ARBOR REALTY TRUST - Key Persons

Adam Bell - CMO, Managing Director

Job Titles:

Chief Marketing Officer
Managing Director
Member of the Management Team
in 2024 As Chief Marketing Officer

Adam Bell joined Arbor in 2024 as Chief Marketing Officer. Mr. Bell is responsible for Arbor's Marketing and Communications team, driving growth for the organization through achievement of originations goals and expanding Arbor's industry presence and brand recognition. As Arbor's CMO, Mr. Bell calls upon more than 25 years of industry-leading marketing experience and advances Arbor's efforts in developing its brand strategy and positioning while enhancing customer experience, acquisition, and retention. Prior to joining Arbor, Mr. Bell was the Chief Marketing Officer at Customers Bank and held various other roles establishing top performing global brand platforms, marketing centers of excellence, premium thought leadership, and lead-to-revenue programs for organizations such as Mastercard, Trūata, St. John's University, Chevron, Texaco, and IBM. In addition, Mr. Bell is an Advisory Board Member of Adro, a fintech platform for international students. He graduated from The Catholic University of America.

Adam Dratch

Job Titles:

Member of the Senior Team
Senior Vice President, Associate General Counsel, Agency Lending

Adam Dratch is responsible for managing all legal matters related to Arbor's Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac platforms from loan origination through delivery. In this role, he provides support and direction both internally and to closing counsel on questions related to legal diligence and Agency Guide compliance. Mr. Dratch joined Arbor in 2010 and has held several position within the Closing and Legal teams before being promoted to his current role. Prior to Arbor, he practiced law at Cassin and Cassin LLP, representing lenders in the financing of commercial and multifamily properties. Mr. Dratch received a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Villanova University and a Juris Doctor from Pace Law School.

Alex Bord

Job Titles:

Member of the Senior Team
Senior Vice President, IT Infrastructure

Alex Bord is responsible for all aspects of managing and securing Arbor's physical and virtual technology assets, and the operating functions of the IT Infrastructure group. Mr. Bord came to Arbor in 2019 as Vice President, IT Infrastructure, with more than two decades of information technology experience in the financial industry. Prior to joining Arbor, he was Lead Systems Engineer for global infrastructure for FlexTrade Systems, Inc. in Great Neck, New York, where he developed and deployed a seamless software (SaaS) solution to deliver trading applications to hundreds of major financial institutions. He also implemented and supported disaster recovery, business continuity and intelligent enterprise monitoring solutions for hosted and cloud infrastructures. Previous to that role, Mr. Bord served as a Senior Systems Engineer for Third Point LLC and Credit-Based Asset Servicing LLC in New York. Mr. Bord has a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management Information Systems from Pace University.

Alexander Stangle

Job Titles:

Member of the Management Team
Managing Director, Screening and Portfolio Retention

Alexander Stangle joined Arbor in 2011 and oversees the Portfolio Retention division, managing all front-end related activities for Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA and structured loans. His responsibilities include screening, underwriting and originations of portfolio refinances, loan assumptions and supplemental financings. Prior to his tenure at Arbor, Mr. Stangle spent several years performing underwriting, portfolio management and originations as a Portfolio Manager at Citizens Bank. In addition, he consulted for The Bulfinch Companies, Colony Realty Partners and Boston Properties. Mr. Stangle earned a Master of Business Administration in Investment Finance from Babson College and a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Union College.

Andrew G. Guziewicz

Job Titles:

Member of the Management Team
Managing Director, Chief Credit Officer, Structured Finance

Andrew Guziewicz joined Arbor in July 2008. He oversees the underwriting process for all structured finance transactions and is a voting member of Arbor's Credit Committee. The structured finance group originates, structures, underwrites and funds debt and equity financing for various commercial real estate asset types and classes nationwide. Mr. Guziewicz has more than two decades of commercial mortgage underwriting experience. Prior to joining Arbor, he served as a Director for Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc., where he was responsible for managing the underwriting of loans from $50 million to over $5 billion, which were originated for securitization or private placement in the capital markets. He has also held positions at Deutsche Bank Securities, Inc., Aetna Real Estate Investments and GE Capital. Mr. Guziewicz earned a Master of Business Administration in Finance with a concentration in Real Estate from the University of Connecticut and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration/International Business from the University of New Haven.

Annette Givelekian

Job Titles:

Senior Vice President, Human Resources

Annette Givelekian is responsible for leading Arbor's comprehensive human resources functions and is charged with developing a long-term strategy focused on organizational design and effectiveness, as well as employee development and retention. Ms. Givelekian has over two decades of experience in human resources with expertise in creating and driving positive and high performance cultures, talent management, performance management, employee engagement, learning and development, employee relations and compensation. Ms. Givelekian joined Arbor in 1998 and has held several key positions prior to her current role. She has been an integral part of Arbor's growth, employee experience and culture, helping to build the Arbor of today. Prior to Arbor, Ms. Givelekian held numerous managerial positions within the human resources departments for such New York-based companies as MMT Sales, Inc., Sara Lee Bodywear and Leveraged Technology, Inc. Ms. Givelekian received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Stony Brook University and her Master of Business Administration from Adelphi University, summa cum laude.

Breandan Fisher

Job Titles:

Member of the Senior Team
Senior Vice President, Deputy Chief Underwriter, Agency Lending

Breandan Fisher is responsible for managing a team of underwriters for Arbor's pipeline of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac products. Mr. Fisher joined Arbor in 2012 as a Screening Analyst. He consistently moved up through the ranks at Arbor, serving as Underwriting Analyst and Senior Underwriter among other previous roles. He has worked in his current capacity as a Deputy Chief Underwriter since 2021, at which time he also became a member of the Arbor Loan Committee. He earned a Bachelor of Arts from Bowdoin College and a Master of Business Administration from Boston University, with a concentration in finance.

Brett Neely

Job Titles:

Senior Vice President, FHA Chief Underwriter

Brett Neely is responsible for managing Arbor's FHA underwriting pipeline and overseeing the FHA platform from screening to issuance of Firm Commitments with HUD. He also manages the day-to-day operations of a staff of underwriters, processors, and analysts. As a representative of Arbor to HUD staff, Mr. Neely provides leadership to strengthen relationships with all of HUD's five regions. He joined Arbor in 2018 and has more than a decade of underwriting experience, including in previous roles at Greystone & Co. and Great Lakes Financial Group. Mr. Neely earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from John Carroll University.

Brian Murphy

Job Titles:

Member of the Management Team
Managing Director, Residential

Brian Murphy is responsible for all Capital Markets activities related to Arbor's Single-Family Rental (SFR) Portfolio program including loan pricing, hedging and financing strategy. He works closely with the SFR underwriting team and Chief Investment Officer on the credit parameters for the various SFR loan products. Mr. Murphy was promoted to Managing Director at Arbor in 2023. Prior to joining Arbor, Mr. Murphy was a Vice President, Capital Markets, for more than three years at CoreVest American Finance, where his responsibilities included pricing various SFR loan products, managing whole loan sales and evaluating securitization strategy and execution. Prior to CoreVest, Mr. Murphy spent more than 15 years in the residential mortgage finance industry, including positions at Nomura Securities, Credit Suisse and Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette. Mr. Murphy has a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Harvard University.

Carl Koebler

Job Titles:

Senior Vice President, Screening

Carl Koebler manages Arbor's front-end screening group. He oversees the company's screening pipeline, manages its team of screeners, and acts as a Arbor's liaison to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Cathie Iglio

Job Titles:

Senior Vice President, Treasury

Cathie Iglio manages the financing of all structured loan products, cash flow reporting, and cash management. She has been with Arbor for more than 20 years. Prior to joining Arbor, Ms. Iglio worked in commercial mortgage servicing for Fleet Real Estate Capital and Mellon Mortgage. Ms. Iglio has a Bachelor of Business Economics from the State University of New York at Oneonta.

Charles Marino - Managing Director

Job Titles:

Managing Director
Member of the Management Team
Managing Director, Servicing & Agency Asset Management

Charles Marino joined Arbor in March of 2022 as Managing Director, Servicing & Agency Asset Management. Mr. Marino is responsible for the oversight and management of Arbor's daily servicing operations as well as the Agency Asset Management functions, which include Portfolio Management, Loan Surveillance and Risk Management. In addition, he evaluates loan credit risk and portfolio performance for the Company. Prior to joining Arbor, Mr. Marino spent 30 years with M&T Bank Corporation where he had been promoted over the years to Executive Vice President, Commercial Lending Services. His experience includes managing all aspects of CRE operations and services including financial and budget management, system conversions & automation, construction loan monitoring, new loan originations, real estate tax escrow administration, and strategic planning. Mr. Marino earned a Master of Business Administration, Finance and Accounting from Saint Bonaventure University. He also holds a Bachelor of Science, Accounting from the University of Buffalo.

Chris Femino

Job Titles:

Member of the Senior Team
Senior Vice President, Deputy Chief Underwriter, Agency Lending

Chris Femino is responsible for managing the underwriting pipeline of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac executions. In addition, as a member of Arbor's Loan Committee, Mr. Femino reviews all underwriting packages for both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loan products to ensure prudent and accurate underwriting, as well as adherence to agency guidelines. Mr. Femino came to Arbor as a Screening Analyst in 2007 and later moved to the Underwriting department as a Processing Analyst. He also held the position of Associate Underwriter before advancing through the ranks to his current role. Mr. Femino holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.

Daniel Dershowitz

Job Titles:

Member of the Management Team
Managing Director, Transactions

Daniel Dershowitz is responsible for negotiating all legal aspects of major loan workouts and modifications at Arbor. He oversees all legal transactions for the company's Single-Family Rental Portfolio platform. Mr. Dershowitz also handles the structuring and oversight of all legal matters with respect to loan transactions and documentation, and managing outside counsel in connection to the company's lending platform for multifamily, healthcare and other structured loan transactions. Prior to joining Arbor in 2010, Mr. Dershowitz practiced law at the firms of Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP and Thacher Proffitt & Wood LLP, where he represented lenders, including investment banks and life insurance companies, in the origination of CMBS, portfolio, construction, mezzanine and syndicated loans secured by real estate. Mr. Dershowitz holds a Bachelor of Arts from Queens College and a Juris Doctor from Fordham University School of Law.

Daniel Lipkin

Job Titles:

Senior Vice President, Structured Asset Management

Daniel Lipkin joined Arbor in February 2021 and has more than 15 years of combined commercial real estate finance and legal experience. Mr. Lipkin is a Team Leader within the Structured Asset Management department, supervising the New York City office. He focuses on loan restructuring, loan workouts, and special resolutions, and is also responsible for a revolving portfolio of senior loans, mezzanine loans, and preferred equity investments. Prior to joining Arbor, Mr. Lipkin served five years as an Asset Manager at Stabilis Capital Management. He was previously a Vice President at LNR Partners, LLC in Miami Beach, FL, where he managed REO assets and negotiated the modifications or foreclosures of over $2.5 billion of securitized non-performing loans. Mr. Lipkin holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from Stanford University, a Juris Doctor from the University of San Francisco School of Law, and an LL.M in Real Property Development from the University of Miami School of Law.

Daniel Powers

Job Titles:

Senior Vice President, Agency Lending Operations

Daniel Powers manages Arbor's deal pipeline and structural resources management. He allocates resources and implements processes to optimize efficiency and maximize results in Agency Lending Operations. He also develops new strategies and positions resources according to market conditions. Mr. Powers has been with Arbor for more than a decade, working in several different capacities, including screening, underwriting, and portfolio retention. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Financial Services from East Carolina University.

Daniella Muller

Job Titles:

Associate General Counsel
Executive Vice President, Human Resources
Member of the Executive Team

Daniella Muller oversees Human Resources and is responsible for managing the regulatory and operational compliance areas for Arbor, where she demonstrates strong leadership while supporting and empowering her team to take on important corporate initiatives. Prior to joining Arbor, Ms. Muller practiced law for over 17 years at several prominent New York City law firms, specializing in employment law and litigation. Ms. Muller received her Juris Doctor from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York, NY, and her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Queens College in Flushing, NY.

Danny van der Reis

Job Titles:

Member of the Executive Team
Executive Vice President, Servicing and Asset Management

Danny van der Reis oversees both the Servicing and Agency Asset Management and the Structured Asset Management departments. He is responsible for loan restructurings of all of Arbor's balance sheet loans; leading the strategic expansion of the Company's servicing and asset management functions; managing the needs of our rapidly growing portfolio; and ensuring seamless alignment and communication between the two departments. With more than 25 years of commercial real estate finance experience, Mr. van der Reis has an extensive background in special servicing with a successful track record that includes the resolution of more than $30 billion of commercial real estate loan defaults through liquidations, workouts, restructurings and other creative resolutions. Mr. van der Reis holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Miami, a Master of Business Administration from Florida International University, and a Juris Doctor from University of Miami School of Law.

David E. Friedman

Job Titles:

Member of the Executive Team
Executive Vice President, Syndicated Markets and Institutional Venture Lending Management

David Friedman joined Arbor in February of 2022 and is responsible for leading Arbor's loan syndicated lending platform, as well as the development of strategic partnerships for loan origination. In his current role, David establishes access to new sources of capital, as well as manages and grows existing relationships to fund Arbor's business needs. Bringing nearly two decades experience leading and directing syndication efforts at institutional groups, David is adept at successfully establishing and managing multiple programs. Prior to Arbor, he held leadership roles at financial powerhouses such as Greystone, TD Bank and Merrill Lynch. David holds a Masters of Science in Real Estate Finance & Investment from NYU Schack Institute of Real Estate, as well as a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration from Babson College.

Drew Szczerba

Job Titles:

in 2005 As a Senior Financial Analyst
Senior Vice President, Financial Planning & Analysis

Drew Szczerba is responsible for creating and maintaining Arbor's expense allocation model to accurately assign costs across multiple business segments. He also works to establish and enhance forecasting methods to improve flexibility and timelines, develops and evaluates budget performance, and identifies opportunities for cost savings. Mr. Szczerba joined Arbor in 2005 as a Senior Financial Analyst. During his tenure, he has worked directly with the Chief Financial Officer to write scripts for public quarterly earnings calls and pertinent sections of earnings releases and SEC filings. Mr. Szczerba earned a Bachelor of Business Administration and a Master of Business Administration from Hofstra University.

Dustin Pevear

Job Titles:

Senior Vice President, Director of Screening

Dustin Pevear brings a broad range of experience into his current role as Senior Vice President, Director of Screening, which he assumed in 2022. This role brings him full circle, as he joined Arbor in 2008 as a Senior Analyst on the Boston-based Front End Screening team and has since served in underwriting, agency lending and other client-facing departments of the REIT. Mr. Pevear was previously Chief Underwriter of Freddie Mac Small Business Loans (SBL) for three years and was Vice President, Agency Lending Operations for four. His current expertise spans those areas plus deal structuring with a focus on both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, as well as deal management, process development and efficiency enhancement. He is a member of Arbor's Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and Arbor Private Label Loan Committees, and he plays an integral role in helping Arbor establish and grow its position in the marketplace and in building relationships across agency partners. Mr. Pevear is a contributor to Arbor's Be the Best You can Be video series, in which he advises emerging talent at the firm. Prior to joining Arbor, Mr. Pevear spent several years as a financial analyst with Digitas North America. He received a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Marketing from Boston College.

Dustin Smith

Job Titles:

Team Leader
Senior Vice President, Structured Asset Management

Dustin Smith is a team leader within the Structured Asset Management department that oversees Arbor's single-family rental and build-to-rent construction loan portfolios as well as its real estate-owned (REO) assets. Prior to joining Arbor, Mr. Smith served as Vice President of Asset Management at LNR Partners, LLC where he managed a national portfolio of loans and REO assets. He also previously worked at Commercial Florida, a commercial real estate company where he was responsible for managing and leasing a portfolio of office properties. Mr. Smith holds a Master of Business Administration, a Master of Science in Real Estate, and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Florida.

Eduardo Moreno

Job Titles:

Team Leader
Senior Vice President, Team Lead, Structured Asset Management

Eduardo Moreno, a Team Leader within the Structured Asset Management department, manages multifamily bridge loans in Florida and Texas. He oversees a group of asset managers and analysts in Miami and Dallas who ensure borrowers comply with loan document provisions, meet performance thresholds, and established construction deadlines. Before joining Arbor in 2021, Mr. Moreno was a Senior Vice President at LNR Partners where he managed a team of Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities (CMBS) loan asset managers and analysts in the Loan Asset Management department. Mr. Moreno earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance and General Management from Boston College.

Eric Twitchell

Job Titles:

Senior Vice President, Deputy Chief Underwriter

Eric Twitchell manages a team of underwriters and analysts responsible for reviewing underwriting packages for agency loan products to ensure prudent and accurate underwriting, as well as adherence to agency guidelines. Since joining Arbor in 2007, Mr. Twitchell has worked on a broad portfolio of multifamily loan products. He specializes in Conventional, Affordable, Cooperative, Military, Manufactured Housing, and Student Housing underwriting. Mr. Twitchell has risen through the ranks at Arbor from Underwriting Analyst to Senior Underwriter to Associate Vice President Underwriter and Team Lead to Vice President Deputy Chief Underwriter of Agency Products. He became a member of the Arbor Loan Committee in 2019. Mr. Twitchell earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from Johnson & Wales University.

Frank Maniglia

Job Titles:

Member of the Management Team
Managing Director, Agency Lending Operations

Frank Maniglia oversees Arbor's loan operations, ensuring effective deal management, process refinement as well as the scalability necessary to support increased volume. Since joining Arbor in 2007, Mr. Maniglia has played a significant role in successfully positioning Arbor to handle rapid growth. He was previously the company's Director of Operations and was responsible for overseeing front-end loan processing, managing the front-end of the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loan production areas, and coordinating processing from application through underwriting. Prior to Arbor, Mr. Maniglia worked at Corcoran Management Group.

Fred Weber

Job Titles:

Member of the Executive Team
Executive Vice President, Managing Director of Structured Finance and Principal Transactions
Member of the Real Estate Finance Committee of the Real Estate Board of New York

With more than 25 years of experience, Mr. Weber has earned a distinguished reputation for professional excellence and leadership in the mortgage banking and commercial real estate industries. He has extensive real estate finance and acquisition experience as well as substantial expertise in the restructuring and workouts of troubled loans. Mr. Weber currently leads a team that serves the highly specialized and complex financing needs for clients of Arbor Realty Trust. As the Executive Vice President, Managing Director of Structured Finance & Principal Transactions, he manages a group that originates, underwrites and implements debt and equity transactions for various asset types and classes of commercial real estate nationwide. During his tenure, Mr. Weber has structured in excess of $50 billion of sophisticated real estate and finance transactions. Mr. Weber is a member of the Real Estate Finance Committee of the Real Estate Board of New York, the International Council of Shopping Centers and the Mortgage Bankers Association of New York. He is also a member of the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts, the Real Estate Lenders Association, the Urban Land Institute, the Commercial Real Estate Finance Council and the RealShare Structured Finance Advisory Board. He has lectured at the International Council of Shopping Centers and other industry conferences. Before joining Arbor, he was a partner and co-head of the real estate department with Kronish, Lieb, Weiner & Hellman. He was also a partner with the law firm of Weil, Gotshal & Manges.

Gary DeSimone

Job Titles:

Member of the Senior Team
Senior Vice President, Finance

Gary DeSimone oversees the development of financial reporting, forecasting and budget processes for Arbor and assists in the development of key metrics for monitoring business performance. In this role, he also supports Arbor's Chief Financial Officer with investor relations, quarterly earnings releases and Board of Directors meetings. Mr. DeSimone began his career with Arbor in 2003 as Manager of Finance and has held other key positions within Arbor's Accounting and Finance teams. Before joining Arbor, Mr. DeSimone spent seven years at an international staffing solutions company managing accounting and treasury. Mr. Gary DeSimone received a Bachelor of Business Administration from Hofstra University.

Gene Kilgore

Job Titles:

Member of the Executive Team
Executive Vice President, Structured Securitization

Gianni Ottaviano

Job Titles:

Member of the Executive Team
Executive Vice President, Structured Finance Production

Gillian Harrington

Job Titles:

Senior Vice President, Portfolio Management and Loan Surveillance

Gina Osborn

Job Titles:

Senior Vice President, Team Lead, Structured Asset Management

Giulio Rana

Job Titles:

Member of the Management Team
Managing Director, Structured Finance

Glenn Pressler

Job Titles:

Senior Vice President, Construction, Structured Asset Management

Howard Leiner - CTO, EVP

Job Titles:

Chief Technology Officer
Executive Vice President
Member of the Executive Team

Ivan Kaufman - CEO, Chairman

Job Titles:

CEO
CHAIRMAN

Ivan Kaufman has extensive experience operating a diverse array of real estate finance companies that spans four decades and numerous real estate cycles. He is currently the founder, chairman and CEO of Arbor Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ABR).