkoff currently serves as Chairman of the University of Miami Business School Real Estate Advisory Board and is a member of the Hofstra University Board of Trustees. In October 2019, he was honored with a Presidential appointment to the Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. He is a widely sought-after public speaker on trends in global real estate.

On November 11, 2024, President-elect Donald Trump appointed Witkoff as the administration’s Special Envoy to the Middle East. Witkoff, a Jewish pro-Israel fundraiser for Trump, raised substantial donations from Jewish supporters following President Biden’s pause on weapons shipments to Israel. Witkoff attended Prime Minister Netanyahu’s July speech to Congress, describing it as a “spiritual” experience. Despite his pro-Israel stance, Witkoff has no known prior experience in diplomacy or Middle Eastern affairs.

On November 22, 2024, Witkoff met with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Doha to push for a Gaza ceasefire and hostages’ release before President-elect Trump’s inauguration. Witkoff and Al Thani emphasized the urgency of a resolution to stabilize the region. The next day, in Israel, Witkoff discussed similar goals with Prime Minister Netanyahu and met with families of Israeli hostages to update them on efforts to expedite a deal.

Sources: “Statement from President Donald J. Trump,” Trump Vance Transition, (November 12, 2024). 
“Trump picks Jewish real estate tycoon Steven Witkoff for Mideast envoy,” Jerusalem Post, (November 12, 2024).
“Qatar said resuming Gaza mediation role as Trump envoy pushes for deal by Jan. 20,” Times of Israel, (December 5, 2024).

Photo: Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.