2024 New Jersey Emerging Managers Virtual Symposium

Shoaib Khan

Director & CIO, NJ Division of Investment

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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Deepak Raj

Chairman, NJ State Investment Council

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.

Shoaib Khan

Director & CIO, NJ Division of Investment

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.

William (Bill) Connors

Deputy Executive Director and Deputy CIO

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

Deputy Director & Deputy CIO, NJ Division of Investment

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.

C. LaRoy Brantley

Managing Principal and Consultant, Meketa

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 Ingram Jones

Consultant, NEPC, LLC

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

Managing Director, Endowment & Foundation Practice at Cambridge Associates

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 Walker

Manager Research Consultant, RVK

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

Head of Real Estate, NJ Division of Investment

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.

Ermias Nessibu

Principal, Real Estate Investments, GCM Grosvenor

Mr. Nessibu is involved in all aspects of the firm’s real estate practice, including deal sourcing, structuring, due diligence, asset management, and managing client relationships. He has previously worked with owner-operators where he was responsible for executing real estate debt and equity investments in the residential, office, retail, and hospitality sectors across North America. Prior to joining GCM Grosvenor, Mr. Nessibu worked as an Associate for Pathway Capital Management where he led new deal execution, conducting due diligence on and recommending private equity investment opportunities across various strategies. Prior to that, he was an investment banker with KPMG Corporate Finance where he advised middle-market clients on mergers and acquisitions within the business services group. Mr. Nessibu received his Bachelor of Science in Accounting magna cum laude from Old Dominion University and his Master of Business Administration in Real Estate from the UCLA Anderson School of Management.

Anar Chudgar

Co-President

Anar Chudgar is the Co-President at Artemis Real Estate Partners, where she is responsible for developing, implementing, and overseeing both equity and credit investing platforms. Ms. Chudgar has more than 20 years of experience in real estate principal investing and investment banking. She sits on the Firm’s Investment Committee and serves as Portfolio Manager for the Income and Growth Fund.

Prior to joining Artemis in 2019, Ms. Chudgar spent nine years as a Partner at GCM Grosvenor, where she co-led the creation and growth of the $5.0 billion real estate platform. She has closed on $1.7 billion in joint venture real estate transactions in North America and Europe spanning both equity and debt, leading all aspects of investment management, including transaction sourcing and execution, asset management, portfolio management, and capital raising. Prior to that, Ms. Chudgar was a Principal in Alternative Investments at Credit Suisse Group AG, held positions at Onex Real Estate Partners, iStar Financial, Inc., and began her career at JP Morgan Chase in real estate investment banking.

Ms. Chudgar graduated magna cum laude from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and continues to be involved with the school. She is on the Board of Advisors of the Annenberg Center, a resource for the performing arts at the university.

Ms. Chudgar currently serves as Vice Chair of the Board of the Pension Real Estate Association and as Committee Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee at Spark Youth. Ms. Chudgar is an Executive Council member of the Real Estate Finance and Investment Center at the University of Texas at Austin, New York Women Executives in Real Estate (WX), and the Urban Land Institute’s UDMUC Green Council.

Tammy K. Jones

Ms. Jones has more than 20 years of experience in the commercial real estate industry. Throughout her entire career, Ms. Jones has invested in and loaned on CRE assets (with a focus on multifamily and office) on behalf of large pension funds and institutional investors, including Equitable Real Estate (largest pension fund advisor and investment management firm at the time), GMACCM (one of the largest CRE lenders, owned by GM) and CWCapital (the U.S. debt investment platform owned by Caisse de dépôt, one of the largest pension fund managers in Quebec). Ms. Jones is a seasoned veteran in CRE investments, capital markets, and structured finance.

Since 2009, Ms. Jones has served as both Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Basis Investment Group (Basis), a multi-strategy commercial real estate investment platform and lender that acquires and originates a variety of senior mortgage loans, preferred equity and joint venture equity positions on behalf of its investors. Basis is also a licensed Seller Servicer for Freddie Mac. Under the leadership of Ms. Jones, Basis has succeeded in closing over $5.1 billion in multifamily and commercial real estate debt and equity related investments across the United States. Basis is a certified Minority and Woman owned Business and one of the only African American and female lead diversified commercial real estate investment and lending platforms in the United States. Prior to founding Basis, Ms. Jones worked at CWCapital LLC (CW) from 2004 to 2009, serving as head of CW’s fixed and floating rate Capital Markets Lending Division and closing approximately $6B in multifamily and commercial real estate loans and investments. Between 1997 and 2004, Ms. Jones was a Senior Vice President of Commercial Capital Initiatives, Inc., a GMACCM subsidiary (now Berkadia) (GMAC) and part of the leadership team responsible for creating GMAC’s Capital Markets lending division. Prior to her seven years with GMAC, she held various positions on the equity and asset management side of the business at commercial real estate investment companies including Equitable Real Estate and AMRESCO Management, Inc.

Ms. Jones currently serves as Chair of the Board of Veris Residential Inc., formerly Mack-Cali Realty Corporation (NYSE: VRE) and formerly served as Lead Independent Director since June 2020, is an Independent Director for Crown Castle International Corp. (NYSE: CCI), is the Chair of the Real Estate Executive Council (REEC), is a member of the President’s Council of Cornell Women (PCCW), is a member of the Executive Leadership Council, is on the Advisory Board for NYU’s Schack Institute of Real Estate and is the Vice-Chairman of Basis Impact Group Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to creating a pipeline of women and minorities in commercial real estate. Ms. Jones formerly served as an Independent Director for Monogram Residential Trust, Inc. (NYSE: MORE). In 2021, Savoy magazine recognized Ms. Jones among Savoy’s Most Influential Black Corporate Directors. Ms. Jones was also selected as one of Crain’s New York Business’ Notable Black Leaders and Executives of 2021, received the 2020 Cornell Baker Industry Leader Award, received the Council of Urban Professionals (CUP) 2019 Finance Catalyst Award and was recognized as one of The Network Journal’s 25 Most Influential Black Women in Business in 2017. Ms. Jones holds a BA in Economics from Cornell University and an MBA with a concentration in Real Estate Finance from the J. Mack Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University.

Sonny Kalsi

Co-Chief Executive Officer of BGO

Sonny Kalsi is the Co-Chief Executive Officer of BGO and is based in Miami, Florida. BGO is a leading, global real estate investment management advisor and a globally recognized provider of real estate services with approximately $83 billion of assets under management. BGO has 27 offices worldwide and over 1,300 employees. BGO manages real estate debt, and real estate assets on behalf of clients in primary, secondary and co-investment markets.

Sonny was a co-founder of GreenOak Real Estate in 2010 and, together with the GreenOak Real Estate team, grew the business organically to $12 billion of assets under management in 10 countries with over 100 employees, prior to its 2019 merger with Bentall Kennedy. Before co-founding GreenOak Real Estate, Sonny was the Global Co-Head of Morgan Stanley's Real Estate Investing (MSREI) business and President of the Morgan Stanley Real Estate Funds until 2009. At its peak, the MSREI platform had approximately $100 billion of assets under management in 33 countries. Sonny has oversight responsibility for BG O's U.S., European and U.K. businesses and is a senior member of the Firm's global Investment Committees.

Sonny is a graduate of Georgetown University and continues to be very involved with the school in advancing academic initiatives. He has been cited by Private Equity Real Estate magazine as one of the "30 Most Influential" people in private equity real estate globally. Sonny is on the board of several organizations including Georgetown University, Teaching Matters, Room to Read, Asia Society and the Hirshhorn Museum.

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.

Danielle Even

Principal, Real Estate Investments, GCM Grosvenor

Ms. Even is involved in all aspects of the firm’s real estate practice, including deal sourcing, due diligence, asset management, portfolio construction, and managing client relationships. Prior to joining GCM Grosvenor, Ms. Even was a Portfolio Management Director at Tishman Speyer where she developed and implemented portfolio-wide and asset-specific strategies, managed capital allocation decisions, and served as primary point of contact for institutional investors. Prior to Portfolio Management, she was a member of Tishman Speyer’s Acquisitions team. She started her career in Investment Banking at Evercore focused on Mergers & Acquisitions. Ms. Even received her Bachelor of Science in Finance and Economics magna cum laude from the Stern School of Business at New York University and her Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School.

Jennifer Keith

Managing Partner, Ethos Real Estate

Jennifer Keith is a Managing Partner with Ethos Real Estate, a sponsor/operator focused on leveraging private capital for the production of affordable housing. Jennifer’s career includes investment banking, private equity, distressed debt and public-private partnership experience. She is also a sought out thought leader on California public policy, land use, affordable housing and building political, community and financial stakeholder consensus. Jennifer holds a Master of Real Estate Development from the Price School of Public Policy at the University of Southern California and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and German Literature from the University of Virginia. She is a frequent guest lecturer and sits on numerous national, state and local boards of organizations in the real estate and affordable housing space.

Rajesh (“Raj”) Menon

CEO & Founding Partner, Grandview

Rajesh (“Raj”) Menon is the CEO and a founding partner of Grandview and is responsible for overall investment strategy and asset management. Prior to forming Grandview, Raj was Chief Investment Officer at Greenfield Partners, LLC (“Greenfield”) which he joined in August 2002 as a Senior Vice President. His responsibilities included management of the acquisition group’s activities, identification and analysis of potential real estate investments, mezzanine finance activities, and coordinating all financing activity related to Greenfield’s portfolio. Raj was a member of Greenfield’s investment committee. Prior to joining Greenfield, Raj was Vice President at Greenwich Capital Markets in the Commercial Real Estate Group. His responsibilities included originating, structuring, underwriting and securitizing nearly $2 billion in bridge, fixed and mezzanine financing. Before joining Greenwich Capital, Raj was as an Analyst at CIBC in the Real Estate Finance Group. Raj began his career at Arthur Andersen’s Real Estate Consulting Group. Raj earned a BS from Binghamton University.

Jerome Nichols

President, Standard Real Estate Investments

Jerome Nichols is President of Standard Real Estate Investments, where he is focused on new business development and investment sourcing, in addition to his involvement in all major decisions pertaining to the business.

Prior to co-founding Standard Real Estate Investments, Jerome spent six years at CBRE Investment Management as a Senior Director and Deputy Portfolio Manager of the CBRE U.S. Development Partners Fund Series. In this role, he served as the lead development sourcing officer for CBRE IM Americas and sourced $6 billion in deal volume. He was actively involved in several initiatives at CBRE IM, including his role as the Chair of the Social Impact Counsel.

In addition to his time at CBRE IM, Jerome spent six years with The Bozzuto Group, a vertically integrated multifamily development and operating company. He is also a former professional football player.

Jerome is an Alumnus and active supporter of the Robert Toigo Foundation.

He received an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a Bachelor of Science in Business from Wake Forest University.

Jerome is from Prince George’s County, Maryland and lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife and two children.

Shoaib Khan

Director & CIO, NJ Division of Investment

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.