BLUEARC CAPITAL - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Advisors
- Managing Partner of Heidrick & Struggles, Inc
Mr. Luke is a former Managing Partner of Heidrick & Struggles, Inc., a global executive recruiting firm where he spent fourteen years and ran the east coast operations (Atlanta, Jacksonville, Charlotte, Tysons Corner, Washington D.C., and Boston). At Heidrick he became the primary professional development mentor in the firm and the visible "Keeper of the Culture" around the globe. After his tenure at Heidrick, Wayne worked with Arthur M. Blank, the co-founder of The Home Depot, and served as the Executive Vice President of People and Organizational Development for the family of businesses owned and operated by Mr. Blank with primary focus on the Atlanta Falcons football franchise. Wayne played a critical role in the revitalization and restructuring of the Falcons organization while enjoying the ever-changing dynamics of working with a significant family foundation, a Montana-based guest ranch, two professional sports franchises, and a very influential and active family office, and a dynamic and highly visible owner. Prior to his career in Atlanta, GA, Wayne began his career with Raychem in Menlo Park, CA and then became involved with two venture-backed technology companies in Silicon Valley. He also grew a successful think-tank consulting practice in Santa Clara, CA and established himself as an experienced leader. Wayne has served on a variety of community boards including the Metropolitan Atlanta YMCA, The Atlanta Opera, and the Georgia Tech Alumni Association Board of Trustees, and he is currently a Partner at Witt Kiefer's executive search business. He is a graduate of Georgia Tech where he earned a B.S. in Industrial and Systems Engineering with honors, and earned his MBA from the Harvard Graduate School of Business.
Job Titles:
- Chief Compliance Officer
- Operations & Compliance Director & Chief Compliance Officer
Mrs. Thomas serves as Chief Compliance Officer of BlueArc Capital Management, the firm's SEC-registered investment adviser. She is also a Director in BlueArc Capital's operations group in which she focuses on the day-to-day administration of the funds including investor relations and reporting. She provides our team with support on operational due diligence and administrative matters. She is also responsible for the implementation and ongoing maintenance of BlueArc Capital's investor reporting systems. Mrs. Thomas earned a Bachelor of Arts degree at Kennesaw State University.
Job Titles:
- Finance & Accounting Vice President
- Vice President of Finance & Accounting
Mr. Eig serves as a Vice President of Finance & Accounting. In this capacity, he oversees the monthly, quarterly, and annual close processes for BlueArc's funds. Prior to joining BlueArc, Eric was a senior fund accountant at EJF Capital, an alternative asset management firm based in Arlington, Virginia. Eric received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with majors in Accounting and Finance from the Olin Business School at Washington University (St. Louis).
Job Titles:
- Director at BlueArc Capital Partners
- Private Equity Director
Mr. Lamon serves as a Director at BlueArc Capital Partners, the firm's private equity group. Mr. Lamon has more than a decade of experience in the financial services industry serving the investment needs of institutional and family office clients. In his previous role at Credit Suisse, he focused on analysis of alternatives allocations for his team's family office and endowment clients. Mr. Lamon was responsible for implementing a bilateral reverse repurchase agreement between a syndicate of 10 international investment banks and a large exchange client for the management of their $50 Billion guaranty fund (the first such transaction of its kind). Prior to joining Credit Suisse, he worked in New York with Knight Capital Group and in London with StateStreet, advising institutional accounts regarding International Equity and Foreign Exchange Investments. Mr. Lamon holds an MBA in International Finance from the Australian School of Business and a B.A. in Economics from the University of Virginia. He also served as a member of the Board of Directors of Choice Adhesives.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Advisors
- Retired Chairman and CEO of Invesco North America
Mr. Harris is the retired Chairman and CEO of Invesco North America where he oversaw in excess of $110 billion in financial assets. He also served as CEO of Invesco Retirement Services and as Chief Financial Officer of Invesco. In addition, he served on the board of directors of AMVESCAP, the holding company of Invesco and AIM mutual funds (in excess of $400 billion in assets during his board service). Prior to Invesco, he served as Assistant Director at the Office of Management and Budget under President Jimmy Carter. He is a past president of the Georgia Tech Alumni Association Board of Trustees and a past chair of the Georgia Tech Foundation Board of Trustees. Harris served on the Georgia Council on Economic Education and is a director of the St. Joseph's Translational Research Institute. He also serves as a member of the Board of Directors at Aaron's Inc. (NYSE: AAN) and a trustee of SEI Mutual Funds. He also served as a member of the President Jimmy Carter Center Board of Councilors.
Job Titles:
- Portfolio Manager & Principal of the BlueArc Alternative Real Estate Fund
- Real Estate Principal & Portfolio Manager
Mr. Fulton serves as the Portfolio Manager & Principal of the BlueArc Alternative Real Estate Fund. Mr. Fulton was previously a Vice President at Blackstone's $10 Billion Strategic Opportunity Fund in New York where he focused on structured investments across various asset classes. Prior to Blackstone, he held investment team positions at New York-based credit funds, Melody Capital Partners and Seafield Capital Management. He began his career as a M&A analyst at Evercore where he advised companies on mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, capital raises and other strategic corporate transactions. Mr. Fulton received a B.S. degree in Commerce with concentrations in Finance and Accounting from the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia.
Joseph G. Licata, Jr. serves as the Managing Partner of BlueArc Capital Partners, the firm's private equity group. He brings an operationally focused approach to BlueArc Capital Partners' portfolio companies with his prior experience as a Chief Executive Officer and investor. Mr. Licata served as the Chairman of Choice Adhesives, and he is currently the Chairman of Brunswick Bowling Products and serves as a board director of Sanmina Corporation (Nasdaq: SANM), a global Fortune 500 electronic manufacturing company. Prior to his tenure at BlueArc, he was the President of Siemens Enterprise Networks, a multi-billion dollar division of Siemens, a global conglomerate. He also served as President and Chief Executive Officer of SER Solutions, Inc., a global call management and speech analytics software company, which was acquired in 2008. Mr. Licata started his career with ROLM Corporation, which was acquired by IBM, where he held several executive leadership positions. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Florida State University.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Management Team
- Managing Director of Finance & Accounting
Mrs. Joerger serves as the Managing Director of Finance & Accounting. She has more than 19 years of experience in public accounting and asset management. Prior to joining BlueArc Capital, she was the Chief Compliance Officer and Controller for Chi-Rho Financial, LLC in Atlanta, GA. At Chi-Rho, Mrs. Joerger developed and administered the compliance program for the firm and managed the accounting for the firm's self-administered fund of funds products. Prior to her time at Chi-Rho, she began her career at a local public accounting firm Williams, Benator, and Libby, LLP, where she oversaw engagements in a variety of industries, including investment management. Mrs. Joerger earned an MBA degree with a focus in accounting and a dual Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Corporate Finance and Accounting, both from the Robinson School of Business at Georgia State University. She is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in Georgia.
Job Titles:
- Private Equity Senior Partner
- Senior Partner of BlueArc Capital Partners
Mr. Roher serves as a Senior Partner of BlueArc Capital Partners, the firm's private equity group, as well as BlueArc Mezzanine Partners, the firm's mezzanine lending strategy. He also serves on the Board of Advisors of Callodine Strategic Credit. With over 30 years of private equity investing and investment banking experience, Mr. Roher has been directly involved in the successful execution of a variety of acquisitions, divestitures, and equity and debt financings aggregating over $11 billion in value. Prior to merging his firm with BlueArc Capital Partners, he founded and operated for fourteen years Roher Capital Group, a private equity and merchant banking firm. Before Roher Capital Group, he was the President and Founder of Center Street Capital Partners, LLC, a $110 million private equity firm affiliated with the Stephens family office. Center Street companies generated $500 million of revenues and employed over 1,500 workers. Prior to founding Center Street, he served as Director of Fixed Income Corporate Finance for Stephens Inc., one of the largest privately owned investment banks in the U.S., where he worked principally with closely held and family-owned companies originating, structuring, and raising private equity and debt capital. He also advised on mergers and acquisitions and originated new acquisition opportunities for the multi-billion dollar Stephens family office. Before joining Stephens Inc., he served as Vice President in the investment banking group of Citigroup and worked at Salomon Brothers Inc. in New York as an Associate in the Corporate Finance Department. He is a graduate of New York University (BS in Finance) and the NYU Stern School of Business (MBA). He has served as a member of the Board of Directors of Brunswick Bowling Products, Choice Adhesives, and Mountain Valley Spring Water.
Job Titles:
- Strategy Partner
- Managing Director of Callodine Strategic Credit
Mr. Barfield is a Managing Director of Callodine Strategic Credit (which merged with BlueArc Mezzanine Partners) where he co-leads the General Partner for the BlueArc Mezzanine Partners Fund. With more than 20 years experience working with middle market companies, Mr. Barfield has executed M&A, capital raise, and principal investment transactions aggregating over $10 billion in value. Prior to leading BlueArc Mezzanine Partners Fund I, Mr. Barfield was a Principal in the debt investment arm of H.I.G. Capital, a $18 billion private equity and debt investment firm. Prior to H.I.G. Capital, he was a Partner at Nancy Creek Capital, a mezzanine debt fund focused on the lower middle market. At Nancy Creek Capital, Mr. Barfield raised institutional and high-net worth capital, originated and executed on new debt and equity transactions, monitored the portfolio, served on company Board of Directors, and guided the successful realization of investments. Prior to Nancy Creek Capital, Mr. Barfield worked within the Investment Banking group of Wachovia Securities. Over 11 years at Wachovia Securities, he worked within various M&A and debt capital market groups, including private equity and mezzanine placement, high yield, investment grade senior notes, and origination. Prior to Wachovia Securities, he began his career at Ernst & Young, first within corporate tax consulting and then within the National Corporate Finance practice. He has a B.S. in Business Administration and a Master of Accounting degree, both from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at UNC - Chapel Hill. He received his CPA license in 1995
Job Titles:
- Managing Director
- Special Situations Managing Director
Peter serves as the Managing Director of the firm's Special Situations Group. He has over 17 years of experience focusing on distressed / event-driven credit private and public investments and leads our sector-focused distressed credit investment strategy. Prior to joining BlueArc, he was a Portfolio Manager & Partner at Paloma Partners Management Company where he specialized in aircraft ABS, EETCs, LSE closed-ended funds, liquidating trusts/litigation claims, private investments, and other structured credit products. Prior to Paloma, he began his career in Citigroup's Fixed Income & Global Structured Solutions Investment Banking Group. Mr. Sheeran is a graduate of the University of Virginia where he earned a Bachelor of Science from the McIntire School of Commerce. At University of Virginia, he was an Echols Scholar, a recipient of the Joseph Goldsten Distinguished Award in Finance, and a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Advisors
Mr. Shirk has more than 30 years of experience in insurance, employee benefits, and healthcare and over 20 years experience in investment management. He served as President, CEO and Chairman between 1996 and 2002 of Cerulean Companies, the holding company of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia, and as President & CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia from 1992 to 2001. Previously, Mr. Shirk held senior officer positions with The Equitable Life Assurance Society, Equicor and Cigna. Active in a broad range of business and community affairs, Mr. Shirk serves on the Boards of AMERIGROUP Corp., the SSgA Funds and several private companies. He also serves on the Board of the Metro Atlanta YMCA, the Woodruff Arts Center and its investment committee and is a member of the Society of International Business Fellows. He recently completed service on the Board of Trustees of Gettysburg College, the Board of the Southeastern Region American Red Cross Blood Services and as Chair of the Metro Atlanta American Red Cross Board. Mr. Shirk was also instrumental while at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia in the formation and funding of the Healthcare Georgia Foundation, was a founding board member and served as Board Chair and continues to serve on the investment committee.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Founder
- Member of the Management Team
Mr. Zazworsky is the Founder and serves as the Chief Executive Officer of BlueArc Capital. Since the firm's inception in 2005, Mr. Zazworsky has created the firm's strategy and led the development across its multi-strategy alternative investment offerings. He also currently serves as Chairman of BlueArc Credit Alternatives Fund Management LLC, as a member of BlueArc Mezzanine Partners' General Partner committee, and as member of the Board of Advisors of Callodine Strategic Credit. Prior to founding BlueArc, Mr. Zazworsky began his career in corporate restructurings and turnarounds at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC) in New York where he focused on international distressed situations. After his tenure at PwC, he executed his first private equity transaction as an investor and co-founder of a web-based software company which was successfully sold to a strategic acquirer. Mr. Zazworsky earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Analytical Finance from Wake Forest University where he graduated with honors. He is a member of YPO (Southern 7 Chapter) and also serves as a board member of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, which is a global medical research leader and was first in the world to develop and implant laboratory-grown human organs into diseased patients.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Management Team
- Managing Director of Alternative Investments
Mr. Crenshaw serves as a Managing Director of Alternative Investments. He has over 19 years of alternative investment experience serving institutional and high net worth clientele with a focus on manager research and due diligence, quantitative analytics, and portfolio management. Prior to joining BlueArc Capital, he served as Chief Investment Officer for Irongate Capital, a multi-family office focused on alternative assets and as a co-founding partner leading the investment program for SoundRiver Advisors. Prior to Irongate, he was a Vice President at Private Advisors, a large institutional alternative asset management firm. At Private Advisors, he sat on the investment committee for over $2 Billion fund of funds investments which covered credit, private debt, and various hedge fund strategies. Mr. Crenshaw began his career at Davenport & Company as a programmer/analyst for an equity portfolio manager. He graduated from the University of Virginia with both Masters and Bachelor of Science degrees in Systems Engineering. Mr. Crenshaw has earned the right to use the CFA designation and is an active member with the CFA Institute's Atlanta affiliated society.
Job Titles:
- Strategy Partner
- Managing Director of Callodine Strategic Credit
Mr. Brannon is a Managing Director of Callodine Strategic Credit (which merged with BlueArc Mezzanine Partners) where he co-leads the General Partner for the BlueArc Mezzanine Partners Fund. Mr. Brannon has more than 20 years experience in a variety of roles working with middle market companies, including mezzanine and private equity investing, direct operating, investment banking, commercial lending, and business valuation consulting. Prior to leading BlueArc Mezzanine Partners Fund I, he was a Partner at Nancy Creek Capital, a mezzanine debt fund focused on the lower middle market. At Nancy Creek Capital, Mr. Brannon raised institutional and high-net worth capital, originated and executed on new debt and equity transactions, monitored the portfolio, served on company Board of Directors, and guided the successful realization of investments. From 2002 to 2006, Mr. Brannon was an owner and operator of Action Air, LLC, a privately-held restaurant equipment and services company where revenue more than tripled during his tenure. Prior to Action Air, Mr. Brannon worked in the Investment Banking Group at Raymond James & Associates, where his activities included executing public and private capital raises, mergers and acquisitions transactions, and strategic advisory assignments with a focus on telecommunications equipment companies. Prior to receiving his MBA, Mr. Brannon spent two years in the Business Valuation Group at KPMG Peat Marwick. He was responsible for providing business enterprise, capital stock, and intangible asset valuations. He also spent over two years in the Commercial Banking Group at NationsBank. During that time, he managed a senior debt portfolio of 25 middle market companies with revenue ranging from $5 million to $150 million. Mr. Brannon holds a BBA from the University of Georgia and an MBA with concentrations in finance and accounting from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Mr. Young serves as a Managing Director in the Corporate Development group at BlueArc Capital. Mr. Young has over 40 years' experience in sales, in capital markets groups and for alternative asset managers. For the past 17 years, he has developed and managed institutional relationships for various alternative investment firms. Prior to joining BlueArc Capital, Mr. Young was a Managing Director at Newmarket Capital, where he was responsible for marketing the firm's private credit strategy to a wide range of institutional investors. Prior to Newmarket, Mr. Young was a managing Director at Mariner Investment Group, where he covered institutional investors on behalf of the firm's hedge fund and private credit strategies. Prior to Mariner, Mr. Young was a founding Partner at Camulos Capital, where he managed sales and investor relations for that firm's event-driven credit and special situations strategies. Mr. Young began his career on Wall Street, as a Director of Sales within the municipal bond department at Citigroup. He earned his BA from Bowdoin College, where he was a captain of the men's varsity squash team.