Our Team
Executive Team
Jason
Birnbaum
Founder, Managing Partner
NMLS#487223
Jason is Co-Chief Executive Officer of Graintree, where he oversees offtake and capital partnerships, professional lending origination, financial operations, and firmwide strategy. He brings extensive leadership experience building and scaling complex lending platforms, with a career focused on strategic growth, disciplined execution, and team development.
Most recently, Jason served as President of Flagstar Private Bank, where he led private bank strategy and oversaw all private client banking groups. Prior to Flagstar, he was Senior Managing Director at First Republic Bank, where he co-created and launched the Professional Loan Program, now an industry-leading product for private equity professionals.
Over the course of his career, Jason has originated and managed several billion dollars in mortgage loans, unsecured lines of credit, and business lending, while overseeing private equity, operating, capital call, and personal liquidity credit relationships. He has built and led high-performing teams and mentored many relationship managers and lenders.
Jason studied economics at New York University and Interdisciplinary Studies at Towson University. He lives on Long Island with his family and is actively involved in coaching and leading youth sports programs in his community.
Gary
Farro
Founder, Managing Partner
NMLS#487241
Gary is Co-Chief Executive Officer of Graintree, where he oversees offtake and capital partnerships, mortgage and specialty lending origination, financial operations, and firmwide strategy. He brings deep leadership experience in mortgage production and complex credit solutions, with a career centered on scaling lending platforms, driving consistent production, and developing strong teams.
Most recently, Gary served as Executive Vice President and Managing Group Director at Flagstar Private Bank. Prior to Flagstar, he was Executive Managing Director at First Republic Bank, where he led mortgage and specialty lending production for individuals and businesses, overseeing several billion dollars in client relationships and originating several hundred million dollars in loans annually.
Throughout his career, Gary has built, mentored, and managed high-performing teams of relationship bankers and lenders, with a strong focus on disciplined credit execution, operational leadership, and long-term client partnerships.
Gary holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Monmouth University and completed leadership training at The Center for Creative Leadership in North Carolina, as well as executive education at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He resides in New Jersey with his family and is actively involved with several non-profit organizations. He has been recognized on multiple occasions for his philanthropic leadership and community involvement.
Nina
Bigornia
Partner, Chief Operating Officer
Nina is Chief Operating Officer at Graintree, where she oversees operations, technology, risk and compliance, client experience, and execution aligned with the firm’s strategic growth. She brings extensive leadership experience transforming operational platforms, with a career focused on building client-centric business models, improving productivity, and enabling disciplined, sustainable growth.
Most recently, Nina served as Senior Vice President of Private and Commercial Client Operations at Flagstar Bank, where she directed all client-facing support teams, including client services, call centers, cash management implementation, and ongoing training and support. Prior to Flagstar, she was Vice President of Process Improvement and Sales & Service at First Republic Bank, where she directed firmwide technology and operational enhancements designed to scale operations and elevate client service.
Nina studied corporate finance and accounting at San Francisco State University. A Bay Area native, she now lives in Manhattan with her dachshund and is actively involved with Chief, a membership network for senior women executives focused on community, collaboration, and leadership development.
Ashley
Mextorf
Partner, Chief Administrative Officer
Ashley is Chief Administrative Officer at Graintree, where she oversees human resources, corporate administration, and marketing, while supporting firmwide execution, internal communications, and organizational development. She brings deep leadership experience building scalable corporate infrastructure, with a career focused on operational effectiveness, people strategy, and aligning internal platforms with long-term growth objectives.
Most recently, Ashley served as Vice President and Chief of Staff to the President of the Private Bank at Flagstar, where she supported private bank strategy, executive operations, and cross-functional initiatives. Prior to Flagstar, she was Senior Director of Strategy and Administration at First Republic Bank, where she led human resources, communications, marketing, office administration, and project management for the New York Private Banking sales teams.
Ashley holds a Master of Music in Voice Performance & Pedagogy from Westminster Choir College at Rider University and a Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance from Ithaca College. She grew up on Long Island and now resides there with her family.
Erin
Fitzsimmons
Partner,
Head of Professional Lending
Erin brings more than 20 years of banking experience, including 16 years focused on partner and professional lending. She is a seasoned professional lending leader with deep expertise in program development, origination strategy, and portfolio management across complex lending platforms.
Throughout her career, Erin has held senior leadership roles at Flagstar Bank and First Republic Bank, where she led professional lending programs at scale, including serving as Managing Group Director, Senior Vice President, and Senior Managing Director, Head of Professional Loan Programs and Deputy Head of Eagle Lending. She has overseen a professional loan portfolio of approximately $7 billion.
Jill
Whitby
General Counsel
Jill is General Counsel at Graintree, where she advises executive management and business leaders on all legal and regulatory matters, including lending, regulatory compliance, privacy, and information security.
She brings more than 15 years of leadership experience in financial services, with a career focused on enabling responsible growth, strengthening governance frameworks, and supporting complex lending platforms.
Prior to joining Graintree, Jill held a position at Citizens Bank, where she advised on the build-out of its Private Bank. Before Citizens, she held several roles at First Republic Bank, most recently as Associate General Counsel, where she supported the bank’s $37 billion residential lending portfolio and later led the legal team that supported the over $7 billion Professional Lending Program platform.
Jill earned her Juris Doctor and Master of Laws in Taxation from Golden Gate University School of Law and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Our People
Blake
Bryant
Senior Program Associate
Blake Bryant brings over seven years of experience in private banking and financial services.
At Graintree, he is responsible for overseeing program structure and managing partner relationships, including PLP originations and offtake partnerships. Blake previously served as Program Manager at Flagstar Private Bank, where he led the launch of new PLP programs.
Before that, he was Manager of Professional Loan Programs, overseeing a team responsible for originating and managing a portfolio of more than 430 PE GP financing facilities, with $9 billion in commitments and $4 billion outstanding, personally originating over $700 million in new loans.
Nikko
Cariaso
Credit Underwriter
Nikko brings over 10 years of banking experience, all focused in professional lending.
He provides expert credit analysis and risk assessment in support of sound lending decisions.
Prior to joining Graintree, Nikko served as a Credit Officer at Flagstar Bank and as Professional Loan Credit Analyst Manager at First Republic Bank.
Richard Chew
Managing Director, Finance
With more than 12 years of experience across strategy consulting and government, Richard brings deep expertise in mortgage and financial services.
Prior to joining Graintree, Richard spent over five years at Boston Consulting Group, most recently as a Principal in the Financial Institutions practice area. He worked with a range of financial institutions and investors - including in the mortgage industry - supporting clients with operating model design, talent strategy, operational resiliency, strategy development, and commercial due diligence.
Earlier in his career, he served as an advisor to UK Prime Ministers David Cameron and Theresa May.
Jillian
Della Valle
Senior Associate, Executive Operations
Jillian brings extensive experience in executive operations and administrative leadership, with a strong track record of supporting high-growth, service-driven organizations. In her current role, she drives operational efficiency and supports key strategic initiatives across the firm.
Before joining Graintree, Jillian advanced from Executive Assistant to Business Program Manager at Flagstar Private Bank, where she supported senior leadership and coordinated cross-functional operational initiatives. She previously served as an Administrative Assistant at First Republic Bank, where she built a strong foundation in administrative and operational support.
Nicole
Geiss
Product Manager
Nicole brings over a decade of combined technology and banking experience, including more than eight years focused on professional loan programs.
She has led key product initiatives to advance lending technology and improve user experience.
Prior to joining Graintree, Nicole served as a Product Manager at Flagstar Bank and as PLP Data and Technology Manager at First Republic Bank, where she strengthened data capabilities and technology solutions for professional lending.
Rene
Hontiveros
Sales Associate
Rene brings extensive experience in banking operations and client service.
Prior to joining Graintree, he served as an Operations Advisor at Flagstar Private Bank, focusing on operational efficiency and workflow optimization.
Earlier in his career, Rene held multiple roles at First Republic Bank across loan administration, underwriting, sales, and collections.
Sean
McNamara
Closing & Documentation Manager
Sean brings over nine years of banking experience, including more than eight years focused on professional lending.
He has deep expertise in closing operations and documentation management, supporting complex transactions across the lending lifecycle.
Prior to joining Graintree, Sean served as a Documentation Officer at Flagstar Bank and as PLP Closing Manager at First Republic Bank.
Elizabeth
Mead
Managing Director, Professional Lending Operations
Elizabeth brings more than 18 years of banking experience, including over a decade focused on professional lending. She is an experienced professional lending operations leader with deep expertise in program execution, operational oversight, and process optimization across complex lending platforms.
Throughout her career, Elizabeth has led operations for multiple professional lending programs and held senior leadership roles at Flagstar Bank and First Republic Bank, where she was responsible for key operational functions, program strategy, and cross-functional execution supporting large-scale lending platforms.
Jona
Morada
Closing & Documentation Officer
Jona brings over 11 years of finance experience, including more than five years in Professional Lending Programs.
She oversees closing and documentation processes, ensuring accuracy and compliance throughout the lending lifecycle.
Prior to joining Graintree, Jona was a Closing & Documentation Officer at Flagstar Bank and a Professional Loan Origination Lead at First Republic Bank.
Ryan
Nolet
Capital Call & Distribution Manager
Ryan oversees capital calls and distributions at Graintree. He has more than 16 years’ experience in financial services, including over six years focused on professional lending programs.
He has extensive expertise in managing complex capital calls and distributions.
Previously, Ryan served as Capital Call and Distribution Manager at both Flagstar Bank and First Republic Bank.
Shivani Shah-Patel
Managing Director, Mortgage Operations
Shivani brings more than 20 years of experience building and expanding client relationships across private banking, commercial banking, and mortgage lending. She is a seasoned mortgage operations and production leader, with deep expertise in overseeing loan origination, underwriting workflows, and end-to-end mortgage execution. She is known for building high-performing teams, strengthening credit and regulatory discipline, and delivering consistent, client-focused lending outcomes.
Throughout her career, Shivani has held senior leadership roles overseeing relationship management teams, originating and structuring residential and commercial loans, and supporting the development of private banking platforms. She has managed deposit portfolios exceeding $2 billion and led teams that originated more than $2.5 billion in loans with no realized credit losses, consistently delivering strong risk-adjusted performance.
Jaswinder
Singh
Data Architect
Jaswinder brings more than 20 years of IT experience across enterprise architecture, data architecture, development, analytics, and business intelligence, including 12 years in banking and extensive work in professional lending.
He has a strong track record of designing and implementing Enterprise level technology solutions that support complex lending operations.
Prior to joining Graintree, Jas served as a Data Architect at Flagstar Bank and First Republic Bank.
Jaycee
Victoria
Senior Credit Underwriter
Jaycee brings over 12 years of banking and financial services experience, including more than nine years in credit underwriting and over five years focused on Professional Lending Programs.
He has a proven track record in risk assessment and structuring complex lending solutions.
Prior to joining Graintree, Jaycee held senior underwriting roles at Flagstar Bank, JP Morgan, and First Republic Bank.