Speakers

We thank this year’s speakers for their participation.

Josh Adler

Senior Manager, Raytheon

Diana Amoa

Chief Investment Officer, Long Biased Strategies

Fiyinfoluwa (Fiyin) Awe

Senior Investment Associate, Diverse Manager Research Group, Cambridge Associates

LaShae Badelita

Investments Diversity Officer, CalSTRS

Roza Biberman

Managing Director, Risk Management, GCM Grosvenor

Udai Bishnoi

Global Head of Structured Credit, Sculptor Capital

Peter Braffman

Managing Director, Real Estate, GCM Grosvenor

Elizabeth Browne

Managing Director, Sponsor Solutions Group, GCM Grosvenor

Stephen Cammock

Managing Director, Private Equity, GCM Grosvenor

Nelda Chang

Principal, Private Equity, GCM Grosvenor

Chrissie Chen Pariso

Managing Director, MPowered Capital

Winston Chow

Executive Director, Private Equity, GCM Grosvenor

Aubre Clemens

Managing Director, Global Head of Sustainable Research, J.P. Morgan Private Bank

Laureen Costa

Portfolio Manager, Founder of the Private Equity Group, J.P. Morgan Asset Management

Fred Cummings

President and Founder, Elizabeth Park Capital Management

Sally Davis

Partner, Ropes & Gray

Victoria Dorsey

Chief of Staff, Office of Investments, The Nature Conservancy

Danielle Even

Principal, Real Estate, GCM Grosvenor

Mala Gaonkar

Founder and Chief Investment Officer, SurgoCap

Kathryn Gernert

Managing Director, Emerging Manager Program, Texas Permanent School Fund

Jonathan Glidden

Managing Director, Pension Investments, Delta Airlines

Judy Godinho

Executive Director, Absolute Return Strategies, GCM Grosvenor

Liz Goodier

Principal, Vervanto

Bob Greene

President & Chief Executive Officer, National Association of Investment Companies (NAIC)

Renae Griffin

Managing Director, Client Group, GCM Grosvenor

Lisa Griffith

Executive Director, Client Group, GCM Grosvenor

Joe Haslip

Managing Director, Investor Relations, Valor Equity Partners

Aris Hatch

Managing Director, Private Equity, GCM Grosvenor

Tom Hebard

Vice President, Investment Research, Aksia

Jonathan Hirschtritt

Managing Director, Sustainability, GCM Grosvenor

Chae Hong

Partner, Townsend Group

Lauren Honza

Managing Director, Private Equity, Employees Retirement System of Texas

Jessica Holsey

Managing Director, Private Equity, GCM Grosvenor

Danita Johnson

Managing Director, Maryland State Retirement and Pension System, Investment Division

Derek Jones

Vice Chairman, GCM Grosvenor

Tammy Jones

Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Basis Investment Group (Basis)

Vickee Jordan

Partner, FGS Global

Sanjeev Krishnan

Chief Investment Officer, Senior Managing Director, S2G Ventures

Hallie Label

Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Expect Equity

Brad Lander

New York City Comptroller

Nancy Lashine

Founder and Managing Partner, Park Madison Partners

Jon Levin

President, GCM Grosvenor

Yibai Li Haney

Director, MPowered Capital

James Maina

Vice President, Stepstone Group

Joey Mallon

Associate Director, Alpha Research, Segal Marco, New York

Sylvester McClearn

Interim Director, Emerging Manager Program, New York State Common Retirement Fund

Jennifer McElyea

Managing Partner, Ethos Real Estate

Deborah A. Vélez Medenica

Senior Investment Officer, Emerging Manager Program, New York State Common Retirement Fund

Steven Meier

Chief Investment Officer, New York City Retirement System

Robert Nelson

Alternative Investments, Senior Specialist, Mercer Alternatives

Martin Nesbitt

Co-Chief Executive Officer, The Vistria Group, LLC.

Ermias Nessibu

Principal, Real Estate, GCM Grosvenor

Kevin Pellecchia

Principal, Infrastructure, GCM Grosvenor

Darrel Pfeifauf

Vice President of Hedge Funds and Risk, Advocate Health

Jonelle Procope

President and Chief Executive Officer, The Apollo Theater

Robert Raben

President and Founder, The Raben Group

Brian Ralph

Managing Director, FocusPoint Private Capital Group

David Richter

Managing Director, Absolute Return Strategies, GCM Grosvenor

Miriam Rivera

Chief Executive Officer, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Ulu Ventures

Bryce Robertson

Principal, Real Estate Investments, GCM Grosvenor

Ryan Roderick

Founder, Lucashill, LLC.

Cheryl Rogers

Managing Principal, FocusPoint Private Capital Group

Zach Ruchman

Director, Private Investments, WMS

Michael Sacks

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, GCM Grosvenor

Ivelisse Simon

Managing Partner, Avante Capital Partners

Kirk Sims

Senior Director of Emerging Managers Program, TRS Investment Management Division

Joseph Stecher

Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Candlewood Investors

Scott Taylor

Chief Investment Officer, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

Darryl Thompson

Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer, New Voices Fund

Elizabeth Warren

Director, Member Strategy, TIFF

Amy Wierenga

Chief Risk Officer, GCM Grosvenor

Fred Cummings

President and Founder, Elizabeth Park Capital Management

Fred Cummings is the President and Founder of Elizabeth Park Capital Management. He serves as Portfolio Manager for the privately-held, alternative asset management firm focused on long/short equity, event-driven, and customized investment opportunities in the banking sector. The firm supports community bank technology investment through a partnership with Strandview Capital and the Btech Consortium Fund. The firm is the investment manager for the Mission Driven Bank Fund. Fred serves on the firm’s investment committee for the Btech Consortium Fund and the Mission Driven Bank Fund.

Mr. Cummings is an investment and banking portfolio manager with 30+ years’ industry experience leading disciplined, client-focused investment practices. His esteemed performance establishes him as a principled bellwether across the investing and banking industry. His singular focus on banks paired with his curated approach to investing, M&A, and risk analysis transcends the Elizabeth Park mission to be the best bank investment firm in the country.

Prior to founding Elizabeth Park, Fred achieved a distinguished 17-year career at KeyBanc Capital Markets as one of the sell-side’s foremost Senior Analysts covering the banking sector. He additionally served as a Senior Analyst for FSI Group, a financial services hedge fund. He launched his career at McDonald & Co. as a sell-side Junior Analyst.

Fred earned his BA in Economics with honors from Oberlin College. He actively supports Oberlin’s Connect Cleveland Initiative and Business Scholars Speaking Program as an honored guest speaker for 23 consecutive years. He is an alumnus and ardent supporter of Western Reserve Academy (WRA). Fred dedicates his time serving on several boards, including Oak Street Net Lease Trust, The Marshall Project, and Nirvana Analytics. He serves as an investment committee member for Western Reserve Academy and is a former member of Laurel School’s investment committee.

Fred was named 2017’s Crain’s Cleveland Business Who’s Who and Cleveland.com’s People to Watch in 2015. As an industry expert, he has been featured on various media outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, INC Magazine, Crain’s Cleveland Business, CNN Money, and was a cited expert in the recently published book by Wiley called “Bank Investing, a Practitioners Field Guide. Fred lives in the Cleveland area with his wife.

Tammy K. Jones

Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Basis Investment Group (Basis)

Tammy K. Jones Tammy K. Jones has more than 20 years of experience in the commercial real estate industry. Throughout her entire career, Ms. Jones has invested in and loaned on CRE assets (with a focus on multifamily and office) on behalf of large pension funds and institutional investors, including Equitable Real Estate (largest pension fund advisor and investment management firm at the time), GMACCM and CWCapital. Ms. Jones is a seasoned veteran in CRE investments, capital markets, and structured finance.

Since 2009, Ms. Jones has served as both Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Basis Investment Group (Basis), a multi-strategy commercial real estate investment platform and lender that acquires and originates a variety of senior mortgage loans, preferred equity and joint venture equity positions on behalf of its investors. Under the leadership of Ms. Jones, Basis has succeeded in closing over $5.1 billion in multifamily and commercial real estate debt and equity related investments across the United States.

Ms. Jones currently serves as Chair of the Board of Veris Residential Inc., formerly Mack-Cali Realty Corporation (NYSE: VRE) and formerly served as Lead Independent Director since June 2020, is an Independent Director for Crown Castle International Corp. (NYSE: CCI), is the Chair of the Real Estate Executive Council (REEC), is a member of the President’s Council of Cornell Women (PCCW), is a member of the Executive Leadership Council, is on the Advisory Board for NYU’s Schack Institute of Real Estate and is the Vice-Chairman of Basis Impact Group Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to creating a pipeline of women and minorities in commercial real estate. Ms. Jones was named one of Real Estate Forum’s Best Bosses in 2023, recognized among Savoy magazine’s Most Influential Black Corporate Directors in 2021, selected as one of Crain’s New York Business’ Notable Black Leaders and Executives of 2021, received the 2020 Cornell Baker Industry Leader Award, received the Council of Urban Professionals (CUP) 2019 Finance Catalyst Award and was recognized as one of The Network Journal’s 25 Most Influential Black Women in Business in 2017. Ms. Jones holds a BA in Economics from Cornell University and an MBA with a concentration in Real Estate Finance from the J. Mack Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University.

Brad Lander

New York City Comptroller

New York City Comptroller Brad Lander was elected to serve as our city’s budget watchdog and chief accountability officer on November 2nd, 2021. Lander’s background in community organizing and urban planning informs his work to make government work better for all New Yorkers. First elected to the City Council in 2009, Lander co-founded the Council’s Progressive Caucus and has a strong track record of partnering with community advocates to win transformative change for a more just and equitable city.

In the City Council, Lander spearheaded efforts to protect workers and build a more equitable economy, working closely with labor advocates to win groundbreaking laws to end unfair firings and establish a fair work week for fast food workers, protect freelancers from wage theft, ban discriminatory credit checks for employment, and guarantee a living wage for app-based drivers and delivery workers.

Lander’s hard-hitting reports and campaigns have led to better bus service, air-conditioning for all NYC school classrooms, and restored hundreds of millions of dollars for affordable housing. He helped lead a successful grassroots effort to desegregate the middle-schools of Community School District 15 (which serves students from Carroll Gardens, Park Slope, Red Hook, and Sunset Park) and partnered with advocates and legislators to combat discriminatory stop-and-frisk policing.

A longtime champion of more inclusive and transparent government, Lander helped bring participatory budgeting to NYC to give residents a voice in how city government invests in their neighborhoods. Throughout his work, Lander has taken an innovative, data-driven, and collaborative approach to tackling some of NYC’s biggest challenges, from reckless driving to infrastructure investments.

Lander was one of the founders of Local Progress, now a 1000-member strong network of local elected officials advancing a racial and economic justice agenda through all levels of local government. Prior to holding public office, Lander spent 15 years in the nonprofit sector as the director of the Fifth Avenue Committee and the Pratt Center for Community Development. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife, Meg Barnette, President and CEO of NonProfit New York, and their children, Marek and Rosa.

Nancy Lashine

Founder and Managing Partner, Park Madison Partners

Ms. Lashine is the Founder and Managing Partner of Park Madison Partners. As a leading real estate capital markets firm, Park Madison is an advisor to investment managers and operators and provides capital placement services from institutional investors. The firm has placed over $25 billion of equity in PMP sponsored vehicles and maintains relationships with over 2500 real estate investors and managers. Capital solution capabilities include closed and open-end funds, programmatic investments, portfolio recapitalizations, GP-led secondaries, and separate accounts. Park Madison is headquartered in New York City and is a FINRA regulated broker dealer.

The firm has successfully launched over 14 first-time funds, including closed and open-end structures and has been frequently engaged for repeat business from their clients. Recent clients include Atlas Capital, NorthBridge Industrial, Alterra Industrial Outdoor Storage, TruAmerica, Artemis, AIMCO, Rockwood Capital, Pennybacker Capital, The Davis Companies.

Ms. Lashine leads the firm’s podcast, Real Estate Capital, which engages industry thought leaders in a conversation about real estate capital formation and their career paths and choices.  She is a frequent panelist and recognized public speaker on topics including real estate, capital raising and starting a business and has a particular passion for mentoring entrepreneurs.

Ms. Lashine has over 35 years of real estate and investment marketing experience. Prior to forming Park Madison Partners in 2006, Ms. Lashine was a strategic consultant advising leading institutional real estate investment managers on product development and the implementation of institutional marketing initiatives. Ms. Lashine was an early member of The O’Connor Group and began her finance career as an investment banker at LF Rothschild, Unterberg and Towbin.

Ms. Lashine earned her MBA at Columbia University Graduate School of Business, and a BFA, cum laude, from Case Western Reserve in Dance Theatre.  She serves on several Boards including The Global Governing Board of Trustees of ULI, The ULI NY Advisory Board,  The Davis Companies, Columbia MBA Real Estate Advisory Board, the Gibney Dance Center Board, and is a past board member of the Pension Real Estate Association. She is a member of WX (Executive Women in Real Estate) and Vice Chair of the ULI Global Exchange Council.

Martin Nesbitt

Co-CEO, The Vistria Group, LLC

Mr. Nesbitt co-founded and serves as co-CEO of The Vistria Group, LLC, a Chicago-based investment company focused on the healthcare, knowledge & learning, and financial services.

Prior to Vistria, Mr. Nesbitt served as CEO of The Parking Spot, an owner and operator of off-airport parking facilities. Mr. Nesbitt conceptualized and co-founded The Parking Spot and was responsible for running all strategic and operating aspects of the company. In 2011, The Parking Spot was sold. Before launching The Parking Spot, Mr. Nesbitt was an officer of the Pritzker Realty Group, L.P., the real estate group primarily responsible for the Pritzker family business interests. Mr. Nesbitt also previously held the position as Equity Vice President and Investment Manager at LaSalle Partners (predecessor company to JLL, Inc.) with a variety of responsibilities including investment management for regional retail properties, office projects, and parking.

In his various leadership capacities, Mr. Nesbitt has been successful at guiding executive teams toward the achievement of goals established to maximize returns on his investments. Mr. Nesbitt’s approach to the off-airport parking business was heralded by industry insiders as extremely innovative and has been recognized in national publications like The New York Times, USA Today, Entrepreneur Magazine, and Fortune Small Business Magazine.

Mr. Nesbitt currently serves on the Board of Directors of American Airlines Group, CenterPoint Energy, and Chewy, Inc. He is a Trustee of Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art, a Trustee of Rush University
Medical Center and serves as Chairman of the Barack Obama Foundation. Mr. Nesbitt was formally a Board Member of Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL, Inc.), Chairman of the Board of the Chicago Housing Authority and the Chicago 2016 Olympic Committee, and served as Treasurer of President Barack Obama’s 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns.

Mr. Nesbitt has a Masters of Business Administration degree from the University of Chicago and a Bachelor of Science degree and honorary doctorate from Albion College.

Jonelle Procope

President and Chief Executive Officer, The Apollo Theater

Jonelle Procope is President and Chief Executive Officer of The Apollo Theater, a position she has held since 2003. She became a member of The Apollo Board of Trustees in 1999. She leads a staff of over 60 full-time union and non-union employees, and an executive team responsible for all financial, production and strategic functions of the legendary Theater. The Apollo’s 23-member Board of Trustees includes prominent corporate and community leaders dedicated to the continued expansion of the Theater’s influence within the United States and internationally. She has been responsible for the Board’s development and expansion as well as the adherence to best practices for governance consistent with The Apollo’s transformation into a vibrant non- profit institution.

Ms. Procope has implemented a long-range plan for the preservation, restoration, and expansion of the Theater. Under her leadership, The Apollo has dramatically increased its base of financial support, while expanding its education and community programs. In 2018, The Apollo completed a comprehensive strategic plan process, which led to a five-to-10-year implementation plan to transform the institution into a 21st century performing arts center.

Prior to assuming her role as President and CEO of The Apollo, Ms. Procope held a variety of senior positions within the fields of entertainment law and media-related corporate affairs and management. She began her legal career as an associate attorney at the law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom.

Ms. Procope has been profiled in The New York Times Public Lives column, which recognizes individuals who have distinguished themselves through significant contributions to New York City, named as one of Portfolio magazine’s “73 Biggest Brains in Business”, profiled in Ebony Magazine, and honored by The New York Daily News as one of the “100 Women Who Shape Our City”. In April 2014, Ms. Procope was honored by the New York Women in Communications as recipient of its 2014 Matrix award. In addition to The Apollo Theater Board, Ms. Procope is a member of the boards of the 125th Street Business Improvement District, the Gracie Mansion Conservancy, NYC & Company, SiriusXM and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. She also serves on the NYC Landmarks50 Advisory Committee.

Ms. Procope was an Executive Producer on the feature length documentary film, The Apollo, which opened the Tribeca Film Festival in 2019 and received the 2019 Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary. She also serves on Mayor Bill De Blasio’s Arts, Culture, and Tourism Advisory Council to help safely reopen city post-pandemic. In 2021, Ms. Procope was featured on Forbes’ 50 over 50 Vision list, which highlights “exceptional women who are shaping the future of science, technology and art.” In 2022, Ms. Procope was awarded an honorary doctorate from her alma mater Howard University in acknowledgement of her humanitarian and philanthropic contributions to society. Also in 2022, Ms. Procope announced her departure from The Apollo after two decades of leading several successful capital campaigns and programmatic seasons, solidifying the nonprofit into the internationally renowned status it has today.

Robert Raben

President and Founder, The Raben Group

Robert Raben, and the eighty or so people who have joined him in the unique public policy firm he created in 2002, works to drive public policy in a humane and sensible direction; to bring diversity and equity to the boardrooms and think tanks and corporations of America; to create a fair judiciary and to influence legislation that will broaden civil rights, reform our criminal justice system, and improve education for all our children.

Nearly 30 years of professional experience as an attorney, senior Hill staffer, and Assistant Attorney General have given Robert a nuanced understanding of both the legal subtleties and the political realities of the issues he handles. In addition, he brings an aggressively bipartisan approach to the firm, built during a highly respected legislative career that began on Representative Barney Frank’s staff and concluded with House Judiciary Committee Chairman Henry Hyde’s endorsement of his Justice Department appointment.

Robert served as counsel to Congressman Barney Frank, Democratic counsel for two Subcommittees of the House Judiciary Committee; first on the Constitution, then on the Courts and Intellectual Property.

In 1999, Robert’s reputation and effectiveness caught the attention of the White House, earning him an appointment as Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General and, subsequently, Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legislative Affairs. After a unanimous confirmation vote by a Republican-controlled Senate, Robert was charged with overseeing Attorney General Janet Reno’s legislative initiatives and handling extensive Congressional oversight of the department.

Since 2002, he has run The Raben Group. Robert serves on the Boards of The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, the Unidos Action Fund, and former President Barack Obama’s My Brothers’ Keeper Alliance. Past Board Service includes the American Constitution Society, Alliance for Justice, and the Iraqi Refugee Assistance Project.

He is a serial NGO entrepreneur, having formed the Hispanics for a Fair Judiciary, the Friends of the Museum of the American Latino, Green 2.0, Committee for a Fair Judiciary, the March on Washington Film Festival, and the Pasos Graduation ceremony for Latino law students.

Robert is a native of Miami and a graduate of the Wharton School and the New York University Law School.

Miriam Rivera

CEO, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Ulu Ventures

Miriam Rivera is CEO, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Ulu Ventures, a top seed stage venture fund in Silicon Valley focused on innovation across the enterprise, fintech, consumer, health, and sustainability sectors.

Miriam is dedicated to increasing diversity in both the entrepreneurial and investment communities. Ulu’s investment thesis is based on the concept that diversity is profitable, coupled with a data-driven, repeatable process for making investment decisions. More than 75% of Ulu portfolio companies are founded by diverse teams that include women, minority, URM and/or immigrant founders. The firm has more than $200M in assets under management and 10 unicorns in the portfolio. Ulu was the first Latina-led venture fund in Silicon Valley and Miriam is a recognized pioneer in both the tech and Latinx communities.

Before co-founding Ulu, Miriam was Vice President and Deputy General Counsel at Google, joining in 2001 as its second attorney. Her work to simplify contracts helped Google scale from $85m to $10b in 5 years. Her career has also included experience as a startup cofounder in her own right, as a senior attorney at a top enterprise software company in Silicon Valley, and as a practicing attorney with a leading Silicon Valley firm.

Miriam earned AB, AM and JD/MBA degrees from Stanford. She has been a trustee of the university and honored with the Stanford Medal, awarded to fewer than 1 percent of alumni, as well as elected to the Stanford
Multicultural Hall of Fame, which recognizes diverse alumni leaders for their exceptional service to the university and society. Miriam is also the cofounder, former co-president and on the board of Stanford Angels & Entrepreneurs, an open-source network of Stanford alumni investors and entrepreneurs.

She serves on the board of the Kauffman Foundation, Acumen Fund America, and Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit that creates the iconic Sesame Street program. Miriam is also an advisor to the Launch with GS Advisory Council, a Goldman Sachs initiative to reduce the investing gap for Black and LatinX founders.

Joseph Stecher

Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Candlewood Investors

Candlewood Investors does two things. My main business is raising equity for real estate entrepreneurs and proptech venture capitalists who have built big businesses with little or no institutional equity, and now want to gain entry into the institutional tent, or who have raised institutional equity outside the United States and want to gain a toehold here. For the most part my clients are at the pre-fund or first-fund stage and want to form a fund or a vehicle with one LP who might be a private equity fund, insurance company, pension fund or endowment, sovereign wealth fund, professional family office, or investment manager. These vehicles are worth more than money to my clients, because if the manager offers the LP good returns and good communication, they have a higher likelihood of a building a successful fund business later. With proptech venture capital, I do like to see at least one fund already raised, almost regardless of size.

I also advise real estate technology startups – generally pre-seed through B round, with a focus on product market-fit, finding customers, finding investors, board members, and JV or merger partners. As an early participant in the proptech world, I have good access to both proptech VCs and strategic investors/customers.

I have committed US$5 billion (equity) to investments in the US, Europe, Asia, and Latin America, first at GM Pension and then at Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs, where I founded the real estate fund of funds businesses at both firms. I have been an institutional LP, a GP, and now a placement agent running my own business. As far as I know, there is only one other person who has sat in all three seats.

My clients generally get a good hearing because institutional investors know that I sat in their seat for many years and trust that the ideas I bring them are good ones. And because I understand the investor perspective, I can bridge some of the gaps in an entrepreneur’s appreciation for institutional investors’ goals and concerns at every stage of the capital raise life-cycle from preparing materials, to pitching, to investment structuring, and to communicating with investors post-closing.