Management | AFC Gamma Inc.

Leonard M. Tannenbaum, CFA
Chief Executive Officer of the Manager, Chief Executive Officer of AFC Gamma and Class I Director of AFC Gamma.

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.

Robyn Tannenbaum
Partner, Head of Origination and Investor Relations.
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.

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.

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.

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.