Our Team
leo freeman
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leo freeman (he/they)
Director of Vision & Co-Founder
leo freeman is a thinker and a tinkerer with a musician’s brain and an activist’s heart. for the past eight years, leo has worked inside of the financial services industrial complex as an advisor (learning the master’s tools), then as a social justice financial advisor with adasina social capital (wielding the master’s tools in service of social justice movements), and most recently as the director of fund development with seed commons (building new tools to channel non-extractive capital to community).
a passionate advocate for intersectional justice, leo brings a systems approach to his work with philanthropic orgs, institutional and individual investors and financial advisors. leo is a founding member and inaugural steering crew member of the radical planners community, a co-creator of capital J collective, a co-director of (re)define, and a member of the transformative25 committee.
leo is not big on academia, but he does hold a few degrees from csu sacramento in jazz performance and pedagogy. he is an accredited investment fiduciary analyst and holds a series 65 license.
leo lives in berkeley with their dog, friend. leo is an anticapitalist, abolitionist, vegan, feminist, activist, non-zionist, anarcho-utopianist who reads a ton of queer theory and liberation lit and is focused on building and deepening community relationships and dreaming the world to come.
Susanna Penfield
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Susanna Penfield (she/her)
Director of Relationships & Co-Founder
As Director of Relationships, Susanna serves as both touchstone and care team coordinator for clients and practitioners entering the Chosen Family Office ecosystem. She is committed to shifting wealth into community, and with that vision is a co-leader of the Vermont chapter of Resource Generation, member of the Solidaire Network, certified Trauma of Money practitioner, and 2023-24 fellow of the Just Economy Institute. Susanna holds a BA in Political Science and Feminist & Gender Studies from Colorado College, as well as an MSc in Gender Studies from the London School of Economics — where her research focused on the catalyzing role of white feminine guilt in narratives of wealth.
Susanna’s work began personally, with years spent advocating to move inherited assets toward social, economic and climate justice — ultimately leading to a “trust bust” that liberated family wealth to be redistributed and reinvested in community. She shares that journey through The BUSTED Chronicles, an ongoing writing project exploring the intersections of money, family, and identity.
Born and raised in Vermont, she currently lives with her partner and sweet dog, Roo, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
melissa lingo
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melissa lingo (she/they)
Director of Ecosystems
melissa (she / they) is lured through life by a loving fascination of interconnectedness and, therefore, collective wellbeing. With an eclectic background in gender and economic justice, teaching music to elementary and high school students, and biomimicry practices, melissa brings great curiosity and patience to whichever roles she occupies.
As Director of Ecosystems, melissa is responsible for maintaining the foundational structure of Chosen Family Office as a cooperative, while contributing to the ever-evolving nature of client relationships and needs. Her priority is keeping operations and our team in balance.
The common thread in melissa's previous work has been building both systems and relationships, strongly informed by ethics rooted in anticapitalism, ecofeminism and liberation. she has a decade+ of experience in the realm of social work and social justice; from working with domestic abuse survivors, managing mental health programs for at-risk youth, to leading the operations of an organization which supported women in extremely vulnerable positions in their pursuit of education and financial independence.
With deep experience in Grief Work held alongside the Hope Work of building systems and opportunities that diverge from oppressive structures, they strongly value the ability to hold space for both grief and possibility—recognizing that meaningful transformation often lives in that tension.
When she’s not on an existential rant, melissa spends time writing music, birdwatching with her beloved companion pup, Agatha, baking vegan pies, and reading too many books at once.
ilana Rosenberg
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Ilana Rosenberg (she/they)
Director of Finance & Operations
Ilana (she/they) spends their days as the Director of Finance & Operations at Chosen Family Office, envisioning and building a workplace that is reflective of the world we dream of living in. Within her day-to-day, Ilana dives into the minutia of the work that goes into sustaining a business under the constraints of capitalism, approaching the backend efforts with patience, grace, and a lot of deep breaths. Ilana’s work is informed by previous professional experience in both healthcare and nonprofit organizations where they witnessed and gained a deeper understanding of the systemic harm of racialized capitalism within both the medical and nonprofit industrial complex. Ilana is inspired daily to explore the practical ways Chosen Family Office can embody their values in every layer of the cooperative.
Ilana found Chosen Family Office while in the throes of her own personal divestment project, and saw the opportunity to explore a future where she not only aligned her own money with her values but supported others to do the same. Ilana’s personal journey is ever-evolving, and they feel empowered to be in this work alongside a community committed to the transformative, healing work of wealth redistribution.
Ilana grew up outside of Chicago, but calls Richmond, Virginia home. Outside of this work, they are usually swimming laps at the pool, on walks with their dog, Dipity, or taking notes while listening to their favorite weekly astrology podcast (a classic move for a capricorn stellium).
