Arlene Gonnella
Began her career in business at Bankers Trust Company in 1978, after graduating from Vassar College in 3 years. While working at Merrill Lynch, Arlene decided to leave finance and become a real estate agent.
In 1985 Arlene began her career in real estate. She spent fifteen years, working for Distinctive Properties and thenPrudential Properties, learning and mastering the Short Hills, Millburn market.
In 2000 Arlene moved to Weichert Realtors where she has remained, producing over 2.7 billion dollars worth of real estate transactions in 24 years, including a record $243m in 2022. In 2020, The Gonnella Team was the #1 Agents on the Midtown Direct Train Line in New Jersey, as well as the #1 team in New Jersey among Large Teams. We were #30 in the entire country!
https://www1.realtrends.com/best-real-estate-agents-new-jersey/teams-large-volume
Arlene has ranked as the #1 Agent in Millburn/Short Hills market for 19 years! 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 & 2024. Meaning she has represented more buyers and sellers than any other agent in Millburn-Short Hills! In 2020, The Gonnella Team represented 5x the buyers moving into Millburn/Short Hills than the 2nd highest agent.
The Gonnella Team have also been the #1 Agents in all of Essex County for 14 years, as well as the #1 Agents Nationally at Weichert, Realtors for 19 years! And that’s out of 18,000 agents! Arlene’s 40 years of experience and expertise is simply unmatched. She is incredibly patient and will move heaven and earth to help you!
Arlene is a supporter of the Valerie fund, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (Light the Night), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, the Sammy Gelband Foundation, St. Barnabas Hospital, AJC-Global Jewish Advocacy, Paper Mill Playhouse, Robin Hood Foundation, Millburn Film Festival, Family Promise, and the Cyan Gray Foundation. The cause closest to her heart is Avon Walk for breast cancer. She has helped raise $250,000 to date & walked 39 miles in Santa Barbara in 2012, in San Francisco in 2013, in Chicago in 2014 (where her daughter, Trish, was the keynote speaker), and New York in 2015. Her daughter, Trish, is a stage 4 breast cancer survivor, and fearlessly documented her journey to motherhood via surrogacy as a stage 4 cancer survivor in her documentary, Love Always, Mom. The documentary about the journey to the birth of her son, Grayson, won many film festival awards around the country and is now available on Amazon Prime!
Giving Back to The Short Hills Millburn Community
The GonnellaTeam is committed to supporting charities and non-profits that make the world a better place, both locally and nationally. We focus on three areas that are most important to us; Children, Health, and specifically Cancer related issues as they are closest to our heart, and Local charities, as we believe in giving back to the community that we’ve raised our families in and have loved for 36+ years!
Children
- The Valerie Fund
- The Robin Hood Foundation
- Family Promise of Essex County
- Millburn Film Festival
- Newark Academy Student via the Newark Academy Winter Benefit
- Success Academy Charter School
- Education Foundation of Millburn-Short Hills
- Millburn Sports Foundation
- The Friendship Circle
- Junior League of the Oranges and Short Hills
Local & The Arts
- Millburn Volunteer First-Aid Squad
- Paper Mill Playhouse, local theater
- AJC – Global Jewish Advocacy
- Carolyn Dorfman Dance Company
- Down the Block, Inc., organization that can step in to pay a bill for a Township citizen experiencing unforseen financial need
Cancer / Health
- Cyan Gray Hope Foundation
- CANCERcare of New Jersey, Help and Hope Walk NJ, supports cancer research and development of cancer medications
- The Connie Dwyer Breast Center at St. Michael’s Medical Center
- Avon Walk for Breast Cancer Research
- NEXT for Autism
- Millburn Public Schools via the Department of Special Services for parental and professional development promoting Autism Awareness
Tom Gonnella
Graduated from Princeton University in 1976 and built a four bedroom colonial in Brewster, Cape Cod with his father.
He gravitated to Wall Street in 1977 and traded for institutional desks at Salomon & CSFB until 1994. Tom then made the switch to Financial Advisor and was employed by DLJ and Morgan Stanley until mid-2007.
Tom teamed up with Arlene, his wife of 31 years, in 2007 and has enjoyed his new career as a Realtor.
Tom’s use of thorough mathematical comparisons, complete knowledge of the Short Hills vicinity and detailed knowledge of construction bring a tremendous added value to our clients.
Tricia Russo Gonnella
After graduating from Vassar College in 2003 Tricia worked in feature film production. Originally working for Michael Mailer Films in NYC and then, after moving to LA and earning her MFA from the prestigious USC Peter Stark Producing Program, for Miramax Films and most recently as a creative executive at Walt Disney Motion Pictures.
In 2011 Tricia was diagnosed with breast cancer but she didn’t let it get her down. While fighting her own battle she decided to help others fight theirs and has raised over $150,000 for the Avon Foundation to-date. Walking 29 miles in Santa Barbara in 2012 and 39 miles in San Francisco in 2013, Tricia walked 39 miles again in 2014 in Chicago to raise funds for Avon. In Chicago, Tricia was the speaker for the opening and closing ceremonies.
Tricia departed Disney and Los Angeles cancer-free in early 2013 to join the Gonnella Team. Tricia is involved with fundraising for St.Barnabas Hospital Cancer Center and The Valerie Fund. Tricia knows the true meaning of living and truly wants to help people find the home that fits their lives.
Lauren Gonnella
Lauren earned her degree at Middlebury College in 2005. She then went on to earn her Master’s in adolescent education. Lauren taught English Language Arts for 8 years and coached basketball in the Bronx before moving back to New Jersey with her husband to raise their daughters. Lauren and Brian were drawn to Summit because of the amazing schools, community and, of course, the proximity to Grandma and Grandpa. Lauren is a member of the YMCA, organized a co-ed adult basketball team, coached YMCA youth soccer, organized a neighborhood block party, and founded Green Summit NJ to encourage residents of Summit to take steps towards sustainability. Lauren has taken her children to wonderful mommy and me activities in the area such as music, art, storytime, gymnastics and swim class. Her experience settling in here with children will be hugely beneficial to our clients looking to make Millburn, Short Hills, or Summit their home.
Contact | 201-306-3139 | laurengonnella@gmail.com
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Amy Kotel
Amy brings a rare combination of analytical, real estate and sales experience to her role as a Sales Associate with the Gonnella Team at Weichert, Realtors Short Hills office.
In 2009, Amy became a New Jersey real estate salesperson, primarily because of her passion for real estate and love of her community. She enjoys meeting new people, envisioning a home’s potential, and exceeding her clients’ high expectations.
Beginning her career in public accounting, Amy gained detailed knowledge of all types of business operations. She later worked in the private sector for both a real estate investment management company and a real estate law firm. After a decade on the business side, Amy pursued a career in telecom sales where she immediately excelled. As a top producer, her superior performance earned her President’s Club recognition each year.
Amy attributes her success to her attention to detail, real estate knowledge, business acumen, and most importantly, the trust she earns from her clients.
Amy joined the Gonnella Team in 2016 because it shares her client-focused philosophy. Amy will work tirelessly to ensure that her clients find homes that meet their needs and fulfill their dreams!
A native New Yorker, Amy and her husband moved to Short Hills in 2004 to raise their young daughter. They are active members of the Short Hills community.
Puja Yagnik
Puja has a keen eye for beautiful homes. She understands the unique needs of her clients and strives to find the perfect match for buyers and sellers. Puja brings much needed warmth and compassion to the process. She is known for her work ethic, resourcefulness and caring personality. She builds trust and lasting professional relationships that go beyond the transaction.
As a buyer’s agent Puja demonstrates an unwavering passion for helping her clients find the home perfect for them. She is highly motivated and energetic and in a relatively short time, Puja has left a lasting mark on the New Jersey real estate scene. She recently made a record-breaking sale of the most beautiful condo penthouse on the Jersey City waterfront! Check out the news article for more info:
https://njbiz.com/jersey-city-penthouse-sells-for-record-5-7m/
As a listing agent, Puja brings her deep knowledge of the real-estate business to help sellers save time, price, and stage the property just right. Puja’s love for architecture and interior design enables her to bring out the potential of a buyer’s dream home in any property. Puja left behind a successful 17-year career on Wall Street and a master’s degree in computer science to pursue her true passion in real estate. She leverages her strong business skills, technical knowledge, and analytical skills to empower her clients to make decisions that work best for them.
When she is not busy pursuing her clients’ goals, Puja enjoys skiing and playing tennis. She is an amateur singer-songwriter, a private pilot and loves to play the guitar. She lives in Short Hills with her husband and two teenage daughters.
Bari Huber
Growing up in Millburn/Short Hills, Bari experienced first-hand what makes this and neighboring towns so special. The areas top rated schools, convenient commuting lines, charming neighborhoods and deeply connected communities is what drew her back to Short Hills as a resident in 2015, where she lives with her husband and three children.
Prior to joining the Gonnella Team, Bari spent 15 years in the fashion industry working across the areas of sales, marketing & design. Her proficiency in marketplace intelligence, eye for design and experience leading complex negotiations combined with her ability to draw upon her own personal experience of relocating to Short Hills, enables Bari to be an invaluable asset to the Gonnella Team and the clients they serve.
Bari is an active member in her community, volunteering at her children’s schools and organizing school fundraising evens. In her free time, she enjoys playing tennis, cheering her children on at their sporting events and spending time with friends and family. She brings to her clients attention to detail, strong work ethic and extensive expertise in Home Construction, Interior Design, Project Management and Staging.
Tom Daly
Tom Daly joins the GonnellaTeam with 38 years in institutional fixed income sales behind him. Tom joined Salomon Brothers in Philadelphia upon receiving his BS with honors in finance and economics in 1976 from Drexel University.
Tom has also worked at NomuraSecurities International, Morgan Stanley and Bank of New York Mellon. He specialized in the sales of both residential and commercial mortgages and mortgage backed securities. He is reuniting with TomGonnellaSr. after 30 plus years. Having overseen the construction of 3 of his own homes from architectural design to finished product, Tom has detailed knowledge of the process.
Through blending his experiences in finance, client relations and negotiation he is uniquely positioned to be an effective force for his clients in their pursuit of the perfect home. In Tom’s leisure time, he enjoys tennis, golf & international travel!
Nina Hallgren
Nina Hallgren has a strong focus on excellent customer relationships and is a true people person who prides herself in ensuring that she creates a memorable experience for all her clients.
She has a strong communication skillset and her ability to succeed under intense pressure ensures that each of her clients’ needs are met at the highest of standards.
Nina originally moved from Stockholm, Sweden to Summit, New Jersey in 2014 and therefore brings a diverse background as an entrepreneur within IT, Property and Human Resources. Her background and being a goal-oriented professional who ensures that clients get the best outcomes when managing the sale of their precious asset is what Nina thrives on.
Nina considers her job as her true vocation, she is also able to constantly meet and exceed what was expected of her. Nina indeed provides a quality service to build client relationships and more importantly maintains those relationships by communicating effectively.
On a personal level, Nina values family, integrity and being a member of the great Summit community through volunteering and embracing the American culture.
Monica Sangani
Monica began her professional journey in bustling New York City as a banker, research analyst, and then transitioned to a consumer company to enable marketing and business development..
Throughout, Monica advised small businesses under President Clinton’s Urban Enterprise Initiative Program, a dedicated effort to foster the growth of local NYC businesses. This experience ignited her passion for community development and laid the foundation for her future endeavors.
The allure of new horizons led Monica and her family to live in Singapore, where she deeply engaged in the vibrant expat community. Here, she curated numerous experiences aimed at fostering a sense of belonging and camaraderie..
Her dedication to community-building was unwavering, and she continues this passion to help those seeking to acclimate to new environments, whether it be a new country or neighborhood.
Upon returning to the U.S., Monica pursued her passion for real estate, obtaining her sales license and delving into the dynamic real estate market. Her recent focus is on catering to the needs of families, particularly with the recent influx of families with children, drawing from her own experiences as a devoted working mother of two.
Monica is a proud alumna of Columbia University, where she earned her undergraduate degree, and later went on to receive her MBA from the Stern School of Business. Her diverse background, coupled with her unwavering commitment to client satisfaction, makes her a trusted advisor for all real estate needs.
Contact | 732-991-7230 | monica.sangani@gmail.com
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Colleen Yanez
Colleen is a former real estate attorney at a major international law firm who has taken her love and knowledge of real estate in a new direction. She brings a powerful combination of legal expertise and real estate insight to her role as a sales associate with The Gonnella Team. She truly cares about her clients and will go the extra mile to help them achieve the best result.
A graduate of Trinity College and NYU School of Law, Colleen offers her clients a deep understanding of contracts, negotiations and property law. Her strong communication skills, conversational Spanish and familiarity with the area make her an asset in any transaction.
Colleen practiced law in New York City before deciding to stay home to raise her children. She and her husband, Tony, and their two sons have lived in Short Hills since 2005. Colleen loves spending time with her family and watching her sons play soccer. She stays active with workouts and racket sports, and will never pass up a good game of mahjong.
Contact | 973-494-2704 | colleen_yanez@mac.com
