Judges

Nicholas Anderson is a portfolio manager for Thornburg Investment Management. He joined the firm in 2016 as an equity research analyst, was promoted to senior equity research analyst in 2020, an associate portfolio manager in early 2021, and portfolio manager in late 2021.

Nick holds an MBA with honors from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a BA with honors from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was a Robertson Scholar. Prior to joining Thornburg, Nick worked for Prudential plc and Eastspring Investments in Hong Kong, Vietnam, and Singapore. He is a CFA charterholder.

Madina Baikadamova is an Analyst with the Health Care Research Team. She is responsible for fundamental research on companies in the U.S. medical distribution sector. Before joining Brandes, Ms. Baikadamova was a Senior Analyst at Verno Capital, a Moscow-based hedge fund. Ms. Baikadamova earned her MBA at Columbia University’s Columbia Business School, her MA in economics from the New Economic School in Moscow and her BS in information technology from Bauman Moscow State Technical University. She is fluent in Kazakh and Russian. Her experience began in 2011 and she joined Brandes Investment Partners in 2018.

Mr. Balkin has over 35 years of capital market experience working with both public and private companies and is currently a Portfolio Manager at Rail-Splitter Capital Management, a Chicago-based asset management firm specializing in small cap stocks. He recently served as the Chief Executive Officer and a Director of a public company called Foresight Acquisition Corporation, where he led the merger with a $2.2 billion-dollar private health care company.

Prior to Foresight, Mr. Balkin was a partner and formerly the co-Manager of the William Blair Small Institutional portfolio and the William Blair Small Cap Growth Fund, which he and his partners started in 1999. He and his team managed nearly $1.8 billion dollars in total assets and were named among the top small cap funds multiple times by publications such as Barrons, Morningstar, Lipper, and Institutional Investor Magazine. Mr. Balkin was also a frequent guest on CNBC and Bloomberg discussing his views on small cap stocks.

From 2005 to 2008, Mr. Balkin was a partner at Magnetar Capital, LLC, a multi-strategy hedge fund located in Evanston, Illinois. While at Magnetar, Mr. Balkin was the Portfolio Manager in charge of the small cap long-short strategy and was also the Chief Investment Officer of Magnetar Investment Management, a wholly owned asset management subsidiary of Magnetar Capital. He rejoined William Blair & Company in 2008. He originally joined William Blair in 1990, working in the sell-side institutional research sales group, specializing in small cap growth companies.

Prior to joining William Blair, he was the co-founder of Cityview Associates, Inc., a real estate firm specializing in “value-added” real estate transactions. Prior to starting Cityview Associates, Mr. Balkin had various roles at First Chicago and Bankers Trust. In addition to his work with William Blair, Mr. Balkin has helped dozens of small companies grow as an angel investor, mentor, and board member. He is currently the Chairman of the Board of Performance Health Systems, LLC and is a member of the board of directors of Nasdaq-based Horizon Technology Finance Corporation “HRZN”. Mr. Balkin is also an advisor to several other public companies.

Mr. Balkin is active in many charities and is on the board of the Friends of the Israeli Defense Forces, Good Sports and is a major advocate and fund raiser for Cystic Fibrosis and the Illinois Holocaust Museum. Mr. Balkin graduated with a bachelor’s degree in economics from Northwestern University, where he was an all-Big Ten player and two-year Captain of the team.

Chris Benway is Associate Director of Research at Janus Henderson Investors, a position he has held since 2023. He also serves as a Research Analyst, since 2018, and is team leader of the Industrials & Materials Sector Research Team. Prior to Janus Henderson, he was a research analyst at Kayne Anderson Rudnick from 2014. Before that, he was a research associate with Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management from 2012 and an equity analyst with Palisades Investment Partners from 2010. Chris began his career with Liberty Mutual Group as a senior underwriter.

Chris earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Colorado – Boulder, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa. He earned his MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and has 14 years of financial industry experience.

Kasturi is a Senior Investment Analyst at Unum Group, covering the Energy sector (excl midstream). She holds an MBA from the UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School, where she concentrated in capital markets and investments. Before pursuing her MBA, she spent over six years in the oil and gas industry. She earned her B.Tech in Petroleum Engineering from ISM Dhanbad, India.

Karl W. Brewer, CFA, is the founder of Cervecero Investments.  Prior to that, Karl was principal, partner, and portfolio manager of William Blair Investment Management. He joined the firm in 1996 as an analyst and became a portfolio manager in 1999. Before joining William Blair, Brewer spent six years in the mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance departments at Lehman Brothers. He is a CFA® charterholder. Brewer received a B.A. in economics from Washington and Lee University in 1988 and an M.B.A in finance, accounting, marketing, and management and strategy from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.

Jarrett Brotzman is a Director on the Public Securities Group’s Fixed Income team. He is responsible for analyzing corporate credit, both High Yield and Investment Grade, for the firm’s various credit investment strategies, and currently focuses on the Real Estate, REIT, Gaming, and Lodging sectors. Prior to joining the firm in 2023, Jarrett spent 8 years as an Analyst at Legal & General Investment Management America and PPM America. Prior to entering the financial service industry, he served as an Officer in the U.S. Army. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Washington & Lee University, a Masters in Finance from the University of Notre Dame, and a Masters in Accounting from the University of Illinois.

Nathan is Director of Research for Nomura Asset Management International (NAMI) supporting the investment teams in Kansas City, and he heads Nomura’s Kansas City office.  Roles assumed in 2024.  He is responsible for managing the equity analysts; delivering a cohesive, relevant research agenda; marketing the boutique to clients; and cultivating the Nomura culture throughout the office. Previously, Nathan was a Senior Portfolio Manager for US Mid Cap Equity team, where he was responsible for making day-to-day investment decisions for the Team’s strategy. Nathan joined Ivy Investments as an Investment Analyst and was appointed Assistant Portfolio Manager in 2011 and Portfolio Manager in 2014.

Nathan earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance (Honors) from the University of Iowa and a Master of Business Administration with an emphasis in Finance and Accounting from Vanderbilt University. Nathan holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.  Joined Ivy Investments in 2003, acquired by Macquarie in 2021, and acquired by Nomura in 2025.

Ryan Burgess, CFA, joined Durable Capital Partners as an investment analyst in 2019. He has 17 years of investment experience. Burgess came to Durable from T. Rowe Price Group, Inc., where he was vice president and portfolio manager of the smaller companies equity strategy, an institutional stock portfolio focused on U.S. small- and midcap stocks. Before that, he was a portfolio manager at SouthTrust Bank and later, a portfolio manager at Evergreen Asset Management. Burgess is a CFA® charterholder. He received a B.S. in business from the University of Alabama and an M.B.A. from the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School.

Kelly Burton is a member of Barings’ U.S. High Yield Investments Group as well as the U.S. High Yield Investment Committee. Kelly is responsible for the portfolio management of various high yield bond strategies. Previously she worked as a research analyst and team leader where she was primarily focused on the telecom and cable sectors. Kelly has worked in the industry since 2000. Prior to joining the firm in 2013, she was a Vice President in high yield research at Wells Fargo Securities. Kelly holds a B.S.B.A. from UNC-Chapel Hill and an M.B.A. from Wake Forest University.

Cynthia is a professional money manager, nonprofit leader, enthusiastic financial literacy advocate, educator, and accomplished public speaker. She has been a leading light across the financial services industry for over 20+ years, including as a full-time finance faculty member of the University of North Carolina Charlotte (“Charlotte”), one of NC’s largest public universities. While there, she led graduate and undergraduate courses, was faculty representative to various bodies and served as faculty advisor to student organizations. Additionally, Cynthia enjoyed a 15+ year career with TIAA, one of the US’ largest private pension fund managers. During her tenure, she managed investments and was a member of the firm’s credit committee, which oversaw $25 billion of investments across the capital spectrum.

Currently, Cynthia leads Pugh Capital’s Credit Committee and oversees financial sector investments. Cynthia started her investment banking career as a London based expat while with Citibank, one of the global leaders in syndicated financings. She raised capital for European conglomerates contemplating mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, and divestitures. Cynthia returned Stateside when she was recruited from Citibank to Chase’s New York investment banking group, where she led leveraged financing teams.

Cynthia has served on a myriad of nonprofit boards, mostly focused on education and the arts. She is the immediate Past President of Women Executives for Community Service and an advisory board member of the Cain Arts Center. Additionally, she is the former Chairman of the Board of The Children’s Theatre of Charlotte, and the former president of alumni chapters of both her undergraduate and graduate institutions, Howard University and Columbia University Graduate School of Business, respectively. Cynthia is a sought-after speaker on financial literacy and finance related topics. She is married with two children and is a long-suffering Washington football fan who is trying to elevate her tennis game. She enjoys reading biographies, attending theatrical productions, and boosting the financial literacy of youth, seniors and disadvantaged communities.

As Director of Wealth Management, Nate oversees Hamilton Point’s financial planning capabilities and works with Hamilton Point’s families and foundations to help them accomplish their goals. He has served high net worth families for his entire career and his investment experience includes serving as a co-portfolio manager for a small capitalization mutual fund and various separately managed account strategies.

Nate volunteers locally on the finance committees for Habitat for Humanity of Orange County, the Animal Protection Society of Durham, and the Eagles Nest Foundation. He is the Vice President for the Marydell Homeowners Association, and is an Advisory Board member for the Applied Investment Management Program at the UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School. He is an active Rotarian and is the fundraising chair for the Southwest Durham Rotary Club, having previously served as club president, program chair, and assistant district governor for Rotary District 7710.

J. Brian Campbell, CFA, is a co-lead portfolio manager for the small-cap, small-mid cap, midcap, and all-cap 25 strategies and a member of The London Company’s investment team. Campbell has more than 15 years of industry experience, beginning his career in 2000 as an equity analyst at INVESCO-National Asset Management. Before joining The London Company, Campbell spent six years as a portfolio manager and director of research at Hilliard Lyons Capital Management He is a CFA® charterholder and a member of the CFA Society Virginia. Campbell received a B.B.A. in finance, with honors, from the University of Kentucky, and an M.B.A. from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business.

Harrison Chapman, is a Senior Associate at Nuveen. In this role, he serves as a member of the securitized products team and focuses on asset backed securities. Harrison covers autos, credit card, equipment, student loans, and device payment plans. Before joining the Nuveen, Harrison worked for Cerity Partners, a large RIA, as a research associate and covered public and private credit funds. Prior to its acquisition by Cerity Partners, Harrison worked as a generalist for Algonquin Advisors, a small multi-family office. He received a B.S. in business administration and economics from the College of William and Mary and an M.B.A. from UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School.

Arthur serves as a portfolio manager for Diamond Hill and joined the firm in 2024. Prior to joining Diamond Hill, Arthur was a managing director/research analyst at Post Advisory Group from 2017-2024, and was vice president/research analyst at J.P. Morgan from 2011-2017.  Arthur has a Bachelor of Science in mathematics and economics from University of California, Los Angeles.

Steve Cheng is the Director of Investments at Wind River Ventures, a single-family office based in the Chapel Hill, NC area. He supports portfolio construction and investment selection across private equity, real estate, and private credit, with a focus on sourcing differentiated private-market opportunities.

Prior to joining Wind River Ventures, Steve spent 15 years in public and private credit, concentrating on opportunistic credit, distressed investing, and special situations across the sell-side and buy-side, including a hedge fund, a proprietary trading desk, and insurance companies. He started his professional career in actuarial pension consulting.

Steve holds an MBA from the UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School and a BS from Duke University.

Chad Cleaver is the lead portfolio manager for the Emerging Markets Small Cap Equity strategy and a portfolio manager for the Emerging Markets Growth strategy. His idea generation, security selection, portfolio construction, and risk management responsibilities, and macro-level analysis, are leveraged across the two strategies managed by the Driehaus Emerging Markets Team.

Mr. Cleaver began his career with the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and joined Driehaus Capital Management in 2004. He received his A.B. in economics from Wabash College in 2000 and his M.B.A. from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2004. Mr. Cleaver is a CFA charterholder.

Jonathan Coleman is a Portfolio Manager on the US Small/Mid-Cap Growth Team at Janus Henderson Investors, a position he has held since 2013. From 2006 to 2013, Jonathan served as chief investment officer, equities. He joined Janus in 1994. Prior to that, he was a Fulbright Fellow in Costa Rica researching economic integration in Central America.

Jonathan received his bachelor of arts degree in political economy and Spanish from Williams College, where he graduate Phi Beta Kappa.  He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and has 30 years of financial industry experience.

Dan Crowe, CFA, partner, is a portfolio manager on William Blair’s Small-Mid Cap Growth and Small-Mid Cap Core strategies. Previously, he was a portfolio manager on the firm’s Mid Cap Growth strategy, an associate portfolio manager on the firm’s Small Cap Growth strategy, and a research analyst, where he focused on all sectors across the U.S. small-cap space. Before joining William Blair as a generalist research analyst in May 2011, Dan was a portfolio manager at Pyramis Global Advisors and a portfolio manager and analyst at The Boston Company/Founders Asset Management. He began his career as a generalist analyst at Marsico Capital Management. Dan is a member of the CFA Institute and the CFA Society Chicago. He received a B.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Mark is a Senior Equity Analyst for Nomura Asset Management International (NAMI) supporting the investment teams in Kansas City.  He covers the financial sector and provides recommendations for all equity portfolios managed by Nomura in Kansas City.  He is a member of the Kansas City Leadership Team.  Before Joining Ivy Investments, Mark worked in the finance department at Dish Network, in the audit practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers, and as a team leader in the US Army Infantry.

Mark earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Illinois State University and a Master of Business Administration from Cornell University Johnson Graduate School of Management. Mark holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and he is a member of the board of the CFA Society of Kansas City.  He Previously practiced as a Certified Public Accountant.  Joined Ivy Investments in 2011, acquired by Macquarie in 2021, and acquired by Nomura in 2025.

Carson Dickson, CFA, is a research analyst for the Small Cap Value, Mid Cap Value, and Small-Mid Cap Value strategies at William Blair Investment Management. He focuses on the industrials and materials sectors. Before joining the 􀏐irm in 2024, Carson was a vice president and equity research analyst at T. Rowe Price Investment Management (TRPIM). Previously, he was a high-yield credit analyst at T. Rowe Price Group and an equity research analyst at MTB Investment Advisors. Carson received a B.A. in accounting, summa cum laude, from the University of Utah and an M.B.A., with honors, from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business.

Dimitris is an Investment Analyst at American Century Investments on the U.S. large cap growth team. He is a generalist but also has an area of focus on MedTech, consumer discretionary and some technology hardware large cap companies. His prior work experiences include roles such as Investment Analyst for a private evergreen REIT and couple of years as a  professional athlete. He holds an MBA from UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School, with a concentration in capital markets and investments and he also received his undergraduate degree from UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School.

Dan Draper (MBA ’99) is Chief Executive Officer at S&P Dow Jones Indices (S&P OJI), responsible for all aspects of the index business globally. S&P OJI is the world’s leading index provider and offers investment professionals around the world an array of products from core indices such as the S&P 500® to broad comprehensive benchmarks.

Before joining S&P OJI, Mr. Draper held asset management, wealth management, and investment banking leadership positions in New York, London, Hong Kong, and Jakarta with Invesco, Credit Suisse Asset Management, Lyxor Asset Management, iShares/Barclays Global Investors, Goldman Sachs, UBS Wealth Management, and Salomon Brothers.

Mr. Draper earned an MBA from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Bachelor of Arts in economics from the College of William and Mary in Virginia. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA) charterholder and holds the Chartered Market Technician®, Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst, Financial Risk Manager, Certified Financial Planner®, and Chartered Financial Consultant® designations.

Mr. Draper is the Chairperson for the Index Industry Association and Trustee of the Committee for Economic Development (CED) of The Conference Board. He is a chartered director and fellow at the Institute of Directors in the UK and a board leadership fellow at the National Association of Corporate Directors in the U.S. In addition, he is a fellow of the 2017 class of the Aspen Institute Finance Leaders Fellowship and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.
Mr. Draper serves as a board director for the Lyric Opera of Chicago and Delta Dental of Virginia. He is a member of The Board of Advisors, Center for Excellence in Investment Management at UNC Kenan­Flagler Business School, as well as The Board of Advisors of the Boehly Center at the Mason School of the College of William & Mary.

Mr. Draper is executive sponsor of Black Organization for Leadership & Development (BOLD), an S&P Global people resource group, and recipient of the Male Ambassador Award from Women in Derivatives (WIND) in 2022.

Tyler Dunaway, CFA, is a senior investment analyst for American Century Investments, a premier investment manager headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. He is based in the company’s Kansas City office. Tyler provides fundamental research and equity analysis for the U.S. Small Cap Value and U.S. Small Cap Income strategies. He has been a member of the team managing these strategies since 2021. He previously served as an investment research analyst supporting investment teams within the Global Growth-U.S. discipline. Before joining American Century Investments in 2019, Tyler was a financial advisor at Morgan Stanley. He has worked in the industry since 2014. Tyler earned a bachelor’s degree in business and economics from the University of Kentucky and an MBA from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina. He is a CFA® charterholder and member of the CFA institute.

Benjamin Ebel is a Senior Managing Director at Lord Abbett, working for the firm’s Innovation Growth Equity team, managing $14B AUM. Ebel is responsible as a portfolio manager across each of it’s Microcap, Smallcap, Midcap and LargeCap Growth portfolios, as well as the lead sector analyst for Technology, where he has three TMT analysts reporting to him.

Mr. Ebel joined Lord Abbett in 2005. Prior to his current role, he served as Research Analyst supporting various teams within Equities. His previous experience includes serving as Senior Financial Analyst at Dreyfus; Senior Financial
Analyst at Invesco; Controller at Antigenics; and Senior Auditor at Arthur Andersen & Co. He has worked in the financial services industry since 1992.

Ebel earned a BA in economics from Brandeis University, and an MS in accounting from the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School.

Brad Ernst, CFA, is a research analyst at William Blair Investment Management. He focuses on U.S. small-cap consumer companies. Before joining William Blair in 2021, Brad was a research analyst at Columbia Wanger Asset Management for six years, where he covered healthcare and consumer companies. He was also an equity analyst summer intern at Capital Group during business school. Before transitioning to investment management, Brad held various 􀏐inancial analyst roles at Accretive Health, a hospital revenue cycle consulting 􀏐irm. He is a member of the CFA Institute and CFA Society of Chicago. Brad received a B.A. in economics (with high honors) and mathematics from Colgate University and an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business.

Peter Fauler, CFA, is a managing director and senior research analyst at Nuveen. In this role, he serves as a member of the leveraged finance team and is responsible for covering the services sectors. Previously, Fauler covered the automotive, metals and mining, transportation, aerospace and defense, non-bank financials, and industrials sectors. Before joining the leveraged finance team, he worked in structured finance and investment-grade research for global public fixed income. Before that, Fauler served in Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America’s private markets, where he invested in corporate private placements, lease finance, and private equity across a variety of industries. Fauler has 18 years of experience in the financial services industry and is a member of the CFA Institute and the North Carolina Society of Security Analysts. He received a B.S. in business administration and economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an M.S. in mathematical finance from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Jason A. Fernandez is an accomplished investment professional specializing in digital infrastructure and telecommunications. He currently serves as Vice President of Investments at Ubiquity Management in Charlotte, NC where he leads buyside and sellside M&A, capital formation, and strategic initiatives across the Company’s platforms. Previously, he worked in Truist’s Internet Infrastructure Investment Banking group, advising on middle-market capital raises and acquisitions in the data center, fiber sectors and IoT sectors. Jason earned his MBA from UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School and a B.S. in Finance from the University of Maryland.

Quincy Field is an equity research analyst for Thornburg Investment Management. He joined the firm in 2023. Prior to Thornburg, Quincy served as a Military Intelligence Officer in the U.S. Army. Quincy earned an MBA from UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School and received his BS with honors from Eastern Michigan University in Criminology.

David Fording, CFA, is a retired William Blair Partner and Portfolio Manager who ran William Blair’s U.S. All Cap Growth and US Equity Sustainability strategies through June 2025. While at Blair, he was a founding member of William Blair Investment Management’s ESG leadership team and served as a co-PM on Blair’s Global Leaders strategy from 2013-2015. From 2012 through 2016, he served as the head of the US Growth and Core team, having also served as the US Director of Research from 2010 through 2011. Before joining William Blair in 2005, David worked at TIAA‐CREF Investment Management for ten years, where he was a portfolio manager for the Mid Cap Growth Fund for two years, an equity analyst covering global media and entertainment stocks for five years, and a member of the large‐cap growth portfolio management team for two years. He is a member of the CFA Institute and the CFA Society Chicago. In addition, he holds the SASB Fundamentals of Sustainability Accounting (FSA) credential. David received a B.A. in economics, summa cum laude, from Tufts University, Phi Beta Kappa, with a certificate in Peace & Justice Studies, and an M.B.A. in finance from New York University’s Stern School of Business.

Mitchell Forss is a research analyst at Deepwater Asset Management. In this role, his primary research focuses on growth companies. Prior to joining Deepwater in 2024, Mitchell worked as a global equity research analyst for Principal Asset Management. During his time with Principal, he focused on mid- and large-cap technology companies after previously covering financials. He received a B.A. in history from the University of St. Thomas and an M.B.A. from the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School.

Jack Fraser co-founded Philadelphia-based Seamark Capital in 2000 and for the past 18 years has co-managed the Seamark Fund, a long/short public equities investment partnership focused on growth industries. From 1996 to 2000, Fraser was a team leader and officer at Friess Associates and the Brandywine Funds equity mutual funds. From 1985 to 1996, he was vice president of institutional equities at Credit Suisse First Boston. From 1983 to 1985, he worked at Merrill Lynch Capital Markets, Institutional Equities. Fraser received a B.S.B.A in economics from Bowling Green State University in 1981 and an M.B.A. from The Ohio State University in 1983.

Paul Galat is a research analyst at William Blair Investment Management. In this role, he focuses on U.S. mid-cap industrials companies. Before joining the firm as a research analyst in 2019, he was the managing partner and founder of PDG Capital for three years. Before that, he was a managing director at Advisory Research, Inc. for four years. Paul received a B.S. in finance (with an emphasis on accounting) from Miami University and an M.B.A. (with an emphasis on finance) from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business.

Megan Gardner is a research analyst at William Blair Investment Management. In this role, she focuses on mid-cap consumer companies. Previously, Megan was an equity research associate on the U.S. growth and core equity team. Before joining William Blair in 2021, she spent two years in PwC’s assurance practice, where she focused on 􀏐inancial services companies. Megan is currently pursuing an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business.

Jeffrey Germain, CFA, is director of the investments group at Brandes Investment Partners. In this role, he has analyst responsibilities on the basic materials research team and is a member of the international large-cap investment committee. He joined Brandes Investment Partners in 2001 and is a limited partner of the firm’s parent company. Previously, he was a financial analyst with Harcourt and CFO of Golf Destinations. Germain received a B.S.B.A. with a concentration in finance from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Charlie Ghriskey is a Senior Research Associate at William Blair Investment Management. In this role, he focuses on U.S. small and mid-cap healthcare companies. Before joining William Blair in 2025, Charlie was an associate at Inverness Counsel and Ingalls & Snyder. Charlie received a B.S. in business administration from The College of Charleston and an M.B.A. from the University of North Carolina.

Barry Gonder’s career has spanned over 40 years in venture capital and private equity investing.  He is a founder and retired Managing Partner of GroveStreet, a venture capital and private equity investment firm.  In retirement, Barry has continued his interest in venture capital and private equity as an advisor to several firms in the U.S., Europe and China. He is also an active angel investor. As one of four founders of GroveStreet, Barry managed all aspects of the business including raising and investing capital, creating an organization with 38 professionals, and managing client relationships. Prior to his 20 years with GroveStreet, Barry was Head of Alternative Investments at CalPERS for 5 years. He initiated the investment strategy, recruited the staff and built a $19 billion portfolio. Before CalPERS, Barry worked for The Travelers Companies and Connecticut Mutual where he led mezzanine debt investments and created private equity and venture investment programs. Earlier in his career, Barry worked as an Assistant Economist on Paul Volker’s research staff at the Federal Reserve and as a project manager in strategic planning at AT&T. He holds an MBA from the University of North Carolina, an AB in Economics from Vassar College and is a Chartered Financial Analyst.

Phil is a global generalist equity analyst at Brandywine Global. Prior to joining Brandywine in 2024, he worked as a consumer sector analyst at Morningstar (2014-2024) in the Netherlands, before being promoted to regional Director of Equity Research in Japan and then Hong Kong. Prior to that, he was an investment analyst at Federated Investors, Inc. (2011-2013), and an equity analyst at Morningstar, Inc. (2008-2011). Phil earned an M.S. in Accounting and an M.B.A from Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina and his B.A. in Business Economics from The University of Sunderland. He is a CFA charterholder and earned the Financial Risk Manager (FRM) charter.

Dennis C. Greenway II, CFA, is a senior analyst and portfolio manager on the Franklin Street Partners equity team. Before joining Franklin Street Partners in 2015, he gained extensive investment experience in research and portfolio management positions with Belltower Advisors, Proxima Alfa Investments, PENN Capital Management, and Wachovia Securities. Greenway is a CFA® charterholder. he received a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1999 and an M.B.A. from the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School in 2006.

Neil Guha is a Senior Analyst on the Equity Capital Markets team in Balyasny’s New York office, where he focuses on investing in newly public companies across fintech, technology, financials and several other sectors. He looks for businesses with deep moats and strong management teams that are underearning, and have the potential to be much bigger companies as they execute in the public markets.

He joined BAM in April 2021 from Morgan Stanley, where he was an Executive Director in the Equity Capital Markets group and responsible for the firm’s Financial Institutions clients. Prior to this role, Neil was Co-Head of Morgan Stanley’s Natural Resources Equity Capital Markets group. Prior to Morgan Stanley, Neil was at financial services investment bank Keefe, Bruyette & Woods (KBW) in various capital markets and investment banking roles, with a particular focus on banks and diversified financials. Neil began his career in fixed income S&T at Barclays Capital.

He holds an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Systems Engineering and Economics from the University of Virginia.

Ms. Harsono is a Portfolio Manager of Putnam’s US Small Cap Growth Equity strategy. She joined Putnam in 2015 and has been in the investment industry since 2011. Previously at Putnam, Ms. Harsono served as an Analyst, responsible for conducting fundamental analysis, developing insights on material sustainability issues, assessing company valuations, and making buy/sell recommendations for small-cap companies across all sectors. Earlier, Ms. Harsono was as an Associate and a Sector Specialist, covering the global consumer sector. Prior to joining Putnam, she was an Institutional Equity Sales Associate at Sanford Bernstein from 2011 to 2015. Ms. Harsono earned a B.A. from Columbia University, and is originally from Vancouver, Canada.

Ryan Hill is a Senior Equity Analyst for the Growth Equity Strategies Team at Loomis, Sayles & Company covering healthcare companies. He joined Loomis Sayles in 2014 after completing the MBA program at Duke University. Previously, Ryan was a mechanical engineer at Waters Corporation for three years where he was a named inventor on four patents and a design engineer/technologist at GE Aviation for two years. He earned a BS and an MS in mechanical engineering from Boston University. Ryan is also a CFA® charterholder and a member of the CFA Society of Boston.

Paul Howanitz, CFA, is a portfolio manager and senior investment analyst for American Century Investments®.

Mr. Howanitz co-manages the U.S. Value Yield strategy and provides fundamental equity research and analysis for all strategies managed by the Large-Mid Cap Value team. He has been a member of the team since joining American Century Investments in 2015.

Previously, Mr. Howanitz was a quantitative research associate with MFS Investment Management. Prior to that, he was a regional sales rep with MFS Investment Management. He has worked in the investment industry since 2008.

Mr. Howanitz holds a bachelor’s degree in administrative science from Colby College and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of North Carolina. He is a CFA® charterholder and a member of the CFA Institute.

Drew Johnson is an equity research analyst for Thornburg Investment Management. He joined Thornburg in 2022. Prior to Thornburg, Drew worked as an investment management consultant for FactSet Research Systems. He holds an MBA from UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School, with a concentration in capital markets and investments. He received his BA in finance from the Love School of Business at Elon University. He is also an Alpha Challenge Alumni, finishing 2^nd and 3^rd in the 2020 competition.

Jim Jones, CFA, partner, is a portfolio manager on William Blair’s Mid Cap Growth and Small-Mid Cap Growth strategies. Previously, he was a research analyst focused on U.S. small-cap industrials companies for the U.S. growth equity team beginning in 2010 and also served as the team’s co-director of research from 2017 to 2019. Before joining William Blair in 2010, Jim was an investment analyst at Federated Investors. Before that, he was a research analyst at Credit Suisse and an associate at Ashton Partners. Jim has the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and is a member of the CFA Institute and the CFA Society Chicago. Jim received a B.S. in accounting from Miami University and an M.B.A. from the University of North Carolina.

Jayesh Kannan, CFA, is a global equity research analyst. He covers small-cap technology, media, and communication services companies. Before joining William Blair in 2018, Jayesh was an associate in the institutional equities division at Morgan Stanley in New York City and Singapore. In this role, he focused on emerging market and Asian equities. Jayesh is a member of the CFA Institute and the CFA Society Chicago and has previously contributed to the Financial Times. He received a B.E. in computer engineering from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, where he was a Singapore Airlines-Neptune Orient Lines scholar and graduated with 􀏐irst-class honors, and an M.B.A. from the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he graduated as a Martin Trust Community Fellow.

Colin is a Portfolio Manager with Curi Capital where he leads the Core Equities strategy.  Prior to Curi Capital, Colin was a Portfolio Manager and Sr. Research Analyst with KDI Capital Partners and managed a long/short equity portfolio for Schonfeld.  Colin holds an MBA from Cornell University where he was a Roy H. Park Fellow, a Master of Applied Data Science from the University of Michigan, and a BA in economics and geography from the University of North Carolina.  Colin is a CFA charterholder and a member of the CFA Society of NC.

Ellyn V. Korzun is an investment management leader with significant experience in: investment performance; bond portfolio construction and management; investment strategy communications and thought leadership; and recruiting and talent development. At TIAA, she led a top-performing team investment team that delivered consistent track records of outperformance for $5+ billion in fixed income assets across multiple strategies during varied market environments. As Interim Chief Investment Officer for the Investment Management Group, she oversaw all investment-related activities and support functions; guided risk management as well as human capital considerations. She participated in TIAA’s Emerging Leaders Program for top enterprise talent, and was nominated as an inclusive leader.

Previously, Ellyn advised clients within Goldman Sachs’ Investment Management Division, including constructing and managing fixed income separate accounts for its Private Wealth  Management clientele.  As a Recruiting co-captain, she contributed meaningfully to hiring efforts over a decade.  Other prior roles included institutional fixed income sales at Credit Suisse First Boston and Chemical Securities.

She graduated magna cum laude from Duke University with an AB in Economics and Spanish and obtained an MBA in Finance from Columbia Business School.

Ellyn also formerly served as an Advisor in Residence at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School, focused on career coaching, and participated in its AIM board.

Philip Kriger is a director at Liberty Mutual Investments (LMI), the investment arm of Liberty Mutual Insurance, with more than $90 billion in assets under management. He works with Liberty Mutual Investment’s global fixed-income research platform, analyzing and investing in healthcare and technology companies across the capital structure and in public and private markets. Kriger received a B.A. from University of California, Los Angeles and an M.B.A., with a concentration in investment management, from University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School.

Abhishek Kumar is an investment analyst and head of ESG at Hunter Capital Management. He began his career a decade ago as an ESG analyst at MSCI. Since then, Kumar’s experience has spanned ESG-driven fundamental investing, advisory, and operating roles at Arisaig Partners, Oberweis Asset Management, and Amazon’s Project Kuiper. He received a B.A. in physics and economics from Bates College and his M.B.A. from the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School.

Rob Lanphier retired earlier this year after 37 years at William Blair, 31 as a Partner of the firm. Rob assumed numerous responsibilities throughout his career, starting in Institutional Sales but moving quickly into Institutional Asset Management, co-founding three strategies over a 20+ year period as co-Portfolio Manager, including Midcap Growth, SMid Growth and SMid Core. In addition, he was an Industrial analyst for that first decade while a PM. Rob also created and managed our Global Institutional Distribution team from 2001-2011, expanding our global Investment Management Institutional assets under management (AUM) from $3MM to over $30MM during that same period.

As a retiree, he is active with Northern Michigan Angel (NMA) investors and Arizona Tech Investors (ATI), as well as struggling mightily to remind his body that he used to play competitive tennis, golf, swim and snow ski in a different life.

Connor Leonard serves as president and board member of Arbour National, an insurance holding company based in Raleigh, North Carolina, that is dedicated to the long-term ownership of specialty P&C carriers. Before forming Arbour National, Leonard was a development lead and shareholder at Investors Management Corporation (IMC), focusing on new acquisitions while also working closely with IMC operating companies such as Golden Corral and Hart Lumber. From 2016 to 2018, Leonard was the public securities manager at IMC, where he invested a dedicated public market portfolio utilizing a long-term, business owner mentality. He has guest lectured on investing at Google, Santangel’s Investor Forum, the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School, the University of Virginia’s Darden Business School, and on the “Invest Like the Best” podcast. Leonard received a B.S. in business administration, with a concentration in finance, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Jack Liebau is a corporate director and former equity portfolio manager and investment management executive. Jack is currently Chairman of Myers Industries, Inc. and STRATTEC Security Corp, as well as a founding director of the BNY Mellon ETF Trust. He has served on six public boards.

Beginning his investment management career in 1984 at Capital Group, Jack was previously a partner and portfolio manager at both Primecap Management Company and Davis Funds. At Primecap, he co-managed two Vanguard Funds, as well as corporate pension, endowment, and foundation accounts. He also previously served as President and CEO of Roundwood Asset Management, which managed equities for Alleghany Corp.

Jack is a graduate of Phillips Academy, Andover and Stanford University, and lives in Durham, NC.

Mitch serves as a research analyst for Diamond Hill and joined the firm in 2019. Prior to joining Diamond Hill, Mitch was an equity research analyst for Baird. Mitch has a Bachelor of Science in business administration from The Ohio State University (magna cum laude).

Joe Maguire, CFA, has been with Penn Capital since 2005. As director of research, he is responsible for guiding the firm’s day-to-day global investment research process. He chairs the equity risk committee and serves as a senior portfolio manager for Penn Capital’s Small to Mid-Cap Equity strategy and Convertible strategy. Before joining Penn Capital, Maguire was a senior audit associate for PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, and conducted private equity research for AMS Inc. He received a B.B.A. in accounting from The College of William & Mary and an M.B.A. from the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School.

Scott Marolf is a Vice President, Portfolio Manager & Senior Investment Analyst for American Century Investments. In this role, Scott co-manages the U.S. Large Cap Growth and Sustainable Growth strategies, and provides fundamental equity research and analysis for the information technology and communication services sectors. Previously, Scott provided fundamental equity research and analysis for the U.S. Opportunistic Mid Cap Growth and U.S. All Cap Growth strategies.

Before joining American Century Investments in 2008, he worked as a senior auditor at Americo Life & Annuity and as an auditor at Sprint Corporation. Scott has worked in the industry since 2003. He received bachelor’s degrees in business administration and Spanish from the University of Missouri – Kansas City and an M.B.A. from Indiana University.

Jay McDowell serves as Global Head of Risk Management at Millennium Advisors, LLC, a market-leading, technology-enabled liquidity provider in fixed income markets.  Jay is responsible for the coordination and management of risk, balance sheet, and capital across Millennium’s global trading operations, which encompass trading corporate bonds (both USD, Euro, and GBP-denominated issues), US Treasuries, US agencies, municipals, mortgage-backed securities, and CDs.  In addition, he serves as a member of Millennium’s management committee and on a steering committee that directs the firm’s trading activities in US dollar-denominated corporate bonds.

Prior to joining Millennium in this role in April 2024, Jay spent nearly 2 decades across a variety of roles in the credit markets.  He began his career in public accounting in PricewaterhouseCoopers’ international tax department before transitioning from accounting into finance in 2004, initially holding a series of credit research and portfolio management roles with Wachovia Bank and its subsidiaries.  After taking a break to obtain his MBA at Kenan-Flagler, Jay joined Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s Leveraged Finance Group in 2010. Since taking that position, Jay has held a variety of roles in the leveraged finance market including investment banking, capital markets, buyside research analyst, credit trading, and portfolio management with firms such as TIAA, Millennium, and Fifth Third.

He holds both a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a Master’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is a CFA charterholder and holds the Series 7, 24, and 63 licenses.  Jay lives in Charlotte with his wife and two sons.  In his spare time, he enjoys running, reading, watching college sports (go Tar Heels!), and English Premier League soccer.

Antoine McIntosh serves as a senior research assistant for Diamond Hill and joined the firm in 2022.

Prior to joining Diamond Hill, Antoine was an Equity Research Analyst for Sterling Capital Management from 2014 to 2022. He also served in a number of positions for SEI Investments from 2010 to 2014.

Antoine has a Bachelor of Science, Economics from Susquehanna University.

Bill Monroe is the portfolio manager of the Putnam Small Cap Growth Fund. Previously at Putnam, he was an analyst in the equity research group, responsible for conducting fundamental analysis and valuation of small- and midcap companies in the industrials sector and making buy/ sell recommendations. Monroe joined Putnam in 2012 and has worked in the investment industry since 1996. Previously, he was a senior investment analyst at Federated Investors, an investment analyst at American Century Investment Management, an interdepartmental analyst at Ariel Capital Management, an investment analyst at Mercer Investment Consulting, and a fund accountant at Bisys Investment Services. He received a B.A. in finance from Miami University and an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business.

Alexander Moore is the founder and chief investment officer of XM Capital Partners (XMCP), an investment management firm that specializes in concentrated single-asset investments in public and private equity. Since inception, XMCP has delivered substantial and uncorrelated returns through its public equity investments in Renewable Energy Group, Bunge Ltd., and ChampionX. Through its private equity vehicle, XMCP is a substantial investor in North American Helium (“NAH”). Moore is also a co-founder of XM Solar Finance (XMSF), a utility-scale solar development company. XMSF has been a partner in solar development projects in Texas and Puerto Rico and has a multi-billion-dollar pipeline of development projects in the mainland United States and Puerto Rico. Before founding XMCP and XMSF, Moore was a portfolio manager at Carlson Capital, where he gained over 15 years of direct investment management and event-driven expertise as a sector specialist in agriculture, renewable energy, chemicals, and niche commodities, with a specific focus in biodiesel, ethanol, RNG, and regenerative agriculture. Before that, Moore was an analyst at Brookline Avenue Partners, a multi-strategy hedge fund specializing in merger arbitrage, from 2006 to 2009. He began his career as a vice president in the Latin American research group at J.P. Morgan from 1999 to 2003. Moore received a B.A. in economics and Spanish from the University of the South and an M.B.A. from the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School.

Jay Moore is Vice President of Timucuan Asset Management in Jacksonville, Florida.  As a principal of the Firm he is involved in all phases of a research effort and investment process focused on investing in a limited number of long equity positions.  Prior to joining Timucuan in 2005, he served as a Vice President in Marsh & McLennan’s Risk & Insurance Practice.

A CFA charterholder, Mr. Moore received an M.B.A. from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a B.A. in English, with Honors, from the University of Florida.

Win Murray is director of research for Diamond Hill and joined the firm in 2022.

Prior to joining Diamond Hill, Winserved in a variety of roles at Harris Associates from 2003 to 2021, including director of U.S. research, co-portfolio manager of the Oakmark Select Fund, and research analyst.

From 1999 to 2003, Win was an equity analyst for Colonial Management/Fleet Bank, a senior portfolio manager at ASB Capital Management from 1997 to 1999, and an equity analyst at Federated Investors from 1996 to 1997.

Murray has a Backelor of Arts from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Master of Business Administration from Georgia State University.

Ted earned his undergraduate degree in Economics and Philosophy from Colgate University, graduating cum laude with honors. He served as a U.S. diplomat in Cuba and Guatemala prior to receiving his MBA from the University of Chicago in 1999. He then joined Cambiar Investors in Denver, Colorado where he worked for three years before joining Cooke & Bieler in 2002.

Peter Orlando is an analyst at Southpoint Capital, which he joined in 2020. Peter began his career in 2011 at Bloomberg LP. He graduated magna cum laude from Ithaca College in 2009 with a B.S. in Television and Radio and earned his M.B.A. from the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School in 2020.

Jim Osman is the founder and Chief Analyst of The Edge Consulting Group, a global research and advisory firm focused on uncovering structural alpha through special situations, spinoffs, breakups, and corporate transformations. With over twenty years of experience advising institutional investors, Jim is known for his research-driven approach to identifying value created when companies change shape rather than when markets chase narrative.

His work blends deep fundamental analysis with behavioural insight, helping clients position ahead of forced inefficiencies that arise during separations, restructurings, and realignments. Jim’s conviction in structural alpha has made him a leading voice in the space, with commentary featured in Forbes, Barchart, and top financial publications.

As an activist investor, he has advocated for transparent governance, meaningful board ownership, and operational discipline. Jim is currently driving governance reform at Dine Brands, representing shareholders and franchisees seeking accountability and long-term value creation.

Nate Palmer is a Portfolio Manager of the Diamond Hill Long-Short Fund.  Nate joined Diamond Hill in 2009 and covered software and IT services companies as an Analyst. He also built and ran the firm’s technology sector team from 2012 to 2020. Prior to joining Diamond Hill, he was a Tax Consultant with Deloitte from 2008 to 2009.

Nate has a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance from The Ohio State University (summa cum laude, with honors) and a Master of Accounting from The Ohio State University (with distinction).

Ms. Pieroni joined Yacktman in November 2022 as Partner and President. Prior to Yacktman, Molly founded MC2 Institute, an executive advisory firm serving major technology, industrial, financial services and business services companies. Prior to MC2, she served on the leadership team of Highside Capital, a $5B global equity long short hedge fund based in Dallas and New York. Before joining Highside, Molly was a co-founder of JatoTech Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm investing in Texas and California. JatoTech’s portfolio companies were acquired by Broadcom, Silicon Labs, Intel and Qualcomm. Prior to JatoTech, Molly was a Principal at Boston Consulting Group, and she was part of the initial team that established the Dallas office for the firm. Molly began her career as an investment banking analyst in New York. Molly holds a BBA from William and Mary and an MBA from Harvard.

David Rowlett is the portfolio manager for the US Impact Equity Strategy. David’s has been with T. Rowe Price since 2008, beginning as an equity analyst covering multi-industrial companies, followed by over 10-years as portfolio manager on US Growth and Core strategies. Prior to joining T. Rowe Price, David worked in NYC first as an Investment Banker in the Financial Institutions Group at Merrill Lynch, before joining Neuberger Berman as an equity analyst, and all-cap Core portfolio manager.

Mr. Rudisill is a senior investment professional with over 25 years institutional investment management and capital markets experience.  Currently, the Managing Member of Spartan Capital Management, LLC, a Charlotte, NC based registered investment firm, Mr. Rudisill has managed long and long/short equity portfolios for several global investment firms and hedge funds.  Mr. Rudisill graduated from UNC-CH, with a bachelors degree in 1991 and received his MBA from the Owen School at Vanderbilt in 1995.

Chris Sardi is a High Yield Credit Investment Analyst at Vanguard where he supports research coverage on the Software and Healthcare sectors. He joined Vanguard in August 2025 after completing his MBA at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Prior to Vanguard, Chris was a portfolio strategy analyst at ESL federal Credit Union, where he performed manager and asset-class level research. He also held roles in fixed income trading at QCI Asset Management and investment operations at Manning & Napier Advisors. He completed his undergraduate degree in Business from the University of Rochester and is a CFA Charterholder.

Prior to founding Choice Equities Capital Management (CECM), Mitchell spent five years at KDI, a Barron’s 2015 top 100 hedge fund where he was an analyst and portfolio manager of FDS. Previously, he was a junior partner at Anchor Capital, a private investment management company focused on small to micro cap US equities. Mitchell graduated cum laude from Clemson University in 2003 and earned his MBA from the University of North Carolina in 2008. Mitchell has nine years of investment experience with primary areas of focus in small caps and distribution companies across various consumer and industrial verticals.

Cullen Smith joins The London Company after working as an Equity Research intern at Artisan Partners. Cullen received his MBA with a focus on Capital Markets and Investments from UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School and a Master of Forestry from Duke University. At Kenan-Flagler, Cullen was a lead analyst for the student-run Global Perspectives Fund.

Trey Snow, CFA, is the director of research and senior research analyst at The London Company, a long-only equity manager in Richmond, Virginia. In this role, he coordinates the firm’s research activities and manages the analyst team. Previously, he was a senior equity analyst for the Teachers and Employees Retirement System of Georgia, where he helped manage multiple domestic and international equity portfolios. Snow has worked in buy-side, sell-side, and hedge-fund roles as an equity analyst at IronOak Advisors (Ridgeworth Capital Management), Priority Capital Management, BB&T Capital Markets, and Mentor Investment Group. Snow began his investment career in 1995 as an analyst at the Virginia Tech Foundation. He is a CFA® charterholder and an active member of the CFA Society of Richmond. Snow received a B.S. in finance and an M.B.A. with a finance concentration, both from Virginia Tech.

Mr. Squires is a fundamental associate portfolio manager at Causeway. He joined the firm in April 2014. His current responsibilities include coverage of companies in the materials sector. From 2012 to 2014, Mr. Squires worked at Bel Air Investment Advisors as a member of the equity team. From 2010 to 2012, he worked as a financial institution specialist for the FDIC where he analyzed banks at on-site reviews. Mr. Squires began his career as a research analyst in 2009 at LECG. Mr. Squires earned a BS, magna cum laude, in finance and international business from The McDonough School of Business, Georgetown University. Mr. Squires was inducted into the Beta Gamma Sigma honors society and is a CFA charterholder.

Andy Stone, CFA is a Senior Portfolio Manager focusing on corporate credit and multi-sector investment strategies at UIA Investment Management, LLC.  He leads the firm’s corporate credit investment activity and manages the Core Fixed Income Fund.  Prior to joining UIA-IM, Mr. Stone served as a Director in the Fixed Income Group at Invesco Institutional.  During his 21 years at Invesco, he held various positions, including Portfolio Manager, and Senior Credit Research Analyst.  Prior to that, Mr. Stone served six years on Active Duty in the US Army as a Field Artillery Officer.  He is a graduate of US Army Airborne and Ranger Schools.  Mr. Stone holds a Master of Business Administration from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and a Bachelor of Science from the United States Military Academy at West Point.  He is a Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA) charterholder.

David Su, CFA is an Equity Research Analyst at Clifford Swan Investment Counselors (“CSIC”) where he covers the US large cap equity universe as an industry generalist. Previously from 2021 to 2025, he collectively served as an Equity Analyst and intern at Invesco as a member of the EQV International and domestic value teams covering European SMID-cap and US large cap equities, respectively. From 2017 to 2019, he was an International Research Associate at Harris Associates assisting in the global equities value-oriented research process. He began his professional career in 2015 as an Equity Research Associate at Raymond James authoring broker research covering the biotechnology and specialty pharmaceutical industries.

David holds an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management and a BS in Business Administration from the UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School. He is also a CFA Charterholder and member of CFA Society Los Angeles.

Adam Sues is a partner and portfolio manager of the AMG Yacktman Special Opportunities Fund at Yacktman Asset Management; he also co-manages the AMG Yacktman Focused Fund, AMG Yacktman Fund, and AMG Yacktman Global Fund. Before joining Yacktman Asset Management in 2013, he founded and authored “Value Uncovered,” an investment website focused on value-oriented stock research and fundamental analysis. Sues received a B.A. in business administration from Mount Union College and an M.B.A from the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School.

Kordell Tomlin is a Senior Investment Analyst at Vanguard, responsible for credit research and portfolio coverage across the Media, Aerospace & Defense, and Transportation sectors within the High Yield team. He joined Vanguard in 2023, bringing experience spanning corporate strategy, investment research, and credit analysis. Before joining Vanguard, Mr. Tomlin served as an Associate at Capital Group, supporting the High Yield team with investment recommendations and restructuring analysis, and earlier as a Senior Analyst in Strategy and Business Development at Miramax, where he worked on M&A and financing initiatives including the $700mn sale of a minority stake in Miramax to ViacomCBS. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of California, Los Angeles, and is a member of the Economic Club of New York.

Peter Wahlstrom is Managing Director, Investment Research at Front Barnett, A Mesirow Company and serves as a member of the Front Barnett Investment Committee. He joined Front Barnett in 2016 from Morningstar where he spent six years as a senior analyst, sector director, and a member of the firm’s Economic Moat committee, a group of senior members of the equity research team responsible for reviewing all Economic Moat and Moat Trend ratings issued by Morningstar. In 2012, Wahlstrom ranked third in the “Specialty Retail” industry in the StarMine Analyst Awards, presented by the Financial Times. Prior to joining Morningstar, Wahlstrom worked in the global investment research divisions of Goldman Sachs and RiverSource Investments (Ameriprise Financial).

Wahlstrom holds a BA in Economics from the University of Illinois and an MBA in Finance from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business. He is a board member of the Indiana University Reese Fund and Chiavacci Value Fund, and has been a guest MBA lecturer at Indiana University and the University of Notre Dame.

Andrew Walsh joined Progressive Capital Management in 2024 and is currently a Senior Investment Analyst responsible for covering HY & IG bonds across the Industrial and Materials sectors. Before Progressive, Andrew was an Investment Officer at Unum Group where he covered the Natural Resources and Industrial spaces. He received his B.A. in Economics from Boston College and his MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Bill earned his undergraduate degrees in Finance and English from Villanova University. He then worked at Cooke & Bieler for six years before receiving his MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. While at Booth, Bill interned at T. Rowe Price Associates as an equity research analyst. He returned to Cooke & Bieler following his graduation in 2010.

Mike West is a research analyst for the U.S. growth and core equity team at William Blair Investment Management. In this role, he focuses on U.S. small-mid-cap technology companies. Before joining William Blair in 2024, Mike was an analyst at Artisan Partners, where he covered global technology companies for seven years. Before that, he was a manager in data analytics at Morgan Stanley. Mike received a B.S. in management from Florida Gulf Coast University and an M.B.A. from the University of North Carolina.

Jessica A. Wilson, CFA, is a research associate at The London Company. Before joining the firm, she was an intern at Bank of America Merrill Lynch within their sales and trading division. She has three years of investment experience. Wilson is a CFA charterholder. She received a B.S.B.A. in economics and a B.A. in Italian studies, with honors, from the University of Richmond. There, Wilson was a member of the Student Managed Investment Fund, where the team managed a portion of the University’s endowment across two strategies.

Shannon Wulff is a Senior Research Associate at William Blair Investment Management on the U.S. Growth & Core equity team. In this role, she is a generalist for U.S. small and mid-cap companies. She holds an MBA from UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School, with a concentration in capital markets and investments. She received a BS in accounting and finance at Wofford College. She is also an Alpha Challenge alum, finishing 1st in the 2022 competition.

Todd is a Senior Equity Analyst and Portfolio Manager. Prior to joining Franklin Street, Todd ran Echelon Point Advisors, an investment consulting firm that advised institutional clients and high-net-worth family offices. Previously, Todd served as an Analyst and Portfolio Manager at KDI Capital Partners. He has also held Equity Research Analyst positions at RS Investments and Morningstar. Prior to entering the investment industry, Todd served as an Infantry Officer with the 82nd Airborne Division. He is an Army Ranger School graduate and was awarded two Bronze Stars for meritorious achievement in Iraq and Afghanistan. Todd received a BSBA from the University of Tennessee in 2000 and an MBA from UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School in 2007.