- Need Technical Assistance? iltrsopportunityforum@getvfairs.io
Date & time: April 11th 9:00AM – 2:45PM CST
The Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois (TRSIL) will host its 19th Annual Opportunity Forum. Traditionally located in Springfield, Illinois, the Opportunity Forum will be brought to you virtually in 2024. TRSIL is a globally recognized institutional asset manager with assets under management of roughly $68 billion. On April 11th, the virtual conference will go live. This year's conference will include a brokerage panel, an emerging manager panel, and one-on-one sessions giving emerging asset managers and broker- dealers the opportunity to connect with TRS officers and TRS public market asset managers. The Opportunity Forum is expecting emerging and diverse managers from all asset classes.
09:00 - 09:10
Welcome message and Emerging Manager Program overview
Stan Rupnik, Executive Director & Chief Investment Officer, Teachers’ Retirement System of the State of Illinois
Jose Gonzalez, Senior Investment Officer, Diverse and Emerging Managers, Teachers’ Retirement System of the State of Illinois
David Miller, Investment Chair, Board of Trustees
Ghiane Jones, Deputy Chief Investment Officer, Teachers’ Retirement System of the State of Illinois
09:10 - 09:15
09:15 - 09:45
The brokerage industry has evolved significantly over time, transitioning from traditional full-service brokerage firms to discount brokers and online trading platforms. Technological advancements, particularly the rise of the internet and mobile devices, has led to increased competition and fee compression. While this shift has generally increased accessibility and reduced trading costs, minority brokerage firms have faced challenges in competing with larger, more established players due to barriers to entry and limited access to capital. This panel will discuss some of the changes from both the side of the asset manager and the minority broker.
Jose Gonzalez, Senior Investment Officer, Diverse and Emerging Managers, Teachers’ Retirement System of the State of Illinois
Kimberly Henney Stokes, CFA, Broker Liaison and Commission Manager, Causeway Capital Management
Marcellus Fisher, Managing Director and Head of US Trade Support, PIMCO
Connie Kreutzer, Director, Institutional Sales, Global Equity, Penserra
Kevin Di Russa, Managing Director, Fixed Income Division, Loop Capital Markets
09:45 - 10:00
10:00 - 11:30
The networking session will provide opportunities for minority broker/dealers to engage with IL TRS public equity and public income asset managers through prescheduled one-on-one meetings. During these meetings, broker/dealers will be allowed to book 15 minutes of uninterrupted time with various representatives from our public market asset managers.
Public Equity
Public Income
Public Markets Consultant
11:30 - 12:30
12:30 - 01:00
The rise of GP seeding in private markets involves experienced investors providing capital to emerging managers in exchange for a share of their future profits. This trend has gained traction as a means for established investors to diversify revenue streams, gain exposure to new investment strategies, and cultivate relationships with promising talent. For emerging managers, GP seeding offers access to capital, expertise, and a supportive network, accelerating their growth and enhancing their ability to attract institutional investors. On this panel you will hear from seeded managers currently in TRS’s Diverse and Emerging Manager Program.
Jose Gonzalez, Senior Investment Officer – Diverse and Emerging Managers
Kerstin Dittmar, Founder and Managing Partner, L2 Point Management
Robert China, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Three Line Capital
Krishna Srinivasan, Founding Partner, LiveOak Ventures
01-00 - 01:15
01:15 – 02:45
The networking sessions will provide opportunities for emerging and diverse managers to engage with IL TRS investment staff and their consultants through prescheduled one-on-one meetings. During these meetings, managers will be allowed to book 15 minutes of uninterrupted time with staff from the various asset classes.
Private Equity
Ben Skrodzki, Senior Investment Officer – Global Equity Investments
Nick Norstrom, Senior Investment Officer – Private Equity
Patrick Zheng, Investment Officer – Private Equity
Daniel Nulton, Investment Officer – Private Equity
Global Income and Private Credit
Corbin Freres, Investment Officer - Global Income Strategies
Shshank Karn, Senior Investment Analyst - Global Income Strategies
Chloe Ariss, Investment Analyst - Global Income Strategies
Sam Odeleye, Rotational Investment Analyst - Global Income Strategies
Global Public Equity
Bill Thomas, Senior Investment Officer – Global Equity
James Davis, Investment Analyst – Global Equity
Real Assets and Real Estate
Dakin Sanert, Senior Investment Officer/Real Assets
Tim Runnals, Senior Investment Officer – Real Assets
Michael Rennolds, Senior Investment Analyst – Real Assets
Diverse and Emerging Manager Program
Jose Gonzalez, Senior Investment Officer, Diverse and Emerging Managers, Teachers’ Retirement System of the State of Illinois
Ann Stone, Investment Analyst – Diverse & Emerging Managers
Andre Hester, Rotational Investment Analyst - Diverse & Emerging Managers
Consultants
Evan Walker, Manager Research Consultant, Traditional Markets - RVK
Spencer Crabb, Manager Research Analyst, Alternative Markets, RVK
Brian Shushovsky, Senior Advisory Associate, Aksia
Nick Detmer , Senior Portfolio Advisor, Aksia
Laura (Krivacek) White, Vice President – StepStone
Jose Gonzalez heads the Emerging Manager Program for the Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois (TRS). Since being established in 2005, the Emerging Manager Program has committed $2.5 billion to emerging managers with $3.5 billion currently managed by Emerging Manager Program graduates. Recognizing the need to expand on the Program’s success, in late 2020, the TRS Board of Trustees approved an increase to the Program’s commitment from $750 million to $1 billion. This dedicated evergreen pool of capital is designed to identify and invest in emerging and diverse investment managers across all asset classes. TRS is the largest public pension plan in the state of Illinois, with an investment portfolio of $64 billion. Mr. Gonzalez joined the Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois on Feb 16, 2015. Prior to joining TRS, Mr. Gonzalez was employed by the Illinois State Treasurer's Office where he was responsible for the management of the Illinois Funds Local Government Investment Pool (LGIP) and the ePay Program. Prior to the Treasurer’s Office, Mr. Gonzalez served as an Assistant Futures Commodity Broker with the LIT Division of First Options, CBOT. Mr. Gonzalez holds a B.A. degree in History/Economics from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, and an MBA degree from the Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana.
Stan Rupnik is the Chief Investment Officer for the Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois (TRS). TRS is the largest public plan in the state of Illinois, with an investment portfolio of over $64 billion. As CIO, Stan has direct oversight of all asset classes and manages an internal staff as well as the full roster of external investment managers. Stan joined TRS in April 2003. He has held various investment-related roles including portfolio management, equity research, and credit analysis. Prior to TRS, he was associated with GE Asset Management in Stamford, Connecticut, and Wayne Hummer Investments in Chicago, Illinois. Stan is an alumnus of the University of Illinois, receiving both an undergraduate degree in Economics and a Master of Business Administration from the Urbana-Champaign campus. He is also a CFA Charterholder. He is married, has two children, and resides in Springfield, Illinois.
Ghiané Jones is the Deputy Chief Investment Officer of the Teachers’ Retirement System (TRS) in the state of Illinois. Based in Chicago, Ms. Jones manages TRS’s newly established office in the city and she oversees the investments department. Her position reports directly to Executive Director and Chief Investment Officer Stan Rupnik. Prior to joining TRS, Ms. Jones worked at Meketa Investment Group as a Managing Principal, Investment Consultant in the Chicago office advising various defined benefit and health & welfare funds, with Taft Hartley, non profit, and public plan sponsors. She was also a member of the firm’s Diversity Leadership, Emerging & Diverse Manager, Endowment & Foundation, and Executive Committees. Prior to Meketa, Ms. Jones also held roles at Invesco, Northern Trust Asset Management, and Goldman Sachs. Ms. Jones received a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Hamilton College.
David Miller was appointed to the Board of Trustees in 2019. Miller has worked in his dental practice, Dr. David E. Miller & Associates, PC, since 1995 and has worked as a dentist at Miles Square Dental Clinic since 2018. From 2014-2017, he was the Director of Government Relations with Tenet Healthcare where he served as a liaison between local, state, and federal governments, forming bipartisan relationships to advance health care. Before joining Tenet, he was the Chief of the Division of Oral Health with the Illinois Department of Public Health from 2011 to 2014. For a decade prior, Miller served the 29th district in the Illinois House of Representatives, where he was recognized for his work in a range of areas from the Legislative Rule Making Committee to higher education accessibility. Miller received his Doctor of Dental Surgery from the University of Illinois College of Dentistry and his Bachelor of Science in Biomedical from Boston University.
Nick currently serves as Investment Officer – Private Equity for the $64 billion Teachers’ Retirement System of the State of Illinois, where he oversees portfolio construction across private equity buyout, growth equity, and venture capital strategies for the pension fund. He also leads the plan’s private equity co-investment program. Nick’s experience prior to joining TRS in 2021 includes equity research analyst roles at Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors and Jefferies. Nick holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois and an MBA from the University of Missouri. He also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.
Mr. Freres serves as an Investment Officer – Global Income Strategies for the $65+ billion Teachers’ Retirement System of the State of Illinois. Mr. Freres’ team is responsible for all global debt portfolios (public, private, SMAs). They manage $15-16 billion including in private credit strategies. He previously worked in Investments, focused on public and private credit, at State Farm Insurance. Freres has worked at The Vanguard Group and a mid-sized law firm. He taught through Teach For America in the Mississippi Delta. Mr. Freres has a joint JD/MBA, MS, and BA. He is licensed to practice law in Illinois.
Ben currently serves as Senior Investment Officer – Global Equity for the $64 billion Teachers’ Retirement System of the State of Illinois, where he oversees portfolio construction across domestic, international, and global public equity strategies for the pension fund. Ben’s experience prior to joining TRS in 2016 includes roles in private wealth management and investment banking. Ben holds a BA in Mathematics and Economics from Washington & Lee University and an MBA from Northwestern University. He also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) designations.
Mr. Thomas has worked on the plan’s public equity portfolio since he was hired in 2007. His roles include performing due diligence on existing public equity mandates, and also researching prospective strategies to enhance the public equity composite. Prior to joining the Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois, Mr. Thomas was employed at Robert Baird as an equity portfolio analyst. Mr. Thomas is a CFA charterholder. He holds a Master of Science degree in Finance from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He also has received a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside.
Mr. Sanert is a Real Assets Senior Investment Officer for the Teachers’ Retirement System of the State of Illinois (“TRS”). In his role, he is involved in sourcing, researching, and managing alternative real estate and real asset investments and relationships on behalf of TRS’s ~$69.5B defined benefit pension plan while also providing oversight for existing investments with separate account and commingled fund managers. Real assets has a long-term target of 18% of the total portfolio and has a current NAV of ~$12.6B. Prior to joining TRS in 2008, Mr. Sanert was VP of Operations and Loan Officer for Alliance Community Bank. Mr. Sanert received a B.S. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2000 and earned his M.B.A. from the University of Illinois at Springfield in 2007. Mr. Sanert, a native of central Illinois, currently resides in Sherman with his wife Theresa and two boys (Gavin – 13, Brody – 8).
Michael assists in overseeing the ILTRS Real Assets portfolio which encompasses the plans investments in real estate, infrastructure, agriculture, and timber. After graduating from Southern Illinois University with a Bachelor of Science in Finance, Michael began his career in the ILTRS investment accounting department. Michael later transitioned to the investments department to support the Real Assets team where he currently assists in the management of the $12.6 billion Real Assets portfolio.
Patrick currently serves as Investment Officer – Private Equity for the $64 billion Teachers’ Retirement System of the State of Illinois, where he oversees portfolio construction across various private equity strategies such as venture capital, growth equity and buyouts for the pension fund. Patrick also serves an important role in plan’s private equity co-investment program. Prior to joining TRS, Patrick worked as a Manager in Deal Advisory (Transaction Services) department at PricewaterhouseCoopers where he participated 50+ deals of M&A as well as other types of transactions for PE and Corporates and the Assurance department at Ernst & Young. Patrick holds a Bachelor’s degree of double major in Commercial English & Finance (minor) from the Central University of Finance and Economics in Beijing, China and a Master’s degree in Finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. He also holds the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) designation.
Katie DellaMaria has joined The Teachers’ Retirement System of IL as an Investment Officer focusing on Global Income Strategies, including investments in public and private credit. Before joining TRS, Katie spent the last decade as a portfolio manager at Aviva Investors and BMO Global Asset Management focusing on short duration fixed income strategies. Prior to that, she spent five years at Pacific Investment Management Company on the institutional client service team. She also held positions at Nuveen and JPMorgan. Katie earned her MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from the University of Notre Dame. She is also a CFA® charterholder and is a member of the CFA Institute.
Ann Stone is an Investment Analyst for the Teachers’ Retirement System of the State of Illinois (TRS). Mrs. Stone is responsible for conducting primary due diligence on prospective and existing Investment Managers across all asset classes for the Emerging Manager Program. Prior to joining TRS, Mrs. Stone was an Underwriting Assistant at Markel Surety. She also has a background in banking. Mrs. Stone holds a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Illinois in Springfield and received a Bachelor of Management and Organization Development from Benedictine University in Springfield, IL.
Ms. Stokes manages Causeway’s broker relationships and operates Causeway’s broker vote and commission allocation processes. Prior to this role, from 2001 to 2009, Ms. Stokes was a Causeway fundamental research analyst, responsible for investment research in telecommunication services, insurance, and global information technology. From 1998 to 2001, Ms. Stokes worked for the international team of the Hotchkis & Wiley division of Merrill Lynch Investment Managers (HW-MLIM) as a quantitative research associate. Ms. Stokes has a BA in Economics from Yale University. She is a CFA charterholder and member of the CFA Society of Los Angeles.
Mr. Fisher is a managing director and head of the Americas trade support teams, partnering closely with trade floor leadership globally to operate PIMCO’s critical trade floor functions around the world. Mr. Fisher is based in the Newport Beach office. Prior to joining PIMCO in 2000, he spent 10 years in fixed income operations and in trading in the mortgage arbitrage group at Bankers Trust in New York. He has 33 years of investment experience and holds an undergraduate degree from the State University of New York at Stony Brook.
Connie joined Penserra in August 2012, and was instrumental in opening the Chicago office. At Penserra, she is Director of Institutional Sales for global equity trading. She has over 35 years of investment industry experience on both the buy and sell side. Most recently she was Director of Institutional Sales Trading at JMP Securities. Prior to JMP she was a Director of Transition Management Sales at Knight Equity. She spent 4 years as a Managing Director at Banc of America Securities where she oversaw Institutional Equity Sales Trading in the Mid-West and covered large hedge fund clients. For nine years she was Director of Trading for Driehaus Capital Management where she managed the global equity team of 8 and built one of the first emerging markets trading desks in the country. She has extensive knowledge and experience with high-touch, algorithmic, dark-pool, and program trading execution strategies in addition to significant sales and sales management experience. Connie holds a degree in Business Management from Northern Illinois University, and a Certificate in Diversity and Inclusion from Cornell University in addition to FINRA security licenses 7, 24, 55, 63 and 66.
Kevin Di Russa is a Managing Director and Head of Loop Capital Markets’ Taxable Fixed Income Sales, Trading, and Syndicate. He has 30+ years of experience in the financial services industry and has an extensive amount of experience in leading fixed income divisions. Prior to working at Loop Capital Markets, Mr. Di Russa most recently served as Co-Head of Fixed Income sales and trading at CastleOak Securities, he was also a member of their Executive Management Committee and Strategy and Operating Committee. Preceding Castle Oak Securities, Mr. Di Russa held similar position at several regional firms. He spent the first 13 years of his career at Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, trading an extensive and diverse assortment of both Mortgage Backed, and Asset Back Securities. Mr. Di Russa attended St. Francis University, and holds his Series 7, 24, and 63 licenses.
Kerstin Dittmar is the Founder, Chief Investment Officer, and Managing Partner of L2 Point Management LLC (“L2 Point”). L2 Point is an emerging investment manager focused on structure equity solutions for late-stage growth companies. L2 Point targets investments intended to provide “growth-equity-like” returns at a portfolio level, with significantly lower volatility of outcomes, while addressing a risk reward gap left in between credit and equity funds. Prior to founding L2 Point in 2019, Ms. Dittmar led the structured equity strategy for TPG Sixth Street Partners (“TSSP”), a $70+ billion AUM special situations platform. Ms. Dittmar joined TSSP in 2010, as one of the newly formed platform’s earliest team members and spent the following eight years working on various strategies across the capital structure as TSSP broadened its mandate. Ms. Dittmar started her career in 2006 at Goldman Sachs in the America’s Special Situation Group (“AmSSG”), a multi-billion dollar on balance-sheet investing platform. Within AmSSG, Ms. Dittmar was a founding member of the Private Capital Investing team focused on structured growth and middle market equity opportunities. Ms. Dittmar received a B.A. in Economics from Duke University where she graduated summa cum laude. She is the founder and chair of the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Miracles on the Bay Committee and is an active mentor with American Corporate Partners, mentoring veterans transitioning from active service to civilian employment. Ms. Dittmar serves on the Board of Directors of Wasabi Technologies, SimSpace, Fabletics, and Revolution Foods.
Mr. China has over 22 years of relevant investment experience, which include 17 years at the Fortress Investment Group. During his tenure at Fortress, Mr. China was a portfolio manager, responsible for sourcing, underwriting or managing more than $2 billion of credit-focused investments within the Fortress Credit business. While a member of the credit team, he developed expertise in managing and investing in various investment products, including loan originations, non-performing loans, secondary LP interests in corporate and real estate partnerships, as well as distressed debt, and various other orphaned assets. From 2012-2016, and through various economic cycles, Mr. China co-headed Fortress’s joint ventures and orphaned assets group, sourcing, underwriting, structuring, and asset managing numerous types and all manner of illiquid investments. Prior to working at Fortress, Mr. China was a senior accountant with Deloitte & Touchein its New York office. Mr. China has a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from North Carolina A&T State University.
Krishna Srinivasan is a co-founder of LiveOak Ventures and has been investing in early-stage Texas-based companies and entrepreneurs since 2000. His active board involvements at LiveOak include DISCO (NYSE: LAW), BackFlip, Eventus Systems, Homeward, Kinjo, LitLingo, Nada Finance, Ojo Labs, Real Work Labs, Rollick, SchooLinks, and Talent Guard. His notable past investments include Digital Pharmacist (acquired by K1), Hive9 (acquired by BrandMaker), Iris Plans (acquired by Aledade), Mavenir Systems (NYSE: MVNR), Opcity (acquired by Newscorp), StackEngine (acquired by Oracle), Telestax (acquired by Mavenir). Prior to co-founding LiveOak in 2012, Krishna was a Partner at Austin Ventures. Previously he worked at Motorola, where he wrote large-scale optimization software for supply chain planning and worked with a variety of business units on strategic and operational issues. He started his professional career at SEMATECH. Krishna received his MBA from Wharton, where he graduated with the highest academic honors as a Palmer Scholar. He also has an MS in Operations Research from the University of Texas at Austin and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology. Krishna currently serves as Chairman of the Miracle Foundation board, an Austin-based nonprofit organization that supports orphanages in India and foster care programs in the United States. He also serves as Vice Chair of the board of PBS Austin and previously chaired the Strategic Planning Committee of the Board. When he’s not working, you can find him running the trails of Austin, practicing yoga, and spending time with his wife and three kids.
Dan Nulton serves as a Private Equity Investment Officer based out of TRSIL’s Chicago office; in this role, Dan evaluates prospective managers and co-investment opportunities as a member of the System’s four-person dedicated PE team. Dan’s tenure as an LP spans generalist and specialist experiences across the non-profit spectrum; prior to joining TRSIL, Dan was a Senior Investment Analyst at the Boston University Investment Office and a Senior Investment Associate at Cambridge Associates’ Pensions practice. He received his undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College and returned to Hanover for his MBA at the Tuck School of Business, where he was a Tuck Scholar and recipient of the Lillian and Charles Leech Prize for Excellence in Finance. In his free time, Dan plays trombone, golf, and Dungeons & Dragons
Mr. Karn is a Senior Investment Analyst with the Global Income Strategies for the Teachers’ Retirement System of the State of Illinois (“TRS”). In his role, he is involved in sourcing and evaluating new potential managers and structures for the Global Income portfolio on behalf of TRS’s ~$69.5B defined benefit pension plan while also providing oversight for existing investments with separate account and commingled fund managers. Global Income Strategies has a long-term target of 26% of the total portfolio and has a current NAV of $15.9 billion. Prior to joining TRS in 2024, Mr. Karn was a Senior Associate at LAGO Asset Management where he evaluated and executed investment across capital stack (Direct Lending, Venture Equity, and Venture Debt). Prior to LAGO, Mr. Karn was at Hercules Capital executing investments in venture backed companies in the Life Sciences and Technology sectors. Mr. Karn started his career in Real Estate Private Capital Advisory at Wells Fargo Securities.
As an Analyst of the Global Income Strategies team, Chloe assists with all aspects of portfolio management, including allocation, analyzing markets and portfolios, and is responsible for reporting across public and private managers. Before joining TRSIL, Chloe was a Portfolio Management Intern at Partners Enterprise Capital, a private equity real estate firm based in Chicago. As an undergrad, she managed the Consumer Discretionary equities sector on behalf of Northern Illinois University’s Student Managed Portfolio. Chloe received her Bachelor of Science in Finance and a Minor in Business Analytics. She is finishing a Master of Finance with a specialization in FinTech from Northern Illinois University.
Sam Odeleye is currently a Rotational Investment Analyst at TRS. He joined TRS Nov – 2023 and previously worked at Allstate Investment LLC in Investments Pricing and Valuation. Prior to that, he worked at KPMG LLP(US) in Corporate Finance and Accounting and Northern Trust Asset Management.
James is an investment analyst covering Global Public Equities. James started his career in 2016 with Wells Fargo Advisors, working from their headquarters in St. Louis, MO. While there, he held roles as an analyst with their investment products group and as a financial advisor, where he oversaw approximately $12 million in assets under management and approximately $23 million in additional assets under administration. He joined Capital Group in 2020 as a lead data scientist responsible for firm strategy, quantitative FP&A, forecasting and model development for American Funds Service Company. James joined TRS in November of 2024, following a move to Springfield, IL to be closer to his family. James has a BA and MA in Economics from Southern Illinois University and is a CFA level 3 candidate.
Mr. Runnalls has worked on the plan’s real assets portfolio since he was hired in 2023. His roles include performing due diligence on existing real asset mandates, and also researching prospective strategies to enhance the real asset composite. Prior to joining the Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois, Mr. Runnalls was employed at Ascension Investment Management as a Managing Director of Investments. Mr. Runnalls is a CFA charterholder. He holds a Master of Business Administration and Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Washington University in St. Louis.
Andre Hester serves as the Investment Analyst within the $1.0 billion Emerging Manager Portfolio at the Teachers Retirement System of the State of Illinois (TRS). Mr. Hester is responsible for performing activities that advance the diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) objectives of TRS, as well as activities that enhance the Office’s investment operations. This entails assisting Minority and Women Owned Enterprises (MWBE) financial institutions, investment firms, and other organizations that seek to do business with TRS, administering outreach to Emerging and MWBE firms, helping them navigate application and eligibility processes, tracking and reporting utilization of firms, planning DEI events, and identifying innovative new collaborative opportunities. Mr. Hester is a member of the United States Army Reserves. He currently serves as the Personal & Professional Development Chair on the Chicago Urban League Metroboard. Additionally, he is an active mentor to students participating in the Greenwood Project and Financial Services Pipeline, organizations that introduces Black and Latinx students from underprivileged communities to the financial services industry. He received his B.A. in Political Science from Illinois College in Jacksonville, IL.
Spencer joined RVK in 2021 and is a member of the Investment Manager Research Team. His primary responsibilities include researching hedge fund investment options, creating investment manager search reports, and assisting clients and consulting teams with hedge fund-related evaluation and research. Spencer graduated from Boise State University with a BA in Economics and a BBA in Finance.
As a Senior Advisory Associate, Brian works with the Portfolio Advisory team to support investors’ alternative investment portfolios, primarily focusing on servicing the day-to-day investment program needs. Brian joined Aksia in 2019 and graduated summa cum laude from Rutgers University with a BS in Finance.
As a Senior Portfolio Advisor, Nicholas is part of the Portfolio Advisory team in the Americas responsible for alternative investment programs, including portfolio construction, risk management and manager evaluation. He supports investment processes, manager sourcing and selection, portfolio analysis and implementation, as well as governance management and reporting. Prior to joining Aksia in 2023, Nicholas held several roles at the Indiana Public Retirement System. In his most recent role, he was Deputy Chief Investment Officer, where he led asset allocation and investments strategic planning efforts among other team- and plan-management-related responsibilities. Earlier in his career, Nicholas worked as a Securities Analyst in fixed income research at 40|86 Advisors, Inc. and as an Associate and as a Financial Analyst/Business Analyst in equity research at Goldman Sachs. Nicholas graduated with highest distinction from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a BA in Economics and holds an MBA in Finance and Entrepreneurship & Innovation with distinction from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He is a CFA charterholder and holds the CAIA designation.
Prior to joining StepStone, Ms. White was in the Alternative Investments and Manager Selection Group at Goldman Sachs. Ms. White graduated with honors with a BA in political economy and a minor in business administration from Georgetown University.
Evan joined RVK in 2020 and is a member of the Investment Manager Research team. He serves as a Manager Research Consultant for public equity with coverage across regions and styles with an emphasis on entrepreneurial and diverse managers. Evan is responsible for leading research initiatives and evaluating asset managers in public equity, providing reporting and analyses, preparing search recommendations, and communicating pertinent manager updates to clients and consulting teams. Prior to RVK, Evan was a Senior Research Analyst for Legato Capital Management where he was responsible for equity manager research and selection. He earned a BA degree in Environmental Studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz. He has passed the CFA Level I exam.
