As manager of SP Investment Fund LLC, Gil Seton oversees subsidized housing communities for low-income families and senior citizens throughout the United States. His role with SP Investment Fund LLC also includes facilitating social and educational services for the residents of communities which SP Investment Fund and/or its affiliates control. In that regard, Gil Seton has had the opportunity to work with various nonprofit organizations, including LifeSTEPS.LifeSTEPS was founded in 1996 to provide “skills training and educational programs” (STEPS) to children, youth, adults, and families living in affordable housing. To achieve that goal, LifeSTEPS contracts with affordable housing developers to deliver support services, including short-term emergency financial assistance, to residents of the low-income communities. Currently, LifeSTEPS services more than 65,000 residents in over 220 senior and affordable housing communities in California. In 2012, LifeSTEPS launched its Summer Reading /Learning Loss Prevention Program in Sacramento. Based upon the success of that pilot program, it was implemented throughout the state of California in 2015. The program begins each summer with an evaluation of each child’s reading level. The children start the program reading books at their assessed levels and progress to more advanced books over the course of the summer. The program also includes games and activities to help the children view reading as a fun activity. At the end of the summer, program coordinators reevaluate the children’s reading levels and award their success with a party for the children and their parents. In 2016, 95 percent of the program’s participants had maintained their reading levels, and over half had improved by at least one grade level.
Outside of his responsibilities as manager of SP Investment Fund LLC in Los Angeles, Gil Seton provides support to a wide range of community organizations. One of the organizations that Gil Seton donates to is Operation Smile, which launches medical missions around the world to treat clef palate, cleft lip, and other facial deformities.Recently, Operation Smile held its 26th International Student Leadership Conference, which took place in Rome, Italy. The event allowed hundreds of college and high school students from five continents to learn the hands-only technique of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). CPR is a critical skill for people to learn in all parts of the world. The American Heart Association estimates that about 90 percent of people who face cardiac arrest outside of a health care setting die, but quality CPR can double or even triple the chances of survival.Once trained, Student Leadership Conference participants can take part in an Operation Smile medical mission and teach the skills to patients and families. In addition to CPR, these students have the opportunity to teach about nutrition, dental hygiene, and basic first aid while on their medical missions.
A graduate of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Gil Seton is an experienced real estate developer and investor. Currently, he applies his expertise as the manager of SP Investment Fund LLC and the president of Showplace Development, Inc., both based in Los Angeles. Outside of work, Gil Seton supports charitable organizations such as Operation Smile.Headquartered in Virginia, Operation Smile is a charity that provides free surgeries in developing countries to individuals with facial deformities. The organization, founded in 1982, has helped thousands of people in over 60 countries. The most common facial deformities addressed by Operation Smile are cleft lips and cleft palates.A cleft palate is a birth defect that causes a deformity on the roof of the mouth or upper lip. In addition to affecting a person’s appearance, a cleft palate can cause other issues, such as irregularly aligned teeth and nose shape, eating problems (which can lead to low weight gain and slow development), ear infections, and speech and language difficulties.
An experienced investment professional, Gil Seton Jr. serves as a Manager with SP Investment Fund LLC, a Los Angeles firm that invests in affordable housing. Alongside his responsibilities with SP Investment Fund LLC, Gil Seton Jr. supports a wide range of philanthropic organizations, including Operation Smile. Working in underserved areas around the world, Operation Smile connects children born with cleft lips or cleft palates with life-changing surgeries.In May, the organization marked its 35th anniversary with a celebration hosted by its partner Johnson & Johnson. The event was kicked off by actor Zachary Levi, who evoked tears from attendees by sharing some experiences as an Operation Smile Ambassador. Then, attendees had a chance to see some of the most momentous milestones of Operation Smile and highlights from the hundreds of thousands of children served since the organization’s inception. The event also highlighted some of the most distinguished supporters of the organization, including Brian Bowen Smith, who received the Wallis Annenberg Public Service Award. This award recognizes individuals who use creative talents to frame the organization’s message in a new and engaging manner.
