Meet the Aureus Team
We have been able to attract and retain some of the best people in the industry,
many of whom are regarded as industry influencers.

Trixy Castro
Founder and CEO

Trixy Castro
Founder and CEO
Ms. Castro is a seasoned entrepreneur, executive and fund manager, that has a strong reputation as an innovator in the United States real estate and mortgage finance industries.
Her unique ability to combine a savvy business sense with smart risk management strategies is what sets her, and any team she leads, apart in the finance world. Born the daughter of Cuban immigrants in Inglewood, California, her upbringing created a passion and drive to build up blighted and impoverished neighborhoods while expanding access to housing for all. With this goal in mind and capitalizing on her ability for predicting real estate trends, Trixy saw an underserved niche for real estate professionals needing access to assets and financing for real estate acquisitions. This led her to start Genesis Capital, LLC in 2007. Taking her institutional banking background, she elevated the space by creating a true private money platform. Genesis Capital took the credit and underwriting risk models of larger institutions and combined it with the concierge service of smaller organizations. With this approach she grew Genesis Capital to become an industry leader and sold to Goldman Sachs in January 2018.
The success of Genesis Capital lead her to start Genesis Auctions in 2011. With her borrower clients needing access to more assets, she created the first technology driven real estate disposition platform for investor buyers, giving them access to purchase distressed properties while also providing them the capital to purchase them. The growth of Genesis Auctions led to an acquisition of Hudson & Marshall, LLC. in April of 2015. The combined company was a leading real estate auction platform which she sold to Fidelity National Title in May of 2017. A prolific entrepreneur, she continues to invest in and build new ventures including a significant residential real estate investment fund and a mobile veterinary clinic that is revolutionizing the veterinary industry. Coming into 2021 stronger than ever, Ms. Castro has launched Aureus Finance Group, showcasing her and her team’s depth of experience and market knowledge.

CJ Russell
President

CJ Russell
President
In his role at Aureus, CJ is committed to enhancing the borrower experience to deliver a superior level of service to our customers. His professional accomplishments include developing a proprietary technology and consulting company, assisting in developing and running a variety of lending, loss mitigation, foreclosure, real estate owned programs from a banking and vendor perspective, and launching the HUD CWCOT Auction program.
CJ is excited to be working at Aureus and leading the organization towards its goal of becoming the nation’s largest private lending institution.
“Through my varied experience across multiple streams of real estate, I’m able to understand borrowers’ needs, which allows me to provide them the best service and lending products possible.”

Derrick B. Grüner, Esq.
CIO/General Counsel

Derrick B. Grüner, Esq.
CIO/General Counsel
Derrick B. Grüner, Esq. is a dual-role member of the C-Suite with hands-on senior executive management at all levels and in all lines of the company’s business. Mr. Grüner is a frequent nationwide public speaker on topics ranging from innovations in capital formation and deployment to best practices for in-house counsel. Mr. Grüner possesses almost three decades of real estate and finance industry experience. Prior to the previous decade as General Counsel and later Chief Operating Officer, he was a partner at a large AV-rated east coast law firm where he represented private equity, investors, lenders, borrowers, owners, developers, operators, and contractors. He is also a 2005 Alumni of highly selective Leadership Jacksonville and for five years served on the Board of Directors of Inside/Outside, a youth diversionary program. He is a member of the Florida Bar and admitted to practice in California as Registered In-House Counsel. He also has significant real estate finance experience prior to the practice of law, and as a result commands an in-depth understanding of the real estate and banking industries. Over his career he was active as a leader in a variety of trade groups, including the Georgia Association of Mortgage Brokers PAC, the Legislative Committee of the National Association of Mortgage Brokers, and the Mortgage Bankers Association of Florida.

Ryan Sailor
Head of Strategy

Ryan Sailor
Head of Strategy
As Head of Strategy, Ryan guides strategic decision making and leads key initiatives across the organization. Prior to Aureus, he was Managing Director at Crestline Advisory Group where he completed over 200 consulting engagements, including due diligence for M&A transactions, equity investments, approval and renewal of large credit facilities, and establishment of mortgage loan purchase agreements. In addition to reviewing over 100 originators and institutional capital providers in the private lending industry, he performed due diligence across several other asset classes, including conventional mortgages, non-QM, institutional SFR / iBuyers, small balance commercial, small business loans, and unsecured consumer loans. Ryan has performed both domestic as well as international engagements, including operational reviews of lenders in Australia, United Kingdom, India, and Hong Kong. Prior to Crestline, he was Director at BKD, LLP, a national CPA and Advisory firm. In this role, Ryan led a national staff to oversee a Top 5 bank’s compliance to the consent judgment associated with the National Mortgage Settlement, the largest consumer protection settlement in U.S. history. In addition to this high-profile engagement, he also led a firm-wide initiative to build BKD’s Consumer Finance Consulting Services. Prior to BKD, Ryan was Senior Manager of Surveillance Operations at Clayton Holdings. In this role, he created and led a new RMBS surveillance operation and data integration team in Clayton’s Tampa, FL facility, which grew to oversee 200+ RMBS transactions and provide various mortgage servicing QC services. Ryan is a graduate of Colorado State University, Fort Collins, earning a B.S. degree in business administration with a finance emphasis.

Mitch Solow
Chief Revenue Officer

Mitch Solow
Chief Revenue Officer
A natural problem solver, Mitch specializes in forecasting, identifying, and implementing innovative strategies that grow our borrowers’ portfolios and drive their profitability. Before coming to Aureus, Mitch served as the Chief Risk Officer and Chief Revenue Officer at Genesis Capital Partners, where he was the sole portfolio manager of a $1.5 billion residential real estate loan portfolio.
He received his bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton Business School.

Brittany Starkey
Chief Compliance Officer

Brittany Starkey
Chief Compliance Officer
As Chief Compliance Officer, Brittany is responsible for overseeing all compliance and administration activities for Aureus. Previously, she served as a founding member and Chief Operating Officer of both Genesis Auctions and Genesis Capital. During her tenure, she oversaw all legal and compliance needs for both organizations, including nationwide lending and real estate licensing.
Brittany holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of California, Santa Barbara, as well as an MBA from California Lutheran University.
“I’m proud to work in a female-led organization where women occupy high leadership roles. This is just another way we’re breaking barriers in the industry.”

Brittney Fairweather
Chief of Business Development

Brittney Fairweather
Chief of Business Development
In her position at Aureus, Brittney is responsible for managing overall growth, strategy, and investor-facing communications. Her extensive background includes a thorough understanding of real estate investment strategies and operations, private money lending, online auction operations, and process management. A founding member of the Genesis group of companies, she was integral in the creation of their platforms. Brittney has held a California real estate license for the past 15 years.
“I believe Aureus will streamline the archaic underwriting process to serve as a highly efficient debt partner for real estate investors."

Jennifer (JPP) Page-Peña
EVP, Operations

Jennifer (JPP) Page-Peña
EVP, Operations
As head of Operations, Jennifer (JPP) ensures Aureus is delivering on our promise to create a superior borrower experience by closing deals promptly. Her 30 years of leadership in the real estate and mortgage lending industries includes serving as Sr. Vice President of Title, Contracting and Closing Operations at Auction.com, the nation’s leading marketplace for residential real estate.
JPP received her bachelor’s degree from Colegio de San Juan de Letran in the Philippines.
“I chose to work at Aureus to become part of a fast-growing, mission-oriented organization where borrowers come first!”

Edward J. Carroll
Head of Finance

Edward J. Carroll
Head of Finance
With a wealth of experience as an astute fiduciary manager and finance professional, Ed was inspired in 2021 to bring his talents to Aureus. He was drawn to the experience of our management team, their understanding of the real estate sector, and their drive to succeed in the industry.
Ed earned his bachelor’s degree in Finance and Investments from Iowa State University.
“I see Aureus as the premier partner to the real estate investment community, providing superior customer satisfaction.”

Alena McCutcheon
Vice President, Human Resource

Alena McCutcheon
Vice President, Human Resource
At Aureus, Alena is leading the charge to expand our team by searching for talented people who align with our mission. She has 20 years of human resources experience that spans multiple industries.
Alena received her bachelor’s degree from the University of North Texas and has certifications from both SPHR and SHRM-SCP.
“At Aureus, we have the products, leaders, and team to take the industry to new heights.”