As Chief Executive Officer, Bess Freedman oversees 39 Brown Harris Stevens offices and more than 2,300 agents across New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Florida. Under her leadership, Brown Harris Stevens has grown into one of the largest and most successful privately held real estate companies in the United States with the highest average sales price per agent in the country.
Named CEO in 2018, Bess drew upon her law background and passion for helping people to drive change within Brown Harris Stevens and the larger real estate industry. Bess declared Juneteenth a company-wide holiday a year before it was fully recognized by the federal government. She was the first head of a major NYC-based brokerage to make Election Day a paid day off so staff could vote free from work constraints. In addition, Bess fought for BHS to become part of the Human Rights Campaign's Business Coalition for the Equality Act in support of legislation protecting rights of the LGBTQ+ community.
Before entering real estate, Bess practiced law as an Assistant State's Attorney in Montgomery County, Maryland, and also worked at Legal Aid as an attorney fighting for the rights of underserved youth in NYC. Bess is a member of the Florida, Washington, D.C., and Maryland bars, and worked in New York pro hac vice.
She is an active member of the Real Estate Board of New York and sits on the Board of Governors. In 2021, she was the recipient of REBNY's Kenneth R. Gerrety Humanitarian Award for outstanding service to the community. She is an advocate for social change through her work with several organizations. She is on Fordham Real Estate Institute's Executive Advisory Council. She is on the Boards of American Friends of Rabin Medical Center and The Bridge, an organization whose programs focus on the needs of homeless and housing-insecure single adults who are diagnosed with behavioral health disabilities, as well as an advocate for Sanctuary for Families, which helps women who are domestic violence victims find jobs, housing, and education. Bess also advocates for the Jewish National Fund, and supports the mentorship program at Young Jewish Professionals.
Bess is the proud mother of two young adults attending college. A big believer in family, she loves visiting her mom and her brother in Rhinebeck, New York, playing tennis, Mahjong, and walking the streets of and exploring any city—but especially loves New York City.