Our dedicated team of real-estate, lending, and cannabis-industry experts have solid track records that they’ve brought to AFC Gamma.

Chris Gioia

Managing Director, Head of Origination

Mr. Gioia has over 9 years of private equity investing experience, and an additional 2 years of investment banking and capital markets experience. Previously Mr. Gioia worked at ArmaVir Partners, a private equity firm he co-founded with over $375 million in assets under management. Prior to that he worked at Cowen in private equity investing and investment banking roles. He graduated with an A.B. in English Literature from Princeton University.

Carly Hooker

Director

Ms. Hooker has 6 years of experience in structured investing, data governance, investment reporting, and middle office operations. She previously served as a Senior Associate at Eldridge Industries and as a Manager in the middle office At Security Benefit Life Insurance Company. Carly graduated with a B.S. in Biology and Natural Sciences from Washburn University.

Jeff Boccuzzi

President of Tannenbaum Family Office

Mr. Boccuzzi has over 5 years of experience investing in leveraged loans across multiple industries. He additionally has 9 years of experience managing middle office and operations teams. Mr. Boccuzzi previously served as a Senior Associate at Oxford Square Capital Corp. and as a Manager in Fixed Income Middle Office at AIG Investments. He graduated with a B.S. in Business Management from the University of Connecticut and is a Level III CFA Candidate.

Brandon Hetzel

Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer

Mr. Hetzel joined the Company’s external manager in September of 2020 as Controller and has been its Executive Vice President, Controller since December 2022. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Hetzel served as VP of Finance for a real estate development and asset management company and spent seven years with PricewaterhouseCoopers where he was a manager in the REIT audit practice. Mr. Hetzel has over twelve years of real estate and financial management experience focused on real estate and REITs, including multi-family properties, hotels, office buildings, malls, strip centers and condominium development. Mr. Hetzel received a Master of Business Administration, Accounting BSBA and Finance BSBA from the University of Central Florida and is a licensed Certified Public Accountant.

Michael Attar

Controller of Tannenbaum Family Office

Mr. Attar has over 10 years of related accounting and finance experience, primarily in structured investments, fund accounting, and regulatory reporting; with focus on auditing, SOX controls, and overall accounting compliance. Holding previous roles of VP Finance and Corporate Controller, he has intimate working knowledge with both GAAP and IFRS. Mr. Attar received dual B.S.B.A. degrees from Florida International University, in Finance and Business Management & Administration.

Mark Rakowski

Analyst, Tannenbaum Family Office

Mr. Rakowski is a recent graduate of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied Finance and graduated Magna Cum Laude. At Wharton, Mark founded an investment club and was a member of Penn’s division one men’s lacrosse team. Previously he interned for Valens Research and Fortress Investment Group.

Gabe Katz

Chief Legal Officer

Mr. Katz has over 7 years of experience advising public and private companies in acquisitions, debt and equity financings, corporate governance matters and continuous reporting obligations. He previously worked in the corporate and securities groups at national law firms and prior to joining AFC Gamma he led the corporate legal team at a unicorn technology company. Mr. Katz received his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School and his B.S. from the University of Maryland.

Jeffrey R. Kay

Independent Director of Equity Holdco.

Mr. Kay brings over 30 years of business, entrepreneurial and marketing expertise to his board service with the Equity Holdco. Mr. Kay has founded and operated two different successful businesses providing marketing services and consulting to Fortune 500 companies. He is the founder and managing director of Brandfan, Inc., a marketing services firm that specializes in strategic planning and the development of revenue-generating marketing partnerships for consumer-oriented companies. Mr. Kay was the vice president of business development for Fanscape, Inc., a division of Omnicom Group specializing in social media marketing, where he established and managed the company’s New York office. Mr. Kay’s previous experience also includes founding and operating Performance Marketing Communications, an independent consumer-oriented marketing services agency, and holding management positions at various marketing agencies. Mr. Kay graduated from the University of Maryland College of Business and Management with a B.S. in Marketing and Business Administration.

James Velgot

Chief Marketing Officer

Mr. Velgot has over 30 years experience with strategic brand development, content marketing and creative services. In 2018, Mr. Velgot created the VELGOT group specializing in helping companies develop and grow both their brand and revenue. Mr. Velgot formerly worked as the Chief Marketing Officer for Fifth Street Asset Management, rebranding the firm in the private equity space, while also creating a content marketing and creative services platform. Prior to joining Fifth Street, Mr. Velgot spent over 20 years at Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. and Alliance Bernstein, where he rebranded the company in 26 countries around the world and created one of the most respected internal communication agencies on Wall Street. He is a graduate of Pratt Institute with a BFA in Communications Design.

Alexander Frank

Audit Committee Chair

Mr. Frank has more than 30 years’ experience in financial and operational infrastructure. He was previously at Fifth Street Asset Management, where he joined in 2011 and during his tenure through 2017, he held various positions and was responsible for the operations of the Company during his tenure from 2011 to 2017. He was the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Fifth Street Asset Management from the time of its IPO in 2014 to its sale to Oaktree in 2017. He served formerly as CFO of Fifth Street Asset Management, Managing Director and CFO at Chilton Investment Company and Global Head of Institutional Operations and in other capacities for 22 years at Morgan Stanley. From September 2008 to March 2011, he served as a managing director and Chief Financial officer of Chilton Investment Company LLC, a global investment management firm. Prior to that, Mr. Frank spent over 22 years at Morgan Stanley, having served as global head of institutional operations, global corporate controller and chief financial officer of U.S. broker/dealer operations and global treasurer. In his roles, he oversaw various securities infrastructure services, creating efficiencies throughout the organization, and managed all aspects of the internal and external financial control and reporting functions. Mr. Frank began his career in audit and tax accounting at Arthur Andersen LLP before joining Morgan Stanley in 1985. He received an M.B.A. from the University of Michigan and a B.A. from Dartmouth College.

Thomas Harrison

Independent Director, Lead Director (Class I) of AFC.

Harrison is an independent director of AFC, and the lead director. Mr. Harrison is currently a Senior Operating Partner at Merida Capital Partners, a private equity firm investing across the cannabis ecosystem. In addition, Mr. Harrison brings 30 years of experience in marketing, communications and brand positioning. He formerly founded Harrison & Star, a healthcare marketing agency that was sold to Omnicom. He is Chairman Emeritus of Diversified Agency Services (DAS), a division of Omnicom and the world’s largest group of marketing services companies. He is currently a board member for MainStem, the leading purchasing platform in the state-regulated cannabis industry. Mr. Harrison is on the Board and acts as lead director for Fifth Street Street Asset Management. In addition, he was previously the Chairman of the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee for Zynerba Pharma, a leader in pharmaceutically-produced cannabinoid therapies.

Edwin Gomez

Director

Mr. Gomez has five years of experience focused on managing real estate properties, both commercial and residential. He is involved in the inspection, maintenance, leasing and tenant relations for both commercial and residential properties. Mr. Gomez also coordinates the sale and purchase of commercial properties.

Robyn Tannenbaum

Partner, President

Mrs. Tannenbaum has over 7 years’ experience focusing on mergers and acquisitions and leveraged loans to healthcare companies. Additionally, she has 5 years of experience as an investor relations professional within the finance industry. Mrs. Tannenbaum formerly served as Head of Investor Relations at Fifth Street Asset Management and as a Vice President in Healthcare mergers and acquisitions at CIT Group Inc. She graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. in Finance, with a concentration in Marketing and a Public Relations minor from Lehigh University.

James Castro-Blanco

General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer, Secretary of AFC and Equity Holdco and Class II Director of AFC. Mr. Castro-Blanco is AFC’s and Equity Holdco’s General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer as well as a member of the AFC Board.

He has more than 28 years’ experience as an attorney, litigator, mediator and advisor to publicly traded and private clients. He previously served as an Assistant United States Attorney and narcotics prosecutor, and as a Chief Deputy County Attorney for Westchester County where he was responsible for all litigation, appeals, negotiations, compliance matters and the management of outside counsel.

Jonathan Kalikow

Principal of Manager, Head of Real Estate and Class II Director of AFC. Mr. Kalikow is AFC’s Head of Real Estate as well as a member of the AFC Board.

He is president and founder of Gamma Real Estate, a boutique commercial real estate firm based in New York City. The firm lends on real estate nationwide, owns a portfolio of approximately 5,000 apartments and several office properties in the Southeastern US, and developments real estate, including an 850 unit residential building on Sutton Place in Manhattan. Prior to co-founding Gamma Real Estate, Jonathan Kalikow spent 18 years on Wall Street investing across industries and asset classes as a proprietary trader at Morgan Stanley and then as a hedge fund trader and portfolio manager. Mr. Kalikow is a graduate of the Wharton School of Business with degrees in Real Estate and Finance. He also holds a JD from Fordham University School of Law and is a member of the New York State Bar Association.

Leonard M. Tannenbaum, CFA

Chief Executive Officer of the Manager, Chief Executive Officer of AFC and Class I Director of AFC.

A macro investor focused on credit for more than 25 years, Len Tannenbaum has underwritten over $10 billion of loans and has taken four entities public. Len has a depth of knowledge in permanent capital vehicles as well as many other SPV’s (special purpose vehicles) such as BDC’s, Hedge Funds and CLO’s.

At the age of 27, he founded Fifth Street Capital out of a two-room office he rented in White Plains, NY, and created an alternative credit asset manager with a nationwide platform with over 150 employees and offices in Palo Alto, Chicago, and Connecticut. Fifth Street was a flexible alternative lender providing capital to developing middle market businesses in all industries. Fifth Street managed $5 billion of assets across multiple private investment vehicles and three publicly traded companies, including two BDC’s (business development companies). After the sale to Oaktree Capital Management in 2017, Len founded his family office which currently manages and allocates capital across varying strategies.

During the pandemic Len founded the REIT, AFC Gamma, Inc. (NASDAQ: AFCG) a publicly traded, institutional lender that originates, structures, and underwrites loans secured by commercial real estate. In addition, it also specializes in loans to state-licensed cannabis operators.

Raised on Long Island to a Cuban exile mother with a background in education and a father who was the managing partner for a law firm, Len was destined to be driven. He graduated from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he received a B.S. in economics and an MBA in Finance as part of a sub-matriculation program. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.

As a proud Cuban American, he served as a member of the US Senate Republican Task Force on Hispanic Affairs chaired by Senator Orrin G. Hatch and was also a part of the pro-business Cuban Chamber of Commerce promoting the advancement of commercial, industrial, and civic interests.

He is a member of The Wharton Graduate Executive Board, Young Presidents Organization, Family Office Principals Group and Menorah Partners.

Len is an active philanthropist with a special interest in preserving wildlife, helping children, and continuing the development of an entrepreneurial mindset.

He also supports the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach, The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Yo Soy Ella, P.A. CASA (Pennsylvania Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children), Corners Outreach, Chess in the Schools and The Palm Beach Zoo and Conservation Society.

Robert Levy

Independent Director (Class II)

Mr. Levy has served as our independent director since December 2020. Currently, Mr. Levy works as a Managing Member at LBX Acquisitions, a position he has held since January 2018. Prior to launching LBX Investments, Mr. Levy co-founded Big V Capital (“BVC”) in March of 2016, where he oversaw and underwrote the partnership’s 11 Southeastern U.S. shopping center acquisitions and managed all capital raising (both debt and equity) and asset management efforts. Prior to BVC, Mr. Levy was the Chief Operating Officer of the Real Estate Group at Benefit Street Partners, a multi-strategy credit manager with over $11.0 billion in assets under management from May 2015 to June 2016. Prior to Benefit Street, Mr. Levy held various leadership positions at Centerline Capital Group, including Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Office, Chief Financial Officer, and Member of the Board of Trustees. Centerline was a multifamily finance and investment management company with over $13 billion in debt and equity under management. Mr. Levy received his M.B.A. from the Leonard M. Stern School of Business at New York University and his B.A. in Economics from Northwestern University. Mr. Levy brings to our Board a critical management experience in capital raising within the finance industry.

Jodi Hanson Bond

Independent Director (Class II)

Ms. Bond has served as our independent director since December 2020. Currently, Ms. Bond serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Quantum Wave Strategies, LLC, a position she has held since March 2020, and as the President of DevryBV Sustainable Strategies, a position she has held since August 2020. Additionally, Ms. Bond has been serving as a Corporate Director at Fifth Street since March 2017. Prior to those experiences, she was the Executive Vice President and Head of Government and Industry Relations at Chubb Limited from October 2017 until September 2019. From October 2011 to October 2017, Ms. Bond held the position of Senior Vice President International at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and as the President and a Board of Director for the following U.S. Chamber of Commerce subsidiaries: U.S.-Colombia Business Council, Association of American Chambers of Commerce of Latin America and the Caribbean, Brazil-U.S. Business Council, U.S.-Argentina Business Council, and U.S.-Cuba Business Council. Ms. Bond is also a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors and the Economic Club of Washington. Ms. Bond received her M.A. in Government from John Hopkins University and her B.A. in Politics from Whitman College. Ms. Bond’s experience as a global business practitioner and her executive leadership positioning for corporate advancement and business strategy development across various countries bring meaningful insight to our Board.

Marnie Sudnow

Independent Director (Class II)

Marnie Sudnow has served as the Senior Vice President of Client Success at Stylitics, where she oversees the company’s delivery of world-class merchandising technology providing personalized data-driven omnichannel solutions for leading retailers. Prior to Stylitics, she held several leadership positions at Mediaocean and worked in Private Banking for JP Morgan managing client relationships. Ms. Sudnow holds a BS in Finance and Marketing from the University of Delaware. She is passionate about Women in Tech and is involved with organizations such as: The Female Quotient, and Chief. She is the founder of the HMC club, which has participated in the Susan G. Komen Race for The Cure for many years.

Martin Bixler III

Vice President, Construction

Mr. Bixler has an excess of 20 years’ Project Management and Executive Leadership experience in various sectors of the Construction Industry having completed more than $100,000,000 worth of capex projects. Mr. Bixler began his career in the Heavy Highway/Civil sector being involved in projects such as the repair of the subway tunnels and construction of the Transit Hall at the former World Trade Center site in New York City. During his career he has also been involved in Residential, Industrial, Hospitality, Institutional and Commercial sectors. Mr. Bixler graduated cum laude from Clemson University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Construction Science and Management and also holds degrees in Industrial and Construction Engineering.

Keri Bruner

Associate, Marketing

Ms. Bruner has over 7 years of experience working in public finance, corporate finance, and private wealth. She previously spent three years working at Stephens Inc., where she gained knowledge of the municipal market. She is an expert in designing factsheets, exhibits, brands, SEO, marketing materials, and targeted outreach using Adobe Suite. She has a range of experience in research, event organizing, philanthropy, InDesign, After Effects, and after-effects. Ms. Bruner earned a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from the University of Miami.

Hailey Nicholas

Assistant Controller

Ms. Nicholas has spent the last four years with Deloitte & Touche, where she most recently served as a Senior Associate in the audit practice. Ms. Nicholas graduated from Florida State University, where she received her Bachelors in Finance and Accounting. In addition, she received her Masters in Accounting from The Ohio State University and is an active CPA.

Dominic Delia, CFA

Vice President of TFO

Mr. Delia has over 4 years’ experience in Buy Side Credit Research, all of which came as an Analyst on the Global Credit Research team at Wells Fargo Asset Management, where he covered investment grade Building Materials, Environmental Services, Home Builders, Packaging, Paper & Utilities. He has also completed internships at the State of Wisconsin Investment Board & Alpha Investment Consulting Group. Mr. Delia graduated Cum Laude from the Applied Investment Management program at Marquette University with a B.S. in Finance. Mr. Delia is a CFA® charterholder.

Brandon Hetzel

Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer

Mr. Hetzel joined the Company’s external manager in September of 2020 as Controller and has been its Executive Vice President, Controller since December 2022. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Hetzel served as VP of Finance for a real estate development and asset management company and spent seven years with PricewaterhouseCoopers where he was a manager in the REIT audit practice. Mr. Hetzel has over twelve years of real estate and financial management experience focused on real estate and REITs, including multi-family properties, hotels, office buildings, malls, strip centers and condominium development. Mr. Hetzel received a Master of Business Administration, Accounting BSBA and Finance BSBA from the University of Central Florida and is a licensed Certified Public Accountant.

William Cannon

Associate

William has 6 years of experience in financial reporting, corporate finance, and middle office operations. Mr. Cannon most recently served as an Analyst in Goldman Sachs Merchant Banking Division, where he managed the financial reporting and investor relations functions for a series of Mezzanine Funds. He formerly worked as an Associate at Morgan Stanley supporting their Private Credit and Equity Division. William graduated with a B.S. in Finance from Fordham University.

Will Rotatori

Vice President, Origination

Mr. Rotatori has over 5 years of investment banking and capital markets experience. He began his career at Baird, where he started as an intern in the Milwaukee office and eventually moved to the Chicago office as an associate. He was in the Global Industrial Group focusing on middle-market sell-side and buy-side M&A, equity offerings, debt advisory and strategic and financial planning. He has also completed an internship with Florida Bank of Commerce, who was acquired by Sunshine Bancorp. Mr. Rotatori graduated with honors from Princeton University with a B.A. in Economics.

Michael Attar

Controller of Tannenbaum Family Office

Mr. Attar has over 10 years of related accounting and finance experience, primarily in structured investments, fund accounting, and regulatory reporting; with focus on auditing, SOX controls, and overall accounting compliance. Holding previous roles of VP Finance and Corporate Controller, he has intimate working knowledge with both GAAP and IFRS. Mr. Attar received dual B.S.B.A. degrees from Florida International University, in Finance and Business Management & Administration.

Cody Shue

Senior Accountant

Mr. Shue has over 10 years of accounting and auditing experience. Prior to joining AFC, he was a corporate controller for a real estate company that managed 70 multi-family apartment complexes across the United States where he was responsible for financial reporting, overseeing cashflow, and managing the internal audit function. Mr. Shue began his career with RSM in the audit and assurance practice where he specialized in the hospitality, real estate, and gaming industries. Mr. Shue graduated with a B.S. in Business Administration with a major in Accounting from Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania.

Matt Suozzi

Vice President

Mr. Suozzi has over 8 years’ experience focusing on middle market and leverage loan transactions, including originations, structuring, underwriting, and performing due diligence. Mr. Suozzi most recently served as an underwriter at XS Financial, a specialty finance company serving the cannabis industry, where he sourced, structured, and closed equipment finance transactions. Mr. Suozzi began his career at Capital One as a credit analyst in the New York City middle market commercial and industrial group, and covered Technology, Media, and Telecom leveraged finance as an underwriter and portfolio manager. Mr. Suozzi graduated with a B.A. in Mathematics from University of Virginia.

Matt Freindlich

Associate

Mr. Freindlich has five years of experience focusing on Corporate Development, Finance, Strategy and Private Equity. He most recently worked at New Fortress Energy, a spin-off portfolio company of the Fortress Investment Group Private Equity Arm, where he served as an Associate in support of the Business Development and FP&A groups. Prior to this, Matt began his career with Guggenheim Securities as an Associate on the Equity Research Sales Desk. Matt graduated from the University of Central Florida with a B.S.B.A. in Finance and an Economics Minor.

Ian Kirby

Chief of Staff

Mr. Kirby graduated from Palm Beach Atlantic University and the London School of Economics, where he studied International Business and European Governmental Policy. Ian has experience in many sectors including start-ups, business development, financial modeling, M&A ventures, and four years leading departments in the Hospitality sector at Eau Palm Beach Resort and Spa. Ian also holds positions as the Treasurer for the Palm Beach Chamber of Commerce’s PYBP group, is a Registered Investment Adviser, and a Fellow of the Staring Bloc Institute.