Fall Academy Investment Forum 2025

Dr. Pippa Malmgren is an economist who makes sense of the world economy and geopolitics by writing books, by founding tech businesses, by advising policymakers around the world and through public speaking and teaching. Her specialty is understanding the nexus between geopolitics, tech innovation, strategic security, and markets. She is a Strategic Advisor to C10 Labs, the MIT Media Lab based AI Venture Builder Studio. She is also on the Board of Premios Verdes which holds the annual “Green Oscars” to support the best cleantech start-ups in emerging markets. She is on the YPO Learning Advisory Partners Faculty from 2023 through 2026. She is on the Advisory Board at Kragon Space, a satellite firm, and a Founder member of LUNARC, a project to ensure the first human institution on the moon represents the arts and humanities. She has also served on the Judging Panel of The King’s Awards for Enterprise since 2017 and is a Senior Associate Fellow of RUSI, the world’s leading defense think tank. She launched an award-winning robotics firm in 2014 and remains an advisor to several startups in cutting-edge tech, including space, nuclear fusion, batteries, and lunar logistics. She writes a column about the world economy and geopolitics on Substack

She served President George W. Bush in the White House as Special Assistant to the President and on The National Economic Council. She served on the President’s Working Group on Corporate Governance and The President’s Working Group on Financial Markets. After 9/11 she was also assessed Terrorism Risks to the Economy and Pentagon procurement from tech startups. Before joining the White House, she ran the Bankers Trust Asset Management business in Asia and then served as the Global Chief Currency Strategist. She was then named the Deputy Head of Global Strategy at UBS. More recently she advised the British Cabinet on trade issues as a Board Member for The Department for International Trade from 2017-2019. In 2014, she co-founded a robotics firm that made industrial drones, which won the 2020 Cog X Award for Autonomy, the 2020 National Technology Award, and Power Product of the Year 2020. She was a Senior Advisor to The Monaco Foundry, a European start-up incubator for impact-led founders from 2020-2024. She previously served on the Advisory Boards of the Legatum Center at MIT, The Ditchley Foundation, and Indiana University.

Her most recent bestseller, The Infinite Leader, won the International Press Award for the Best Book on Leadership for 2021. Her book, The Leadership Lab, was named Business Book of the Year and Best Book on Leadership in 2019 and won the International Press Award 2020. She is also the author of: Geopolitics for Investors (2015) and Signals: How Everyday Signs Help Us Navigate the World’s Turbulent Economy (2016/7). She has been named one of the Fifty Top Inspiring Women in the UK and one of the Top 100 in Tech by @WATC_WeAreTech. In 2024 she was awarded the Mission College Women in Leadership Prize.

She has a BA from Mount Vernon College and an M.Sc. and PhD from LSE. She completed the Harvard Program on National Security. She gave the graduation address at the London School of Economics in 2013 and 2016.

J.P. Boyd, CAIA, joined Golden LEAF in February 2017 as Golden LEAF’s investment officer. He is involved in all aspects of the investment process. Prior to joining Golden LEAF, J.P. was an investment officer at the South Carolina Retirement System Investment Commission (RSIC) in Columbia, South Carolina. He spent eight years at RSIC and oversaw a $2.7 billion low-beta hedge fund portfolio of the $27.7 billion Plan. Prior to RSIC, J.P. was a research intern at the Palmetto Institute. J.P. received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of South Carolina’s Darla Moore School of Business where he double majored in international business and finance. He also is a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst.

Celia Dallas is the Chief Investment Strategist and a Partner at Cambridge Associates.

Celia leads the firm’s global investment strategy and chairs the Tactical Asset Allocation Committee. As the author of the quarterly VantagePoint publication, she shapes the firm’s perspective on markets and investment opportunities. With 30 years at the firm, she has driven research and thought leadership on portfolio construction, tactical asset allocation, artificial intelligence (AI), endowment spending, and liquidity management. Celia is a frequent speaker at industry events, recognized for her ability to translate complex investment concepts into actionable guidance.

Outside of work, Celia serves as Board Member and Investment Committee Chair of the Virginia Environmental Endowment.

Before joining the firm, Celia delivered market analysis for Fortune 500 clients at Harlan Brown & Company and conducted research on retirement income security at the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI).

Celia holds an MBA from the Darden School of Business at University of Virginia and a BA in Economics from University of Pennsylvania.

Kristopher N. Kapoor, CFA is Chief Investment Officer at Bakala Capital. Previously Kris was Chief Investment Officer at Furman University, where he was responsible for the investment oversight of the university’s endowment and debt program. Prior to Furman, Kris was a portfolio manager with BB&T Asset Management and pension investment manager with Michelin North America, Inc. Kris holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and is currently a member of the CFA Society of South Carolina. Kris earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration from Furman University and a Master of Business Administration in International Management from the Thunderbird School of Global Management, which he earned with distinction.

Andrea Szigethy is the Founder and CEO of the Academy for Institutional Investors (AII), where she has spent more than two decades bringing together some of the most sophisticated minds in the investment world. With over 26 years of experience designing educational programs for institutional allocators and managers, Andrea is known for creating environments where meaningful relationships, high‑quality content, and genuine community thrive.

Andrea discovered her passion for producing events early in her career while organizing pharmaceutical conferences. She quickly realized she loved connecting senior executives, building networks, and curating timely, relevant topics for discerning audiences. That passion carried into the investment industry, where she has since built a reputation for fostering trusted, long‑term relationships in a relaxed, non‑sales‑driven atmosphere.

At AII, Andrea’s mission is simple: combine high‑caliber investment education with a close‑knit community experience. Each event is intentionally designed to spark new ideas, deepen professional bonds, and create friendships that feel like an extended family. While the Academy welcomes new members at every gathering, Andrea remains committed to keeping the community intimate, sophisticated, and highly engaged — with a limited number of managers and service providers to preserve the quality of interaction.

Before founding AII, Andrea served as Principal and Director of Marketing and Branding at Morgan Creek Capital Management (2006–2016), where she led the firm’s branding, public relations, client education, events, and marketing strategy. She previously spent six years producing financial conferences and managing research, development, sales, and relationship management. Earlier in her career, Andrea worked at North Shore University Hospital in New York as a vocational rehabilitation job coach and began her professional journey at Computer Associates on Long Island.

Andrea serves on the Strategic Advisory Board for CFA Society North Carolina and is a founding member of the North Carolina chapter of 100 Women in Finance. She earned her Bachelor of Arts from the State University of New York at Albany and completed graduate coursework toward a Master of Arts in Social Work at Adelphi University.

Outside of work, Andrea loves spending time with her adult daughters and close friends. Andrea and her husband enjoy traveling, spending time at the NC beaches and playing golf and pickleball together. Andrea is a devoted music lover, she never misses a chance to see live concerts or Broadway shows of any kind.

Nicholas Csicsko joined Trinity Wall Street in 2016 as part of the organization’s first internal investment office. Nicholas works on a small team as a generalist helping to build and oversee Trinity’s $3.5B Endowment. Prior to Trinity, Nicholas was a member of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation’s investment team. Nicholas received a BA from Indiana University, MM and PhD from the Juilliard School, and holds both the CFA and CAIA designations.

Ben Dell is a Managing Partner of Kimmeridge and oversees investment activity across the firm. He is closely involved in the screening of new geological opportunities and in the negotiation and execution of investment strategies.

Prior to founding Kimmeridge, Mr. Dell was a Senior Equity Research Analyst for Oil and Gas Exploration and Production (E&P) at Sanford C. Bernstein, where he was ranked first three times in the Institutional Investor Research Survey for coverage of E&Ps. Mr. Dell was also ranked for Natural Gas and for Oil Services and Equipment coverage. Mr. Dell joined Sanford C. Bernstein in 2003. Prior to joining Bernstein, Mr. Dell was employed at British Petroleum (BP) in its M&A and finance group. Before moving into the finance field, Mr. Dell also held positions as an exploration geologist and geophysicist across several of BP’s regional business units.

Mr. Dell is currently CEO of Chestnut Carbon, a nature-based carbon removal developer and is on the Board of Kimmeridge Texas Gas (“KTG”), a large private natural gas producer in South Texas. He previously held positions as Chairman of the Board and interim CEO of Civitas Resources, Inc. (“Civitas”), a company that formed from the merger of Extraction Oil & Gas, Inc. and Bonanza Creek Energy, Inc. Mr. Dell earned an undergraduate degree and a master’s degree in Earth Sciences from St. Peter’s College, Oxford.

Jim is responsible for setting the course for the company, leading our corporate strategy, and ensuring that Verger remains competitively positioned to serve our clients’ complex needs.

He served as Verger’s Chief Investment Officer from inception until July 2023, overseeing all investment decisions of the firm and prior to founding Verger, was Vice-President and Chief Investment Officer at Wake Forest University, responsible for investment of the University’s endowment, working capital and life income assets.  Before joining Wake Forest, Jim served as Managing Director at Wilshire Associates Inc., and Chief Investment Officer and Portfolio Manager for Wilshire Funds Management, the money management arm of Wilshire Associates.  At Wilshire, Jim was responsible for providing leadership on asset allocation, investment policy and investment manager selection.  Jim served as the Chairman of the Wilshire Funds Management Investment Committee and served as Portfolio Manager for all of Wilshire Fund Management’s alternative investment portfolios.

Jim holds a BBA in finance from Villanova University, where he was a member of the NCAA Division I men’s varsity soccer team.

Additionally, Jim currently serves as a member of the Institutional Investor Endowments and Foundations Advisory Board and as the Treasurer of the James Denmark Loan Fund.  He also sits on the SEI Canada Independent Review Committee as an Independent Director.

Susanne Gealy is a Senior Director of the investments team at CommonSpirit Health (formerly Dignity Health) and is based in San Francisco. She leads the organization’s public equity and directional hedge fund investments. In 2019, Dignity Health and Catholic Health Initiative merged to form CommonSpirit Health, which is the largest not-for-profit health system in the US, dedicated to providing quality, compassionate health care. The organization has a $21 billion investment portfolio, allocated across the long term strategic operations, retirement benefits, endowment, and insurance pools of capital.

Prior to joining Dignity Health in 2018, Susanne spent 10 years at the Teacher Retirement System of Texas, in Austin, a $150 billion retirement plan. At TRS, she was responsible for the $26 billion external equity investment program comprising US, international, emerging markets, and global equity managers, and actively participated in the emerging manager program of newer, smaller and/or diversity oriented investment managers. Before joining TRS, Susanne worked in New York at Investcorp, Lazard Asset Management, a family office, and Banc of America Securities. She began her career in finance at JP Morgan in equity derivatives. Prior to attending business school, Susanne worked in the field of structural engineering in San Francisco. Susanne holds an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. She has a M.S. and B.S. in Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.

Libby joined ClearView in February, 2022 as a Member Consultant. She was the former Director of Investments at North Carolina State University accumulating over 30 years of experience in investment management, corporate, educational, and financial accounting. Libby managed multiple portfolios at NC State with assets in excess of $2.2 billion including long-term endowment assets invested in a sustainable, responsible, and impactful manner. Libby is currently a Chair of the Finance and Investment Committee and member of the John Rex Endowment Board, and a member of the APLU (Association of Public and Land Grant Universities) investment committee. Additionally, she is a former member of the Executive & Steering Committees of the Intentional Endowment Network and a former member of the CAP Trust/UNC 403B Investment Committee. She previously served on the State of North Carolina’s Supplemental Retirement Board of Trustees and was the Chair of the Investment Subcommittee. Libby was named one of the 125 Transformational Women of NC State in 2013, and in 2019, received the Rodney H. Adams Endowment Management Award from NACUBO. She was also named one of the Top 30 Investors in Next-Generation leading Endowments by Trusted Insight. Libby received her Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Auburn University and was an All-American NCAA athlete in Swimming for the Auburn Tigers. She became a Certified Public Accountant in 1992.

David Gilmore is the Chief Investment Officer of The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation. The Foundation has $3.2 billion in assets and will make over $150 million in grants this year. The portfolio is invested across all asset classes including public equities, hedge funds, private equity, venture capital and real assets. Prior to joining the Foundation, David helped start The Ohio State University investment office in 2009 and served in several senior roles. The investment office was responsible for the investment management of the University’s $3.5 billion long-term investment pool. David was previously a partner at Gerber/Taylor Capital Advisors, Gerber/Taylor is an independent investment advisory firm. During his tenure the firm consulted on over $20 billion in assets and managed over $3 billion in discretionary fund of funds mainly focused on hedge funds and private equity investments. David earned his BBA from Baylor University and an MBA with a concentration in Finance from the University of Memphis. David holds the Certified Financial Planner™ professional (CFP®) designation and the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) designation.

Larissa Herczeg is the Head of Seeding for Oak Street Real Estate Capital (Oak Street), a Division of Blue Owl. Ms. Herczeg is a member of the Oak Street’s Investment Committee. Ms. Herczeg is responsible for all aspects of Oak Street’s Seeding & Strategic Capital business, including investment sourcing, due diligence, selection and portfolio management and reporting.

Ms. Herczeg’s activities include co-founding Women in Real Estate, serving as a Trustee of Roosevelt University, Co-Chair of the Roosevelt University Women’s Leadership Council, a mentor for the Goldie B. Wolfe Miller Women Leader’s In Real Estate Initiative, a past mentor for the Toigo Foundation and serving as a guest speaker at the University of California-Berkeley, Kellogg School of Management and the University of Notre Dame.

Prior to Oak Street, Ms. Herczeg was responsible for global real estate investing at Morgan Creek Capital Management, Franklin Templeton Real Estate Advisors and the Credit Suisse Customized Fund Investment Group (now known as GCM Grosvenor). Ms. Herczeg received a B.A. with honors in Government and Economics from the University of Notre Dame, a Master’s degree with honors in International Affairs from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and a Juris Doctor degree with honors from Columbia University Law School.

Ray Jacobson has been the Chief Investment Officer at Davidson College since 2008. He leads a small, experienced team that oversees all aspects of investing the college’s endowment. The portfolio has a significant allocation to alternatives, especially hedge funds and venture capital. Davidson’s endowment has consistently achieved strong absolute, relative, and risk-adjusted returns. Prior to Davidson, Mr. Jacobson served for four years as the first investment officer for the Golden LEAF Foundation, a nonprofit established to increase economic opportunities in North Carolina. He began his endowment career in 2001 at DUMAC, the investment office for Duke University. Earlier in his career, he worked at Bloomberg Financial Markets and Brown Advisory. He received an M.B.A. from Duke University, an M.S. from Clemson University, and a B.A. from Rutgers University. Mr. Jacobson has been a CFA Charterholder since 2001. He serves on the Board of Woodlawn School. Ray lives in the town of Davidson with his wife and they have four children.

Christine Zapotoczky Kelleher is managing director, client portfolio management, at Strategic Investment Group, where she directs the development, implementation, and ongoing management of client investment portfolios. Previously, she was chief of investments for the National Gallery of Art, senior investment officer for Georgetown University, and managing director for Avec Capital. Earlier in her career, she served on the executive team of the Central European University, founded by George Soros, in Budapest, Hungary. Christine is a member of the American Chemical Society’s Pensions & Investments Committee, 4-H National Council’s investment subcommittee, and The Academy for Institutional Investors’ editorial board. She received a BA in Russian and international relations from Bucknell University and holds MAs in Russian and East European studies and in Central European history from Georgetown University.

Larry Kochard is a Senior Advisor, board member, and the retired Chief Investment Officer (CIO) at Makena Capital Management. Prior to his retirement at the end of 2024, Larry was a member of the three-person Executive Committee that ran the firm. He led the investment process and managed Makena’s investment team. Larry was previously the CEO and CIO of the University of Virginia Investment Management Company (UVIMCO). As CEO, Larry provided leadership for all aspects of UVIMCO’s operations and served as UVIMCO’s primary representative to the university, related foundations, and the public. As CIO, Larry was responsible for the investment management of UVIMCO’s Long Term Pool, overseeing the asset allocation, portfolio management, risk management and manager selection activities of the investment staff. Prior to joining UVIMCO, Larry served as CIO at Georgetown University. From 2001 to 2004, he was Managing Director of Equity and Hedge Fund Investments for the Virginia Retirement System. From 1997 to 2004, he taught in the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia, first as an adjunct and later as a full-time assistant professor. Larry received his BA in Economics from the College of William & Mary, an MBA in Finance and Accounting from the University of Rochester, and an MA and PhD in Economics from the University of Virginia. He is a CFA Charterholder. Larry currently chairs the Investment Advisory Committee for the Virginia Retirement System, serves on the board and chairs the investment committee for the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Foundation and is on the investment committee of Eighteen48. Larry previously served on the board of directors of Janus Henderson Group, Inc. and the Virginia Environmental Endowment, and chaired the investment committee for the College of William & Mary’s endowment. Larry was the 2015 winner of the Rodney H. Adams Award for Endowment Management from the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO), which recognizes outstanding contributions to university endowment and investment management. Larry is a longtime moderator and speaker at endowment and foundation conferences, and is the author of several industry publications, including Foundation and Endowment Investing: Philosophies and Strategies of Top Investors and Institutions. He will continue to teach investment courses at the University of Virginia.

Lisa J. Pattis is Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of Next Chapter Holdings, based in Highland Park, Illinois. The firm manages investments for the Pattis family and The Pattis Family Foundation. Previously, Ms. Pattis served as Executive Vice President, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary of Wintrust Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: WTFC). Prior to Wintrust, Ms. Pattis was a partner in the Chicago office of Sidley Austin LLP where for nearly two decades she specialized in corporate governance, securities law, mergers and acquisitions, and strategic counseling for public and private companies. She began her career with the U.S. Agency for International Development in the Department of State, focusing on microenterprise lending in Africa and Latin America. Fluent in Spanish, Lisa has lived in Peru and Mexico. Ms. Pattis holds a bachelor’s degree in public policy from Princeton, a master’s degree in Latin American Studies from Stanford, and a JD from Northwestern. She serves on the boards of several community and cultural organizations, including as a Trustee of The Newberry Library, where she chairs the Finance and Investment Committee, and of the National Philanthropic Trust, where she chairs the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. Among other recognitions, Ms. Pattis was named a Leadership Greater Chicago fellow (2005) and one of Crain’s “40 Under 40” (2006). Ms. Pattis resides with her husband Mark R. Pattis in Highland Park, Illinois and Asheville, North Carolina.

Mark E. Roberts, CFA serves as the Chief Investment Officer for Ironsides Asset Advisors, LLC, as well as a Managing Director for the Tuscarora Company (a family office).  Immediately preceding, Mr. Roberts was the Director of Global Equities and Hedged Strategies for the North Carolina Retirement Systems where he and his team were responsible for the management of the $33 billion Global Equity and Hedge Fund portfolios for the State of North Carolina.  Additionally, Mr. Roberts has provided consulting services for endowments and foundations.  Mr. Roberts served as Director of Risk Management for Centura Bank and had asset – liability management responsibilities.  Mr. Roberts received his Master of Science degree in finance from Virginia Commonwealth University and a Bachelor of Science degree from the Calloway School of Business at Wake Forest University. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst and a member of the North Carolina Society of Financial Analysts and the American Finance Association.

Mr. Roberts serves on the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine Philanthropic Advisory Board and on the NC Investment Authority Board for the State of North Carolina Retirement System.  Mr. Roberts is the past Chairman of the Board for the NC State University Investment Fund and has served on multiple non-profit boards.

Ms. Snider joined Hackensack Meridian Health in 2020 as their first CIO with the mandate to build an investment office that will support the organization’s mission of transforming healthcare and being viewed as a leader of positive change. The HMH investment office manages both the endowment and pension assets for the hospital system. Prior to joining HMH, Donna was a Managing Director at The Kresge Foundation since 2009 where she had responsibility for evaluating investment opportunities across all asset classes as well as oversight for the internal trading activity. Prior to joining Kresge, Donna was a director in the Global Markets and Investment Banking division of Merrill Lynch in New York where she covered institutional investors for structured credit, rates and equity products, as well as corporate issuers for their balance sheet hedging activity. Prior to Wall Street, Donna was a pension actuary with Towers Perrin (now Willis Towers Watson) in Chicago. Donna earned her MBA with concentrations in accounting and analytical finance from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business; she holds a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from the University of Notre Dame, Magna Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa; professional designations include CFA charter holder and an Associate of the Society of Actuaries.

As Director, Investments at Curi, Michael performs a wide range of investment portfolio monitoring and reporting functions, participating in formulation of asset allocation and investment strategy, and leads all aspects of investment due diligence. Prior to joining Curi in 2017, Michael worked as an analyst on the manager research team at LPL Financial, covering mutual funds and separate accounts in the areas of fixed income and real assets. Michael spent several years before that as an analyst at Franklin Street Partners in Chapel Hill and as an associate at Vanguard. He received a Bachelor of Science in Business, with a concentration in Finance from the Cameron School of Business at UNC Wilmington.

Dan Ward is the Chief Investment Officer at GreenHawk Corporation, a Single-Family Office based in Raleigh, NC. He oversees all public and private investments and leads investment strategy and portfolio management. He also sits on the board of a specialty finance company and on the board for the North Carolina Investment Authority. Previously, Mr. Ward was at the Virginia Tech Foundation from April 2008 and led its endowment until his departure in June 2023. Mr. Ward has been in the investment industry since 2000 and prior to Virginia Tech he was the director of research for Integritas Advisors, a multi-family office, from July 2004 – April 2008. Mr. Ward holds a BBA from The University of Michigan Business School, a MBA from The University of Florida Warrington College of Business and is a CFA charterholder.