The Cherrytree Group has assembled a stellar team of tax credit consultant, government policy specialists, investor relations associates, commercial real estate professionals, attorneys and accountants. Please don’t hesitate to contact one of the executives on this page to ask any question in the area of Federal or state tax credits — without any obligation.
Warren Kirshenbaum – CEO
Warren founded Cherrytree in 2011 and has spent the past eleven years building a highly specialized tax credit consultation, brokerage, and syndication firm. He has relied on three decades of experience and a law background to focus on the structural and development finance aspects of tax incentivized real estate-based transactions — particularly in the environmental remediation (Brownfields), renewable energy, and historic rehabilitation areas.
Born and raised in Johannesburg, Warren came to the United States in 1989. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of the Witwatersrand, a Juris Doctor Degree from New England Law, and an LLM from New York University School of Law.
Warren entered the tax credit field over 20 years ago, at first working in the sub-specialty of affordable housing. His skills and portfolio soon expanded to include tax credit acquisition for historic preservation, Brownfields remediation and renewable energy. Since forming Cherrytree, he has presented at dozens of industry conferences nationwide.
Married for 29 years, Warren and his wife Liz have raised three children. Warren has run marathons including the Boston Marathon, raising charity for Project Hope. Additionally, he loves to ski, golf, and scuba dive.
Melina Ambrosino – President
Melina is a true mailroom-to-boardroom success story. After graduation from Suffolk University in 2011 she joined the Cherrytree Group as an entry-level administrative assistant, then steadily rose through the ranks. She now leads Cherrytree into its second decade.
Melina has worked extensively with the many tax credit incentive programs in the Northeastern U.S.,
particularly in Massachusetts. As Cherrytree’s president she focuses on business development, client relations and day-to-day operations while dedicating herself to understanding fundamentals of the tax credit incentive programs so that she can expand the firm’s client base. Melina serves as the first point of contact for LSPs, developers, and real estate professionals, assisting them in determining their tax credit eligibility and helping to structure their projects accordingly.
Melina sits on the Board of Directors for the Brownfields Coalition of the Northeast (BCONE), Chairs a Mentoring Committee for BCONE, and also serves on several National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP) committees and event committees. Like Warren, she is a frequent presenter at industry conference nationwide.
Jacob Vezga – Vice President
Jake brings extensive planning skills and vision to the Cherrytree Group. As vice president, he joins Warren and Melina in developing and administering strategic planning for both the short- and long-term. He uses his expertise to identify eligible tax credit opportunities, as well as helping to secure Brownfields Tax Credits — always with the goal of saving Cherrytree’s clients tens of thousands of dollars.
Jake draws upon his years of client service experience to communicate and coordinate with Cherrytree clients with the aim of identifying the strongest matches in tax credit programs. He oversees the back-end support for state historic and environmental tax credit deals, manages compliance for federal transactions, maintains the company’s various entities, oversees corporate filings and assists the federal tax credit team. Additionally, he guides Cherrytree’s state tax credit buyers and is often the lead on Brownfields and historic projects.
Prior to joining the Cherrytree Group, Jake had a successful career as a licensed real estate broker and he still remains active in that community. Jake holds a Bachelor of Science from Bridgewater State University.
Industry Conferences where Cherrytree Executives have Presented:
- Revitalizing New England: Brownfields Summit (2022)
- The Northeast Sustainable Communities Workshop BCONE Event, “A New Era for Equitable Development” (2022)
- Developing Planning: Utilizing Incentives for New York and Massachusetts (2020)
- The Massachusetts Historic Preservation Conference (2019)
- The Marcum Microcap Conference (2017)
- Renewable Energy Procurement and Investment (2016)
- Redeveloping a Historic Building (ABX 2016)
- The Environmental Business Council – Helping move Rhode Island!s Economy Forward (2016)
- Development Planning: Utilizing Incentives! (2016)
- The Massachusetts Historic Preservation Conference (2015)
- The Environmental Business Council!s Site Remediation & Redevelopment Program (2015)
- Developing a Brownfields Site: Building a Toolkit for Success (2015)
- The Massachusetts Brownfields Update (2015)
- A Licensed Site Professional’s Guide for Understanding and Navigating the Regulatory and Technical Challenged of an Underground Storage Tank Release in Massachusetts (2015)
- Obtaining a Brownfields: Why You May Be Closer Than You Think (2014)
- Energizing Tax Credits: Turning Brownfields into Brightfields (2013)
- The Real Estate Roundtable (2012)