history as a leading private credit investor
average experience of senior management team
history as an active private equity co-investor
dedicated investment and support professionals
Our History
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2006
Established as Churchill Financial LLC by Bear Stearns Merchant Banking and Senior Management
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2010
Becomes a portfolio company of Olympus Partners, a leading middle market private equity sponsor
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2011
As part of The Carlyle Group’s Global Market Strategies platform, the Churchill team raises over $2 billion in committed debt and equity capital for its inaugural BDC vehicle
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2015
Churchill team joins Nuveen as the firm’s exclusive middle market senior and unitranche debt financing group, creating an independent boutique within Nuveen’s Private Markets platform
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2020
Nuveen Private Equity and Junior Capital team joins Churchill, forming one of the largest, most active platforms serving private equity-owned companies in the U.S.1
1 PitchBook’s US PE MM Lending League Tables, December 9, 2019. Rankings based on number of middle market private equity backed buyout transactions.
Our Team
We serve as a long-term partner and provider of capital to the middle market
Led by seasoned professionals with an average of more than 25 years of industry experience, our team’s consistency and strong, cohesive culture anchored in fundamental business model analysis continues to be highly valued by investors and private equity firms alike
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Senior Management Team
Senior Management Team
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Ken Kencel
President & CEO
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Randy Schwimmer
Senior Managing Director, Head of Origination & Capital Markets, Senior Lending
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Jason Strife
Senior Managing Director, Head of Junior Capital and Private Equity Solutions
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Shai Vichness, CFA
Senior Managing Director & Chief Financial Officer
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Christopher Cox
Senior Managing Director & Chief Risk Officer, Senior Lending
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Mathew Linett
Senior Managing Director, Head of Underwriting & Portfolio Management, Senior Lending
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David Heilbrunn
Senior Managing Director, Head of Product Development & Capital Raising
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Chris Freeze
Senior Managing Director, Head of Investor Relations
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Board of Directors
Board of Directors
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Bill Huffman
Head of Equities & Fixed Income, Nuveen
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Ken Kencel
President & CEO
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Kevin McCarthy
Secretary & General Counsel, Nuveen
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Jose Minaya
Chief Executive Officer, Nuveen
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Investment Professionals
Senior Lending
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Kelli Marti
Managing Director, CLO Portfolio Manager
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Leland Richards
Managing Director, Origination
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Brent Chase
Principal, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
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Alona Tolentino Gornick
Principal, Origination
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Carol Loundon
Principal, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
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Sean Mancini
Principal, Origination
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Kevin Meyer
Principal, Origination
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Jessica Nels
Principal, Capital Markets
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Jeffrey Rabaut
Principal, Origination
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Tarek Srouji
Principal, Origination
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Mark Tamburello
Principal, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
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Jill White
Principal, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
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Joe Lee
Vice President, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
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Sanjeet Singh
Vice President, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
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Justin Zimmer
Vice President, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
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Nicholas Carroll
Senior Associate, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
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Jacob Iati
Senior Associate, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
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Andrew Passero, CFA
Senior Associate, Risk Management
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Ryan Babakian, CFA
Associate, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
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Paul Cipriani
Associate, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
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Tyler Donofrio
Associate, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
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Sam Gonzalez-Gross
Associate, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
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Jad Abdul-Aal
Senior Analyst, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
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Jordan Kenney, CFA
Senior Analyst, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
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Jared LaPoff, CFA
Senior Analyst, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
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Colin Miller
Senior Analyst, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
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Donald Brooks
Analyst, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Junior Capital and Private Equity Solutions
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Derek Fricke
Principal, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
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David McManama
Principal, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
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Anne Philpott, CFA
Principal, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
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Dodson Worthington
Principal, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
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Michael Chiulli, CFA, CPA
Vice President, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
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Lucas Fries, CFA
Vice President, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
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Erica Meyers
Vice President, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
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Avery Bernert
Associate, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
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Adam Froendt
Associate, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
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Connor Gay
Associate, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
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Brandon Jordi
Associate, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
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Brandon Ng
Associate, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
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Andrew Topping
Associate, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
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Jay Valentine
Associate, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
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Davis Westbrook
Associate, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
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Benjamin Tso
Analyst, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
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Other Professionals
Investor Relations, Marketing and Business Development
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Gene Miao
Managing Director, Senior Investment Strategist
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Jessica Tannenbaum
Principal, Investor Relations & Marketing
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Meghan Searson
Vice President, Investor Relations
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Sherry Chen
Digital Marketing Manager
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Arjun Chhabra
Senior Associate, Business Analytics
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Sunny Huang, CFA, CPA
Associate, Product Development
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Matthew Ricotta
Associate, Investor Relations
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Bailey Page
Senior Analyst, Investor Relations
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Samantha Rapaport
Senior Analyst, Investor Relations
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Karen Yen
Data Analyst
Finance and Operations
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Joseph Cambareri
Managing Director & Chief Accounting Officer
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Heather McNally
Managing Director, Head of Operations
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Matthew Cianella
Principal, Portfolio Management, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
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Marissa Short
Principal, Funds Controller
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Luke Garriton
Vice President, Operations
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Michelle Idrees
Vice President, Operations
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Robert Lin
Vice President, Operations
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Gareth Wall
Vice President, Finance
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Claudio Chappell
Senior Associate, Operations
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Michael St. Clair
Senior Associate, Operations
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Joe Durkin
Senior Associate, Finance and Accounting
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Marina Elkinyuk
Senior Associate, Operations
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Samantha Krutal
Senior Associate, Finance
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Kyle Linnemeyer
Senior Associate, Finance and Accounting
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Nick Taylor
Associate, Operations
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Louisa Colon
Executive Assistant
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Lynn Miceli
Office Manager and Executive Assistant
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Meghan Lucas
Executive Assistant
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Jacqueline Morton
Administrative Receptionist
Legal and Compliance
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Thomas Grenville
Managing Director, Chief Compliance Officer
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John McCally
Managing Director and Associate General Counsel, Nuveen
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Noelle Sproul
Managing Director and Associate General Counsel, Nuveen
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Alina Dovere
Vice President and Associate General Counsel, Nuveen
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Zachary Profant
Vice President and Associate General Counsel
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Trevor Sanford
Vice President and Associate General Counsel, Nuveen
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Jake Wang
Vice President and Associate General Counsel, Nuveen
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Ken serves as president and CEO of Churchill Asset Management, an affiliate of Nuveen. Throughout his career in the investment industry he has accrued a broad range of experience in leading middle market businesses.
Previously, Ken served as president and a director of Carlyle GMS Finance (Carlyle’s publicly traded business development company). Prior to that he founded and was president and CEO of Churchill Financial, served as head of leveraged finance for Royal Bank of Canada and was head of Indosuez Capital, a leading middle market merchant banking and asset management business. Ken also helped to found the high yield finance business at both Chase Securities (now JP Morgan) and SBC Warburg (now UBS).
Ken serves on the Pension Investment Advisory Committee for the Archdiocese of New York, the Board of Trustees of Canisius High School and the Advisory Board of Teach for America (Connecticut). He is a guest lecturer at Boston University Questrom School of Business and a former member of the Board of Advisors and Adjunct Professor at the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University.
Ken graduated with a B.S., magna cum laude, in Business Administration from Georgetown University and a J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law.
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Randy oversees senior lending origination and capital markets for Churchill Asset Management, an affiliate of Nuveen.
Randy has broad experience in middle market finance and is widely credited with developing loan syndications for middle market companies. Prior to joining the firm, Randy served as a senior managing director and head of capital markets and indirect origination at Churchill Financial. In those positions, he took responsibility for all loan capital markets activities and for managing the firm’s indirect origination platform. Before that, he worked as managing director and head of leveraged finance syndication for BNP Paribas. He spent 15 years at JP Morgan Chase in corporate banking and loan syndications, where he originated, structured and syndicated leveraged loans.
Randy graduated with a B.A., cum laude, from Trinity College and an M.A. from the University of Chicago.
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Jason is responsible for sourcing, executing, portfolio construction and monitoring Churchill’s middle market private equity and junior capital investment efforts, including fund commitments, equity co-investments and junior debt investments.
Previously, he worked as a principal at Bison Capital, a Los Angeles-based private equity firm focused on structured junior capital investments in lower middle market companies. Prior to that, Jason was an investment professional at Weston Presidio, a Boston- and San Francisco-based middle market private equity firm focused on growth capital and leveraged buyout investing.
Jason graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Analytical Finance and a master’s in Accounting from Wake Forest University, where he earned a partial scholarship for his graduate studies and passed the CPA examination.
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Shai serves as the chief financial officer of Churchill Asset Management, an affiliate of Nuveen.
Previously, as managing director and head of senior leveraged lending for Churchill’s parent company, Nuveen, Shai was responsible for initiating Nuveen’s investment program in middle market senior loans and was directly involved in the launch of Churchill Asset Management as an affiliate in 2015. Since the launch of Churchill, he has been a member of its investment committee and has been actively engaged in the management of Churchill, including the development of its infrastructure and operations. Shai joined Nuveen in 2005 and has spent his entire career in the private debt markets, with a significant amount of time spent in Nuveen’s workout and restructuring department.
Shai graduated with a B.B.A. from Baruch College, CUNY. He holds the CFA designation.
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Chris is the chief risk officer for senior lending at Churchill Asset Management, an affiliate of Nuveen.
Prior to joining the firm, Chris was a principal of Carlyle GMS Finance and was a managing director and chief risk officer for Churchill Financial, which he joined in 2006. In this role, he was responsible for overseeing the company’s risk management infrastructure, including all risk management processes and policies. He was also a senior vice president at GE Commercial Finance (a division of GE Capital) from 1997 to 2006, where he held various risk management roles within the corporate lending group, focusing on middle market transactions. Chris also worked at Gibbs & Cox, Inc. in New York, NY.
Chris graduated with a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Tufts University and an M.B.A. from Fordham University.
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Mathew Linett
Senior Managing Director, Head of Underwriting & Portfolio Management, Senior Lending
Mat is head of senior loan underwriting & portfolio management at Churchill Asset Management, an affiliate of Nuveen.
Previously, he was a credit portfolio manager at Loeb King Capital and Havens Advisors, as well as a senior vice president at Jefferies & Co. He also served as a vice president at Indosuez Capital, a middle market merchant banking and asset management business, where he worked closely with Churchill’s CEO, Ken Kencel. Mat has invested at all levels of the capital structure including senior secured loans, public and private mezzanine debt, as well as private equity co-investments. In addition, he has significant distressed debt experience both as an investor in the secondary market as well as through direct workouts of middle market loans.
Mat graduated from the University of Pennsylvania’s dual degree program with a B.S., cum laude, in Economics from the Wharton School and a B.A., honors, in International Relations from the College of Arts and Sciences.
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David oversees the product development and capital raising for Churchill Asset Management, an affiliate of Nuveen, focusing on strategic initiatives, structuring new products and developing important institutional client relationships. He is also responsible for optimizing the firm’s various financing arrangements and supervises Churchill’s collateralized loan obligation (CLO) platform.
Prior to joining the firm in 2017, David held senior roles at several firms, including managing director of Fifth Street Asset Management, managing director of The Carlyle Group, senior managing director and head of corporate strategy and development for Churchill Financial, and managing director and CDO group head for Bear Stearns & Co. and JPMorgan.
David graduated with a B.S., magna cum laude, in Accounting from The State University of New York at Albany and an M.B.A., with distinction, from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business.
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Chris Freeze
Senior Managing Director, Head of Investor Relations
Chris Freeze leads all aspects of Churchill’s investor relations efforts including ongoing investor reporting and communication with Churchill’s global investor base. He has deep experience managing relationships with a diverse range of global institutional, sovereign wealth fund and family office investors including building and managing a best-in-class team of investor relations professionals.
Before joining Churchill, Chris spent over nine years as a Managing Director at The Carlyle Group. Most recently he was co-head of Investor Relations and CEO of the Firm’s FINRA licensed broker/dealer where he led a group of professionals focused on fundraising for all of the firm’s key investment strategies. Prior to joining Carlyle, Chris was the Chief Operating Officer of Credit Suisse’s Customized Fund Investment Group (CFIG). Prior to joining CFIG, he was the Chief Compliance Officer of Credit Suisse Private Advisors, a FINRA licensed broker\dealer and investment adviser domiciled in Zurich. He began his career as an Assistant District Attorney in the Kings County (Brooklyn) District Attorney’s Office.
Chris received his BA from St. John’s University, an MA from John Jay College, a JD degree from St. John’s University School of Law and an LLM (Corporations) from New York University School of Law. He has held the FINRA Series 3, 4, 7, 8, 24, 53, 63, 65 and 66 licenses.
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Bill Huffman
Head of Equities & Fixed Income, Nuveen
Bill heads equities and fixed income for Nuveen’s multi-affiliate model. He is also the president of Nuveen Asset Management, responsible for leading all of the business management activities.
He joined the firm in 2008 from Northern Trust where he was president and chief executive officer of Northern Trust Global Advisors, Inc., and concurrently served as chief executive officer of Northern Trust Global Investments Limited located in London. Prior to these roles, Bill served as the director of quantitative product management for Northern Trust. He began his career in 1991 as the leader of the internal audit group responsible for treasury, investment management and finance functions at the Northern Trust Corporation.
Bill graduated with a B.S. in Accounting from Indiana University and an M.B.A. in Finance from the University of Chicago. He has also passed the Certified Public Accountant exam. Bill serves on the Boys and Girls Club of Chicago Board of Directors and the Rush Medical Center Arthritis and Orthopedics Leadership Committee.
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Ken serves as president and CEO of Churchill Asset Management, an affiliate of Nuveen. Throughout his career in the investment industry he has accrued a broad range of experience in leading middle market businesses.
Previously, Ken served as president and a director of Carlyle GMS Finance (Carlyle’s publicly traded business development company). Prior to that he founded and was president and CEO of Churchill Financial, served as head of leveraged finance for Royal Bank of Canada and was head of Indosuez Capital, a leading middle market merchant banking and asset management business. Ken also helped to found the high yield finance business at both Chase Securities (now JP Morgan) and SBC Warburg (now UBS).
Ken serves on the Pension Investment Advisory Committee for the Archdiocese of New York, the Board of Trustees of Canisius High School and the Advisory Board of Teach for America (Connecticut). He is a guest lecturer at Boston University Questrom School of Business and a former member of the Board of Advisors and Adjunct Professor at the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University.
Ken graduated with a B.S., magna cum laude, in Business Administration from Georgetown University and a J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law.
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Kevin McCarthy
Secretary & General Counsel, Nuveen
Kevin serves as secretary and general counsel for Nuveen and is a member of the firm’s executive committee. He has led the development of Nuveen’s legal department to support the significant expansion and increasing complexity of Nuveen’s business and also partners with business leaders across the firm to support product development. Kevin serves as an officer of Nuveen Funds and is involved in the day-to-day operation, management and development of the firm’s funds business while also playing an active role in fund board relations.
Before coming to Nuveen in 2007, Kevin was a Partner with Bell, Boyd & Lloyd LLP. While at Bell, Boyd, he represented a number of mutual fund complexes, including Nuveen, and their advisers. Kevin also represented the independent board members of several fund complexes and also focused his practice on general corporate and securities law matters, including mergers and acquisitions.
Kevin graduated with a B.B.A. in Accounting from Notre Dame and a J.D. from the University of Illinois, College of Law. He is currently a board member of Lurie Children’s Hospital.
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Jose Minaya
Chief Executive Officer, Nuveen
Jose serves as Chief Executive Officer of Nuveen and was named President of Global Investments in December 2016 with accountability for leading and managing over $900 billion in AUM within thirteen distinct Public and Alternative affiliates. He also acts as Chairman to several of our subsidiary companies. In addition, he is a member of the Nuveen Investment and Risk committees. Previously, Jose was President of Nuveen Global Real Assets where he was responsible for the business activities and strategic direction across various asset classes including real estate, agriculture, timber, infrastructure, energy, and alternative credit strategies. Prior to that, Jose was Head of Private Markets Asset Management and served as Head of Natural Resources & Infrastructure Investments where he was responsible for building and managing the agriculture, timber, energy, and infrastructure investment platforms. Since joining the Nuveen organization in 2004, he also managed transactions involving privately-placed debt and equity.
Jose has over 23 years of investment experience including positions at AIG Global Investment Group where he was involved in emerging markets equity transactions, and the investment banking groups at Merrill Lynch and JP Morgan where his responsibilities included mergers and acquisitions and private equity transactions. He holds a B.S. in finance from Manhattan College, where he was a member of Omicron Delta Epsilon, an international economics honor society, and an MBA from Dartmouth College, Amos Tuck School of Business where he was a Robert Toigo Fellow.
Jose is a distinguished recipient of the 2016 Toigo Blazing Trails award for his demonstrated commitment to the education and leadership of the next generation of financial services talent. He also Co-Chairs the TIAA Military/Veterans Employee Resource Group which advances active duty and reserve military membership while helping TIAA better serve military and veteran clients. Finally, he is a recognized expert on real assets investing and is frequently sought after by the media and industry events for his perspectives and insights on the asset class.
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Kelli Marti
Managing Director, CLO Portfolio Manager
Kelli Marti serves as Churchill’s CLO Portfolio Manager and is responsible for the management and growth of Churchill’s middle market CLO platform, including day-to-day vehicle oversight, assisting in the sourcing of assets and trading strategy development, as well as participating in fundraising initiatives. Before joining Churchill, Kelli spent eighteen years at Crestline Denali Capital, a CLO asset manager. Most recently she served as Crestline Denali’s Managing Director and Chief Credit Officer where she was responsible for overseeing the firm’s entire credit function including new business underwriting and portfolio management. She also served on the firm’s Investment Committee. Prior to joining Crestline Denali, Kelli was a Vice President at Heller Financial where she was responsible for underwriting and managing middle market loans. Prior to joining Heller, she was an Assistant Vice President at First Source Financial where she underwrote direct middle market transactions on behalf of the firm’s CLO portfolio. She began her career as an auditor at KPMG in Chicago.
Kelli graduated magna cum laude with a B.S. in Accounting from the University of Notre Dame and received her MBA with high honors from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. She previously earned her CPA certification.
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Leland Richards
Managing Director, Origination
Leland serves as a Managing Director for Churchill Asset Management. He is on the originations team where he focuses on developing relationships with private equity sponsors and middle market lenders. Before joining Churchill Asset Management, he was a Managing Director at GE Capital where he originated and evaluated new opportunities for private equity sponsors, including first lien, second lien and uni-tranche loans. Prior to GE Capital, he was a Director at CIT Healthcare where he was involved in structuring and executing debt financing transactions. Before that, he was a leveraged finance Vice President at Merrill Lynch, Citigroup/Salomon Smith Barney and J.P. Morgan & Co. Leland began his career in capital markets for CIBC World Markets.
Leland earned his B.S. in Civil Engineering from Pratt Institute and an M.B.A. from the Carroll School of Management at Boston College.
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Brent Chase
Principal, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Brent joined Churchill Asset Management in 2020 as a Principal in the underwriting and portfolio management group. Previously, he worked in a similar capacity for four years at Siemens Financial Services within the middle market commercial lending platform. Prior to that, Brent spent 15 years at GE Capital in various credit roles across the firm’s underwriting, distressed debt investment and workout teams, including both middle market and broadly syndicated transactions. He began his career at PricewaterhouseCoopers, where he was a manager in audit & assurance services.
Brent earned his B.S. in accounting from Penn State University and his M.B.A. from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. He is also a Certified Public Accountant in the State of Pennsylvania.
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Alona Tolentino Gornick
Principal, Origination
Alona serves as a Principal on the originations team for Churchill Asset Management, where she focuses on developing relationships with private equity sponsors and middle market lenders. Previously, Alona was a Director on the Private Markets team for Churchill’s parent company, Nuveen, where she managed the direct originations effort for debt private placements. Prior to that she was an advisor to Golden Gate Capital where she directed strategic initiatives for the firm’s captive credit platform. Prior to Golden Gate Capital, she served as a Vice President at Oaktree Capital Management, where she evaluated investments in high yield bonds and senior leveraged loans, and most recently managed the Capital Markets and Investor Relations effort for Oaktree as the General Partner. Alona began her career in investment banking in the Gaming & Leisure Group at Banc of America Securities.
Alona earned her B.A. in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill – Kenan-Flagler Business School and M.B.A. from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
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Carol Loundon
Principal, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Carol joined Churchill Asset Management in 2015 and currently serves as a Principal in the underwriting and portfolio management group with over 15 years of experience in middle market leveraged finance. Previously, she was a Vice President and Portfolio Manager at BDCA, a business development corporation that is focused on making direct senior, middle market loans. Prior to BDCA, Carol was a Senior Associate at Churchill Financial where she worked in the Underwriting and Portfolio Management group. Before then, she worked at CapitalSource, focused on underwriting leveraged loans for lower and traditional middle market companies. She also held Associate and Analyst positions at Bank of Ireland (Leveraged Acquisition Finance group) and Lehman Brothers (Mergers & Acquisitions group).
Carol graduated from Georgetown University in 2001 with a B.S. in business administration.
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Sean Mancini
Principal, Origination
Sean joined Churchill Asset Management in 2015 and currently serves as a Principal in the Origination team with over eight years of experience in middle market leveraged finance. Previously, he was an Associate at GE Capital, a financial services institution focused on making direct senior, middle market loans. Sean was accepted and graduated from the GE Capital Financial Management Program.
Sean graduated from The Pennsylvania State University, Smeal College of Business with a B.S. in finance. He also received an international business degree from Institute at Palazzo Rucellai.
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Kevin Meyer
Principal, Origination
Kevin joined Churchill Asset Management in 2015 and currently serves as Principal with over seven years of experience in middle market leveraged finance. Previously, he was an Assistant Vice President and Underwriter at GE Capital, a financial services institution that is focused on making direct senior, middle market loans. Prior to GE Capital, Kevin worked in sports marketing and event management at FIFA.
Kevin graduated from Fordham in 2008 with a B.A. in finance and minor concentration in economics. He received his MBA with specializations in finance and international business from Fairfield University’s Dolan School of Business in 2012.
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Jessica is a Principal in the Capital Markets team for Churchill Asset Management where she is responsible for middle market club transactions, syndication and lender relationship management. Prior to joining Churchill, Jessica was a Director on the Capital Markets team for Twin Brook Capital Partners, the middle market direct lending subsidiary of Angelo, Gordon & Co. While at Twin Brook, she structured, underwrote, and syndicated senior debt and unitranche credit facilities for middle-market private equity sponsors. Prior to that, she held various roles at BMO Harris Bank, Antares Capital and GE Capital.
Jessica earned a B.S. in finance and accounting from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and received an M.B.A. in finance and economics from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
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Jeffrey Rabaut
Principal, Origination
Jeff serves as a Principal at Churchill Asset Management with over ten years of experience in middle market leveraged finance. He is on the originations team where he focuses on developing relationships with private equity sponsors and middle market lenders. Before joining Churchill, Jeff was a Director at Sumitomo Mitsui Bank, responsible for launching its Chicago office and Midwest sponsor coverage. Prior to SMBC, he was a Vice President at Antares Capital and its predecessor firm GE Capital, responsible for screening new investment opportunities, underwriting and portfolio management.
Jeff graduated from Michigan State University with a B.A. in finance. He received his MBA with specializations in finance and economics from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
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Tarek Srouji
Principal, Origination
Tarek joined Churchill Asset Management in 2018 as a Principal on the originations team, where he is responsible for developing relationships with private equity sponsors. He has over a decade of experience in private equity and leveraged finance. Previously, he worked at BNP Paribas as a Director in the firm’s Merchant Banking and Loan Syndication Groups. In these roles, he was responsible for originating, underwriting and syndicating private equity debt financings. Previously, Tarek held similar positions at Goldman Sachs and Credit Suisse. Tarek began his career at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, where he earned his CPA and performed due diligence and quality of earnings reviews primarily for private equity clients.
Tarek graduated from Georgetown University with a B.S. in Finance and Accounting and has an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School.
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Mark Tamburello
Principal, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Mark rejoined Churchill Asset Management in 2020 and serves as a Principal in the underwriting and portfolio management group with over 14 years of experience. Previously, he was with The Carlyle Group’s Direct Lending platform and was responsible for executing middle market senior, unitranche, and junior debt investments. Prior to Carlyle, Mark was an Associate at Churchill which he joined in 2010. He also held positions at Olympus Partners, a middle market private equity firm, and Harris Williams & Co., an investment bank focused on mergers and acquisitions of middle market companies. Mark received a BS in business administration with distinction from the University of North Carolina.
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Jill White
Principal, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Jill joined Churchill Asset Management in 2018 and currently serves as a Principal in the underwriting and portfolio management group with over 6 years of experience in middle market leveraged finance. Previously, she served as an AVP with Antares Capital on the underwriting and credit advisory teams. Prior to Antares Capital, Jill completed the GE Capital Investment Analyst program.
Jill graduated summa cum laude from John Carroll University with a B.S. in finance and minor in mathematics.
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Joe Lee
Vice President, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Joe joined Churchill Asset Management in 2019 and currently serves as Vice President in the underwriting and portfolio management group. He has over a decade of private equity and leveraged finance investment experience and was previously a Vice President in Structured Finance Investing and Lending at Goldman Sachs, focused on principal investments across corporate credit and structured products. Before Goldman Sachs, he worked at Antares Capital, where he structured and executed middle market leveraged buyout transactions. Prior to that, Joe was on the originations team at Mubadala GE Capital, focused on sourcing global debt investment opportunities, and he was also an investment professional for GE Equity, the global private equity arm of GE Capital. Joe began his career at GE Capital, where he graduated from the Financial Management Program.
Joe earned his B.S. in Accounting from Boston College, Carroll School of Management.
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Sanjeet Singh
Vice President, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Sanjeet joined Churchill Asset Management in 2018 as a Vice President in the underwriting and portfolio management group with more than five years of experience in middle market leveraged finance and investment banking. Prior to joining Churchill, he was on the direct lending team at Medley Capital, a credit-focused asset manager providing financing solutions for middle-market transactions. Sanjeet began his career in investment banking at Bowen Advisors in Boston focused on M&A advisory.
Sanjeet graduated from the University of Michigan, with a B.A. in Economics and a minor in Math.
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Justin Zimmer
Vice President, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Justin joined Churchill Asset Management in 2020 and currently serves as a Vice President in the underwriting and portfolio management group with over 7 years of experience in middle market leveraged finance. Previously, he worked at Antares Capital as an Assistant Vice President where he structured and executed middle market leveraged buyout transactions. Prior to Antares he held various roles within GE Capital spanning Underwriting, FP&A, Controllership and Pricing. Justin began his career at GE Capital, where he graduated from the Financial Management Program.
Justin earned his B.S. in Business Administration from Westminster College, Gore School of Business.
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Nicholas Carroll
Senior Associate, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Nick joined Churchill Asset Management in 2017 and currently serves as a Senior Associate in the underwriting and portfolio management group with over five years of experience in leveraged finance markets across both large cap and middle market deals. Previously, he was an Analyst within the Investment Bank at JP Morgan working with the diversified industrials credit group. Prior to joining JP Morgan, Nick worked as an Analyst at GE Capital, a financial services institution that focused on making direct senior, middle market loans.
Nick graduated from the University of Connecticut in 2012 with a B.A in economics, with minors in accounting and communications.
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Jacob Iati
Senior Associate, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Jake joined Churchill Asset Management in 2019 and currently serves as a Senior Associate in the underwriting and portfolio management group with over five years of experience in investment banking and middle market leveraged finance. Previously, he was an Associate within the Investment Bank at J.P. Morgan working in the healthcare, consumer and retail credit group. Prior to that, Jake worked as an Analyst in J.P. Morgan’s middle market banking division.
Jake graduated from the University at Albany with a B.S. in Business Administration, with a concentration in finance and management. He also received an M.B.A. from the University at Albany.
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Andrew Passero, CFA
Senior Associate, Risk Management
Andy joined Churchill Asset Management in 2020 as a Senior Associate focused on risk management. Previously, he was a Vice President in the Portfolio Analytics group of JP Morgan’s Private Bank. Prior to joining JP Morgan, Andy worked as a Quantitative Portfolio Analyst at K2 Advisors, a fund of hedge funds manager.
Andy graduated from the University of Connecticut in 2012 with a B.S. in Finance, with minors in Economics and Information Systems. Andy is a CFA Charterholder.
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Ryan Babakian, CFA
Associate, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Ryan joined Churchill Asset Management in 2016 and currently serves as an Associate in the underwriting and portfolio management group with more than four years of experience in middle market leveraged finance. Previously, he was a Financial Analyst with Audax Group, a financial services institution providing mezzanine and senior debt to middle market companies. Ryan began his career in the Advisory practice of Ernst & Young.
Ryan graduated from The Pennsylvania State University, Smeal College of Business with a B.S. in finance. Ryan is a CFA charterholder.
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Paul Cipriani
Associate, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Paul joined Churchill Asset Management in 2019 and currently serves as an Associate in the underwriting and portfolio management group with over three years of experience in leveraged finance markets. Previously, he was an Analyst within Structured Finance Investing and Lending at Goldman Sachs focused on principal investments across corporate credit and structured products.
Paul graduated from McGill University in 2015 with a B.A. in Economics.
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Tyler Donofrio
Associate, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Tyler joined Churchill Asset Management in 2017 and currently serves as an Associate in the underwriting and portfolio management group with more than three years of experience in middle market leveraged finance. Previously, he was an Analyst with Hancock Capital Management, a financial services institution focused on providing mezzanine debt and equity co-investments to middle-market, private equity-backed companies.
Tyler graduated from Boston College, Carroll School of Management with a B.S. in management, with concentrations in finance and accounting.
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Sam Gonzalez-Gross
Associate, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Sam joined Churchill Asset Management in 2018 and currently serves as an Associate in the underwriting and portfolio management group with over three years of experience in middle market energy finance. Previously, he was an Associate with CIT Group, a financial services institution providing financing and advisory services to middle market companies.
Sam graduated from Hamilton College in 2015 with a B.A. in Economics.
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Jad Abdul-Aal
Senior Analyst, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Jad joined Churchill Asset Management in 2019 and currently serves as a Senior Analyst in the underwriting and portfolio management group with two years of experience in leveraged finance and asset management. Previously, he was an Analyst at Antares Capital focused on providing financing solutions for middle market private equity-backed transactions. Most recently, Jad was an Associate at OFS Capital Management, focused on CLO management in the broadly syndicated loan market.
Jad graduated from John Carroll University, Boler School of Business with a B.S. in Finance and Economics.
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Jordan Kenney, CFA
Senior Analyst, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Jordan joined Churchill Asset Management in 2019 and currently serve as a Senior Analyst in the underwriting and portfolio management group with two years of experience in leveraged finance. Previously, he was an Analyst at Nuveen Private Markets focused on a wide range of asset classes, including private placements, senior secured loans, mezzanine finance, private equity funds and co-investments.
Jordan graduated from Drexel University, Lebow College of Business with a B.S. in Finance and Economics. He is a CFA charterholder.
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Jared LaPoff, CFA
Senior Analyst, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Jared joined Churchill Asset Management in 2020 as a Senior Analyst in the underwriting and portfolio management group with over three years of experience in the credit markets. Previously, he was an Analyst within the Portfolio Management Group at Credit Suisse, focused on high yield companies in the broadly syndicated loan market. Prior to that, he was an Analyst in the Consumer Products group at S&P.
Jared graduated from the University of Michigan in 2016 with a B.A. in Economics. Jared is a CFA charterholder.
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Colin Miller
Senior Analyst, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Colin joined Churchill Asset Management in 2018 and currently serve as a Senior Analyst in the underwriting and portfolio management group with two years of experience in leveraged finance. Previously, he was an Analyst at Mizuho Bank focused on providing financing solutions for non-investment grade and private equity-backed transactions.
Colin graduated from the University of Delaware, Alfred Lerner College of Business & Economics with a B.S. in Finance and Accounting and a minor in Economics.
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Donald Brooks
Analyst, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Donald joined Churchill Asset Management in 2020 and currently serves as an Analyst in the underwriting and portfolio management group with one year of prior experience in leveraged finance. Previously, he was an Analyst at Antares Capital focused on the structuring and syndication of debt financings for private equity-backed transactions.
Donald graduated from Indiana University, Kelley School of Business in 2019 with a B.S. in Finance and International Business.
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Derek Fricke
Principal, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Derek serves as a Principal on the Private Equity and Junior Capital team for Churchill Asset Management, where he is actively involved in sourcing and executing investments in junior capital and equity co-investments, as well as investments in private equity funds. Derek initially joined the team in 2013, when the group was operating as part of Churchill’s parent Company, TIAA and subsequently Nuveen. Prior to joining the organization, Derek spent several years as an investment team member at Chrysalis Ventures, a $400 million venture capital firm investing in early stage healthcare services, business services, and technology companies. Previously, Derek was an active mezzanine capital and equity investor in middle-market media and technology companies as an investment team member at BIA Digital Partners. Derek began his career in investment banking in Atlanta, GA with SunTrust Robinson Humphrey.
Derek is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the Kenan-Flagler School of Business.
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David McManama
Principal, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
David is a Principal on the Private Equity and Junior Capital team for Churchill Asset Management, which he joined via Nuveen in 2014. As part of the PEJC team, David is focused on sourcing and executing junior capital investments, equity co-investments, and investments in private equity funds. Previously, David spent four years as an Associate in the Industrial Investment Banking Group of KeyBanc Capital Markets, where he focused on executing middle market mergers and acquisitions transactions. Prior to KeyBanc, he was an Associate at Gulf Stream Asset Management, a CLO with approximately $4.0 billion under management, where he was responsible for underwriting new credit investments.
David holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Davidson College and a Master’s degree in Management from Wake Forest University.
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Anne Philpott, CFA
Principal, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Anne is a Principal on the Private Equity and Junior Capital team at Churchill Asset Management. Her responsibilities include origination and portfolio management activities for private equity funds, mezzanine capital and direct equity co-investments. Previously, Anne was a Senior Director on the Private Equity and Junior Capital team at Nuveen. Ms. Philpott joined TIAA in 2005 and began her career as an Associate in the Private Placements group. As part of the Private Placements team she acted as a lead originator and portfolio manager for a variety of domestic and international high grade corporate debt investments.
Anne holds a B.S. in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania, and is a CFA charter holder and member of the CFA Institute.
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Dodson Worthington
Principal, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Dodson serves as a Principal on the Private Equity and Junior Capital team for Churchill Asset Management. He is responsible for sourcing, executing, and monitoring investments in private equity funds, as well as direct equity and debt investments in middle market companies. Prior to joining the firm in 2014, Dodson worked in the Leveraged Finance group at Wells Fargo Securities, where he provided strategic capital solutions for companies across various industries. Dodson has over 11 years of experience in investment banking, private equity, and entrepreneurial finance, including positions at UBS Investment Bank, VO2 Partners, and Square 1 Financial.
Dodson graduated with a Bachelor degree in History from Columbia University and an M.B.A from Columbia Business School.
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Michael Chiulli, CFA, CPA
Vice President, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Michael is a Vice President at Churchill, responsible for sourcing, analyzing, executing and portfolio monitoring for the institution’s junior capital, equity co-investment, and middle market funds mandates. Previously, he was a Principal on the Private Equity and Junior Capital team for Churchill’s parent company, Nuveen. Michael has over five years of alternative asset investment experience, having worked in several capacities investing in funds, junior capital and equity investments in middle market companies. Chiulli also has experience underwriting below investment grade fixed rate private placement investments. Prior to joining Nuveen, he held roles at Standard & Poor’s and KPMG.
Michael graduated with an MBA from the S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University and a B.S. in Accounting, Summa Cum Laude, from Fairfield University. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst and a Certified Public Accountant.
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Lucas Fries, CFA
Vice President, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Lucas is a Vice President on the Private Equity and Junior Capital team for Churchill Asset Management. Lucas is focused on sourcing, underwriting, executing and monitoring private equity investments across direct equity co-investments, junior capital investments and private equity fund commitments. Prior to joining the team in 2017, he was an Associate on Nuveen’s real asset private equity team focused on North American infrastructure and energy investments. Lucas began his career at TIAA’s Private Markets division, holding investment roles in TIAA’s alternatives strategies including investment grade private placements, project finance, and energy and infrastructure private equity.
Lucas graduated with a Bachelor degree in Business Administration from the Kenan Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is a CFA charter holder and a member of the CFA Institute.
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Erica Meyers
Vice President, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Erica serves as a Vice President on the private equity and junior capital team for Churchill Asset Management. Erica is focused on sourcing, underwriting, executing and monitoring investments in junior capital, equity co-investments and private equity funds. She joined Churchill’s parent organization, TIAA and subsequently Nuveen, in 2014. She has held multiple investment roles across TIAA’s alternatives strategies, including experience on the real asset infrastructure and energy private equity team and the middle market private equity and junior capital team. Erica started her career in the Structured Finance group at Deutsche Bank, where she focused on investments in mortgage-backed securities.
Erica graduated with dual Bachelor degrees in Engineering Science and Economics from Vanderbilt University and has an M.B.A. from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.
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Avery Bernert
Associate, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Avery joined Churchill Asset Management in 2020 as an Associate in the Private Equity and Junior Capital group, with five years of experience in financial services. Previously, Avery served as an Associate in the Leveraged Finance group at Morgan Stanley, where she worked on syndicated debt transactions.
Avery graduated from Davidson College with a B.A. in Economics and from the University of Virginia’s McIntire School of Commerce with an M.S. in Commerce.
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Adam Froendt
Associate, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Adam joined the Private Equity and Junior Capital team in 2019, where he is actively involved in sourcing and executing investments in junior capital and equity co-investments, as well as investments in private equity funds. He has over two years of alternative asset management experience. Prior to his current role, Adam was an Analyst in the Private Markets group for Churchill’s parent company, Nuveen, where he worked on the Private Equity and Junior Capital and Private Placements teams.
Adam graduated from The University of Nebraska–Lincoln with a B.S. in Finance, Economics, and Management.
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Connor Gay
Associate, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Connor joined Churchill Asset Management’s Private Equity and Junior Capital group in 2020 with over two years of experience in middle market finance. Previously, he was an investment banking analyst in the Technology, Media & Telecommunications Group at Regions Securities, where he worked on syndicated finance and M&A transactions.
Connor graduated from the University of Georgia in 2017 with a B.A. in Economics and a B.S. in Mathematics.
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Brandon Jordi
Associate, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Brandon joined the Private Equity and Junior Capital team in 2018 and currently serves as an Associate covering originations, underwriting, and portfolio management. Brandon has 4 years of middle market finance and investing experience. Previously, he was an investment banker in the Financial Institutions Group at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, where he worked on a number of M&A, debt, and public equity transactions.
Brandon graduated from the Robins School of Business at the University of Richmond with a B.S. in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance.
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Brandon Ng
Associate, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Brandon joined the Private Equity and Junior Capital team in 2020 and currently serves as an Associate covering originations, underwriting, and portfolio management. He has three years of middle market finance experience. Previously, Brandon served as an investment banking analyst in the Corporate & Institutional Markets Group at Regions Securities, where he worked on syndicated finance and M&A transactions.
Brandon graduated from Wake Forest University in 2015 with a B.A. in Economics.
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Andrew Topping
Associate, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Andrew serves as an Associate on the Private Equity and Junior Capital team for Churchill Asset Management. His role includes originating and underwriting transactions, and performing portfolio management across all three investment strategies: private equity fund commitments, mezzanine finance, and direct equity co-investments. Andrew has over six years of experience in middle market private equity. Prior to joining Churchill Asset Management, he was an associate at Copeley Capital, a Charlotte-based lower middle market private equity firm. Prior to joining Copeley Capital, Andrew was a senior analyst in the Transaction Advisory Services group at Cherry Bekaert, a Southeastern U.S. accounting firm.
Andrew graduated from The College of William and Mary with a Masters in Accounting and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance. Mr. Topping is a licensed CPA in the state of North Carolina.
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Jay Valentine
Associate, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Jay joined Churchill Asset Management in 2020 as an Associate in the Private Equity and Junior Capital group with over three years of experience in leveraged finance. Previously, he was an Associate at Nuveen Private Markets focused on a wide range of asset classes, including mezzanine finance, private equity funds & co-investments, distressed investments, and impact investments.
Jay graduated from Bentley University with a B.S. in Corporate Finance & Accounting.
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Davis Westbrook
Associate, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Davis joined the Private Equity and Junior Capital team in 2018 and currently serves as an Associate covering originations, underwriting, and portfolio management. He has four years of middle market finance experience. Previously, Davis served as an investment banking analyst in the Financial Services Group at Regions Securities, where he worked on syndicated finance and M&A transactions.
Davis graduated from the University of North Carolina in 2016 with a B.A. in Economics and Media & Journalism.
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Benjamin Tso
Analyst, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Ben joined Churchill in 2020 as an Analyst in the underwriting and portfolio management group with two years of experience in leveraged finance. Previously, he was an Analyst at Nuveen Private Markets focused on a wide range of asset classes, including private placements, senior secured loans, mezzanine finance, private equity funds and co-investments.
Ben is a graduate of Princeton University, where he earned a B.A. in Economics with honors.
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Gene Miao
Managing Director, Senior Investment Strategist
Gene joined Churchill Asset Management in 2020 as Senior Investment Strategist, with over 30 years of financial services industry experience in leading strategic initiatives, investment and portfolio management, fund formation, and product development. Gene works closely with Nuveen’s global distribution team to deepen Churchill’s relationships with and develop creative solutions to meet the unique needs of investors around the world.
Gene served in numerous leadership positions in investing, origination, and product development at numerous firms. Gene began his career at Morgan Stanley, where he worked in the investment banking department and was a founding member of the High Yield Group. He joined Merrill Lynch as a Managing Director in the investment banking department, focusing on working with private equity and alternative asset managers as well as serving on the both the equity and debt commitment committees.
Prior to joining Churchill, Gene served as the Chief Investment Strategist of KCAP Financial (Kohlberg Credit) and led the $1 billion alternative asset business at Emigrant Bank. Previously, Gene oversaw the origination, structuring, and ongoing management of subordinated debt and structured equity investments at Highland Capital. At Highland, he was also responsible for the planning and execution of new funds and the development of new products, as well as served on a number of investment committees.
Gene earned an A.B., cum laude with honors, from Harvard College and received an M.B.A. from the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration.
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Jessica Tannenbaum
Principal, Investor Relations & Marketing
Jessica joined Churchill Asset Management in 2018 and currently serves as Principal, Investor Relations & Marketing with 0ver 12 years of experience in middle market leveraged finance. Previously, Jessica was Senior Vice President, Head of Marketing at Fifth Street Asset Management, a credit-focused asset management firm. She began her career on the Investment team and subsequently served in a Business Development role at Fifth Street.
Jessica received her B.B.A. from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School with concentrations in Finance and Marketing.
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Meghan Searson
Vice President, Investor Relations
Meghan joined Churchill Asset Management in 2020 and currently serves as Vice President, Investor Relations on the Private Equity and Junior Capital team. Previously, Meghan was a Senior Associate on the Investor Relations team at Barings, a global investment management firm. Meghan has 0ver 10 years of experience within the financial services industry, beginning in public accounting at Marcum LLP and subsequently transitioning to marketing and investor relations at HighBrook Investors, a real estate private equity firm.
Meghan received her B.A. in Accounting from Saint Anselm College.
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Sherry is a digital marketing manager at Churchill Asset Management, an affiliate of Nuveen. She joined the firm in 2015 and previously assisted in the creation of The Lead Left newsletter, Churchill Asset Management’s thought leadership publication reviewing deals and trends in the capital markets and uniquely focusing on the middle market space. Prior to joining the firm, she was a marketing manager at Finect, a financial technology startup that connects investors and investment professionals in a compliance platform. Sherry began working in the industry in 2013.
Sherry graduated with a B.A. in Finance from the National Dong Hwa University in Taiwan and an M.B.A. with concentrations in Finance and Marketing Intelligence from the University of Connecticut School of Business.
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Arjun Chhabra
Senior Associate, Business Analytics
Arjun joined Churchill Asset Management in 2019 and currently serves as a Senior Associate, Business Analytics. He has over four years of experience in executing technology projects to streamline processes and provide operational scalability. Previously, Arjun was a Senior Business Analyst at Indus Valley Partners where he specialized in direct lending and credit investment funds.
Arjun graduated from Cornell University in the Dual Degree Program with a B.S in Operations Research and Information Engineering and a B.A in Economics.
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Sunny Huang, CFA, CPA
Associate, Product Development
Sunny joined Churchill Asset Management in 2019 as an Associate focusing on Analytics and Product Development. Previously, she was an Analyst in the Structured Finance Advisory Practice of Ernst & Young LLP, focused on CLO cash flow and portfolio constraint modeling and analyses.
Sunny graduated cum laude from Tulane University, A.B. Freeman School of Business with a B.S.M. in Finance and Economics and a Master of Accounting. She is a CFA Charterholder and a Certified Public Accountant.
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Matthew Ricotta
Associate, Investor Relations
Matthew joined Churchill Asset Management in 2019 as an Associate on the Investor Relations team with over three years of experience in the financial services industry. Previously, Matthew was an Associate at Morgan Stanley Investment Management, where he worked with the private real estate and infrastructure fund businesses to manage relationships with institutional investors globally.
Matthew graduated summa cum laude from the University at Buffalo School of Management with a B.S. in Business Administration, with concentrations in Finance and International Business.
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Bailey Page
Senior Analyst, Investor Relations
Bailey joined Churchill Asset Management in 2021 as a Senior Analyst on the Investor Relations team with over two years of experience in the financial services industry. Previously, Bailey was an Associate at MUFG Securities, where she worked in the Leveraged Finance group analyzing market data and performing credit analysis to assist clients across industries with capital solutions.
Bailey graduated from Georgetown University in 2018 with a B.S. in Business Administration, with concentrations in Finance and International Business.
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Samantha Rapaport
Senior Analyst, Investor Relations
Samantha joined Churchill Asset Management in 2021 as a Senior Analyst on the Investor Relations team. Previously, she was a Senior Analyst in the Structured Finance Consulting Services team of Ernst & Young LLP, focused on CLO cash flow modeling and regulatory due diligence.
Samantha graduated magna cum laude from Tulane University with a dual degree from the A.B. Freeman School of Business with a B.S.M. in Finance and Legal Studies in Business and from the School of Science and Engineering with a B.S. in Psychology.
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Karen Yen
Data Analyst
Karen joined Churchill Asset Management in 2018 as a Data Analyst collaborating with all areas of the business to improve business decision and presentation. Previously, Karen was a Financial Modeling Intern at Churchill Asset Management working with origination and capital market team to build data models that meet teams’ demands.
Karen earned her B.B.A. from National Central University in Taiwan, and an M.S. in Financial Risk Management from the University of Connecticut School of Business.
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Joseph Cambareri
Managing Director & Chief Accounting Officer
Joseph joined Churchill Asset Management in 2019 and currently serves as a Managing Director and the Chief Accounting Officer. He has over twenty years of finance, accounting, operations, reporting and tax experience, primarily in the financial services industry. Prior to joining Churchill, Joseph was the Chief Financial Officer of Credit Value Partners, LLC, a credit-focused asset management firm owned by New York Life. He also previously served as a Controller at Solar Capital Ltd., a business development company, where he worked during the firm’s initial public offering.
Mr. Cambareri received his B.S. in Accounting and Finance from New York University’s Leonard N. Stern School of Business and his M.B.A. in Accounting and Finance from New York University’s Langone Graduate School. He is also a Certified Public Accountant in the state of New York.
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Heather McNally
Managing Director, Head of Operations
Heather joined Churchill Asset Management in 2016 and currently serves as a Managing Director and Head of Operations with over ten years of financial services experience. Previously, she was a Managing Director at Garrison Investment Group where she was responsible for the Operations team and direct lending administration. Heather has also served as Operations Manager at Fraser Sullivan Investment Management; Loan Administrator at Fortress Investment Group; and Trust Officer at LaSalle Bank, with a focus on CLO administration and back office processes.
Heather received her B.A. in political science from DePaul University and her MBA from UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School.
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Matthew Cianella
Principal, Portfolio Management, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Matthew serves as a Principal on the Private Equity and Junior Capital team within Churchill Asset Management, where he focuses primarily on portfolio management. Matthew has over 15 years of investment experience and is actively involved in the day to day management of the Team’s private equity and junior capital mandates, portfolios, and associated vehicles. He joined Churchill’s parent Company in 2005, and has held various positions within the Institution’s Private Equity and Junior Capital, Leveraged Lending, Debt Private Placements, and Treasury groups.
Matthew graduated cum laude from The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree with a concentration in Finance.
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Marissa Short
Principal, Funds Controller
Marissa joined Churchill Asset Management in 2018 and currently serves as Principal, Funds Controller with thirteen years of financial services experience. Previously, she was a senior manager in the Wealth and Asset Management Practice at Ernst & Young LLP, responsible for the planning, implementation, and completion of financial statement audits for top tier SEC and non-SEC clients.
Marissa received her B.S. in Accounting and Business Administration from Lehigh University and is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of New York.
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Luke Garriton
Vice President, Operations
Luke joined Churchill Asset Management in 2019 and currently serves as a Vice President in Operations. Previously, Luke was a Manager at PwC in the Financial Markets Practice. Luke was responsible for cash flow modeling, borrowing base testing, due diligence and collateral testing for CLOs and Direct Lending investment vehicles, as well as valuation of corporate debt, municipal debt and CLOs. He also worked to develop data visualization, analysis, and automation tools for client service and internal processes while at PwC.
Luke graduated from Quinnipiac University with a B.A. in Psychology and received a Masters of Business Administration concentrating in Finance from Monmouth University.
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Michelle Idrees
Vice President, Operations
Michelle joined Churchill Asset Management in 2020 and currently serves as a Vice President in Operations. Previously, Michelle was a Manager at Prospect Capital, where she was responsible for credit facility management, as well as forecasting and managing treasury, liquidity, and debt. Michelle has also served as a Senior Associate at Grant Thornton, where she was focused on financial statement audits of hedge funds and fund of funds.
Michelle received her B.S. in Business Administration from Stony Brook University and her Masters in Accountancy from Baruch College.
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Robert Lin
Vice President, Operations
Robert joined Churchill Asset Management in 2018 as Vice President, Operations. He was previously an Associate Vice President at Ivy Hill Asset Management, a wholly-owned portfolio company of Ares Management, where he was responsible for surveillance, analytics, and financial modeling of CLOs, leveraged facilities, and a public Business Development Company. Prior to Ivy Hill, Robert worked at American Capital, where he developed analytics and conducted surveillance on various types of loan funds. Before that, Robert was employed at various financial institutions where he focused on operations, risk, and analytics.
Robert received his B.S in Economics and Finance from NYU’s Stern School of Business and an MBA in Finance from Fordham University’s Graduate School of Business.
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Gareth Wall
Vice President, Finance
Gareth joined Churchill Asset Management in 2020 and currently serves as a Vice President in Finance. Previously, Gareth was a senior manager in the Wealth and Asset Management Practice at Ernst & Young LLP, responsible for planning, coordinating and executing financial statement audits and other business advisory engagement services for public and private clients within the financial services industry.
Gareth received his B.S in Actuarial Science from Heriot-Watt University, is a Chartered Accountant with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland and is also a Certified Public Accountant in the State of New York.
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Claudio Chappell
Senior Associate, Operations
Claudio joined Churchill Asset Management in 2019 and currently serves as a Senior Associate, Operations with over twenty years of financial services experience. Previously, he was a Senior Operations Specialist at Canaras Capital Management where he was responsible for CLO compliance, bank debt settlement and loan administration. Claudio has also served as Vice President at GLAS Americas LLC; Vice President at GSO Capital / Blackstone; Associate at Silver Point Capital: and Analyst at Scotiabank, with a focus on sales & trading and middle office operations.
Claudio Chappell received his B.S. in Business Administration from Fordham University and his M.B.A. from New York Institute of Technology.
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Michael St. Clair
Senior Associate, Operations
Mike joined Churchill Asset Management in 2020 and currently serves as a Senior Associate in Operations supporting the Junior Capital and Private Equity team. Previously, Mike held the position of Sr. Analyst in the Private Market Operations area at Nuveen, he was responsible for investment operations support for Private Debt and Private Equity portfolios.
Mike is joining us from Churchill’s parent company Nuveen, where he has held various positions there such as securities lender, corporate actions, and Valuation.
Mike received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Applied Mathematics from the City College of New York, also is the holder of Series 7 & 63 licenses.
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Joe Durkin
Senior Associate, Finance and Accounting
Joe joined Churchill Asset Management in 2019 and currently serves as a Senior Associate in Finance and Accounting. Previously, he was a manager in the Wealth and Asset Management Practice at Ernst & Young LLP, responsible for financial statement audits of Hedge Funds, Private Equity Funds, and Business Development Companies. Joe also has experience in testing internal controls over financial reporting, as required by section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act for publicly traded companies.
Joe received both a B.S and M.S. in Accounting from Fordham University and is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of New York.
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Marina Elkinyuk
Senior Associate, Operations
Marina joined Churchill Asset Management in 2020 and currently serves as a Senior Associate in Operations. Previously, Marina was a Senior Associate at Guggenheim Partners, where she was responsible for trade settlement of broadly syndicated, primary, secondary, distressed, European, and direct lending deals, as well as reporting, cash monitoring, and corporate actions. Prior to that, Marina served as a Senior Associate at Lord Abbett and as a Senior Operations Analyst at Deutsche Bank.
Marina graduated from Western Governors University with a B.S. in Business Management.
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Samantha Krutal
Senior Associate, Finance
Samantha joined Churchill Asset Management in 2020 and currently serves as a Senior Associate in Finance. Previously, she was a manager in the Wealth and Asset Management Practice at Ernst & Young LLP, responsible for planning and executing financial statement audits for Hedge Fund and Private Equity Fund clients.
Samantha received her B.S. in Accounting from Lehigh University and is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of New York.
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Kyle Linnemeyer
Senior Associate, Finance and Accounting
Kyle joined Churchill Asset Management in 2017 and currently serves as a Senior Associate in Finance and Accounting. Previously Kyle was a senior associate at Grant Thornton in the Financial Services Assurance Practice. Mr. he was responsible for financial statement audits of Real Estate Investment Trusts, Hedge Funds, and Fund of Funds. Kyle also tested internal controls over financial reporting as required by section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act for publicly traded companies.
Kyle graduated from the University of Connecticut with a B.A in Economics. He graduated with distinction from Wake Forest University with a Masters in Accounting and is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of New York.
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Nick Taylor
Associate, Operations
Nick joined Churchill Asset Management in 2019 and currently serves as an Associate in Operations. Previously, Nick was an analyst at The Carlyle Group in the Direct Lending platform. Nick was responsible for credit facility borrowing base management and reporting, valuation of senior and unitranche debt, portfolio modeling and analyses, as well as SEC and upper management reporting.
Nick graduated from Fairfield University with a B.A. in Accounting. He also received a Masters in Accounting from Fairfield University.
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Louisa Colon
Executive Assistant
Louisa joined Churchill Asset Management in the summer of 2017 as the Executive Assistant to the President & CEO as well as the Head of Origination and Capital Markets. Previously, she has served as the Executive and Personal Assistant to C-Level executives at Blackstone Group, General Growth Properties, Guggenheim Partners and Thomas Weisel Partners. She has experience within the asset management, hedge fund, investor relations, real estate and investment banking areas. She began her career at TIAA in the Private Placements and Project Finance Divisions.
Louisa received her B.A. in history from Colgate University.
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Lynn Miceli
Office Manager and Executive Assistant
Lynn joined Churchill Asset Management in 2018 as the Office Manager and Executive Assistant to the Chief Financial Officer. As Office Manager, she is responsible for many of the administrative functions in the office, including Human Resources, Benefits, IT and Facilities. Lynn has previously served as a Human Resource Business Partner at Aberdeen Asset Management as well as Human Capital Manager and Executive Assistant at Arden Asset Management.
Lynn received her A.A. in Business Administration at Westchester Community College and actively holds her Professional Human Resource (PHR) and Society For Human Resource Management – Certified Professional (SHRM-CP) Certifications.
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Meghan Lucas
Executive Assistant
Meghan joined Churchill Asset Management in 2019 and serves as an Executive Assistant. In her role she provides administrative support to the Investor Relations team including frequent travel arrangements, substantial onsite meeting support and client communication assistance. She has a diverse background in teaching, coaching, management and administrative support.
As a scholar-athlete Meghan earned her B.S. in education from Oklahoma State University.
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Jacqueline Morton
Administrative Receptionist
Jacque joined Churchill Asset Management in 2020 as an Administrative Receptionist. In her role she welcomes guests and provides administrative support to the Underwriting and Origination teams. Jacque has previous administrative experience in the health care industry.
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Thomas Grenville
Managing Director, Chief Compliance Officer
Thomas Grenville is a Managing Director with Nuveen and the Chief Compliance Officer for Churchill Asset Management and Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending. He manages a dedicated team of compliance officers responsible for compliance at several Nuveen private and alternative advisers, including Nuveen Alternatives Advisors, Greenwood Resources, and Westchester Asset Management.
Prior to joining the firm in 2010, Thomas worked as a Staff Accountant and Securities Compliance Examiner with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission in San Francisco where he led examinations of hedge funds, registered investment companies, and registered investment advisers. He also worked as a Securities Analyst at the State of Oregon’s Division of Finance and Corporate Securities where he conducted disclosure and merit based reviews of securities offerings and wrote comment letters. He began his career at Unibank, A.S. in New York as Treasury Analyst.
Thomas graduated with a B.A. in Economics from Swarthmore College, a J.D. with a concentration in Real Estate Law from Yeshiva University’s Benjamin N. Cardozo Law School, a Master of Laws in Environmental & Natural Resources Law from Lewis & Clark Law School, and a M.B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley. He is admitted into practice in the State of Oregon, and has been designated as a Certified Fraud Examiner by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE). He holds the Series 7, 63, and 24 Securities licenses.
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John McCally
Managing Director and Associate General Counsel, Nuveen
John is a Managing Director and Associate General Counsel at Nuveen, LLC, a division of TIAA, a leading provider of retirement and investment services in the academic, medical, cultural and research fields. John provides legal support and coverage for various investment and asset management teams within Nuveen including those engaged in public and private fixed income, derivatives, structured product and infrastructure investment markets. John also provides legal support in connection with regulatory matters affecting these businesses. John provides day-to-day legal support to Churchill Asset Management LLC as part of Nuveen’s private credit platform.
Prior to joining the organization in 2010, John was an associate with Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP, specializing in derivatives, structured products and investment management. John graduated from Duke University and received his juris doctor from The George Washington University Law School.
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Noelle Sproul
Managing Director and Associate General Counsel, Nuveen
Noelle is a Managing Director and Associate General Counsel at Nuveen, LLC, a division of TIAA, a leading provider of retirement and investment services in the academic, medical, cultural and research fields. Noelle provides legal support and coverage for various investment and asset management teams within Nuveen, including those engaged in public and private fixed income, derivatives, structured product and infrastructure investment markets. Noelle also provides day-to-day legal support to Churchill Asset Management LLC as part of Nuveen’s private credit platform. Prior to joining Nuveen in 2015, Noelle was a member with Moore & Van Allen PLLC, specializing in structured finance products and derivatives.
Noelle graduated from Vanderbilt University and received her juris doctor from The University of Richmond School of Law.
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Alina Dovere
Vice President and Associate General Counsel, Nuveen
Alina is Vice President and Associate General Counsel at Nuveen, LLC (“Nuveen”). She provides legal counsel to various investment and asset management teams within Nuveen (including Churchill Asset Management LLC), with a practice focused on junior capital, impact investing and distressed investments.
Prior to joining Nuveen in 2018, Alina was an associate general counsel at Fiera Capital. Prior to that, she was an associate in the Bank Finance group at White & Case, where she represented agents, lead arrangers, private equity sponsors and other corporate borrowers in a wide range of credit facilities. She began her legal career as an associate in the Legal & Compliance group at GSO Capital Partners, the credit arm of the Blackstone Group.
Alina graduated from New York University and received her juris doctor from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.
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Zachary Profant
Vice President and Associate General Counsel
Zach is a Vice President and Associate General Counsel at Churchill Asset Management, an affiliate of Nuveen. Zach provides day-to-day legal support to Churchill as part of Nuveen’s private credit platform. Zach also provides legal support in connection with regulatory matters affecting the business.
Prior to joining the organization in 2020, Zach was an associate at Kirkland & Ellis LLP, specializing in debt finance transactions. He began his legal career as a corporate associate at Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, completing rotations in both banking and securities.
Zach graduated Phi Beta Kappa with High Distinction from the University of California, Berkeley and received his juris doctor, cum laude, from New York University School of Law.
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Trevor Sanford
Vice President and Associate General Counsel, Nuveen
Trevor is a Vice President and Associate General Counsel at Nuveen, LLC, a division of TIAA, a leading provider of retirement and investment services in the academic, medical, cultural and research fields. Trevor provides legal support and coverage for various investment and asset management teams within Nuveen, including those engaged in public and private fixed income and infrastructure investment markets. Trevor also provides day-to-day legal support to Churchill Asset Management LLC as part of Nuveen’s private credit platform.
Prior to joining Nuveen in 2019, Trevor worked for Barings LLC in a similar capacity. He graduated from the University of Rochester and received his juris doctor from American University-Washington College of Law.
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Jake Wang
Vice President and Associate General Counsel, Nuveen
Jake is a Vice President and Associate General Counsel at Nuveen, LLC, a division of TIAA. Jake has a demonstrated history working in the financial services industry, with specialty in fund formation, private fund investments, and equity co-investments. At Nuveen, Jake provides day-to-day legal support and coverage for the Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions team of Churchill Asset Management LLC.
Prior to joining Nuveen in 2020, Jake worked for Barings LLC and BlackRock, Inc. in a similar capacity and Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP as an associate. Jake graduated from the College of William and Mary and received his juris doctor from Columbia Law School.