A small team, committed to a cause bigger than themselves,
can achieve absolutely anything.
Board Of Directors
Our Board of Directors work passionately after hours and on weekends to build Scholars of Finance as diligently, prudently, and effectively as possible.
Carla is a Vice President in the Financial Markets Infrastructure (FMI) group based in New York, focused on managing key FMI initiatives across Citi’s business globally. Born and raised in Brazil, Carla came to the USA in 2009 to earn her MBA at the University of Michigan. In 2011, Carla joined Citi as a member of their global Leadership Development program. Since then she held multiple roles across Citi’s Corporate and Consumer Bank. Carla is engaged in various mentorship and recruiting initiatives at the firm and is the Co-Chair of Citi's Hispanic & Latino Heritage Network, NYC.
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.
Katie is passionate about helping companies cultivate and sustain an ethical culture in which every person feels empowered to speak up when something may not be right, ask questions when they aren't sure, and live by their values every day, in every interaction.
As an ethics leader, HR professional and attorney, she builds strong relationships with stakeholders across the organization. She understands the needs of the business and develops programs and solutions that drive better business outcomes.
As Global Chief Ethics Officer, Katie serves as the company’s leading voice and ambassador on the importance of maintaining a strong ethical, compliance-based corporate culture. She regularly advises and supports executive leadership in evaluating ethics expectations and establishing and enforcing ethics policies.
In her free time, she is a gardener, a reluctant camper, a cat wrangler and a back-of-the-pack triathlete.
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.
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.
Elizabeth J. Sandler is the founder and has served as the chief executive officer of Echo Juliette, 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. Prior to 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 is an investment lead at Heyday based in Chicago, focused on e-commerce M&A and other growth efforts. Prior to Heyday, Nico began his career at PGIM Private Capital supporting underwriting efforts to market, execute, and manage a portfolio of private placement investments. Previously, Nico served as an elected director on the board of his national fraternity where he helped develop policy objectives and represented over a thousand undergraduates across Midwestern chapters. Nico graduated from the University of Minnesota Carlson School and led planning and execution efforts for the third annual Symposium.
Executive Team
Our executive team is engineering and executing the Scholars of Finance vision in universities from coast to coast.
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.
Miranda is the Chief Program Officer of Scholars of Finance. She is a finance professional with more than a decade of experience doing strategic planning, analysis, operational management and business and technology development work in private equity and hedge funds in the US, Europe and Asia. Miranda has a passion for finance and how the industry can be used to bring about positive change in the world.
Prior to joining SOF, Miranda held various roles with Goldman Sachs Asset Management focusing on commercial real estate, global long short equity and private equity, client strategy with AQR Capital Management and serving as the COO of a management consulting firm. She earned a B.S. in Business Management and International Business from Arizona State University with a minor in American History and a M.S. in Finance from London Business School.
Her hobbies include mentoring youth in the foster system, history, real estate, hiking, and skiing.
Advisory Board
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.
Matt is currently a founding partner of Ramp Catalyst Network, an early-stage digital health-focused venture fund, as well as acting Senior Advisor to Yellowstone Holdings helping to bring an advanced cybersecurity offering to the health market-place.
In 2014 Matt joined Accenture as the head of the Global Health Strategy practice. In 2018 he moved over to stand-up a new practice focused on the convergence of industries into health. While there he helped clients across the landscape including payers, providers, distributors, life-sciences, pharma and Med-Tech to address the disruptive changes currently affecting the healthcare industry in addition to having served those players from adjacent industries seeking health market entry. He has also worked extensively around the world including Europe, North and South America and APAC.
Prior to joining Accenture, Matt was a Partner at Bain & Co. where he developed and led Bain’s Global Medtech growth initiative from nascent to market leading in 5 years and drove the growth of their APAC health practice from Shanghai in 2011-14. He has also consistently supported PE funds in both front-end diligence and portfolio optimization. Prior to his stint at Bain he spent a decade as a serial-CEO running 3 privately backed companies and sitting on 4 boards in the med-tech, pharma and health services sectors. He originally developed his passion for healthcare while at McKinsey where he spent 5 years working across the payer/provider, pharma and med-tech sectors.
Davis is the President and Chief Executive Office of Make-A-Wish America. Davis is the former 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.
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 Goldman Sachs and the Global Head of People Experience and Organizational Design. He has a long history of experience at Goldman Sachs, previously acting as Vice President of Operations Management & Strategy, Business Architecture & Change Management, as well as Derivatives Strategy & Business Design.
Daniel is a proud graduate of Tennessee State University (an HBCU in Nashville, TN).
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.
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.
Deb Schoneman serves as president of Piper Sandler, and is a member of the firm’s board of directors. 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.
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 mentor-ship, access to global networks and venture capital.
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.
Past Speakers
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.
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.
Mr. Cecere is Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of U.S. Bancorp. Mr. Cecere has served as President of U.S. Bancorp since January 2016, Chief Executive Officer since April 2017 and Chairman since April 2018. He also served as Vice Chairman and Chief Operating Officer from January 2015 to January 2016 and was U.S. Bancorp’s Vice Chairman and Chief Financial Officer from February 2007 until January 2015. Until that time, he served as Vice Chairman, Wealth Management and Investment Services of U.S. Bancorp since the merger of Firstar Corporation and U.S. Bancorp in February 2001. Previously, he had served as an executive officer of the former U.S. Bancorp, including as Chief Financial Officer from May 2000 through February 2001.
Frank Chen is a partner at the venture capital firm, Andreessen Horowitz. Before joining Andreessen Horowitz, Frank was the VP of products at Opsware. During his tenure there, he gained expertise in enterprise software development and sales, product marketing, change management, and competitive strategies.
Prior to that, he was a director of client services at Loudcloud, where he ran data center operations for name brand customers including Fox Sports, Nike, Fandango.com and Blockbuster.
Prior to Loudcloud, Frank worked for Respond.com, where he led consumer web services as a VP of products & UI design. He also served as a director of product management at Netscape.
Prior to that, he was a product manager at Oracle. Earlier in his career, Frank was also technical writer for GO Corporation. Frank received his bachelor of science degree in symbolic systems from Stanford University.
Mr. Dolan is Vice Chair and Chief Financial Officer of U.S. Bancorp. Mr. Dolan has served in this position since August 2016. From July 2010 to July 2016, he served as Vice Chair, Wealth Management and Investment Services, of U.S. Bancorp. From September 1998 to July 2010, Mr. Dolan served as U.S. Bancorp's Controller. He additionally held the title of Executive Vice President from January 2002 until June 2010 and Senior Vice President from September 1998 until January 2002.
Debbie Heard is a managing partner at KPMG’s Bay Area Accounting Methods and Credit Services practice. She also served as the co-partner champion for the San Francisco KPMG Network of Women (KNOW) for several years and lead their San Francisco Inclusion & Diversity board. In addition, she served as the lead tax partner and lead account partner on several accounts, serving as a KPMG ambassador for those clients. She graduated from Augsburg University with a degree in Accounting and had a Masters in Business Taxation at University of Minnesota. She also served as a board member for a variety of local nonprofits.
Elizabeth M. Lilly is Chief Investment Officer and Executive Vice President for The Pohlad Companies and Marquette Companies, LLC. She oversees the public and private investments for the Pohlad family and provides leadership and management of their investment team.
Beth began her career with Goldman Sachs in 1985 in New York. In 1988, Beth joined Fund American Companies in Greenwich Connecticut where she worked as an analyst learning the merits of Value Investing. In 1997, she co-founded Woodland Partners in Minneapolis which focused on investing in small capitalization equities. In 2002, Woodland Partners was acquired by GAMCO Investors where she went on to serve as a Senior Vice President and Portfolio Manager of the $1.4 billion Teton Westwood Mighty Mites Fund and as a member of the value portfolio management team. In 2017, Beth founded Crocus Hill Partners to focus on investments in small and micro capitalization equities.
Beth received her BA in Economics from Hobart/William Smith College where she graduated with High Honors. She received her CFA designation in 1989. Beth currently serves on the board of the James J. Hill Center and The Ordway Center for the Performing Arts. Beth and her family live in St. Paul.
Sharon L. McCollam is Chairman of Sutter Health and on the board of 10 other companies.
In the past Ms. McCollam occupied the position of EVP, Chief Operating & Financial Officer at Williams-Sonoma, Inc., Chief Financial & Administrative Officer, EVP at Best Buy Co., Inc., Chief Financial Officer & Vice President of Dole Fresh Vegetables, Inc. and Divisional Chief Financial Officer at Dole Food Co., Inc.
Sharon L. McCollam received an undergraduate degree from the University of Central Oklahoma.
Ms. Katherine B. Quinn, also known as Kate, has been Vice Chairman and Chief Administrative Officer of US Bank NA and U.S. Bancorp since April 28, 2017. Ms. Quinn oversees all strategy, reputation and human resources work.
Ms. Quinn served as the Chief Strategy & Reputation Officer and Executive Vice President at U.S. Bancorp from September 2013 until April 2017. Ms. Quinn served as Executive Vice President of Strategy and Corporate Affairs at US Bank NA. Ms. Quinn joined US Bank in September 2013 and is responsible for Strategy, Marketing, Government Relations, Customer Experience, Analytics, Corporate Communications, Community Affairs and the US Bank Foundation.
Ms. Quinn served as an Executive Vice President of Strategy and Corporate Affairs at U.S. Bancorp from September 2013 until April 04, 2016. Ms. Quinn served as Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Vice President of Anthem, Inc. from March 2011 to January 2013. From September 2010 to January 2013, Ms. Quinn served as Chief Marketing Officer of Anthem, Inc. (formerly, WellPoint, Inc.), having served as Head of Corporate Marketing of WellPoint from July 2005 to September 2010. She served as Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer at The Hartford from 2003 to 2005.
John Rogers is the Lead Portfolio Manager of the Ariel Fund and Co-Portfolio Manager of Ariel Small Cap Value, Ariel Small/Mid Cap Value, Ariel Mid Cap Value and Ariel Appreciation Fund. John’s passion for investing began at age 12 when his father began buying him stocks as Christmas and birthday gifts. His interest in equities grew at Princeton University, where he majored in economics, and over the two-plus years he worked as a stockbroker for William Blair & Company, LLC.
In 1983, John founded Ariel to focus on patient, value investing within small-and medium-sized companies. While their research capabilities have expanded across the globe, patience is still the disciplined approach that drives the firm today.
Early in his career, John’s investment acumen brought him to the forefront of media attention and culminated in him being selected as Co-Mutual Fund Manager of the Year by Sylvia Porter’s Personal Finance magazine as well as an All-Star Mutual Fund Manager by USA TODAY. Furthermore, John has been highlighted alongside legendary investors Warren Buffett, Sir John Templeton and Ben Graham in the distinguished book: The World’s 99 Greatest Investors by Magnus Angenfelt. His professional accomplishments extend to the boardroom where he is a member of the board of directors of McDonald’s, NIKE and The New York Times Company.
John also serves as vice chair of the board of trustees of the University of Chicago. Additionally, he is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a director of the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights. In 2008, John was awarded Princeton University’s highest honor, the Woodrow Wilson Award, presented each year to the alumnus or alumna whose career embodies a commitment to national service. Following the election of President Barack Obama, John served as co-chair for the Presidential Inaugural Committee 2009, and more recently, he joined the Barack Obama Foundation’s Board of Directors.
Erin Sikorski joined The Wellington Group as Chief Executive Officer in 2019. As CEO, her role is to develop strategic initiatives that will lead the firm through the next phase of growth and innovation. Building on a platform of success, steeped in a culture of service, the firm will leverage all the talent, technology, and resources available to help clients achieve their financial goals.
Over a career spanning two decades, Erin has served in many leadership roles with direct experience in all aspects of the wealth management industry, including financial planning, investment management, operations and industry-wide positioning. Erin graduated Indiana University’s Kelly School of Business with a BS in Finance and is a Certified Financial Planner. Augmenting her professional work, Erin has served in several initiatives designed to promote the role of women the financial services industry. As a proud millennial, she understands the impact of disruptive technology as well as the importance of preparing for generational change and succession.
Erin was born and raised in central Indiana. She is an avid runner and a voracious reader; she has a passion for travel and exploring the world; she enjoys spending time with family and friends. Erin currently lives in suburban Indianapolis with her husband and their two children.
Catherine R. Smith is Chief Financial & Administrative Officer at Bright Health, Inc. Ms. Smith is also on the board of Baxter International, Inc., PPG Industries, Inc. and The Curtis L. Carlson School of Management.
She previously held the position of Chief Financial Officer & Executive Vice President of Kennametal, Inc., Chief Financial Officer & Executive Vice President of Target Corp., Chief Financial Officer & Executive Vice President at GameStop Corp., Chief Financial Officer & EVP-Bell Systems at Textron, Inc. and Chief Financial Officer & Executive Vice President of Bell Helicopter Textron, Inc. (a subsidiary of Textron, Inc.), Chief Financial Officer & Executive Vice President of Centex Corp., CFO, VP-Intelligence & Information Systems at Raytheon Co., Chief Financial Officer for Wal-Mart International, Chief Financial Officer & Executive Vice President at Express Scripts, Inc. and Chief Financial Officer & Executive Vice President of Express Scripts Holding Co.
She received an undergraduate degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara and an MBA from USC Marshall School of Business.
Olibia Stamatoglou is the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Compliance Officer for Victory Park Capital Partners out of Chicago, Illinois.
Olibia has an extensive background in raising secured and unsecured debt and equity capital, managing all aspects in specialty finance business and investor relations. She is a proven and successful professional with a strong background in managing operational functions, experience with financial analysis, pro-forma budgeting, and various analytical reporting.
Olibia is a 2001 graduate of DePaul University.
Robert T. Webb, also known as Rob, has served as the President of UnitedHealth Group Ventures, LLC since 2012. At UnitedHealth Group Ventures, Mr. Webb leads the investment strategies to advance innovative business models that improve the quality and affordability of healthcare. He also serves as the Senior Vice President of UnitedHealth Group.
He joined UnitedHealth Group in 2001 from One Equity Partners after a decade in venture capital, private equity and consulting. Previously, he served as the Chief Executive Officer of OptumHealth Care Solutions, Inc. at OptumHealth, Inc. Mr. Webb also served at One Equity Partners LLC, where he was a Partner and was responsible for sourcing and managing private equity investments in the health care, consumer, and financial industries. Mr. Webb joined Banc One Venture Partners in 2001 and worked in private equity with Willis Stein & Partners, L.L.C., and Sam Zell's corporate investment division. He also served as a Vice President at Equity Group Investments, LLC.
Prior to his private equity experience, he was a Consulting Manager with Arthur Anderson. He currently is on the board of Symphonix Health, Orthology, and Real Appeal. Mr. Webb has been the Chairman of Medirect Latino Inc. since June 2007 and has been its Director since March 2007.
He holds an M.B.A. from Northwestern University’s J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Minnesota.
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