Support Us

Lauren Kimura is a senior manager in EY’s Real Estate, Hospitality, and Construction audit practice and serves a variety of REITs, developers, and private equity funds. Lauren was born and raised in Los Angeles and moved to New York City in 2018. She is passionate about making the community a better place and improving the lives of its residents. Lauren holds a B.S. in Accounting and minor in Gerontology from University of Southern California. In her free time, Lauren enjoys reading, volunteering and going to new restaurants in the city.

Lauren joined the Junior Board in 2021, and currently serves as President.

Stephonn joined the Junior Board in 2020.

Nicole Arminio is an Associate Real Estate Broker with Signature Premier Properties, specializing in residential sales across Westchester and Long Island. Born and raised in The Bronx she saw firsthand the effects housing insecurity and homelessness have on communities. Nicole is passionate about life-changing programs for the homeless. She became involved with Breaking Ground to help support and empower others to become self sufficient and promote positive community engagement.

Nicole joined the Junior Board in 2018.

Ben is a Managing Director at FSA Capital where he oversees a diverse portfolio of assets and real estate development projects throughout NYC. Ben is originally from Baltimore and moved to New York City to attend Parsons School of Design. As a developer, Ben is an advocate for the creation and preservation of affordable housing and joined Breaking Ground's Junior Board to support pioneering initiatives aimed at ending homelessness within the NYC community.

Ben joined the Junior Board in 2018.

Betsy Durst, a native of Birmingham, Alabama, joined the Junior Board in to help build a better life for New York City’s most vulnerable. Betsy holds a law degree from Brooklyn Law School and a Bachelor’s of Science in Business and Commercial Real Estate from the College of Charleston. Outside of work, Betsy enjoys trying new restaurants, traveling, and cheering on the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Betsy joined the Junior Board in 2018, and is the immediate past President.

Lucas grew up in northern Westchester County and joined the Junior Board to help break the cycle of perpetual homelessness and improve the New York City community in which he now lives. He is a 4th generation member of the Durst family and works as a financial associate for the organization. Lucas holds a Master’s Degree in Real Estate Finance from NYU’s Schack Institute of Real Estate and a Bachelor’s of Arts and Science Degree from Tufts University. In his free time Lucas loves to ski, kayak, and spend time on the beach.

Lucas joined the Junior Board in 2018.

Brad is originally from the Philadelphia area and joined the junior board to help improve the New York City community. He proactively works to create a positive impact through service with Breaking Ground. Brad is a Vice President in the Commercial Real Estate group at Capital One, an holds a Bachelors Degree in Finance from The University of Scranton. In his free time, he enjoys playing sports, snowboarding, reading, and fishing.

Brad joined the Junior Board in 2018.

Alex is a Project Manager for Plaza Construction where he is responsible for leading developemnts in the NYC metro area. Alex grew up in New Jersey and moved to New York City after graduating from Purdue University with a B.S. in Construction Engineering. He enjoys running, hiking, and spending time with family and friends. Alex joined the Junior Board to raise awareness of Breaking Ground and its housing and outreach programs.

Alex joined the Junior Board in 2018 and currently serves as Chair of the Engagement Committee.

Gary Evans is a Vice President in Morgan Stanley's Real Estate Investing group, focusing on sourcing, evaluating, and executing on new investments in the eastern United States. Gary grew up in Washington, DC and has lived in Brooklyn since 2014. He joined the Junior Board to support Breaking Ground in combating homelessness in New York City. Gary earned an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, an MA in Economics from Boston University, and a BSE in Bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania. He enjoys playing soccer, watching movies, and traveling.

Gary joined the Junior Board in 2018.

Originally from Dallas, Texas, Andrew currently works in New York City as an investment associate at Atairos, an independent strategic investment company focused on supporting growth-oriented businesses. Andrew first became involved with Breaking Ground through the Greater NY Analyst Corps program. Andrew graduated summa cum laude from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics and minor in Computer Science.

Andrew joined the Junior Board in 2019.

Caroline got involved with Breaking Ground after participating in HOPE Count 2018 and seeing the impact Breaking Ground’s Street Outreach team can have first hand. Caroline spends much of her free time volunteering with organizations that serve the homeless population here in NYC and is passionate about Breaking Ground’s housing first mission. Caroline grew up in South Dakota, graduated from Scripps College, one of the Claremont Colleges out in California, and is currently an Account Manager at Google.

Caroline joined the Junior Board in 2018.

A native of the New York region, Erika returned to New York City in May 2013 after graduating from Colby College (located in the woods of rural Maine) with a Bachelor of Arts degree and a strong passion for skiing. She joined Breaking Ground’s Junior Board as a means to give back to the NYC community and meet other like-minded young professionals. Erika graduated from NYU Stern in May 2017, with an MBA in Finance and Real Estate, and currently works as an Senior Underwriter with Morgan Stanley. Besides working, volunteering, and organizing events for her friends, she also enjoys hiking, traveling, and brunching.

Erika joined the Junior Board in 2014.

Liz joined the Junior Board in 2019.

Zach is a Vice President of Development for Madison Realty Capital. He started working with Breaking Ground in 2014, when Madison Realty Capital hired Breaking Ground to be the Administering Agent for Madison’s mixed income rental development projects in Brooklyn. After working closely together with Breaking Ground for four years, Zach, firsthand, saw the impact of Breaking Ground’s mission to solve homelessness in New York City, and he wanted to be part of it.

Zach earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michigan and a Juris Doctor degree from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. He is a member of the New York State Bar.

Zach joined the Junior Board in 2018 and currently serves as Co-Chair of the Fundraising & Events Committee.

Tara King-Brown heads ‘The King-Brown Team’ at The Corcoran Group, the residential real estate brokerage based in New York City. She grew up and attended college in Vancouver, Canada but has lived in New York City for nearly a decade, a city she is proud to call home. As a Junior Board member she is able to support Breaking Ground's impactful initiatives towards safe and secure housing for all and contribute to underserved residents.

Tara joined the Junior Board in 2018.

After graduating from Boston College Law School, Christian returned to New York City to pursue his legal career. As a real estate associate at Sidley Austin LLP, Christian’s practice includes representing lenders in connection with affordable housing transactions. When Christian joined the Breaking Ground Junior Board, he coordinated a team of Sidley attorneys to participate in the annual HOPE Count event. A trilingual, first-generation American, Christian enjoys traveling and spending time with family and friends.

Christian joined the Junior Board in 2018.

Nicole Napolitano is a Vice President at Benefit Street Partners where she focuses on commercial real estate debt and equity originations. Nicole graduated with a BSc in Management from the Carroll School of Management at Boston College, where she majored in Finance and Marketing.

Nicole joined the Junior Board in 2019, and currently serves as Chair of the Fundraising & Events Committee.

Taylor is a senior associate with Capital One’s Commercial Real Estate asset management group where he is responsible for managing a commercial portfolio of $700M across the Greater New York City area. Originally from Cincinnati, he moved to New York City after graduating from Elon University and quickly fell love with the city’s real estate. Taylor joined Breaking Ground’s Junior Board with the strong belief that a safe and stable home is central to every person’s wellbeing.

Taylor joined the Junior Board in 2018.

TC joined the Junior Board in 2022 and current serves as a Member At Large.

Josh is a Senior Associate in the New York Middle Market Investment Sales Group of Cushman & Wakefield, focusing on building and land sales in Manhattan’s Harlem, Washington Heights, and Inwood neighborhoods, as well as in the borough of the Bronx. After seeing first hand Breaking Ground’s impactful work and commitment to those most in need, Josh decided to join the Junior Board as a way to volunteer time and give back to the community.

Josh joined the Junior Board in 2019 and serves as a Member At Large.

Matthew Picket is an Associate in Gotham Organization’s development group, focusing on the financial analysis and due diligence of new and existing developments and acquisitions. Prior to joining Gotham, Matthew worked for Norges Bank Real Estate Management (NBREM), where he focused on acquisitions in New York City. Matthew graduated magna cum laude from Cornell University, where he majored in History. He enjoys traveling, collecting historical documents, golf, baseball and basketball.

Matt joined the Junior Board in 2018.

Eva joined the Junior Board in 2022 and currently serves at a Member At Large.

Christine Shin works at Wells Fargo within the Real Estate Capital Markets group. Born and raised in L.A., Christine moved to the east coast for college at Penn and has been living in NYC since 2010. Christine has volunteered with and raised funds for various non-profit organizations focusing on underserved and disadvantaged communities and joined the Junior Board to continue this work and support Breaking Ground’s mission of combating homelessness in NYC.

Christine joined the Junior Board in 2019.

Avery Silverstein is a Senior Director with Cushman & Wakefield’s Institutional Capital Markets Team, with a focus on commercial real estate sale transactions in New York City. Avery holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Economics from Brown University, where she played four years of Division I Women’s Softball. Avery has lived in New York City since 2013 and became interested in Breaking Ground’s mission, particularly the way in which the Organization uses real estate as a way to serve the city she loves.

Avery joined the Junior Board in 2018.

Will joined the Junior Board in 2020.

Jared Toothman helps execute commercial real estate acquisitions, financings, and development projects at Vornado Realty Trust, a leading Real Estate Investment Trust with prominent holdings in New York, Chicago, and San Francisco. Jared previously worked for real estate investment sales and investment banking firms. He earned a BA from Duke University and an MBA from Columbia Business School.

Jared joined the Junior Board in 2018.