Bios 2017

Board of Directors Bios

2017-2018 Officers

Carolyn Patton, CFA
First State Investments

Carolyn Patton, CFA has 26 years of experience in the investment management industry and is the Head of Distribution, Americas at First State Investments. First State Investments is a diverse global asset management business headquartered in Australia, with assets under management of $170B as of December 31, 2017. The firm’s expertise spans a range of asset classes comprising direct and listed infrastructure, fixed income, Asia Pacific and emerging markets equities. FSI places a high degree of focus on responsible investment and adopted the United Nations Principles of Responsible Investment (UNPRI) in 2007.

Prior to joining, Carolyn was Managing Director, Head of East Coast Sales and Americas Head of Consultant Relations at Deutsche Asset Management. Previously, Ms. Patton was Executive Managing Director, Principal leading the global distribution team at Turner Investments. For over six years, she lived in Denver, Colorado and was Global Head of Consultant Relations at Janus Capital Group representing all asset managers within the multi-boutique including Janus, INTECH, and Perkins. Before Janus, Carolyn was based in London, England and in West Conshohocken, PA and was Managing Director at Morgan Stanley Investment Management Ltd. and Morgan Stanley Investment Management, respectively. She also worked at Delaware Investments and started her career at SEI Investments.

Carolyn received her B.A. in Economics from The University of Virginia and is a CFA Charterholder.

 

Christopher Paolella
Liquid Strategies, LLC

Chris Paolella has over 29 years of investment industry experience, is a founding partner of Liquid Strategies and is a member of the firm’s management committee. Chris is actively involved with Liquid Strategies’ firm-wide strategy, operations, marketing and investor relations. Most recently, he served as Principal, Managing Director for the Concourse Capital Partners, L.P., a global long/short equity fund that he co-founded in 2008. Chris also co-founded affiliated, institutional investment management firm Perimeter Capital Management in 2006. At Perimeter, Chris was one of the firm’s Managing Partners and was actively involved in all aspects of the firm’s day-to-day operations. Prior to 2006, he served in senior positions with both Trusco Capital Management and Great-West Life & Annuity. Chris is a graduate of the University of Richmond, where he received a B.A. in Economics.

 

Michael R. Gillis
Greystone Managed Investments Inc.

Michael Gillis is Senior Vice-President, Business Development of Greystone Managed Investments Inc.

Immediately prior to joining Greystone, Michael held the position of Vice-President Institutional Marketing and Sales for a number of years with Seamark Asset Management. Previously, he worked for the Halifax Grammar School for 2 years, as a Teacher. Michael has also worked as a Director of Business Development for National Trust, and has held the position of Senior Account Representative for both Royal Trust and National Trust.

Michael’s professional credentials include a Bachelor of Education, which he completed at Mount Saint Vincent University and a Bachelor of Business Admin., which was obtained from St. Francis Xavier University.

Michael is also an active board member for the Association of Investment Management Sales Executives (AIMSE) and Benefits and Pensions Monitor. Michael is also actively involved in the Canadian Benefits and Pension Institute (CPBI), the Association of Canadian Pension Managers (ACPM), the Canadian Association of University Business Officers (CAUBO), and the International Foundation of Employee Benefits (IFEBP). Michael serves on the board of two charities, MAGICANA and Georgetown Walk for Wishes (Ontario).

 

Chris Rae
Elevation Marketing Advisory

Chris is Founder and Managing Director of Elevation Marketing Advisory, an outsourced marketing and client service business. Elevation Marketing Advisory, established in February 2016, is a business division of Elevation LLC, a Charlotte-based broker-dealer. In addition to its marketing advisory and execution businesses, Elevation LLC has an exclusive distribution arrangement with Variant Perception, a leading provider of cross-asset class, data-driven market commentary and research.

Elevation Marketing Advisory’s first client is Sorin Capital Management, LLC, a Stamford, Connecticut-based management firm focused on CMBS and REITs. Sorin runs hedge fund and liquid alternative strategies within these markets. Sorin currently manages over $760mm in AUM from institutional investors including pension funds, family offices, and fund of funds. Chris joined Sorin in 2014 as the Managing Director and Head of Business Development.

From 2008 to 2013, Chris was a Director of Marketing at S.A.C. Capital Advisors, L.P. focused on covering all investor types across the Americas. Prior to joining S.A.C., from 2006 to 2008 Chris was a Managing Director, Client Relations at Chilton Investment Company. From 2003 to 2006, Chris was a Vice President at Goldman, Sachs & Co. working within the Equities and Fixed Income Divisions as a member of the Pensions Services Group providing institutional sales coverage for pensions, endowments, and foundations. Prior to 2003, Chris was an Associate in Goldman’s Investment Banking Division primarily covering natural resources and industrial companies.

Chris received both his AM and BA in Philosophy from Stanford University and his JD/MBA from Duke University. Chris is on the board of AIMSE (The Association of Investment Management Sales Executives) and currently serves as President Emeritus.

 

2017-2018 Board of Directors

Alejandra Argüello
Caspian Capital LP

Alejandra Argüello, CFA, CAIA has 16 years of experience in the investment management industry. She is a member of the marketing and investor relations team for Caspian Capital, a $3 billion alternative credit manager. Previously, Ms. Argüello worked as Director of Marketing at Moneda USA and Senior Associate at Everest Capital. Prior to joining Everest, she was Vice President at BiscayneAmericas Advisors. She also worked as Assistant Director of Development at the Cato Institute in Washington, DC. Fluent in Spanish, Ms. Argüello received a B.S. in Economics and Political Science from Florida State University. She holds the CFA and CAIA designations.

Ms. Argüello is a board member of the Association of Investment Management Sales Executives (AIMSE) and a member of Toigo Foundation, New Americas Alliance and the Alternative Investment Committee for the New York Society of Security Analysts (NYSSA).

 

Gregory T. Bauer, CFA, CAIA
Parametric Portfolio Associates

Mr. Bauer is responsible for developing, coordinating, and executing the sales and marketing strategies for Parametric’s unique family of products in the Southeast region of the United States. Prior to joining Parametric in 2015, Greg worked at Crawford Investment Counsel where he was the Director of Institutional Services, responsible for leading the institutional sales and consultant relations efforts. Prior to Crawford, Greg worked for both Callan Associates and NEPC. Greg earned a B.A. from Brown University and an MBA from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Greg is a CFA charterholder and a member of the CFA Society of Atlanta. He also holds a CAIA designation.

 

Heather Conforto Beatty
First Eagle Investment Management, LLC

Heather is a vice president on the Institutional team at First Eagle Investment Management, and is responsible for managing relationships with institutions and consultants primarily in the Midwest and on the West Coast. Prior to joining First Eagle in March 2016, she was a senior vice president at TCW and, before that, co-director of global consultant relations for Thornburg Investment Management. At both firms, she focused on managing and cultivating consultant and institutional relationships. Heather began her career in investment management at Palisades Investment Partners, where she drove all efforts related to institutional business development, client service and marketing. She is a graduate of Miami University of Ohio and holds her Series 7 and Series 66 licenses. Heather is involved in several national and regional organizations. She is a co-founder of Women in Institutional Investments Network (WIIIN), a Los Angeles-based 501c3, and a board member at the Association of Investment Management Sales Executives (AIMSE).

 

Gus Catsavis, CFA
Pinnacle Asset Management, L.P.

Prior to joining Pinnacle in June 2008, Mr. Catsavis was a Principal at Focus Capital Management LLC from February 2000 to May 2008. From July 1986 to January 2000, he was the President of Asset Consulting Group, Inc. Mr. Catsavis received a B.A. in Economics from Southern Methodist University and an MBA in Finance from Washington University.

 

Brian Crowell, CFA
Millennium Management LLC

Brian is the Global Head of Liquid Alternative Solutions for Millennium Management. Brian joined Millennium in 2016, after spending 8 years at AQR Capital Management in a variety of roles, including work in their Portfolio Solutions Group, and most recently as the Global Head of Consultant Relations. Prior to joining AQR, Brian was a Summer Associate at UBS Global Asset Management in their Equities Long/Short Group and earlier as a proprietary equity trader at Trillium Trading. He became a CFA charter holder in 2009 and is a member of the CFA Institute, as well as a Board Member of the Association of Investment Management Sales Executives (AIMSE). Brian earned his AB in Chemistry from Dartmouth College and his MBA with concentrations in Analytic Finance, Economics and Accounting from the University of Chicago, Booth School of Business.

 

Jack C. Ebenreiter, CFA
Federated Investors

Jack C. Ebenreiter, CFA is Senior Vice President, Consultant Relations at Federated Investors where he is responsible for developing and strengthening the firm’s relationships with investment consultants. He joined Federated in 2009 and has 18 years of experience in client relations and business development in the investment management industry.

Prior to joining Federated, Jack served as Director, Principal and was responsible for institutional business development, consultant relations and client service at Turner Investments from 2004-2009. He spent the previous seven years at Delaware Investments as Assistant Vice President of institutional distribution.

Jack earned a BS in business administration from Rowan University and is a CFA charterholder. He is a member of the CFA Institute and the CFA Society of Philadelphia, and serves as a board member for the Philadelphia Boys Choir and Chorale and the Association of Investment Management Sales Executives (AIMSE).

 

Adam Gerentine
Trinity Street Asset Management

Adam Gerentine is a Managing Director with Trinity Street Asset Management. His responsibilities include managing key relationships with institutional investors and investment consultants throughout North America. Prior to joining Trinity Street in 2017, Adam was a Director with Tremblant Capital, where he was responsible for managing relationships with institutional consultants and direct plan sponsors. He began his career began with HGK Asset Management where he ultimately was overseeing all aspects of the firm’s business development and client service functions. Adam received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Finance from Rochester Institute of Technology and serves on the Boards of Directors Association of Investment Management Sales Executives (AIMSE).

 

Timothy P. Hill
Q — Emerging Markets Corp.

Timothy Hill is a Vice President for Q — Emerging Markets Corp, responsible for running all aspects of Sales and Marketing for the firm in North America.

Tim has had a wide variety of experience in multiple parts of the world, multiple asset classes, and multiple roles over his career. Prior to joining Q-Emerging Markets, Tim was Founder and CEO of Icon Global Strategies, an Asset Management Sales and Marketing firm. Prior to Icon Global, Tim was the Global Co-Head of Consultant Relations for Thornburg Investment Management, an asset manager with multiple equity and fixed income strategies. Before Thornburg, Tim was the Head of the US Institutional Group at Mirae Asset, South Korea’s largest money manager.

Tim was also a Senior Vice President at Lehman Brothers and Neuberger Berman in their Private Bank, Hedge Fund Group and was Global Co-Head of Sales for LibertyView, a Lehman-owned hedge fund.

Prior to his asset management sales career, Tim spent an additional 12 years in the derivatives world, as a prop trader, risk manager, and institutional derivatives salesperson in multiple asset classes for O’Connor and Associates, Swiss Bank Corporation, ABN AMRO and Kovell Calwell LLC in the USA, the UK and Switzerland.

Tim graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania with a BS in Economics in 1990, where he was President of the Class of 1990.

 

Tasleem Jamal, CFA
Sprucegrove Investment Management Ltd.

Ms. Jamal graduated from McMaster University with Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Arts (Psychology) degrees in 1996 and with an MBA (Finance) in 1999. In 1998, Ms. Jamal joined Ernst & Young Investment Advisory Services as an Investment Analyst and in 2000 she was promoted to Vice President. In this role she provided investment consulting services and managed the performance reporting team of analysts. In 2003, she joined Hewitt Associates as an Investment Consultant providing a variety of institutional client’s investment consulting services including asset allocation, investment policy development, manager reviews and searches. In 2007, she joined Burgundy Asset Management where she focused on client relationship management and business development for Burgundy’s Canadian institutional clients. Ms. Jamal was appointed Vice President of the firm in July 2010.

Ms. Jamal joined Sprucegrove in 2010 as Vice President, Marketing & Client Services and was promoted to Vice President, Head of Marketing & Client Services in 2014, overseeing all Marketing & Client servicing operations for North America. Ms. Jamal was appointed to the Business Management Committee in 2014, which is responsible for the day to day management of Sprucegrove.

Ms. Jamal is a CFA charterholder. Ms. Jamal has also studied in the Executive Education programs of the Harvard Business School, Columbia University Graduate School of Business and the CFA Institute.

Ms. Jamal is an active board member for the Association of Investment Management Sales Executives (AIMSE) and is also a member of the Toronto CFA Society and the CFA Institute.

 

Kevin A. Joy

Kevin is responsible for Midwestern business development at Weitz Investment Management. In his role he identifies, develops and cultivates strategic relationships with institutional investors, consultants, and financial intermediaries. Prior to joining Weitz Investments, Kevin spent five years at Heartland Advisors as Head of Institutional Sales and Marketing. Prior to his time there, Kevin was with New York Life Insurance Company/NYLEX Benefits as a Managing Director. For much of his career, he was a Vice President and Regional Director in the Private Wealth and Investment Management divisions of Goldman, Sachs & Co. where he focused on business development and advisory services.

Kevin earned his undergraduate degrees in Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University and an MBA in Finance from Washington University in Saint Louis. He holds Series 7 and 65 licenses and has earned the Claritas® Investment Certificate. In 2012, Kevin was included in DiversityMBA Magazine’s Top 100 Under 50 Diverse Executive & Emerging Leaders. Prior to his roles in financial services, Kevin was an Advisory Client Manager at IBM, where he was the recipient of several IBM Marketing Excellence Awards.

In his spare time, Kevin serves on the Board of Directors for both City Year Milwaukee and the Rogers Memorial Hospital Foundation. He is also an emeritus member of the Auxiliary Board of the Art Institute of Chicago.

 

John P. Mirante, CFA, CPA
BMO Global Asset Management

John is a member of BMO Global Asset Management’s institutional client relationship team. In this role, John acts as a key advisor to the firms’ clients, managing and expanding relationships across multiple asset classes. John is also a member of the BMO GAM’s Responsible Investing-ESG Committee. He began his financial services experience in 1994, and joined BMO Global Asset Management U.S. in 2013.

Prior to joining the firm, he was an Investment Relationship Manager with Northern Trust Asset Management’s institutional client group. Prior to Northern Trust, John was a Vice President with Credit-Suisse, and served as a Portfolio Consultant for their CS HOLT research division. Prior to Credit-Suisse, John was an internal auditor for Kraft Foods, and an external auditor for Crowe Chizek.

John received a B.S. in Accountancy from Northern Illinois University. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA) designation. He is a member of the CFA Society of Chicago, and currently serves as Co-Chair of the Society’s Career Management Advisory Group. He holds the Series 3,7 & 63 securities licenses, and is a Certified Public Accountant.

 

Mark Robertson
Proprietary Capital, LLC

Mark Robertson is the Director of Business Development at Proprietary Capital in Denver, Colorado. Prior to joining Proprietary, Mr. Robertson was the COO and Founding Partner of Silvergate Capital Management, a Denver based health care hedge fund. Prior to starting Silvergate, Mr. Robertson was a Vice President at Morgan Stanley in New York City. He worked in the Institutional Equity Division selling the firm’s equity products to US based asset managers. Mr. Robertson started his career in investment management at Paine Webber selling the firm’s diversified research product to West Coast based asset managers.

Mr. Robertson received his bachelor’s degree in business administration, with a concentration in finance, from the University of Vermont.

 

Christine Sasse, CFA
AB

Christine Sasse has 20 years of investment industry experience. Currently, she is a Managing Director on the consultant relations team at AB. Prior to joining the firm, she was a member of the consultant relations group at Epoch Investment Partners. Prior to joining Epoch in 2014, she spent nine years as Director of Consultant Relations and Institutional Sales at Philadelphia International Advisors (PIA), a non-U.S. and emerging market asset management firm where she was also a partner. Prior to PIA, Christine worked at CRA Rogers Casey. During her tenure, she worked as a consultant directly responsible for client programs then later was a member of the U.S. Equity Manager Research team. She earned a BS in accounting from the University of Maryland, College Park and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.

 

Rodrigo Soto
Eaton Vance Management

Rodrigo is a director of business development at Eaton Vance Management. He is based in Seattle, Washington focusing on the institutional marketplace in the Western United States and Canadian territories. Before joining Eaton Vance in 2011, Rodrigo was head of Institutional Sales in the Western U.S. at State Street Global Advisors (SSGA), responsible for sales, marketing and distribution of SSGA’s passive, enhanced and active strategies. Earlier, he was vice president, West Coast business development officer at Standish Mellon Asset Management. Mr. Soto began his career at State Street Bank & Trust. He earned a B.A. in economics from Boston College. He holds Series 3, 7 and 63 licenses with FINRA.

 

Miriam Tai, CFA, CAIA
Franklin Templeton Investments

Miriam Tai is currently Vice President of Consultant Relations for Franklin Templeton Investments. Previously, she was Managing Director at CIFC Asset Management, where she was responsible for managing consultant relationships and business development. Prior to that, she was Global Head of Consultant Relations at Itaú Asset Management, Head of US Consultant Relations at Man Investments, and a Director of Consultant Relations at BlackRock (formerly BGI). Before her asset management days, she spent time in structured finance as well as management consulting. Miriam has an MBA from the Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley, and an A.B. in Political Science from the University of Chicago. She holds both the CFA and CAIA designations. She is a native of Hong Kong, fluent in Cantonese and passable in French and Portuguese. She spends her spare time on circus activities, golf, teaching Pilates and traveling.

 

Kurt P. Terrien
Clarkston Capital Partners

Kurt joined Clarkston Capital Partners in 2013 and oversees the firm’s institutional business, including sales, consultant relations and client service. Kurt has over 20 years of industry experience. Most recently, he was the Director of Sales and Consultant Relations for Johnson Institutional Management. Prior to that, he was Vice President of Institutional Asset Management at National City Bank and a Senior Client Services Manager at World Asset Management.

Kurt received a Bachelor’s degree in Finance from Walsh College and a MBA from Wayne State University. He is a member of MAPERS (Michigan Association of Public Employees Retirement Systems) and serves on the board of AIMSE.

 

Holly Verdeyen, CEBS
Russell Investments

Holly Verdeyen is responsible for working with Russell’s institutional consulting, sales, and client service groups to promote Russell’s DC investment services. More specifically, her focus is on default investments – target date collective trusts, custom target date portfolios and Russell Adaptive Retirement Accounts. Holly also shares Russell’s perspective on trends in the defined contribution market while offering advice on best practices in institutional plan design. Holly joined Russell in 2013 from UBS Global Asset Management, where she was a DC specialist in the Defined Contribution and Retirement Solutions group, focusing on investment solution support and client relationship management, as well as broad retirement solutions and guaranteed lifetime income. Holly joined UBS Global Asset Management in 2003 from Blackrock (formerly Barclays Global Investors), where she was in a business development role within the Defined Contribution Group.

Holly is a member of the Economic Club of Chicago, and serves on the Boards of Directors for the YWCA of Metropolitan Chicago and the Association of Investment Management Sales Executives (AIMSE).

B.A., St. Norbert College
M.B.A., Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management

 

Greg Weissman
Putnam Investments

Mr. Weissman is a Consultant Relations Director for Putnam Global Institutional Management. In this role, he is responsible for managing relationships with investment consultants in the Eastern region of the United States. Mr. Weissman, who holds his Series 7 and 63 licenses with FINRA, is on the board of Proctor Academy and the Association of Investment Management Sales Executives (AIMSE). He joined Putnam in 2011 and has been in the investment industry since 2000. Past experience includes Old Mutual Asset Management as Senior Vice President, Director of Consultant Relations and Cowen & Company, Jefferies, Pacific Crest Securities, SoundView Technology Group. Mr. Weissman received his BBA from Southern Methodist University, B.B.A.

 

Kimberley Woolverton
Aberdeen Standard Investments

Kimberley joined Aberdeen Standard Investments in 2009 and is responsible for business development and client servicing for Aberdeen’s Canadian clients. Prior to joining Aberdeen, Kim spent almost 5 years at Burgundy Asset Management in Toronto where she was responsible for business development and client servicing. She also spent over 3 years with Merrill Lynch in Denver, Colorado as a Special Services Financial Planner, prior to returning to Toronto.

Kimberley earned her BSc (Distinction) degree from McGill University, completed her Canadian Securities Course (Honours) in 1995 and became a CFA charterholder in 2004. She has also completed numerous Executive Education programs including those through the Harvard Kennedy School, the Rotman School of Management and Columbia Business School. She is a member of the CFA Institute and currently serves on the Canadian and US Board of Directors of AIMSE.