Our Board of Directors work passionately after hours and on weekends to build Scholars of Finance as diligently, prudently, and effectively as possible.
A small team, committed to a cause bigger than themselves,
can achieve absolutely anything.
Board of Directors
Ray is a Managing Director at BlackRock. In this position, he leads Corporate Client Strategy & The Strategic Partner Program for the Americas. He was also previously the Head of BlackRock's Investment Stewardship team for the Americas region based in New York. In this role, Ray led a team of specialists responsible for engagement and proxy voting activities in relation to the companies in which BlackRock invests on behalf of clients. Through direct engagement with companies, the team encouraged corporate governance practices that support sustainable financial performance over the long-term.
Prior to joining BlackRock, Ray managed the corporate access engagement practice at several investment banking firms, including Stifel and Cowen. In these capacities, he oversaw teams that established and enhanced constructive dialogue with hundreds of portfolio companies' boards and management teams.
Ray started his Wall Street career at Morgan Stanley on the institutional equity sales desk. After spending several years as a generalist, he became a technology specialist. It was in that capacity, he recognized the potential of corporate access as a stand-alone business opportunity. Ray is credited for creating and managing the first fully integrated corporate access team on Wall Street. His team included a diverse group of sector specialists who were responsible for driving engagements in their respective industries and enhancing relationships with corporate boards and management and with internal investment professionals within the firm.
He was subsequently recruited to re-engineer the corporate access engagement practice at Lehman Brothers. There he successfully maintained the entire team through the Lehman bankruptcy filing and the eventual acquisition of equity assets by Barclays.
Ray earned his Masters of Business Administration degree from Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas and his Bachelors of Business Administration degree from The University of Texas at Austin.
Christopher E Campbell is one of the world’s leading experts in the economy and business markets, Christopher Campbell is the former Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Financial Institutions. In one of the most critical roles in the Treasury department, Campbell was responsible for coordinating efforts regarding the legislation and regulation of financial institutions, federal agencies that regulate or insure financial institutions, and securities markets.
Overseeing a staff of 200, he managed programs including government-sponsored enterprises, cyber security and compliance policy, the Federal Insurance Office (FIO), as well as small business, community development, and affordable housing policy.
Prior to his role at the Treasury department, Campbell was the majority staff director to the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance. He designed, managed, and coordinated the U.S. Senate agenda in the areas of international and domestic taxation, international trade, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, the U.S. National Debt, and oversight of three presidential cabinet secretaries.
Armel R. Kouassi is a seasoned finance professional with over 15 years of experience in financial services. His experience includes a wide range of managerial roles with assignments in several major financial institutions and a Big 4 Audit Firm. He has worked and lived in numerous locations throughout the United States, Europe & Africa. Mr. Kouassi is Head of Asset Liability Management Modeling for Northern Trust.
Armel has shifted between entrepreneurial and senior banking roles in his career. Armel is a frequent speaker and author in banking magazines in USA and Europe, he is certified Financial Risk Professional and a member of Global Association of Risk Professional.
Previously, Armel held various role in Asset Liability Management, Consumer Credit Risk Management and Mortgage Portfolio Management covering balance sheets ranging from $100 – $500Bn at State Street, M&T Bank, Citi, Merrill Lynch & GE Capital.
Armel received an MBA from the Wharton School, a Master’s in finance from ESCP Europe, France and a Master’s in statistics and economy with Honors from ENSEA, Cote d’Ivoire. Armel is a father of 3 girls, fluent in English, French and German, he is passionate of Economic Empowerments, Global Affairs, Arts and Music. Armel is member of the Young professional of the Chicago Council of Global Affairs, the Aspen’s Society of Fellows and the Manhattan Institute’s Young Leaders Circle and an Ambassador for Northern Trust PGA Tournament.
Ross is the Co-Founder & CEO of Scholars of Finance (SOF), a fast-growing organization that inspires character and integrity in the finance leaders of tomorrow. SOF brings together leading investors and finance executives to teach undergraduate students how they can steward the world's capital to serve the greater good.
Ross believes that responsible finance, values-based leadership, and effective education are critical to the development of a prosperous and inclusive world. As such, he is committed to transforming the financial system with his team at Scholars of Finance.
Prior to SOF, Ross held roles spanning equity research at Piper Sandler, global go-to-market at Twitter, and serving on the leadership team that launched "SoFi Money", the retail banking division of SoFi. He earned his bachelor's degree at Fordham University and the University of Minnesota and has completed executive education at Cornell University and Stanford University.
His hobbies include triathlon training & competing, mentoring & coaching, start-up advising, (poorly attempting) freestyle/spoken word, and studying neuroscience, economics, history, and philosophy.
Ryan is a Minneapolis, MN native, and after stints in Boston & London, returned to Minneapolis to start his career & help co-found Scholars of Finance. Since 2016 Ryan has called midtown New York home. During the day Ryan works with hedge, mutual, and sovereign wealth fund clients to source & execute their investments in U.S. public equities. After market hours Ryan enjoys running, exploring the city with his wife, and as many trips to the mountains & back to the lakes in MN as his schedule allows.
Elizabeth J. Sandler is the founder of Echo Juliette and Juliette Works. She has served as a consultant and adviser on workplace investments spanning executive coaching, employee productivity and physical space, since January 2019.
Prior to founding Echo Juliette, Ms. Sandler served as managing director of The Blackstone Group and Chief Operating Officer of its Blackstone Real Estate Debt Strategies business from September 2016 to August 2018. Prior to joining The Blackstone Group, she worked at Deutsche Bank from November 2000 to August 2016, including serving at different times as a managing director and global chief operating officer of the Risk Division, Structured Finance business and Commercial Real Estate business, among other roles.
Before joining Deutsche Bank, she worked at a number of companies in the financial services industry. Ms. Sandler received a BA from Duke University and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Nico Suarez is an investment professional with experience in e-commerce mergers and acquisitions. He was previously an Investment Lead at Heyday, where he focused on sourcing and executing acquisitions of digital-first consumer brands.
Before Heyday, Nico worked at PGIM Private Capital, supporting the underwriting and management of a portfolio of private placement investments. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business from the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management. In addition to his professional work, Nico served as an elected director on the board of his national fraternity, helping shape policy and represent undergraduate members across Midwestern chapters. He is currently an Investment Principal at Ascend Equity Partners.
Eric Wu is a Senior Managing Director in the Real Estate Group and Global Co-Head of Real Estate Debt Capital Markets. Mr. Wu was previously Chief Operating Officer of Real Estate Americas.
Prior to joining Blackstone, Mr. Wu spent over 5 years at Barclays where he was Head of Originations for the commercial real estate lending business in the United States. Prior to Barclays, Mr. Wu worked at Morgan Stanley where he held various roles in the CMBS and merchant banking groups in the US and in Europe.
Mr. Wu received a BS in Economics and a BA in Chemistry from Duke University where he graduated magna cum laude and an MBA from Columbia Business School.
Management Team
Our management team is engineering and executing the Scholars of Finance vision in universities from coast to coast.
Andrea joined Scholars of Finance in May 2023. She currently serves as the Chief of Staff to Ross Overline, CEO and Chairman.
Before joining SOF, Andrea led a team at a non-profit organization focused on developing social skills and supporting the career and personal growth of individuals with intellectual disabilities.
She also served as president of the Social Action Committee within Anáhuac's Leadership Excellence Program, where she organized activities to raise social awareness and fostered partnerships with companies and business leaders to teach young professionals and students about leadership, success, integrity, and social impact.
Andrea enjoys reading, traveling, spending time with loved ones, and contributing to animal shelters.
Gary Albano, the Development & Partnerships Manager at Scholars of Finance, brings his operations, strategy, and management expertise to enhance our team's impact and outreach.
Before joining Scholars of Finance, Gary applied his strategic development, operations, and client acquisition skills, contributing to the growth of several businesses in his area. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Economics from Rutgers University.
With eight years of experience supporting students in the higher education field, Joe joined Scholars of Finance as a Member Success Manager. His ability to connect and build relationships with students allows him to be a trusted advisor as he supports Scholars of Finance’s mission to develop future ethical financial leaders.
After nearly 11 years in the financial services industry with Investor’s Bank & Trust and State Street Bank, Joe made a career change to higher education in 2016. Prior to joining Scholars of Finance, Joe worked as an Admissions Counselor at a non-profit organization called Up with People before moving to 2U, Inc., for five and a half years where he worked as a Placement Specialist and then a Student Success Advisor supporting undergraduate and graduate students across multiple university partners.
Joe has a Bachelor of History from Stonehill College and a Master of International Higher Education and Intercultural Relations from Lesley University. In the summer of 2016 Joe and his wife relocated from Boston to Denver to take advantage of the outdoor activities that Colorado has to offer (especially hiking, skiing, and kayaking). He also enjoys traveling, going to see live music, hanging out with friends, and checking out new restaurants for good food or a chef’s tasting menu.
Madison is a Member Success Manager at Scholars of Finance. As an experienced higher education practitioner and first-generation college graduate, Madison utilizes her passion for student development to build strong student relationships and to create beneficial opportunities for future generations as an essential part of her desire to work for others. Prior to joining Scholars of Finance, she gained a variety of experience in academic advising, student organization leadership, residential housing, student identity development and in the field of corporate communications and marketing.
Madison graduated from Christian Brothers University with a bachelor's degree in English for Corporate Communications, as well as a master's of science in Leadership and Policy Studies with a concentration in Student affairs from the University of Memphis.
In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, going on walks with her husband and two dogs, and attending her local book club meetings.
Miguel Guadalupe is a seasoned business leader with deep expertise in strategic development, fundraising, and organizational leadership. A proud graduate of Wesleyan University, Miguel has held key roles in the financial services, technology, and nonprofit sectors, including positions at Merrill Lynch, FirstRain, Gartner, and BRC.
At Merrill Lynch, he gained significant experience in Marketing, Research Operations, and Middle Market International Sales. He then moved into the tech startup space at FirstRain, where he further honed his leadership and strategic skills. At Gartner, Miguel focused on strategic advisory services and market research, and during his tenure at BRC, he served as VP of Development, leading fundraising initiatives that drove organizational growth and impact.
He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the National Puerto Rican Day Parade, promoting cultural awareness and educational initiatives. As part of Scholars of Finance, Miguel focuses on guiding supporters of our programs in empowering the next generation of ethical leaders, championing financial literacy and leadership development for young professionals.
Randal LeDet is an accomplished Project Manager combining a strong educational background with more than 7 years of experience in successfully developing, implementing, and managing multiple economic mobility projects throughout the US. Randal believes exposure and experience are necessary to help communities think outside of the box and understand their true capabilities. As a result, she is passionate about creating projects that offer a safe space for individuals to develop their voices and find their footing.
Prior to joining Scholars of Finance, Randal worked on multiple projects with nonprofits aiming to increase socioeconomic opportunities for underserved communities. Randal earned a B.A. in Mathematics and Economics & Organizational Management from Agnes Scott College and a M.A. in Economics from the University of Georgia. Randal enjoys spending her free time traveling with her family and friends as well as spoiling her Golden Doxie.
Robert serves as the Senior Director of Mission Advancement at Scholars of Finance. In this role, he works with our speakers, mentors, and financial supporters to advance SOF’s mission.
Robert has over a decade of experience in both the finance and nonprofit sectors. He began his career as a public finance investment banker at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, before moving into the nonprofit sector and fundraising for the Archdiocese of New York and Diocese of Bridgeport, CT.
Robert earned his B.A. in Economics from Columbia University where he also played Varsity Baseball.
Ross is the Co-Founder & CEO of Scholars of Finance (SOF), a fast-growing organization that inspires character and integrity in the finance leaders of tomorrow. SOF brings together leading investors and finance executives to teach undergraduate students how they can steward the world's capital to serve the greater good.
Ross believes that responsible finance, values-based leadership, and effective education are critical to the development of a prosperous and inclusive world. As such, he is committed to transforming the financial system with his team at Scholars of Finance.
Prior to SOF, Ross held roles spanning equity research at Piper Sandler, global go-to-market at Twitter, and serving on the leadership team that launched "SoFi Money", the retail banking division of SoFi. He earned his bachelor's degree at Fordham University and the University of Minnesota and has completed executive education at Cornell University and Stanford University.
His hobbies include triathlon training & competing, mentoring & coaching, start-up advising, (poorly attempting) freestyle/spoken word, and studying neuroscience, economics, history, and philosophy.
Stephen joined Scholars of Finance as the Chief Operating Officer in January 2020. He was most recently a senior manager and VP of U.S. Bank. Previously he was a commissioned officer in the Minnesota National Guard’s chaplain corps and the founder and CEO of Beyond Demographics, LLC. Stephen earned a Master’s of Divinity from Bethel University and is academically published in the Journal of Pastoral Psychology. Today Stephen lives in St. Paul, Minnesota with his wife and two kids. He invests his free time into his family, friends, and music.
Board of Advisors
One of Wall Street's most respected technical analysts, Ralph has been consistently ranked by Institutional Investor for more than 10 years. With 47 years of experience, he is a pioneer in the development of market analytics and has a global reputation as a technical analyst and market historian.
Ralph is a Senior Managing Director at Altaira Ltd., which offers wealth management services to family offices and high net worth individuals. He is regularly consulted for his market opinion by CNBC, Fox Business, Barron’s, and others. Ralph is a trustee on the board of the Security Industry Institute and is involved in the establishment of the Securities Traders Association University. He is also the founder of the Chartered Market Technicians Association, which today has more than 80 chapters and 5,000 members globally. He also founded and was the first chairman of the International Federation of Technical Analysts.
A former director of technical research at Knight Equity Markets, Ralph worked for 15 years at Prudential Equity Group as director of technical analysis. He worked at several of the financial industry's top firms, including Kidder Peabody & Co. and Smith Barney.
He is the Co-author of the Chartered Market Technician (CMT) examination and author of The Fourth Mega-Market, Now Through 2011: How Three Earlier Bull Markets Explain the Present and Predict the Future.
Davis is the former President and Chief Executive Office of Make-A-Wish America. Prior to working at Make-A-Wish America, he was the Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of U.S. Bancorp, parent company of U.S. Bank, the fifth largest commercial bank in the United States.
He served as Executive Chairman from December 2007 to April 2018, Chief Executive Officer from December 2006 to April 2017, President from October 2004 to January 2016, and Chief Operating Officer from October 2004 to December 2006. Davis was an Executive Vice President at Bank of America and Security Pacific Bank prior to joining Star Banc Corporation, which was one of U.S. Bancorp’s legacy companies.
During his career, he has served as Chairman of the Financial Services Roundtable, Chairman of the Consumer Bankers Association, Chairman of The Clearing House, and representative for the Ninth District of the Federal Reserve, where he was President of its Financial Advisory Committee. Additionally, he currently serves as a director of the Mayo Clinic. He was also one of three executive co-chairs of the 2018 Minnesota Super Bowl Host Committee.
Davis brings global business and leadership experience as a former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of a public company, particularly in industries subject to extensive regulation. He has extensive experience and knowledge of international business operations, financial services and capital allocation which is particularly important given the global presence and financial aspects of the company. Davis has additional public company board experience across the financial services and medical industries resulting in additional corporate governance and compensation experience, financial expertise and board leadership experience.
Davis also serves on the Mastercard Incorporated Board of Directors (since June 2018). Davis served on the Xcel Energy Board of Directors from March 2006 to May 2020, the DowDuPont Inc. Board of Directors from July 2018 to April 2019, the DowDuPont Materials Advisory Committee from September 2017 to April 2019, and The Dow Chemical Company Board of Directors from 2015 to August 2017.
JC de Swaan is a lecturer in the economics department at Princeton University, where he is affiliated with the Bendheim Center for Finance. He teaches courses on ethics in finance and on Asian capital markets to undergraduate and graduate students. He also teaches at the Judge Business School at the University of Cambridge. In the past he has taught at Yale University, Hong Kong UST, and Cheung Kong Business School in Beijing.
Separately, JC de Swaan is a Partner at Cornwall Capital, an investment fund based in New York. Prior to Cornwall, he was a senior advisor on China at a global macro fund and an investment professional at an Asia-dedicated hedge fund. Prior to that, JC de Swaan worked at McKinsey & Company.
At Princeton, JC de Swaan also hosts speakers on the topic of ethics in finance and acts as a faculty adviser to first-year and sophomore students.
JC de Swaan received his B.A. from Yale University in Political Science, an MPhil in International Relations from the University of Cambridge, and a Master in Public Policy from Harvard University’s Kennedy School. He is a Member of the Council on Foreign Relations and an Associate Fellow of Ezra Stiles College, Yale University.
Andrew S. Duff served as the chairman of Piper Sandler Companies from 2003 - 2018 and was previously the firm's chief executive officer from 2000 through 2017.
Duff joined Piper Sandler in 1980 in the institutional fixed income sales group. He was later promoted to manager of institutional sales and trading in 1994, and then served as president of the individual investor services and capital markets areas until 1996. During the time period that Piper Sandler was owned by U.S. Bancorp (1996 through 2003), Duff served as president of Piper Sandler and vice chair of U.S. Bancorp for the wealth management group.
Duff currently serves on the board of directors of Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), the University of St. Thomas board of trustees and the University of St. Thomas Opus College of Business strategic board of governors. He is a longstanding member of the Walker Art Center board of trustees, and an advisor to the board of directors of Great Clips, Inc. He is a former board member of Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA).
Scott Harrison is the founder of charity: water, a nonprofit organization that brings safe drinking water to developing countries. He was recognized in Fortune Magazine’s 40 under 40 list, the Forbes Magazine Impact 30 list and was recently #10 in Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People in Business issue. He is currently a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader and the New York Times bestselling author of Thirst.
After spending two years on a hospital ship off the coast of Liberia, Scott saw the effects of dirty water firsthand, and came back to New York City on a mission. Upon returning to NYC in 2006, Scott turned his full attention to the global water crisis and the (then) 1.1 billion people living without access to clean water. He established a small core team in a tiny Manhattan apartment and created charity: water.
Fourteen years later, with the help of more than 1 million supporters worldwide, charity: water has raised over $539 million and funded over 64,000 water projects in 29 countries. When completed, those projects will provide over 12.6 million people with clean, safe drinking water.
Daniel Hibbert is a Managing Director at BlackRock for Equity Private Markets and Head of Strategy.
Prior to working at Blackrock, he had a long history of experience at Goldman Sachs, previously acting as Managing Director for Global Head of People Experience and Transformation.
Daniel is a proud graduate of Tennessee State University (an HBCU in Nashville, TN).
Daniel J. Hoffman is a finance veteran with over 30 years of experience, holding an MBA from the University of Chicago and a BS in Economics from Binghamton University. He has held senior roles at companies like Bear Stearns and Cerberus Capital Management, where he managed a $16B equity fund specializing in residential loans. Currently, he serves as the Founder of The Monday Group, a multi-family office providing financial advisory services.
In addition to his corporate roles, Daniel has served as an Adjunct Professor at Baruch College and sat on the Board of Directors for Great Ajax Corporation. His governance and academic contributions complement his corporate achievements, where he has closed over $150 billion in loans and managed large teams, steering companies through fluctuating market conditions.
Beyond the office, Daniel is committed to financial literacy through his work with Operation Hope and Scholars of Finance. As an in-class teacher and seminar leader, he focuses on imparting financial knowledge and ethics to the next generation of finance professionals. With a blend of practical and academic expertise, Daniel is a dynamic leader in the financial industry.
Cary is a leading advisor, author, and educator. He teaches the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Investing at Brown University, supports the Sustainable Investment Fund within the Brown Endowment, and serves as a lecturer at Yale College on various subjects. Additionally, he teaches MBA classes at Concordia and the University of Maryland and has previously helped lead the RFK Sustainable Investing program at Columbia’s Earth Institute for Kerry Kennedy’s RFK Center for Justice and Human Rights.
His third book, Sustainable Investing: Revolutions in Theory and Practice (Routledge, 2017), examines current investment practices and their necessary evolution for the benefit of both society and financial value.
In 2015, he led a Working Group for the PRI involving some of their largest signatories, which resulted in the development of a Framework for Asset Owner Strategy on Climate Change, released during COP 21 in Paris. He also advised and wrote numerous papers for the UNEP Inquiry into the Design of a Sustainable Financial System, including The Value of Everything.
Scott Kupor is an investing partner focused on growth-stage companies building in the bio and healthcare industries, he manages the firm's investor relations team, and is responsible for the firm's growth initiatives.
Scott was the first employee at Andreessen Horowitz and managed the firm's growth from $300 million in AUM to more than $30 billion. Prior to joining the firm, Scott worked as vice president and general manager of software-as-a-service at Hewlett Packard. Before that, he held numerous executive management positions at Opsware, including senior vice president of global field operations, vice president of financial planning and vice president of corporate development. Prior to Opsware, Scott represented software companies in both financing and mergers and acquisitions transactions at Credit Suisse First Boston and Lehman Brothers.
Scott is the author of the Wall Street Journal bestselling book, Secrets of Sand Hill Road: Venture Capital and How to Get It, and serves on the boards of Cedar, Headway, Foursquare, Labster, Ultima, and SnapLogic. He also served as chairman of the board for the National Venture Capital Association.
Scott graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Stanford University with a bachelor’s degree in public policy with honors and distinction. He also holds a law degree with distinction from Stanford University and is a member of the State Bar of California.
Teri List currently serves as a Board Director for Microsoft and formerly served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Gap, Inc., where she oversaw its finance, real estate and information technology organizations.
Teri also served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc., where she oversaw the finance and legal organization.
Before this, she served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Kraft Foods Group. As CFO of Kraft, she led the finance, information services and business process excellence organizations.
From 1994 to 2013, she was with Procter & Gamble, progressing to Senior Vice President and Treasurer. Before this, she spent over nine years at Deloitte & Touche LLP, where she provided financial counsel to large multinational companies.
Teri also serves on the Board of Directors of Danaher Corp. and Double Verify. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in accounting from Northern Michigan University and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Diana Pagliarini is executive vice president and general auditor at State Street Corporation. In this role, she establishes, manages and evolves the company-wide corporate audit plan to ensure that risk is appropriately managed and governed. To maintain independence, which is a critical component of the general auditor role, she has a direct reporting line to the Board of Director’s Examining and Audit Committee. She has a dotted reporting line to the Chief Executive Officer. She also participates in the company’s Management Committee and Operating Group meetings.
With 35 years of experience in the banking industry and 16 years in board-visible roles, Diana’s transformational leadership in developing and executing strategic plans has improved processes, functions and departments while influencing policy changes and risk practices at the enterprise level. Through routine interactions with executive leadership and the board of directors, she has a credible voice in challenging process vulnerabilities, designing risk management strategies and driving improved compliance results. She is known for her leadership impact, process effectiveness and passionate commitment to career and performance coaching.
Anthony “Tony” Paquette joined the Scholars of Finance Board of Advisors in 2019, and has joined Point72, an Asset Management firm based in Connecticut, as their Chief Financial Officer.
Tony has spent 20 years in the financial services industry, serving in many leadership roles across various countries and disciplines, including investment research, investment strategy, trading, portfolio management, asset liability management (ALM) and running entire businesses.
Prior to joining Point 72 in 2020, Tony was at SoFi, a leading FinTech in Sillicon Valley as a Business Unit Leader overseeing International, New Business, Treasury, Regulatory Operations, and led the firms application for their bank charter. Before SoFi, Tony was at J.P. Morgan Chase in New York City, where he was a Managing Director and the Global Head of Funding & Liability Management for the company. Prior to this, he held portfolio management roles in the Chief Investment Office at J.P. Morgan, and in Treasury & Corporate Investments at Bank of America. He began his career as a research analyst covering the Technology sector at Goldman Sachs.
In addition to serving in formal leadership roles, Tony has been a consistent member of committees and organizations supporting employee recruiting, leadership training, corporate cultural development and military veterans affairs.
Tony holds a B.A. from Brown University, with a double major in Business Economics and Organizational Behavior & Management, and sits on the President’s Advisory Council on Athletics for the University. He has been a CFA Charterholder since 2003.
Tony is originally from Minnesota, and together with his wife, Amber, has been directly involved with several leading non-profit organizations over the last 20 years. Tony and Amber currently live in California with their three children Stella, Allegra and Rex.
Daniel Pietrzak (New York) joined KKR in 2016 and is a Partner of KKR. Mr. Pietrzak is a portfolio manager for KKR's private credit funds and portfolios and a member of the Global Private Credit Investment Committee, Europe Direct Lending Investment Committee and KKR Credit Portfolio Management Committee. Mr. Pietrzak is Chief Investment Officer of the KKR / FS Investments joint venture and Co-President and Chief Investment Officer for each of the business development companies managed by the joint venture, including FS KKR Capital Corp., which trades on the NYSE. He also serves of the board of directors of several KKR Credit portfolio companies, including Home Partners of America, Oodle Car Finance, Pepper and Toorak Capital Partners.
Prior to joining KKR, Mr. Pietrzak was a managing director and the co-head of Deutsche Bank’s structured finance business across the Americas and Europe. Previously, Mr. Pietrzak held various roles in the credit businesses of Societe Generale and CIBC World Markets. Mr. Pietrzak started his career at Price Waterhouse in New York and is a CPA. Mr. Pietrzak holds an M.B.A. in Finance from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a B.S. in Accounting from Lehigh University. Mr. Pietrzak serves on the Advisory Board for the Lehigh University Center of Financial Services.
Tory Reiss is a three-time founder of venture capital-backed financial technology startups. He's currently the CEO of Equi, the elite destination for alternative investments, providing access to hedge fund strategies that perform in the top 10% in their category.
Outside of business, Tory is an active advocate for criminal justice reform and financial literacy in public education. He’s been teaching financial literacy “bootcamps” for over a decade.
Maeve Richard excels at adaptive leadership, strategic learning agility; change management; career development; diversity, equity and inclusion; culture transformation; and experiential learning design and delivery. Previously, Maeve was the Assistant Dean and Director, Career Management Center, at Stanford Graduate School of Business. During her tenure there, she mobilized the center to equip and empower students, alumni, and experienced professionals to realize their individualized career and life goals.
Maeve’s corporate career spanned overseeing strategic planning, finance, information technology, operations, and human resources as CFO and COO for several entrepreneurial enterprises. Maeve has held executive and management level positions in relationship management, change management, corporate finance, planning, and treasury at Intel (McAfee,) Sun Microsystems, Levi Strauss & Co., JPMorgan, and SRI International.
Her current board service is for Children’s Health Council, Stanford Student Enterprises, and Celebration Tabernacle. Her previous board service includes Dignity Health Investment Committee, Stanford Parents Advisory, BUILD, Community Bank of the Bay, National Conference of Community and Justice, and Wellspring. Maeve is also an engaged volunteer for Walter Hays, Menlo School, Peninsula Bridge, College Track, Junior League of San Francisco, Menlo Park Presbyterian Church and New Beginnings Community Church.
Deb Schoneman serves as President of Piper Sandler. She joined Piper Sandler in 1990 in the accounting department, and has held several senior management positions, including global head of equities, chief financial officer, finance director of both equity and fixed income capital markets, and treasurer.
Schoneman serves on the board of directors of SIFMA. She also serves as vice chair of the board of directors of Allina Health, a not-for-profit health care system based in Minneapolis, MN, and is chair of its finance committee; and is a director emeritus of BestPrep, a nonprofit organization focused on business, career and financial literacy skills, and was its chair for two years. She has completed three mission trips to Haiti through the organization, Healing Haiti, and was awarded "CFO of the Year" by the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal in 2014.
Schoneman earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from Minnesota State University Mankato and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis.
Michael Sonnenshein is CEO of Grayscale Investments, the world’s largest digital currency asset manager. Under his leadership, the firm has grown to be the definitive leader in crypto investing, offering a wide range of investments including single-asset and diversified products.
Michael is regularly featured on CNBC and Bloomberg, and he was honored in 2021 as one of 100 People Transforming Business by Business Insider and in 2018 as the publication’s Rising Stars of Wall Street. Michael serves as a member of the Grayscale Board of Directors, CME Group Bitcoin Futures Council, and NYU Blockchain Association.
John Taft is Vice Chairman of Baird and a member of the firm's Executive Committee. Prior to joining Baird, he served as CEO of RBC Wealth Management, a full-service brokerage firm with nearly 2,000 financial advisors and over $280 billion in assets, for more than 10 years (2005-2016). He is a past chairman of the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA), where he advocated for responsible financial reform.
John's other past roles include president and CEO of Voyageur Asset Management; president and CEO of Dougherty Summit Securities; a member of the board of directors of Segall Bryant & Hamill, The Clifton Group and Columbia Threadneedle Funds; and a managing director at Piper, Sandler & Hopwood. Investment Advisor magazine named him to its 2013 IA 25 list of the most influential people in the financial industry and he made the Top 100 Thought Leaders in Trustworthy Business list by Trust Across America in 2014 and 2015.
John is a frequent public speaker and media contributor, and has authored two books, "Stewardship: Lessons Learned from the Lost Culture of Wall Street" and "A Force for Good: How Enlightened Finance Can Restore Faith in Capitalism."
Deeply committed to community involvement, inclusion and diversity and many other important issues, John credits his family, including his great grandfather, 27th U.S. President William Howard Taft, for instilling strong core values that shape his definition of business success and belief in the importance of treating all people with dignity.
Vijay Tirathai is a serial entrepreneur, mentor and a seasoned C-level executive. He has over 30 years of international experience in start-ups, business development and transformation roles covering several industries; namely retail, manufacturing and associations management. Respected by his peers and colleagues for its visionary drive, business strategy acumen and his inspiring leadership-style. He has operated and conducted business in over 25 countries and enjoys an expansive global network of peers.
As the former CEO and Chairman of the Entrepreneurs' Organization, he now seeks to nurture and invest in start-ups and early stage companies to grow through mentorship, access to global networks and venture capital.
Chris Varelas is a Co-founding Partner of Riverwood Capital. Prior to establishing Riverwood, Chris worked at Salomon Brothers/Citi as Global Head of Technology, Media & Telecom Investment Banking, Head of Citi’s National Investment Bank, member of Citi’s Global Operating Committee and Culture Czar for all of Citi.
Chris earned an MBA from the Wharton School of Business and a BA from Occidental College in Los Angeles, California for which he serves on the Board of Trustees. He is a moderator for the Aspen Institute for which he recently founded the Aspen Finance Fellows program created to produce effective enlightened leaders in the financial services industry.
Jack Pitts is a Senior Managing Director in the Legal & Compliance Group, where he serves as General Counsel of BAAM. Mr. Pitts is a Co-Chair of the Blackstone Diverse Professionals Network Task Force and a member of the Blackstone Charitable Foundation Leadership Council. Since joining Blackstone, Mr. Pitts has been involved in the legal structuring of BAAM’s customized multi-manager portfolios as well as the review, analysis and negotiation of investments by BAAM’s Special Situations investing group and other direct trading platforms and investment opportunities.
Before joining Blackstone in 2012, Mr. Pitts was an Associate at Debevoise & Plimpton LLP where he focused on advising sponsors of and institutional investors in private investment funds.
Mr. Pitts received a B.S. in Financial Management from Hillsdale College and a J.D. from Howard University School of Law, where he served as the Managing Editor of the Howard Law Journal.
Past Speakers
Anne Ackerley, Managing Director, is Head of the Retirement Group at BlackRock. Anne leads the firm’s US defined contribution business, reaching millions of retirement investors through their 401(k) or other workplace savings plan. Together with the retirement insurance business, her team aims to tackle the industry’s toughest challenges. She is one of the founding members of BlackRock’s Women’s Initiative Network and the Financial Inclusion Network.
Anne is a recognized leader and frequent speaker and writer about retirement readiness and women's leadership. In 2023, she was named to Barron’s “100 Most Influential Women in U.S. Finance” for the fourth year in a row. Anne was also named to P&I’s inaugural list of “Influential Women in Institutional Investing.” In 2022, she made Forbes’ 50 over 50 list and Yahoo Finance’s list of “HERoes Women Role Model Executives” in 2019.
Over her 30 years in the financial services industry, Anne has held numerous leadership positions and has been with BlackRock since 2000. She has a proven track record of integrating teams and businesses, including three critical acquisitions made by BlackRock.
Anne currently serves on the Leadership Advisory for the Collaborative for Equitable Retirement Savings, the Aspen Institute Forum on Retirement Savings Advisory Council, and the World Economic Forum’s Longevity Economy Steering group. She is on the Board of Trustees for Northwestern Mutual and is a board observer for Human Interest. Outside the industry, she is a trustee of the Mosaic Mental Health Association.
Anne has an MBA and a BA from Harvard University and resides in New York.
Peter Akwaboah is Morgan Stanley’s Chief Operating Officer for Technology, Operations & Firm Resilience and a member of the Federal Reserve Bank’s (FRB) Payments Risk Committee. In the COO role, Peter is responsible for driving the strategic agendas of Operations, Technology and Firm Resilience, with a focus on transitioning the way Morgan Stanley delivers products and services on a global scale. As COO, Peter partners with all areas of the organization to support the firm’s PACE initiatives, and ultimately deliver the end-state operating model for Technology and Operations.
In addition, Peter serves as the co-head of the Morgan Stanley Black Employee Network Group (BENG). In this role, he supports and advocates for the development and advancement of our Black employees and communities. Prior to his role as COO, Peter was the Global Head of Shared Services and Banking Operations, as well as the COO for Global Operations.
Prior to joining the firm, he worked at Royal Bank of Scotland for 10 years with his most recent role in Asia Pacific as Chief Operating Officer for Operations, Technology and Corporate Service for the Asia Pacific region. Prior to RBS, Peter held a number of senior roles in both Operations and Technology at Deutsche Bank, KPMG and IBM.
Peter holds various degrees in Civil Engineering from The University of Birmingham, UK, and is on the Board of the Foundation of Orthopedics and Complex Spine (FOCOS). He has been a member of the Museum's Board of Trustees since 2021.
Emily Alejos, CFA is a Senior Managing Director and the Chief Investment Officer of Cartica. She is also a member of the Investment Committee.
Prior to joining Cartica, Ms. Alejos was with Tradewinds Global Investors from 2007 to 2016. She started her tenure at Tradewinds as a Consumer Analyst and Portfolio Manager and was promoted to Co-Chief Investment Officer and Executive Managing Director in 2012. As Co-CIO she was responsible for leading and managing the investment side of the $3.5 bn in AUM business. She was a member of the Executive team and served on the Board of Directors reporting to Nuveen Investments.
Prior to joining Tradewinds, Ms. Alejos was with Credit Suisse Asset Management in New York from 1997 to 2006. From 2004 to 2006, Ms. Alejos was a Director and Portfolio Manager/Analyst on the firm’s International Focus team. For the seven years prior to that, she served as Portfolio Manager and Head of Latin American Equities, in addition to serving as a senior member of the firm’s Global Emerging Markets team. She began her career as an Equity Analyst at GT Capital in San Francisco then as a Portfolio Manager/Analyst at Bankers Trust in New York.
Ms. Alejos earned a BA degree with honors in Economics and Development studies from Brown University and an MBA and a Certificate in Public Management from Stanford Graduate School of Business. She also studied economics at Instituto di Tella in Buenos Aires as a Rotary Scholar and at L’Institut d’Etudes Politiques in Paris. Ms. Alejos is a Chartered Financial Analyst and a member of the Asia Society and the CFA Institute. She is conversant in French and Spanish. Ms. Alejos serves on the Global Management Board of the Women’s Circles at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. She also mentors graduating senior women at Brown University as part of the Women’s Launchpad program. Emily is married and has two children.
Christine Anderson is the Global Head of Corporate Affairs, overseeing Blackstone’s Public Affairs, Marketing, and ESG functions.
She leads Blackstone’s efforts related to Environmental, Social and Governance issues and she serves as the primary spokesperson for the firm, advising Blackstone’s senior leaders and business groups, as well as companies across Blackstone’s portfolio.
Before joining Blackstone in 2009, Ms. Anderson served as Communications Director and Director of Marketing to the former Governor of New York as well as Communications Director on the 2006 gubernatorial campaign. Before working in state government, Ms. Anderson was an Associate Director of Corporate Communications at UBS AG supporting U.S. media relations and serving as a spokesperson for the company’s Wealth Management division. During the 2004 U.S. Presidential election cycle, she served as a Deputy Press Secretary on the Kerry-Edwards campaign. Ms. Anderson also previously worked as an Account Director at the public relations firm Brunswick and as a Segment Producer for ABC News’ “Good Morning America” after starting her career in the Press Office of the Clinton White House.
Ms. Anderson received a BA from The College of the Holy Cross, and serves on the boards of the Blackstone Charitable Foundation, Bumble, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and Diligent.
Sheila Bair has had a long and distinguished career in government, academia, and finance. Twice named by Forbes Magazine as the second most powerful woman in the world, she is perhaps best known as chair of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) from 2006 to 2011, when she steered the agency through the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.
A former finance professor and college president, Ms. Bair has been nationally recognized for her innovative initiatives to make college more accessible and affordable to all students. She is a frequent commentator and op-ed contributor on financial regulation and the student debt crisis, as well as author of the NY Times Best Seller, Bull by the Horns, her 2012 memoir of the financial crisis.
She is a founding director of the Volcker Alliance, established by Former Federal Reserve Board Chair Paul Volcker to build trust in government and is the founding chair of the Systemic Risk Council, which advocates for financial stability.
Anne Black is a creative and entrepreneurial philanthropy leader with more than ten years of executive experience at Goldman Sachs Foundation and Goldman Sachs Gives. She focuses on driving change and new ideas that benefit society while also building the firm's brand and culture. Anne Black worked at the forefront of strategic philanthropy and social impact at a time of great change in our world and in this sector. CSR and ESG initiatives have become essential in business, and she has collaborated with top corporate executives, clients and thought leaders who have sought her expertise to understand the trends shaping society and how philanthropy can create a better future and have lasting impact.
As the CFO of General Mills, I’m proud to lead a passionate team committed to supporting the business and our brands across the globe. I joined General Mills in 2009 and have held Finance leadership positions throughout my tenure. I received my MBA from the University of Michigan – Stephen M. Ross School of Business and completed my undergraduate studies at Stanford University.
Chairman, President & Chief Executive Officer
Andy Cecere is the chairman, president and chief executive officer of U.S. Bancorp, a well-respected financial services holding company with businesses across the United States, Canada and Europe. U.S. Bancorp is headquartered in Minneapolis and is the parent company of U.S. Bank, which is the fifth-largest commercial bank in the United States. U.S. Bancorp is also the parent company of Elavon, a leader in the payment processing industry. Andy became chairman of U.S. Bancorp in 2018, and he chairs the company’s Managing Committee, the highest-ranking executives within the organization.
Andy Cecere is the chairman, president and chief executive officer of U.S. Bancorp, a well-respected financial services holding company with businesses across the United States, Canada and Europe. U.S. Bancorp is headquartered in Minneapolis and is the parent company of U.S. Bank, which is the fifth-largest commercial bank in the United States. U.S. Bancorp is also the parent company of Elavon, a leader in the payment processing industry. Andy became chairman of U.S. Bancorp in 2018, and he chairs the company’s Managing Committee, the highest-ranking executives within the organization.
Andy’s financial career spans nearly 40 years. He started as a financial analyst at Control Data Corporation before joining U.S. Bancorp in its finance group in 1985. He was named vice president of acquisition analysis in 1990 and was promoted to senior vice president of finance and planning in 1992. He served as chief administrative officer for business banking, private financial services and relationship banking from 1996 to 1999.
In 1999, Andy became a U.S. Bank vice chairman, with responsibility for the company’s corporate trust, leasing, treasury management, international banking and government banking functions, before serving as the company’s chief financial officer from 2000 to 2001. Subsequently, he spent six years as the vice chairman of the company’s wealth management division.
Andy then served as vice chairman and CFO of U.S. Bancorp from 2007 to 2015. He was named chief operating officer in early 2015, ascended to president in 2016 and became chief executive officer in 2017.
Andy serves on the board of overseers for the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota, and the board of trustees for the University of St. Thomas. He is active with Bank Policy Institute (BPI), Business Council, Business Roundtable, MN Business Partnership, and The Clearing House (TCH).
Andy earned his master’s of business administration degree in finance from the University of Minnesota and a bachelor’s degree in business administration and finance from the University of St. Thomas.
Frank Chen currently leads the a16z Seed Program, which helps early stage (typically pre-seed, seed, and Series A) founders build great companies on their way to their next fundraise.
Prior to this role, Frank helped launch a16z’s Talent x Opportunity (TxO) Initiative to discover and support cultural geniuses in building large, enduring businesses around their cultural breakthroughs. At a16z, Frank also built and scaled the firm’s deal and research team whose goals were to find and invest in great entrepreneurs and build a comprehensive knowledge base of trends, technologies, products, and people along the way.
Prior to Andreessen Horowitz, Frank held a series of product management, user experience design, developer relations, and executive roles at HP Software, Opsware, Loudcloud, Respond.com, Netscape Communications, Oracle Corporation GO Corporation, Apple, and IBM Research.
Frank holds a B.S. in Symbolic Systems from Stanford University where he graduated with distinction. Back in the stone age when he did this, AI was going through a deep winter, but he was too clueless to know this. But he’s now enjoying a Revenge of the Nerds moment given how critical artificial intelligence is to so many different startups solving the world’s most challenging and important problems.
Mandell Crawley joined Morgan Stanley in October 1992 as a High School Intern and now serves as Chief Human Resources Officer for the Firm. Prior to this assignment, Mr. Crawley was Head of National Business Development and Talent Management for Morgan Stanley Wealth Management (MSWM) where he led an organization responsible for driving revenue and asset growth across the firm’s industry leading platform and improving the proficiency of our financial advisors, sales support, and field leadership talent. Mr. Crawley held a succession of roles within the Business Development Organization as both a Regional and Divisional Business Development Manager for several key geographical markets across the wealth management unit. He was also Head of U.S. Fixed Income Sales and Distribution for MSWM’s Capital Markets Group, overseeing a large coverage team specializing in Interest Rates, Credit, Asset Back, Structured Products, and Municipal Bond Securities. In aggregate, Mr. Crawley spent 14 of his 22 years working within Fixed Income Capital Markets in various producing and managerial capacities. He is a member of MSWM’s Management Committee, Field Management Operating Committee, Private Banking Advisory Board, Global Product Review Committee and the Multicultural Client Strategy Committee. Mr. Crawley received an MBA with honors from Fordham University and a B.A. in Economics from Northeastern Illinois University. He resides in Westchester County, NY with his wife Alison, and twin daughters, Jordyn and Jaedyn, and is a proud native of Chicago.
Bob Doll is chief investment officer and portfolio manager at Crossmark Global Investments, a faith-based management firm. He previously held leadership roles at Nuveen, BlackRock, Merrill Lynch Investment Managers, Oppenheimer Funds, and Citigroup Investment Management. He appears regularly on Fox Business News, Bloomberg, CNBC, and MoneyWise to discuss the economy and financial markets.
He also serves as choir director at his local church and sits on a number of boards, including the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, Cairn University, Christianity Today, Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary, Kingdom Advisors, Movement.org, New Canaan Society, Princeton Healthcare System, The Lausanne Movement, and Word of Life Fellowship.
Nir Eyal is the bestselling author of "Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products" and "Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life."
He has taught at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and Hasso Plattner Institute of Design. His writing on technology, psychology, and business, appears in the Harvard Business Review, The Atlantic, TechCrunch, and Psychology Today.
Nir blogs regularly at NirAndFar.com. Subscribe to his Free Weekly Newsletter at http://bit.ly/2VPgTmd
Nir is also an active investor in habit-forming technologies. Some of his past investments include: Eventbrite, Anchor.fm (acquired by Spotify) Product Hunt, Pantry, Kahoot!, Refresh.io (acquired by LinkedIn), Happy Bits, Presence Learning, 7 Cups of Tea, and Pana.
Michelle currently serves as the EVP, General Manager, Small Business and Financial Services Group, PayPal. Prior to joining Intuit, Michelle was SoFi’s EVP and Group Business Unit Leader for Lending & Capital Markets, and previously served as Chief Financial Officer. She joined SoFi from TPG Sixth Street Partners. Previously, Michelle spent 14 years at Goldman Sachs & Co., where most recently she was a Partner co-heading the Structured Finance business. She received her JD from Cornell Law School and her BA from the University of California at Los Angeles.
Robin John is co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Eventide, a Boston-based investment advisor. Eventide strives to honor God and serve its clients by investing in companies that create compelling value for the global common good, which the company refers to as “investing that makes the world rejoice®.” He is responsible for the overall leadership of the organization, including strategy and growth, aligning team culture with mission and values, and the general operations of the company. Under his leadership, the firm has grown into a leader in values-based investing.
Prior to founding Eventide, Mr. John held leadership roles for Bank of New York Mellon. He also served as a business consultant for Grant Thornton. He has a degree in Economics from Tufts University.
Robin and his wife Jaunita co-founded Dil Se Foundation and, through the work of the foundation, founded Darsha Academy, a girl's school in Southern India. The school is committed to educating and empowering young women so that they can pursue career opportunities in the fields of science and fulfill their maximum potential.
Chris Larsen is Executive Chairman of Ripple’s board of directors and former CEO and co-founder of Ripple. Prior to Ripple, Chris cofounded and served as CEO of Prosper, a peer-to-peer lending marketplace, and E-LOAN, a publicly traded online lender. During his tenure at E-LOAN, he pioneered the open access to credit scores movement by making E-LOAN the first company to show consumers their FICO scores.
Joseph R. Martinetto is responsible for operations, infrastructure, and products for The Charles Schwab Corporation. This includes Charles Schwab Investment Management, Legal Services, Client Solutions, Community Services, Schwab's registered investment advisor affiliates and market strategists, and the Schwab Center for Financial Research. In addition, he leads Technology Services, Digital Services, Operational Services, and the Schwab Affiliated Banks.
Martinetto joined Schwab in 1997 as Senior Vice President and Treasurer. While he assumed the role of Senior Vice President of retail finance in 2001, Martinetto returned to the treasurer role in 2003, assuming incremental responsibility for financial planning and analysis and management information systems. He became the company's Chief Financial Officer in 2007 and held that position until May 2017.
Prior to joining Schwab, Martinetto was senior assistant treasurer at Transamerica Corporation, overseeing the asset/liability management function. Earlier, Martinetto worked at First Interstate Bancorp in a variety of positions, spanning treasury and financial management. At the time of First Interstate's acquisition by Wells Fargo, he was Senior Vice President and manager of the asset and liability management department.
Martinetto has a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics and economics from Claremont McKenna College and a Master of Business Administration from the University of California, Berkeley.
Jim O’Donnell is Global Head of Citi Global Wealth. Previously, he was Managing Director and Global Head of Investor Sales and Relationship Management at Citi Markets and Securities Services. In this role, Jim was responsible for client distribution for Equities, Fixed Income, Currencies and Commodities. Jim was appointed to this position in August 2008. Prior to that, he was Co-Head of Global Investor Sales, appointed in November 2007.
For the four years prior, Jim served as Head of Equities, Americas at Citi. He joined the firm in July 1999 as Head of Equities, EMEA. Prior to joining Citi, Jim was President and CEO of HSBC Securities Inc. in New York. He was responsible for all equity, debt, futures and investment banking operations for HSBC in the U.S. and was CEO of HSBC James Capel, HSBC’s Global Equity business.
Prior to HSBC, Jim was President and CEO of NatWest Securities in the United States. He held various roles at Drexel Burnham Lambert from 1986 to 1990, including Head of Sales and Trading for International Equities and Co-Head of Global Equity Trading.
Jim holds a bachelor’s degree in Comparative Religion from Princeton University.
Diana Pagliarini is executive vice president and general auditor at State Street Corporation. In this role, she establishes, manages and evolves the company-wide corporate audit plan to ensure that risk is appropriately managed and governed. To maintain independence, which is a critical component of the general auditor role, she has a direct reporting line to the Board of Director’s Examining and Audit Committee. She has a dotted reporting line to the Chief Executive Officer. She also participates in the company’s Management Committee and Operating Group meetings.
With 35 years of experience in the banking industry and 16 years in board-visible roles, Diana’s transformational leadership in developing and executing strategic plans has improved processes, functions and departments while influencing policy changes and risk practices at the enterprise level. Through routine interactions with executive leadership and the board of directors, she has a credible voice in challenging process vulnerabilities, designing risk management strategies and driving improved compliance results. She is known for her leadership impact, process effectiveness and passionate commitment to career and performance coaching.
Hester Maria Peirce is an American lawyer who serves as a Commissioner on the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). She previously served as the director of the Financial Markets Working Group at George Mason University's Mercatus Center.
Peirce was confirmed by the United States Senate in December 2017 to fill a Republican vacancy on the SEC. She was sworn in on January 11, 2018, for a term ending in 2020, and her second term expires in 2025. Peirce is a former staff member of the United States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs and of the SEC. In 2016, she was nominated by President Barack Obama for Commissioner on the SEC, but the United States Senate did not act on her nomination.
Timothy A. Welsh is vice chair, Consumer and Business Banking (CBB), for U.S. Bancorp. In this role, Tim leads a team of more than 26,000 to drive the company’s overall consumer and small business strategy. This includes the branch network, product management functions, mortgage, auto, deposits, and related operations. CBB represents about half of the loans and deposits of the bank.
Prior to joining U.S. Bancorp in 2017, Tim spent more than 26 years at McKinsey & Co., specializing in financial services and the consumer experience. Serving as senior partner, Tim was elected by his colleagues to the McKinsey’s Shareholders Council, led McKinsey’s global learning and development function, and co-led the firm’s people strategy.
Throughout his career, Tim’s work has focused on finding and leveraging purpose to connect with consumers and small businesses to develop strategies that generate significant growth. In addition, his work in other industries focused on understanding consumer behavior and creating strategies to respond to consumer preferences.
Tim is active with many non-profit organizations, including the Minnesota Orchestra, Y of the North, the Constellation Fund, the Minneapolis Institute of Art, and the Ordway. He is the board chair for GREATER MSP, vice chair of the board of Allina Health, and lead independent director for the GHR Foundation. He is also a member of the board of directors for Operation HOPE.
In addition, Tim is a founder of the Itasca Project, a dedicated team of business, government and not-for-profit leaders who are working to improve the quality of life in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Tim is also a founding board member of Upside Foods, a food technology company, and was recently elected as a director of Xcel Energy.
Tim holds a Master of Business Administration with distinction from Harvard Business School and a bachelor’s degree magna cum laude in social studies from Harvard University.
Arvind heads Citi Ventures, Citi's Strategic Investing group. As a founder and leader of the group, Arvind grew Citigroup's investing activities significantly to deliver strategic impact and insights to Citi's business units, IT and Functions by building a best-in-class corporate venture unit. He has led investments in Fintech, Payments, Security and Enterprise Infrastructure. Under his leadership, the group has invested in category defining companies such as Plaid, Square, DocuSign, Honey, HoneyBook, Betterment, Netskope, Tanium, Braze and DataRobot among others.
Additionally, Arvind helped setup and advises the Citi Impact Fund, a $500MM double-bottom-line program to invest in tech startups working in areas of positive social impact.
Prior to Citi, Arvind was a Managing Director at Menlo Ventures for over nine years. At Menlo Ventures, he led or sponsored investments in 15 companies in enterprise applications, infrastructure and semiconductors.
Arvind started his career as a chip designer working on low power versions of the Pentium Processor® in the Mobile Group at Intel Corporation. Later he became the Program Manager of the Mobile Pentium II® Processor effort and contributed to several successful product launches.
Arvind has an MBA with Distinction from Harvard, an MS in EE from Case Western Reserve University and his BTech in EE from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras.
John’s passion for investing began at age 12 when his father started buying him stocks as Christmas and birthday gifts. His interest in equities grew while in college and over the two-and-a-half years after graduation he worked as a stockbroker at William Blair & Company. In 1983, John founded Ariel to invest in undervalued small-and medium-sized companies. While our research capabilities have since expanded, his patient approach still anchors the firm today.
He received an AB in economics from Princeton University, where he was also captain of the varsity basketball team. John is active civically and professionally based on his belief that these engagements make him a better leader and a better investor. Beyond Ariel, he is a member of the board of directors of NIKE, The New York Times Company, Ryan Specialty Group Holdings and the Obama Foundation, and was a board member of McDonald’s for over 20 years. John also serves as Vice Chair of the board of trustees of The University of Chicago.
Trae Stephens is a Partner at Founders Fund, and additionally the Co-Founder and Chairman of Anduril Industries.
Trae was a senior in high school on 9/11 and was inspired to attend Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service focusing on Arabic and Security Studies, later serving as a computational linguist building enterprise solutions to Arabic/Persian name matching and data enrichment within the United States Intelligence Community.
After his time in the Intelligence Community, Trae joined as an early employee at Palantir Technologies, where he led teams focused on growth in the intelligence/defense space as well as international expansion, helping large organizations solve their hardest data analysis problems. He was also an integral part of the product team, leading the design and strategy for new product offerings. He simultaneously served as an adjunct faculty member at Georgetown University.
Trae has also served in the office of then Congressman Rob Portman and in the Political Affairs Office at the Embassy of Afghanistan in Washington, D.C. immediately following the installation of Hamid Karzai’s transitional government.
Michelle Seitz is a veteran CEO, investor and expert on global financial markets. She is the Founder and CEO of MeydenVest Partners, LLC., a private investment and strategic advisory firm.
Michelle served as Chair and CEO of Russell investments from 2017-2022. In 2022, Russell was one of the largest advisors in the world with over $300 billion in AUM and $1.2 trillion under advisement for clients in 31 countries. During her five year tenure as Chair and CEO, she reset the firm's vision and strategic direction, strengthened the executive team, modernized client offerings by adding leading-edge capabilities around private markets and ESG investing, and elevated diversity and inclusion programs. Michelle expanded the company around its purpose to improve people’s financial security.
Michelle is a frequent keynote speaker on global markets, financial security, inclusive capitalism, diversity and inclusion, leadership, and innovation. With over three decades of success as an investor and CEO, she consistently appears on Barron’s list of "The Most Influential Women in U.S. Finance," and American Banker’s list of the "Most Powerful Women in Finance." She was awarded an ‘Alumni Fellow’ by Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business in 2017.
Yassaman is a partner in the Healthcare Investment Banking Group and runs the medical device coverage effort. She served as the group's business unit manager in 2008.
Yassaman is co-head of the Georgetown University undergraduate and MBA recruiting efforts for the Investment Banking Division. She joined Goldman Sachs in 2005 as an associate and was named managing director in 2013 and partner in 2020.
Prior to joining the firm, Yassaman worked in the Investment Banking Division of Morgan Stanley and in the Corporate Development group at Avaya. Yassaman earned a BS in Foreign Service and an MBA, both from Georgetown University.
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