David Adelman, J.D.
Former Ambassador to Singapore & Managing Director and General Counsel, KraneShares
Ambassador (Ret.) David Adelman is a Managing Director and the General Counsel of KraneShares. He previously was a Managing Director at Goldman Sachs in Hong Kong and partner in two global law firms practicing law in New York, Washington, D.C., and Atlanta. David was the 15th United States Ambassador to Singapore serving during the first term of the Obama-Biden Administration. He previously was an appointed member of the Monetary Authority of Singapore’s Capital Markets Committee and served on the Executive Board of the Hong Kong Treasury Markets Association. David was a member of the Board of Governors of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong. David is a Trustee of the National Committee on American Foreign Policy and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Advisory Board of the Israel-Asia Center. He is an Adjunct Professor at New York University where he teaches international relations of the Asia-Pacific region at the graduate level. David received his J.D. from Emory University where he is a recipient of the Emory Medal. He earned an MPA from Georgia State University and BA from the University of Georgia.
Terry Branstad, J.D.
Former Ambassador to China & Partner, Branstad Churchill Group
Former U.S. Ambassador to China (2017-2020) Terry Branstad is the president of the World Food Prize Foundation, and the longest serving governor in the history of the United States (1983-1999/2011-2017). In addition to his role as president of Des Moines University Medical School, his public service includes election to the office of Lt. Governor and three-terms in the Iowa House of Representatives. He is a founding partner of the Branstad Churchill Group, a strategic consulting firm that provides advice, guidance and solutions to organizations, corporate leaders and investors seeking to navigate the complexities associated with conducting business in China and the United States. During his tenure as U.S. Ambassador to China, Branstad’s two greatest accomplishments included the signing of the historic Phase-One Trade Agreement in January of 2020 and successfully lobbying the Chinese government to stem the flow of fentanyl into the United States. Phase-One secured $200 billion in Chinese commitments to purchase U.S. goods and services, achieved stricter enforcement of Intellectual Property protections, and opened China’s restrictive financial sector to U.S. banks and other financial services companies. And the Chinese government’s decision to schedule fentanyl as a controlled substance in May of 2019 virtually stopped fentanyl shipments from China directly to the United States. His time in Beijing was marked by the advent of the outbreak of Covid-19 that led to a mass evacuation of U.S. citizens from Wuhan and the sudden closure of the U.S. Consulate in Chengdu by the Chinese government. To ensure the safety of the foreign service officers serving in China, he oversaw the largest drawdown of staff in American history; and to protect the health of U.S. citizens at home, he launched a Task Force that delivered 5,000 tons of urgently needed medical supplies to combat Covid-19. Branstad continues his public service as “Ambassador-In-Residence” at Drake University in Des Moines, where he received his JD, and as the national co-chair of the capital campaign to modernize the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum in West Branch, Iowa.
Katie Koch
President and Chief Executive Officer, TCW Group
Ms. Koch is President and Chief Executive Officer of TCW and serves as a member of the Board of Directors. In this role, she is responsible for the strategic direction and overall day-to-day management of the Firm. Prior to joining TCW in 2023, Ms. Koch spent 20 years with Goldman Sachs in the Asset Management Division (AMD), where she was a Partner and most recently served as Chief Investment Officer of the $300 billion Public Equity business and as a member of the AMD executive committee. Previously, she was based in London for 10 years where she held several leadership roles including Head of the Multi-Asset Solutions business internationally.
Ms. Koch currently serves as a board member for the University of Notre Dame’s Board of Trustees, The Investment Fund for Foundations (TIFF), The Investment Company Institute (ICI), the Toigo Foundation and The Spence School. She also serves as a Co-Chair of the University of Notre Dame Wall Street Leadership Committee and the advisory board of the Notre Dame Institute for Global Investing (NDIGI). Ms. Koch was named a Young Global Leader with the World Economic Forum.
Ms. Koch earned her BA in Economics and Literature at the University of Notre Dame.
Jeffrey J. Sherman, CFA
Deputy Chief Investment Officer, DoubleLine
As DoubleLine’s Deputy Chief Investment Officer, Jeffrey Sherman oversees and administers DoubleLine’s Investment Management sub-committee coordinating and implementing policies and processes across the investment teams. He also serves as lead portfolio manager for multi-sector and derivative-based strategies. Mr. Sherman is a member of DoubleLine’s Executive Management and Fixed Income Asset Allocation Committees. He can be heard regularly on his podcast “The Sherman Show” (Twitter @ShermanShowPod, ShermanShow@Doubleline.com) where he interviews distinguished guests, giving listeners insight into DoubleLine’s current views. In 2018, Money Management Executive named Jeffrey Sherman as one of “10 Fund Managers to Watch” in its yearly special report. Prior to joining DoubleLine in 2009, Mr. Sherman was a Senior Vice President at TCW where he worked as a portfolio manager and quantitative analyst focused on fixed income and real-asset portfolios. He was a statistics and mathematics instructor at both the University of the Pacific and Florida State University. Mr. Sherman taught Quantitative Methods for Level I candidates in the CFALA/USC Review Program for many years. He holds a BS in Applied Mathematics from the University of the Pacific and an MS in Financial Engineering from the Claremont Graduate University. Mr. Sherman is a CFA® charterholder.
Michael Underhill
Founder & Chief Investment Officer, Capital Innovations, LLC.
Michael is the author of the acclaimed Handbook of Infrastructure Investing, has published hundreds of papers on investing and finance. Recognized for his expertise, he is frequently asked to speak on topics such as investment policy, portfolio management, and the risk characteristics of Real Asset investing. He is a regular contributor to Bloomberg Media, the CFA Institute, EDHEC Risk Institute, guest speaker at Wharton and leading think tanks like the Inter-American Dialogue. Michael is Chairman Emeritus of the UNPRI Infrastructure Work stream and one of the world's most provocative, respected financial analysts. Investors have used Michael’s award-winning real estate, natural resources and infrastructure investment strategies worldwide. Michael is responsible for overseeing global investment strategies and leads Capital Innovations’ Investment Policy Group, a forum for analyzing broader secular and cyclical trends that Capital Innovations believes will influence investment opportunities. Recognized for his expertise in Real Asset investing, he is a regular contributor to Bloomberg Television, Radio and Bloomberg Events.
Prior to co-founding Capital Innovations in 2007 with Susan Dambekaln, Michael was a Vice President portfolio manager at AllianceBernstein working with large global institutional clients managing billions in assets. Before joining AllianceBernstein, he was a Vice President and partner at INVESCO in the financial institutions asset management division where he was responsible for $8 billion in client assets. Prior to INVESCO, Michael helped build the institutional fixed income capabilities for Janus Capital Corporation where the nascent effort grew to $1.8 billion at its peak.
Michael graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a BS in Economics. He has completed post-graduate coursework from Pepperdine University centered on Fiduciary Studies, Universidad del Salvador (Argentina) in Latin American Economics and Stanford Law School where he focused on corporate governance.
Brendan Ahern
Chief Investment Officer, KraneShares
Brendan Ahern is the Chief Investment Officer at KraneShares. Brendan joined KraneShares in 2013. Brendan leads the firm’s research and education efforts and actively works with investors on a variety of subjects ranging from asset allocation to trading to articulating the growing influence that index providers hold in the asset management industry. Prior experience includes over ten years with Barclays Global Investors (subsequently BlackRock’s iShares), which he joined in 2001 during the rollout of their ETF business. His career has spanned a period of tremendous growth for ETFs, which has contributed to his profound knowledge of the ETF landscape.
Brendan is considered a preeminent expert in global financial markets with a particular focus on China. He is a frequent visitor to China and actively maintains daily contact with a deep local research network comprised of investment banks, brokers, and regional and boutique research firms. He produces a daily update called China Last Night (www.chinalastnight.com), which also appears as a column on Forbes.com. He is often sought after by leading business and financial outlets and regularly appears on CNBC and Bloomberg to discuss China’s capital markets. He is a frequent guest of Bloomberg Radio’s Daybreak Asia, and he is quoted in The Wall Street Journal and Investor’s Business Daily.
Brendan graduated from the College of the Holy Cross and has a MS in Financial Analysis from the University of San Francisco.
Blaise Antin
Managing Director of Emerging Markets, TCW
Mr. Antin is Head of TCW’s Sovereign Research team and works closely with all of the emerging markets and international investment strategies at TCW. Before joining TCW in 2000, he spent the prior seven years with the G7 Group, Inc., an international political economy consultancy in Washington, DC. As Managing Director of G7, Mr. Antin directed the firm’s European and Latin American analysis and advised institutional investors and global macro hedge funds on economic and political risk. Mr. Antin also served as a speechwriter for Robert E. Rubin, then the co-Chairman of Goldman Sachs and subsequently Treasury Secretary of the United States. He also worked as a congressional aide to a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Mr. Antin holds an MA in Government from The Johns Hopkins University and graduated cum laude from UCLA with a BA in Political Science.
Heather Beatty
Founder and Chief Executive Officer, ScopeFour Capital
Heather Beatty is the founder and CEO of ScopeFour Capital, an asset management firm specializing in investing in companies that produce and scale climate solutions. With over 20 years in the institutional world, Heather is dedicated to educating investors on strategic capital allocation towards climate mitigation and adaptation. Prior to launching ScopeFour, she held leadership positions at top-tier global financial institutions including First Eagle Investment Management, TCW and Thornburg. At First Eagle, she also created and co-chaired the firm's first Climate Council.
Her philanthropy includes partnering with the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator where she presents on climate investing and works with entrepreneurs to incorporate sustainability into their business model. She is also on the board for One Blue Ocean, a global social change non-profit that strives to ensure a healthy blue ocean. In addition to her climate-related contributions, Heather co-founded Women in Institutional Investments Network (WIIIN), a Los Angeles-based 501c3 as part of her commitment to the advancement of DE&I.
Daina Cantwell
Director of Business Development, Nephila
Daina Cantwell is a Director of Business Development at Nephila. She works with the Firm's client partnerships in North America, Asia and Australia.
Prior to joining Nephila in 2021, Daina worked at Sculptor Capital, where she worked in both Hong Kong and New York with Institutional Investors across North America, Asia and Australia.
Daina started her career at Bear Stearns and J.P. Morgan. Daina has a BA in Actuarial Science from Macaulay Honors College.
Scott Carlton
Partner, Litigation Department of Paul Hastings
Scott Carlton is a Partner in the Litigation Department of Paul Hastings and is a member of the Securities Litigation and Complex Litigation Groups. His diversified practice focuses on complex litigation, internal investigations, and appellate matters.
Mr. Carlton has substantial experience representing and advising public and private companies and individual officers and directors in connection with the federal securities laws, state blue sky laws, and privacy law. These matters include government enforcement actions and investigations, shareholder derivative actions, class actions, and individual investor and consumer lawsuits.
Kent Chan
Equity Investment Director, Capital Group
Kent Chan is an equity investment director at Capital Group. He has 32 years of investment industry experience and has been with Capital Group for eight years.
Prior to joining Capital, Kent spent more than 20 years in Asia, most recently as a director of equity research for Greater China at Barclays.
Before that, his research responsibilities included global technology, Asian consumer and small cap companies at Citigroup. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political economics from the UC Berkeley.
Dr. Anthony Chang, MD, MPH
Chief Intelligence and Innovation Officer, CHOC Sharon Disney Lund Medical Intelligence, Information, Investigation, and Innovation Institute (Mi4)
Dr. Anthony Chang, MD, MPH, MS is a pediatric cardiologist and Medical Director of the Heart Failure Program at Children’s Hospital of Orange County. Dr. Chang serves as Chief Intelligence and Innovation Officer of CHOC Sharon Disney Lund Medical Intelligence, Information, Investigation and Innovation Institute (Mi4). The Institute is the hub of medical intelligence and innovation at CHOC, and also serves as a national and international leader. Mi4 was the first institute of its kind in a children’s hospital. Dr. Chang completed his MS in Data Science with a sub-specialization in artificial intelligence from Stanford School of Medicine and has completed a certification on artificial intelligence from MIT. Dr. Chang has a MBA in Health Care Administration from the University of Miami School of Business and a MPH in Health Care Policy from the Jonathan Fielding School of Public Health of the University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. Chang’s book, Intelligence-Based Medicine is the first of its kind textbook on AI in medicine and is used at colleges and universities around the globe. He is the founder and organizing chair of several Artificial Intelligence in Medicine (AI Med) that hosts meetings in the U.S. and abroad focusing on artificial intelligence in healthcare and medicine (www.ai-med.io). He is also the founder the Medical Intelligence Society (MIS), the American Board of Artificial Intelligence in Medicine (ACAIM), and the Alliance of Centers in Artificial Intelligence in Medicine (ACAIM) and the Pediatric Centers of Artificial Intelligence in Medicine (PCAIM), now with nearly 100 participating centers from around the globe.
Michael J Collins, CFA
Managing Director and Senior Portfolio Manager, PGIM Fixed Income
Michael J. Collins, CFA, is a managing director and senior portfolio manager for Core, Core Plus, Absolute Return, and other Multi-Sector Fixed Income strategies.
Experience. Previously, Mr. Collins was a high yield portfolio manager and fixed income investment strategist. Earlier he was a credit research analyst, covering investment-grade and high yield corporate credits. Additionally, he developed proprietary quantitative international interest rate and currency valuation models for our global bond unit. Mr. Collins began his career at the firm in 1986 as a software applications designer.
Education. Mr. Collins received a BS in mathematics and computer science from Binghamton University and an MBA in finance from New York University. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and is a Fellow of the Life Management Institute (FLMI). He is the host of PGIM Fixed Income's "All the Credit" podcast.
Moira Conlon
Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Financial Profiles
Moira Conlon is the founder and CEO of Financial Profiles, a national strategic communications firm. Over her 25-year career, Moira has provided communications strategy and counsel to management leaders, boards, and communication teams of hundreds of public and private companies in a variety of industries, including many asset managers and private credit firms. Her expertise includes investor relations, transactions, media and public relations, crisis communication and corporate governance.
Moira has been honored as one of the NACD Directorship 100, which recognizes the most influential leaders in corporate governance, and by Business Insider as one of the top PR professionals for companies seeking to go public. She is a frequent contributor to publications such as Forbes, CFO Magazine, and IR Magazine, and panelist at industry forums sponsored by the NACD, NIRI, NYSE, Nasdaq, Women Corporate Directors and others.
Zack Ellison, CFA, CAIA
Founder and Managing General Partner, Applied Real Intelligence (A.R.I.)
Zack Ellison, CFA, CAIA is the founder and managing general partner of Applied Real Intelligence (A.R.I.) and the chief investment officer of the A.R.I. Senior Secured Growth Credit Fund, which provides debt financing solutions to premier startups in North America.
He previously worked as a loan structurer and underwriter, investment banker, corporate bond trader, and fixed income portfolio manager at three firms with over $1 trillion in assets – Scotia Bank, Deutsche Bank, and Sun Life.
Mr. Ellison holds an MBA from the University of Chicago, an MS in Risk Management from NYU, and is completing his Doctorate in Business Administration at the University of Florida.
His views on investing in innovation and venture debt are showcased in monthly columns he writes for Venture Capital Journal and Built In, as well as engaging discussions with leading investors each week on The 7 in 7 Show with Zack Ellison (Podcast). Additionally, he authored the Venture Debt chapter in the recently released book from the CFA Institute Research Foundation: An Introduction to Alternative Credit.
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Joshua Emanuel, CFA
Chief Investment Officer, Wilshire Advisors
Josh Emanuel, Chief Investment Officer, joined Wilshire in 2015 and has over 20 years of industry experience. In his role as CIO, Mr. Emanuel leads the investment activities of Wilshire, including asset allocation, investment strategy, manager research, portfolio management, and quantitative alpha research. Mr. Emanuel also chairs the Wilshire Investment Committee and Investment Strategy Committee. From 2010 to May 2015, Mr. Emanuel served as Chief Investment Officer of The Elements Financial Group, LLC (TEG), where he developed and managed a variety of outcome-oriented investment strategies and exchange trade funds. Mr. Emanuel also co-developed an innovative technology solution which provides volatility-based risk profiling, risk budgeting, and compliance services to financial advisors and institutions. Prior to his tenure at TEG, Mr. Emanuel served in several roles at Wilshire from 2004-2010, including head of manager research, head of strategy for Wilshire Funds Management, and co-chairman of the Wilshire Funds Management Investment Committee. Prior to 2004, Mr. Emanuel was responsible for international manager research for Jeffrey Slocum & Associates, Inc.
Mr. Emanuel has a BA in Finance from the University of Pittsburgh and is a CFA Charterholder.
Mariya Entina, CFA, CPA
Portfolio Manager, DoubleLine
Ms. Entina currently serves as President on the Board of Governors’ Executive Committee, Chair for the Women’s Advisory Council, and executive sponsor for the DEI Roundtable series for CFA Society Los Angeles. She is passionate about ESG investing, improving financial literacy in our local community, and advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion within the investment management industry. She is passionate about responsible investing, improving financial literacy in our local community, and advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion within the investment management industry.
Ms. Entina is a Portfolio Manager at DoubleLine focusing on investment grade corporate bonds. She is also a sector specialist on DoubleLine’s Responsible Investment Team, overseeing and monitoring the Responsible Investment integration for the corporate credit team. Prior to DoubleLine, Ms. Entina was an Investment Research Analyst at Pacific Life where she covered transportation, aerospace & defense, automotive OEMs, captive finance, auto parts suppliers, diversified manufacturing, and infrastructure credit. Prior to Pacific Life, she was a Portfolio Analyst at Capital Group. Prior to that, Ms. Entina was an Associate at KPMG, LLP. She holds a B.A. in Economics and Accounting from UCLA. Ms. Entina is also a licensed CPA, CFA® Charterholder, SASB FSA Credential Holder, and has earned the CFA Institute Certificate in ESG Investing.
Alfredo Gomez, CFA, CAIA
Senior Vice President & Senior Research Analyst Public Markets Due Diligence Group, U.S. Bank Wealth Management
Alfredo currently heads active taxable fixed income and reinsurance manager research within the Public Markets Due Diligence Group at U.S. Bank Wealth Management, which he joined in 2023.
Prior to joining U.S. Bank, he was head of mutual fund manager research and an asset allocation committee member at HighMark Capital Management and Advisor Group. Prior to that, he was at Snyder Kearney, LLC, a leading provider of alternative investment research and due diligence. From 2005 to 2018 he was at National Planning Holdings (NPH), where he was head of alternative investment research and due diligence.
Prior to joining NPH, he was a registered representative. Alfredo is a graduate of Loyola Marymount University. He is a CFA and CAIA charterholder and a long-time volunteer at CFA Society Los Angeles.
Brett Graffy, CAIA
Managing Director, Private Credit, Aksia
Brett is a Managing Director on the Investment Research team and has over 12 years of industry experience. He is actively involved throughout the investment process including sourcing, screening and evaluating private credit primary, secondary, co-investment and SMA investments. Brett also works with Aksia’s global institutional clients on private credit portfolio strategy and construction and related investment advisory activities.
Prior to joining Aksia in 2023, Brett was the Associate Director at Marquette Associates, where he was a member of the Research Team, and led coverage of private credit, private equity, growth equity, and venture capital investments for the firm’s institutional clients. Prior to joining Marquette, Brett was a director at a New York City-based financial technology start-up.
He previously held roles in the Institutional Groups at Invesco, Deutsche Bank, and Sentinel Investments where he led relationship development for the firm’s largest clients. Prior to embarking on his corporate career, Brett played professional baseball with Chicago White Sox. Brett graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a BA in History and holds an MBA from Yale School of Management. He is CAIA charterholder.
Brian Haskin
Managing Director, Seaport Global Asset Management
Brian Haskin is a managing director at Seaport Global Asset Management, where he focuses on institutional business development and consultant relations. In this role, he brings over 20 years of industry experience specializing in distribution, product development, and investment strategy. Previously, Brian was the Head of North American Distribution at Spouting Rock Asset Management. Additionally, he held senior management roles with Barclays Global Investors (now part of BlackRock), Wilshire Associates, Deutsche Asset Management, Analytic Investors, and Poplar Forest Capital.
Brian earned his MBA with honors from the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago and a BS in Business Administration from the University of Southern California.
Asha Joshi, CFA
President, SetuVest
Asha’s career spans four decades across the financial services industry, both on the buy & sell sides. Most recently, she spent 30 years as a Managing Director at Payden & Rygel, one of the largest privately held global investment firms, with over $160 billion under management. Asha has served on the firm’s board and its mutual fund board. She was also a member of the firm’s Investment Policy Committee and chaired the firm’s Best Execution Committee. As a Senior Portfolio Manager, she oversaw the management of a significant portion of the firm’s assets for institutional clients both in the US and internationally, which included some of the largest companies, pensions, and universities.
Asha currently serves as a founding member on the Advisory Board of UCLA Anderson’s Center for Impact. She has served as Chair on the Board of the California Council on Economic Education, and previously served on the board of Crystal Stairs, the largest child development provider in South Los Angeles. Asha is a past president of the CFA Society of Los Angeles, and a member of the CFA Institute. Earlier in her career, Asha spent time in capital markets at both CIBC and First Interstate, where she traded derivatives, managed a $7 billion proprietary portfolio, and advised clients on the use of derivatives for risk management. Asha earned her MBA and MA from UCLA, where she was a Rotary Foundation Global Fellowship recipient. She received an undergraduate degree from Bangalore University in India, where she ranked 1st among 4,000 graduates.
Y. Allen Kim, CFA
Director of Investment Strategy Group, Bel Air Investment Advisors
Allen Kim is the Director, Investment Strategy Group at Bel Air Investment Advisors and is a voting member of the Investment Committee. He oversees the investment manager platform at Bel Air and provides asset class research. Allen’s responsibilities also include setting manager research guidelines and providing advisor education and research communications.
Allen has over two decades of experience in the investment management industry. Before joining Bel Air in 2022, Allen was Director of Manager Research and Investment Solutions and a member of the Investment Committee at Kayne Anderson Rudnick, where he oversaw the investment platform for the Wealth Advisory division. He has also worked in numerous roles at Savos Investments (formerly Genworth Financial Asset Management) and Cetera Financial Group (formerly ING).
Allen earned a BA from The George Washington University and an MBA from Carnegie Mellon University. He is a CFA charterholder and chairs the Alternative Investments Advisory Council for CFA Society Los Angeles.
Sean Lee, CFA
Vice President, Callan’s Alternatives Consulting Group
Sean C. Lee, CFA, is a vice president in Callan’s Alternatives Consulting group. He joined the group in 2015, focusing on hedge funds where his role includes asset allocation, manager structure, manager searches, and performance evaluation. Sean is a shareholder of the firm.
Sean joined Callan in 2005 and previously worked in Callan’s Analytical Solutions group. Sean’s prior experience includes working at the Pacific Options Exchange, as a trader at both a small broker-dealer and a proprietary trading firm, and a mutual fund analyst at an investment advisory firm.
Sean earned an MBA from San Francisco State University and a BA in economics at the UC Davis. He is a CFA charterholder and is a member of CFA Institute and CFA Society San Francisco.
Mary Machado-Schammel
Global Strategic Consultant, Coalition Greenwich
Mary Machado-Schammel has been in the Financial Services Industry for over 35 years in various roles as a Chairman of an M&A Advisory Firm/Investment Banker to the Lower Middle Market, Global Investment and Corporate Banker to Fortune 100 in the Emerging Markets, and Strategic Consultant to the C-Suite of Fortune 500 firms, including Chief Investment Officers, and the Buy-Side. Mary works with Global Strategic Consultant Coalition Greenwich, formerly Greenwich Associates, a division of Indian-based CRISIL- an S&P Global Company. She is also Co-Founder and Chairman of M&A Advisory Firm Venture Advisors Business Sales and Acquisitions. The firm, which is industry agnostic, specializes in working with founder/owner businesses in the lower end of the middle market to prepare and sell them to strategic buyers, including private equity firms. Mary’s prior professional experiences include being Head/SVP of Standard Chartered Bank, West, where she led the Bank’s initiative to build its investment and corporate banking business with Fortune 100 corporations through global teams in emerging markets. At Merchant Bank First Interstate Bank Limited, Mary managed portfolios of sovereigns, multinationals, and banks in developed and developing countries with specialties in distressed debt and aircraft finance.
Mary is exceptionally committed to community involvement, serving as the American Women for International Understanding Liaison to the U.S. Department of State for the International Women of Courage Program, board member of Georgetown University Board of Governors, CFA Los Angeles Board of Governors, The Ann Peppers Foundation, Co-Founder and Chair of Georgetown’s Wall Street Alliance West, Ambassador to Georgetown University’s Institute for Women, Peace, and Security, Ambassador to the National Association of Corporate Directors Pacific Southwest, and more. Mary has a BA from Georgetown University International Studies and Economics and a Global MBA from Georgetown University McDonough School of Business/School of Foreign Service and ESADE University.
Brendan McCarthy
Managing Director, Client Solutions Group, Goldman Sachs Asset Management
Brendan is a managing director in the Client Solutions Group within Goldman Sachs Asset Management, serving as head of Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) Specialists and ETF Capital Markets. Previously, he relocated to Tokyo in 2006, and later to Hong Kong, where he helped build and manage the Asia Pacific portfolio sales trading team before returning to New York in 2013. Brendan first joined Goldman Sachs in 2001 in New York as an equity portfolio sales trader in the Securities Division and was named managing director in 2010. He rejoined the firm in 2022 as a managing director.
Prior to rejoining the firm, Brendan joined BlackRock in 2016 as a managing director in the ETF and Index Investments business, specifically responsible for the iShares Client Engagement team. Brendan is a founding member and current board member of San Miguel Academy of Newburgh, a school for at risk youth in Newburgh, New York. Brendan earned a BA in Economics from the College of the Holy Cross.
Mayanka Melville, CFA
Head of Data, Generate Capital
Mayanka Melville, CFA is the Head of Data at Generate Capital, the leading sustainable infrastructure investment and operating platform. She previously spent two decades at Capital Group, a $2.6 T public equity, fixed income and multi asset investment manager.
Mayanka holds an MBA from the Wharton School of Business, and a BTech from the Indian Institute of Technology in Mumbai. Mayanka is a CFA charterholder.
Joseph Morgart
Vice President and Client Portfolio Manager, Amundi US
Joseph Morgart is a Vice President and Client Portfolio Manager at Amundi US. He focuses primarily on alternative investment strategies. Prior to joining Amundi US, Joseph was a Senior Vice President at Fidelity Investments, where he focused on the fi rm’s alternatives capabilities. He led the fi rm’s eff orts to build and develop its alternatives infrastructure, including product development, product management and operational support. He was responsible for communicating portfolio strategy, positioning and performance to investors and consultants for the firms alternative investment strategies, and was a fi rm spokesperson at industry conferences.
Prior to Fidelity, Joseph was Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Boldwater Capital Management, an alternative investment firm focusing on high yield credit and arbitrage strategies for institutional investors. Prior to Boldwater, he was a Vice President at Deutsche Banc Alex. Brown where he implemented an alternative investment focused business platform for institutional clients.
Joseph is Chair of the Finance and Investment Committee and the Treasurer of The Landmark School. Mr. Morgart serves as the Chair of the Board for the Jewish Big Brother Sister Endowment. He also serves as a member of the Investment Committee of Combined Jewish Philanthropies. He is a guest lecturer at The Sloan School of Management at MIT.
Sejal Penkar
Director of Fixed Income Markets, Capital Group
Sejal Penkar is a director of fixed income markets at Capital Group, home of American Funds. She has 18 years of industry experience and has been with Capital Group for three years. Prior to joining Capital, Sejal was part of the Merrill Private Wealth team where she was the primary business development wealth advisor and co-managed the fixed income sleeve.
Before that, Sejal was director of institutional sales for Wells Fargo Securities where she focused on investment-grade and asset-backed fixed income sectors. She holds an MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University, a master's degree in teaching from Pace University, and a bachelor's degree in biology and society from Cornell University.
Sarah Rich
Vice President, Lead Client Portfolio Manager, Quantitative Investment Strategies (QIS), Goldman Sachs Asset Management
Sarah is the Lead Client Portfolio Manager for U.S. Third-Party Wealth in Goldman Sachs Asset Management’s Quantitative Investment Strategies (QIS) franchise. In this role, she drives client strategy for the business’s broad suite of quantitative solutions. QIS offers a spectrum of strategies focused on generating alpha across asset classes, delivering efficient factor exposures, and providing investors access to alternative investments with attractive liquidity profiles.
Previously, Sarah was a Client Portfolio Manager in the Fundamental Equity business, focused on business strategy and client communications for the group’s Thematic investment strategies, with specific expertise in technology, health care, and cleantech. Sarah joined the financial services industry in 2021 with over seven years of experience in international development, venture philanthropy, and corporate strategy consulting. From 2016 to 2018 she was Strategy Consultant to the Global Chief Technology Officer of the Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies. Sarah has a MBA from UC Berkeley, Haas School of Business and she has an AB cum laude in History & Literature from Harvard University.
Alicia Romo, CFA
Past President, CFA Society Los Angeles
Alicia Romo was most recently the Managing Director, Treasurer of Union Bank, N.A. here in Los Angeles, responsible for all aspects of regulatory capital, liquidity, investment strategy, and wholesale funding. Previously she was the Head of Investments and Funding at the bank, overseeing AUM of $24 billion including Treasuries, Ginnies, GSE, non-agency RMBS and CMBS, and CLOs. Alicia has 30+ years of Banking, Treasury and Finance experience, including corporate banking at Bank of America and CIBC and capital markets consulting at Deloitte. Alicia is a CFA charterholder and is a Past President of the Board of Governors of CFA Society Los Angeles.
Lynda Schweitzer, CFA
Portfolio Manager & Co-Head of Global Fixed Income, Loomis, Sayles & Company
Lynda Schweitzer, CFA is a vice president, portfolio manager and co-head of the global fixed income team at Loomis, Sayles & Company. With 36 years of investment industry experience, Lynda co-manages the Loomis Sayles Global Bond Fund, in addition to a suite of products outside the US and multiple global bond portfolios. She is also a member of the macro strategies, developed markets sovereign and global credit sector teams.
Prior to joining Loomis Sayles in 2001 as a global portfolio specialist and trader, Lynda worked at Putnam Investments as a global bond trader for both developed and emerging markets. In her tenure at Putnam, Lynda was also a global fixed income trading assistant and custody operations supervisor.
Previously, Lynda worked for State Street Bank and Trust Co. as a fund accountant, responsible for custody and pricing of global fixed income funds. She earned a BA from the University of Rochester and an MBA from Boston University.
Robert Selouan, CFA, CAIA
Vice President - Senior Research Strategist, State Street Global Advisors SPDR
Robert is a Vice President of State Street Global Advisors and a Senior Research Strategist within the SPDR Americas Research team since 2024. He is responsible for developing market research and thought leadership as well as supporting sales and marketing efforts to promote SPDR products. Prior to his current role, Robert was a Vice President at PIMCO and member of the Strategic Accounts team within their Global Wealth Management channel since 2013. During his time at PIMCO, Robert led and grew relationships with strategic distributors and independent broker-dealers by partnering and working closely with research analysts at the home office. Robert received his Bachelor's degree in Finance from the Lebanese American University in Beirut, Lebanon and his MS in Finance from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. He holds the CFA charter and the CAIA charter.
Priyanka Shukla, CFA, CAIA, CIPM
Board Director, CFA Society Orange County
Priyanka Shukla currently serves on the Board of CFA Society Orange County and has previously contributed to the CFA Society Los Angles Board.
Priyanka’s career spans a range of roles in investments and financial services, including her positions as a portfolio manager at Orange County, senior analyst at TCW, and roles in investment compliance at the Oregon State Treasury. She enjoys mentoring students and has taught investments and finance to university students.
She earned her MBA from the USC’s Marshall School of Business and holds the CFA Charter, CAIA Charter and CIPM designation.
Ben Stapleton
Executive Director, U.S. Green Building Council California
Ben Stapleton is a recognized sustainability leader with a focus on building teams and designing programs to deliver impactful results. As Executive Director for the U.S. Green Building Council California his work is based on coordinating an ecosystem leveraging the built environment as the entry point and connective fabric to help create a more sustainable society for all. Ben's leadership in unifying green building communities across California, particularly during his tenure at the former USGBC-LA, has strengthened the foundation of this leading, membership-based sustainability organization. His development and delivery of a portfolio of community engagement and education focused programming have centered on climate justice, high-performance buildings, occupant health, corporate sustainability, and regional resilience, fostering a sense of connection and shared purpose for all. Previously, he launched and then managed the internationally recognized regional epicenter for sustainability in Downtown LA, the La Kretz Innovation Campus, while leading operations, finance, and major program initiatives for the LA Cleantech Incubator (LACI). He has been named a lifetime Senior Fellow for USC’s Marshall Brittingham Social Enterprise Lab (BSEL), which honors exceptional leaders for their commitment to the fields of social entrepreneurship, corporate social responsibility, nonprofit management, and sustainability. He is also a recipient of JLL's distinctive Da Vinci Award for Innovation, the Los Angeles Business Council's Community Impact Award, Stratiscope's Impact Maker to Watch Award, and CoStar’s Power Broker designation in the Los Angeles market. Stapleton holds a MBA from the USC Marshall School of Business as well as a Bachelors of Arts degree in Economics from UCLA. Ben is a LEED AP O+M, ENV SP, and WELL AP certified green building nerd driven by a connection to nature while being inspired by the people around him.
Vesa T. Tontti, CFA
Senior Portfolio Manager, Columbia Threadneedle Investments
Vesa Tontti is a senior portfolio manager for the U.S. Bank Loan team at Columbia Threadneedle Investments. In this role, he is the lead portfolio manager for Columbia Floating Rate Fund and other total return accounts. In addition, he is a member of the investment committee. Vesa joined one of the Columbia Threadneedle Investments legacy firms in 2002 and has been a member of the investment community since 1997.
Vesa was previously employed on the investment bank side of Salomon Smith Barney (part of Citigroup), where he was primarily responsible for structuring and executing leveraged financing solutions for early stage media and telecommunications companies in emerging markets. He received an MS in Business Strategy and International Business from the Institute of Industrial Management of Aalto University, Finland. In addition, Vesa is a CFA charterholder.
Jeff Topor
Portfolio Manager, Cliffwater, LLC.
Jeff is a portfolio manager for the Cliffwater Enhanced Lending Fund and leads private debt manager research. In this role, he leads a team that conducts investment due diligence, market research, ongoing investment monitoring, and the building and maintaining of Cliffwater’s proprietary private debt manager database.
Prior to joining Cliffwater in 2013, Jeff was part of a team of consultants at a business process and strategy consulting firm where he worked with large enterprises on initiatives to drive revenue and profitability growth.
Jeff earned his BS in Business Administration from the University of Southern California with majors in Finance and International Business.
John Wieker
Executive Managing Director & Chief Investment Officer, Core Spaces
John oversees all of Core Spaces' investment and capital allocation strategies across student housing and build-to-rent. He draws from his 20+ years of real estate and capital markets experience to drive portfolio value, fund performance, and manage financial risk for Core Spaces and its various investment products. John has previously served as Core Spaces' Chief Financial Officer and Chief Investment Officer, Student Housing. Over the course of his career, he has worked on over $100 billion of real estate transactions. John has a MBA from Columbia Business School and a BA in Business Administration from the University of Southern California.
Karyn Williams, Ph.D
Regional Investment Manager (CIO), North America, Zurich Global Investment Management (ZGIM)
Dr. Karyn Williams is the Regional Investment Manager (CIO), North America, Zurich Global Investment Management (ZGIM), responsible for all the invested assets and investment-related business initiatives, and a member of ZGIM and North America Finance leadership teams. Dr. Williams developed her expertise as investor, educator, trustee, independent public company director, treasurer, advisor, educator, and entrepreneur. Throughout her career, she has worked with nearly all types of investors, improving investment outcomes through education, governance, risk management, team building, and the application of advance analytics and financial technology. Her vision for change, education, and collaboration are hallmarks of her effectiveness as a leader in the field of investment management, where she continues to contribute through published articles and research, teaching and mentoring, trusteeship, and other industry leadership positions.
Kevin Winston
Global Lead Gen AI Spokesperson Training, Amazon Web Services
Kevin Winston leads Executive Training at Amazon Web Services, overseeing press and spokesperson training as well Generative AI and Data Center press and field training. Kevin has been in corporate communications and executive coaching for over 30 years, having worked previously at Roche/Genentech (Pharma), and Applied Materials (semiconductor), The Coca-Cola Company, and has represented HP, NetApp, and Facebook, among other companies. Kevin was a press secretary in the U.S. Senate and for the Clinton Administration. More recently, he was a presentation coach at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, and is currently a mentor with the Cedars-Sinai Accelerator for health tech startups. Kevin received his executive coach training at CTI, BA in International Affairs from Lewis & Clark College, and is completing his Master’s degree at Stanford University.
Jeremy Wolfson
Chief Investment Officer, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power
Jeremy Wolfson, Chief Investment Officer, currently manages the Investment Section of the $20 billion dollar Los Angeles Water and Power Employees' Retirement Plan. He is responsible for all pension plan asset classes including broad equity, fixed-income, real-estate, private-equity, hedge funds, real return and cash. He currently serves on the advisory boards of various private equity and real estate funds.
Prior to joining DWP, Mr. Wolfson worked for the Los Angeles City Treasurer for two years where he was responsible for actively managing the City's $8 billion dollar fixed-income portfolio and was promoted to Chief Investment Officer. Before joining the City, Mr. Wolfson worked for Bank of America (approximately 11 years) as well as First Tennessee Bank (2 years) as a Vice President and managing Principal in their institutional fixed-income groups.
In February 2010, Mr. Wolfson was recognized as one of Institutional Investor News' 2010 Rising Stars of Public Fund Investing at the 9th Annual Public Pension Fund Awards Ceremony. In 2024 he was awarded CIO of the year for Strategy by Markets Group, and in September 2021, he was elected by the employees of the Department of Water & Power to represent the department on the Board of the Los Angeles Deferred Compensation Plan. Mr. Wolfson obtained his Bachelor's of Science degree in Finance from California State University, Northridge, his MBA from Pepperdine University, and various executive education programs including the Wharton School of Business, and Harvard Business School. He is a member of the CFA Institute and is on the CFALA Strategic Advisory Council.
Bonnie M. Wongtrakool, CFA
Global Head of ESG Investments/Portfolio Manager, Western Asset Management Company, LLC
Bonnie M. Wongtrakool is the Global Head of ESG Investments/Portfolio Manager at Western Asset. She has 25 years of industry experience and is based in the Pasadena office. Bonnie leads the Firm’s ESG research, engagement, strategies and portfolios, which express Western Asset’s ESG capabilities across a wide range of fixed-income mandates. Bonnie is a member of the Firm’s US Broad Strategy Committee, which formulates domestic investment themes and strategies. She also chairs the Firm’s ESG Strategic Steering Committee and its ESG Cross Mandate Task Force, and represents the Investment Management Team on the Market and Credit Risk Committee and Global Product Development Committee.
Prior to her ESG leadership role, Bonnie was a Portfolio Manager on the MBS/ABS Team, where she managed the Firm’s dedicated mortgage funds and was responsible for mortgage allocations across the Firm’s multi-sector portfolios. She brings to her role broad experience across the financial services industry, having previously worked at Mercer Management Consulting in strategy consulting, at Orion Partners in private equity, and at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette Securities in investment banking.
Bonnie graduated Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Harvard College, where she received the Detur Prize and was awarded the John Harvard Scholarship for academic distinction. She subsequently received a law degree, cum laude, from Harvard Law School, and is a member (inactive) of the Massachusetts State Bar. Bonnie is also a CFA® charterholder.
Brad Zucker, CFA, CAIA, FRM
Director, BlackRock
Brad Zucker, CFA, CAIA, FRM, is a Senior Product Strategist leading the U.S. Wealth pillar of the Product Consulting Team within BlackRock's Global Product Solutions business. The product consulting team delivers product insights and investment solutions to global institutions, U.S. financial advisors, and direct investing platforms. Prior to joining BlackRock in 2016, Brad was a Senior Product Manager at FTSE Russell, where he drove factor investing thought leadership and led product strategy. Mr. Zucker earned his MBA from Columbia Business School and his MS in Applied Analytics from Columbia University. He has guest lectured at Columbia University on topics ranging from Asset Management to Statistics. Brad is a CFA Charterholder, a CAIA Charterholder, and a Certified FRM.