Board of Directors

Leonard M. Tannenbaum, CFA
Founder and Executive Chairman 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.

Alexander Frank
Independent Director of AFC (Class III).
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.

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.

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.