Roots Investment Community, a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) with an impact investment mission, has engaged Jori Mendel as a Partner and Chief Growth and Community Development Officer. Her primary responsibility will be to grow the Company’s relationships with community partners and individual investors who are deeply aligned with Roots’ mission to bridge the wealth gap by providing an investment pathway for single-family residential renters to become partners in a Fund with a 16.6% IRR in 2023.

Over the course of her five-year career in philanthropic executive leadership, Mendel developed hundreds of partnerships with individuals, foundations, and corporations, growing their charitable portfolios through a variety of investment vehicles. She is well-versed in each phase of partnership development and has demonstrated the ability to meet organizational growth goals.

“Jori has developed an impressive track record through her diverse career in business and philanthropy, especially when it comes to stewarding key stakeholders and structuring complex investments that maximize growth,” said Daniel Dorfman, Roots’ CEO. “We welcome her ability to successfully lead collaborations around communal priorities and all that she will bring to help realize our vision of helping more renting families build wealth.”

Before joining Roots, Mendel was the Chief Foundation Officer of the Atlanta Jewish Foundation, where she oversaw a record-high $500M in charitable assets under management. She held a similar senior-level position at the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta as Vice President of Innovation.

Mendel was well-prepared for executive roles at these nonprofit organizations following significant achievements in the private sector. She spent nearly a decade leading a variety of entrepreneurial initiatives for AT&T’s Los Angeles and Atlanta offices. Most notably, Jori spearheaded the sales strategy and execution of AT&T’s Smart Cities startup to much success as Director of Sales. In this role, she worked closely with mayors, city councils, and Fortune 25 companies to implement technology that changed the way people live, work, and play. Jori enjoyed similar success in a variety of roles at Patagonia, Scripps Health, and Meredith Corporation.

Mendel holds an MBA from the Graziadio School of Business at Pepperdine University and is an alumnus of the University of Colorado Boulder, where she earned her BA in journalism. Her passion for Atlanta’s future is well-reflected in the communal leadership roles she undertakes; Mendel serves on the Board of Advisors for Roots, is a member of the Atlanta Civic Collab, and previously served as a member of the Atlanta Beltline’s Young Professionals Board. In addition to Atlanta-specific initiatives, she also serves on the Advisory Committee of the Jewish Fertility Foundation as well as a board member of a prominent local Family Foundation.