As an organizational leader, with a strong compass and an innovative, analytical, and strategic approach, I partner with organizations as they navigate markets, implement operational strategy, unlock financial growth, and achieve their goals.
On boards, I work with management and other board members to evaluate and focus on all the sides of the organization’s governance and strategy. This allows management to confidently execute its vision and that strategy.
Effective strategy, impactful return
My Key Focus is to Provide You and Your Organization with Actionable Guidance and Clarity, so You Can Focus on the Execution
about me
- Trusted Insight’s 2019 Distinguished Foundation CIO
- Institutional Investor 2016 Hedge Fund award
- Toigo Foundation Institutional Investor Trailblazer Award
- 2020 All Star Cio list of Most Admired Leaders
- 2019 CIO Industry Innovation Award
- Creator of the Expanding Equity Program – Advancing Racial Equity in Business
Awards and Accomplishments
With over 25 years of experience in institutional investing, as well as corporate executive roles within large companies, I have honed my skills and developed a keen sense of what it takes to succeed in today's evolving landscape. Throughout my career, I’ve had the honor of working with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Dow Chemical, Armstrong World Industries, Michigan State University, and Kellogg Company, among other organizations.
As a senior leader, I worked with my leadership team peers to develop the organization’s vision and strategy. I work to make sure that everyone in the organization is engaged to achieve our goals while having a lot of fun. My humbleness and teamwork mindset has been a key driver of my leadership success.
In order to assure the organization’s overall goals are achieved, the investment portfolio must deliver consistent returns with appropriate risk levels. As a CIO, I then worked closely with my investment team to develop a clear long-term investment vision to assure the organization’s funding. The key to investment success is a clearly laid-out execution strategy. This clearly documented game plan gave my team the roadmap to keep their eyes on the prize of our portfolio, delivering benchmark-beating returns.
Without our strong investment performance, the entire organization suffers. My teams were highly motivated and aligned with the overall organization’s mission and saw the importance of meeting our financial goals.
As a genuine and authentic leader, I bring a culture of diversity and inclusion to everything I do. I believe this is a key driver of the organization’s success. Diversity of all types of factors is required to achieve top performance. At the Kellogg Foundation, my team was 75% racially and gender diverse. My track record of outperforming benchmarks is not only a testament to my ability to recruit top-tier talent and inspire them to achieve their personal and the team’s goals, but also to my passion and motivation in my work. On my team, everyone knew they were set up for success.
An Experienced Partner by Your Side
the resume chit chat
ULSE is a non-profit that develops and publishes consensus standards that help guide the safety, performance, and sustainability of new and evolving products, technologies, service that range from household appliances, smoke alarms, and batteries to building materials, cybersecurity, and autonomous vehicles. The diversified ULSE portfolio includes ownership of UL Solutions and its investment portfolio.
2022-present
Board of Directors Underwriter’s Laboratories Standards and Engagement
Leading global specialist in alternative investing. As a principal investor in their own strategies, they are well aligned with their clients, with whom they have develop long-term partnerships.
2023-present
Large European Private Equity Firm
Modern value investors. A fusion of classic investment discipline and advanced technology designed to produce world class investment results.
2022-present
Saguaro Board of Advisors
Providing fast fair and flexible funding solutions to commercial lenders and borrowers.
2020-present
Haversine Funding
Enhancing research, encouraging innovation, supporting entrepreneurship, and facilitating economic development through modern commercialization practices, venture creation activity and innovation partnerships at Michigan State University and across Michigan.
2017-2023
Michigan State University Research Foundation
Advising endowments and foundations on a wide range of topics, including internal versus OCIO decisions and searches, alternative investment portfolio performance and manager selection processes as well as endowment team structuring and leadership.
2020-present
Institutional Investment Consultant
A top priority is to do the right thing for the organization, whether it's popular or not. It’s crucial, therefore, to understand the organization and its mission. Making the right long-term decisions isn’t always popular over the short-term, so taking the time to clearly lay out the goals and their reasoning is crucial. I sleep well at night knowing I've always done the right thing for my organizations and worked closely with my teams to help them understand the big picture. This transparency and humbleness drives all aspects of my work, and I believe it is the foundation for leadership success. With that in mind, I am known for making decisions that are in the best interest of the business and its stakeholders.
do the right thing
To me, giving each team member the authority to take charge and contribute with full credit for their accomplishments is where I get my happiness. I evaluate my success not on my work but rather the team's output. This is why I have had so much success developing future leaders in my organizations. My former teammates are corporate treasurers, chief investment officers, and business leaders throughout the world.
INSPIRING AND MOTIVATING THE TEAM
I want to be a part of an organization for the long-term, whether it's formally or informally. Building authentic relationships both individually and as a team are how we get the work done and have fun. I feel that a team that is supportive and invested in one another can accomplish amazing things. I want to be a part of and champion that kind of team and foster to a positive work environment.
team player
I believe that a well-qualified and diverse team drives success. Diversity brings unique perspectives, which leads to out-performance. My team (75% diverse) outperformed our benchmarks consistently over my time as CIO. Being a great manager/leader requires constant focus on personal growth and humility. I have enjoyed taking the time to study and understand how to develop, motivate and promote a diverse team where everyone is treated fairly and feels they are set up for success. This has resulted in very low team turnover, which keeps everyone focused on the goals.
leader in diversity (dei)
True investment success comes from a strong allocation process integrated into the organization’s goals. I have a history of developing a thoughtful investment philosophy and then creating a process around that to achieve the goals of an institution with a focus on appropriate risk measures. Relying on years of experience and a deep understanding of what drives returns, this process involves rigorous analysis, careful consideration, teamwork, and a willingness to look for changing/new opportunities.
strong investment process
