HPS INVESTMENT PARTNERS - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Career Development Advisor
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Advisory Board
- Founder, SEO Scholars, San Francisco / Chair, Advisory Board
- Founder, SEO Scholars, SF / Chair, Advisory Board President and Portfolio Manager, Orbis Investments
- Head of Orbis US
Adam is head of Orbis US and a Director of its parent company, Orbis Investment Management Limited. Prior to joining Orbis in 2002, Adam was a partner at Palladium Equity Partners, a private equity firm in New York. He started his career as a financial analyst at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette ("DLJ").
Adam graduated with honors from Northwestern University with a B.A. in Economics and earned an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. In 1992, Adam was recruited by SEO and placed in a summer internship at DLJ. In 2005, he was elected to the SEO Board of Directors Adam has been an essential supporter, both individually and through Orbis Investment Management, of The Campaign for SEO and SEO Scholars. Currently, Orbis Investment Management underwrote the launch of SEO Scholars Program San Francisco.
Adam and his wife, Tonia, have created and endowed several scholarships focused on providing support to students of color interested in teaching at inner-city schools. In 2010, Adam was elected a Trustee of the Northwestern University Board of Trustees. He also serves as a director of Allan Gray Limited in South Africa as well as a trustee of the Allan Gray Orbis Foundation Endowment.
Adam lives in California with his wife and their three children.
Alison Soler has spent her career fundraising and advocating for social justice for economically disadvantaged youth and families, programs for at-risk youth, and specialized educational programs. She believes the key to a successful development program is to build honest and trusting relationships with both individual supporters and institutional funders to create long-term partnerships.
She joined SEO in 2020 as Director of Individual Philanthropy and currently serves as SEO's Director of Development overseeing all aspects of fundraising. Prior to SEO she led development for 11 years at Domus Kids in Stamford, CT a multiservice organization serving at-risk youth through a dozen school, after-school, and juvenile justice programs, she headed up and completed a $25M capital campaign for building and endowment for scholarship at Convent of the Sacred Heart School in Greenwich, CT, and before that for 15 years she grew and led the development team for most of those years including through two successful capital campaigns at the King School in Stamford, CT, an independent school with a focus at the time on serving children with learning differences.
Alison has served on the Friends of the Cos Cob Library Board and The Children's Center of Cos Cob Board. She was elected to the Town of Greenwich, CT Representative Town Meeting (RTM/Town Council) in District 8 in 2017, 2019, and 2021, and currently serves as the Chair of the Health & Human Services Committee for the RTM, which oversees six town department budgets. Alison received a B.A. in the History of Art from The University of Michigan.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director, Morgan Stanley
Amy is a Managing Director in the Senior Relationship Management Group. Her role is to drive the partnership between the firm and many top markets clients. She joined Morgan Stanley in 2015 after 22 years at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. At BAML, she held various roles including Global Head of Corporate Access, Head of Specialty Sales and Americas Corporate Access, Head of Fixed Income and Equity Middle Markets, and Head of Multi-Product Sales. Amy began her career in the convertible bond business in 1993.
Amy is a board member and Vice-Chair of SEO, founder and Chair of the Three Sisters Scholarship Foundation, and a member of the Executive Leadership Council. She was a member of Black Enterprise's 75 Most Powerful Blacks on Wall Street in 2006 & 2011, 50 Most Powerful Women in Corporate America, CNBC's "Next" list, and Crain's 40 under 40.
Amy is a graduate of the University of Michigan.
Job Titles:
- Executive Vice President
- Senior Vice President
- Senior Vice President of SEO
Andrew Fairbairn is the Senior Vice President of SEO, overseeing SEO's five professional programs: Career, Tech Developer, Alternative Investments, Law, and Leadership Institute.
Andrew has been involved with SEO for almost three decades, beginning in 1995 as an SEO Career intern for Lehman Brothers, which launched his career in finance, consulting, and executive leadership. In 2000, Andrew co-founded SEO London while on assignment with Deutsche Bank, and after many years on the board of directors, he became the CEO in 2016. Under his tenure at SEO, Andrew oversaw the growth of all SEO London programming. Andrew knows firsthand the power and impact of SEO and believes that SEO is a "powerful vector for hope in our society."
Andrew's upbringing has been influential throughout his life and has solidified his focus on racial equity and social justice. Although he was born in Massachusetts, Andrew spent his first 10 years in Jamaica, West Indies, in his mother's hometown. He moved back to the Boston area for middle school and high school. Being mixed race, Andrew is simultaneously an insider and an outsider in many of the conversations on race and differences in our society. Throughout his formative experiences, he saw how systemic factors can be limiting for so many individuals and communities, which solidified his commitment to ensuring opportunity is available to all.
Andrew brings an entrepreneurial and cross-industry perspective to his role and is passionate about seeing young people succeed.
To join the team, please see current openings here. For questions, email us at altinvest@seo-usa.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Junior Leadership Board
- Vice President, AMERRA Capital
Job Titles:
- AEA Investor
- Vice President, Evercore
Job Titles:
- Litigation Associate, Kirkland & Ellis LLP
Job Titles:
- Career Development Advisor
Job Titles:
- Member of the Coatue Management Team
Job Titles:
- New York State Licensed Master Social Worker
- Vice President - Clinical Coaching, Training, & Development - SEO Scholars, College
Ays is a New York State Licensed Master Social Worker and a Field Instructor for graduate students from Columbia University School of Social Work and Fordham University Graduate School of Social Service. Prior to joining SEO, she spent a year at the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) headquarters researching post-crisis development indicators, held a one-year graduate internship at Planned Parenthood, and worked as a program development consultant at LearnServeEthopia.
Job Titles:
- Community Volunteer
- Retired Principal of New Futures
Betty is the retired principal of New Futures, an organization coaching people in transition. After serving in the Peace Corps in Senegal, West Africa with her husband and their three daughters, Betty worked as a journalist, editor, and advice columnist in Singapore, and as a certified professional coach.
Betty pursued her abiding interest in helping underserved students by joining the first cohort of sponsors for the "I Have a Dream" Program, designed to help students achieve high school and college diplomas. She and six others adopted fifth-graders from Sheridan Elementary School and underwrote the college education for those who graduated from high school. Today, in addition to SEO Scholars San Francisco, she serves on the boards of The Coro Center for Civic Leadership, Brandeis Hillel School and Earthjustice.
Betty earned a B.A. from Radcliffe College and an M.A. in English Literature.
Job Titles:
- Associate Director, Finance, Corporate, & Technology
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director, Partner Relations
Job Titles:
- Senior Client Advisor / Morgan Stanley
- Vice Chairman, Global Wealth Management
Carla Harris is a Vice Chairman, Global Wealth Management, and Managing Director and Senior Client Advisor at Morgan Stanley. She is responsible for increasing client connectivity and penetration to enhance revenue generation across the firm. She formerly headed the Emerging Manager Platform, the equity capital markets effort for the consumer and retail industries and was responsible for Equity Private Placements. Ms. Harris has extensive industry experiences in the technology, media, retail, telecommunications, transportation, industrial, and healthcare sectors.
For more than a decade, Ms. Harris was a senior member of the equity syndicate desk and executed such transactions as initial public offerings for UPS, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Ariba, Redback, the General Motors sub-IPO of Delphi Automotive, and the $3.2 billion common stock transaction for Immunex Corporation, one of the largest biotechnology common stock transaction in U.S. history. Ms. Harris was recently named to Fortune Magazine's list of "The 50 Most Powerful Black Executives in Corporate America", U. S. Bankers Top 25 Most Powerful Women in Finance (2009, 2010, 2011), Black Enterprise's Top 75 Most Powerful Women in Business (2010), to Black Enterprise Magazine's "Top 75 African Americans on Wall Street" (2006 - 2011), and to Essence Magazine's list of "The 50 Women Who Are Shaping the World", Ebony's list of "15 Corporate Women at the Top" and was named "Woman of the Year 2004" by the Harvard Black Men's Forum.
Ms. Harris began her career with Morgan Stanley in the Mergers & Acquisitions department in 1987. Prior to joining Morgan Stanley, Carla received from Harvard Business School an MBA, Second Year Honors and an AB in economics from Harvard University, magna cum laude. Carla has also received Honorary Doctorates of laws, humanities, and business from Marymount Manhattan College, Bloomfield College, Jacksonville University, Simmons College and the College of New Rochelle respectively. Carla Harris is actively involved in her community and heartily believes that "we are blessed so that we can be a blessing to someone else." As a result, Carla has funded the Carla Harris Scholarship at Harvard University and at Bishop Kenny High School in Jacksonville, Florida.
She is the Chair of the Board of the Morgan Stanley Foundation and sits on the boards of the Food Bank for NYC, The Executive Leadership Council, The Toigo Foundation, SEO, A Better Chance, Inc., The Apollo Theatre Foundation, Mt. Sinai Hospital, Xavier University, and is an active member of the St. Charles Gospelites of the St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church and the Mark Howell Singers. Ms. Harris is a member of the National Social Action Commission of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated and was a member of the Board of Overseers' Committee on University Resources, Harvard University. She has received the Bert King Award from the Harvard Business School African American Alumni Association, the 2005 Women's Professional Achievement Award from Harvard University, the Pierre Toussaint Medallion from the Office of Black Ministry of the Archdiocese of New York, the Women of Power Award given by the National Urban League, the Bill and Camille Cosby Award given by Associated Black Charities, the Women of Influence Award from The Links, Incorporated and many other awards.
In her other life, Carla is a singer and has released her third gospel CD "Unceasing Praise" (2011), her second CD, a gospel album entitled "Joy Is Waiting", was featured on BET Nightly News, while her first CD entitled "Carla's First Christmas", was a bestseller on Amazon.com, and in New York record stores, and was featured on the CBS Evening News with Dan Rather in his "American Dream" segment. She is also the author of the newly released book, Expect to Win (Hudson Press).
Job Titles:
- Director - Marketing and Communications
Carolyn leads the marketing and communication team at SEO by creating alignment between mission, messaging, brand identity, marketing strategy, and communications tactics. She works cross-functionally with program team leaders and administration to guide meaningful engagements with SEO's community including participants, funders, employees, and alumni as well as the public. She leads her team to implement marketing plans, provide creative guidance on campaigns, and set performance benchmarks and goals.
Carolyn has dedicated her career to advancing the work of nonprofit organizations who serve to create a more equitable society. Prior to joining SEO, she served in leadership roles for the United Methodists of Greater New Jersey, A Future With Hope Inc, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and New York University. As a consultant, she worked on campaigns for Obama for America, the Democratic National Committee, Amnesty International, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Her work has been recognized by the Religious Communicators Council and United Methodist Association of Communicators. In 2017 she was named the UM Communicator of the Year for her work with A Future With Hope and in 2020, she was recognized with the Epikoinonía Award for excellence in communications from UM Communications.
Job Titles:
- Senior Backend Software Engineer
Job Titles:
- Vice President - SEO Scholars, College
Catherine Finneran joined SEO in 2019. She is responsible for managing the college support, retention, and success components of SEO Scholars, including all college programming and advising. With a 25-person team of College Persistence professionals, the SEO Scholars, College team works with 1038 students attending more than 195 colleges around the nation and achieves a 90% college completion rate.
Prior to joining SEO, she most recently served as the Program Manager of UBS NextGen Leaders, UBS's multi-year, $10 million initiative focused on expanding college and career success for students who are the first in their families to go to college. The cornerstone of this initiative is UBS's partnership with SEO, where Catherine worked with the team in shepherding the 125 UBS NextGen Leaders students toward college graduation over the last four years.
Throughout her 13-year career, Catherine has worked to unlock opportunity for underrepresented students through multiple sectors including corporate philanthropy, nonprofit leadership, and teaching. Prior to taking on her role at UBS, she was the Program Director of The Posse Foundation's New York office. Catherine began her professional career teaching high school history in the South Bronx through Teach For America. She holds a B.A. from the University of Southern California where she graduated summa cum laude.
Catherine lives in Jersey City with her husband, Stephen, and rescue puppy, Hudson.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director, Operations, Data & Reporting
Chris Lee joined KKR in 2012 and is a Partner and responsible for KKR's Real Estate business in the Americas, overseeing both equity and credit investing platforms in the region. He is currently Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Inc. (NYSE: KREF) where he previously served as Co-Chief Executive Officer and Co-President since October 2015 and March 2016, respectively, through March 2020. Mr. Lee sits on KKR's Real Estate Equity and Credit Investment Committees in the Americas, KKR's Real Estate Equity and Credit Portfolio Management Committees in the Americas, KKR's Inclusion and Diversity Council and chairs KKR's Real Estate Valuation Committee. Prior to joining KKR, Mr. Lee spent three years at Apollo Global Management on their global real estate team where he focused on real estate acquisitions. He also worked at Goldman Sachs in the merchant banking division's real estate principal investment area (REPIA) for over five years after spending two years in the investment banking division. Mr. Lee earned his MBA from Harvard Business School and his Bachelor's degree in Economics from Emory University. He is a former trustee of St. Mark's School of Texas in Dallas, TX. Mr. Lee currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO) in New York, New York, as a member of the Board of Directors of the PREA Foundation in Hartford, Connecticut and as a member of the Dean's Advisory Council for Emory College of Arts and Sciences in Atlanta, Georgia. He is a member of the CRE Finance Council, Pension Real Estate Association, Real Estate Capital Policy Advisory Committee for the Real Estate Roundtable, Real Estate Executive Council, Manhattan Chapter of YPO and Urban Land Institute where he sits on one of its Urban Development and Mixed-Use Councils.
Job Titles:
- Director of Executive Initiatives / Projects
- Program Manager for the High School Scholars
Colin Shay currently serves as Director of Executive Initiatives/Projects, a role in which he advises SEO's senior leadership in identifying and prioritizing initiatives to strategically address organization-wide opportunities and challenges. His work includes the planning, management, and coordination of high-impact cross-functional projects, and he also oversees SEO's marketing and communications function. Colin serves as a key adviser, researcher, and thought partner to SEO's President & CEO, as well as to the entire Executive Leadership Team.
Colin joined SEO in 2010 as Program Manager for the High School Scholars program in New York, a position in which he advised the cohort of 125 10th grade Scholars and taught math classes for Saturday and Summer Academy. As the program grew in the subsequent years, Colin assumed progressive responsibility for multiple areas of the SEO Scholars (including academic program management, operations, data, and recruitment), ultimately serving as Program Director before stepping into his current role in 2018.
Prior to joining SEO, Colin taught 8th grade science at M.S. 118 in the Bronx (initially as a Teach For America corps member). He also spent several years coaching and mentoring first-year teachers as a TFA Content Specialist. Colin holds a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania, an MST in Adolescent Education from Pace University, and an MBA from the Stern School of Business at New York University.
Job Titles:
- Investment Director, University of California
Job Titles:
- Associate, KKR Global Impact
Job Titles:
- Director - SEO Leadership Institute
- Director of the SEO Leadership Institute
Daree Lewis is the Director of the SEO Leadership Institute. For over 50 years, SEO has been an innovator in education, mentorship, and increasing social capital to help talented young people of color attend college and launch their careers. In her role, she leads a team responsible for helping SEO alumni continue to achieve so that they become the leaders to create the more equitable society that SEO envisions.
As an alumna of New York City's public schools, Daree is passionate about quality public education. Prior to her role at SEO, she was a senior program officer of school-age programs at Robin Hood, a foundation focused on finding, funding, and creating programs and schools that generate meaningful results for families in New York's poorest neighborhoods. She joined the Robin Hood programs staff with ample experience in the nonprofit sector that includes partnering with the financial services and philanthropy sectors with the goal of increasing equity and access for all. Her other previous roles include charter school oversight and accountability at the New York City Department of Education, program management and development at SEO, and leading the education team at Junior Achievement New York.
Daree earned a Masters in Public Administration from the School of Public Affairs at Baruch College. She also earned a BA in Sociology at Queens College.
Job Titles:
- President & Chief Operating Officer, Vista Equity Partners
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder and CEO of Artemis Real Estate Partners
Ms. Harmon, Co-Founder and CEO of Artemis Real Estate Partners, is an industry leader and entrepreneur with more than 30 years of experience in real estate. Ms. Harmon, along with Penny Pritzker, co-founded Artemis Real Estate Partners in 2009. She has oversight responsibility for the firm, establishing and managing the firm's strategic direction.
Prior to co-founding Artemis, Ms. Harmon spent 17 years establishing and leading the principal investing business at J.E. Robert Companies, Inc., a global real estate investment firm where she was President and Chief Investment Officer from 1997 until her departure in 2007.
Ms. Harmon currently serves as Chairperson of the Pension Real Estate Association Foundation, a member of the Board of Directors of Urban Alliance and Sponsors for Educational Opportunity, a key leader and former trustee of the Urban Land Institute, and a member of the Advisory Boards of Jasper Ridge Charitable Fund and the BlackIvy Group. She also serves on the Advisory Council for the NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights and as a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Ms. Harmon was previously appointed by President Obama to serve as a Commissioner for the White House Fellows program and was a member of the Board of Directors for Forest City Enterprises [NYSE: FCE] and Avis Group Holdings [NYSE: AVI]. She previously served on the Board of the Pension Real Estate Association and on the Board and Executive Committee of Women for Women International.
Ms. Harmon also has served on the Advisory Board for the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, and the Boards of Trustees for The Sidwell Friends School, The National Cathedral Elementary School, and The National Children's Research Center in Washington, D.C.
Ms. Harmon was recognized in 2020 by Barron's on its inaugural list of the 100 Most Influential Women in U.S. Finance, and was recognized by EY as an Entrepreneur of the Year® 2019 Mid-Atlantic Award winner and National Finalist. She was included in Real Estate Forum's Women of Influence Hall of Fame in 2018.
Ms. Harmon earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Johns Hopkins University and a Master of Business Administration from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Ed Tam is a Managing Director of HPS Investment Partners. Mr. Tam's responsibilities include origination and execution of transactions for the private debt funds including Senior Loan Fund, Mezzanine Fund and various managed accounts.
Prior to joining HPS in June 2008, Mr. Tam spent four years as a partner for the publicly traded mezzanine fund, Apollo Investment Corporation ("AIC"). AIC is a $4 billion fund investing primarily in private mezzanine debt, public subordinated debt and private equity.
Prior to joining Apollo, Mr. Tam worked at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette/Credit Suisse from 1991 to 2003. During his tenure with the firm, Mr. Tam focused primarily on corporate finance transactions including mergers and acquisitions transactions, debt and equity fund raisings, restructurings and private equity. In 1999, Mr. Tam joined DLJ Investment Partners LP, a $1.6 billion mezzanine fund and focused on sourcing, diligencing and structuring investments.
Mr. Tam is a graduate of Cornell University and has a B.S. in Operations Research/Industrial Engineering and an M.B.A. in Finance.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Member of the Junior Leadership Board
Job Titles:
- Executive Director, UBS Investment Bank
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director, Alt. Invests. & Investment Banking
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder and Managing Partner of Siris Capital Group LLC
Mr. Frank Baker is a Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Siris Capital Group LLC ("Siris"), the predecessor fund of which was formed in 2006. Siris is a middle-market private equity firm focused on deep value, control equity investments around special situations in the telecom, technology, and technology-enabled business services sectors.
Prior to forming Siris, Mr. Baker was a Managing Director at Ripplewood Holdings LLC ("Ripplewood"), a global private equity firm. Mr. Baker started his career in investment banking at Goldman Sachs & Co. in the Mergers and Acquisitions Group.
Mr. Baker has an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and a B.A. from the University of Chicago. He is a Trustee of The University of Chicago, on the SEO Board of Directors, a Director of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, and an Advisory Board member of All Star Code.
Mr. Garcia received a B.A. in Economics from Yale University. After graduating in 1985, he joined Salomon Brothers in New York City where he became a Vice President specializing in mortgage-backed securities. In 1990, he moved to Houston to join former Mayor Henry Cisneros to build Cisneros Asset Management Company, ultimately becoming its President. In 2002, he joined Garcia Hamilton & Associates and is the firm's Managing Partner. Under his leadership, the firm grew from $200 million in fixed income assets under management to over $17 billion as of March 2021.
Mr. Garcia is proud to serve on two SEC advisory boards: SEC's Fixed Income Market Structure Advisory Board and SEC's Asset Management Advisory Committee, where he leads the Diversity and Inclusion subcommittee. He currently serves as a member of the Board of Trustees for Dallas Police & Fire Pension System and serves with Chairman Henry
Kravis on the Board of Directors of SEO, a non-profit providing summer internships on Wall Street for minority undergraduates. Mr. Garcia was awarded SEO's Alumni Leadership Award in 2015 alongside other honorees, including the former mayor of New York City, Michael R. Bloomberg, and Co-Founder & Co-CEO of The Carlyle Group, David M. Rubenstein.
Mr. Garcia and GH&A have received numerous industry recognitions. Most recently in 2020, Houston Business Journal recognized Mr. Garcia as a Diversity Champion within their Diversity in Business Awards and in 2019, he was awarded Houston's Most Admired CEOs, as well as being ranked among their Best Places to Work in 2018. The firm also received Pensions & Investments' Best Places to Work in Money Management for the fifth year in a row (2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016). Emerging Manager Monthly awarded the firm Fixed Income Manager of the Year for the third time (2019, 2018 and 2010). Mr. Garcia received NASP's Maynard Holbrook Jackson, Jr. Award in 2020. The award was established by NASP to honor the financial services professional who best exemplifies entrepreneurial achievement, community service and high moral standards. Mr. Garcia was recognized by American Jewish Committee Houston (AJC
Houston) with the Human Relations Award in 2016. Other past awards include FundMap's 2018 US Fixed Income Manager of the Year, Institutional Investor's Intermediate-Term Fixed Income Manager of the Year in 2016 and 2015, as well as their 2014 Fixed Income Investment Grade Manager of the Year. In 2018 Mr. Garcia was co-chair for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. The same year, he was also awarded "Male Entrepreneur of the Year 2018" by the Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
Mr. Garcia is committed to giving back to the communities and supporting those in need. During the COVID-19 crisis, Mr. Garcia and GH&A have donated over 35,000 masks along with hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes to various organizations. In response to Houston's recent freeze, Mr. Garcia teamed up with H-E-B Grocery Company, The Houston Food Bank, and community and state leaders to host multiple food and supplies distributions in the local communities most affected by the storm. Additionally, Mr. Garcia and GH&A sponsored the Houston Children's Museum re-opening and Summer Vibes program.
From 2012 - 2016, Mr. Garcia served as Chairman of the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County where he implemented the "Garcia Rule" which requires at least one diverse investment manager be included in every asset class search. Also, during his tenure, METRO paid down debt and started five year budget forecasting , secured a $900 million full funding grant agreement for light rail expansion, passed a referendum securing additional funding for METRO with 80% voter approval, increased light rail from 7 miles to 22 miles, and reimagined the entire bus system. This led to METRO receiving transparency awards and being awarded the 2015 APTA Award for Outstanding Public Transportation System Achievement.
Previously, Mr. Garcia served on the Board of Directors of Sanchez Energy, Secretary of the Board of Directors of the Houston Downtown Management District, member of the Board of Directors of the Yale Club of Houston and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Houston Municipal Employees Pension System. In addition, he is a Class X graduate of Leadership Houston. Mr. Garcia is married with four children and enjoys martial arts and coaching youth sports.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director
- Managing Director at Lazard
Hara Amdemariam is a Managing Director at Lazard, where he advises financial services companies on mergers, acquisitions, divestiture, and capital raising. Prior to joining Lazard, he was a member of Morgan Stanley's financial institution's investment banking group and began his career at J.P.Morgan.
He graduated from Yale University in 1996 and was an Intern in the SEO Career Class of 1995. He currently serves on the Board of SEO.
Job Titles:
- Investment Analyst, the Townsend Group
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder & Co - Executive Chairman
Henry R. Kravis (New York) co-founded KKR in 1976 and serves as its Co-Executive Chairman. Prior to his current position, he was Co-Chief Executive Officer until 2021. He is actively involved in managing the Firm and serves on each of the regional Private Equity Investment Committees. Mr. Kravis currently serves on the boards of Axel Springer and ICONIQ Capital, LLC. He also serves as a director, chairman emeritus, or trustee of several other cultural, professional, and educational institutions, including The Business Council (former chairman), Claremont McKenna College, Columbia Business School (co-chairman), Mount Sinai Hospital, the Partnership for New York City (former chairman), the Partnership Fund for New York City (founder), Rockefeller University (vice chairman), Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (chairman), and the Tsinghua School of Economics and Management in China.
He earned a B.A. from Claremont McKenna College in 1967 and an M.B.A. from the Columbia Business School in 1969. Mr. Kravis has more than four decades of experience financing, analyzing, and investing in public and private companies, as well as serving on the boards of a number of KKR portfolio companies.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director With TA Associates
- Managing Director, TA Associates
- Member of the Board of Overseers of the Brigham
Hythem T. El-Nazer is a Managing Director with TA Associates, a leading global growth private equity firm that has raised over $33.5 billion of capital. He is a member of TA's Management, Core Investment, and Portfolio Committees and is Co-Head of TA's Technology Group. He has led or been involved with over 20 investments in leading technology companies across North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. He is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Aptean, Digicert, Gamma, Idera, Ivanti, insightsoftware, Mitratech, MRI Software, Netsmart, PDI, and Sovos. Prior to joining TA Associates in 2004, Mr. El-Nazer worked at McKinsey & Company and Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette.
Hythem is also a member of the Board of Overseers of the Brigham and Women's Hospital, Vice Chairman of the Board of the Egyptian-American Enterprise Fund, and Member of the President's Leadership Council of Brown University.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director / Owl Ventures
Across his career, Ian has been an investor, entrepreneur, and advisor to education and technology companies. He brings a wealth of education investing and board experience to the Owl Ventures team. Prior to joining Owl Ventures, Ian led the education sector at Warburg Pincus and served on the Board of Directors of Stratford Schools, Liaison International, Dude Solutions, and Civitas Learning. Before Warburg Pincus, Ian was a technology investor at Silver Lake Partners and a consultant at Bain & Company. He also helped launch BigMachines (acquired by Oracle), a leading configure, price, quote (CPQ) SaaS vendor, where he focused on business development.
Prior to his professional career, Ian was the lead author of Caution: Watch for Scholarships Ahead, a practical guide for students to navigate the complex scholarship application process, which was endorsed by Stanford University's Dean of Admissions & Financial Aid. Ian is a graduate of Stanford University, where he earned a B.S. in Industrial Engineering, with Distinction, and an M.S. in Industrial Engineering, with a concentration in technology management and entrepreneurship. He also received his M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he was an Arjay Miller Scholar and Arbuckle Leadership Fellow.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director, Partner Relations
Job Titles:
- Chairman and Managing Director of San
Jean-Pierre L. Conte is the Chairman and Managing Director of San Francisco-based Genstar Capital LLC, responsible for acquisitions, divestitures, and oversight of portfolio companies in a number of industries including healthcare, software, and industrial technologies. He is a Director of Boyd Corporation, ConnectiveRx and Bracket Global. Prior to leading Genstar Capital, J-P was a principal at The NTC Group, Inc., a private-equity firm focused on industrial technology companies. He grew up in the New York area and began his career at Chase Manhattan Bank. J-P earned an M.B.A. from Harvard University Graduate School of Business and a B.A. from Colgate University.
J-P serves on the board of several philanthropic organizations. He is a trustee of the Pepperwood Preserve, an ecological institute dedicated to educating, engaging, and inspiring our community through environmental preservation, education, and research. J-P is also on the Board of Trustees of the California Pacific Medical Center and serves on the CPMC Research Education and Leadership Council. He also founded the Conte Task Force on Comprehensive Immigration Reform at the Hoover Institution in 2011.
Job Titles:
- Director - SEO Law
- Director of SEO
Jennifer De Jesus is the Director of SEO Law with responsibility for overseeing the SEO Law Fellowship program and Catalyst Scholars program. She focuses on increasing contact and communications with underrepresented students interested in attending law school, preparing and strengthening students to maximize success before and during law school, expanding law firm partner relationships, and supporting current SEO Law alumni in their academic and professional endeavors.
Jennifer most recently worked as a staff attorney at the Robin Hood Project of Advocates for Children of New York, where she provided direct representation at special education hearings, advocacy and technical assistance on a variety of education issues to low-income families and community-based organizations. She is also a former banking and finance attorney at Clifford Chance US LLP and former corporate associate at Stroock, Stroock & Lavan LLP, where she worked on an array of transactional matters. During her time at Stroock, Jennifer led the firm's Legal Outreach summer programming and served as a Board Member of the Attorneys of Color Affinity Group, where she actively worked on diversity recruiting, mentoring and professional development initiatives.
Jennifer has a JD from NYU School of Law and a BA from Macaulay Honors College at Hunter College (CUNY).
Job Titles:
- CEO of the Investment Management Arm of Mosser
- Chief Executive Officer, Mosser Capital
As CEO of the investment management arm of Mosser, Jim Farris leads all facets of the investment management platform, including strategic vision, developing new capital partner relationships, acquisitions, recapitalizations, dispositions, geographic expansion, and asset management. Jim has more than 17 years of experience in real estate investment, finance, and property operations. He is an IREI Springboard Leader Alumni and an iREOC Board of Governors member as well as a UC Berkeley Fisher Center Advisory board member.
Jim earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from Santa Clara University and a dual Masters of Business Administration degree from Columbia Business School and the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business.
Job Titles:
- Co - Head of Private Capital Group at MSD Partners
John Civantos is the Co-Head of Private Capital Group at MSD Partners. Before joining MSD, Mr. Civantos served as a Managing Partner with Court Square Capital Partners, a U.S. middle-market private equity firm. He joined Court Square in 2004 and was primarily involved in the firm's efforts investing in the Business Services and Technology sectors. Successful private equity investments he has been involved with include System 1, InfoGroup, Dynata, DISA Global Solutions, Vestcom, mSpark, IWCO Direct, Mosaic Sales Solutions and SGS International.
Mr. Civantos received his B.A. from Duke University and his M.B.A. with academic distinction from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He also holds an M.A. in International Affairs from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.
Job Titles:
- Partner & Education Sector Lead / the Rise Fund
John is a Partner and the global Education Sector Lead for TPG's Rise Fund. In that role, John has developed the Rise Fund's education sector investment strategy which focuses on personalized learning, career education and multi-site school operators in emerging markets. John joined the Rise Fund with nearly two decades of experience closing two dozen acquisitions while building nine platform companies in the education and healthcare sectors. John led the Rise Fund's investments in DreamBox Learning, InStride and Digital House and assisted with investments in Renaissance Learning, EverFi, Allogene, Viewpoint Therapeutics and RefleXion.
Prior to joining Rise, John helped to build the field of social impact investing in the US as a founding partner of Bridges Ventures' U.S. Sustainable Growth Fund. Prior to his work with Bridges, John was a Partner and Group Head for the Healthcare and Education Group at Gryphon Investors and a Vice President with DB Capital Partners. John began his career in the public sector, leading the development of innovative public health programs for the Alameda County Health Care Services Agency. John currently serves on the Boards of DreamBox Learning, InStride, Digital House and GradGuru. He holds a BA in political science from Yale University, an MBA from Stanford University and a Doctor of Education from the University of Pennsylvania.
Job Titles:
- Executive Chairman, SELECTA Group AG
- Vice Chairman of the First Data Board of Directors
Joe Plumeri is vice chairman of the First Data Board of Directors. Plumeri was originally appointed to the Board and as a senior advisor to KKR in August 2013. Since then he also has been serving as senior advisor to First Data Chairman and CEO Frank Bisignano. He assumed the vice chairman role in May, 2014.
Since joining First Data, Plumeri has played a pivotal role in the company's transformation from a transaction processor to a payments technology company and solutions provider to merchants and financial institutions. He has spearheaded company-wide efforts to become more client-centric, including realigning how the company delivers solutions to and serves its global and strategic accounts, national merchants and enterprise clients, financial institutions, small business clients, bank partners, and agents and ISO clients. Creating a superior client experience is part of this effort to better serve clients, build stronger relationships that foster business growth for clients, and deliver innovative solutions, including the Clover™ Station, a transformational point-of-sale solution for small and medium-sized businesses. Prior to joining First Data, Plumeri served as chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Willis Group Holdings plc. Under his leadership, Willis strengthened its position as one of the world's leading insurance brokers through sector-leading organic growth and operating margins, strategic expansion, a dedication to transparency and passionate client service.
Appointed to lead Willis in 2000, Plumeri returned the company, which was privately held by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR), to public ownership in 2001. When he assumed leadership of Willis, the company's share price was $3, rising to $43 when he stepped down as chairman in 2013. Among Plumeri's notable milestones while at Willis, in addition to the extraordinary return to shareholders, was his public leadership against conflicts of interest in the insurance industry. He also spearheaded Willis' $2.1 billion acquisition of Hilb Rogal & Hobbs (HRH) in 2009, which was one of the largest transactions in the insurance industry in the last decade, and drove the deal to rename the Sears Tower as Willis Tower, then the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere.
Before joining Willis, Plumeri had a 32-year career at Citigroup and its predecessor companies. As CEO of Citibank North America, he led the integration of the consumer businesses at Citicorp and Travelers Group. He also served as chairman and CEO of Travelers Primerica Financial Services, vice chairman of the Travelers Group, and president and managing partner of Shearson Lehman Brothers. A widely admired leader in the insurance industry, Plumeri was named to Treasury & Risk magazine's list of "100 Most Influential People in Finance" in 2009 and 2010. He was also recognized by St. John's University School of Risk Management as Insurance Leader of the Year in 2006.
Plumeri's generous philanthropy over the decades has drawn many accolades, including appointment as the Grand Marshal of the 2011 Columbus Day Parade by the Columbus Citizen's Foundation. Plumeri also serves on the boards of the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse; Mount Sinai Medical Center; the Jackie Robinson Foundation; New York Law School; and the Churchill Museum at the Cabinet Ward Rooms in London. An avid sportsman and baseball entrepreneur, Plumeri is an owner of the Trenton Thunder, the Affiliate of the New York Yankees, and the Trenton Blue Claws, the Affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies.
In 2015 Plumeri published his first book, a national bestseller, The Power of Being Yourself: A Game Plan for Success - by Putting Passion into Your Life and Work. In his book, based on his life experiences, Plumeri offers simple yet profound guidance on how to stay positive, motivate yourself and others and, achieve success in your life and work. All of the author's proceeds will be donated to the Make-a-Wish Foundation and the Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University.
Born in Trenton, N.J., Plumeri received his Bachelor of Arts in history and education from the College of William and Mary and attended New York Law School. In 2011, William and Mary awarded him an Honorary Doctorate of Public Service in honor of his philanthropic endeavors, where Plumeri delivered a speech to the 2011 graduates, titled "Go Play in Traffic (and Follow the Signs Along the Road)," that was recognized as one of the best commencement addresses of the year by the New York Times. In 2015, New York Law School awarded him an Honorary Juris Doctorate, where Plumeri delivered the commencement speech to the graduates, titled "Principles for Success," that was recognized by Time as one of the most motivating commencement speeches of the year.
Job Titles:
- Chairman & Managing Director, Genstar Capital
Jean-Pierre L. Conte is the Chairman and Managing Director of San Francisco-based Genstar Capital LLC, responsible for acquisitions, divestitures, and oversight of portfolio companies in a number of industries including healthcare, software, and industrial technologies. He is a Director of Boyd Corporation, ConnectiveRx and Bracket Global. Prior to leading Genstar Capital, J-P was a principal at The NTC Group, Inc., a private-equity firm focused on industrial technology companies. He grew up in the New York area and began his career at Chase Manhattan Bank. J-P earned an M.B.A. from Harvard University Graduate School of Business and a B.A. from Colgate University.
J-P serves on the board of several philanthropic organizations. He is a trustee of the Pepperwood Preserve, an ecological institute dedicated to educating, engaging, and inspiring our community through environmental preservation, education, and research. J-P is also on the Board of Trustees of the California Pacific Medical Center and serves on the CPMC Research Education and Leadership Council. He also founded the Conte Task Force on Comprehensive Immigration Reform at the Hoover Institution in 2011.
Job Titles:
- Global Co - Head of Asset Management
Julian is Global Head of Asset Management. He is a member of the Management Committee and co-chair of the Partnership Committee and Firmwide Investment Policy Committee. Julian is co-chair of the MBD Corporate Investment Committee, MBD Credit Investment Committee, MBD Growth Investment Committee, MBD Infrastructure Investment Committee and MBD Real Estate Investment Committee. He is also a member of the Board of Advisors of Launch With GS, Goldman Sachs' $500 million commitment to invest in companies and investment managers with diverse leadership.
Prior to assuming his current role, Julian was head of the Global Special Situations Group (GSSG) from 2013 to 2019. Prior to GSSG, he was head of the European Special Situations Group (ESSG) from 2008 to 2013, based in London. From 2007 to 2008, Julian worked in Moscow establishing ESSG's business covering the former Soviet Union, and was a founding member of ESSG in 2003. Prior to ESSG, he held roles in Bank Loan Research, High Yield Research and Product Control. Julian joined Goldman Sachs in 1998, and was named managing director in 2005 and partner in 2008.
Prior to joining the firm, he worked in the audit practice of KPMG. Julian qualified as a chartered accountant in 1998 and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.
He serves on the Board of Trustees of The Nightingale-Bamford School.
Julian earned a BSc in Sports Science and an MSc in Biomechanics from Loughborough University in 1993 and 1994, respectively.
As Executive Vice President, Julian Johnson oversees all program activities for SEO Scholars, SEO Career, SEO Law, and SEO Alternative Investments, in addition to SEO's alumni programming. Julian joined SEO in 2002, bringing over twenty years of experience in development and executive leadership to the organization.
Shortly after joining SEO, Julian led the restructuring of all intern recruitment and training activities for SEO Career, resulting in a 40% increase in the rate of full-time job offers made to summer interns. In the early 2000's, Julian also led the development of a corporate leadership internship track which provided opportunities for underrepresented students to intern at Fortune companies. He restructured the law internship track and the development of an intensive Law Institute to enhance the academic performance of SEO Law Fellows in their first year of law school.
In 2006, Julian assumed oversight of SEO Scholars and led the organization's effort to re-think how out-of-school time could be used more effectively to close the academic achievement gap for low-income students. This led to the creation of the current SEO Scholars model, which uses the equivalent of a sixth day of school per week to help low-income public high school students gain the needed academic skills for college readiness and success. The new model also provides comprehensive support for Scholars throughout college, until graduation. Since then, SEO Scholars has tripled the number of students served to more than 1,000 in the 2014-15 academic year. The program has also been replicated in San Francisco.
In 2009, Julian oversaw the development of SEO Alternative Investments (AI), which includes a fellowship program and an annual SEO Alternative Investments Conference (AICON).
Previously, Julian was Director of Development and Corporate Partnerships at the Institute of International Education (IIE) where he helped to develop the IIE Scholar Rescue Fund. He has also held senior development and executive positions at Teach for America, Associated Black Charities of New York, A Better Chance and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. He holds Master's Degrees in Developmental Psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University and in Non-Profit Management from the New School. Julian presently serves on the board of trustees of the Institute of International Education and on several scholarship and fellowship review committees.
Job Titles:
- Capital & Partner Solutions
Job Titles:
- Founder
- Managing Partner
- Founder and Managing Partner of Arcadia Investment Partners
- Founder and Managing Partner, Arcadia Investment Partners, LLC
Mr. Moalemzadeh is the Founder and Managing Partner of Arcadia Investment Partners. Arcadia is an SEC Registered Investment Advisor focused on deploying capital into private equity, real estate, and special situations investments on behalf of its own balance sheet and limited partner capital from ultra-high net worth families and institutional investors. Prior to founding Arcadia, Mr. Moalemzadeh was a Managing Director at Mentmore Holdings and a member of the merchant banking division of Donaldson, Lufkin and Jenrette. Mr. Moalemzadeh graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Job Titles:
- President & CEO, Partnership for New York City
- President and CEO of the Nonprofit Partnership for New York City
Kathryn Wylde is President and CEO of the nonprofit Partnership for New York City, the city's leading business organization. Its mission is to work with government, labor, and the civic sector to build a stronger New York, with a focus on education, infrastructure, and the economy.
Prior to taking over the Partnership presidency in 2001, Ms. Wylde was the founding CEO of both the Partnership's housing and investment fund affiliates. She was responsible for developing and managing affordable housing and economic development programs that contributed to the renaissance of blighted urban neighborhoods across the five boroughs. With the investment fund, she developed a network of business leaders and investors that nurtured the growth of the city's "innovation economy," creating thousands of jobs and promoting entrepreneurial business initiatives across the five boroughs.
An internationally recognized expert on urban policy, Ms. Wylde has been awarded honorary degrees from Fordham University and St. Francis College, and serves on the boards of many nonprofit institutions, including the Lutheran Medical Center, NYC Economic Development Corporation, The Fund for Public Schools, Manhattan Institute, and the Governor's NYC Regional Economic Development Council.
Job Titles:
- Partner, White & Case, LLP
Keith is a partner in the Firm's Financial Restructuring and Insolvency Practice. He focuses on bankruptcy and creditors' rights. Keith primarily acts on behalf of investment funds specializing in distressed debt, and potential acquirers of assets of distressed companies. He regularly represents ad hoc committees of secured and unsecured creditors in Chapter 11 cases and in out-of-court workouts, and he also represents official committees in Chapter 11 cases.
Keith has been particularly active with respect to inter-creditor disputes, credit-bidding transactions and other acquisitions of company control through debt positions. In addition, he regularly represents clients in bankruptcy courts and other venues.
Keith was named a Fellow by the American College of Bankruptcy in 2019. He maintains an active pro bono practice and serves and supports numerous charitable and public interest organizations. He is on the Board of Trustees of The New York Historical Society, and ran for New York State Attorney General in 2018.
Ken Mehlman joined KKR in 2008 and is KKR's Global Head of Public Affairs, helping the Firm assess and improve the companies in which it invests by better understanding and managing geopolitical risk and engaging with their key stakeholders. Mr. Mehlman also oversees the firm's global external affairs activities, including corporate marketing, regulatory affairs, and public policy & communications. Mr. Mehlman leads KKR's Environmental Social Governance (ESG) programs for the firm and its portfolio companies. Before joining KKR, Mr. Mehlman led a bipartisan public policy and regulatory practice at the global law firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld. Mr. Mehlman spent a dozen years in national politics and government service, including as 62nd Chairman of the Republican National Committee and Campaign Manager of President Bush's 2004 re-election campaign, as well as in high-level positions in Congress and the White House. Mr. Mehlman earned a B.A. from Franklin & Marshall College and holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School. Mr. Mehlman is Chairman of the Private Equity and Growth Capital Council, the association representing the private equity and growth capital industries, a trustee of Mt. Sinai Hospital of New York, Franklin & Marshall College, the American Foundation for Equal Rights, SEO and the Ideal School of Manhattan, Co-chairman of the American Enterprise Institute's National Council, and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Job Titles:
- Executive Vice President
- Vice President of Development & Investor Relations at Lyft
- VP Corporate Development and Investor Relations
Kristina is Vice President of Development & Investor Relations at Lyft, where she brings over 20 years of experience in corporate development, investment banking, and strategy. Most recently, Kristina was Vice President of Corporate Development at Fitbit, and prior to that, led M&A for Adobe Systems Inc., where she focused on inorganic growth strategy, equity investments, M&A execution, and post-merger integration. Prior to Adobe, Kristina held positions with Lehman Brothers in Technology Investment Banking and with Hewlett Packard in Strategy & Corporate Development.
Kristina holds a B.S. degree in Industrial Engineering from Stanford University and an M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Junior Leadership Board
- Latin America Investments Associate
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director, Markets
Job Titles:
- Director, Equity Capital Markets, Bank of America
Job Titles:
- Managing Director and Co - Founder, Carrick Capital Partners
Marc is Co-Founder and Managing Director of Carrick Capital Partners, a growth equity firm based in San Francisco. Prior to Carrick Capital Partners, Marc was a Managing Director at General Atlantic, a $15 billion global private equity firm, where he led investments in enterprise services and software and was head of the Palo Alto office. Prior, Marc was a Vice President in the high-tech mergers and acquisitions group of Goldman Sachs, Inc. and was an Associate at Morgan Stanley, where he worked in the telecom/media M&A group.
Marc is a trustee at the University of Pennsylvania and a board member of Classroom, Inc., an NYC-based nonprofit dedicated to improving language arts and math skills in elementary and middle school children from economically disadvantaged areas.
Marc has a B.S. degree in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of Business.
Marc lives in Marin with his wife, Marjorie, and their two sons.
Job Titles:
- AEA Investor
- Vice President, Goldman Sachs
Job Titles:
- President of Mark Bieler Associates, Inc
- President, Mark Bieler & Associates / Secretary
Mark Bieler is currently President of Mark Bieler Associates, Inc., a consulting firm advising top management of private and public sector organizations on strategic human resources and organization development issues. Clients of Mark Bieler Associates have included a broad range of institutions, ranging from The Westfield Group (the world's largest mall developer/manager), Morgan Stanley Retail, Ogilvy & Mather, Mercantile Trust, and work with the top management of the Central Intelligence Agency.
From 1985 to mid-1999, Mr. Bieler was Director of Human Resources for Bankers Trust Company, and Executive Vice President of the parent organization, Bankers Trust Corporation.
Mr. Bieler joined Bankers Trust in 1973 and managed the bank's internal Management Consulting Group; subsequent to that he had Human Resources responsibilities for Banking Operations and for the International, United States, and World Corporate Banking units. He also managed the Commercial Banking Training Program and the Compensation and Benefits Division.
A 1967 graduate of Franklin and Marshall College, Mr. Bieler began his career with Manufactures Hanover Trust Company, where he was head of the Manpower Planning and Development Division. Mr. Bieler also was the recipient of the 1989 Human Resources Professional of the Year Award from the New York Chapter of the Society for Human Resources Management. Mr. Bieler was elected to the Personnel Roundtable in 1992.
Mr. Bieler speaks frequently in public forums about industry issues, most recently addressing the annual Conference Board Human Resources meeting and keynoting the annual Human Resources Planning Society sponsors convention.
Mr. Bieler is involved in numerous nonprofit activities and is currently serving as Chairman of the Edwin Gould Foundation.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Coatue Management Team
- Associate / Genstar Capital
Job Titles:
- Director, Quant Financing Sales / Bank of America
Job Titles:
- Co - Managing Partner, the Rise Fund
- Director of EverFi
- Managing Partner at the Rise Fund
Maya Chorengel is a Co-Managing Partner at The Rise Fund, the world's largest, global impact platform committed to achieving measurable, positive social and environmental outcomes alongside competitive
financial returns. Founded by TPG in partnership with Bono and Jeff Skoll, and with more than $5 billion in assets under management, Rise invests in growth-stage, high potential, mission-driven companies that have the power to change the world. A longtime impact, private equity and venture capital investor, Maya also leads financial services and fintech investing for Rise globally and is a key architect of the fund's impact methodology and assessment process.
Prior to joining TPG, Maya was a co-founder of Elevar Equity, a leading impact venture capital firm with a track record of top quartile financial returns and meaningful impact on over 20 million low-income households in Asia and Latin America. Prior to Elevar, Maya was Managing Director of the Dignity Fund, a private investment fund focused on local currency debt financing for high-growth microfinance institutions globally. She began her investing career at Warburg Pincus in New York, Hong Kong and Menlo Park.
Maya serves as a Director of EverFi, Varo, GloboKasNet, Nithio, and Kiva. She also serves on the Advisory Boards of CASE i3 at Duke University, the Harvard Business School Social Enterprise Initiative, and coauthored a Harvard Business Review article entitled "Calculating the Value of Impact Investing." Maya earned an A.B. in Social Studies from Harvard College and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director, BlackRock
- Managing Director, Is
Maybel Marte, Managing Director, is Head of Liquid Levered Credit Product Strategy within BlackRock's Global Credit Group. As a product strategist, Ms. Marte focuses on developing credit solutions for both institutional and retail clients, across our Bank Loans, High Yield, and CLO offerings. In this role, she is responsible for product development, marketing, and client service.
Prior to joining BlackRock in September 2017, Ms. Marte was a Senior Vice President at PIMCO in the US Institutional Client Management group. While at PIMCO from 2010 to 2016, Ms, Marte was responsible for servicing and marketing to large corporations, multi-national agencies, and nonprofit organizations. As a client strategist, Ms. Marte focused on delivering customized investment solutions to institutional clients, including duration overlays/underlays, asset allocation optimization, interest rates, equity-based tail-risk hedging programs, and multi-asset credit solutions.
Prior to joining PIMCO in early 2010, Ms. Marte held positions in fixed income institutional sales for over 9 years, of which 7 years was spent at Goldman Sachs on the High Yield-Distressed Bond desk and the balance at FBR Capital Markets.
Ms. Marte received her Masters of Business Administration from The Wharton School and Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Wellesley College.
Job Titles:
- Founder, Owlswood Capital
Michael Osheowitz** SEO Founder At the age of 24, and at the same time he was starting out in investment banking, Michael Osheowitz founded SEO (Sponsors for Educational Opportunity), considered one of the most innovative and successful educational, career training, and professional development programs for underrepresented and underserved high school and college students. The organization is perhaps best known for its various career programs in such areas as corporate management, investment banking and corporate law. In its investment banking program alone, which operates in New York, London, Hong Kong, Beijing, and Shanghai, there have been over 5,000 graduates, approximately 80% of whom have received full-time job offers from SEO corporate partners. Prior to retiring from the business world in 1989, Mr. Osheowitz had been president of Arthur Schmidt & Associates, a financial consulting firm. Since retirement, he served as chairman of the Edwin Gould Foundation since 2007, and he is currently chairman emeritus of Gould. The Gould Foundation incubates non-profits in their formative years by providing seed money, free office space, and such pro bono consulting services as board development, fundraising, and strategic planning. In addition to SEO, these organizations have included Teach for America, New York Outward Bound, Workshop in Business Opportunities, Breakthrough New York, Citizen Schools, Association of Black Foundation Executives and Hispanics in Philanthropy. Working in collaboration with policymakers, thought leaders, and innovative non-profits, the Edwin Gould Foundation advocates nationally and demonstrates locally to help close the college achievement gap. Mr. Osheowitz was appointed to the Horizon Project, where he was responsible for education policy. The Horizon Project, a coalition of eleven of the nation's most forward-thinking business and policy leaders, developed legislative recommendations for the United States Senate Democratic Policy Committee in major areas that its members felt would advance America's prosperity and economic security, and continue the nation's long-standing commitments to economic and social justice. Then-Senator Hillary Clinton introduced the COACH Act in the 110th Congress. COACH addresses the 1.5 million high school students in the top half of their class who could graduate college but do not. For the past 25 years, Mr. Osheowitz has been actively involved in preserving the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright throughout the United States. He is a founding member of the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy, where he was a member of the board of directors for many years. He was also chairman and founder of the Frank Lloyd Wright Development Network, a consortium of the major public buildings designed by Wright. Mr. Osheowitz received his undergraduate degree from Middlebury College. He and his wife, Maria Teresa, a psychotherapist, have two daughters and three grandsons.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder and Managing Partner, Reverence Capital Partners
Milton Berlinski co-founded Reverence Capital in June 2013 after concluding a 26-year career at Goldman Sachs, which he joined in 1986 and where he served as a founding member of the Financial Institutions Group in Investment Banking, focusing on banks, consumer and commercial finance companies, asset management, insurance and capital markets. He also served as Head of Strategy and Corporate Development in the period after Goldman Sachs' IPO, assisting the Executive Office and division leaders to create and execute a strategy to build out Goldman Sachs' global footprint. For the final 10 years of his Goldman Sachs tenure, Mr. Berlinski had global responsibility for coverage of the firm's financial sponsor and hedge fund clients, overseeing a dramatic increase in revenue from the business and working alongside Goldman Sachs' Merchant Banking team on co-investment opportunities in transactions involving the firm's clients. Mr. Berlinski has led or executed over 250 transactions in financial services across all subsectors, including numerous strategic acquisitions by Goldman Sachs itself. Mr. Berlinski was also a member of the Operating Committee and the Compensation Committee during his time at the firm. He received a B.A. in engineering from California State University, Northridge, in 1978 and an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1980. Mr. Berlinski serves on the board of directors for Victory Capital, Russell Investments, Diamond Resorts, Venerable Holdings (HoldCo), Transact, Advisor Group, and Vida Capital. He formerly served on the board of directors for Kabbage. He also serves on the Board of the Ronald McDonald House, the Advisory Board of the Wharton School, and The Mount Sinai Department of Surgery Advisory Board. He is a Board Member of the New America Alliance, supporting Latino leadership in entrepreneurship, corporate America, and public service. In addition, he serves on the Board of Directors of SEO (Sponsors for Educational Opportunity), which has made a lifetime of achievement possible for nearly 20,000 talented young people from underserved and underrepresented communities around the United States.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director
- Managing Director of SEO Career
- Senior Leader
Mindy Davis serves as the Managing Director of SEO Career. Mindy is a senior leader with extensive experience in marketing and client services. She has built and mentored large teams at early-stage and traditional consumer companies. Mindy has held senior-level marketing positions at Kraft, Bertelsmann Music Group, and TimeWarner, where she developed strategic marketing programs and drove new product development efforts.
In the past nine years, Mindy has held senior-level client services roles at marketing technology start-ups. Most recently, she was the Senior Vice President of Professional Services at Crowdtap where she was recruited to build and significantly scale the team/service model for the business. She overhauled and standardized critical client program deliverables and project processes to drive renewal rates. She led all strategic relationships with client partners including Johnson & Johnson, McDonald's, and Pepperidge Farm.
Mindy holds a B.S. in Business Administration from the State University of New York at Albany and an M.B.A. from Columbia University.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Junior Leadership Board
- Associate Director, Corporate Strategy
Job Titles:
- Investment Analyst, the D.E. Shaw Group
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Chief Executive Officer, K1 Investment Management, LLC
In addition to managing the day-to-day operations of K1, Neil is an active board member for the firm's portfolio companies and advisor to its management teams.
Previously Neil worked for Kayne Anderson, Brentwood Associates, Olympus Partners and J.P. Morgan Securities. He has served as a director of numerous companies and also serves on the Board of Directors of Junior Achievement of Southern California.
Neil is a graduate of the Harvard Business School, where he received an M.B.A., and of the University of Pennsylvania, where he received a BS in Finance from the Wharton School and a B.A.S. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the school of Engineering and Applied Sciences, magna cum laude.
Job Titles:
- Executive Chairman
- Head
- Senior Partner
- Director on the Boards of IRIS
- Senior Partner and Executive Chairman, Hg Capital
Nic is Senior Partner and Executive Chairman of Hg and Head of the Saturn funds. He has ultimate responsibility for Hg's strategy, management and governance. He focuses on larger software investments that provide daily-use mission critical applications for accountants, lawyers, tax/compliance professionals and designers/engineers/scientists.
Nic is currently a director on the boards of IRIS, Benevity and Visma. He has led or co-led more than 30 investments over the last 27 years, including Addison (accounting software - sold to Wolters Kluwer), CSG (legal/ERP software - sold to Advanced plc), e-conomic (SaaS ERP - sold to Visma), Foundry (design & VFX software - sold to Roper Technologies Inc), Geneva Technology (telecom OSS software - sold to Convergys Inc), IRIS (Accounting/ERP software), NextGenTel (telecoms), RAET (payroll software - sold to Visma), Rolfe & Nolan (banking software - sold to ION Trading), Visma (ERP software), Xyratex (storage networking - listed on Nasdaq and sold to Western Digital).
Job Titles:
- Senior Director - SEO Scholars, New York City
Nicole Kimberly McCauley is a native New Yorker who has spent the past 22 years working on behalf of young people in New York City. She started her career as an Admissions Officer at Pace University and then served as the Assistant Director of Recruitment at Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO). She transformed the Scholars' Program recruitment and admissions process into a strategic and comprehensive operation in this role. Hoping to make a more significant impact, Nicole joined the Harlem Village Academies (HVA) team. Her primary responsibilities in this nationally recognized charter school network included hiring teachers and staff for five schools.
In 2015, Nicole joined the Office of Teacher Recruitment and Quality, serving as the Director of Recruitment for the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE). She was responsible for building a pipeline of over 20,000 traditional and alternative certification candidates for the city's 1,800 public schools. Nicole returned to SEO to serve as the Director of Recruitment and Diversity Initiatives.
She currently serves as the Senior Director of the High School Scholars program, managing 45 young professionals who support over 2,000 students through a rigorous eight-year academic program focused on preparing students for the top colleges and universities in the nation. Closing the academic achievement gap continues to be a passion and inspiration for her work with young people. She chooses to direct her skills towards helping disenfranchised students gain access to higher education and become first-generation college graduates.
Nicole received her Bachelor's Degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Law from Binghamton University and a Master's Degree in Organizational Management from St. John's University.
Job Titles:
- Vice President
- Vice President - SEO Career
Nicole oversees the Investment Banking, Asset Management, Sales & Trading, and Investment Research programs. In this capacity, she is responsible for intern selection, matching, training, and mentoring, as well as partner communication, planning, and strategy. Nicole also manages SEO Edge, SEO Career's talent development program. In addition, Nicole is responsible for data management, internal operations, and provides strategic direction on a number of projects.
Her relationship with SEO began as an intern in the summer of 2000. After an internship in Equity Research at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette (DLJ), she joined Merrill Lynch. She spent five years at Merrill where she worked in Equity Capital Markets and as an associate in Equity Research. She joined the SEO staff in May 2006 and serves on the executive leadership team. She seeks to share her professional experience and business acumen with other students seeking careers in corporate America and in public service.
Nicole graduated from Emory University in 2001 with a B.A. in Sociology and Spanish. She received her M.B.A. (Executive Program) from Columbia University in 2013.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Equity Investor
- Partner at Partner Fund Management, LP
- Trustee of the National School Climate Center
Nihir is a partner at Partner Fund Management, LP. Before moving to the Bay Area, Nihir worked at investment firms Serengeti Asset Management, Fortress Investment Group and Merrill Lynch. Prior to Merrill Lynch, he worked for various technology start-ups, including Bang Networks, in business development capacities. Nihir has international experience as well, having worked at Salomon Brothers in London.
Nihir serves as a trustee of the National School Climate Center.
Job Titles:
- Head of Asset Manager Relationships for the Investment Solutions Group at Bank of America
- Managing Director, Bank of America Merrill Lynch
Ninon Marapachi is the Head of Asset Manager Relationships for the Investment Solutions Group at Bank of America. Based in New York, her team is responsible for cultivating strong and productive relationships with 3rd party investment managers to progress strategic priorities for the Global Wealth & Investment Management (GWIM) businesses. The role is instrumental in working across the different channels within Bank of America, particularly GWIM, Retirement & GBAM to coordinate activities and broaden strategic relationships.
Previously, Ninon was the head of Hedge Fund Origination & Product Management where her team was responsible for sourcing (in partnership with the CIO Due Diligence team), structuring, negotiating, and managing hedge fund solutions for wealth management clients.
Prior to that Ninon spent approximately ten years in Capital Markets Group at Merrill Lynch serving wealth management clients touching multiple asset classes.
Ninon sits on the Global Strategy & Enterprise Platform D&I Council, a forum that drives D&I strategies for the business and ensures alignment with the global D&I goals for Bank of America.
Ninon has received a number of professional recognitions over the years with the most recent, in 2016, where she was on the Crain's New York Magazine 40 under 40 list and in 2019, where she was named one of the 10 Hedge Fund Rising Stars by the Institutional Investor.
Ninon sits on the board of Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO), a New York based organization that aims to develop and implement programs to close preparation gap faced by highly talented and motivated students of color on the path to exceptional educational and career opportunities.
Ninon holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Mount Holyoke College.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director - SEO Scholars, San Francisco
Omar Wandera joined our #SEOFamily in September 2020 ready to embark on the challenge of changing the lives of thousands as the Executive Director of SEO Scholars San Francisco! Omar was born and raised in Oakland, CA, and is the product of college access programs that forever changed the course of his life. He grew up in a single-parent household, strapped with traditional inner-city struggles, but made it to Norfolk State University because of the love, support, and guidance given by programs much like SEO. Omar's life's journey through education was cemented by the idea that he had to give back all that was given to him. He has spent the last 20+ years doing just that.
Prior to joining SEO, Omar taught middle and high school students for Norfolk Public Schools, was an Academic Coordinator at the Holy Names Upward Bound Program, supervisor of a clinical mentoring program in the Mission, administrator at KIPP SF Bay Academy, and spent 15 years as the founder of Leadership Public Schools Hayward. At LPS, he scaled a school with no students, no parents, no culture, and no identity, into one of the top-performing high schools in the state of California and recognized as one of the best high schools in the country by US News and World Reports. In addition, the school sent over 80% of its students to four-year colleges and universities, had multiple Gates Millennium scholars, and became the premier destination for families of low-income, first-generation students that wanted to pave the way for generations to come.
Omar has also served as the Director of African American Student Achievement for West Contra Costa Unified School District and Director of the National Summer School Initiative for the Oakland REACH.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder
- Managing Partner
- Founder and Managing Partner of Thoma Bravo
Orlando Bravo is a Founder and Managing Partner of Thoma Bravo. He led Thoma Bravo's early entry into software buyouts and built the firm into one of the top private equity firms in the world. Today, Orlando directs the firm's strategy and investment decisions in accordance with its principles of partnership, innovation and performance. Orlando has overseen over 270 software acquisitions conducted by the firm, representing more than $79 billion in transaction value. Forbes named him "Wall Street's best dealmaker" in 2019, and he was part of Thomson Reuters "Eight Buyout Pros to Watch" in 2009.
Orlando was born in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a bachelor's degree in economics and political science from Brown University in 1992 and earned a JD from Stanford Law School and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business in 1998.
He is the Founder and Chairman of the Bravo Family Foundation, the mission of which is to provide access and opportunities to young adults in Puerto Rico. Orlando directs the organization's various programs and initiatives to promote entrepreneurship, community-based leadership and economic development in Puerto Rico. After Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico in 2017, he spearheaded a humanitarian mission to remote communities on the island. In 2019, Orlando committed $100 million to the Foundation's Rising Entrepreneurs Program (REP) with the goal of fostering entrepreneurship in Puerto Rico.
The Orlando Bravo Center for Economics Research at Brown University supports innovative research, training and collaborative projects for faculty and students in the Department of Economics. At Stanford Law School, Orlando created the Bravo Family Public Interest Post-Graduate Fellowship Fund to support students seeking full-time employment in public interest.
Orlando's philanthropic focus also includes child healthcare. He endowed faculty scholar and fellow positions at Stanford University's Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy Research. He supports a wide range of medical research conducted at Stanford University, at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) and at the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University.
Job Titles:
- Private Equity Investor, the Carlyle Group
Job Titles:
- Career Development Advisor
Job Titles:
- Senior Executive
- Entrepreneur and Technologist
Oscar Salazar Gaitan is a seasoned entrepreneur, senior executive, and investor in numerous successful technology firms.
Mr. Salazar was the Founding Architect of Uber. Through Uber he was instrumental in helping to redesign the architecture of on-demand transportation worldwide. Mr. Salazar provides his telecommunications and engineering expertise in the design and architecture of innovative products and systems to make a positive impact in people's lives.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Junior Leadership Board
- Chairman & Chief Executive Officer / the Afranie Group, LLC
Job Titles:
- Career Development Advisor
Job Titles:
- Career Development Advisor
Job Titles:
- Managing Director With GI Partners
- Managing Director, GI Partners
Philip Yau is a Managing Director with GI Partners, private equity and real estate investment firm based in San Francisco, which has raised over $16 billion. Prior to joining GI Partners in 2017, Philip helped lead the Private Funds Group for 12 years at UBS Investment Bank and has over 25 years of investment banking and private equity experience. Philip is a graduate of Princeton University and has an M.B.A. from Northwestern University.
Job Titles:
- Vice President, TA Associates
Job Titles:
- Vice President
- Director of SEO
- Vice President - SEO Alternative Investments
Raina Singh is the Director of SEO's Alternative Investments (Alt. Invests) program. Her responsibilities include managing the highly competitive Alternative Investments Fellowship Program (AIFP), the annual Alternatives Investment Conference (AICON), and various other programming, with the goal of increasing the success of underrepresented populations in the alternative investments space.
Prior to the role on the Alternative Investments team, Raina was part of the SEO Scholars, College team, where she was critical in helping streamline tasks and address the challenges brought on by the rapidly increasing number of college students served. Before SEO, she worked in a number of other education nonprofits, with a focus on using technology to bridge the learning gap. Raina also has over five years of consulting experience at both Accenture Consulting and Monitor Group. She has worked extensively not just in the US, but also in India, and has had exposure to working in Africa through her consulting engagements.
Job Titles:
- Founder
- Founder of the Digital Insurance Agency ALEX.Fyi
- Trustee of the Dalton School
Ramsey D. Smith is an entrepreneur and founder of the digital insurance agency ALEX.fyi, a platform for retirement income solutions. He is focused on modernizing the distribution paradigm in the $230B annuities industry.
Prior to starting ALEX.fyi, Ramsey spent 21 years at Goldman Sachs, where he served as a Managing Director. There, he pioneered and led multiple Equity Derivative businesses. In the Life Insurance space, he developed a franchise that provided corporate-level risk management and investment strategies for the nation's top carriers. Previously, he co-led the Equity Division's Canadian Institutional Team, where he was responsible for providing risk management and investment tools to major governmental Pension plans and other institutional
clients in Canada. Ramsey also served as co-head of the GS Firmwide Black Network.
He started his career at Credit Suisse as an analyst in the Mergers and Acquisitions Group where he covered the Natural Resources industry.
Ramsey is a Trustee of the Dalton School and serves as Vice-Chair of the Board of SEO, a nonprofit organization dedicated to closing the opportunity gap in underserved communities.
He is a graduate of Princeton University and earned his MBA from Harvard Business School. Ramsey and his wife, Sabrina, live in Atlanta and have two children.
Job Titles:
- Vice President - Information Technology
Rene has over 20 years of experience transforming global networks, service delivery, and technology strategy for corporate, legal, media, and non-profit organizations with an eye on business solutions for the mission. She most recently worked for Planned Parenthood Federation of America and the ACLU, where she spent the last six years managing a large IT organization and driving technology vision. Rene previously worked over a decade for international Am Law 100 law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP.
Rene grew up around technology in Silicon Valley and learned from a young age that educational opportunities are not equal. She stays focused on mentoring, confidence building, and equity in and out of the workplace, while establishing partnerships with non-profit vendors doing good through technology and education.
She has a B.A. from San Jose State University in Visual Arts and an Executive Master of Science in Technology Management from Columbia University.
Job Titles:
- Engagement Chair / Vice President
Job Titles:
- Career Development Advisor
Job Titles:
- Associate Director, Recruiting
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- Co - Chair / Investment Professional
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- Member of the Junior Leadership Board
- Analyst, JPMorgan Chase
Job Titles:
- Director - Executive Office & Board Relations
- Director of Executive Offices & Board Relations at SEO
Thaína González is currently Director of Executive Offices & Board Relations at SEO, an organization that provides superior educational and career programs to young people from underserved and underrepresented communities to maximize their opportunities for college and career success. She has not only worked at SEO for 20+ years, but she's also an alumna of the organization.
Thaína currently serves on the Board of Directors of the SUNY Oswego Alumni Association. She is also a member of the Sheldon Legacy Society -a donor society that recognizes SUNY Oswego's closet friends who have arranged for a gift to the college through their will or other estate plans. She's a co-founder of Return to Oz, Oswego's Alumni of Color reunion which happens every five years since its foundation in 1997. Thaina is also one of five founding sisters of the Zeta Chapter at Oswego of Sigma Lambda Upsilon/Señoritas Latinas Unidas Sorority, Inc.
Thaína has a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish Literature, which she obtained from Oswego
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder
- Managing Partner
- Senior Associate
Job Titles:
- Director, Executive Programs / First Republic Bank
Job Titles:
- Strategic Partner Development Manager
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director, Events SEO Career
Job Titles:
- Global Head
- Global Head, Blackstone Strategic Partners / Vice Chair
- Senior Managing Director at Blackstone
Verdun S. Perry is a Senior Managing Director at Blackstone and the Global Head of Strategic Partners Fund Solutions ("Strategic Partners"), Blackstone's dedicated secondary fund manager, with over $25 billion of assets under management. Since 2000, Strategic Partners has been one of the market's most prolific investors, having completed over 1,100 transactions focused on the purchase of private equity limited partnership interests and co-investments in leveraged buyout, real estate, venture capital, and infrastructure assets. Mr. Perry joined Strategic Partners when it was founded in 2000, and sits on the investment committee for each of Strategic Partners' funds.
Prior to joining Strategic Partners, Mr. Perry worked in the strategic investments group at Bozell, Jacobs, Kenyon and Eckhardt, Inc. and in the Investment Banking Division at Morgan Stanley & Co. Mr. Perry received a B.A. from Morehouse College in 1994, where he graduated magna cum laude and was elected Phi Beta Kappa, as well as an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School in 2000, where he was a Robert Toigo Foundation Fellow. Mr. Perry serves on the boards of The Blackstone Charitable Foundation, SEO, Morehouse College and the Apollo Theatre. Mr. Perry is also a member of the Advisory Board for the National Black MBA Association (NBMBAA) and is a member of the Leadership Council for the East Harlem Tutorial Program (EHTP).
Job Titles:
- Co - Head
- Managing Director
- Managing Director and Co - Head, MSD Growth, MSD Partners
Mr. Hwang brings to MSD more than 25 years of experience focused on private technology investments and operations. Most recently, he was a Managing Director, General Partner and member of the Investment Committee for the secondary funds of Industry Ventures, a leading investment firm focused on the venture capital market, where he established a strong track record investing in enterprise, internet and healthcare companies over more than a decade. Before joining Industry Ventures, he was an active angel investor and held investor and operating roles at Internet Capital Group and Goldman Sachs & Co.
Victor is an avid foodie and a hack sommelier who brings a keen passion for wine, Burgundy and Bordeaux in particular, and loves nothing more than to share a great bottle of wine from his cellar with friends. Despite his best efforts to improve, Victor brings more enthusiasm than skill to tennis, a sport he loves to play in his spare time. If he's not playing tennis, he's can frequently be found on a Peloton, road bike or in the gym. Victor and his wife live in Marin, where they have raised their three daughters. Victor is on the Advisory Board of SEO Scholars San Francisco, which educates and mentors underserved public high school students to and through college with a 90% college graduation rate.
Mr. Hwang received his B.A. from Stanford University and his M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he graduated as an Arjay Miller Scholar.
Job Titles:
- Career Development Advisor
Vijay is an accomplished and versatile leader with experience driving success through the strategic management and support of complex financial operations.
Vijay has worked in non-profit, retail, healthcare, food & beverage, and publishing. He most recently worked for a large healthcare organization where he managed the end-to-end budgeting and forecasting cycle and implemented finance technology tools.
Emigrating to the United States as a teenager, Vijay soon realized that even with talent, access to opportunity is not equal for all. He strives to create a level playing field for others by leveraging his professional position. Vijay is looking forward to bringing his finance and strategic leadership experience to SEO and continuing his pursuit of equitable opportunities for all.
Vijay graduated from Northeastern University with a BS/BA in Finance & Insurance and International Business. He moved from Boston to the New York/New Jersey area 8 years ago and lives in Union City, NJ with his wife Tetiana and daughter Sophia.
Job Titles:
- Chief Operating Officer, MarketCounsel
- Director of Client Engagement for Market
Walter K. Booker, Sr., is the Director of Client Engagement for MarketCounsel, the leading legal, compliance and business advisory firm for Registered Investment Advisor firms (RIAs) in the country. In this capacity, Mr. Booker serves as the ‘Chief Client Officer' of the firm and is responsible for evolving its Client Experience to be as industry-leading as its trusted counsel is. He is also the (retired) former Group Vice President of the New Jersey Market Group of Ameriprise Financial Services Inc., during which time he exercised overall responsibility for the strategic direction of the firm's business throughout the state, including leading 400 Financial Advisors and 35 employee leaders and staff people who supported them in the service of over 55,000 clients. During his tenure at Ameriprise, he led his group to become a top performer, guiding it to finish in the top quartile of its peer group 12 out of 13 years. Mr. Booker joined Ameriprise Financial in August, 1995, after spending over a decade in senior management positions in the institutional sales, trading, and research divisions of Salomon Brothers Inc, Bear Stearns & Co., Dean Witter Reynolds Inc., and PaineWebber Incorporated.
Mr. Booker is a graduate of Harvard College and is active in numerous recruitment and fundraising activities for his alma mater, among many other community service investments. He is also the Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Directors of SEO, a nonprofit organization based in New York City that provides a range of academic, personal enrichment, and mentoring services to underserved students from high school through college and throughout their careers. One of SEO's programs, SEO Career, recruits, trains, and provides internship opportunities to talented underrepresented students of color from colleges and universities throughout the United States as well as in London, Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Vietnam, and Ghana. For example, SEO's impact on the financial services industry over the past forty years has been profound - for many of its investment banking firm partners, it is the largest single source of entry-level, underrepresented professionals, and counts among its alumni dozens of partner-level and executive leaders. In recent years, SEO Scholars has garnered national acclaim for its successful work in closing the opportunity gap between underserved students and their majority counterparts. Just as impressively, SEO Scholars boasts an approx. 90% college graduation rate, where Scholars achieve an average GPA of more than 3.2 at schools that rank in the top-100 in a US News & World Report ranking (which far, far exceeds the national average graduation rate of approx. 60% in six years for colleges at any level of competitiveness).
Additionally, while with Ameriprise, he was actively involved in the creation and leadership its Community Relations Program in the New Jersey Market Group. Among the most notable of this program's accomplishments under Mr. Booker's direction is that he personally led the company's effort to provide leadership skill training to more than 450 senior community, nonprofit, educational and governmental leaders. He was also tapped to lead American Express's participation in the 9/11 United Services Group (USG) Financial Advice Referral Program, an unprecedented collaboration among six leading financial services organizations to provide support and state-of-the-art advice to those directly affected by this national tragedy. Mr. Booker is also a long-time leader in the community, including serving as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Harlem Engineering & Applied Sciences Charter School (HEACS) and in various leadership roles with his church, St. Luke's Episcopal in Montclair, for which he has served as both the Clerk and a Warden of its Vestry as well as a founding leader of its Spiritual Enrichment Team and as the founder of its Spiritual Explorers Book Club.
He and his wife Candace live in Upper Montclair, New Jersey, and savor time with their ‘Brady Bunch' family of six young adults.
Job Titles:
- CEO
- President
- President & CEO, SEO
William is President & CEO of SEO, which has a mission of creating a more equitable society. SEO is widely known for developing and delivering programs that close the opportunity gap for young people who are underrepresented at top colleges and in coveted industries.
Each year, SEO serves 4,000+ high school students, college students, and young professionals nationwide, through a variety of high-impact programs. SEO's success during William's tenure has led to a 700% growth in young people served each year, along with SEO's annual revenues increasing by over $25 million.
William also guided The Campaign for SEO, which fully funded the purchase of a new headquarters.
From 1996 through 2001, William was Executive Director of the Inner-City Scholarship Fund, which supports NYC Catholic schools serving children from low-income families. William led dramatic increases in student scholarships, school capital repairs, and funding for schools, with more than $100 million raised in annual and endowment funds.
Job Titles:
- Career Development Advisor