Jane Brody of Vicus Partners has a degree from Pratt, two masters’ degrees in leadership from Columbia University and she hasn’t had a hand in any fewer than 5 pots since. Jane has spent the better part of her career working for the City and State of New York to help usher personal change on a grand scale. Before Vicus, Jane helped launch a mentoring program serving over 10,000 children and a foster care program to help over 8,000 teenagers in the system make the transition to independence; She was a consultant for Ben & Jerry’s, UNICEF, the American Red Cross, Coca-Cola, and the Special Olympics; COO of Variety International Children’s Charity, and even an Executive Director a few times. She also has experience in the school system and holds a Superintendent license. She ended up at Vicus by way of being a client, while on the Board of LOVE US — a not-for-profit whose mission is to reduce youth violence. The hurdles that LOVE US faced in finding a perfect space were not unique and she’s been able to leverage her array of experience to tackle real estate challenges from all different angles — helping her become a record breaking deal closer.

One current passion project is working with Bottomless Closet, a non-profit that helps disadvantaged women get back in the workforce, and she’ll continue to get involved with projects that ensure those without a voice… get heard.

Jane is a lifetime New Yorker — and with that, a sense of humor to match. Ask her about her stint in the comedy club circuit.

Matthew Hopkins of Vicus Partners has a deep-seated passion for finding creative leasing solutions for a wide range of businesses. Born and raised in Brooklyn, as the son of a contractor and cultural leader, Matt loves to work on projects involving construction management, adaptive reuse, the arts and community development and he brings the breadth of his experience to every new deal.

From his time as an NYC Urban Fellow in the Department of Small Business Services, to his work with affordable housing developer L&M, his journey throughout both the public and private sectors has been a reflection of his vision of the city’s landscape as an inspiring canvas for entrepreneurs & mission driven organizations.

For the last 5 years he served as Vice President of Development and Leasing for the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation, overseeing the renovation and leasing of nearly a million square feet of industrial space, with a particular focus on sustainability, artisanal manufacturing & cultural programming. Matt is proud of his work with companies including Brooklyn Grange, Kings County Distillery, Construction Kids, Forest City Modular, New Lab, Boston Properties, Rudin & WeWork. Matt has a dual bachelor’s degree in Government & English from Georgetown University and Master's Degrees in Urban Planning and Real Estate Development from NYU and Columbia University. He resides in Prospect Heights with his wife and three daughters, has run half a dozen marathons and loves to go caving.

Over a career of nearly 30 years, John has worked with a diverse and broad group of nonprofits ranging from grassroots organizations to national and international not-for-profits. At DLB Hicks, he provides consultation and strategic guidance for annual and capital fund raising programs. Additionally, he counsels not-for-profits on building managerial, fundraising, and board capacity.

John is a member of the faculty of Columbia University's Master's Degree in Nonprofit Management program and a lecturer for the Rutgers University Institute for Ethical Leadership in best practices in fundraising and board management. He has been awarded "Stellar Speaker" status by The Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) and has appeared as a featured speaker for The Foundation Center, the Chronicle of Philanthropy, the Association of Fundraising Professionals and Institute of Fundraising (UK). John is a contributing author to After the Grant (Foundation Center, 2010) and to The Nonprofit Handbook: Fund Raising (Wiley, 2001) and has published articles with Fund Raising Management and Advancing Philanthropy.

A Certified Fund Raising Executive, John is a former member of the Board of Directors of AFP International and the AAFRC Trust for Philanthropy. He is past president of the AFP New York City Chapter and has served as Chair of Fund Raising Day in New York, the nation's largest one-day conference on philanthropy. John holds degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Hartford. He has completed professional education courses with the Lake Forest School of Management and Harvard University's Program on Negotiation.