Stonebriar Commercial Finance appointed Nicholas M. Sandler president, effective immediately. Sandler will continue to report to Dave B. Fate, CEO of Stonebriar Commercial Finance.

Sandler joined Stonebriar in 2016 as head of aviation capital, a platform which has originated more than $2 billion since inception. As a member of Stonebriar’s board of managers and its executive management team, Sandler has taken on increasing responsibility with the company’s strategic development initiatives, including capital raising to fund the business.

In his new role, Sandler will continue to oversee the aviation capital platform while supporting Stonebriar’s overall focus on growing stakeholder value. In addition to his contributions in advancing Stonebriar’s position in commercial finance, Sandler will continue his role as the primary relationship manager across several Eldridge businesses.

“We are fortunate to have someone of Nick’s caliber and experience to help lead Stonebriar in its next phase of growth and evolution,” Fate said. “We are excited about Stonebriar’s future, and it is the opportune time to capitalize on Nick’s broad skill set to successfully source and execute on multiple new market opportunities. Nick has a proven track record of performance and a deep understanding of our products, our customers and our markets.”

Prior to joining Stonebriar, Sandler was a managing director at Guggenheim Partners, where he managed the aviation portfolio, was head of public affairs and was a member of the corporate credit group. Early in his career, he was a special assistant to California Governor Gray Davis. Sandler is currently on the board of directors of Epic Aero, the parent company of Flexjet, Simcom Aviation Training and Tuvoli. He is also the president of the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation.