Jeff has 30 years of experience in the institutional investment market, serving both as an allocator and a GP. He is currently a Managing Partner at Rio Grande Advisors.

Previously, he was the Global Head of Sales & Distribution for Wilshire Global Advisors, where he led business development across the firm’s discretionary investment management business and institutional advisory practice, overseeing $1.4 trillion in AUA and $125 billion in AUM. His career also includes executive leadership roles at Capital Management Sciences, Wall Street Analytics (now Moody’s Analytics), and Solovis.

Jeff has trained hundreds of investment professionals in persuasive sales and marketing. His narrative-driven approach helps firms craft and deliver compelling pitches that resonate with allocators, clearly articulating their value proposition in a competitive market.

He holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Since 2012, Rich Goldman has been the Managing Member of Becket Capital, LLC, an advisory services firm that works with traditional and private markets asset management firms. From 2011 to 2012, Mr. Goldman served as Chief Operating Officer of Guggenheim Investments, the global asset management and investment advisory division of Guggenheim Partners. Prior to joining Guggenheim Investments, from 2006 to 2012, Mr. Goldman was the Chief Executive Officer of Rydex Investments, the investment advisor to Rydex Funds. He also served as the Chief Executive Officer of ForstmannLeff Associates from 2003-2005 and was the Head of Deutsche Asset Management’s Americas Institutional Business from 1999-2003. Prior to this, Mr. Goldman held leadership positions at State Street Global Advisors, IBM and Procter & Gamble.

Mr. Goldman currently serves on the following Board of Directors: Executive Chairman of Resolute Investment Managers, Tortoise Capital, Lead Independent Director of the Grayscale Funds Trust, and Praxis Solutions, a financial technology artificial intelligence firm. Mr. Goldman previously served as a Member of the Board of Directors of Silver Spike Acquisition Corporation, Marblegate Acquisition Corporation (GATEU), O’Shares Investments ETF Trust, Independent Chairman of Harvest Volatility Edge Trust, Trinitas Capital Management, a credit-focused investment management firm; and Lead Independent Director of the Axonic Alternative Income Interval Fund. Mr. Goldman also served as the President and Interested Director of the Rydex Investment Funds and Chairman/President and Interested Director of the Security Funds Board. Mr. Goldman received a bachelor’s degree from Bowdoin College.

Jonathan Hook retired in late 2022 having been the first Chief Investment Officer for three separate organizations. The most recent was the Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, based in Owings Mills, Maryland where he worked from May 2014 to September 2022. He was responsible for managing the foundation’s investment portfolio of $3.4 Billion, and the first internal investment team at the foundation. The organization is one of the largest private foundations in the United States. Its’ sole purpose is to assist low-income and vulnerable individuals and families through nonprofit grants to direct-service providers and programs.

Prior to joining the Weinberg Foundation, Hook was the first Chief Investment Officer at two separate universities, Ohio State University and Baylor University. In each case, he built and directed the university’s Office of Investments to manage the long-term investment pool which included its endowment funds. He was responsible for asset allocation policies, building an investment team, and charting a new path for the institutional capital management of each school. As a result of his efforts, he was nominated for and honored several times with industry awards.

Throughout his career, Mr. Hook has been an active fundraiser for many charitable and civic organizations. He now serves on several Boards working with various firms in the investment business.

He graduated from Willamette University with a B.S. in Economics and Sociology and from Baylor University with his M.B.A. in Finance

Scott has extensive experience in building firm infrastructure across operations, legal and compliance, technology, and finance. With a background as both an LP and a GP, he is recognized for his ability to assess and streamline operations, implement innovative solutions, and mentor teams in achieving best-in-class excellence.

Scott is the host of the Investment Management Operations Podcast, where he explores the inner workings of top-tier investment institutions, offering operational insights for fund managers and non-investment professionals.

Previously, he served as Partner and COO at Spruceview Capital Partners, a spinout from JP Morgan’s Pension Plan team, where he led strategic, operational, and client-facing initiatives for eight years. He was also a founding team member at HighVista Strategies, one of the first endowment-style funds, where he played multiple senior operational roles as the firm expanded within the OCIO space.

With experience spanning public and private markets, Scott is a trusted resource for fund managers looking to launch new products and optimize their operations.

He holds a B.A. in International Relations from Lake Forest College and an MBA from Babson College. Scott also holds a Series 65 license in the U.S. and is qualified as a Partner, Director, and Officer for Canadian Investment Dealers.

Ellen has worked in investment management for nearly 40 years, primarily serving institutions in higher education and philanthropy. She is a recognized expert in investment management and governance best practices and has been a champion for advancing women in institutional investing.

In May 2020, she was appointed by Governor Lamont as Chair of the State of Connecticut’s Investment Advisory Council (IAC), advising the State Treasurer on the investment of $60 billion in pension assets. She continues to serve as a Council member under Chair Phil Zecher as of September 2024.

Ellen began her career at the Yale University Investments Office, where she served as Director of Investments under CIO David Swensen. She later became CIO of Carnegie Corporation of New York, a private foundation, serving from 1999 to 2011. In 2013, she co-founded Edgehill Endowment Partners, an OCIO managing entire endowments for mission-driven institutions, transitioning to Partner Emerita in 2020.

A dedicated nonprofit leader, Ellen served as a Trustee of Bowdoin College for 21 years and currently sits on the board and investment committee of The Juilliard School, as well as investment committees for the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, and the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She is also a board member of JBG Smith (NYSE: JBGS), Amazon’s HQ2 development partner.

Ellen received the Institutional Investor Magazine Lifetime Achievement Award for Foundations in 2014 and was named one of Women Inc.’s 100 Most Influential Board Members in 2019.

She holds a B.A., magna cum laude, from Bowdoin College and an MPPM (MBA) from the Yale School of Management.

Allison K. Thacker is a special advisor to Rice University and the former Chief Investment Officer of the Rice Management Company (2011–2024). She led Rice University’s endowment to grow its market value from $4.2 billion to $8.1 billion, while contributing $3.8 billion to the university’s operating budget. Under her leadership, the endowment delivered 9.2% annualized returns, surpassing both the endowment’s benchmark (7.1%) and a passive global equity and bond portfolio benchmark (7%). Rice University’s endowment ranks in the top 20 of U.S. private research universities. The annual distribution from the endowment is the single largest revenue source to Rice’s operating budget, supporting ~40% of the University’s operating expenses.

Recognized for her leadership and impact, Allison was previously named one of “Houston’s 50 Most Influential Women” by Houston Woman Magazine. Beyond her role as an investor, Allison is deeply committed to education, the arts, and community impact. She serves as board chair of KIPP Texas, an open-enrollment, free public charter school network that serves 31,000 students across Texas. She is a member of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas Financial Sector Advisory Council, the Houston Ballet Board of Trustees, the Houston Endowment Board and Investment Committee, Memorial Hermann Foundation Board and YPO.

A proud Rice University alumna, Allison graduated with honors in economics before earning her M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. Before joining Rice, she spent 11 years at RS Investments, a San Francisco-based investment firm with a strong reputation in actively managed equity strategies. She began her career as a Summer Analyst at Putnam Investments and as a Financial Analyst at Merrill Lynch & Co.

Bio coming soon.

Joel retired as Vice President and Chief Investment Officer of the $9 billion W.K. Kellogg Foundation, where he served from 2009 to 2021. He currently serves on the board of directors for Underwriters Laboratories Standards and Engagement in Evanston, IL, and is an advisory board member for LGT Capital Partners in Switzerland and Saguaro Capital Management in Phoenix, Arizona.

A recognized leader in institutional investing, Joel was named Trusted Insight’s 2019 Distinguished Foundation CIO and received the Institutional Investor 2016 Hedge Fund Award. He was also featured in Billion Dollar Insights: A Collection of Interviews with 40 Savvy Institutional Investors and received the Toigo Foundation Institutional Investor Trailblazer Award. From 2019 to 2021, he collaborated with McKinsey & Company on the Expanding Equity program, promoting DEI best practices in Wall Street and large corporations.

Before joining the Kellogg Foundation, Joel held senior roles at several Fortune 500 companies, including Vice President and Treasurer at Kellogg Company, Vice President and Treasurer at Armstrong World Industries, and key treasury roles at Dow Chemical. He also serves on the board of directors for the Michigan State University Foundation.

Joel holds a B.S. in Accounting and Finance from the Eli Broad Graduate School of Management at Michigan State University and an MBA from the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.