Board of Directors
Steven Kohn
President
Cushman & Wakefield, Former Chairman – Equity, Debt & Structured Finance
Ed Adler
Vice president
L-A Partners L.P., Chief Executive Officer
Greta Guggenheim
Vice President & Secretary
TPG, Former Chief Executive Officer
Robert Lapidus
Vice President
L&L Holding Company, LLC President and Chief Investment Officer
Matt Lazar
Treasurer
TPG Angelo Gordon, Managing Director, U.S. Real Estate
Daniel Berman
HSF Kramer, Partner
Kyle Bolden
EY, Partner (Retired)
Marty Burger
Infinite Global Real Estate Partners, CEO
Gisele Castro
Exalt, Executive Director
Anar Chudgar
Artemis Real Estate, Co-President
Kevin Faxon
Shadow Hill Partners, Principal
Sari Granat
Technology Executive & Advisor
Baaba Halm
Enterprise Community Partners, Interim Co-President, Solutions Division and SVP, Programs
Ally Heyburn
Centerbridge, Managing Director
Suzy Myers Jackson
SparkYouth NYC, Executive Director
Sonny Kalsi
BGO, Co-Chief Executive Officer
Katie Keenan
Blackstone, Chief Executive Officer, Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust & Global Head of Core+ Real Estate
Richard Kessler
Benenson Capital Partners, Chief Operating Officer
Cia Buckley Marakovits
Dune Real Estate Partners, President & Chief Investment Officer
John P. McCarthy
Primrose Hill Advisors LLC, Managing Member
Rich Monopoli
BXP, Senior Vice President, Development
Eric Mulkowsky
Management Consultant
Michael Nash
Blackstone, Senior Managing Director (Retired)
James Nelson
Avison Young, Head of U.S. Investment Sales
Peter C. Olsen
Paul Hastings, Partner – Real Estate Department
Evin Floyd Robinson
America on Tech, Co-Founder & President
Neha Santiago
Cerberus Capital Management, Head of Real Estate Private Credit and Managing Director
Adam Schwartz
TPG Angelo Gordon, Managing Partner & Head of Global Real Estate
Shiva Viswanathan
Real Estate Executive
Rhea Wong
Nonprofit Consultant
Board Member Emeriti
Kenneth Horn
Alchemy Properties Inc., President
David Schulman
Bear Wagner Specialists, LLC (Retired)
Legacy Members
Sally Berg
Co-Founder
Barbara Kohn Welsh
Barbara Kronman
Co-Founder
SparkYouth Staff
Suzy Myers Jackson
Executive Director
Suzy’s 20+ years of nonprofit experience includes working directly with young people in NYC public high schools, investing in mission-driven teams, building effective nonprofit Boards, and serving as a strategic thought partner to visionary leaders.
Her “Yes And” leadership style developed during her time as Executive Director of Opening Act (a former SparkYouth grantee), where she grew the program’s reach from 3 to 57 schools, led the organization to become a national leader in Social Emotional Learning outcomes, and increased revenue by 80 fold.
Suzy loves to “dive into the mess,” whether that’s getting her hands dirty in her Brooklyn garden, or helping an Executive Director weed through challenges to create a more sustainable organization.
Suzy received her BFA from NYU.
Rachael Abbick
Director of Engagement
Growing up in a family of nonprofit leaders and public servants, Rachael developed a lifelong commitment to service and community impact. She began her career working directly with young people and later expanded her experience across fundraising, communications, operations, and board management. This background has given her an appreciation for both the frontline and behind-the-scenes work that helps mission-driven organizations thrive. At SparkYouth, Rachael brings those experiences together to support and engage the vibrant community of grantees, donors, partners, and advocates who are creating opportunities for young people every day.
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