Michael Kawochka

Life-long New Yorker and Brooklyn native, Michael Kawochka has had a few careers, all of them successful. Customer service has been the common thread sewing them all together.  Whether as an award-winning account executive at NYC’s #1 public relations agency, or as a project manager at the world's largest pharmaceutical company, Michael has always been a staunch advocate for his clients.  

At Pfizer, he managed complex million-dollar software projects, delivering strong results on time, while negotiating hundreds of thousands of dollars in cost savings.  At Edelman PR Worldwide, his team won three of the top four industry awards.  Having sat on all sides of the table, Michael brings empathy to both his clients and customers. He has been a landlord and a tenant, as well as a buyer and seller.  

When working with Michael, you are buying local expert knowledge from a 4th-generation Greenpointer.  Active in the community, Michael has served on the Greenpoint YMCA Board of Managers since 2003. Between shifts at the Park Slope Food Coop, he is a member of the Land Use Committee for Community Board 1, President of his condo board, a PTA Dad at PS110, and a past Berry Street Garden volunteer.  He also serves on the Boards of Directors of the High School of Art & Design Alumni Association and Sammy Tri-State.

He holds a BA with honors from the University at Buffalo, where he double-majored in English and Communication. He earned his MBA in Computer Information Systems at night from Baruch College.  

He hones his negotiating skills daily with his six-year-old daughter, Helen.  Occasionally he gets to see his wife, Sarah, who is in the early innings of her family medicine residency, at SUNY Downstate.

An avid traveler and music lover, Michael stays put most summer weekends in Fire Island. He ranks himself as an enthusiastic intermediate at both yoga and volleyball. After business hours, he can usually be found loitering at local favorites—Spoonbill & Sugartown Books, Bembe, or Public Records.