Team Members

The RiseUp Fund is led by a team of dedicated and engaged professionals committed to improving outcomes for the community that they serve.

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Suzanne Garber

CEO

Dr. Suzanne Garber is the CEO of the RiseUp Fund, focused on reducing racial disparities in homeownership. Prior to RiseUp, Dr. Garber led the 2020 Census efforts in the nation’s 6th largest city ensuring an accurate count of the city’s 1.5M residents. She is also the founder of Gauze, the world’s most comprehensive census of hospitals outside the US and Executive Producer/Director of the PBS documentary, “GAUZE: Unraveling Global Healthcare.”

Roles in her early career included COO of International SOS and Managing Director, South America for FedEx. Trilingual, Dr Garber has worked in, lived in, or visited 100+ countries and holds dual US/EU citizenship. Suzanne earned her Doctor of Science in Healthcare Leadership from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and graduated with honors for degrees from the University of Pennsylvania (MLA) and Rutgers University (BA). She has taught Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Temple University and serves on the boards of Jefferson University, DreamIt Ventures, and Vigilint.

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Michael Gross

Director of Operations

Michael Gross is the Director of Operations at the RiseUp Fund. Mike is responsible for all operations across the RiseUp platform dedicated to accelerating generational wealth through homeownership of the underserved. Mike comes to RiseUp from Houwzer where he served as Project Manager focused on overseeing and supporting the new construction project Mattison Estate.

Originally from Columbia, MD, Mike came to Philadelphia to attend Drexel University then loved it so much he never left. Prior to joining the Houwzer team, he studied entrepreneurship at Drexel and then led a consulting business serving nonprofit organizations and startups. Outside of work, Mike’s biggest loves are Jesus, his wife, Tiffany, their daughter Robin, and his dogs, Nibbles & Louis. Also, an avid “collector of hobbies,” Mike is willing to try anything active or interesting, no matter how obscure.

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