Edward Alexander Mermelstein (born October 22,1967) is New York City's Commissioner for International Affairs. He is also an attorney,financial investment advisor,media pundit and real estate developer.
Mermelstein is the founder of several companies,including the One &Only Realty,its investment arm One &Only Holdings,and the corporate and international real estate law firm Rheem Bell &Mermelstein.[1][2]
Early life
Mermelstein was born to a Jewish family in 1967.[3] In 1976,he emigrated to the United States,[4] where he attended the Bronx High School of Science. He joined the US Army while still in high school[citation needed]. After his Army training,Mermelstein attended NYU and graduated in 1991 with a B.A. in psychology. Mermelstein studied law at the Thomas Cooley Law School[5] in the 1990s.
Career
On January 3,2022,Mermelstein joined the Eric Adams administration as the Commissioner of International Affairs in the Mayor's Office. Mermelstein has been a foreign investment advisor for more than 20 years,and assists wealthy foreigners with investments and acquisitions in the United States.[6]
Mermelstein's business endeavors are operated through One &Only Realty and One &Only Holdings,[7] which specialize in the representation of foreign buyers in the acquisition of Real Estate worldwide,and provide family office planning services.[8]
Mermelstein is also the founding partner of Rheem Bell &Mermelstein,a boutique New York City law firm specializing in complex real estate transactions and the resolution of international matters.[9][10]
Mayor’s Office of International Affairs
On January 5,2022,Mermelstein was named the commissioner of the Mayor's Office of International Affairs by New York City Mayor Eric Adams.[11]
News Media &Accomplishments
Mermelstein has appeared on various television networks such as CNBC,[12] Fox Business Network,[13] and Reuters[14] discussing foreign investments in the U.S. marketplace. He has been quoted in articles published by the New York Times,[15] the Wall Street Journal[16] the Financial Times,[17] Reuters,[18] and the New York Observer[19] on topics spanning from price stabilization in the NYC luxury real estate market,to the status of foreign direct investment into the U.S. marketplace. He has also contributed as a guest columnist with Forbes magazine.[20]
The New York Observer named Mermelstein as one of the top ten "Lawyers You Call" in New York.[21] He has been described as an "All Star attorney",[22] and his abilities as a lawyer,consultant and developer have led to him being called a "power attorney"[23] and a "certified triple threat in the real estate world."[21]
Philanthropy
Mermelstein is the Chairman Emeritus[24] of the Council of Jewish ÉmigréCommunity Organizations (COJECO).[25]
Mermelstein is a member of the Board of Overseers for the New York University Department of Arts &Sciences.[26] Mermelstein also served as a mentor to the Young Jewish Professionals Real Estate Network based in New York City.[27]
Mermelstein also served as President of the international search and rescue organization,ZAKA.[28]
In June 2019,Mermelstein was appointed to Grand Marshal of the 2019 Celebrate Israel Parade.[29] Mermelstein stated his support for Israel.[30]
Commissioner of Mayor’s Office of International Affairs 2022–present
Incumbent
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