Senior Housing
& Healthcare

Mr. Begun joined Meridian in 2020 and currently serves as a Senior Vice President in the company’s New York City headquarters. He is responsible for the origination, underwriting, and placement of loans across a broad array of property types in the senior housing and healthcare sector, including independent living, assisted living, memory care, and skilled nursing facilities across the country.

Over the course of his career, Mr. Begun has closed over $1 billion in transaction volume and has fostered deep and long lasting relationships with both clients and lenders.

Prior to joining Meridian, Mr. Begun served as a senior originator at a boutique finance company where he was also responsible for the origination and placement of loans that fall under the healthcare umbrella. He began his career in real estate in 2010 at a real estate management company and previously studied at Touro College.

Mr. Goldberg joined Meridian in 2019 and currently serves as a broker in the company’s New York City headquarters. He is responsible for the origination, underwriting, and placement of loans pertaining to senior housing and healthcare properties and is a specialist in this unique and operationally intensive property type.

Prior to joining Meridian, Mr. Goldberg was an account manager at Edison Home Healthcare, where he helped grow the company’s footprint in the greater New York market. Prior to joining Edison Home Healthcare, Mr. Goldberg spent two years working with International Equity Partners, where he supported the acquisition and management team for the company’s multifamily portfolio in the California area.

Mr. Goldberg holds a bachelor’s degree and studied business management at Touro College.

Mr. Lesnik joined Meridian in 2019 and currently serves as a Vice President in the company’s New York City headquarters. He is responsible for the underwriting and placement of debt and equity in the healthcare sector in markets across the country. His range spreads across acquisitions, new construction, mezzanine, bridge and permanent as well as account receivables financing. The healthcare team works with a broad array of lenders spanning specialized banks, CMBS lenders, debt funds, life insurance companies, and agency lending platforms. The team has reached $2.8 billion in transaction volume year-to-date through November 2019.

Prior to joining Meridian, Mr. Lesnik was a real estate closer at Citibank, where he helped close loans and credit facilities for newly constructed and rehabilitated multifamily affordable housing projects. Prior to joining CitiBank, Mr. Lesnik spent two years at Newmark Knight Frank as a research analyst, supporting the New York City office’s leasing and capital markets platforms.

Mr. Lesnik holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Tufts University.

Mr. Rauch joined Meridian in 2019 and currently serves as a Vice President in the company’s New York City headquarters. He is responsible for underwriting and assisting in the placement of loans across a broad array of healthcare facilities, including independent living, assisted living, and skilled nursing facilities throughout the United States.

Prior to joining Meridian, Mr. Rauch spent two years at Pangea Properties working as an Asset Management Analyst, where he managed more than 1500 multifamily units worth over $100 million throughout the Chicago, IL area.

Mr. Rauch holds a Bachelor of Arts focusing on real estate and urban land economics from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Mr. Sod joined Meridian in 2020 and currently serves as Vice President of Lender Relationships on the Senior Housing and Healthcare team in the company’s New York City headquarters. He is responsible for managing and deepening Meridian’s lender relationships in the Senior Housing and Healthcare space in addition to cultivating new relationships.

Prior to joining Meridian, Mr. Sod managed new business and client relationships and was responsible for the underwriting and pricing of healthcare loans at Monticello Asset Management. Previously, he was a loan originator at a boutique senior housing and healthcare finance company where he was also responsible for the origination, underwriting, and placement of loans.

Since he began his career in real estate finance in 2016, Mr. Sod has negotiated more than $2 billion in transaction volume across the United States.

Mr. Scott joined Meridian in 2020 and currently serves as a Senior Associate in the company’s New York City headquarters. He is responsible for underwriting and assisting in the placement of loans in the senior housing and healthcare sector, including independent living, assisted living, and skilled nursing facilities across the country.

Prior to joining Meridian, Mr. Scott was an Investment Analyst at Arthur J. Gallagher, where he conducted investment research on capital market products for institutional retirement plans.

Mr. Scott holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Michigan.

Mr. O’Connor joined Meridian in 2022 and currently serves as an Associate in the company’s New York City headquarters. He is responsible for underwriting and assisting in the placement of loans in the senior housing and healthcare sector, including independent living, assisted living, and skilled nursing facilities across the country.

Prior to joining Meridian, Mr. O’Connor was a Multifamily Acquisitions Associate at NOVO Properties in Washington, DC.

Mr. O’Connor holds a Bachelor of Science and Business Administration in Finance from Bucknell University and he is currently pursuing a Master of Professional Studies in Real Estate at Georgetown University.

Ms. Neis joined Meridian in 2023 and currently serves as an analyst in the company’s New York City office. She is responsible for the origination and placement of loans for healthcare property types across America.

Ms. Neis holds a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Administration with a minor in Real Estate from Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration.