Jeffrey Finger didn’t plan on a career in restructuring. “I found it by accident,” he says with a laugh. “I was sent to New York for a meeting early in my career, and I remember thinking, why is everyone so unhappy? It turned out I’d walked into a restructuring.” That meeting changed the course of his life. Two decades later, Jeffrey is one of the most respected figures in his field—Managing Director and U.S. Co-Head of the Debt Advisory & Restructuring Group at Jefferies—and CitizensNYC is proud to honor him as a 2025 New Yorker for New York honoree.
What kept him in the business was not the numbers, but the people. “When most people hear the word restructuring, they think bankruptcy,” he says. “But it’s not about shutting things down. It’s about rehabilitation. You’re helping companies, their employees, and their communities find a way forward.” That spirit of rebuilding, of creating stability out of uncertainty, runs through everything Jeffrey does. “You have a pie that’s never big enough for everyone,” he says. “The job is to bring people together to find an answer.”
That instinct to solve problems collaboratively and keep people at the center also drives his commitment to CitizensNYC. “What drew me in was the reach,” Jeffrey explains. “It’s incredible how broad and meaningful the impact is with such limited dollars.” He first got involved years ago through colleague and past honoree Holly Etlin, joining the event committee and never stepping away. “You look at the amount of money these grantees receive, just a few thousand dollars, and then you look at what they do with it. It’s astounding.”
That realization deepened during a recent CitizensNYC site visit, where Jeffrey saw how small investments can create broad, lasting impact. Observing a grantee managing a major community space largely on his own, Jeffrey was struck by the level of commitment and creativity it took to make limited resources stretch so far. What stood out most was the efficiency and thoughtfulness of the work: the way one person’s effort could activate an entire neighborhood, a powerful example of how CitizensNYC’s model empowers local leaders to turn small-scale support into tangible, collective change.
For Jeffrey, that’s what makes CitizensNYC’s model so powerful. “You’re not just funding projects,” he says. “You’re validating people’s ideas. You’re helping them solve their own puzzle.” As someone who has built a career helping institutions navigate tight constraints and complex systems, the connection feels natural. “In my world, you’re often trying to do the most with the least,” he says. “That’s exactly what CitizensNYC’s grantees are doing—making the impossible possible through creativity and hard work.”
Jeffrey’s leadership style is grounded in collaboration and mentorship. A graduate of the University of Michigan and the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, he credits his mentors, especially restructuring legend Henry Miller, for shaping his approach. Now, as a mentor and adjunct professor at Michigan Law, he pays that forward. “You learn that success isn’t just about technical skill,” he says. “It’s about listening, communicating, and helping others find their way.”
That same generosity defines his view of New York as an emigre from Chicago. “This city is full of people who work incredibly hard, who start over, who try again,” he says. “There’s so much pride here, and so many ways to make an impact with limited resources.” Whether in finance, community development, or education, Jeffrey believes New Yorkers share a common thread: courage, compassion, and the will to give back.
CitizensNYC is proud to honor Jeffrey Finger for the values he brings to every part of his life: integrity, collaboration, and a belief in the resilience of people and communities. His work reminds us that even in moments of challenge, rebuilding is an act of hope—and that the best solutions, like the best neighborhoods, are built together.
