Dorothy Herman

Richest self-made woman in American real estate, Dorothy Herman is co-owner of New York's elite brokerage firm Douglas Elliman, which sells $22 billion worth of homes a year, netting $600 million in sales. The firm has over 6,000 agents in 85 offices. She and partner Howard Lorber bought it for $72 million in 2003. It hasn't been an easy journey for her. A car crash killed her mother, left her father disabled and brought on seizures for then 10-year-old Dottie, who was thrown from the car. She became a mom at age 19. She started working as a real estate broker at Merrill Lynch on Long Island in the 1980s. It was soon bought by Prudential Long Island, and in 1990, she bought the majority of that brokerage firm. Bachelor of Arts / Science, Adelphi University