About Linda Berk

Linda is a businesswoman who has spent her life striving to excel at all that she’s pursued. She comes from a family where education was an expectation; she was fortunate to have incredible role models in her mother and aunts - women with bachelor’s and master’s degrees which was rare for their time in the ’40s and ’50s.

“People often say success comes from when opportunity meets preparation. While I agree, for me there is a third element that has fostered my success; perseverance. Good outcomes don’t always come easy, so when you refuse to give up, not take “NO” for an answer, eventually you will have a breakthrough.  I watched my mother defy all expectations because of her tenacity, those observations and strong character have served me well,” says Linda.

Ms. Berk received her Bachelor of Science and master’s degrees in Communication Arts from Cornell University. Linda continued to pursue educational opportunities as she began her professional career at Cornell in the University Admissions office, with postgraduate study and a certificate in marketing from Harvard University. Her career has spanned many areas, from serving as Director of Admissions at Pratt Institute to entrepreneur and manager of recording artist Ashanti, getting her career off the ground toward record-setting stardom. Her last eight years have been as a Real Estate Agent/Associate Broker.

While Linda has enjoyed success in many endeavors throughout her career, her most rewarding accomplishment has been her 7-year service on the Riverbay Board of Directors, serving as its president for almost 5 years.  As president of this large, complex housing development, Linda’s goal was to modernize the IT infrastructure to bring the development into the 21st Century. She led an incredible transformation as Co-op City became an exemplary community, the management company went from $900,000 in cash on hand to over $215 million during her presidency with an occupancy rate of more than 92%. Linda considers this experience to be among her proudest accomplishments. 

After a few years of residential sales at Keller Williams, Linda moved onto commercial real estate with KZA Realty, bringing her expertise in property management, including the leasing of retail and commercial space in large malls. Now at Coldwell Banker as a Broker Associate Linda combines her years of experience in residential and commercial real estate. “I love interacting with people which makes the real estate business a natural for me,” Linda says. "I enjoy helping people make a smart, stress-free decision as they move through the stages of their lives.  As a successful Realtor and professional, I live by three words, integrity, competence, and communication."

Linda's most recent project is the podcast, Real Women Real Stories.  Conversations and interviews sharing the insights and strategies of women who have succeeded despite obstacles and barriers. Linda's passion to share the wealth of other women's experiences is going to make this podcast explode on the scene. Undeniably real women telling real stories!