Spring Academy Investment Forum 2024

Marko is a macro and geopolitical expert at BCA Research, a global investment research firm. He provides in-depth analysis that combines geopolitics and markets in a framework called GeoMacro. He is also the author of Geopolitical Alpha: An Investment Framework for Predicting the Future. At BCA, Marko leads the firm’s premier service, BCA Access, that allows clients to unlock access to custom research and the vast expert network that BCA has cultivated over its 76 year history. Previously, Marko was a partner at an alternative asset management firm in California where he provided his investors and clients with controversial market calls, bold views, and around-the-clock research. He helped seed global macro hedge funds and curate several funds, across public and private markets. His work on incorporating geopolitics into the asset management industry has become part of the CAIA curriculum. Born in Belgrade, Serbia, he has lived in Iraq, Jordan, Switzerland, Canada, and the U.S. He has lectured at the top universities and you’ll frequently see him in global news media.

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.

Vanita is Managing Director of DFO Management, LLC. Previously, she was the managing director of public investments for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s $14 billion investment portfolio. Prior to joining the Foundation in 2016, she was the Director of Research at Ehrenkranz Partners, L.P., a New York-based multi-family office, where she was responsible for investments across asset classes, including fixed income, equities, hedge funds, private equity, and real assets. Before joining Ehrenkranz Partners, L.P. Vanita served as a Director in alternative investments at Credit Suisse, where she was responsible for research and portfolio management across several hedge fund strategies. Prior to Credit Suisse, she held roles in asset management at The Blackstone Group and J.P. Morgan Chase. Vanita serves on the Board of the Prison Law Office, a California-based organization that strives for fair and humane treatment of prisoners, and Neighbors Together, a New York City-based non-profit dedicated to fighting hunger and poverty in Central Brooklyn. She earned her BA in Mathematics and Economics from Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut.

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.

Nolan Bean serves as FEG’s chief investment officer and head of portfolio management, developing strategies to help ensure clients receive a consistent investment experience. He is a member of the firm’s investment committee and portfolio management team. After receiving his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Georgetown College, Nolan began his career in investments as a financial advisor with Waddell & Reed Financial Services. He later attended the University of Cincinnati to complete his Master of Business Administration as a member of the Kauffman Entrepreneur Internship Program, which matches accomplished students with companies offering internships in venture capital. Nolan began working at FEG in 2004. He worked directly with FEG’s then chief investment officer and over his career has advised more than a dozen chief investment officers at various endowments/foundations and healthcare systems. Those partnerships have all helped shape his approach to managing long-term pools of capital. In addition to his position on the FEG Leadership Team, Nolan is part of the FEG Board of Directors. Outside of FEG, he is a member and past president of the CFA Society in Cincinnati and serves on the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG) Cincinnati Board of Directors, Academy for Institutional Investors Editorial Committee, as well as the Seven Hills School Board of Trustees as the Investment Committee chair. Nolan was born in Nebraska, but attended high school in Columbus, Ohio, where he grew up loving sports and even earned a baseball scholarship to Georgetown College. Now, you can find Nolan coaching little league, and working diligently to translate his baseball swing into a golf swing. His love for music is widely known, especially his admiration for John Prine. If you ask about his greatest concert memory, he will share fond memories of Tom Petty and Chris Singleton performing live at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

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.

Ms. Fefer is a senior investment professional with over 20 years of experience in investment management, asset allocation, and organizational development. Ms. Fefer is a former Investment Manager at DUMAC, Inc., a professionally staffed investment office that manages $27 billion of endowment and other Duke-related assets. Ms. Fefer led private investments in emerging and established general partners across venture capital, leveraged buyout, credit, natural resources, and real estate for 15 years, and prior to that focused on public securities. She has served on the boards of Rock the Street Wall Street and the American Dance Festival and currently serves on the Editorial Committee for the Academy of Institutional Investors and on the boards of Global Connections for Change and Kaleidoscope Dance Theater. Ms. Fefer earned a bachelor of arts in mathematics from Duke University and is a CFA charterholder.

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.

Beth was formerly a Senior Investment Consultant at Pavilion, a Mercer Practice. She serviced 6 endowment, foundation and family office clients with over $9 billion in aggregate assets under advisement. For these clients, Beth focused on projects relating to asset allocation, investment manager selection, performance evaluation, and fund operations and governance. Beth’s prior professional experience includes work as an Investment Director for Vanderbilt University’s endowment, where she was responsible for investments across traditional equities and bonds, marketable alternatives, oil and gas and private equity. She started her investment career as an Investment Analyst at Duke Management Company, managing investment projects across all asset classes for Duke University’s endowment office. Beth attended the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill Graduate School where she completed coursework in Economics. She holds a BA in Economics, Mathematics, Computer Science, and German from Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky. Beth has also earned the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) designations. She is a member of the CFA Institute and a past board member of the CFA Society of St. Louis and the Nashville Society of Financial Analysts. Throughout her career, Beth has remained active in her community, sitting on several not-for-profit boards of directors, previously serving as the Investment Committee Chair and then Chair of the Board for the Missouri Foundation for Health, a $1 billion healthcare foundation in St. Louis. In 2008, she received the Foundation and Endowment Money Management’s Non-Profit Consultant of the Year Award.

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.

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.

Rip Mecherle joined the University of Tennessee in August of 2011. He manages the invested assets in the $1.4 billion endowment, as well as the University’s charitable trust platform. He also helps oversee the operating cash for the University system. Combined, the total assets approximate $3 billion. Prior to that, he worked for eleven years as an analyst and portfolio manager in the structured credit and leveraged corporate debt markets, running separately managed accounts, open-end funds, and leveraged closed-end funds. He also spent four years in the non-profit sector. He received his undergraduate degrees from the University of Virginia and a master of business administration from Cornell University’s Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management. He is a CFA Charterholder.

Ms. Molnar joined Fairfax County Retirement Systems in 2013 and currently serves as Chief Investment Officer of the Fairfax County Police Officers Retirement System, a $1.5 billion plan. Her responsibilities include all aspects of portfolio management and oversight, including strategic and tactical asset and risk allocation, selection and supervision of external investment managers and risk management. From 2001 until 2012, Ms. Molnar was Vice President, Senior Research Analyst at AIG Investments’ Hedge Fund Solutions Group – both in London and New York. At AIG Investments, Ms. Molnar was responsible for due diligence procedures and research including: sourcing new managers, monitoring current hedge funds, analyzing portfolio risk and performance, making new investment recommendations to an investment committee as well as hedge fund asset allocation recommendations for portfolio construction. She was additionally responsible for portfolio reviews and overall asset allocation recommendations for external client portfolios. Previously, she was Vice President, Market Research Analyst at Citigroup Investments’ Alternative Investment Strategies group. Prior investment management experience includes positions at Paribas Asset Management as well as Trevor Stewart Burton & Jacobsen. Additionally, Ms. Molnar spent one year in Warsaw, Poland launching the first retail mutual funds available to the Polish market as well as two years in Frankfurt, Germany as an intern with J.P. Morgan. Ms. Molnar received a B.S. in Business Administration/Finance from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is a CFA charterholder.

Brian Neale is a seasoned investor and leader with more than 20 years of professional experience working with both for-profit and not-for-profit institutional clients. As a process and outcome-oriented professional, Brian focuses on creating value through repeatable processes central to the management of institutional asset pools. His experience includes working with university endowments, defined benefit plans, captive insurance entities, healthcare entities, and liquidity portfolios. Currently, Brian is responsible for discretionary management and oversight of more than $3.0B of investable assets on behalf of the University of Nebraska Foundation. In this role, his principal duties include managing the internal investment team, establishing long-term asset allocation policies and short-term tactical tilts, manager research and selection, portfolio construction, compliance, and oversight for all endowment portfolios. Brian also has sole portfolio management responsibilities for an internal pool of capital that is in excess of $725M. These efforts provide financial support to four distinct campuses with student enrollment of 52,000. Additionally, he serves as principal investment liaison to the Foundation’s Investment Committee and Board of Directors, the University of Nebraska Board of Regents Business and Finance Committee, and numerous other constituent groups. Executive management responsibilities include leading the investment office team as well as serving as a member of the Foundations Executive Leadership Team, DEI Committee, and Retirement Committee. Brian enjoys sharing his knowledge and views with others and is a frequent contributor as a panelist and/or moderator for a variety of industry events. One of his favorite aspects of his professional career is having the opportunity to mentor interns and others new to or interested in the investment profession. In addition, he has served as a guest lecturer for both undergraduate and graduate-level programs.

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.

Anne L. Shelton, CFA, is Chief Investment Officer of American Trading and Production Corporation (Atapco), a multi-generational single family investment company owned by descendants of the founders of American Oil. She oversees all investing for the multi-asset class portfolio except for the company’s direct real estate investments. Additionally, Anne chairs the investment committee for the Jacob and Hilda Blaustein Foundation, the largest of the family’s foundations.

Previously, Anne was Deputy Chief Investment Officer of the American Red Cross where she led the team investing in all types of alternative investments including private equity, distressed debt, real estate, real assets, and hedge funds, for the $1 Billion endowment and $2 Billion defined benefit pension plan. Anne also worked as Director of Absolute Return at Cornell University and at McKinsey in the Corporate Finance and Strategy Practice.

Anne currently serves as a member of the Investment Committee of the American Psychological Association. Previously, Anne served as a Public Advisor to the Investment Committee of the Maryland State Retirement and Pension System, and on the boards and multiple committees of both the CFA Society of Washington DC and the YWCA National Capital Area.

Anne earned a B.S. with distinction in Operations Research & Industrial Engineering from Cornell University and an M.B.A. with distinction in Finance and Marketing from New York University Stern School of Business.

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.

Kyle Stewart serves a Senior Investment Director at Children’s Health Medical Center Foundation based in Dallas, TX. Kyle focuses on the Foundation’s marketable investments including Public Equities, Diversifying Strategies, Fixed Income and Liquid Real Assets.

Prior to joining Children’s Health, Kyle was a senior investment professional at Irvington Capital and previously held roles at CTC myCFO, Taylor Investment Advisors and Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

Kyle holds a B.B.A. in Accounting from Texas Tech University and a M.S. in Finance from Southern Methodist University.