The 2026 Alexander Hamilton Medal will be awarded to Abby Black Elbaum CC’92, BUS’94, a leading real estate executive who was recently named co-chair of the University Board of Trustees. Beyond her commitment to Columbia, Elbaum is also deeply engaged with healthcare and civic leadership.
TESS STEINKOLK OF BROWN DOG PRODUCTIONS
The Hamilton Medal is the highest honor awarded to a member of the Columbia College community and recognizes distinguished service to the College and accomplishment in any field of endeavor.
“Abby’s new leadership role with the Trustees is the latest example of her extraordinary commitment and longstanding service to Columbia,” says Dean Josef Sorett. “At the College, we have been especially fortunate to benefit from her generosity of spirit and thoughtful counsel, through roles on the Columbia College Alumni Association and Board of Visitors. Between that and her work on behalf of other civic causes, she has made an impact in the lives of so many. Abby truly expresses the spirit of a Columbia College education and all that the Hamilton Award aims to recognize.”
Elbaum is co-founder and principal of Ogden CAP Properties, a real estate investment and development firm. She began her career at J.P. Morgan Chase in its Private Bank.
Elbaum has been a University Trustee since 2016. She currently serves on the Executive, Trusteeship and Health Sciences Committees and is chair of the Physical Assets Committee. Throughout her tenure on the board, she has played a central role in its work across governance, strategic planning and the Columbia University Irving Medical Center. She has also served on the CCAA Board of Directors and the Columbia College Board of Visitors. Elbaum received the Columbia College Young Alumni Achievement Award in 2002; she was a recipient of a John Jay Award for distinguished professional achievement in 2015.
In addition, Elbaum serves on the boards of the Neighborhood Coalition for Shelter, the Mount Vernon Triangle Community Improvement District, and the Lincoln Square Business Improvement District, where she is on the executive committee. Elbaum is also a governor of the Real Estate Board of New York, a Columbia-appointed trustee at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, and VP and secretary of the board of Temple Emanu-El of the City of New York.
The 78th annual Alexander Hamilton Award Dinner will take place on Thursday, Nov. 19, in Low Rotunda.