2024 New Jersey Emerging Managers Virtual Symposium

Shoaib Khan

As Director and Chief Investment Officer, Shoaib Khan is responsible for the overall operations of the New Jersey Division of Investment. The Division of Investment is responsible for the investment oversight of New Jersey’s Pension plans with assets of approximately $95 billion and supports the retirement plans of over 800,000 members. The Division of Investment also manages the State of New Jersey’s Cash Management Fund with asset of over $35 billion.

Mr. Khan joined the Division of Investment in January, 2021 as Deputy Director and Deputy Chief Investment Officer. In June 2021, he assumed the role of Acting Director and in June 2022, was sworn in as Director and Chief Investment Officer. Throughout his career, Mr. Khan has served in numerous senior management positions at both public and private investment institutions domestically and around the globe. 

Prior to joining New Jersey Division of Investment, Mr. Khan served as a Senior Portfolio Manager at the Florida State Board of Administration. He has also previously served in the roles of Global Head of Portfolio Management at Union Bancaire Privee (UBP), a Switzerland-based private bank and Strategy Head at J.P. Morgan Alternative Asset Management in New York. Mr. Khan holds a Bachelors of Business Administration from Florida International University and received a Masters of Accounting from Nova Southeastern University. He is a CFA Charterholder and a CPA.

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After many years spent on Wall Street, Deepak Raj founded and is managing director of the New Jersey-based private investment firm Raj Associates with investments in real estate and public and private securities. His wide-ranging philanthropic service encompasses a wide range of issues affecting India and Indian-Americans. He serves as Chairman of the India Philanthropy Alliance and is a former Chairman of Pratham USA. He and his wife Neera established the Deepak and Neera Raj Center on Indian Economic Policies under the auspices of the School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University in 2015. He is also co-Founder of Indian-American Impact which aims to harness the potential of the South Asian community in public service. 

Deepak held leadership positions at Merrill Lynch over a 24-year career including director of Global Equity Research. He was elected chairman of the New Jersey State Investment Council in 2019. The Council formulates policies governing the investment of funds and supervises the $80 billion NJ Pension Fund.

A chartered financial analyst, Deepak graduated from IIT Kanpur with a BTech in electrical engineering and earned an MBA from Northeastern University. He is a recipient of the Distinguished Alumnus Award from IIT Kanpur. He and Neera have two grown children and live in Princeton, New Jersey.

As Director and Chief Investment Officer, Shoaib Khan is responsible for the overall operations of the New Jersey Division of Investment with assets of over $120 billion. The Division of Investment is responsible for the investment management of New Jersey’s Pension Fund, which supports the retirement plans of over 800,000 members in numerous pension systems. The Division of Investment also manages the State of New Jersey’s Cash Management Fund.

Mr. Khan joined the Division of Investment in January, 2021 as Deputy Director and Deputy Chief Investment Officer. In June 2021, he assumed the role of Acting Director and in June 2022, was sworn in as Director and Chief Investment Officer. Throughout his career, Mr. Khan has served in numerous senior management positions at both public and private investment institutions domestically and around the globe. 

Prior to joining New Jersey Division of Investment, Mr. Khan served as a Senior Portfolio Manager at the Florida State Board of Administration. He has also previously served in the roles of Global Head of Portfolio Management at Union Bancaire Privee (UBP), a Switzerland-based private bank and Strategy Head at J.P. Morgan Alternative Asset Management in New York. Mr. Khan holds a Bachelors of Business Administration from Florida International University and received a Masters of Accounting from Nova Southeastern University. He is a CFA Charterholder and a CPA.

William (Bill) Connors currently serves as the Deputy Executive Director & Deputy CIO for the State of New Jersey, Division of Investment (DOI), leading the Alternatives group as well as the Fixed Income, Trading and Cash Management teams. Bill has been with the DOI since 2020, when he was brought in as the Head of Fixed Income. Throughout his three-decade career, Bill has demonstrated expertise in asset allocation, investment policy, risk management, portfolio construction and manager evaluation in alternative and traditional investments. In addition to his private sector experience, Bill gained valuable experience serving as a Board member on five public company Boards of Directors. He holds a BA in mathematics from Drew University and a Masters of Business Administration in Finance from Columbia University – Columbia Business School.

Lisa Walker is the Deputy Director and Deputy CIO for the Division of Investment for the State of New Jersey. She began this role in January of 2023. Prior to joining the Division, Lisa has had a three-decade long career working in the private sector for firms including JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, and Merrill Lynch. Most recently, Lisa Walker was a senior investor on BlackRock’s Global Allocation Fund, a multi-asset strategy fund with assets under management during her tenure of up to $100 billion. She also previously managed the BlackRock Global Financial Services Fund and BGF World Financials Fund.  Lisa was a senior investor on the BlackRock Global SmallCap Fund, a small cap equity and fixed income analyst for Reams Asset Management, and a senior investors at Brandes Investment Partners. Lisa Walker has expertise investing across asset classes including public equities, fixed income, currencies, commodities and derivatives, and across all geographies. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Georgetown University and a master’s in Business Administration from Harvard Business School.

LaRoy dedicates himself to assisting his clients in structuring customized investment programs across the public and private markets to accomplish their respective investment return objectives and their spending needs. He also allocates considerable time to meeting with emerging and diverse managers to help the firm identify and source the “best of breed” for its clients. LaRoy travels the country to meet with clients, interview investment managers, and represent Meketa at various conferences, as well. 

DeAnna is a Consultant with NEPC and has over 15 years of experience in the investment industry.  In her current role, DeAnna works closely with NEPC’s Public Fund and Endowment & Foundations clients.  Her expertise in asset allocation, portfolio construction and implementation, performance measurement, as well as more complex technical projects, allows her to service all aspects of portfolio management for NEPC’s clients. In addition to her roles with her clients, DeAnna also serves as Co-Chair of the firm’s Diverse Manager Committee, which aims to identify highly qualified diverse investment firms that meet the unique goals, risk parameters, and financial objectives of NEPC’s clients.  She is also a member of NEPC’s Asset Allocation and DEI Leadership Committees.

Prior to joining NEPC, DeAnna was the Vice President of Community Investments for BMO Harris Bank, where she managed the bank’s Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) portfolio, which primarily consisted of CDFI, private real estate and private market investments. She also held roles at RVK, Inc and began her career as a portfolio manager with Chicago Teachers’ Pension Fund.

DeAnna earned her B.S. in Economics from Northern Illinois University.  She serves as the Chair of the Board and Investment Committee Chair for T.A.S.C, Inc and is the President of the Chicago Chapter of the National Association of Securities Professionals (“NASP”).  She also serves on the board of Lawrence Hall and the national board for NASP. Passionate about equity and inclusion within financial services, DeAnna has spoken on several panels discussing ways to increase diversity within financial services and invest with diverse investment managers.

Keon Holmes is a Managing Director for the Endowment & Foundation Practice at Cambridge Associates.

Keon invests on behalf of universities, foundations, hospitals, cultural institutions, independent schools, and private clients across the world, ranging in size from $40 million to over $9 billion.

Keon is a board member at the CFA Society Boston and Council Co-Chair at UNCF NE Leadership Council. He is a trustee and immediate past Board Chair at Lasell University and a former member of the Harvard University Advisory Committee on shareholder responsibility.

Prior to joining Cambridge Associates in 2005, Keon worked in equity risk management products with UBS AG in Hong Kong while attending business school. Previously, he worked as an Investment Manager for private clients at JP Morgan Private Bank. Prior to this, he was an Associate in the equity derivatives group at JPMorgan & Co. in New York.

Keon received his MBA from Harvard Business School and his BS in Electrical Engineering from Howard University. He is a CFA® charterholder.

Evan joined RVK in 2020 and is a Manager Research Consultant based in Alameda, California, supported by our Portland office. Evan is responsible for leading research initiatives and evaluating asset managers in public equity, providing reporting and analyses, preparing search recommendations, and communicating pertinent manager updates to clients and consulting teams.

Prior to RVK, Evan was a Senior Research Analyst for Legato Capital Management where he was responsible for equity manager research and selection. He earned a BA degree in Environmental Studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz. He has passed the CFA Level I exam.

MINA PACHECO NAZEMI

Head of Barings Diversified Alternative Equity

Mina Pacheco Nazemi is the Head of the Diversified Alternative Equity team and serves on the investment committee. She is also responsible for originating, underwriting and monitoring GP relationships, direct/co-investments, and continuation vehicle opportunities for private equity and real assets. Mina has worked in the industry since 1998 with experience as a General Partner and Limited Partner investor in private markets and focused on underwriting direct/co-investment opportunities. Prior to joining the firm in 2017, Mina held several leadership and investment positions including Co-Founder and Partner at Aldea Capital Partners and Partner and Investment Committee Member at GCM Grosvenor Customized Fund Investment Group (formerly Credit Suisse CFIG). She is an alumna of Sponsors for Education Opportunity (SEO) and Robert Toigo Foundation. She also is a board member of the Pan American Development Fund and serves on the investment committee for the City of Hope and Cal State Los Angeles. Additionally, Mina is a current Finance Fellow for The Aspen Institute. Mina holds a Bachelor of Arts with honors in Economics and Political Science from Stanford University and her Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School.

DANA JOHNS

Head of Private Equity, New Jersey Division of Investment

Dana Johns joined the New Jersey Department of the Treasury, Division of Investment in 2023 as the Head of Private Equity.  Prior to New Jersey she was a member of the Private Equity team at the Maryland State Retirement and Pension System and is an experienced private markets investor and leader in the U.S. public pension and broader institutional investor community. Dana has over 20 years of experience investing and managing multi-billion dollar global portfolios of institutional alternative investment assets. She has deep expertise in private equity and a highly developed personal network with established top performing private equity fund managers and next generation managers. Industry recognition includes Institutional Investor’s Global List of Top 50 Women in Investment Management, Trusted Insight’s list of Top Public Pension Investors Directors, and PEWIN's Member of the Year highlighting Dana’s work in transforming the private equity industry with a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion. Ms. Johns is Board Chair of the Private Equity Women Investor Network (PEWIN), and a member of the Institutional Limited Partners Association (ILPA) Diversity & Inclusion Advisory Council, Academy for Institutional Investors Editorial Committee, AIF Women’s Leadership Steering Committee and the SEO Alternative Investments Limited Partner Advisory Council. Ms. Johns has both a B.A. in Comparative Literature from Indiana University Bloomington and a B.S. in Computer Info Systems from Stevenson University. She graduated from Loyola University Maryland with a Master's in Finance while working full time as an Associate at Camden Private Capital, a private equity fund of funds.

AGATA PRACZUK

Director, MetLife Investment Management

Agata Praczuk is responsible for the management of the Emerging Mangers Program and Client portfolios. Prior to joining MIM in 2011, Agata worked as a hedge fund research analyst for the Millburn Ridgefield Corporation, a boutique alternative investment firm. She began her career in 2004 at BNP Paribas managing hedge fund client relationships. Agata is a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst. She’s been recognized by Institutional Investor as a Hedge Fund Rising Star (2016) and received the Insurance Investor of the Year (2018) and PEWIN Limited Partner of the Year North America (2022) awards on behalf of MetLife. She received her BS from Northeastern University and her MBA from the Stern School of Business at New York University.

NILZA SERRANO

Board Member, California State University Los Angeles Foundation

Nilza Serrano is a Board Member for the California State University Los Angeles Foundation. In addition, she serves as a Trustee for Trustees United and for the Los Angeles City Employees’ Retirement System (LACERS). An accomplished executive and board member, Nilza’s passion centers around helping businesses improve their profitability, sustainability and market share by embracing Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) as a key element of their business strategy. Her extensive array of business experience includes serving as the Founder and CEO of Serrano & Associates, a consulting firm dedicated to helping today’s organizations adapt to the rapidly-changing dynamics of the modern marketplace — along with 20 years of insights gained as the Founder, CEO, and Executive Producer of a breakthrough media production company, The Media Shop, that served a top-tier list of corporate clients throughout Los Angeles and beyond. In these high-profile roles, Nilza has gained acclaim for helping organizations crystallize their strategic goals, engage in effective corporate storytelling, and leverage modern communication and media platforms to deliver their brand message to specific targeted audiences.

Peter Braffman, J.D., Private Markets Investment Committee Member, Managing Director 

Mr. Braffman is a member of the Private Markets Investment Committee and serves on the Global Investment Council. He leads the real estate investment practice and is responsible for real estate sourcing and underwriting activities. Prior to joining GCM Grosvenor, Mr. Braffman was a Partner in the Customized Fund Investment Group of Credit Suisse Group AG. Previously, he was a Senior Vice President at Zurich Alternative Asset Management, where he was responsible for sourcing, underwriting and executing U.S.-based real estate investments. Prior to joining Zurich Alternative, Mr. Braffman was a Vice President in the Merger and Strategic Advisory Group at Goldman Sachs, where he advised corporate clients on structured real estate valuations, monetizations and dispositions of their directly owned and used assets. Prior to joining Goldman Sachs, he was an Associate at Kirkland & Ellis LLP and focused on merger, securities and asset-backed law. Mr. Braffman holds a Bachelor of Arts in Biology and History from the University of Rochester, a Master of Business Administration from Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management, and a Juris Doctor from Northwestern University School of Law. 

Kevin Higgins is Head of Real Estate at New Jersey Division of Investment where he is responsible for developing strategy and managing the private real estate in the state pension system.

Mr. Higgins has experience that spans a full spectrum of real estate equity and debt investments, and he has served on numerous Investment Advisory Committees.  In the wake of the global financial crisis he established his own consulting practice to create and recover value. Previously, Mr. Higgins held investment management and restructuring positions at Swiss Re Asset Management, MBL Life, AIG Real Estate Investments, Lehman Brothers and TIAA-CREF.

Mr. Higgins holds an MBA from New York University and a Bachelor’s degree in engineering from Manhattan College. He is a member of the Pension Real Estate Association (PREA) where he serves on the Institutional Investor Council, the CFA Society New York, and the Institutional Limited Partners Association. He serves on the Advisory Board of the Center for Real Estate at Rutgers Business School and teaches on the adjunct faculties at New York University and Rutgers as well as for NCREIF Academy.

ELIZABETH HARTNETT

Director, Barings Diversified Alternative Equity

Elizabeth Hartnett is a member of Barings’ Diversified Alternative Equity team and is responsible for originating, underwriting, and monitoring private equity funds and co-investments. Elizabeth has worked in the industry since 2015. Prior to joining the firm in 2017, she worked at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, a middle market investment banking firm, on their Mergers and Acquisitions team. Elizabeth holds a B.S. in mathematics from the University of Notre Dame.

SOPHIA TSAI

Managing Director, Trinity Church Wall Street

Sophia Tsai is a Managing Director at Trinity Church Wall Street, a $7 billion endowment that invests globally.  Sophia has more than 25 years of experience in asset allocation and manager selection across alternative and traditional asset classes, and direct and fund investing in North America and Asia. Prior to joining Trinity Wall Street in 2017, Sophia was Managing Director and Co-Head of Hedge Funds at State Street Global Advisors.  She co-led the hedge fund program and was also responsible for private equity direct investments, co-investments and fund investments for GE Pension.  Sophia joined State Street in 2016 through its acquisition of GE Asset Management.  At GE, Sophia was based in the US more recently for eleven years and also held several roles in Asia during 1995 to 2005 at three GE Capital divisions including GE Equity, GE Capital Asia Pacific’s M&A Group and GE Capital Finance. Sophia holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management and the University of Science and Technology in Hong Kong.  She also received a BBA in Accounting from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.  Sophia is a CFA charterholder.

BHARATH SRIKRISHNAN

Founder and Managing Partner, BharCap Partners

Bharath Srikrishnan is the Founder and Managing Partner of BharCap Partners, a financial services-focused middle market buyout firm. Prior to BharCap, Bharath spent six years as a Partner on Pine Brook’s financial services investment team and was a member of Pine Brook’s Investment Committee. Bharath has over two decades of financial services investment, operating and advisory experience. His prior experience includes positions as Managing Director at Five Mile Capital Partners, where he was responsible for leading the firm’s financial services investment activities; Principal of Lee Equity Partners, where he focused on making financial services private equity investments; and Co-founder and Managing Director of NewStar Financial, Inc., a private equity-backed middle market commercial finance company that successfully completed an initial public offering. Bharath holds a B.S. from Boston College in Finance, Operations and Strategic Management (cum laude). He grew up as a competitive wrestler and serves on the boards of the U.S. Wrestling Foundation and the YMCA of Greenwich.

NEDA DANESHZADEH

Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Prelude Growth Partners

Neda Daneshzadeh is a Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Prelude Growth Partners, a growth equity firm focused on providing capital and value-added operating support to high-potential, fast-growing consumer brands. Prior to founding Prelude Growth Partners, Neda was a Partner and a member of the Investment Committee at L Catterton, a global consumer-focused private equity firm, where she worked for 12 years. Her growth investing experience spans the consumer landscape. Prior to joining L Catterton, she was an executive at Bed, Bath & Beyond. Neda began her career at McKinsey & Company and Morgan Stanley. Neda received a Masters in Economics from Cambridge University, England and she earned her M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

ELIZABETH (LIZ) WEINDRUCH

Managing Director, Barings Diversified Alternative Equity

Elizabeth (Liz) Weindruch is a member of Barings’ Diversified Alternative Equity team, serves on its investment committee, and is responsible for originating and underwriting fund, co-investment, and secondary opportunities globally. Liz has worked in the industry since 2004. Prior to joining the firm in 2015, she was with the Wells Fargo Investment Institute where she led the strategy, diligence, and implementation efforts for private equity and private real estate products across the alternative investments platform. Prior to that, she served in a similar role at Citi Private Bank, and prior to that, she underwrote funds and co-investments at Brooke Private Equity Associates. Liz holds a B.A. in political science from Davidson College and serves as Trustee/Head of the Investment Committee for the Heifer Foundation.

TARRUS RICHARDSON

Founder and CEO, IMB Partners

Tarrus Richardson is the Founder and CEO of IMB Partners, a buyout firm focused on lower middle market companies that provide services to the utility sector and government agencies. He has 25 years of private equity experience, has invested over $500 million of capital and completed over 20 platform buyouts and add-on acquisitions. Prior to IMB, Tarrus co-founded ICV Partners and worked at JLL Partners and Citibank (formerly Salomon Brothers). Tarrus is the founder of the Council of Urban Professionals (CUP), a top leadership development and networking organization based in New York and Los Angeles and a founding board chair of All Star Code, a leading non-profit focused on helping boys of color code. Mr. Richardson received a BS in Accounting from Purdue University (where he has served as the Purdue Black Alumni President and as Student Body President) and an MBA from Harvard Business School, where he was a Robert Toigo Fellow.

AZRA KANJI

Founder and Partner, Astira Capital Partners

Azra Kanji is a Founder and Partner at Astira Capital Partners, a private equity firm focused on making control buyout investments in middle market business-to-business workflow solutions companies in North America. Azra was a former Partner at Abry and has over 20 years of private equity experience. While at Abry, Ms. Kanji led investments in companies in compliance, subscription information, logistics, marketing services and travel and hospitality. Ms. Kanji was a Partner at Abry since 2014, served as a Board Members of 20 companies during her tenure and served on the Investment Committee of Abry’s Flagship Fund. Prior to joining Abry she spent two years as an investment banker focused on telecommunications, media and technology at Goldman Sachs. Azra received her Bachelors in Economics from Duke University.

JOHN CAPLE

Partner, Hidden Harbor Capital Partners

John Caple is a Partner at Hidden Harbor Capital Partners, a private equity firm focused on operationally-intensive and / or situationally complex, value-oriented buyouts in lower middle market businesses.  John is a member of the Investment Committee and is responsible for all key aspects of the investment process including sourcing, transaction execution and portfolio company oversight. In addition, John takes the lead in investor relations and setting the overall strategic direction for the firm. John brings over 27 years of experience in private equity, strategy and finance. He previously was a Partner at Comvest Partners; an Investment  Professional at H.I.G. Capital; a Strategy Consultant at Bain & Company; and an Investment Banking Analyst at Alex. Brown & Sons. John received his BA in Economics at Stanford University and his MBA at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Shoaib Khan

As Director and Chief Investment Officer, Shoaib Khan is responsible for the overall operations of the New Jersey Division of Investment. The Division of Investment is responsible for the investment oversight of New Jersey’s Pension plans with assets of approximately $95 billion and supports the retirement plans of over 800,000 members. The Division of Investment also manages the State of New Jersey’s Cash Management Fund with asset of over $35 billion.

Mr. Khan joined the Division of Investment in January, 2021 as Deputy Director and Deputy Chief Investment Officer. In June 2021, he assumed the role of Acting Director and in June 2022, was sworn in as Director and Chief Investment Officer. Throughout his career, Mr. Khan has served in numerous senior management positions at both public and private investment institutions domestically and around the globe. 

Prior to joining New Jersey Division of Investment, Mr. Khan served as a Senior Portfolio Manager at the Florida State Board of Administration. He has also previously served in the roles of Global Head of Portfolio Management at Union Bancaire Privee (UBP), a Switzerland-based private bank and Strategy Head at J.P. Morgan Alternative Asset Management in New York. Mr. Khan holds a Bachelors of Business Administration from Florida International University and received a Masters of Accounting from Nova Southeastern University. He is a CFA Charterholder and a CPA.