Maysa Vahidi joined Arbor in May of 2022 with over two decades of experience practicing law in the real estate industry. Maysa is responsible for all of Arbor’s legal activities, including providing appropriate legal support on corporate matters, M&A and related transactions, capital market activity, treasury functions, Human Resources, Marketing, Information Technology, litigation, and all other regulatory issues.

Prior to joining Arbor, Maysa served as Associate General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer for Rockwood Capital, where she provided legal support for acquisitions, dispositions, joint ventures, financings, as well as fundraising, investor relations and corporate governance matters. Other past work experience includes practicing law at both King & Spalding, LLP, as well as Cahill Gordon & Reindel, representing financial institutions in real estate capital markets transactions.

Additionally, Maysa is involved in a number of social and civic organizations in New York City and is active in children’s causes including affiliation with The New York Foundling. She is also a member of the She Builds Committee of Rebuilding Together NYC. Maysa holds both a Bachelor of Arts magna cum laude from New York University, College of Arts & Sciences and a Juris Doctor from Fordham University School of Law.

Suzi Epstein has spent five decades in public service as a leader of several community organizations, most recently as a managing director and grant maker at the Robin Hood Foundation. Having recently transitioned from a 31-year career at Robin Hood, funding and supporting nonprofits, Suzi truly exemplified the qualities and characteristics we honor with the Patty R. Johnson Leadership Award. Her activism in philanthropy and her guidance to hundreds of community groups has been rich and impactful. During her long tenure at Robin Hood, Suzi made nearly 1,400 grants, investing approximately $250 million in community-based organizations.

Prior to joining Robin Hood, Suzi spent a decade leading several domestic violence organizations in Westchester and New York City.  Suzi developed or grew several initiatives at Sanctuary for Families, including a transitional housing residence for victims of violence (Sarah Burke House) and a family law program (the Center for Battered Women's Legal Services). Upon encountering the newly launched Robin Hood Foundation, she secured funding for Sanctuary's programs, becoming one of the foundation's early grantees and the first partner in a fledgling domestic violence portfolio. Suzi then joined Robin Hood in 1994 as a managing director on the grant making team. She developed strategies for funding poverty-fighting programs in the areas of employment training and entrepreneurship, criminal justice and legal services, financial literacy, food and family support, and housing and access to benefits.

In the past five years Suzi primarily concentrated on field building and mentoring activities with a portfolio focused on special initiatives such as the Grant Readiness Insights and Training Program (GRIT), a series of workshops designed to improve board governance and efficacy and fundraising success, and Leader Link, a sector switchers program oriented toward corporate executives pursuing non-profit leadership positions. Suzi also supervised Robin Hood's summer intern program recruiting and training the next generation of philanthropic and nonprofit professionals.