ADVANTAGE CAPITAL - Key Persons
Adam Constantinides is a vice president at Advantage Capital. As a member of the solar investment team, Adam focuses on sourcing investments, performing due diligence, structuring transactions and portfolio management.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Adam worked for Altus Power America, a renewable energy investment firm, where he was responsible for the development, underwriting and execution of solar investments. He also previously held a position at Regional Plan Association where he evaluated financial impacts of climate change in the New York metropolitan area.
Adam received his bachelor's degree in environmental studies with a minor in social innovation/entrepreneurship from Tulane University where he graduated cum laude.
Job Titles:
- Director of Business Intelligence
Adam Suberi is director of business intelligence at Advantage Capital. As a member of the firm's investment group, he is responsible for analyzing investments and portfolio companies in Missouri.
Prior to joining the firm, Adam worked as an associate at A.G. Edwards & Sons in the Investment Banking Capital Markets Group. He also worked for three years as a member of the Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities Group at Fitch Ratings, Inc., where he assessed the financial risk of bonds structured by investment banks.
Adam earned his MBA from the John M. Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis and a bachelor's degree in economics from Northwestern University.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Senior Tax Associate
Adam Tignor is a senior tax associate at Advantage Capital. In his role, Adam is responsible for preparing CAPCO partnership tax returns and supplementary tax schedules, as well as performing technical research.
Prior to joining the firm, Adan worked for Stifel Financial's corporate tax department where he was responsible for preparing federal and state tax returns, as well as handling tax compliance issues in the financial services industry.
Adam received his bachelor's degree in accounting from Truman State University and his master's degree in accounting with an emphasis in tax from Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville.
Job Titles:
- Analyst
- Analyst on the Investment Team
Adan Leal is an analyst on the investment team where he is responsible for providing due diligence support and structuring transactions and portfolio management.
Prior to joining the firm, Adan was an intern at Rex, ATX Acquisitions, a real estate investment firm and startup incubator.
Adan received his bachelor's in finance from the University of Texas at Austin.
Al Alvarez is a director at Advantage Capital leading sourcing efforts across the state of Nevada.
Al comes to Advantage with over 35 years of experience in the commercial banking and lending sector. He was most recently a director and principal market manager at Bank of the West in Las Vegas, where he oversaw the managing and servicing of mid-market companies with $25 million to $500 million in revenue. Prior to his work with Bank of the West, Al held leadership positions with other financial institutions in the Las Vegas, Nevada area, such as managing partner at Trism Business Solutions, senior vice president at Silver State Banks, president and CEO at Business Bank of Nevada and senior vice president and manager of Commercial Banking at Bank of America.
Job Titles:
- President of InState Partners
Alex Johnson is the President of InState Partners, leading a dynamic and experienced team of state affairs professionals from across the country. Offering comprehensive state government affairs and strategic counsel, he works to ensure that clients are well informed about state political environments and current policy issues.
Alex has worked in politics for over 20 years working on campaigns, PACs and political committees. Previously, Mr. Johnson served as the founding director of both the Republican Legislative Committee and the Republican Lieutenant Governor Association. More recently, he served as senior vice president at FP1 Strategies and founded a boutique state affairs firm.
Alex received his bachelor's degree in history and political science from Marquette University. He currently serves on the executive committee of the board for the America Council of Young Political Leaders.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Associate at Advantage Capital. As a Member
Alex Stepanek is an associate at Advantage Capital. As a member of the national expansion and fundraising teams, he focuses on the firm's economic development, public policy and public finance initiatives at the state and local level.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Alex was the director of program development for a national nonprofit leadership organization based in Richmond, VA, where he was responsible for heading multiple growth initiatives for the organization.
Alex received his bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Northern Iowa.
Alexandra Twyman is a vice president at Advantage Capital. As a member of the firm's investment team, she provides due diligence support and monitors portfolio companies.
Ms. Twyman received her bachelor's degree in commerce with a concentration in finance from McGill University.
Ally Shea is an analyst at Advantage Capital on their investment team, where she is responsible for sourcing investments and providing due diligence support.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Ally was a finance intern at Northwestern Mutual.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Vice President
- Vice President of EPC
Amine Alami is a vice president of EPC at Advantage Capital where he leads the engineering, procurement and construction of the firm's renewable energy investment platform.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Amine was the senior director of business and corporate development at Solv Energy, one of the largest renewable energy construction firms in the United States. He also served as vice president of asset management at Renewable Energy Systems (RES) and the director of solar operations at K Road Power Holdings, LLC. During this period, he led the development, asset management, engineering procurement and construction for approximately 2GW of renewable energy projects.
Earlier in his career, Amine held several leadership roles at Sunedison, FRV and MMA renewable ventures where he managed M&A activities, engineering, development, supply chain, and construction and operations of renewable energy assets.
Amine received his master's degree in electrical engineering and MBA from Georgia Tech focused on renewable energy and finance. During his tenure at Georgia Tech, Amine led lab research on high efficiency solar cells at the University Center of Excellence of Photovoltaics and was a key member of the 2007 solar decathlon competition. He is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and speaks 4 languages (Arabic, French, Spanish and English).
Job Titles:
- Analyst
- Analyst on the Investment Team
Anan Balaji is an analyst on the investment team where he is responsible for sourcing investments and providing due diligence support.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Anan was an investment banking analyst at Wells Fargo Securities where he managed and analyzed client investment portfolios.
Anan received his bachelor's degree in economics from New York University.
Anaëlle Croteau is a senior associate at Advantage Capital. As a member of the solar investment team, Ms. Croteau is responsible for performing due diligence efforts, screening potential investment opportunities and monitoring portfolio companies. Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Anaëlle held positions with the ArcelorMittal Treasury in Paris, France, Meridiam in Dakar, Senegal and the European Investment Bank in Luxembourg.
Ms. Croteau received her MSc in Financial Markets and Management from the EDHEC Business School in France.
Job Titles:
- Analyst
- Analyst on the Investment Team
Andrew McKinnis is an analyst on the investment team where he is responsible for sourcing investments and providing due diligence support.
Prior to joining the firm, he worked as a summer investment associate at Stan Johnson where he contributed to the private equity division launch and as an MBA consultant at Advanced Plastics Inc. Andrew was the PAR Chairman of the University of Tulsa Student Investment Fund and a student athlete on the University of Tulsa Golden Hurricane Football Team.
Andrew received his MBA and his bachelor's degree in business management from the University of Tulsa.
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President
- Senior Vice President and Member of Advantage Capital Capital Markets
Andy Crain is a senior vice president and member of Advantage Capital Capital Markets team. In this role he works to expand the low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) and renewable energy lines of business while also bolstering fund management and investor relations activities.
Andy joined Advantage Capital from Aegon Asset Management, where over the past 18 years he held various leadership roles within the tax credit division, most recently with direct responsibility for portfolio management and investor relations activities. At Aegon, he also played a leading role in the closing of more than $4.5 billion of tax credit equity in 43 funds.
Andy holds an MBA from the University of Iowa Tippe College of Business and a bachelor's in finance and real estate from the University of Northern Iowa.
Anne Ott Johnson is a principal and works with the firm's capital markets team focusing on investor relations and capital formation efforts. She is a seasoned financial professional with over 20 years' experience in the public and private equity markets. Anne was with Johnson Rice & Co. for eighteen years first as an equity research analyst and later in institutional equity sales. She also worked in corporate finance for Deloitte and Chaffe & Associates valuing privately-held companies and financial institutions for capital raising, mergers and acquisitions and estate planning. Most recently, she was with DeMonte & Falgoust CPAs focusing on tax compliance and planning for corporations and individuals.
Anne holds an MBA from the University of New Orleans and a bachelor's degree in business from Rhodes College.
Anthony Billings is a senior vice president at Advantage Capital. As a member of the investment team, he focuses on portfolio management and the evaluation of new investment opportunities. Anthony's primary responsibilities include monitoring the firm's current investments, interfacing with portfolio companies to assess current and future capital needs and underwriting new opportunities to deploy firm capital effectively.
Prior to joining the firm, Anthony served as an associate and assistant vice president in the sponsor finance division of U.S. Bank where he worked primarily with private equity firms to evaluate the financial and business risks of potential new investments, while also monitoring an existing portfolio of loans to identify any issues or capital needs.
Anthony received his bachelor's degree in business administration with a focus on finance from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana.
Arjun Mohan is a vice president at Advantage Capital. As a member of the firm's investment team, he focuses on sourcing investments, performing due diligence, structuring transactions and portfolio management.
Prior to joining the firm, Arjun was a consultant on Deloitte Consulting's Strategy & Analytics team. He assisted multiple Fortune 500 companies on engagements related to customer experience improvements, sales and distribution strategy and operational efficiencies.
Arjun received his MBA with honors from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and his bachelor's degree in accounting and master's in finance from Texas A&M University.
Art Florez is an executive assistant at Advantage Capital. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Florez worked in administration for the New Orleans Saints, where he was executive assistant to the owner and executive vice president.
Art holds a bachelor's degree in business from the University of New Orleans. He is also a past board member for the Jefferson Ballet Theatre.
Benjamin Johnson is a senior accountant at Advantage Capital where plays an integral role on the firm's accounting team. In his role, he prepares, examines and analyzes accounting records, financial statements and other financial reports.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Benjamin was an auditor for Ericksen, Krentel & Laporte, L.L.P, an accounting firm based in New Orleans.
Benjamin received his MBA from the University of New Orleans and a bachelor's degree in accounting from the University of Holy Cross.
Benjamin Warning is a vice president at Advantage Capital. In this role, he identifies and screens potential new investment opportunities, performs due diligence, and negotiates and closes transactions, in addition to managing existing investments. He is primarily focused on investments made by Advantage Capital Agribusiness Partners.
Benjamin received his bachelor's degrees in Finance and Banking, Economics and Real Estate from the University of Missouri-Columbia, where he graduated cum laude.
Job Titles:
- Accounting Manager
- Assistant
Betsy Scallan Avila is a assistant accounting manager at Advantage Capital. As a senior staff accountant, she is responsible for recording activity and preparing financial statements for several of the firm's entities.
Prior to joining the firm, Betsy worked as an accountant for Allied Capital and PL Midstream, with a focus on accounting for entities in the private equity and oil and gas industries, respectively.
She received her bachelor's degree in accounting from Louisiana Tech University and a certificate in project management from Louisiana State University.
Job Titles:
- Principal
- Principal at Advantage Capital. As a Member
Brian Anderson is a principal at Advantage Capital. As a member of the firm's investment group, he is responsible for sourcing, due diligence and valuation analysis of current and prospective investments.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Brian co-owned and served as lead operator of a south Texas-based trucking company. Before purchasing that company, he was a managing director at GF Capital Management & Advisors, a NYC-based private equity fund. He has also held roles with NBC Universal, RBC Capital Markets and Credit Suisse earlier in his career.
Brian received his J.D. degree from Harvard Law School and his bachelor's degree in accounting from Indiana University.
Brian Muller is an accounting manager at Advantage Capital. In this role, he is responsible for recording activity and preparing financial statements for several of the firm's entities.
Prior to joining the firm, Brian worked as a senior accountant for both Bourgeois Bennett, LLC and Carr, Riggs & Ingram, LLC. In this role, he performed audit procedures, including financial statement analysis and detailed testing of accounts at the trial balance and financial statement levels.
Brian received a bachelor's degree from the University of New Orleans, where he majored in business management, and a master's degree in business administration from Loyola University New Orleans. He is a certified public accountant.
Briana Maxham is an executive assistant at Advantage Capital.
Briana plays a key role in the overall operations of the firm's Hanover office. She serves as the Executive Assistant to the Managing Director and provides project management support for the Hanover team. Prior to joining Advantage Capital Briana worked for a local legal team as an Administrator and Paralegal. For the past 20 years, most of Briana's experience as Manager and Administrator has been with the American Red Cross and AIM Healthcare. She is involved within her community as Guardian ad Litem, Chair of the Hartland Community Connections, and as an EMT/First Responder.
Briana holds a master's degree In Health Education from the Ludwig Maximillian University in Munich Germany and is fluent in German, Bavarian, and English.
Brianna Phillips is a project analyst on the Hoosier Solar team where she assists project developers, attends local meetings, works on project planning, document control, marketing and community relations.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital Brianna was an environmental manager at the Indiana Department of Environmental Management where she worked in the Office of Air Quality specializing in black carbon and particulate matter 2.5.
Brianna received her bachelor's degree in Natural Resources/Conservation from Ball State University.
Brooks Kiser is a senior analyst at Advantage Capital. As a member of the investment team, his primary responsibilities include helping underwrite new investments, performing due diligence and aiding in growth initiatives for the firm's portfolio companies.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Brooks worked for IBERIABANK in New Orleans, LA. After spending a year working with the bank's commercial underwriting team, Brooks switched roles and became the portfolio manager for the bank's tax credit investment team, managing a portfolio of Historic, Low-Income, and New Markets tax credit investments.
Brooks received his bachelor's degree in Public Relations with a business minor from Tulane University.
Job Titles:
- Analyst
- Business Development Analyst
Caleb Gipple is a business development analyst at Advantage Capital. As a member of the investment team, he is responsible for sourcing investment opportunities and providing due diligence supprt.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Caleb was a regional director for a national nonprofit organization based in Richmond, VA, where he was responsible for leading strategic growth for the organization.
Caleb received his bachelor's degree in public administration from University of Northern Iowa as well as an executive certificate from University of Richmond.
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President
- Senior Vice President on the Compliance Team
Cara Schiffman is senior vice president on the compliance team at Advantage Capital. Previously, she served as vice president of regulatory affairs.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Cara practiced regulatory compliance and consumer defense law at Sessions, Fishman, Nathan & Israel, LLC. During her tenure, she managed regulator and agency administrative proceedings, consulted with colleagues on Federal Trade Commission investigations and routinely interacted with State Attorneys General, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and state licensing agencies.
Cara received her J.D. cum laude from Loyola University School of Law, where she was a member of the Law and Technology Annual and earned a certificate in international law. She earned her bachelor's summa cum laude from Louisiana State University, where she majored in international trade and finance with a minor in French.
Carl Weatherley-White is a managing director at Advantage Capital where he leads the firm's renewable energy investment platform.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Carl was the chief executive officer of VivoPower International PLC. He also served as president of renewable energy company Lightbeam Energy, Inc, and the chief financial officer for utility scale solar developer K Road Power Holdings, LLC. During this period, he led the acquisition, development and financing for approximately 3 GW of renewable energy projects, primarily utility scale solar, including more than $2 billion of project debt, tax equity and development capital.
Earlier in his career, Carl was global head of project finance at Lehman Brothers and Barclays. In that role, he was responsible for all non-recourse financing of energy infrastructure assets, leading his team to a Number 1 ranking in U.S. project finance league tables for both high-yield loans and investment-grade bonds in 2009 and 2010.
Carl received his bachelor's degree in neuroscience from Brown University and held a Rotary Graduate Fellowship at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charterholder.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Associate on the Investment Team
Carly Jefferson is an associate on the investment team. She focuses on sourcing investments, supporting business development efforts and providing due diligence support.
Carly holds a bachelor's degree in statistics and business, with a minor in mathematics, from St. Lawrence University, where she served as captain of the women's tennis team and club alpine ski team.
Christopher Harris is a managing director at Advantage Capital. As a member of the firm's investment group, he is responsible for sourcing, due diligence and valuation analysis of current and prospective investments. He serves on the board of directors for several portfolio companies, including GENICON, Prioria Robotics, Beehive Industries, RepEquity, SOMS Technologies and Quoddy. Christopher also manages Advantage's investments in Veran Medical Technologies, Minimally Invasive Devices and OrderWithMe.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Christopher worked for GE Capital as an assistant vice president, where he helped establish the company's presence in large cap leveraged finance underwriting and investing. He joined GE in the FMP program and cycled throughout various operating and finance roles before joining on with the large cap leverage finance team.
Christopher received his MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth and a bachelor's degree in economics from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut.
Cindy Colvin is a Managing Director leading the firm's Low Income Housing Tax Credit team.
Cindy has nearly 20 years of banking and real estate finance experience in both sales and underwriting capacities. Prior to assuming her role at Advantage Capital, Cindy was the Head of Credit Delivery for Truist's Commercial Real Estate Line of business. There she was responsible for leading a team of underwriters and portfolio managers within commercial real estate including private developers, REITs, affordable housing as well as low-income housing tax credits and new market tax organizations.
Cindy graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science in Finance and earned her MBA from the University of Georgia Terry College of Business.
Clare Davies is a senior analyst at Advantage Capital. As a member of the syndication team, she is responsible for assisting with due diligence and transaction work for the firm's Low-Income Housing Tax Credit investments.
Prior to joining the firm, Clare served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Colombia, where she led community economic development initiatives. Prior to Peace Corps, Clare worked in administrative and accounting roles at King Street Capital Management in New York City.
Clare received her MBA from Washington University in St. Louis and her bachelor's degree from New York University.
Clare Landreneau is an accounting manager at Advantage Capital. She is responsible for recording activity and preparing financial statements for several of the firm's entities.
Prior to joining the firm, Clare worked as the Treasury Manager for Service Corporation International where she managed all cash and debt related activity for the company. Clare also worked in the banking industry for ten years as a VP and Controller for Hibernia Bank in New Orleans.
Clare received her bachelor's degree from the University of Louisiana of Lafayette, where she majored in business management.
Job Titles:
- Vice President
- Vice President of Solar Energy Development
Colin Kelly is a vice president of solar energy development at Advantage Capital. As a member of the solar development team, he focuses on implementing utility scale solar projects from inception through development and construction to operations.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Colin developed wind, solar, natural gas combined cycle, combined heat and power, and renewable natural gas plants for Exelon, EDL Energy, Brightmark, and Noble Environmental Power. Colin is also a combat veteran having served as an officer in the U.S. Army in South Korea on the demilitarized zone and in Anbar Province, Iraq.
Colin received his bachelor's degree in economics from Seton Hall University, Stillman School of Business and his MBA from the University of Texas at Austin, McCombs School of Business.
Job Titles:
- Analyst
- Business Development Analyst
Conger Zhang is a business development analyst at Advantage Capital. As a member of the investment team, she is responsible for sourcing investment opportunities and providing due diligence supprt.
Conger received her bachelor's degree in economics from Bowdoin College and has earned a Credential of Readiness in accounting and finance from Harvard Business School.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Associate at Advantage Capital. As a Member
Corey Archibeque is an associate at Advantage Capital. As a member of the investment team, Corey is responsible for screening potential investment opportunities, performing due diligence and monitoring portfolio companies.
Corey received his MBA from Vanderbilt University's Owen Graduate School of Management and his bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point.
Job Titles:
- Executive Assistant to the President
Cynthia Coleman is executive assistant to the president at Advantage Capital. In this role, she maintains overall office operations and procedures and manages many day-to-day functions of the company.
Cynthia has 15 years of experience in executive assistant and management roles. Before joining the firm, she served as the wine club manager at a local Napa winery for several years and the store manager at the GH Bass Outlets in Napa and Folsom, California and the Village of Oak Creek in Arizona.
Job Titles:
- Investor
- Managing Director
Damon Rawie is a seasoned investor and managing director at Advantage Capital. Based in Austin, Damon heads the firm's overall equity investment operations. In this role, his responsibilities include managing members of the firm's investment group and coordinating Advantage Capital's equity investment strategies. In addition, Damon is an active multi-stage investor for the firm. He evaluates potential investments, performs due diligence and structures transactions. His investment experience covers a variety of industries including new media, business services, software and energy technology.
Damon provides administrative, financial and strategic planning support to Advantage Capital portfolio companies, and he serves as a member of the board of directors for a number of the firm's portfolio companies. He is also a board member of the Texas Coalition for Capital, a non-profit statewide organization that supports various economic development initiatives including job creation and access to capital for emerging businesses.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Damon worked in investment banking and operational consulting. He was a manager at China International Capital Corporation (CICC), a Morgan Stanley/China Construction Bank joint venture investment bank in Beijing. Before working with CICC, Damon was a management consultant at Price Waterhouse and an investment banking analyst at J.P. Morgan Securities.
Damon holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business and a bachelor's degree from Wesleyan University.
Job Titles:
- Director of Information Technology
Daniel Stoute is director of information technology at Advantage Capital. He analyzes current technology and implements it into the daily operations at Advantage Capital to better support the company. Daniel is committed to providing new technology and improvements to the firm.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Daniel served as the director of information technology for Eagle Distributors, LLC.
Daniel is a First Lieutenant in the United States Air Force Auxiliary Civil Air Patrol. He is an active aircrew member on the Search and Rescue Team, Counter Drug Task Force, and currently is the Squadron's Advisor to the Commander, Emergency Services Officer and Public Affairs Officer.
Darian Harris is an associate on Advantage Capital's national expansion team where he focuses on the firm's economic development, public policy and public finance initiatives at the state and local level.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Darian served as a government affairs legal intern/extern at Troutman Pepper Strategies where he collaborated with various actors in the firm to coordinate and manage meetings with the legislature and other government officials. During law school, he was a legal intern in the Appellate Division of the Cobb County District Attorney's Office and worked as a judicial Intern for the Honorable Chief Judge Reuben M. Green.
Darian received his J.D. from Georgia State University College of Law, where he served as the Vice-Justice of Phi Alpha Delta and was a member of the Black Law Students Association, and his bachelor's degree in political science from Reinhardt University, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude.
David McNaught is a vice president at Advantage Capital. As a member of the firm's investment team, he is responsible for underwriting new investments and monitoring portfolio companies. He joins Advantage Capital with more than 10 years of experience in public accounting and finance, previously holding roles of increasing responsibility at PricewaterhouseCoopers (Assurance), Ernst & Young (Transaction Advisory), and most recently, Clayton Capital Partners (M&A Advisory).
David earned his MBA from Washington University in St. Louis, a master's in accounting from Texas A&M University, and a bachelor's in business administration from Colorado State University where he graduated summa cum laude. Additionally, David is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA, inactive).
Job Titles:
- Compliance Analyst
- Compliance Analyst at Advantage
Dayna Drennan is a compliance analyst at Advantage. As a member of the Syndication team, she is responsible for underwriting, asset management and performing due diligence.
Prior to joining the firm, Dayna spent the last four and a half years working in asset management and compliance at Sugar Creek Capital.
Dayna received her bachelor's degree in sociology from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and holds a Housing Credit Certified Professional (HCCP) Certification.
Job Titles:
- Analyst
- Analyst on the Investment Team
Duncan Young is an analyst on the investment team where he is responsible for sourcing investments and providing due diligence support.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Duncan was an associate project developer at Chico State Enterprises.
Duncan received his bachelor's degree in economics from California State University, Chico.
Emily Medakovich is a compliance administrator on the compliance team where she is responsible for underwriting, asset management and performing due diligence.
Prior to joining the firm, she was a liability adjuster at Allstate Insurance and a Claims Specialist at Nationwide Insurance, where she investigated auto claims and evaluated total loss. Emily has also worked as a financial relationship specialist at Regions Bank and a paralegal at Karr & Sherman Co.
Emily received her bachelor's degree in Anthropology from the Ohio State University where she graduated magna cum laude.
Erik Slavin is an associate at Advantage Capital. As part of the compliance and structuring team, he focuses on investor relations, capital formation and deal structuring.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Erik was an associate at Vinson & Elkins, a law firm specialising in transactions and investments.
Erik received his JD from Tulane University Law School, his MBA from Tulane University A.B. Freeman School of Business, and his bachelor's in economics and psychology from Tulane University.
Job Titles:
- Talent Acquisition Specialist
Erron Flowers is a Talent Acquisition Specialist at Advantage Capital. In this role, Erron helps attract new talent to join Advantage Capital's expanding workforce by recruiting, interviewing, and facilitating the hiring process of new applicants.
Erron comes to Advantage Capital with 14 years of experience in higher education recruitment, event planning, and management at various universities across the southeast. Prior to joining the firm, Erron served as the Regional Assistant Director of Recruitment for Mississippi State University where he managed their east and west coast recruitment teams. Erron is also active in many professional organizations and serves as a member of the Society for Human Resource Management's New Orleans Chapter.
Erron holds a B.A. and M.P.P.A. from Mississippi State University, and would love to schedule a call with you to chat about the benefits of a career at Advantage Capital.
Job Titles:
- Principal, Finance & Accounting
Franchesca Lorio provides leadership in all aspects of the firm's accounting and financial management. As a principal and controller of all Advantage Capital entities, she is responsible for the preparation of the firm's financial statements and numerous other periodic reports to investors, lenders and various regulatory authorities. Franchesca is also responsible for cash management as well as the implementation and supervision of the firm's reporting and compliance systems. In addition, she works closely with the firm's independent public accountants in connection with the completion of the annual audits of more than 70 Advantage Capital entities.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Franchesca practiced public accounting for five years with several leading CPA firms, where she focused on tax and financial accounting matters.
Franchesca graduated cum laude from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette with a bachelor's degree in accounting. She is a member of the Institute of Management Accountants, the American Society of Women Accountants and the Young Leadership Council.
Gabe Rosen is a vice president at Advantage Capital. As a member of the firm's investment team, he focuses on sourcing investments, performing due diligence, structuring transactions and portfolio management.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Gabe worked at Goldman Sachs where he held roles analyzing and evaluating several asset classes.
Gabe received his bachelor's degree in economics as well as his MBA from Harvard University.
Geet Kalra is an Associate at Advantage Capital, playing a key role in advancing the firm's impact efforts as part of its investment team.
Geet has experience in working with a wide range of impact actors - including investors, NGOs, and consultants - across the globe on themes such as sustainable finance, poverty alleviation, and climate change. He also has attended/presented at the World Economic Forum in Davos, COP meetings, and the World Government Summit.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, he worked with Yunus Social Business (YSB) leading cross-sectoral investments in multiple early-stage social enterprises in India and other developing countries. Alongside, he also advised three EU based consultants and investors on impact-related projects. Previously, Geet worked with Nomura Securities in its Global Markets function as Analyst.
Geet received his MBA from The Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth and his bachelor's degree in finance and engineering from BITS Pilani in India.
Grant Morhun is a senior analyst at Advantage Capital. As a member of the firm's investment team, he focuses on sourcing investments, performing due diligence, structuring transactions and portfolio management.
Grant originally joined Advantage as an intern, supporting the sourcing team with identification of potential investments. Previously, he was an intern at First Bank of the Lake in Hanover, NH, where he underwrote Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) applications for S Corporations.
Grant received his bachelor's in Business Administration from the University of New Hampshire.
Job Titles:
- Principal
- Principal on the Tax Team
Greg Schwarztrauber is principal on the tax team at Advantage Capital. As part of the tax team, he focuses on tax issues facing the firm's investment funds and performs tax and financial analysis in connection with new transactions, existing funds and exit opportunities. Greg brings over 25 years of varied tax experience to the firm. Prior to joining Advantage Capital, he served as the chief financial officer at Green Street Development, one of the largest real estate development companies in the St. Louis metropolitan area. Before Green Street, he served as the senior director, tax research and planning at Anheuser-Busch and senior manager with KPMG LLP's tax practice.
Greg received his MBA from Washington University's Olin School of Business, a Master of Science in Taxation from the University of Illinois and a bachelor's degree in accounting from Southern Illinois University. He is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of Missouri, a member of the AICPA, and the Missouri Society of CPA's.
Gregory Hulecki serves as a venture partner for Advantage Capital and brings more than 30 years of private equity investing experience to the firm. Mr. Hulecki was a partner and founder of FA Technology Ventures, an independent, established venture capital firm that invests in early stage technology companies in targeted emerging technology sectors. Previously, he was a managing director and founder of Seacoast Capital, a growth equity fund. Prior to founding Seacoast, Greg managed the investment portfolio of Signal Capital. Mr. Hulecki also worked as a principal at Capital Growth Partners, a middle market private equity firm, and Venture Founders, an early stage technology venture capital firm.
Mr. Hulecki earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Kettering University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. His community involvement includes recruiting and screening entrepreneurs for Springboard Enterprises, a national not-for-profit organization dedicated to accelerating women's access to the venture capital markets. In addition, he has worked with mentors from the MIT Venture Mentoring Service, comprised of successful entrepreneurs and investors who assist technologies and startups in spinning out of the University.
Houston Sudekum is a data and research senior associate at Advantage Capital, where he focuses on data collection, analysis and reporting, system development and automation, and research to support impact strategy, performance and policy.
Houston comes to Advantage Capital with more than 5 years of experience in research focused on environmental biology, natural resources and economics. In addition to undergraduate and graduate research assistant roles, he has worked in various research capacities with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama, The University of Bologna in Italy, and most recently, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe in Switzerland.
Among the many talents he brings to Advantage Capital is a broad proficiency in programming languages, software and skills used for geospatial, statistical, and data analysis, and data management and visualization. Houston also has numerous notable publications and presentations covering relevant topics including natural resources, energy markets, manufacturing, agriculture and rural policy.
Houston received his bachelor's in Environmental Biology and a minor in Economics from Tulane University, and a M.S. in Natural Resources with an emphasis in Forest Resource Economics from the University of Missouri.
J.P. Lynch is a vice president at Advantage Capital. As a member of the firm's investment team, he provides due diligence support and monitors portfolio companies across the Midwest.
Job Titles:
- Analyst
- Analyst on the Investment Team
Jack McGinn is an analyst on the investment team where he is responsible for sourcing investments and providing due diligence support.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Jack was a corporate audit intern for Bank of America.
Jack received his bachelor's degree in economics from Bowdoin College.
Job Titles:
- Analyst
- Member of the Solar Group
Jack Plaster is a member of the solar group, focused on development. Within this group, he focuses on new business development, financial and budgeting and due diligence. He has previously had internships in Wealth Management with Stifel and was an ESG Analyst at Aristeia Capital.
Jack received his bachelor's degree in business with a major in finance from Miami University.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director in Advantage Capital 's New York
- Venture Partner
A seasoned investor and portfolio manager, James O'Rourke is a managing director in Advantage Capital's New York office. He is focused on developing the firm's reach in the northeastern region of the U.S.
James brings 12 years of investing experience in a wide variety of sectors. Prior to joining the firm, he served as a managing director at Lampe, Conway & Co., an investment fund based in New York where he focused on private equity and debt, and special situations investments. He has sourced and helped manage a large portfolio of investments in the consumer, food, manufacturing, technology, clean tech, health care and telecommunications sectors. James began his career clerking for Judge Adrian Duplantier, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. He also worked for several years as a corporate associate at Davis Polk, and as an investment banker at Thomas Weisel Partners and Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette.
A native New Jerseyan, James holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, where he was awarded First Years Honors; a J.D. from Stanford Law School; and a bachelor's degree from Harvard College, graduating magna cum laude.
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Communications
Jeff Grass is the Vice President of Communications and Stakeholder Engagement at Advantage Capital. He serves as strategic communications counselor to the leadership team and is responsible for defining, developing and deploying compelling content to educate, engage, influence and activate key stakeholders while furthering the firm's mission.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Jeff served as a Global Director of Communications at Bayer Corporation where he led reputation management, issues management, employee engagement and marketing communications for one of the multinational life science company's fastest-growing divisions. Before Bayer, he held several roles of increasing responsibility at Anheuser-Busch, most recently leading all business and internal communications for North America as Communications Director.
Jeff graduated from Webster University.
Jeffrey Gentsch serves as a venture partner for Advantage Capital and brings over 25 years of private equity investing experience to the firm. He is the founder of Gentsch Capital Partners, a middle market private equity firm. Previously, he was the partner responsible for the St. Louis office of Key Principal Partners, a middle market venture and growth capital equity firm, and a managing director of Harbour Group, a middle market buyout firm. Jeffrey's early career included leverage buyout banking at Barclays Bank in New York and Continental Illinois Bank in Chicago.
Jeffrey received his MBA in finance from the Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis and his bachelor's degree in Cellular Biology from the University of Kansas. His community involvement includes board roles at the Missouri Baptist Healthcare Foundation and chairman of the Washington University in St. Louis Alumni Board of Governors.
Jennifer Jeandron is a vice president and controller at Advantage Capital where she plays a key role in the firm's accounting and financial reporting activities. As an accounting controller, she is responsible for oversight of the preparation of many of the firm's financial statements.
Prior to joining the firm, Jennifer worked in the audit practices of KPMG, LLP and Deloitte and Touche, LLP. In that role, she served public and private clients in a variety of industries, including energy, banking, healthcare and oil and gas.
Jennifer is a certified public accountant and holds a bachelor's degree in accounting from Louisiana State University. She serves on the board of directors of the Young Leadership Council and is a member of the Junior League of New Orleans and the Society of Louisiana Certified Public Accountants.
Jeremy Degenhart is a senior advisor at Advantage Capital. Based in the St. Louis office, Jeremy has a wide range of responsibilities including screening deal flow, conducting due diligence, negotiating transactions, managing existing investments and developing exit opportunities. He is also responsible for leading efforts to source and evaluate commercial, municipal and utility solar projects. Selected current and prior investments led by Jeremy include: Veran Medical Technologies; Singulex; Kereos; Prioria Robotics; The Lawrence Group; Stereotaxis, which held an initial public offering in 2004 (NASDAQ:STXS); and DataTrade, which sold to Goldleaf Financial in 2007. Additionally, he is responsible for designing and analyzing new fundraising structures and facilitating their implementation.
Jeremy participated in several of the first New Markets Tax Credit transactions ever closed in 2003-2004, at the inception of the program. He has continued to lead the structuring and closing of such financing transactions for Advantage Capital ever since. To date, Jeremy has been involved in providing in excess of $175 million of capital for more than 20 businesses. He was the valedictorian of his undergraduate class at the John M. Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis, receiving a bachelor's degree in finance, economics and accounting in May 2000. He has also earned the right to use the Chartered Financial Analyst designation. Jeremy serves on the Board of Directors of the InvestMidwest Venture Capital Forum. He is a seasoned speaker, and he lectures on venture capital and private equity as an adjunct faculty member at the Olin Business School.
Jessie Marquardt serves as a senior associate on the firm's syndication group, for which she is responsible for due diligence and transaction work for our state-based Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) investments.
Jessie brings more than 12 years of real estate and banking experience, the last 5 of which were spent working on LIHTC and affordable housing projects. Most recently, she served as a senior multi-family portfolio analyst for Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta, where she worked on all aspects of their affordable housing program from underwriting to asset management for the development of affordable housing projects which included federal and state LIHTC Tax Credits among other funding sources. Previously she was a part of the underwriting team at Wells Fargo where her duties included loan modifications and managing a team of real estate underwriters.
Jessie received her bachelor's degree in secondary education with social studies and English endorsements from Eastern Washington University.
Joe Stosberg is a communications manager at Advantage Capital. As a member of the firm's impact team, he focuses on developing internal and external communications and marketing initiatives for the firm.
Prior to Advantage Capital, Joe worked on the Illinois Senate Democratic Caucus' communications staff before joining St. Louis marketing agency, Scorch where he focused on content creation and strategy for top brands such as Microsoft, LinkedIn and TIAA.
Joe holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and a master's degree in international studies from the University of San Francisco.
Jonah Simpson is an analyst at Advantage Capital. As a member of the syndication team, he is responsible for asset management of affordable properties within the company's portfolio.
Jonah interned for Advantage on two separate occasions prior to his joining the team, supporting the syndication business line in its efforts to provide access to affordable housing through the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit.
Jonah received his bachelor's degree in business with a major in finance from Miami University.
Job Titles:
- Investment Executive
- Managing Director
Jonathan Goldstein is an experienced investment executive with a background in venture capital, renewable energy and urban investing. He serves as a member of Advantage Capital's investment committee and leads the firm's tax credit syndication group. He is also a member of both the firm's strategy council and the clean energy investment team. Prior to joining Advantage Capital in 2010, Jonathan served on the board at McCormack Baron Salazar, the leading urban revitalization firm in the country, overseeing the Project Finance group, the various private, governmental and community funding sources. He also oversaw MBS's New Markets Tax Credit practice, including $210 million in allocations from the U.S. Treasury.
Jonathan founded Sunwheel Energy Partners, an affiliated firm specializing in solar energy programs. Since beginning his career as an attorney, clerking for a federal appellate judge and serving as an Assistant U.S. Attorney with the Justice Department, he also helped found Taproot Ventures, a Silicon Valley venture capital firm, where he sourced and structured investments in technology companies. He serves on the boards of Advantage Capital portfolio companies Nextility and SDBIC. He is a member of the Board and Executive Committee for the New Markets Tax Credit Coalition and on the board of Rise, a regional nonprofit dedicated to housing and urban revitalization. In 2012, he was named to the "Who's Who in Energy List" by a coalition of regional Business Journals. He holds a J.D. from Washington University, where he graduated first in his class, and a bachelor's degree from Yale.
Joseph Henderson is a vice president on the firm's investment team where he provides due diligence support and monitors portfolio companies. Prior to joining the firm, he was the director of finance and analytics at Punchbowl, Inc., a venture-backed technology startup. Joseph also worked with the Maine Venture Fund where he evaluated potential investments and worked closely with portfolio companies.
Joseph received his MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth and his bachelor's degree in economics from Bowdoin College.
Job Titles:
- Principal
- Principal at Advantage Capital. As a Member
Josh Rogers is a principal at Advantage Capital. As a member of the investment team, he is responsible for helping to source investments, perform due diligence, structure transactions and manage portfolio companies.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Josh was an equity research associate covering mid and large-cap U.S. banks at ISI Group, now Evercore Partners. At UBS Investment Bank in New York, he was an investment banking analyst and an equity research associate director covering financials and healthcare services, as well as IT.
Josh received his MBA from the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business and his bachelor's degree in economics from Harvard College.
Joshua Tipton is a marketing specialist at Advantage Capital, where he focuses on marketing, advertising and creative services initiatives to support the firm's small business investment sourcing team.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Joshua worked as a project manager with Elite Aviation where he utilized his skills in web development, marketing strategy and data analysis to bolster revenue generation.
Joshua received his bachelor's degrees in Business Administration, International business with Spanish and Political Science from University of Tulsa, where he also minored in economics, philosophy and Spanish.
Job Titles:
- Chief Talent Officer
- Principal
Julie Laperouse is a Principal and Chief Talent Officer at Advantage Capital. With two decades of experience helping companies and clients create meaningful corporate cultures and establish strong, strategic people pipelines, Julie leads the human resources strategy for the firm.
Julie comes to Advantage Capital from Gulf Coast Bank and Trust Company where she was Director of Culture and Talent for a team of more than 800 employees. She also served as Managing Director of Training at Emergent Method; a management consulting firm focused on helping organizations achieve their mission. As Director of Talent Development for the Baton Rouge Area Chamber of Commerce, she assisted local businesses in the attraction and retention of talent including executive recruitment and recruiting program development
Julie holds a B.A. from Louisiana State University. She also serves on the Emerging Leaders Council of the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry and runs The Alliance, a networking consortium of professional women. In 2017, the Baton Rouge Business Report named her to the list of Most Influential Women in Business.
Biography: Justin Motika is a Senior Vice President at Advantage Capital. He leads strategic impact integrations and related operations across the organization. Accordingly, he is responsible for impact measurement and management (IMM), management information systems (MIS), and impact research and innovations. Justin was previously a founding member of the data and impact teams. He also served on the national expansion team where he did economic research and worked with investors and policy makers promoting capital formation initiatives.
Job Titles:
- Chief Financial Officer
- Managing Director
Justin Obletz is a managing director and chief financial officer at Advantage Capital, based in the New Orleans office. In his role, Justin manages the accounting, tax, and financial planning & analysis functions of the firm. Prior to his role as chief financial officer, Justin was a member of the investment team. He is an experienced multi-stage investor, having worked across the firm's investment programs to evaluate and structure transactions, as well as monitor portfolio company investments. He currently serves on the board of directors of TurboSquid, Lamm Food Service and the Louisiana Technology Fund.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Justin worked in the New Ventures division of Trader Publishing Company in various strategic and operational roles. He began his professional career in the Assurance and Advisory Business Services group at Ernst & Young.
Justin received his MBA from the Darden School at the University of Virginia and a bachelor's degree in accountancy from the University of Notre Dame. He is a certified public accountant (inactive).
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President
- Senior Vice President on the Investment Team
Kari Niermann is a senior vice president on the investment team where she focuses on portfolio management, seeks new investment opportunities and interacts with portfolio companies to assess their current and future capital needs.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Kari served as an assistant vice president in the Leveraged Finance Group at U.S. Bank, where she was responsible for analyzing, underwriting and assisting in the structuring of syndicated leveraged senior debt transactions for business mergers and acquisitions, recapitalizations and capital expenditure purchases, as well as the management of a $350 million portfolio comprised of more than 20 clients. Earlier in her career, Kari worked as a commercial banking officer for BMO Harris, formerly Southwest Bank, where she managed a $25 million middle market portfolio of clients in a wide range of industries within the commercial and industrial sector.
Kari received her bachelor's degree in business administration with a concentration in finance from Saint Louis University.
Job Titles:
- Manager
- Servicing Manager
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Katie was a loan processor with the Bank of New Orleans where she was involved with processing loans and ensuring contract deadlines were met.
Katie graduated from the University of New Orleans with a degree in business administration.
Katherine "Katie" Fury is a servicing manager at Advantage Capital. As a member of the government-guaranteed lending division, she is responsible for assisting with the execution of loan applications and the coordination of closing and post-closing procedures.
Kathy Cornell is a vice president of tax at Advantage Capital. She services the firm's leverage lending portfolio and manages income tax compliance for the firm's entities and their associated federal and state tax filings. She has a broad base of experience working in both public accounting and private industry with companies operating in multiple business sectors. Most recently, Kathy worked at Anheuser-Busch in the tax operations group where she helped to improve tax compliance processes and procedures. Kathy holds a bachelor's degree in accounting from McKendree College.
Kayin Barclay is a vice president at Advantage Capital. As a member of the firm's investment group, he is responsible for sourcing, conducting due diligence, executing transactions, and managing portfolio companies.
Before joining Advantage Capital, Kayin worked as a senior vice president at Insight Equity, where he invested across the business services and manufacturing sectors. He has also held roles at RLJ Equity Partners, Barclays Capital, and McKinsey & Company.
Kayin received his MBA from Harvard Business School and his BA in economics from Morehouse College.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director
- Principal
Keith Freeman is a principal at Advantage Capital where he identifies and screens potential new investment opportunities, performs due diligence, negotiates and closes transactions and manages existing investments. He is primarily focused on investments made by Advantage Capital Agribusiness Partners.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Keith served as a managing director for AGR Partners Inc, a California-based investment firm that focuses on providing capital to leading agribusinesses and food companies. In this role, he was responsible for overseeing the company's deal originations, investment analysis procedures and transaction negotiations.
Keith received his MBA from the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business and his bachelor's degree in finance from Miami University.
Job Titles:
- Analyst
- Member of the Leadership Team
Kelly Jacobi is an analyst on the Partner Services team,where she focuses on asset management for Advantage Capital's network ofpartner firms.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Kelly worked as theOperations Manager at Convergence Accounting, where she supervised taxpreparation workflow, processed payroll for a variety of clients, preparedbookkeeping, and managed accounts receivable.
Kelly holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Digital Filmmakingfrom Stephens College. She is currently completing a Certificate of Proficiency in Accounting with Saint Louis Community College.
Kendra Becker is a sourcing analyst on the investment team at Advantage Capital. She is responsible for sourcing investments and providing due diligence support.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Kendra was a marketing intern for OnLogic, where she focused on content migration and quality assurance for a new website launch.
Kendra received her bachelor's degree in business and psychology from St. Lawrence University.
Kenneth Krizan is part of the accounting team at Advantage Capital. As a staff accountant, he is responsible for recording activity and preparing financial statements for many of the firm's entities.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, he worked in the tax department of KPMG, LLP, where he specialized in accounting methods and tax credit services.
Kenneth received a master's degree in Accounting with Data Analytics from the Villanova School of Business and a bachelor's degree in Accounting Info Systems from the Gabelli School of Business at Fordham University. He is a certified public accountant.
Job Titles:
- Coordinator
- Due Diligence Coordinator
Kim Smith is a due diligence coordinator on the syndication team. Kim's primary responsibility is to support the syndication team's underwriters, as well as being secondary support to the tax credit sales team.
Prior to joining the firm, she managed a team of mortgage professionals. Her and the team's primary focus was analyzing and preparing documentation for the lender's review of a mortgage transaction.
Kim brings 23 years of real estate experience with a primary emphasis in residential lending.
Kristy Touchet is vice president of talent at Advantage Capital. In this role, she oversees the firm's talent acquisition, development and retention strategy, building out world-class teams, systems and processes to capitalize on the firm's growth prospects.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital she spent more than 18 years in Executive Human Resource roles in law enforcement, oil and gas, financial and technology industries. Her primary focus as an HR Executive is to serve as an organizational leader, developing and cultivating ethical principles with a modern technological approach in order to make a considerable difference in an organization.
Kristy received her Bachelor's degree and her MBA from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and a Master of Arts in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Louisiana Tech University.
Kyle Nesselbush is a senior associate at Advantage Capital, where he focuses on renewable energy tax equity investments.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Kyle worked at Monarch Private Capital as a senior associate, where he worked on sourcing, underwriting, and closing renewable energy investments.
Kyle received his MBA from Washington University in St. Louis with an emphasis in finance and a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering with a minor in mathematics from the University of Missouri - Columbia.
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President
- Senior Vice President on the Investment Team
Leah Hendricks is a senior vice president on the investment team, where she focuses on portfolio management. She monitors current firm assets, seeks new investment opportunities for the firm and interacts with portfolio companies to evaluate their capital requirements.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Leah served as an assistant vice president at BMO Private Bank. Additionally, she worked in the commercial lending division of BMO at M&I Bank, where she gained valuable experience working with executive management and key financial officers in middle market companies to provide debt obligations for various operational purposes.
Leah graduated magna cum laude from the John Cook School of Business at Saint Louis University, where she received her bachelor's degree in economics.
Leslie Powell is vice president of the syndication asset management team. With a strong background in affordable housing financing, his responsibilities include overseeing the asset management function and managing the syndication asset portfolio to ensure activities align with the firm's and business unit's risk appetite and risk management framework.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Leslie held positions in underwriting and asset management within PNC Bank's Real Estate Tax Credit Solutions division. In his asset management roles, Leslie managed a large portfolio of LIHTC investments throughout the country and was responsible for the continuous evaluation of investments. In his underwriting roles, Leslie was responsible for understanding complex financial and tax issues related to Section 42 of the IRS Tax Code as well as analyzed transaction structures and key principles of affordable housing projects to make recommendations regarding the suitability of projects for syndication or acquisition by the bank.
Leslie holds an MBA from Bellarmine University and bachelor's degree in finance from North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University. In addition, Leslie earned a certificate in accounting from the University of Louisville.
Job Titles:
- Analyst
- Member of the Solar Group
Liam Davidson is a member of the Solar group, where he focuses on transaction structuring, due diligence, and portfolio management.
Prior to Advantage, Liam worked at Sunwealth Power, an impact-driven 3rd party financier and developer focused on the commercial and industrial solar markets. Led analysis of new market opportunities and monitored relevant policy developments.
Earlier in this career, Liam was a policy analyst in the office of former Secretary of State John Kerry.
Liam received a BA in History and Government, from Dartmouth College.
Linda Clark is an executive assistant at Advantage Capital.
Linda plays a key role in the overall operations of the firm's St. Louis office. She also provides project management support for the impact team and works directly with the firm's chief impact officer to manage projects, timelines and deliverables. Prior to joining the firm, Linda worked in the non-profit industry. For the past 10 years she was at Urban Strategies, Inc., a community revitalization company, where she was the executive assistant to the president and the office manager for the corporate office. Her expansive administrative background also includes Saint Louis University and Coro Leadership Center.
Linda holds a bachelor's degree from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. She is a past board president for the Nursery Foundation of St. Louis and the Urban League Block Unit Initiative.
Job Titles:
- Senior Director of Legislative Affairs
Liz Carter is Senior Director of Legislative Affairs at Advantage Capital, coordinating the firm's advocacy efforts and acting as a liaison with other Advantage departments and industry partners.
Previously, Liz was Director of Outreach for the Partnership for Job Creation, an industry coalition of New Market Tax Credit practitioners advocating for Congress to strengthen the NMTC as well as make it a permanent part of the federal tax code. In December 2020, Congress granted the NMTC the largest-ever extension in program history, $25 billion over five years. Before that, she worked for the Historic Tax Credit Coalition, which played an integral role in preserving the HTC in the federal tax code during Congress' tax reform effort in 2017.
Liz received her master's in History of American Decorative Arts from Parsons School of Design and her bachelor's in English and Art History from Smith College.
Loren Richard is an Accounting Administrator at Advantage Capital, where she assists with various duties for the firm's accounting team.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Loren worked at Brock Services, LLC as an accounting billing clerk, where she supported the project managers with creating monthly invoices generated for the work done on projects in the southern region.
In addition to her role at Advantage Capital, Loren enjoys crafting, baking homemade dog treats, and most importantly, being a great mother to her son Nicholas.
Loren received her bachelor's degree in business management with a minor in business administration from Xavier University of Louisiana.
Job Titles:
- Chief Credit Officer
- Managing Director
- Member of the Board
Louis Dubuque, a managing director, board member and chief credit officer, works on formulating investment policy, identifying and closing new investments and managing the firm's debt portfolio. He also serves on the board of the government-guaranteed lending division of Advantage Capital. During his tenure with the firm, he has been instrumental in helping raise more than $800 million in capital and has been involved with more than 50 investments totaling in excess of $300 million.
Louis joined Advantage Capital after nine years at U.S. Bank, where he served as senior vice president. At U.S. Bank, he created and managed a $400 million subordinated debt fund and directed the capital markets division's middle market group. Louis also spent six years as a commercial loan officer for JP Morgan Chase (formerly First Chicago/NBD Bank).
Louis holds an MBA from Washington University in St. Louis and a bachelor's degree in accounting and business administration from Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia. He is a certified public accountant. In recognition of his professional achievements and community involvement, he was named to the St. Louis Business Journal's 40 Under 40 list in 2003. Mr. Dubuque also serves on board of the CRUDEM Foundation.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director
- Member of the Leadership Team
Lynn Ambrosy is a Managing Director and a leader on the talented Capital Markets team working to expand the low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) and renewable energy business lines of the firm.
Ambrosy comes to Advantage Capital from Aegon Asset Management where he led its tax credit syndication platform with direct responsibility for capital raises, fund structuring and investor relations. At Aegon, he originated more than $4.5 billion of tax credit equity in 43 proprietary and multi-investor funds and served as co-head of the LIHTC platform. Ambrosy has more than 25 years of commercial real estate experience spanning both debt and equity with a primary focus on affordable housing.
Ambrosy leads LIHTC syndication initiatives and place tax credit equity in the firm's other growing lines of business, including renewable energy, while helping to bolster Advantage Capital's Investor Relations function.
Ambrosy holds an MBA from The University of Iowa Tippie College of Business and a B.A. in finance from the University of Northern Iowa.
Madison Triplett is a senior analyst at Advantage Capital. As a member of the firm's investment team, her primary responsibilities include helping underwrite new investments, quarterly reporting and aiding in growth initiatives for the firm's portfolio companies.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Madison was at Midwest Regional Bank where she worked as a commercial credit analyst.
Madison received her bachelor's degree in business administration with a concentration in finance from Southeast Missouri State University.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Senior Analyst
Manny Davis is a senior analyst at Advantage Capital on the tax credit syndication team.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Manny worked as a staff auditor at Sikich, LLP, where he was a member of the not-for-profit team and was responsible for examining and building financial statements, testing the organization's internal controls, and drafting the audit opinion.
Manny received his bachelor's degree in accounting from Millikin University and is pursuing his MBA from University of Illinois - Springfield. He is also currently sitting for his CPA.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Associate With InState Partners
Marjorie Reed is an associate with InState Partners where she focuses on the firm's economic development, public policy and public finance initiatives at the state and local levels.
Prior to joining the InState team, she was a Project Assistant on the Intellectual Property team at Latham & Watkins LLP. Marjorie previously served as an Associate Director in the Office of Strategic Initiatives at the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC).
Marjorie received her bachelor's in Economics with a minor in Development Economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Job Titles:
- Director of State and Investor Reporting
Mary Beth Maygarden is director of state and investor reporting at Advantage Capital. In this capacity, she maintains compliance with all federal and state statutes and regulations applicable to the firm's investment operations.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Mary Beth served as a paralegal for Deutsch, Kerrigan and Stiles, LLP in New Orleans, where she provided litigation support in both federal and state jurisdictions. She also assisted clients with economic redevelopment matters in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.
Mary Beth received her master's degree in humanities from the University of Texas at Dallas and her bachelor's degree in medieval studies and history from Newcomb College-Tulane University, where she graduated cum laude.
Job Titles:
- Analyst
- Analyst on the Investment Team
Matthew Derouchie is an analyst on the investment team where he is responsible for sourcing investments and providing due diligence support.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Matthew was an software development intern for Lavalle Transportation, where he focused on process improvement and software implementation.
Matthew received his bachelor's degree in mathematics and economics from St. Lawrence University.
Matthew Switzer is a vice president at Advantage Capital. As a member of the firm's investment team, he is responsible for underwriting new investments and monitoring portfolio companies.
Matthew is a Chartered Financial Analyst with Series 6, 7 and 63 licenses. Prior to joining Advantage Capital, he spent four years at UMB Bank in Kansas City. He also served as a regional client consultant for Chiron Investment Management, LLC and was an internal wholesaler for American Century Investments.
Matthew received his bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Missouri.
Maurice Doyle has extensive experience in the capital markets and investment banking industry. In his role as managing director, he has chief responsibility for the firm's fundraising and investor relations activities and serves as the principal contact for many of the firm's insurance industry investors.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Maurice was a senior vice president at UBS Securities, a vice president of Credit Suisse First Boston and a vice president with Winthrop Securities, where he was involved in financing large multiphase real estate development projects.
Maurice received his J.D. from Chicago-Kent College of Law and his bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Notre Dame.
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President
- Senior Vice President of Partner Services
Melinda McAliney serves as Senior Vice President of Partner Services at Advantage Capital. In this role, she is responsible for strategy and project management for the firm's New Market Tax Credit services. She brings 30 years of for-profit and non-profit experience in the St. Louis region crossing strategy, organizational and managerial leadership, and grantmaking at organizations including United Way of St. Louis, the St. Louis Blues hockey team, EDS, and Lutheran Foundation of St. Louis.
Before joining Advantage Capital, she was Vice President of Administration at Rung for Women where she managed the organization's $6.5M budget and oversaw building operations, IT, HR, wellness, and barrier reduction services.
Melinda has a master's in social work from Washington University in St. Louis and a bachelor's in psychology and sociology from Illinois Wesleyan University. She currently serves on and chairs the St. Charles County Community Assistance Board, a position appointed by the County Executive.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Associate on the Investment Team
Michael Bernier is an associate on the investment team where he is responsible for sourcing investments and providing due diligence support.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Michael was an investment analyst at Prime Bucholz where he managed and analyzed client investment portfolios. He also served as a high-net-worth brokerage associate at Fidelity Investments where he analyzed and interpreted economic and capital market data.
Michael received his bachelor's degree in economics from Saint Anselm College and has earned the right to use the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Business Development
Michael Dubansky is vice president of business development at Advantage Capital, where he primarily focuses on the origination of state and federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit investments located in Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Wisconsin and Indiana.
Michael brings over two decades of tax equity investment experience to Advantage Capital. Most recently, he served as business director of MCM Company, Inc., where he developed multifamily assets throughout the midwest that utilized federal and state historic tax credits. Prior to that, he spent nine years at National Trust Community Investment Corporation where he facilitated and sourced tax equity investments largely concentrated in federal and state Historic and New Markets Tax Credits.
Michael graduated from Towson University with a bachelor of science in business administration.
Job Titles:
- Analyst
- Analyst on the Investment Team
Michael Goretti is an analyst on the investment team where he is responsible for sourcing investments and providing due diligence support.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Michael worked as a corporate partnership Analyst for Appleton Arena.
Michael received his bachelor's degree in mathematics from St. Lawrence University.
Michael Johnson, an experienced venture capitalist and a specialized transactions attorney, is a managing director at Advantage Capital. He is involved in all aspects of the firm's operations, with a primary focus on capital-raising transactions, regulatory compliance and government relations. He also serves as chief compliance officer.
Previously associated with New Orleans' largest law firm, Jones, Walker, Waechter, Poitevent, Carrère & Denègre, Michael practiced securities and corporate law for a broad range of clients.
Michael received his J.D. degree from Stanford University School of Law, where he was a member of the Order of the Coif, and an his bachelor's degree from Harvard College, graduating cum laude.
Michael Sponseller is a vice president at Advantage Capital, where he focuses on oringinating, structuring and executing investment for the firm's renewable energy platform.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Michael was a vice president at Lazard Frères & Co. in the Global Power, Utility and Infrastructure team, where he advised clients in the context of capital raising, M&A and strategic advisory.
Earlier in his career, Michael was the director of structured finance at Sungevity, Inc., where he led the structuring project finance commitment while supporting the company's Series D equity raise. Michael has also held positions at Green Lake Capital and Borrego Solar, where he performed investment analysis and due diligence for C&I and utility-scale solar projects. Michael began his career with Teach for America where he taught middle school math, science and social studies.
Michael received his MBA from University of Texas at Austin and his bachelor's degree in economics and international development from Vanderbilt Unidersity.
Mike Benson is a senior vice president at Advantage Capital, where he identifies and screens potential new private equity and debt investment opportunities, performs due diligence and valuation analysis, structures, negotiates and closes transactions, and manages investments in venture through mature stage portfolio companies.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, he served in a similar role as a director at Ironwood Capital, where he led the development and implementation of several best practices and process improvements, including development of the firm's proprietary deal structuring and return analysis financial model, and its fund cash flow and return analysis financial model, as well as spearheaded the search and selection of the firm's private equity-tailored fund reporting and portfolio management ERP system. Earlier in his career, Mike worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers in its Global Risk Management Solutions practice, specializing in performing and managing business process, operations, systems, and internal controls consulting and assurance engagements for financial services industry clients.
Mike received an MBA degree from Yale University with concentrations in strategy and finance, as well as a BBA degree from Hofstra University with a major in accounting. He has also received a Certified Public Accountant designation.
Mitch Boyer is a senior analyst at Advantage Capital. As a member of the firm's investment team, his primary responsibilities include helping underwrite new investments, performing due diligence and aiding in growth initiatives for the firm's portfolio companies.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Mitch was at Commerce Bank where he worked as a commercial banking officer.
Mitch received his bachelor's degree in finance from Indiana University Bloomington.
Moniqua Spencer is an experienced banking and finance professional. As a senior vice president on the investment team, she helps mid-sized companies access capital to facilitate growth and create and retain jobs.
Moniqua most recently served as vice president and banking business sales manager for central Ohio at U.S. Bank. There, she led a team of business banking professionals focused on the lending, depository and treasury management needs for companies up to $25M in annual revenue.
Her defining moment in realizing her passion for working in underserved markets came when she served on the leadership team of Ohio Community Development Finance Fund, a statewide CDFI, CDE and SBA Community Advantage Lender. As executive vice president of lending and programs, she was responsible for the administration, management and deployment of multiple lending and grant programs. She further gained significant expertise with the New Markets Tax Credit program, having been directly responsible for closing over $125M in NMTC loans during her tenure.
Moniqua has also served on multiple boards primarily focused on underserved businesses and youth. Currently, she served as past-chair of the board of directors for Economic & Community Development Institute (ECDI), board of directors for Communities in Schools of Ohio, and was most recently appointed to the board of directors for The Women's Center for Economic Opportunity (WCEO).
Nicholas McConnell is a senior analyst at Advantage Capital. In his role, he is responsible for sourcing investments, supporting business development efforts and providing due diligence support.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Mr. McConnell was a summer analyst at Insight2Profit, as well as a private equity summer analyst at BroadTree Partners.
Nicholas holds a bachelor's degree in finance and economics from The Ohio State University's Fisher College of Business.
Nick Barbknecht is a senior associate on Advantage Capital's expansion team. With more than a decade of experience in prominent positions within project development, policy advancement, and politics, Nick brings his leadership and relationships to Advantage Capital to support the firm with targeted legislative work across the U.S. and oversee community and government relations for energy development.
Nick joins Advantage Capital from the America First Policy Institute where he served as Chief Marketing Officer for the non-profit, nonpartisan think tank. Nick has spent his career in the private and public sectors connecting with thousands of state and local elected officials to advance important agendas through his time in the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Indiana Department of Labor, and Indiana Department of Transportation.
Nick received a bachelor's degree in accounting from Manchester University and an MBA from Purdue University.
Nick Stingley is a analyst at Advantage Capital. As a member of the syndication team, he is responsible for assisting with due diligence and transaction work for the firm's Low-Income Housing Tax Credit investments.
Prior to joining the firm, Nick was a new site development director for a national nonprofit leadership organization based in Richmond, Virginia. He has a varied background in sales, strategic growth and early-stage business formation.
Nick holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from Mississippi State University.
Nick Tyler Smith is a senior marketing manager at Advantage Capital, where he focuses on internal and external marketing, advertising and creative services initiatives supporting the firm's small business investment, expansion and fundraising, renewable energy, and affordable housing business lines.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Nick worked at ARCO National Construction as a creative services specialist where he leveraged his skills in art and design to create compelling collateral to communicate the company's value proposition. He was also owner and manager of his own photography business for five years.
In addition to his role at Advantage Capital, Nick is a mentor to young entrepreneurs across the country and participates in several entrepreneurship and professional development focused speaking engagements every year.
Nick received his bachelor's degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing and a minor in psychology from Illinois College, and has earned the designation of Professional Certified Marketer from the American Marketing Association.
Job Titles:
- Director of Program Compliance
Nicole Pilié is the director of program compliance at Advantage Capital. As a member of the government-guaranteed lending team, she primarily focuses on the determination, management and reporting of New Market Tax Credit compliance guidelines.
Prior to joining the firm, Nicole served as a third-party liability adjuster with Hanover Insurance Group.
She holds a bachelor's degree in history with a minor in psychology from the University of New Orleans.
Pete Byford is a Senior Vice President on the firm's Partner Services team. In his role, he helps lead the growth of the overall line of business and focuses on origination of New Markets Tax Credit financing transactions.
Byford is a veteran attorney and former equity finance consultant. Over the past eight years, he has been involved in NMTC transactions delivering more than $1.1 billion in total investment to underserved areas.
Before joining Advantage Capital, Byford was a director at one of the largest regional accounting firms in the U.S. In a previous role as Executive Vice President and General Counsel, S.B. Phillips Co., Inc., he served as legal counsel, oversaw financial departments, and worked closely with top executives to define business strategies while providing legal advice on specific issues. For more than thirteen years, he led his own law firm, Byford Law LLC.
Byford holds a B.A. from The Citadel along with a J.D. from University of South Carolina and a L.L.M, Taxation from University of Denver.
Pete Grum serves as a Venture Partner for Advantage Capital and continues his career of investing in private companies. He has spent the past 25 years president, chief executive officer and director of a publicly traded investment company.
Pete received his MBA in finance from Rochester Institute of Technology and his bachelors in economics from Eisenhower College. He is currently an adjunct professor at University of Buffalo where he teaches corporate finance. His various community activities include board roles as trustee of Buffalo State College, Community Foundation, Horizon Health, 43 North and a variety of investment committees.
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President
- Senior Vice President and a Member
Philip Ruppel is a senior vice president and a member of the firm's investment team. His responsibilities include sourcing new deals as well as providing due diligence and valuation analysis for current and prospective investments.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Philip worked for Navigation Capital Partners in Atlanta, Georgia, where he was responsible for evaluating prospective investments, conducting due diligence of investments, executing transactions and monitoring portfolio companies. He also spent time in New York working as an investment banking analyst for Bear Stearns.
Philip received his MBA from the Goizueta Business School at Emory University and his bachelor's degree in economics and business administration from Rhodes College.
Rachel Davis is a senior analyst at Advantage Capital. As a member of the investment team, she is responsible for sourcing investments, supporting business development efforts, and providing due diligence support.
Previously, Rachel was an auditor at Ernst & Young for nearly two years, where she conducted audits on private and public companies across various industries.
Rachel received her master's in Accounting from the University of Missouri and is a licensed CPA.
Rachel Robards serves as a senior associate on the firm's syndication group, for which she is responsible for due diligence and transaction work for our state-based Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) investments.
Rachel brings more than 20 years of real estate, legal and development experience, the last 13 of which were spent working on LIHTC and Historic Tax Credit (HTC) projects. Prior to joining the firm, she worked for many years in corporate real estate departments and a law firm, where she gained a wealth of knowledge in due diligence, real estate transactions, multifamily housing and the LIHTC and HTC programs. Most recently, she served as the director of acquisitions for Bruce Development Company, where she worked on all aspects of commercial and multi-family real estate development.
Rachel received her bachelor's degree in history and political science from Webster University and earned a paralegal studies certificate.
Reid Hutchins is a managing director at Advantage Capital where he manages the firm's New York investment portfolio. His responsibilities include sourcing and structuring new investments, as well as working with current portfolio companies.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Reid served as a product development engineer for Advanced Micro Devices and as an engineer and manager with IBM Microelectronics. He brings operational experience in semiconductor design, manufacturing, testing and production to the firm.
Reid currently sits on the Board of Directors for the Upstate Venture Association of New York (UVANY). He also serves as a member of the Board of Trustees for the Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Northeast New York.
Reid holds a bachelor's degree in physics from St. Lawrence University, in addition to a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering and a master's in engineering management from Dartmouth College.
Riley McCarthy is an associate at Advantage Capital. In his role, he is responsible for sourcing investments, supporting business development efforts and providing due diligence support.
Riley brings more than four years of experience in the investment consulting space to the team. Most recently, he was an analyst and business development team member at Prime Buchholz, LLC.
He holds a bachelor of science in actuarial mathematics with a minor in economics from the University of Pittsburgh, and is currently a CFA Level III candidate.
Job Titles:
- Community Outreach Manager
- Member of the Solar Team
Rose Ann Ansty is a member of the solar team where she is responsible for stakeholder relations both internal and external in support of solar projects by conducting local community outreach initiatives with landowners and governmental officials. Project development management by monitoring financial and budget obligations, site control, schedules, permitting and due diligence.
Previously Finance Project Manager, at International Rescue Committee where she prepared and maintained project budget and financial reporting ensuring data was complete and all donor related information was disseminated to project, finance and logistics staff and partners. Prior to IRC, Rose Ann was a Program Officer at World Education where she provided technical, financial and contract management for $13mm projects in Mail, Benin, and Guinea. And prior to that an Analyst and Brokerage trader at Fidelity Investments.
Ryan Dressler is a principal at Advantage Capital where he is a member of the expansion and fundraising teams.
Prior to joining the firm, Ryan was director of new site development for a national nonprofit leadership organization based in Richmond, Virginia. He has a varied background in sales, strategic growth and early-stage business formation.
Ryan holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from the Ohio State University Fisher College of Business.
Ryan Brennan is a Managing Director at Advantage Capital. Mr. Brennan leads the firm's efforts to foster access to capital and economic development in underserved communities. He is a leader on the firm's fundraising team and spearheads initiatives to strengthen and develop internal talent and assets.
Ryan was most recently the Chief Operating Officer of the United States International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), the development finance arm of the U.S. government. While at DFC, he drove the creation and adoption of the Impact Quotient (IQ), an innovative method of measuring and improving impact in projects around the world. Ryan was a member of the DFC Investment Committee and led business development across the Western Hemisphere that facilitated billions in direct investment to Central America's Northern Triangle. Prior to COO, Ryan led the DFC Office of Investment Policy, implementing environmental, social and governance standards across the $23 billion DFC portfolio.
Ryan serves on the Providence Queen of the Valley Hospital Community Board, the Truman State University Foundation Board of Directors as well as on the Board's Investment Committee. He is also on the Board of the Napa Little League. He is the former President of the Boys and Girls Club of Napa Valley Board.
Ryan received his MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and his bachelor's degree, cum laude, from Truman State University.
Ryan Ware is an analyst at Advantage Capital. As a member of the capital markets team, he focuses on investor relations and capital formation efforts.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Ryan worked as a Regional Director for a national nonprofit organization based in Richmond, Virginia, where he was responsible for leading strategic growth for the organization.
Ryan received his bachelor's degree in finance from Mississippi State University and an executive certificate from University of Richmond.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Associate on the Partner
Sam Gieseler is an associate on the Partner Services team. He focuses on origination, servicing, and compliance for the firm's partner services relationships for both federal and state new market tax credit programs.
Prior to joining Advantage, Sam worked in corporate development for a New Orleans based holding company, where he managed finances and operations for the firm's portfolio companies.
Sam received his bachelor's degree in finance from the University of New Orleans.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Associate at Advantage Capital. As a Member
Sam Schlichting is an associate at Advantage Capital. As a member of the firm's investment team, he is responsible for sourcing investments, supporting business development efforts and providing due diligence support.
He graduated from Colgate University with a bachelor's degree in biochemistry. While attending Colgate, Sam was a member of the football team.
Job Titles:
- Chief
- Managing Director
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Officer
- Managing Director / Chief Impact Officer
Sandra M. Moore is managing director and chief impact officer at Advantage Capital, a growth equity firm founded in 1992 with over $3.6 billion AUM. The firm focuses on high growth and high wage business investing in communities where access to investment capital has historically been hard to find. Sandra is a member of the Advantage Capital investment committee and a direct advisor to the diligence and structuring teams.
Sandra is also a member of the Advantage Capital fundraising team, which has brought in $225 million in capital during her four-year tenure. She has built the Advantage Capital Impact team, which creates data-driven initiatives to track and expedite portfolio growth, leads the communications and branding team and serves as the external-facing representative for Advantage Capital.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Sandra was the president of Urban Strategies, a national nonprofit corporation that works exclusively with for profit housing developers to rebuild distressed urban core communities using mix-finance, multi-family housing as the revitalization platform.
Sandra formerly served as the CEO of the Missouri Family Investment Trust, a public-private partnership entity leading Missouri's multi-system reform efforts. Prior to joining the Family Investment Trust, Sandra was senior vice president of St. Louis 2004, Inc., a region-wide effort, led by business, civic and political leaders, to transform the St. Louis regional economy and gear it for exponential growth in the 21st century.
She is the former director of the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (DOLIR), where she served as a member of then Governor Mel Carnahan's cabinet, and a former administrative judge with the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Sandra is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, MO. She received her J.D. from the School of Law and a bachelor's degree in Urban Studies from the College of Arts and Sciences.
Sandra is committed to the growth, development and empowerment of people and the communities where they live. She serves on several local and national boards and committees that work to strengthen the fiber of community, and she is a sought-after speaker and thought leader on these issues.
Sarah Collier is a tax manager at Advantage Capital. In this role, Sarah services the firm's leverage lending portfolio and manages income tax compliance for the firm's entities and their associated federal and state tax filings.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Sarah was a Manager at the Insourced Solutions for Tax Group at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) where she reviewed tax returns, tax provisions, and tax account reconciliations for Bayer Corporation.
Sarah received her master's in accounting from the University of Missouri-St. Louis and her bachelor's in accounting from Truman State University. She is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of Missouri.
Schuyler St. Germain is an analyst on the investment team where he is responsible for sourcing investments and providing due diligence support.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Schuyler was a summer analyst at TerraNova Capital, where he worked with the structured finance team.
Schuyler received his bachelor's degree in legal studies and political economy from UC Berkeley, where he was also a member of the men's varsity rowing team.
Scott Murphy - Chief Investment Officer, Managing Director
Job Titles:
- Chief Investment Officer
- Managing Director
- Managing Director and the Chief Investment Officer
Scott Murphy rejoined Advantage Capital as a managing director and the chief investment officer after serving in the United States Congress representing New York from 2009 to 2011. He previously worked at Advantage Capital from 2001 to 2009, overseeing the firm's $88 million New York portfolio. As chief investment officer, Scott oversees the firm's entire portfolio.
Scott is an experienced venture capitalist and highly successful entrepreneur with a robust background in public service. Prior to his tenure at Advantage Capital, he co-founded three high-tech companies, including a game company that brought fantasy football and baseball to the Internet. He also founded an online auction company that was sold to eBay and a website building company that was sold to iXL. He earlier spent two years as a structured finance associate at Bankers Trust, where he focused on the insurance industry. In addition to his time in Congress, Scott previously served in the administrations of two Missouri governors.
Scott received his bachelor's from Harvard College and has earned the right to use the Chartered Financial Analyst designation. As a former president of the Upstate Venture Association of New York, he maintains a strong commitment to civic affairs.
Job Titles:
- Coordinator
- Collateral Coordinator
Selma Landry is a collateral coordinator at Advantage Capital. As a member of the government-guaranteed lending team and the investment team she monitors collateral and covenant compliance of the portfolio companies and assists in the closing of new transactions.
Job Titles:
- Accounts Payable Manager / Shannon
Brown is the accounts payable manager at Advantage Capital.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, she was the Logistics Manager for an international John Deere distributor and dealerships.
Shannon received her bachelor's degree from the University of New Orleans.
Sheri Lewis joined the syndication team as a paralegal in 2015. Ms. Barto supports the team's efforts to syndicate tax credits, while maintaining relationships with tax credit buyers and investors.
Ms. Lewis has over 10 years of experience with Low-Income Housing Tax Credits. Prior to joining Advantage Capital, she served as a paralegal at Sugar Creek Capital, forming and maintaining entities in multiple states, drafting operating and partnership agreements and bylaws and maintaining responsibility for many other integral functions. She also has over 15 years of experience in the title insurance industry.
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President
- in 2018 As Senior Vice President
Stephanie Hiatt joined Advantage Capital in 2018 as senior vice president. Ms. Hiatt focuses on origination, compliance and asset management of the firm's Partner Services portfolio, which includes federal and state New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) loan funds and standalone transactions. Ms. Hiatt is a seasoned financial professional with more than 15 years of banking, investment, and finance experience, including 11 years facilitating investments in low-income communities, low-income housing, historic preservation and renewable energy.
Most recently, she was Director of Advisory Services at Dudley Ventures in Phoenix, AZ, where she led a team focused on raising and deploying capital utilizing federal tax credit programs, such as the NMTC Program, among others. During her tenure with Dudley, Ms. Hiatt was responsible for closing more than $750 million in NMTC investments in over 150 low-income community businesses. Ms. Hiatt also worked in the banking industry for Wells Fargo Bank and First Security Bank.
Ms. Hiatt received her bachelor of arts in political science from the University of Rochester, with a minor concentration in Italian language and culture.
Steven Stull, president and founder of Advantage Capital, is a seasoned venture capitalist and private equity investor with more than 35 years of investment experience. As the firm's chief executive officer, Steven directs our investment policy, overall operations, strategic planning and fundraising activities as well as overseeing financial administration, institutional investor relations and professional recruitment. He has served as director of several Advantage Capital portfolio companies, including FleetCor Technologies (NYSE:FLT), HRI Properties and OMNI Energy (NASDAQ: OMNI), among others. Prior to founding Advantage Capital, Steven spent nine years as an executive in the investment department of General American Life Insurance company, where he headed the Securities Division, negotiated real estate finance transactions and managed portfolios of both publicly and privately traded securities.
Steven is nationally recognized for his leadership efforts in small business capital formation, particularly for businesses located in distressed or underserved communities, where little or no venture capital infrastructure exists. He has been recognized by Ernst & Young as an Entrepreneur of the Year for his sponsorship of entrepreneurship in Louisiana. In 2007, he received the Olin School of Business Distinguished Business Alumni Award from Washington University in St. Louis.
Steven holds an MBA and a bachelor's degree in finance and economics from Washington University in St. Louis. He has earned the Fellow Life Management Institute/Master designation and the right to use the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Controller
- Certified Public Accountant
Susan Crockett is an assistant controller at Advantage Capital. First servicing the debt portfolio, she moved into an accounting role in 2011, preparing many of the firm's financial statements and assisting with quarterly transactions and reporting.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Susan worked in the banking and mortgage industries, processing and underwriting mortgage loans.
Susan is a certified public accountant and completed the CPA preparation program at the University of New Orleans. She received her bachelor's degree in psychology from Colorado State University.
Talmadge Singer is a managing director at Advantage Capital. He has extensive experience raising capital for and structuring tax credit equity incentivized funds, closing both levered and unlevered funds in excess of $1.5 billion. Talmadge has also syndicated more than $1.45 billion of state and federal tax credits. In addition to his fundraising functions, he supports Advantage Capital's national expansion efforts, focusing on government relations at the federal level.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Talmadge was an associate in the Corporate and Securities practice group at Thompson & Knight LLP where he focused on fund formation, securities law and mergers and acquisitions.
Talmadge earned his J.D. from the Dedman School of Law at Southern Methodist University and was a member of the SMU Law Review Association. He earned his bachelor's degree in English from Louisiana State University.
Job Titles:
- Advisor
- Member of the Board
- Senior Advisor
Thomas Keaveney serves as a board member and senior advisor for Advantage Capital. He has extensive experience in all phases of private finance, including deal origination, structuring, pricing and documentation.
Thomas previously served the firm as an investment banker with Credit Suisse First Boston, where he was Chairman of the Private Finance Department, and a member of both the Investment and Investment Banking committees. Prior to CSFB, he worked in the private finance department of Salomon Brothers and at the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association. He is a director of the Gregorian University Foundation in Rome, Italy.
Thomas earned both his bachelor's and master's degrees in economics at Fordham University.
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Business Development
Thomas Titus is vice president of business development at Advantage Capital where he supports the business development needs of the firm's government-guaranteed lending team, generating SBA and USDA loans in underserved communities.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Thomas was a business development manager for Porter Capital Inc., for which he built a portfolio of new customers in Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee and Louisiana. He was also a business development manager for Private Business Inc., where he was responsible for generating new customers for client banks and managing the banks A/R portfolio.
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President
- Treasurer
Thomas Willsey has broad experience in the capital markets and a deep understanding of the fixed income markets. As treasurer, he is primarily responsible for managing Advantage Capital's liquidity portfolio and strategic financial planning. He also serves on the firm's investment committee.
During his 23 years on Wall Street, Thomas focused on all aspects of the fixed income markets. He began his career with Salomon Brothers Inc. and has held positions at Kidder, Peabody and Co.; Paine Webber; and BNP Paribas. Immediately prior to joining Advantage Capital, he worked on the proprietary trading desk at Bank of Montreal Capital Markets.
Thomas received his MBA from Indiana University's Kelley School of Business and his bachelor's degree in business administration from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. He has also earned the right to use the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.
Tiffany Mc Mahon is the executive assistant to the CIO at Advantage Capital. Along with providing executive support, she serves as the office manager handling day-to-day functions of the New York office.
Prior to joining the firm, Tiffany worked as an operations specialist in the staffing industry supporting fortune 500 companies. Tiffany was responsible for processing payroll, preparing audits, and managing the communication flow to operations boxes.
Tiffany received her bachelor's degree in political science from Buffalo State University.
Job Titles:
- Senior Special Assets Associate
Tim Blanke is a senior special assets associate in the government-guaranteed lending team. In this capacity, he plays a key role in the team's loan portfolio servicing, collections and collateral management.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Tim served as an insurance adjuster for Associate Claims and Insurance Services.
Tim received his bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of New Orleans. Since 2013, he has been a member of a barbeque competition team that annually competes to raise funds for families suffering from pediatric brain cancer.
Job Titles:
- Principal
- Principal at Advantage Capital. As a Member
Tim Perusek is a principal at Advantage Capital. As a member of the Investment group, he is responsible for sourcing, due diligence and valuation analysis of current and prospective investments. Tim supports the firm's Southeast investment footprint.
Tim joins us most recently from SunTrust, where he served as a senior vice president in the Corporate Finance Specialty Group. Prior to SunTrust, he spent 27 years at GE Capital, working in a variety of corporate finance roles including regional management, business development and underwriting and credit.
Tim holds a bachelor's degree in finance from the University of Florida.
Tom Bitting was one of the founding members of Advantage Capital's renewable energy investment platform and currently leads the sourcing and underwriting for all of the fund's solar project investments. In that capacity, he is responsible for structuring and underwriting transactions, performing due diligence, managing investments and seeking new opportunities to deploy fund capital effectively. Tom also serves as a member of the solar Investment Committee.
Prior to joining the firm, Tom served as a vice president in the commercial credit administration division of Pulaski Bank. In that role, he assessed investment risk, collaborated with lenders to develop customized financing options to best serve customer needs, and made loan approval decisions for new and existing customers. He served as a member of the bank's Risk Management Committee and was responsible for monitoring and assessing a number of bank-wide loan portfolio and balance sheet metrics.
Tom received his MBA from Saint Louis University and his bachelor's degree in accounting from Bucknell University.
Tom Schaefer is a senior vice president on the syndication team and is responsible for leading the underwriting and asset management functions of the group. His career has covered a wide range of responsibilities, including underwriting, lending and investing in both federal and state tax credits.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Tom was a SVP - Market Credit Officer with Busey Bank, where his duties included managing a team of underwriters and analysts, making loans collateralized by tax credits and managing the Bank's Federal Tax Credit Investment portfolio. Prior to Busey's acquisition of Pulaski Bank, Tom was responsible for underwriting all tax credit transactions for Pulaski.
Tom received his bachelor's degree in finance and accounting from University of Dayton and holds an MBA from Washington University.
Tony Toups is a principal at Advantage Capital. He is involved in the firm's national expansion efforts and economic development activities, working on the implementation of public/private investment programs that foster access to capital. He is a frequent speaker on these topics and also provides legal advice and representation as corporate counsel. A seasoned attorney and litigator, Tony was a partner with the New Orleans law firm of Adams and Reese prior to his tenure at Advantage Capital.
Tony's nearly 20 years of law practice includes product liability defense, commercial litigation, construction cases and other complex matters. He was also a partner at Chaffe McCall in New Orleans and has experience in the news media and state government.
Tony earned his J.D. degree from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center and his bachelor's degree in journalism at Louisiana State University.
Trey Garland is a senior associate at Advantage Capital. As a member of the investment team, he is involved in screening potential investment opportunities, performing due diligence and monitoring portfolio companies. Prior to joining the firm, Trey worked as an analyst in the Valuation and Litigation Services Group at RubinBrown LLP covering a wide range of industries including construction, M&D, real estate, professional services, agriculture and renewable energy.
Trey received his bachelor's degree in business administration with an emphasis in finance from the University of Missouri.
Job Titles:
- Analyst
- Analyst on the Investment Team
Tucker Hase is an analyst on the investment team where he is responsible for sourcing investments and providing due diligence support.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Tucker worked as a search intern on the formulations division of Endolytx where aided in the development of novel techniques to combat nontuberculous mycobacterial infections.
Tucker attended Northeastern University where he received a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences.
Job Titles:
- Vice President
- Vice President / Valentino
Rovere is a vice president at Advantage Capital. In this role, he works closely with portfolio companies, focusing on turnaround and liquidation.
Valentino first established a relationship with Advantage Capital in 1988. The firm invested in a New Orleans hotel development for which he was a managing partner and, later, a real estate consultant after the property was sold to be redeveloped as housing. In addition to his knowledge of real estate investing and turnaround business management, Valentino has nearly three decades of experience in hospitality management throughout the world. After beginning at his family's restaurant Vittorio in his native San Remo on the Italian Riviera, he has owned and run three New Orleans area restaurants.
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Business Development
William Fiederlein is Vice President of Business Development at Advantage Capital where he primarily focuses on the origination of state and federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Investments located in South Carolina, Virginia, Nebraska and Arizona.
William brings nearly a decade of tax equity investment experience to Advantage. Most recently, he held several roles at National Trust Community Investment Corporation where he facilitated over $180MM of tax equity investments largely concentrated in federal and state Historic and New Markets Tax Credits. Prior to this, he worked for a boutique tax credit syndication and consulting firm where he assisted project sponsors in securing equity through various federal and state tax credit programs.
William graduated from the University of South Carolina with a Bachelor of Science in Finance.