BRONX TIMES REPORTER, M 38 ARCH 26-APR. 1, 2021 BTR
LINDA BERK
Riverbay Corporation
Linda Berk is an entrepreneur who has spent her life striving to excel at all that she pursues. She
was fortunate to have incredible role models in her mother and aunts, Black women with bachelor’s
and master’s degrees – rare for their time.
Linda received her Bachelor of Science and Master’s in Communication Arts from Cornell University
where she also launched her professional career in the University Admissions office. She later pursued
post graduate study at Cornell, and received a certificate in marketing from Harvard University.
Six years later, Linda accepted a director of Admissions position at Pratt Institute in New York City,
becoming the first and youngest Black person to hold the prestigious title at an international university.
For two decades, Linda served as a manager at Macy’s and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
and Assistant to the Vice President of Finance at L3 Communication.
Soon, she was representing a young ingenue with the dream of becoming a star, Ashanti. After eight
years and three recording deals, Linda was able to secure a recording contract that catapulted this
young star to become an international recording artist.
Linda then focused on her own personal dream of designing a clothing line for women.
Today, she is a Partnership Coordinator with the U.S. Census Bureau supervising a team of Partnership
Specialists.
However, her most rewarding and challenging undertaking has been her years of service on the
Riverbay Corporation Board of Directors at Co-op City, Bronx, NY, the last four as President. During
her tenure at the helm of this large housing development, Linda has been at the forefront of advancing
policies to move the Riverbay Corporation and the development into the 21st century. She also spearheaded
the community’s 50th anniversary celebrations in 2019. Under her leadership, Co-op City has
undergone an incredible transformation and policies have been implemented that contribute significantly
to improving homeowners’ quality of life in the development.