About

He is widely considered one of the premier real estate developers of his generation. After joining Forest City in 1951, he went on to lead the company from its roots as a lumber and hardware business to one of the most respected developers in the country, serving as CEO from 1975–1995, and later as Chairman. Under his leadership, Forest City built a reputation for its ability to deliver transformational urban, mixed-use placemaking projects, including University Park at MIT (Boston), Metrotech (Brooklyn), 42nd Street (Manhattan), Stapleton (Denver), and The Yards (DC). In 2005, he was honored by the Urban Land Institute (ULI) with the J.C. Nichols Prize for Visionaries in Urban Development. He continued to serve as Chairman Emeritus of Forest City until the company’s sale to Brookfield in December 2018.

Albert currently sits on the Ohio Governor’s Executive Workforce Board, Board of Directors for Quality Electrodynamics (QED), Board of Directors for Global Cleveland, Advisory Board of the Ginn Academy, Honorary Trustee of Shoes & Clothes for Kids, Advisory Committee of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, Board of Governors of the Henry G. Jackson Foundation, and is an Honorary Trustee of the Enterprise Foundation. Albert previously served as a board member for the Jewish Federation of Cleveland, International Council of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, Cleveland Initiative for Education, the Greater Cleveland Partnership, and the United Way. He has also served on corporate boards for American Greetings and RPM International.

Albert is a graduate of Michigan State University, with a degree in Forestry. He also holds an Honorary Doctor of Laws (1990) from Long Island University, Brooklyn, NY; Honorary Doctor of Engineering (1992) from Polytechnic University, Brooklyn, NY; Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters (2012) from Cleveland State University; Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters (2016) from Case Western Reserve University; and Honorary Degree (2018) from Cuyahoga Community College.