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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

Lupin Rahman, PhD

Senior Macroeconomist & Sovereign Debt Specialist, PIMCO

Lupin Rahman, PhD is a senior macroeconomist and sovereign debt specialist with over 25 years of experience across international financial institutions, global capital markets, and academia. She is a former IMF and World Bank economist and spent over 17 years at PIMCO as Head of Sovereign Credit, advising governments and policymakers on sovereign debt sustainability, emerging market finance, and crisis management. As the Head of Emerging Markets Sovereign Credit and a member of the ESG Leadership team at PIMCO, Dr. Rahman drove innovative strategies in sovereign debt investing, leveraging her deep understanding of economic policy and market dynamics. At the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group, she shaped global debt sustainability frameworks and advised on sovereign borrowing strategies. Dr Rahman holds a PhD in Economics from the London School of Economics. She is the author of The Sovereign Debt Investor (Wiley Finance, 2025), which bridges economic theory, policy, and real-world financial markets.

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.