The Team

Levoyd Robinson co-founded CFIP in 2005. He is responsible for firm-wide management and monitors overall portfolio construction and risk management. Prior to forming CFIP, Levoyd was a Managing Director at Citadel Investment Group, LLC, where he was the Head of Global Private Debt and was responsible for managing teams in the US and London that made mezzanine and special situations debt investments, including high-yield and distressed loans, asset-based and structured financings, and cash and synthetic CLOs and CDOs. He also was responsible for structuring, negotiating, and credit selection for $3.8 billion of cash and synthetic CDOs comprised of leveraged loans, investment grade, and high-yield credit default swaps. Further, he managed activist distressed positions and served on several ad hoc creditor committees. Prior to Citadel, Levoyd was a Senior Managing Director at PPM America in the Special Investment Group. He began his career at First Chicago Corporation, where he ultimately rose to become the Portfolio Manager of its proprietary distressed trading group. Levoyd obtained his Bachelor of Business Administration, magna cum laude, from Howard University and earned his Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Finance, Investment, and Banking from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Levoyd is a CFA® charterholder. He is very civically engaged and serves on several nonprofit boards, further he is a member of the Federal Reserve’s Bank of Chicago’s Working Group on Financial Markets, a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and a member of The Economic Club of Chicago.

Eric Baer is a founding principal of CFIP and the Co-Head of Alternative Credit. He shares responsibility with David Dieffenbacher for portfolio construction and management of all private debt, opportunistic credit, leveraged loan and high-yield portfolios. Prior to CFIP, Eric worked for Citadel Investment Group, LLC, where he was a Fundamental Research Sector Head in cable, media, and telecom; and before that, a Senior Analyst in distressed and special situations. Prior to Citadel, Eric worked for the Bank of Montreal as a Distressed Securities Analyst, at Federated Investors as a Corporate Bond Analyst and at First Chicago Corporation as a Federal Funds Trader. Eric earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Indiana University and his Master of Business Administration with honors from the University of Chicago. He is a CFA® charterholder. Eric is a member of the Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago in the Health and Human Services Commission and serves as the President of the Philly Baer Foundation.

David Dieffenbacher is a founding principal of CFIP and the Co-Head of Alternative Credit. He shares responsibility with Eric Baer for portfolio construction and management of all private debt opportunistic credit, leveraged loan and high-yield portfolios. Prior to CFIP, David worked for Citadel Investment Group, LLC, where he was the Fundamental Research Sector Head for the industrial and material sector and a Senior Analyst in distressed and special situations. Prior to Citadel, he worked for PPM America as the Vice President of the Special Investment Group. He began his career at First Chicago Corporation as a Corporate Finance Associate. David earned his Bachelor of Science in Finance, magna cum laude, from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and his Master of Business Administration with a concentration Finance from Washington University in St. Louis. He is a CFA® charterholder.

Sean Haas is a founding principal of CFIP and the Head of Research. He is responsible for managing the Fundamental Credit Research and Analysis Group for the Firm. Prior to CFIP, Sean worked at Citadel Investment Group, LLC, where he advanced from Senior Analyst to Portfolio Manager in the Credit Group and, ultimately, became the Head of Credit Research in London. Prior to Citadel, he worked for the Bank of Montreal as a Distressed Securities Analyst. He began his finance career at First Chicago Corporation as an Auditor. Sean earned his Bachelor of Science with highest honors in Finance from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and his Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from the University of Chicago. He was awarded the CFA Institute’s Certificate in ESG Investing and is a CFA® charterholder.

As a Vice President, Evan specializes in stressed and distressed investments across portfolios.  He oversees research processes, leads strategic initiatives, assists with portfolio management, and contributes to Investment Committee decisions. Prior to joining the Firm, Evan held an internship at CFIP. Evan earned his Bachelor of Business Administration, summa cum laude, in Finance from Howard University. He was awarded the CFA Institute’s Certificate in ESG Investing and is a CFA® charterholder.

Matt Allard is Vice President of Real Estate as part of the CFIP Capital Solutions team, where he focuses on evaluating, underwriting, and pricing commercial real estate finance opportunities across property types, including term, bridge, construction, and mezzanine loans, as well as overseeing commercial mortgage-backed securities and small balance commercial loan programs.* Previously, he served in real estate investing roles at EquiTrust. Prior to EquiTrust, Mr. Allard was an Acquisitions & Asset Management Associate at Highgate Capital Group, where he focused on multifamily acquisitions nationally. Earlier in his career, he was a Vice President at J.P. Morgan Private Bank, where he advised ultra-high-net-worth individuals, family offices, and foundations on portfolio strategy and investments. Mr. Allard earned an M.B.A. in Real Estate & Urban Land Economics from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and a B.S. in Finance from Miami University. He is a CFA charterholder.

*The CFIP Capital Solutions team includes investment professionals who are employees of EquiTrust Life Insurance Company, and are assigned to CFIP Capital Solutions and supervised by CFI Partners as part of an affiliated operating model.

As a Risk Associate on the Data Science Team, Jessica shares responsibility for data manipulation, creation, and development of data-related analytical tools for the Firm. She leverages these tools to identify and assess risks within various structured products, optimizing their performance. Prior to this role, Jessica was an Analyst on the Investment Team. Before joining the Firm, Jessica completed an internship at CFIP. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Finance with a minor in Data Analytics, cum laude, from the University of Illinois at Chicago, earning college honors and high distinction. Jessica also serves as a board member on Bottom Line’s Emerging Leaders Council.

As the Data Engineer, David is a member of the Data Science team, where he plays a crucial role in the data ecosystem of the Firm. He focuses primarily on the design, construction and maintenance of the systems and infrastructure that enable the collection, storage and processing data and the development of our data analytical tools. Prior to joining CFIP, David served as Consultant, Data Engineer for Eviden (fka Maven Wave Partners) where he was staffed on multiple client projects to craft complex SQL scripts for data transformation and integration. He also built and monitored ETL pipelines, assisted in data modeling tasks, designed and developed looker dashboards to drive business insights all within the GCP stack. He also met and reported with client stakeholders for business requirements and deliverables. David earned his Bachelor of Business Administration in Business Analytics and Information Systems from the University of Iowa’s Tippie College of Business. He also holds several certifications including: Google Professional Data Engineer, Amazon Web Service Certified Cloud Practitioner and dbt Labs Certified Developer.

As the Chief Operating Officer, Stephon Barnes is responsible for all non-investment functions of the Firm. Prior to CFIP, Stephon worked for Cyrus Capital Partners, where he was the Chief Administrative Officer and Director of Operations and oversaw Human Resources and Technology. There, he was a member of the Operating Committee, managed vendor relationships, and oversaw portfolio finance and all post-trade functions. He began his career at Brencourt Advisors, LLC, where he was the Global Head of Operations. Stephon earned his Bachelor of Science in Finance and Economics from Temple University. He serves on the Board of Governors for St. John’s University, is an Executive Board Member of the LaSalle Academy, and is a member of the Board of Trustees for Team First.

Randell Beamon is Head of Private Capital as part of the CFIP Capital Solutions team, where he is responsible for investments across middle market direct lending, private placements, structured debt, and esoteric ABS.* Previously, he spent 16 years at Kemper Insurance Company. He holds a B.S. in Accounting and an M.B.A. from Southern Illinois University and is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA).

*The CFIP Capital Solutions team includes investment professionals who are employees of EquiTrust Life Insurance Company, and are assigned to CFIP Capital Solutions and supervised by CFI Partners as part of an affiliated operating model.

As Business Development Manager, Casey manages a range of investor relations functions, focusing on strengthening investor communications and cultivating relationships with prospective investors worldwide. Prior to CFIP, she worked at Walleye Capital as Director of Investor Relations. Before Walleye Capital, Casey worked for Balyasny Asset Management as Head of Investor Relations. She began her career at Citadel in the Investor Relations group. Casey earned her Bachelor of Arts in American Studies from Kenyon College.

As the Chief Data Officer, David is responsible for overseeing the Firm’s strategic use of technology, including the research and development of its financial engineering and risk management platforms. He also oversees the Data Analytics team. David has over 29 years of experience using his scientific background to develop technologies, 20 years of which were in the financial services industry. Prior to CFIP, David worked for Citadel Investment Group, LLC where he was a Senior Technology Manager and was responsible for generating valuations for credit instruments and producing P/L for Citadel’s multi-billion-dollar credit business, as well as pricing convertible bonds. He rose from back-office to front-office leveraging his ability to translate between technology and trading. Prior to Citadel, he worked in a variety of research labs and an internet start-up. David earned his double Bachelor of Arts from Harvard University in Astrophysics and Physics and his Master of Science in Media Technology from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is a member of MENSA® and volunteers as a Mentor Angel at Imerman Angels.

As an Investment Associate, Neil is responsible for underwriting and monitoring investments within the technology, software, and telecom sectors, where he develops investment theses, conducts research, assists with portfolio management, and contributes to Investment Committee decisions. Prior to joining the Firm, Neil completed an internship at CFIP. He earned his Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance, Information Systems and Supply Chain Management, magna cum laude, from Loyola University Chicago.

As Managing Director of Alternative Credit, Jared is responsible for originating, evaluating, executing, and monitoring opportunistic credit investments. Prior to CFIP, Jared worked for Golub Capital as a Principal on the Credit Opportunities team. Before Golub, he worked for the Carlyle Group where he was Principal on the Distressed & Special Situations team. Jared began his career at Pegasus Capital Advisors. Jared earned several degrees from the University of Pennsylvania, including a Bachelor of Science in Economics with a concentration in Finance, magna cum laude, from The Wharton School; a Bachelor of Science in Engineering as a Bioengineering major, magna cum laude, and a Master of Biotechnology from the School of Engineering and Applied Science. He is a CFA® charterholder.

As the Head of Portfolio Optimization and Risk Management, Steve is responsible for comprehensive portfolio optimization and risk management across the Firm’s investment strategies, utilizing the firm’s proprietary integrated risk system. Prior to CFIP, Steve worked for Bank of America, where he served as a Trader in Global Portfolio Strategies. Before Bank of America, he held a position as a Trader at Ritchie Capital Management. Prior to Ritchie Capital, Steve had various roles at Bank of America, including Trade Support on Energy Derivatives, Credit Analyst in Derivative Products and Foreign Exchange, Market Risk Manager of Commodities, and Trader in Portfolio Analysis. He began his career at Saliba Partners, LLC, where he worked as a Trader’s Assistant and Trade Support Manager. Steve earned his Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Mike Bubnis is Managing Director of Corporate Credit & Hedging Strategies as part of the CFIP Capital Solutions team, where he is responsible for derivatives, third-party public corporate bonds, and liquidity management strategies.* Previously, he held portfolio management and strategy roles across fixed income, derivatives, and equity at insurance companies, most recently National Life Group. He earned a B.S. from Elizabethtown College and an M.B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis.

*The CFIP Capital Solutions team includes investment professionals who are employees of EquiTrust Life Insurance Company, and are assigned to CFIP Capital Solutions and supervised by CFI Partners as part of an affiliated operating model.

As an Investment Analyst, Aidan is responsible for underwriting and monitoring investments within the chemical and financial services sectors, where he develops investment theses, conducts research, assists with portfolio management, and contributes to Investment Committee decisions. Prior to joining the firm, Aidan held internships at CFIP and ITE Management. Aidan earned his Bachelor of Business Administration, with honors, from the University of Michigan.

As an Investment Analyst, Caroline is responsible for underwriting and monitoring investments within the consumer products, manufacturing, and entertainment sectors, where she develops investment theses, conducts research, assists with portfolio management, and contributes to Investment Committee decisions. Prior to joining the Firm, Caroline held internships at CFIP and Kirkland & Ellis, LLP. Caroline earned her Bachelor of Science in Finance and Law, with high distinction, from Indiana University.

As the Head of Marketing and External Affairs, Chanel is responsible for business development, investor relations, marketing, and strategic communications for the Firm. Prior to CFIP, she worked in business development for GCM Grosvenor. Chanel earned her Bachelor of Arts in Religion from Princeton University. She is very civically engaged, serving on several nonprofit boards, including the Grand Victoria Foundation and The Academy Group. She has received multiple awards for her civic engagement including the 2020 Association of Fundraising Professionals Annual Faces of Philanthropy “Emerging Philanthropist” Award, the 2016 Crain’s Chicago Business “20 in the 20s” designation, and the 2022 Black Woman’s Expo’s “Phenomenal Woman” Award.

As the Director of Technology and Chief Information Security Officer, Michael is responsible for overseeing the Firm’s technology functions, ensuring that systems and applications are reliable, secure, and scalable to support the Firm’s activities. Prior to CFIP, Mike worked for Thoma Bravo for over 10 years as the Senior Vice-President of IT Operations and Security. There, he provided strategic leadership and direction to the enterprise’s technology function and oversaw all information security and cybersecurity initiatives. Mike earned his Bachelor of Science in Finance from Eastern Illinois University. He is a member of the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA), the Chicago Chapter of InfraGard, and Venture Capital Private Equity IT (VCPEIT).

As the Chief Financial Officer, Gavin provides oversight for all operational functions supporting the Firm’s active strategies, including, but not limited to accounting, portfolio metrics, vehicle structuring, and trade settlement. Gavin has over 14 years of experience in financial accounting at CFIP, and previously worked for KPMG. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Business with a major in Accounting and a minor in Finance from Miami University. Gavin is a CFA® charterholder.

As a Business Analyst, Jackie is responsible for analyzing business processes, identifying opportunities for optimization, and implementing solutions that support the firm’s initiatives. Prior to joining CFIP, Jackie worked at Accenture in Finance and Information Technology Consulting and at EY in Technology Risk Advisory. Her experience spans across various industries, including financial services, insurance, and energy, where she has successfully implemented technology solutions, streamlined processes, and increased efficiencies within businesses. Additionally, Jackie earned her Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's Gies College of Business.

As an Investment Associate, Danny is responsible for underwriting and monitoring investments within the automotive industry, where he develops investment theses, conducts research, assists with portfolio management, and contributes to Investment Committee decisions. Prior to joining the Firm, Danny completed an internship at CFIP. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Illinois, earning highest honors. Danny is a CFA® Level II candidate.

As the Deputy Chief Compliance Officer, Charles shares responsibility for ensuring the Firm adheres to government rules and regulations, and internal compliance policies and procedures. Prior to CFIP, Charles worked at ACA Group as a Principal Consultant. Before ACA, Charles held various legal and compliance roles at Waud Capital Partners, Gladius Capital Management, and GCM Grosvenor. He earned his Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance and Management, magna cum laude, from Berkeley College and his Juris Doctorate from Northwestern University.

Brad Feine is Head of Real Estate as part of the CFIP Capital Solutions team, where he oversees commercial real estate debt, equity, and CMBS/RMBS investments.* Previously, he spent 18 years in banking, most recently at Bank of America, sourcing and managing real estate transactions. He earned a B.S. from the University of Wisconsin and an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago.

*The CFIP Capital Solutions team includes investment professionals who are employees of EquiTrust Life Insurance Company, and are assigned to CFIP Capital Solutions and supervised by CFI Partners as part of an affiliated operating model.

As Senior Vice President of Sustainable Investing, Gautam helps lead responsible investing practices across the firm’s investment strategies, and the development and management of dedicated impact strategies. Prior to CFI Partners, Gautam built an extensive record in investment management, fund formation, and capital raising across credit, private equity, and impact strategies. Most recently, he led Corporate Development at Falcon, focused on impact-oriented investments in distressed credit and special situations. He previously held multiple roles at Atlas Merchant Capital, including Head of IR and Business Development, and VP of Corporate Development for its emerging markets strategy, where he led transactions across several international markets.  He has also served as Chief Investment Officer of Ponvalley, a VC-focused family office. He began his investment career in private equity at PNC Mezzanine Capital, following early experience in corporate credit at National City Bank (now PNC). Gautam earned his MBA in Entrepreneurship and Finance from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, where he was a Merit Scholar, and a BSBA in Political Science, International Business, and Finance from Washington University in St. Louis. He was also awarded the CFA Institute’s Sustainable Investing Certificate.

As the Vice President of Business Development & Investor Relations, Rachel shares responsibility for investor relations, business development, and production of the Firm’s marketing materials. Prior to CFIP, she worked at GCM Grosvenor as an Associate in business development and client services. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Ohio University with concentrations in Marketing, Finance and Pre-Law.

As a Financial Analyst on the Operations Team, Ahmed assists with internal and external reporting requirements, risk analysis, and general maintenance related to structured products. Prior to CFIP, he worked for Ernst and Young’s Indirect Tax Practice as a VAT Consultant. Ahmed earned his Bachelor of Arts in Accounting and Bachelor of Arts in Politics and Government from Ohio Wesleyan University.

As Office Manager, Cindy shares responsibility for general office management. As Executive Assistant, she directly supports the Chief Executive Officer & Chief Investment Officer of the Firm and assists the other partners and analysts. Prior to CFIP, Cindy worked for Citadel Investment Group, Lehman Brothers, and others. Cindy earned her Bachelor of Science in Education from Northern Illinois University.

As Chief Strategy Officer, Perry is tasked with guiding the Firm's strategic direction to foster growth, promoting a culture of innovation and excellence, and ensuring the company remains agile in the face of market changes. As Head of Sustainable Investing, Perry is responsible for the integration of ESG best practices across the Firm’s portfolios. Prior to CFIP, Perry worked for Guggenheim Partners as a Managing Director and Enhanced Equities Portfolio Manager. Before Guggenheim, Perry was a Global Macro Portfolio Manager and Vice President at Goldman Sachs. Perry earned his Bachelor of Science in Finance and Accounting from Georgetown University and his Master of Business Administration in Econometrics and Statistics from the University of Chicago. The World Economic Forum recognized Perry as a Young Global Legal in 2022. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce and an alumnus of the Robert Toigo Fellowship, which recognized Perry as a 40 under 40 honoree in 2015. He currently serves on the board of the Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic Chapter and the Smithsonian’s D.C. Regional Council. Perry is a charterholder of the following designations: Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®), Chartered Market Technician® (CMT), Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst® (CAIA®), CAIA®, EFFAS® Certified ESG Analyst® (CESGA®). He was also awarded the CFA Institute’s Certificate in ESG Investing and the Sustainability and Climate Risk (SCR) Certificate. Additionally, he is an IFRS® Fundamentals of Sustainable Accounting (FSA) credential holder.

As Lead Data Engineer, Steve is a member of the Data Science Team and is responsible for managing the Firm’s enterprise-wide data architecture, as well as designing data systems to aid the Firm’s data science initiatives. Prior to CFIP, Steve worked for Orion First Financial as a Data Engineer, where he managed and built multiple ingestion and reverse ETL pipelines, data flows, and custom API applications. Before Orion, he held the Business Intelligence Developer positions at CA Ventures and Cushman & Wakefield. He began his career at Argonne National Laboratory of the U.S Department of Energy as a Financial Reporting Analyst and a Budget Analyst. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Applied Psychology with a minor in Statistics as well as his Master of Public Administration from the University of Illinois at Chicago. He also holds several certifications including: a Certificate in Data Science from Northwestern School of Professional Studies, a Power BI Data Analyst Associate Certificate and Azure Data Fundamental Certificate from Microsoft.

As an Investment Associate, Aurelio is responsible for underwriting and monitoring investments within the industrial, packaging, retail, food, and gaming/casino sectors, where he develops investment theses, conducts research, assists with portfolio management, and contributes to Investment Committee decisions. Prior to joining the Firm, Aurelio completed internships at CFIP, Cabrera Capital Markets, LLC, and Heitman, LLC. Aurelio earned his Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is an alumnus of The Academy Group and sits on The Alumni Committee as Treasurer. He also serves as a Junior Board Member at Bottom Line.

Chase Jackson is Vice President of Private Capital as part of the CFIP Capital Solutions team, where he is responsible for origination, investment strategy, portfolio construction, and surveillance across alternative private credit.* Previously, he served as Vice President at EquiTrust, where he was responsible for managing the day-to-day activities of the Private Capital team, structuring transactions, sourcing investments, and surveillance of a $15 billion portfolio of middle market loans, private placements, and asset-backed finance transactions. Earlier in his career, Mr. Jackson was a Senior Structured Finance Analyst at Aegon Asset Management, where he focused on the evaluation and ongoing management of structured credit investments, including asset-backed securities, collateralized loan obligations, and other securitized assets. He began his career as an FX Analyst at Morgan Stanley. Mr. Jackson earned a B.S. in International Finance from Towson University and is a CFA charterholder.

*The CFIP Capital Solutions team includes investment professionals who are employees of EquiTrust Life Insurance Company, and are assigned to CFIP Capital Solutions and supervised by CFI Partners as part of an affiliated operating model.

As Controller, Erin oversees the Firm’s financial reporting and daily accounting operations. Prior to CFIP, she worked for EY as a financial services tax manager. Erin earned her Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Master of Science in Accounting from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

As a Financial Analyst on the Operations Team, Patricia assists with internal and external reporting requirements, risk analysis, and general maintenance related to structured products. Prior to joining the Firm, she completed an Accounting & Data Analysis internship at CFIP. Before that, she worked as an Associate Banker at JPMorgan Chase & Co., where she was responsible for processing transactions and assisting customers with account maintenance. Patricia earned her Bachelor of Science in Business, summa cum laude, with a concentration in Finance as well as her Master of Science in Finance, with distinction, from DePaul University. She also served as the Vice President of the DePaul Polish Student Alliance (DPSA), a social and cultural organization dedicated to creating a sense of belonging for Polish-American and first-generation students.

As Technology Engineer, Dan supports and manages the Firm’s technical infrastructure. He has over 15 years of experience working in IT, including time at TransMarket Group and Optiver. Dan honorably served in the United States Marine Corps for four years.

Kenyatta Matheny is Managing Principal and Head of CFIP Capital Solutions, where he leads capital formation and client engagement initiatives as part of the CFI Partners platform.* Previously, he served as Senior Investment Officer at the Teachers’ Retirement System of the State of Illinois (TRS) and was a Senior Vice President at Associated Banc-Corp, where he received leveraged finance and capital markets training at Heller Financial/GE Capital. He earned a B.S. from Indiana University and an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago.

*The CFIP Capital Solutions team includes investment professionals who are employees of EquiTrust Life Insurance Company, and are assigned to CFIP Capital Solutions and supervised by CFI Partners as part of an affiliated operating model.

As an Investment Analyst, Pooja is responsible for underwriting and monitoring investments within the Healthcare Sector, where she develops investment theses, conducts research, assists with portfolio management, and contributes to Investment Committee decisions. Prior to joining the Firm, Pooja completed her internship at CFIP. Pooja earned her Bachelor of Science in Finance, with a concentration in Alternative Investments, from the Gabelli School of Business at Fordham University.

As Vice President of Human Resources, Trayshawn is responsible for talent acquisition, managing strategic partnerships, and fostering employee development. He aligns HR strategies with strategic planning, business objectives, and labor laws. Prior to CFIP, Trayshawn worked for PepsiCo as Senior Human Resources Business Partner. There, he successfully managed end-to-end operations for Warehouse, Manufacturing, and Traffic with a sizable workforce, driving notable achievements. Trayshawn earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, Communications, & Economics; Master of Business Administration; and Master of Human Resources and Industrial Relations from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. There, he was a three-time elected trustee advocating for over 93,000 students across three universities, managing a $7.2 billion budget, serving on key university committees, fostering collaborations, and championing initiatives like a tuition freeze and free tuition for low-income families. Trayshawn is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, a Coca-Cola Scholar, Gates Millennium Scholar, and a National Jefferson Award Recipient.

Kenneth Musick is Head of Liability-Driven Investments as part of the CFIP Capital Solutions team, where he oversees asset allocation, liquid market investments, structured credit, and liability hedging strategies.* Previously, he was responsible for diversified portfolio strategies at the Teachers’ Retirement System of the State of Illinois (TRS), managing assets across a $45 billion plan. He earned a B.A. in Economics from the University of Chicago.

*The CFIP Capital Solutions team includes investment professionals who are employees of EquiTrust Life Insurance Company, and are assigned to CFIP Capital Solutions and supervised by CFI Partners as part of an affiliated operating model.

As a Marketing & Investor Relations Analyst, Nnaemeka shares responsibility for production of the Firm’s marketing materials, investor relations, and business development. Prior to CFIP, he worked at Mesirow as an Investment Management Analyst focusing on investment grade and high yield fixed income products. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Cornell University. He is an alumnus of The Academy Group and sits on The Alumni Committee. Nnaemeka is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated and a Posse Foundation Scholar. He also serves as a coach with The First Tee Greater Chicago.

As a Risk Analyst on the Trading and Portfolio Optimization team, Jose shares responsibility for assisting trade execution, portfolio optimization and risk management across the Firm's investment strategies. Prior to this role, Jose was an Analyst on the Investment team covering Healthcare, Chemicals, and Financial Services. Before joining the firm, he completed an internship at CFIP. Jose earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Business Organizational Management, magna cum laude, from Gettysburg College.

As Operations Manager, Tom serves as the escalation contact for loan trade settlements and facilitates transaction processing with internal and external counterparts. He also manages security reference data, supports primary settlements, and assists with investor reporting, account reconciliations, KYC, and document management. Prior to joining CFIP, Tom served as Account Manager - New Deal Setup Team at Computershare Corporate Trust where he setup new CLO and Leverage Loan Financing compliance tests and reporting. Prior to Computershare, he worked at Morgan Stanley as Trading Operations Manager – Securitized Products Group (SPG) Trade Support Team, leading a team of analysts to support trading activity for SPG trading desks resolving trade settlement and overseeing monthly CMO settlement with issuing agencies including collateral delivery and bond takedown. Before his role at Morgan Stanley, Tom held many roles at Wells Fargo Corporate Trust, most recently as Account Management Supervisor-Collateralized Loan Obligation and Leveraged Loan Services. Tom earned his Bachelor of Music from Pennsylvania State University, his Master of Music from Cleveland Institute of Music and his Master of Business Administration with a specialization in Finance from Cleveland State University.

As an Accounting Specialist, Monica shares responsibility for the Firm’s accounting operations. Prior to CFIP, she contracted at Cameo as an Accounting Specialist. Before Cameo, Monica worked at Rise Interactive Media & Analytics as Controller. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Purdue University.

As an Investment Analyst, Adrian is responsible for underwriting and monitoring investments within the building production and industrial sectors, where he develops investment theses, conducts research, assists with portfolio management, and contributes to Investment Committee decisions. Prior to joining the Firm, Adrian completed internships at CFIP, S.C. Johnson, Boeing Co., and Ameriprise Financial. He earned his Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance, summa cum laude, with a certificate in Cybersecurity from Howard University.

As the Head of Public Investment Grade, Jabari is responsible for Core and Core+ portfolio construction and management. Prior to CFIP, he worked for the City of Chicago as Chief Investment Officer, where he was responsible for the in-house management of an $8.8 billion portfolio of investment grade corporates, ABS, treasuries, agencies, municipals, and cash. Before City of Chicago, Jabari worked for Northern Trust Corporation as a Portfolio Manager, Bank of New York Mellon as an MBS/Structured Product Analyst, and Allstate Investments as a Fixed Income Specialist and Quantitative Analyst. Jabari earned his Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin. He earned his Master of Science in Finance with a major in Financial Engineering as well as a Financial Trading and Analysis Certificate from the Illinois Institute of Technology. Jabari serves on the Chicago Regional Advisory Board for Bottom Line.

As Head of Client Solutions, Scott leads CFI’s business development initiatives, investor relations, and oversees various facets integral to the Firm’s expansion endeavors. Prior to CFIP, he worked for Sterling Bay as their Director of Investor Relations. Before joining Sterling Bay, Scott dedicated nearly two decades to Citadel, where he served as a Partner and Managing Director of Investor Relations, collaborating closely with CFIP's founding partners. Scott earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Management, magna cum laude, from Ball State University and his Master of Business Administration for Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. He enthusiastically devotes his time as a mentor for Boys Hope, guiding and inspiring young minds toward promising futures.

Rob Ross is Managing Director of Structured Products as part of the CFIP Capital Solutions team, where he focuses on mezzanine and equity CLO investments.* Previously, he spent eight years at Allstate managing hedge fund portfolios, conducting quantitative research, and supporting asset-liability management. He earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago.

*The CFIP Capital Solutions team includes investment professionals who are employees of EquiTrust Life Insurance Company, and are assigned to CFIP Capital Solutions and supervised by CFI Partners as part of an affiliated operating model.

As a Fixed Income Portfolio Manager, Jaime is responsible for fixed income portfolio management, including investment-process enhancements, scenario analysis, and ESG analysis. Prior to joining CFIP, Jaime served as a Portfolio Manager at PMA Asset Management, LLC, overseeing investment grade institutional portfolios. His responsibilities included strategy implementation, yield curve analysis, trading, and monitoring trends in the financial markets, with a particular focus on rates and structured products. Prior to his role at PMA, Jaime worked at RBC Global Asset Management as a Client Service Portfolio Administrator. In this capacity, he offered service to a diverse client base, ensuring the accuracy of client deliverables, including monthly reports, presentation books, consultant questionnaires, and ad-hoc requests. Jaime earned his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign. He is a CFA® charterholder and a member of the CFA Society of Chicago.

As a Data Science Engineer on the Data Science Team, Farukh develops various data analytics and programming tools for internal operations and analysis. Prior to CFIP, held internships at the Pritzker Family Foundation and the Centre for Financial Accountability. Farukh earned his Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from Depauw University and his Master of Applied Science in Applied Mathematics from the Illinois Institute of Technology.

As a Finance and Accounting Manager, Charmi is responsible for financial reporting for private funds and other bespoke leveraged investment vehicles. She also supports the day-to-day accounting, tax compliance processes, and annual audits of the private funds. Prior to joining CFIP, Charmi worked as a Tax Manager within the Asset Management practice at KPMG, where she primarily focused on credit funds, fund of funds, and regulated investment companies. Charmi earned her Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

As the General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer, Joe is responsible for ensuring the Firm adheres to government regulations, legal obligations, and internal compliance policies.  He has over 20 years of experience working in legal, compliance, and operations for Registered Investment Advisers and Broker Dealers. Prior to CFIP, he held the Head of Operations and Chief Compliance Officer position for AMP Capital Investors US and the General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer position for Brookfield Investment Management. Joe earned his Bachelor of Science in Business from Indiana University and his Juris Doctorate from DePaul University.

As Director of Operations, Tim oversees daily trade settlement, portfolio valuations, reconciliation, investor reporting, and is responsible for managing the Firm’s operational controls and post-trade processes. Prior to joining CFIP, Tim served as Managing Director, Head of Investment Operations at Elementum Advisors, LLC, leading the firm's investment operations functions. Prior to Elementum, he worked at Legal & General Investment Management America as Operations Manager, overseeing all middle and back-office investment operations activities, managing a team responsible for trade settlements, corporate actions, transitions, reconciliations, project management, and performance/attribution reporting. Before his role at Legal & General, Tim was Controller – Structured Products at Black Diamond Capital Management, where he was responsible for the administration, compliance, reporting, analysis, and accounting of a $4 billion portfolio of structured vehicles, including three Collateralized Loan Obligations (CLO) and one Collateralized Debt Obligation (CDO). Tim earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from the University of Arkansas – Sam M. Walton College of Business.

As an Investment Analyst, Connor is responsible for underwriting and monitoring investments within the technology and industrials sectors, where he develops investment theses, conducts research, assists with portfolio management, and contributes to Investment Committee decisions. Prior to joining the Firm, Connor held internships at CFIP and Martin Investment Management, LLC. Connor earned his Bachelor of Science in Finance and Information Systems, magna cum laude, from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Don Thompson is Chairman of AFG and Chief Executive Officer of Cleveland Avenue, an investment firm he co-founded in 2015 focused on lifestyle consumer brands and high-growth companies. He has over 25 years of leadership experience, including serving as President and Chief Executive Officer of McDonald’s, where he led the organization through a period of global transformation.

In addition to his investment activities, Mr. Thompson co-founded The Cleveland Avenue Foundation for Education (The CAFE), which focuses on advancing educational equity and leadership development. He currently serves on the boards of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., Northern Trust Corporation, and Northwestern Memorial HealthCare, and is a Trustee of The CAFE Foundation.

Mr. Thompson holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University and has received numerous honors recognizing his leadership and contributions to business and innovation.

Levoyd Robinson co-founded CFIP in 2005. He is responsible for firm-wide management and monitors overall portfolio construction and risk management. Prior to forming CFIP, Levoyd was a Managing Director at Citadel Investment Group, LLC, where he was the Head of Global Private Debt and was responsible for managing teams in the US and London that made mezzanine and special situations debt investments, including high-yield and distressed loans, asset-based and structured financings, and cash and synthetic CLOs and CDOs. He also was responsible for structuring, negotiating, and credit selection for $3.8 billion of cash and synthetic CDOs comprised of leveraged loans, investment grade, and high-yield credit default swaps. Further, he managed activist distressed positions and served on several ad hoc creditor committees. Prior to Citadel, Levoyd was a Senior Managing Director at PPM America in the Special Investment Group. He began his career at First Chicago Corporation, where he ultimately rose to become the Portfolio Manager of its proprietary distressed trading group. Levoyd obtained his Bachelor of Business Administration, magna cum laude, from Howard University and earned his Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Finance, Investment, and Banking from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Levoyd is a CFA® charterholder. He is very civically engaged and serves on several nonprofit boards, further he is a member of the Federal Reserve’s Bank of Chicago’s Working Group on Financial Markets, a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and a member of The Economic Club of Chicago.

Eric Holoman is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of EquiTrust. He is also an Operating Partner of Magic Johnson Enterprises (MJE), where he oversees the day-to-day operations of its largest portfolio companies. In addition, he serves as Managing Partner of JLC Infrastructure, and Managing Director of ASPiRE. Earlier in his career, Mr. Holoman held senior leadership roles in private banking at Bank of America and Wells Fargo. He earned a B.S. in Finance from the University of Southern California.

Mr. Walter is the Chief Executive Officer of Guggenheim Partners and Chairman and controlling owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers. He also serves as a trustee or director of several organizations including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, Security Benefit Corporation and the EquiTrust Life holding company. Mr. Walter grew up in Iowa and received a B.S. from Creighton University and a J.D. from Northwestern University.

Mr. Meyer has dedicated five decades to a focused career in commercial real estate finance, grounded in three principles: making sound credit and investment decisions through factual analysis, not dreams; identifying performance issues early through active surveillance; and aggressively addressing problems promptly. His career has been evenly split between generating opportunities, overseeing credit and investment decisions, and resolving issues in portfolios. During his longest tenure at First Chicago Corporation, Mr. Meyer handled various responsibilities, including new loan origination, managing the real estate workout portfolio during the early 1990s recession, and overseeing the sale of a $2 billion distressed real estate loans portfolio. There, he worked closely alongside Levoyd Robinson and Brad Couri, forging effective collaborations and navigating challenges together. Beyond First Chicago, Mr. Meyer took on diverse roles, founding and managing a firm of 35 professionals providing advisory and asset management services for distressed real estate loans. He also served as President and Chief Lending Officer for a Fannie Mae DUS platform, Head of Lending for a $5 billion bank, Chief Investment Officer of a Sam Zell sponsored mezzanine finance company, and Chief Investment Officer for a CMBS special servicer. In 2019, with the election of a reform candidate as Assessor for Cook County, Mr. Meyer joined the office as Deputy Assessor and Chief Valuations Officer. He graduated with honors, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Active in supporting affordable housing and education opportunities for inner-city youth, Mr. Meyer served on boards of related organizations.

Mr. Couri co-founded CFI Partners. Prior to forming CFIP, Mr. Couri was a Managing Director at Citadel Investment Group, LLC; he was the founder of Citadel’s distressed investment and fundamental credit group and was responsible for overall portfolio construction and risk management for Citadel’s multi-billion-dollar fundamental credit portfolios. He was also a member of the firm-wide Portfolio Management Committee. Before Citadel, Mr. Couri was a Portfolio Manager at the Bank of Montreal, and he began his career at First Chicago Corp. where he was an Assistant Portfolio Manager/ Senior Counsel & Legal Analyst. Mr. Couri earned a B.A. from the University of Notre Dame and a J.D. from the University of Illinois. Mr. Couri has been involved in several educational charities as a board member and board chair.