Team

Drawing from decades of collective experience investing in real estate, the senior team at Raith has deep expertise in investment management, asset management, development and redevelopment, as well as in property management, finance and accounting, and compliance and regulatory matters.

  • William W. Landis III

    William W. Landis III

    Mr. Landis co-founded Raith Capital Partners in February 2012. Raith serves as the general partner for Raith Real Estate Fund I, Raith Real Estate Fund II, and Raith Real Estate Fund III vehicles opportunistically targeting real estate investments across the United States, and for Raith CMBS Fund I and II, its B-piece investment vehicles in addition to a number of separately managed accounts. Over the last eight years, Mr. Landis and his team have invested in excess of $2.5 billion in distressed loans secured by commercial real estate and commercial mortgaged-backed securities . The Partners of Raith were early investors in the re-cast CMBS market starting in 2010 and have since become a leading investor in B-piece securities, having bought controlling interests in 25 transactions. Prior to forming Raith, Mr. Landis served as the Chief Investment Officer at Rialto Capital Management from its inception in 2008. Prior to Rialto, Mr. Landis was a Managing Director and member of the Group Executive Committee in the Commercial Real Estate group at Deutsche Bank (as successor firm to Bankers Trust). During the period from 1998-2008, Mr. Landis’ group priced, structured and distributed in excess of $50 billion of commercial real estate credit on multiple asset classes including land, office, industrial, retail, hospitality and homebuilding. While at Bankers Trust, Mr. Landis led the firm’s commercial securitization efforts and was instrumental in launching Bankers Trust Mezzanine Fund I. Prior to 1998, Mr. Landis worked in fixed income institutional sales at both Smith Barney and Prudential Securities, primarily focused on asset-backed securities including: CMBS, RMBS, credit cards, student loans and manufactured housing. Mr. Landis received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Drew University and an MBA from Columbia University. He is a member of Drew’s Board and Chairs the Investment Committee overseeing the university’s endowment.

  • Nelson Hioe

    Nelson Hioe

    Mr. Hioe co-founded Raith Capital Partners in February 2012. Raith is a real estate investment firm that has invested and managed over $1.5 billion of capital across its equity and debt platforms, and its Partners have invested over $2.5 billion of equity in these strategies since 2009. Since inception, Raith has raised discretionary vehicles (Raith Real Estate Fund I, Raith Real Estate Fund II, and Raith Real Estate Fund III) that opportunistically target real estate investments across the U.S. Raith also manages multiple debt vehicles on behalf of institutional investors that target whole loan and credit investments across the capital structure, and acts as manager for Raith CMBS Fund I and II, discretionary vehicles focused on investments in high yield CMBS. Prior to forming Raith, Mr. Hioe was a Managing Director at Rialto Capital Management, which he joined in 2009. While at Rialto, he was involved in the Firm’s acquisitions effort for whole loan portfolios, distressed assets, and securities. In the distressed loan space, these transactions included acquisitions of c. $5 billion of nonperforming loans from the FDIC and various financial institutions. Mr. Hioe was instrumental in the development of Rialto’s securities investing business, which helped to establish the firm as a significant B-piece investor. Prior to Rialto, Mr. Hioe worked at The Blackstone Group in the firm’s real estate private equity fund, focusing on real estate investments in several property types. He was involved in the acquisition of Equity Office Properties and Hilton Hotels. Prior to Blackstone, Mr. Hioe worked in affordable housing finance at The Community Builders, and as a strategy consultant at Cap Gemini Ernst & Young. Mr. Hioe received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Williams College and an MBA from Harvard Business School, and is a former member of the Board of Governors of the Commercial Real Estate Finance Council (CREFC).

  • Michael Suchy

    Michael Suchy

    Mr. Suchy joined Raith at its inception in February 2012. Mr. Suchy is a Partner and member of the Firm’s investment committee and valuation committee. As a member of the Investment Committee, Mr. Suchy participates in all acquisitions. Mr. Suchy is also responsible for the Firm’s fixed income investment business. Prior to Raith, Mr. Suchy was a Director at Rialto Capital Management, LLC, which he joined in 2010. At Rialto, Mr. Suchy focused on the underwriting and pricing of investments in non-performing commercial real estate loan portfolios and non-investment grade commercial mortgage-backed securities that in aggregate exceeded $1 billion during his tenure. Mr. Suchy spearheaded Rialto’s emergence as a leading buyer of noninvestment grade CMBS in the aftermath of the 2008/2009 financial crisis. Prior to joining Rialto, Mr. Suchy was part of Deutsche Bank’s commercial real estate group, where he focused on loan structuring and syndication as well as the restructuring and workout of loans both internally and as an advisor for clients of the bank. Mr. Suchy’s transaction experience includes corporate credit facilities and institutional term loans for recapitalizations and acquisitions, construction and development loans, and senior and junior term lending across all property types. Prior to Deutsche Bank, Mr. Suchy worked in a variety of real estate and corporate finance roles at JPMorgan. Mr. Suchy received a Bachelor of Science degree in finance from the University of Illinois and is a Chartered Financial Analyst.

  • Sandra Forman

    Ms. Forman joined Raith Capital Partners in 2022 as General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer.  She has spent nearly twenty-one years in various senior legal and compliance roles in the investment management industry.  Prior to joining Raith, Ms. Forman served as Chief Compliance Officer (previously Deputy Chief Compliance Officer) of Stone Point Credit, the credit platform of Stone Point Capital and its business development company, Stone Point Credit Corporation.  Previously, Ms. Forman served as Senior Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer, Registered Funds at NorthStar Asset Management Inc., and as Deputy General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer, Registered Funds, at its successor, Colony Capital, Inc., both real estate asset managers.  Earlier in her career, Ms. Forman was General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer, Director of Human Resources and Secretary of Harris & Harris Group, Inc., a publicly traded venture capital company regulated as a business development company. She also worked at Skadden Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom as an Associate and Proskauer LLP as a Senior Counsel. Ms. Forman received a Juris Doctorate from UCLA School of Law where she was a member of the Order of the Coif . She received a Bachelor of Arts from New York University where she was a member of the Journalism National Honor Society.

  • Rich Gunthel, Jr

    Rich Gunthel, Jr

    Mr. Gunthel joined Raith in 2015 as the firm’s Controller and is a Managing Director. He has over twenty-four years of finance and accounting experience in the fixed income, CMBS and commercial real estate sectors. Immediately prior to Raith, Mr. Gunthel was the CFO for a privately held commercial real estate developer and was responsible for all financial aspects of the organization including pre-acquisition feasibility analysis, acquisition due diligence, risk management, legal as well as accounting, budgeting and financial reporting. Earlier in his career, he co-developed a certified ambulatory surgery center overseeing daily operations and was also responsible for financial management and reporting. Mr. Gunthel holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics with a concentration in Finance, cum laude, from the Wharton School of Business and an MBA in Finance, magna cum laude, from Duke University

  • Sahil Amin

    Sahil Amin

    Mr. Amin joined Raith in 2021 and is a Principal on the acquisitions team. He is responsible for originating and executing equity and debt opportunities for Raith’s various investment vehicles. Prior to Raith, Mr. Amin was a Vice President with CIM Group in the firm’s investments team. While at CIM, Mr. Amin was responsible for originating and underwriting both equity and debt investments totaling over $900m as well as leading investment teams through the execution of business plans. Prior to CIM, Mr. Amin was an Associate at Macquarie Capital, where he focused on underwriting and due diligence for the firm’s transportation infrastructure and PPP group.

    Mr. Amin received a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and Economics from Leonard N. Stern School of Business, New York University and his MBA from the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University.

     

  • Alex Castro

    Alex Castro

    Mr. Castro joined Raith in 2013 and is a Vice President on the asset management team.  He is responsible for due diligence, underwriting and closing of Raith’s non-performing loans (“NPL”) and other value-added investment activities as well as in charge of the daily operations of Raith’s real estate portfolio. Prior to Raith, he was a commercial real estate analyst for ABR Partners, a New York based real estate consulting group, where he joined in 2010.  At ABR, Mr. Castro was responsible for underwriting the acquisition and development of multifamily, office, retail and hotel assets in the U.S. and Latin America. Prior to ABR, Mr. Castro was a Senior Loan Officer at Continental Mortgage Corporation based in Miami, Fl. At Continental, Mr. Castro led a team of loan officers to originate residential and commercial mortgage loans over a three-year period.  Prior to Continental, Mr. Castro was a Mergers & Acquisitions Analyst for Standard Bank where he was responsible for valuing corporations and businesses in Latin America.  Mr. Castro received a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from the University of Miami and a Master’s in Real Estate Finance & Investments from New York University.

  • Gus Coutis

    Gus Coutis

    Mr. Coutis joined Raith in 2018 as an Assistant Controller. He has over six years of professional experience working in public accounting.  During his career, he has provided accounting and assurance services to both publicly traded and privately-held companies across the real estate sector and other various industries. Mr. Coutis holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Long Island University and a Master of Science in Accounting from Baruch College.  He is licensed as a certified public accountant in the State of New York.

  • James Egan

    James Egan

    Mr. Egan joined Raith in 2014 and is a senior advisor to the firm and a member of the asset management team. He has over twenty-five years of experience in the areas of distressed debt and real estate work-out, acquisition, development, asset management, sales, financing and structuring of equity/joint venture relationships. Mr. Egan previously served as Director of Rialto Capital Management LLC where he had supervisory and primary responsibility for distressed loans. Prior to joining Rialto, Mr. Egan was a Managing Director and Group Head in Deutsche Bank’s Real Estate Investment Banking Group—a position he held for over 16 years.  In this role, Mr. Egan was responsible for the management, supervision and profitability of Deutsche Bank’s “legacy” real estate loan and REO portfolios as well as several acquired real estate distressed loan portfolios. Before joining Deutsche Bank, Mr. Egan served as Director of Real Estate Development for Linclay Corporation, a national real estate development firm based in St. Louis, MO, where he had responsibility for the company’s industrial, office and retail development projects.  Mr. Egan directed and provided oversight for the architectural design, development, leasing, management and sale of the company’s various real estate projects in the central Atlantic and Midwest geographic marketplaces. Before joining the development side of the real estate business, Mr. Egan worked as Vice President of Chemical Realty Corporation where he was responsible for the origination and distribution of real estate related loans and investment banking products. Mr. Egan holds a BBA degree in accounting and finance from Hofstra University and is a member of the Urban Land Institute, ICSC and the National Association of Industrial Office Park Developers.  He has held Board of Director positions for both real estate and corporate clients.

  • Matt Fisher

    Matt Fisher

    Mr. Fisher joined Raith in 2021 as an Associate on the acquisitions team.  He is responsible for evaluating equity and debt opportunities for Raith’s various investment vehicles.  Prior to joining Raith, Mr. Fisher spent four years as an analyst and then associate at J.P. Morgan in the Real Estate Americas Group. While at JPM, he focused on mezzanine debt originations and preferred equity investments in the multifamily, retail, office, and industrial sectors. Mr. Fisher received a Bachelor of Science in economics from the University of Michigan.

  • Michele Gross

    Michele Gross

    Ms. Gross joined Raith in 2012 as head of office and accounting administration, human resources and infrastructure support.  She is currently the Chief Administrative Officer.  Ms. Gross ensures that all operations, human resources and billing functions run effectively.  She is also a member of the compliance team and focuses her efforts on the implementation of the firm’s policies and procedures.  Prior to her role at Raith, Ms. Gross worked at Rialto Capital in a similar capacity. She studied at Rollins College before transferring to University of Central Florida to pursue her undergraduate degree in Interdisciplinary Studies.

  • James Gruseke

    James Gruseke

    Mr. Gruseke joined Raith as an Associate in 2022. He primarily works as part of the asset management team. Mr. Gruseke graduated in 2022 with an MBA from Columbia Business School. While at Columbia, he interned at Savanna in New York, where he worked in acquisitions and asset management. Prior to Columbia, Mr. Gruseke was on the investments team at BedRock Real Estate Partners, where he focused on development projects in the multifamily sector.

     

    Mr. Gruseke received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Williams College and an MBA from Columbia Business School with a concentration in Real Estate.

  • Robert Jackson

    Robert Jackson

    Mr. Jackson joined Raith in 2021 and is a Vice President on the asset management team. He has over 30 years of experience in construction and building science. Prior to Raith Mr. Jackson was Vice President of the Equity Markets Group at Nova Group GBC where he had overall responsibility for acquisition due diligence services and was a member of the firm’s ESG committee. Prior to Nova he was a building envelope consultant and expert witness for construction defect claims at Morrison Hershfield – Engineers & Managers. Mr. Jackson holds BS degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Economics from Portland State University with an emphasis on green and sustainable construction and a certificate in Sustainable Finance and ESG Investing from NYU Stern.

     

  • Orlaith Murphy

    Orlaith Murphy

    Ms. Murphy joined Raith in 2022 as Vice President- Finance. She has over 10 years of professional experience in public and corporate accounting. Prior to joining Raith, Ms. Murphy was a senior finance associate at Goldman Sachs, where she was primarily focused on the preparation of the firm’s quarterly and annual consolidated financial statements filed with the SEC. Ms. Murphy also worked in the Goldman Sachs alternative investment funds group where she was responsible for fund accounting, operations, and reporting. Prior to her time at Goldman Sachs, Ms. Murphy worked at Deloitte where she focused on the audit of private equity and hedge fund clients. Ms. Murphy holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from University College, Dublin, Ireland and a Masters of Accounting from UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School, Dublin, Ireland. She is a qualified Chartered Accountant (CA).

  • Kelsey O’Callaghan

    Kelsey O’Callaghan

    Ms. O’Callaghan joined Raith in 2019 and is an Associate on the compliance team.  She has over five years of professional experience.  Prior to joining Raith, Ms. O’Callaghan worked at the executive office of a Fortune 500 company as the office manager and as a member of the accounting team.  She graduated in 2014 with a Bachelor of Science in International Studies, cum laude, from SUNY Fredonia.

  • Kara O’Daly

    Kara O’Daly

    Ms. O’Daly joined Raith in September 2021 as the Administrative Assistant. She has over 16 years of Administrative/Accounting experience. Prior to joining Raith, Ms. O’Daly was an Administrative Assistant at Premiere Global Services, where she primarily offered support to the Account Manager, executives, and served as a liaison between clients and employees. Ms. O’Daly holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Saint Francis College.

  • Justin Penny

    Justin Penny

    Mr. Penny joined Raith in 2022 as the firm’s Director of Finance. He has over fourteen years of professional experience in the financial services industry, nine of which have been spent working in finance and accounting roles of increasing responsibility for SEC registered Investment Advisors in the private equity real estate sector. Immediately prior to Raith, Mr. Penny was the Controller of Related Fund Management, the SEC registered Investment advisor affiliate of The Related Companies, LP, and was responsible for overseeing the daily operations and financial reporting of the firm’s investment funds, which deployed capital across a variety of strategies including opportunistic, value-add, and core equity; transitional debt, preferred equity, CMBS, and special situations. Mr. Penny holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting, summa cum laude, from the University at Albany.

  • Devon Riley

    Devon Riley

    Mr. Riley joined Raith in 2020. He primarily works as a part of the asset management team. Mr. Riley graduated in 2020 with a Bachelor of Arts in Government from Dartmouth College.  Prior to graduating from Dartmouth, Mr. Riley interned at Brookfield Properties in its Asset Management group.

  • Jake Rosenberg

    Jake Rosenberg

    Mr. Rosenberg joined Raith in 2022 and is an analyst on the asset management team. Mr. Rosenberg graduated in 2022 from New York University, Schack Institute of Real Estate, with a Master of Science degree  in Real Estate Finance and Investments. He also received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business. Prior to graduating USC, Mr. Rosenberg interned at Cushman & Wakefield in its Capital Markets group.

  • Dan Schofel

    Dan Schofel

    Mr. Schofel joined Raith in 2021 and is a Vice President on the acquisitions team.  He is responsible for evaluating equity and debt opportunities for Raith’s various investment vehicles.  Prior to Raith, Mr. Schofel spent four years as an analyst and then associate at Northwood Investors on the firm’s investments team focusing on the acquisition of value-add and opportunistic assets in the multifamily, hospitality, office and retail sectors.  While at Northwood, Mr. Schofel completed sixteen transactions representing $1.8 billion in total capitalization and oversaw the asset management of fund investments.  Prior to joining Northwood, Mr. Schofel worked at Argentic, a non-bank real estate lender.

    Mr. Schofel received a BSBA in Finance and Accounting from the Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis.

     

  • Naz Talebi

    Naz Talebi

    Ms. Talebi joined Raith in 2022 and is an Analyst on the acquisitions team. She is responsible for evaluating equity and debt opportunities for Raith’s various investment vehicles. Prior to joining Raith, Ms. Talebi was an Associate in PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Financial Markets and Real Estate group, where she focused on due diligence for real estate acquisitions and fair market valuations of value-add and opportunistic investments. Ms. Talebi holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Chicago.

  • Kayla Young

    Kayla Young

    Ms. Young joined Raith in 2019 and is a Vice President on the acquisitions team.  Prior to joining Raith, Ms. Young was an Associate at New York Life Real Estate Investors, where she primarily focused on underwriting acquisition and financing opportunities for NYLREI’s Equity, Senior Lending, and Structured Lending platforms. Prior to joining NYLREI, Ms. Young was an Investment Analyst at ASB Real Estate Investors, a Washington, DC based real estate private equity firm with over $7 billion in gross assets under management. Ms. Young holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business.