John Assadi
Partner, Ellenoff Grossman & Schole, LLP
John Assadi is an attorney who specializes in the representation of foreign employees of multi-national corporations, international entertainers, scientists, and professional athletes. His clients have included the Soros Foundations, The U.S. Soccer Federation, Columbia Artists Management, Inc., various Olympians, professional soccer players in the EPL, Bundesliga and La Liga and world champion athletes, and the Rainforest Foundation. He is also a founder and director of InterFysio, LLC, a healthcare staffing company that employs physical therapists, pharmacists and other healthcare professionals.
Guy Bortz
Enterprise Sales, Google Cloud
Guy Bortz has served on the Café Advisory Group for the Clubhouse Café, South Bronx United's social-enterprise, youth-run coffee shop, since its 2024 opening. Guy co-owned and operated Little Italy Coffee Roasters in Sydney Australia from 2015 to 2022. Most recently, he worked in Sales at Uber prior to joining Google Cloud.
Stephen J. Burstin
Founder, Adiamo Soccer
Stephen Burnstin brings to South Bronx United a life-long passion for soccer, combined with a dedication to serving his community. Stephen served on the South Bronx United Board of Directors from 2009 to 2016, and helped launch SBU's Recreational Soccer Program in 2010. Steve has over 30 years of playing experience and has been a coach for more than 35 years. He currently holds multiple coaching accreditations from NSCCA. He has written five books on the subject and won national championships at the collegiate level. Currently, he runs Adiamo Soccer where he brings youth soccer to New Rochelle, New York, where he has been a long-time resident. Stephen received his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington and earned his Juris Doctorate at the Cardozo School of Law in New York City. Before becoming a full-time professional soccer coach, Stephen practiced law at Wilson, Elser LLP.
Matt Freese
Professional Athlete, New York City FC, USMNT
After moving across the country several times by the age of 8, Matt finally found home in the Philadelphia suburbs. He grew up with a love of sports as well as a love for the classroom and found that there are connections between the lessons learned in both settings that are not spoken about enough. After graduating from high school, he attended Harvard University where he studied Economics. While in college, he took a voluntary leave of absence to sign a professional contract in the MLS with the Philadelphia Union where he played for four years. While there, he still finished managed to his degree at Harvard. He negotiated a trade to New York City FC in 2023, where he became the starting goalkeeper and was named team MVP in 2024. He is also a 2025 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Finalist and 2026 MLS All-Star Selection. Matt earned his first call-up to the USA Men's national team in 2025 and was named started at the CONCACAF Gold Cup. He started three games for the USA in the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the team's run to the Round of 16. Matt has been heavily involved in the community since arriving in New York City. He joined the South Bronx United Supporters Club Board in 2025 and was a Soccer for Good Award Recipient in 2024.
Vanish Grover
VP of Legal, NWSL
Vanish Grover is the Vice President of Legal for the National Women's Soccer League, where he leads the league's labor relations, litigation, investigations, and governmental affairs efforts. Prior to joining the NWSL, Grover spent more than seven years with Major League Baseball, serving in both the Labor Relations and Baseball Operations departments, where he managed complex legal and operational matters, including collective bargaining, league governance, investigations, and player benefits. Earlier in his career, he clerked for the Honorable Kiyo A. Matsumoto of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, and practiced commercial litigation at Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP. He holds a J.D. from New York University School of Law and a bachelor's degree in Biological and Environmental Engineering from Cornell University. A life-long New Yorker from Queens, Vanish has been involved with South Bronx United since 2017, previously serving on the Supporters Club Board, and most recently ran the New York City Marathon on team SBU in fall of 2025.
Dave Hahn
Talent Strategist, TGS Management Company
Dave Hahn played soccer throughout his childhood in New Jersey and is dismayed at how soccer has become a pay-to-play sport in most communities. As a result, he is passionate about bringing the beautiful game to the South Bronx and utilizing it as a force for social good. Dave received a degree in philosophy from Columbia University and has previously worked as a recruiter at Two Sigma Investments, AQR, and Grady Levkov and Co. He also DJs on the local music scene and is an avid guitarist and manager of the band Dub is a Weapon. Dave served on South Bronx United's Board of Directors from 2009 to 2020 and served as board chair from 2013 to 2019.
Cameron Hunter
Chief Operating Officer, Marin Promise Partnership
Cameron Hunter is keenly aware of the ways in which soccer and education have positively impacted his own life, and brings this passion to both SBU and his own career. Cameron serves as the COO for Marin Promise Partnership, a cradle-to-career collective impact initiative working to improve educational and economic mobility outcomes across Marin County, California. He grew up in Northern Westchester, and spent most of his childhood playing soccer across New England, ultimately winning two state cups by high school and one Club Ivy Tournament as captain of his Dartmouth club team. He first joined SBU as a summer intern in 2012, where he taught a self-designed “History of Sports” course to a group of SBU scholars who would politely agree to learn the Maori Haka dance if it meant they could soon get onto the soccer field. Cameron returns to SBU after a decade of living & working in the Bay Area, and is grateful to bring both his nonprofit leadership experience and love of the game to SBU’s Advisory Board.
Paul Levinsohn
Co-Founder and Managing Principal, New York City Regional Center
Paul Levinsohn is an attorney and businessman involved in numerous real estate financing and private equity transactions over the past 25 years. He is the Co-Founder and Managing Principal of the New York City Regional Center (NYCRC) which has provided over $1.5 billion of capital to help fund a broad spectrum of infrastructure and real estate projects in New York City. In addition to fueling economic development and creating jobs, NYCRC offerings have also enabled over 4,650 individuals from around the world to become permanent residents of the United States through the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program. Mr. Levinsohn’s career also includes public service. In 2002, he was appointed Chief Counsel to the Governor of New Jersey. Under this post, Mr. Levinsohn oversaw legal operations for the Governor’s Office. From 1995 to 1997, he served as a law clerk for Judge Anne E. Thompson, U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. Prior to entering law school, Mr. Levinsohn was a charter corps member of Teach for America, a national teacher corps program that places teachers in rural and inner-city school districts. While participating in the program, he taught American History in a public high school in Warren County, North Carolina. Mr. Levinsohn holds three degrees from Duke University. He previously served a term as a member of the Duke University Board of Trustees.
Samantha RosetteFormer Professional Footballer, Co-Founder, The Players Network
Samantha Rosette is a Bronx native, former professional footballer, and advocate committed to creating a more equitable future for the game. Across a five-year professional career spanning four countries, she most recently captained Brooklyn FC in the USL Super League before transitioning into full-time leadership and advocacy within women's football. As the Co-Founder of The Players Network (TPN), Samantha works to empower players through education, community, and career development while helping reshape the professional game from the inside out. She is also the founder of the She Can Play initiative, bringing free and low-cost clinics, mentorship, and professional role models to girls across New York City. Samantha holds a Master's in Public Administration with a focus on public policy and social justice, and has dedicated her career to bridging the worlds of sport, policy, and advocacy to expand opportunity for athletes and communities.Whether through coaching, education, or community programming, Samantha is passionate about expanding access to soccer—particularly in the Bronx—and ensuring every player has the opportunity to pursue their potential regardless of systemic or financial barriers. She is honored to serve on the South Bronx United Advisory Board and support an organization that is transforming lives through the power of sport.
Steph SoChief Marketing Officer, Xponential Fitness
Steph SoCMO, Xponential Fitness
Steph co-founded South Bronx United in 2009, drawing on her passion for education and community development causes both domestic and worldwide. She has volunteered with Habitat for Humanity International, Habitat New Orleans and Amigos de las Americas and has also supported a Mother's Wish in the Dominican Republic. Steph formerly worked in leadership positions in marketing and strategy for brands including CoverFX, Ralph Lauren, The Estée Lauder Companies, Estée Lauder, Extend Fertility, and ShopBop.com, a leading online apparel and accessory retailer. Most recently she served as Chief Growth Officer at Shake Shack before taking on a role as Chief Marketing Officer at Xponential Fitness, the largest global curator of boutique fitness brands including Club Pilates, Pure Barre, and Stretch Lab. Steph received her Bachelor's degree from Stanford University and earned a Masters in Business Administration from Harvard Business School. She also serves as a Board Member for the Manhattan Country School.
Steven Sutton
Founder & CEO, Devoción Coffee
Steven Sutton is the founder and CEO of Devoción.
Hanan ThabetInternational Education Consultant
For over a decade, Hanan Thabet has worked in the field of international educational and student exchange, and currently has her own private international education consulting practice working with corporate and government clients. A life long New Yorker, Hanan also lived in Egypt for 6 years where she completed her bachelor’s degree and worked as a teacher at a private international school in Cairo. Hanan holds a Bachelor of Arts in Middle East Studies from the American University in Cairo a Master of Arts in Near East Studies from New York University. Hanan’s love for soccer started at an early age, after attending several World Cup games with her parents when the event was hosted in the U.S. in 1994. Hanan joined the board in 2014.
Sina Toussi
Chief Investment Officer, Two Seas Capital
Sina Toussi is the founder of Two Seas Capital, an investment fund that focuses on litigation-driven investments arising from restructurings, bankruptcies, commercial disputes, corporate malfeasance, and regulatory events. Previously, he served as Managing Director and Chief Legal Officer of VR Capital Group, an alternative asset manager focused on distressed securities and event-driven/special situations investments. He spent his childhood years living in the Morris Heights section of the South Bronx after his family immigrated from Iran. He has also been a lifelong soccer fan and player. Mr. Toussi's other prior roles include serving as a Partner and General Counsel at One East Capital Advisors, a multi-strategy and event-driven hedge fund; a Vice President and Special Counsel to the Chairman at MacAndrews & Forbes Holdings; and an Associate at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom where he focused on M&A and corporate restructuring. Mr. Toussi received a B.A., cum laude, in Philosophy with a minor in Mathematics from Cornell University in 1991 and a J.D. from Columbia University School of Law in 1994.
