David Adelman

Managing Director and the 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, concluding his service in 2013. David 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. He 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 M.P.A from Georgia State University and B.A. from the University of Georgia. David and his wife Caroline reside in New York City and have three adult children.

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 Master of Science in Financial Analysis from the University of San Francisco.

Hrishi Balaji, CFA, CPA

Vice President & Portfolio Manager, Brookfield Asset Management

Hrishikesh Balaji is a Vice President in Brookfield’s Infrastructure Group. In this role, Mr. Balaji is responsible for portfolio management initiatives for Brookfield Infrastructure Income including asset allocation and portfolio construction. Prior to this role, Mr. Balaji was responsible for investor relations, capital raising, co-investments, and other strategic initiatives for Brookfield’s private infrastructure funds. Prior to Brookfield, Mr. Balaji worked in the assurance practice at Ernst & Young LLP. Mr. Balaji holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Ivey Business School at Western University, is a Chartered Professional Accountant and a CFA Charterholder.

Tim Davis

Former Ambassador to the State of Qatar and Founder & Principal, Davis Advisory Group LLC

Timmy Davis served as U.S. Ambassador to the State of Qatar from 2022 to 2025. Ambassador Davis served as Executive Assistant to Secretaries of State Pompeo and Blinken. He was also Special Assistant to Secretary of State Clinton, He served as U.S. Consul General for southern Iraq and his other overseas tours include Guatemala City; Najaf, Iraq; Canberra, Australia; and Bogota, Colombia. His domestic assignments include Senior Watch Officer in the State Department Operations Center, Director for Iraq at the NSC; the White House, Deputy Chief of Staff to the Special Presidential Envoy to Counter-ISIS, Senior Advisor to the Counselor of the Department, Chief of Staff to the Undersecretary for Political Affairs and Acting Chief of Staff of the Department of State.

Ambassador Davis holds a Distinguished Honor Award. He is also the recipient of the State Department’s Ryan C. Crocker Award for Outstanding Leadership in Expeditionary Diplomacy and the American Foreign Service Association’s William R. Rivkin Award for Constructive Dissent. Ambassador Davis is the founder and principal at Davis Advisory Group LLC., an international advisory firm. He is also senior advisor at Mavik Capital. A native of Virginia, he considers New Orleans his home. Ambassador Davis attended the University of Alabama and served in the United States Marine Corps for a decade. Ambassador Davis speaks Spanish and Arabic.

Anisha Goodly

Managing Director & Co-Head of Fixed Income Portfolio Specialists, TCW

Ms. Goodly co-heads TCW’s Fixed Income Portfolio Specialist team, whose core activities include communicating investment strategies, process, products, performance and outlook, in addition to business development and product strategy. Prior to joining TCW in 2013, Ms. Goodly spent eleven years at Morgan Stanley, in various roles spanning Fixed Income Strategy, Leveraged Finance and Emerging Markets Institutional Sales. Ms. Goodly is the co-chair of the Impact Committee for Women in Institutional Investments Network (WIIIN) and was shortlisted for “Ally of the Year” for the Women in Asset Management Awards. Ms. Goodly graduated with a BA in Economics from Stanford University.

Gene Goldman, CFA

Chief Investment Officer, Cetera Financial Group

Gene Goldman is responsible for the strategic direction and continued growth of the firm’s research offerings. Gene has more than 33 years of experience in the development of investment strategies, money manager research and overseeing investment analysts.

He is frequently cited in a range of national media outlets including The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg News, The New York Times, Forbes, CNN, and Reuters and he is a regular guest on high-profile news networks including Bloomberg, CNBC, Fox Business News and Schwab Television.

Mr. Goldman earned his Bachelor of Science in engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and his Master of Business Administration with a concentration in finance from Northeastern University. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA).

Michael Green, CFA

Founder, CEO & CIO, Tier1 Alpha Asset Management

Michael is a world expert and leading thinker in the fields of passive indexation, options strategies, and financial markets across the spectrum. Michael was previously Chief Strategist and Portfolio Manager with Logica Capital Advisors, LLC, and has also held senior portfolio management roles with Thiel Macro, LLC, Ice Farm Capital, Canyon Partners, and others. His proprietary findings on the implications of passive investing have been acknowledged by the Federal Reserve, the International Monetary Fund, the US. Department of State, and dozens of other industry groups and associations.

In addition to his work as a market theorist and portfolio manager, Michael has been noted for his work as a public speaker and financial media participant. He is a graduate of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a CFA Charterholder.

Jeffrey Gundlach

Chief Executive Officer & Chief Investment Officer, DoubleLine

Mr. Gundlach is CEO of DoubleLine. In 2011, he appeared on the cover of Barron's as "The New Bond King." In 2013, Institutional Investor named him "Money Manager of the Year." In 2012, 2015 and 2016, he was named one of "The Fifty Most Influential" in Bloomberg Markets. In 2017, he was inducted into the FIASI Fixed Income Hall of Fame. Mr. Gundlach is a summa cum laude graduate of Dartmouth College, with degrees in Mathematics and Philosophy.

Samuel Halpert 

Portfolio Manager, VanEck

Mr. Halpert joined VanEck in October 2025 as Portfolio Manager for a broad suite of natural resource-focused portfolios. Prior to this, Mr. Halpert served as Head of Global Natural Resources Equity at Macquarie Asset Management, a role he assumed in July 2018. Prior to joining Macquarie, Mr. Halpert worked at VanEck as a senior member of the VanEck Global Resources Investment Team for 18 years, specializing in agriculture, coal, paper and forest products, refining, shipping, and steel investments. Earlier work experience included roles at Goldman Sachs and Refco. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and American literature from Harvard College.

Neil Howe 

Author, The Fourth Turning

Neil Howe is the Managing Director of Demography at Hedgeye Risk Management, an independent financial research firm, as well as President of LifeCourse Associates. Howe is a renowned authority on generations and social change in America. An acclaimed bestselling author and speaker, he is the nation's leading thinker on today's generations—who they are, what motivates them, and how they will shape America's future.

A historian, economist, and demographer, Howe is also a recognized authority on global aging, long-term fiscal policy, and migration. He is currently a senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and the Global Aging Institute, both in Washington D.C. Howe has co-authored numerous studies for CSIS (including the Aging Vulnerability Index and pioneering studies on pension reform in China and South Korea).

Howe has written over a dozen books on generations, demographic change, and fiscal policy, many of them with William Strauss. Howe and Strauss' first book, Generations (1991), is a history of America told as a sequence of generational biographies. Vice President Al Gore called it "the most stimulating book on American history that I have ever read" and sent a copy to every member of Congress. Newt Gingrich called it "an intellectual tour de force." Of their book The Fourth Turning (1997), The Boston Globe wrote, "If Howe and Strauss are right, they will take their place among the great American prophets."

Neil Howe looks once again to America’s past to predict our future in his new NY Times Bestselling book “The Fourth Turning is Here” with a startling and hopeful prophecy for how our present era of civil unrest will resolve over the next ten years—and what our lives will look like once it has.

Howe and Strauss originally coined the term "Millennial Generation" in 1991, and wrote the pioneering book on this generation, Millennials Rising (2000). His work has been featured frequently by media outlets including The Washington Post, The New York Times, CNN, and CBS' 60 Minutes.

Previous works include On Borrowed Time (1989; reissued 2004), a pioneering call for budgetary reform Howe co-authored with Peter G. Peterson, as well as The Graying of the Great Powers (2008) with Richard Jackson.

Howe received his B.A. at U.C. Berkeley and later earned graduate degrees in economics and history from Yale University.

KOID 

Ambassador, KraneShares Humanoid Robotics & AI ETF

KOID is the namesake ambassador of the KraneShares Humanoid Robotics & AI ETF (KOID), representing the convergence of public markets and next-generation robotics innovation. For the CFALA 22nd Annual Economic and Investments Forecast Dinner KOID is powered by IntBot, an early-stage robotics company building humanoid robots enabled by agentic AI for real-world service, with a differentiated focus on executing the vast majority of digital tasks today without requiring complex physical manipulation. Over its development, KOID has also worked with RoboStore, a global platform dedicated to showcasing and commercializing humanoid robotics applications; OpenMind, an open-source initiative advancing embodied AI software and cognitive systems; and Unitree, a leading manufacturer of agile humanoid and quadruped robots known for scalable, high-performance hardware. KOID rang the Nasdaq Opening Bell to commemorate the launch of the KOID ETF and has been featured across major global media outlets including Barron’s, CNBC, BBC, Fox Business, Daily Mail, New York Post, The Times, and Bloomberg, underscoring the growing institutional relevance of humanoid robotics, agentic AI, and service-oriented automation.

Angelo Kourkafas, CFA 

Senior Global Investment Strategist, Edward Jones

Angelo Kourkafas is a Senior Global Investment Strategist responsible for analyzing market conditions, assessing economic trends, and developing portfolio strategies and recommendations to help investors work toward their long-term financial goals. He is also a member of the group supporting the firm's strategic and opportunistic portfolio allocation decisions. Angelo brings over 15 years of investment experience across trading, equity research, and global investment strategy. Prior to Edward Jones, Angelo worked in New York as an equity trader and held roles at HSBC and Ameriprise Financial.

Angelo graduated magna cum laude from the Athens University of Economics and Business in Greece and earned an MBA with concentrations in finance and investments from Minnesota State University. He is a CFA® charterholder and an active member of the CFA Institute and the CFA Society of St. Louis. Angelo is a regular contributor to Edward Jones Market Insights and is frequently featured in financial media including CNBC, Bloomberg TV, The Wall Street Journal, and Barron's. Outside of work, Angelo enjoys traveling and spending time with his two children, Lia and Evan.

Amy Longo, ESQ 

Managing Partner, Ropes & Gray LLP

Amy Jane Longo is managing partner of Ropes & Gray’s Los Angeles office and a partner in the firm’s litigation & enforcement practice group. She focuses on SEC enforcement matters and the defense of securities and other class action cases. Amy has more than 25 years of experience in securities litigation, with significant first-chair experience both as a defense counsel and as a senior SEC trial attorney. She has extensive experience in the financial services, technology and healthcare/life sciences industries, in both the public and the private sectors, as well as in ERISA defense cases and other complex business disputes.

Amy previously served as the Regional Trial Counsel for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Los Angeles Regional Office in the Division of Enforcement. She oversaw all litigation brought by the SEC’s Los Angeles Regional Office—from pre-filing through trial or resolution—in federal district court and SEC administrative proceedings. While at the SEC, Amy litigated cases involving offering frauds, financial reporting and disclosures, accounting, cryptocurrency, insider trading, market manipulation, binary options, securities registration, broker dealers, investment advisers, investment companies, and the FCPA. In addition to running the trial unit, she also served as the lead trial counsel on securities enforcement matters as well as advising on investigations that led to negotiated resolutions. Amy brought numerous cases involving digital assets while at the SEC. She now advises clients on regulatory enforcement issues related to artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency, and other emerging technologies, among many other aspects of enforcement, as well as handling SEC examinations. Amy has also served as a retained expert in federal court litigation concerning SEC enforcement practices.

Amy also serves on the steering committee of R&G Insights Lab, a differentiated solution for corporate governance and risk in complex business environments.

Prior to joining the SEC in 2013, Amy was a litigation partner in the Los Angeles office of a major international law firm, where she practiced for 15 years with a focus on securities and derivative suits, internal and government investigations, financial services and ERISA litigation, and federal and state class actions.

Kristina Kvien

Former Ambassador to Armenia and President & CEO, Pacific Council on International Policy

Ambassador Kvien assumed the role of President and CEO of Pacific Council in March, 2026. Previously, she spent over three decades as a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State. She retired as a career member of the Senior Foreign Service with the rank of Minister Counselor. From 2023-2026, she served as the tenth U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Armenia. From 2019-2022, she served as the Charge d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy Ukraine, leading evacuation of the Embassy shortly before Russia’s further invasion in 2022 and return to the Embassy in May 2022. For her work in Ukraine, Ambassador Kvien received the Ryan C. Crocker Award for Outstanding Leadership in Expeditionary Diplomacy.

Ambassador Kvien has dedicated her career to deepening U.S. relations with Europe and Southeast Asia. She served as Acting Deputy Chief of Mission and Minister Counselor for Economic Affairs at U.S. Embassy Paris; Acting Deputy Chief of Mission and Economic Counselor at U.S. Embassy Bangkok; Economic Counselor at U.S. Embassy London; and Director for European Union, Ukraine, and Belarus Affairs at the National Security Council in the Executive Office of the President. Ambassador Kvien earlier served at U.S. Embassy Moscow; the U.S. Mission to the European Union in Brussels; U.S. Embassy Manila; and Washington DC, where she worked on European Union issues and bilateral relations with Slovenia.

Ambassador Kvien was born and raised in California, with a BA in Political Science from Occidental College and an MS in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College. Prior to joining the Foreign Service, she worked in the Sales Presentation Department at the Los Angeles Times.

Mary Machado-Schammel

Global Strategic Consultant, Coalition Greenwich

Mary Machado-Schammel is a global finance executive, strategic partnerships leader, and trusted advisor with more than 35 years of experience working with institutional investors, Fortune 500 companies, leading financial institutions, and growth-stage enterprises. Her expertise spans investment management, corporate banking, capital markets, strategic partnerships, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate governance.

Mary serves as Director of Strategic Partnerships for SayYesToSheep, a climate technology company advancing natural wool-based wildfire resilience solutions. She is also Co-Founder and Chairman of Venture Advisors Business Sales & Acquisitions, advising middle-market companies on strategic growth, capital formation, and M&A. For more than two decades, she has served as a Strategic Global Consultant to CRISIL Coalition Greenwich, an S&P Global company, partnering with leading asset managers, pension plans, endowments, sovereign wealth funds, banks, and corporations on market intelligence, competitive benchmarking, and strategic growth initiatives.

Earlier in her career, Mary led Standard Chartered Bank's Western Region, managing a multi-billion-dollar corporate banking portfolio serving Fortune 100 clients and expanding strategic relationships throughout Asia and other high-growth markets.

Mary serves on the Board of Governors of CFA Society Los Angeles and has served on Georgetown University's Board of Governors for nearly four decades. She is also an Ambassador for Georgetown's Institute for Women, Peace and Security. She holds a Global Executive MBA from Georgetown University and ESADE Business School and a B.A. in International Economics and International Relations from Georgetown University. She is a recipient of Georgetown University's John Carroll Award, its highest alumni honor.

Mary brings a unique perspective on the evolving priorities of institutional investors, global markets, and innovation, helping connect asset owners, investment managers, corporations, and entrepreneurs to create enduring strategic partnerships.

Joseph Nelesen, Ph.D.

Head of Specialists - Index Investment Strategy, S&P Dow Jones Indices

Joseph Nelesen is Head of Specialists, Index Investment Strategy at S&P Dow Jones Indices (S&P DJI). The group provides research and commentary on S&P DJI’s entire product set, including U.S. and global equities, commodities, fixed income and economic indices.

Prior to joining S&P DJI in 2022, Joseph worked at BlackRock, where he headed iShares Institutional Factors Strategy and held roles in exchange-traded product research and development. Joseph previously worked in mergers and acquisitions and corporate investment banking with Citigroup and Bear, Stearns & Co.

Joseph holds a Ph.D. from Northwestern University where he was a Graduate Fellow, an MBA from the Kenan Flagler Business School at University of North Carolina where he was awarded the Friedman Fellowship, and a Bachelor of Arts with honors from the University of California at San Diego.

Brian Pisaneschi, CFA

Data Scientist & Director of Applied Investment Practice and Tools, CFA Institute

Brian is a data scientist and Director of Applied Investment Practice and Tools at CFA Institute's Research and Policy Center, where he builds tools that bridge theory and practice. His work has focused on helping investment professionals develop a deep, working understanding of what AI can and cannot do for them. He has authored publications and built case studies on generative AI applications in finance, covering RAG, agentic AI, and LLM bias. To extend that work into the open, Brian created RPC Labs, an open-source community within CFA Institute's Research and Policy Center, where investment professionals and data scientists collaborate on tools and projects that move finance forward. Brian received his CFA charter in 2017 and holds an MS in Quantitative Finance from the University of Bologna.

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 University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business and holds the CFA Charter, CAIA Charter and CIPM designation.

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, and CFALA, trusteeship, and other industry leadership positions.