Our mission
Churchill is focused on providing our investors superior investment returns. Our highly talented, diverse, experienced team has a long track record of generating consistent, attractive risk-adjusted returns and providing comprehensive capital solutions to support the growth of U.S. middle market companies across economic cycles.
Our vision
We aspire to be the partner of choice for our investors, private equity sponsors, employees, and communities at large. We strive to have an inclusive, best-in-class team that is empowered to create long-term value for all of our stakeholders.
Our values
Collaborative Approach
Churchill is one team, maintaining a constant focus on positive cooperation to generate the most favorable outcomes for our firm’s stakeholders.
Relationship Oriented
We focus on fostering long-term, trusted partnerships to create value.
Inclusive Environment
Operate with Integrity
We value the responsibility & trust our stakeholders have placed in us to maintain a disciplined investment strategy.
Commitment to Excellence
Employees are the core of our business, striving to continuously improve to reach the full potential required to deliver the best performance in the industry.
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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Ken Kencel
President & CEO
New York
-
Randy Schwimmer
Vice Chairman, Co-Head of Senior Lending
New York
-
Jason Strife
Senior Managing Director, Head of Junior Capital and Private Equity Solutions
Charlotte
-
Shai Vichness, CFA
Senior Managing Director & Chief Financial Officer
New York
-
Mathew Linett
Senior Managing Director, Co-Head of Senior Lending
New York
-
Christopher Cox
Senior Managing Director & Chief Risk Officer
New York
-
Courtney DeBolt
Managing Director, Head of Business Systems & Operations
New York
-
Chris Freeze
Senior Managing Director, Co-Head of Nuveen Private Capital Business Development
New York
-
Derek Fricke
Senior Managing Director, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Charlotte
-
David Heilbrunn
Senior Managing Director, Head of Product Development & Capital Raising
New York
-
Carol Loundon
Managing Director, Deputy Chief Risk Officer
New York
-
Kelli Marti
Senior Managing Director, Head of CLO Management & Co-Head of Chicago Office
Chicago
-
John McCally
Senior Managing Director & General Counsel
Charlotte
-
Kevin Meyer
Managing Director, Head of Origination
New York
-
Anne Philpott, CFA
Managing Director, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Charlotte
-
Marissa Short
Managing Director, Funds Controller
New York
-
Jill White
Managing Director, Deputy Head of Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Charlotte
-
Bill Huffman
Head of Equities & Fixed Income, Nuveen
Chicago
-
Ken Kencel
President & CEO
New York
-
Kevin McCarthy
Secretary & General Counsel, Nuveen
Chicago
-
Jose Minaya
Chief Executive Officer, Nuveen
Charlotte
-
Joe Lee
Managing Director, Underwriting and Portfolio Management
New York
-
Jessica Nels
Managing Director, Head of Capital Markets
Chicago
-
Jason Quinn
Managing Director, Origination
Los Angeles
-
Jeffrey Rabaut
Managing Director, Origination
Chicago
-
Vivek Sachidanand
Managing Director, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
New York
-
Tarek Srouji
Managing Director, Origination
New York
-
Mark Tamburello
Managing Director, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Charlotte
-
Nicholas Carroll
Principal, Origination
New York
-
Pranai Cheroo
Principal, Origination
Los Angeles
-
Jacob Iati
Principal, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
New York
-
Sean Mancini
Principal, Origination
New York
-
Joseph McShane
Principal, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
New York
-
Paul Sadlowski
Principal, Origination
Chicago
-
Sanjeet Singh
Principal, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
New York
-
Justin Zimmer
Principal, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Charlotte
-
Matt Caulfield
Vice President, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Chicago
-
Lindsey Figliolino
Vice President, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
New York
-
Malcolm Ferrell
Vice President, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Los Angeles
-
Sam Gonzalez-Gross
Vice President, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
New York
-
Andrew Passero, CFA
Vice President, Capital Markets
New York
-
Jad Abdul-Aal
Senior Associate, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
New York
-
Ryan Babakian, CFA
Senior Associate, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
New York
-
Jordan Kenney, CFA
Senior Associate, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
New York
-
Kaela Klune
Senior Associate, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Los Angeles
-
Colin Miller
Senior Associate, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
New York
-
Andrew Kuntz
Associate, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Chicago
-
Tom Cohen
Associate, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Los Angeles
-
Jack McTiernan
Associate, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
New York
-
Caroline Pate
Associate, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
New York
-
Daryl Anderton
Senior Analyst, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Charlotte
-
John Bomba
Senior Analyst, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Chicago
-
Jack Gaffney
Senior Analyst, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
New York
-
Andrew Greene
Analyst, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
New York
-
Michael Chiulli, CFA, CPA
Managing Director, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
New York
-
Ryan Greenough
Analyst, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
New York
-
Raja Doddala
Managing Director, Venture Capital & Growth Equity
Dallas
-
Timothy Henning
Analyst, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
-
Nick Lawler
Managing Director, Head of Secondaries
Chicago
-
David McManama
Managing Director, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Charlotte
-
Dodson Worthington
Managing Director, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Charlotte
-
Lucas Fries, CFA
Principal, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Charlotte
-
Andrew Topping
Principal, Secondaries
Charlotte
-
Patrick Anderson, CFA, CPA
Vice President, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
New York
-
Erica Cunningham
Vice President, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Charlotte
-
Tyler Donofrio
Vice President, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
New York
-
Adam Froendt
Vice President, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Charlotte
-
Connor Gay
Vice President, Secondaries
Charlotte
-
Brandon Jordi
Vice President, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Charlotte
-
Brandon Ng
Vice President, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
New York
-
Avery Ramsey
Vice President, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Charlotte
-
Jay Valentine
Vice President, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
New York
-
Davis Westbrook
Vice President, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Charlotte
-
Connor Dunleavy
Senior Associate, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Charlotte
-
Adam Frank
Senior Associate, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
New York
-
Vince Pupi
Senior Associate, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
New York
-
Fraser Hahn
Associate, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Charlotte
-
Eliza Ike
Associate, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Charlotte
-
Alona Tolentino Gornick
Managing Director, Senior Investment Strategist and Co-Head of Chicago Office
Chicago
-
Jamal Hammoud
Managing Director, Senior Investment Strategist
New York
-
Andrew DiCandilo
Senior Analyst, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
New York
-
Meredith Chu McDonald
Managing Director, Senior Investment Strategist, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Charlotte
-
Gene Miao
Managing Director, Senior Investment Strategist, Senior Lending
New York
-
Laura Stolfi
Managing Director, Senior Investment Strategist
New York
-
Jessica Tannenbaum
Managing Director, Head of Marketing and Communications
New York
-
Matthew Battle
Principal, Investment Strategist
New York
-
Sherry Chen
Principal, Head of Digital Marketing
New York
-
Emily Manuel
Principal, Investor Relations
New York
-
Saheedat Onifade
Principal, Investment Strategist, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
New York
-
Sofia Azar
Vice President, Investor Relations
New York
-
Sunny Huang, CFA, CPA
Vice President, Product Development
New York
-
Samantha Rapaport
Vice President, Product Development & Investor Relations
New York
-
Matthew Ricotta
Vice President, Investor Relations
New York
-
Katie Travers
Vice President, Investor Relations
Charlotte
-
Meaghan Fortney
Senior Associate, Marketing and Communications
New York
-
Raja Amara
Associate, Investor Relations
New York
-
Emma Duff
Associate, Investor Relations
New York
-
Tyler Reeves
Associate, Investor Relations
Charlotte
-
Evan Velleca, CFA
Associate, Investor Relations
New York
-
Michael Secchiaroli
Associate, Investor Relations
New York
-
Katie Zwetolitz
Associate, Investor Relations
Charlotte
-
Katie Cutrone
Senior Analyst, Investor Relations
New York
-
Phil Beissner
Managing Director, Management Company Controller
New York
-
Ben Love, CFA
Managing Director, Head of Fund Finance
Charlotte
-
Matt McNamara
Principal, Head of Tax
Charlotte
-
Sydney Nyajeka
Principal, Finance
New York
-
Gareth Wall
Principal, Finance
New York
-
Joe Durkin
Vice President, Finance
New York
-
Lauren Hopson
Vice President, Finance
New York
-
Jessica Medaglia
Vice President, Finance
New York
-
Kevin Oliver
Vice President, Finance
New York
-
Gina Raspa
Vice President, Finance
New York
-
Nicholas Tandoi
Vice President, Finance
New York
-
Brian Walsh
Vice President, Finance
New York
-
Ryan Wells
Vice President, Finance
New York
-
Ryan Wydra
Vice President, Fund Finance
Charlotte
-
Lily Xuan
Vice President, Finance
New York
-
Victoria Adinolfi
Senior Associate, Finance
New York
-
Douglas Halpin
Senior Associate, Finance
New York
-
Alithea Culmer Perry
Senior Associate, Finance
New York
-
Susie Speakmaster
Senior Associate, Finance
New York
-
John Wein
Senior Associate, Finance
New York
-
Sarah Welden
Senior Associate, Finance
New York
-
Carol Qiao
Associate, Finance
New York
-
Steve Dobson
Principal, Operations, Treasury
New York
-
Luke Garriton
Principal, Operations
New York
-
Kevin McMillin
Principal, Infrastructure & Technology
Chicago
-
Chris Schultz
Principal, Operations
New York
-
Arjun Chhabra
Vice President, Infrastructure & Technology
New York
-
Michael St. Clair
Vice President, Operations
New York
-
Marina Elkinyuk
Vice President, Operations
New York
-
Andy Gilvey
Vice President, Operations
Charlotte
-
Michelle Idrees
Vice President, Operations
New York
-
Joseph Piperato
Vice President, Operations
New York
-
Brian Thompson
Vice President, Operations
New York
-
Zachary Zetlin
Vice President, Operations
New York
-
Graves Ganzert
Senior Associate, Operations
Charlotte
-
Josh Guercio
Senior Associate, Operations
Charlotte
-
Patricia Harris
Senior Associate, Operations
New York
-
Jackson Wexler
Senior Associate, Infrastructure & Technology
New York
-
Karen Yen
Senior Associate, Infrastructure & Technology
New York
-
Morgan Blume
Associate, Infrastructure & Technology
New York
-
Nara Enkhsaikhan
Associate, Operations
New York
-
Alex Cole
Senior Associate, Portfolio Management
New York
-
Owen Donnelly
Senior Analyst, Infrastructure & Technology
New York
-
Gordon MacDonald
Senior Analyst, Infrastructure & Technology
New York
-
Nick Miers
Senior Analyst, Operations
Charlotte
-
Thomas Jones
Analyst, Operations
New York
-
Brent Chase
Managing Director, Head of Workout
New York
-
Mickey Weatherston
Managing Director, Head of Responsible Investing
New York
-
Matthew Cianella
Principal, Portfolio Management
Charlotte
-
Preston Kafka
Principal, Valuation Specialist
Charlotte
-
Cynthia Qualls
Principal, Portfolio Management
Charlotte
-
Andrew Detrick, CFA
Vice President, Workout
New York
-
Kevin Prendergast
Vice President, Portfolio Management
New York
-
Max Schulman
Vice President, Valuation Specialist
Charlotte
-
Nick Taylor
Vice President, Allocation
New York
-
Alecia Chen
Senior Associate, Valuation Specialist
New York
-
Bailey Page
Senior Associate, Responsible Investing
New York
-
Justin Blackman, CFA
Associate, Portfolio Management
New York
-
Jonathon D’Arcy
Associate, Portfolio Management
New York
-
Susan Orth
Associate, Allocation
New York
-
Christy Ims
Senior Analyst, Valuation Specialist
New York
-
Michael Joyce
Senior Analyst, Allocation
New York
-
Liz Capperella
Analyst, Portfolio Management
New York
-
Lynn Miceli
Director of Administration
New York
-
Louisa Colon
Senior Executive Assistant to the President and CEO
New York
-
Natalie Austrian
Executive Assistant
Charlotte
-
Nadia Bajraktarevic
Executive Assistant
New York
-
Rachel Benitez
Executive Assistant
New York
-
Jacqueline Morton
Executive Assistant
New York
-
Bernise Valdez
Executive Assistant
New York
-
Charmagne Kukulka
Principal, Chief Compliance Officer
New York
-
Iliana Nunez
Administrative Receptionist
New York
-
David Carias
IT Specialist
New York
-
Zachary Profant
Principal, Deputy General Counsel
New York
-
Robert Engelke
Vice President and Associate General Counsel
New York
-
Erin Hood
Vice President and Associate General Counsel
New York
-
Jake Wang
Vice President and Associate General Counsel
Charlotte
-
Maggie Walker-Hart
Associate and Senior Legal Analyst
New York
-
David Baird
Paralegal
New York
-
Senior Leadership Team
Executive Committee
-
Ken Kencel
President & CEO
New York
-
Randy Schwimmer
Vice Chairman, Co-Head of Senior Lending
New York
-
Jason Strife
Senior Managing Director, Head of Junior Capital and Private Equity Solutions
Charlotte
-
Shai Vichness, CFA
Senior Managing Director & Chief Financial Officer
New York
-
Mathew Linett
Senior Managing Director, Co-Head of Senior Lending
New York
Operating Committee
-
Christopher Cox
Senior Managing Director & Chief Risk Officer
New York
-
Courtney DeBolt
Managing Director, Head of Business Systems & Operations
New York
-
Chris Freeze
Senior Managing Director, Co-Head of Nuveen Private Capital Business Development
New York
-
Derek Fricke
Senior Managing Director, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Charlotte
-
David Heilbrunn
Senior Managing Director, Head of Product Development & Capital Raising
New York
-
Carol Loundon
Managing Director, Deputy Chief Risk Officer
New York
-
Kelli Marti
Senior Managing Director, Head of CLO Management & Co-Head of Chicago Office
Chicago
-
John McCally
Senior Managing Director & General Counsel
Charlotte
-
Kevin Meyer
Managing Director, Head of Origination
New York
-
Anne Philpott, CFA
Managing Director, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Charlotte
-
Marissa Short
Managing Director, Funds Controller
New York
-
Jill White
Managing Director, Deputy Head of Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Charlotte
-
-
Board of Directors
Board of Directors
-
Bill Huffman
Head of Equities & Fixed Income, Nuveen
Chicago
-
Ken Kencel
President & CEO
New York
-
Kevin McCarthy
Secretary & General Counsel, Nuveen
Chicago
-
Jose Minaya
Chief Executive Officer, Nuveen
Charlotte
-
-
Investment Professionals
Senior Lending
-
Joe Lee
Managing Director, Underwriting and Portfolio Management
New York
-
Jessica Nels
Managing Director, Head of Capital Markets
Chicago
-
Jason Quinn
Managing Director, Origination
Los Angeles
-
Jeffrey Rabaut
Managing Director, Origination
Chicago
-
Vivek Sachidanand
Managing Director, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
New York
-
Tarek Srouji
Managing Director, Origination
New York
-
Mark Tamburello
Managing Director, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Charlotte
-
Nicholas Carroll
Principal, Origination
New York
-
Pranai Cheroo
Principal, Origination
Los Angeles
-
Jacob Iati
Principal, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
New York
-
Sean Mancini
Principal, Origination
New York
-
Joseph McShane
Principal, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
New York
-
Paul Sadlowski
Principal, Origination
Chicago
-
Sanjeet Singh
Principal, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
New York
-
Justin Zimmer
Principal, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Charlotte
-
Matt Caulfield
Vice President, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Chicago
-
Lindsey Figliolino
Vice President, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
New York
-
Malcolm Ferrell
Vice President, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Los Angeles
-
Sam Gonzalez-Gross
Vice President, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
New York
-
Andrew Passero, CFA
Vice President, Capital Markets
New York
-
Jad Abdul-Aal
Senior Associate, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
New York
-
Ryan Babakian, CFA
Senior Associate, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
New York
-
Jordan Kenney, CFA
Senior Associate, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
New York
-
Kaela Klune
Senior Associate, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Los Angeles
-
Colin Miller
Senior Associate, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
New York
-
Andrew Kuntz
Associate, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Chicago
-
Tom Cohen
Associate, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Los Angeles
-
Jack McTiernan
Associate, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
New York
-
Caroline Pate
Associate, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
New York
-
Daryl Anderton
Senior Analyst, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Charlotte
-
John Bomba
Senior Analyst, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Chicago
-
Jack Gaffney
Senior Analyst, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
New York
-
Andrew Greene
Analyst, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
New York
-
Ryan Greenough
Analyst, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
New York
-
Timothy Henning
Analyst, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Junior Capital and Private Equity Solutions
-
Michael Chiulli, CFA, CPA
Managing Director, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
New York
-
Raja Doddala
Managing Director, Venture Capital & Growth Equity
Dallas
-
Nick Lawler
Managing Director, Head of Secondaries
Chicago
-
David McManama
Managing Director, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Charlotte
-
Dodson Worthington
Managing Director, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Charlotte
-
Lucas Fries, CFA
Principal, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Charlotte
-
Andrew Topping
Principal, Secondaries
Charlotte
-
Patrick Anderson, CFA, CPA
Vice President, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
New York
-
Erica Cunningham
Vice President, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Charlotte
-
Tyler Donofrio
Vice President, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
New York
-
Adam Froendt
Vice President, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Charlotte
-
Connor Gay
Vice President, Secondaries
Charlotte
-
Brandon Jordi
Vice President, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Charlotte
-
Brandon Ng
Vice President, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
New York
-
Avery Ramsey
Vice President, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Charlotte
-
Jay Valentine
Vice President, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
New York
-
Davis Westbrook
Vice President, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Charlotte
-
Connor Dunleavy
Senior Associate, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Charlotte
-
Adam Frank
Senior Associate, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
New York
-
Vince Pupi
Senior Associate, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
New York
-
Fraser Hahn
Associate, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Charlotte
-
Eliza Ike
Associate, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Charlotte
-
Andrew DiCandilo
Senior Analyst, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
New York
-
-
Other Professionals
Investor Relations, Marketing and Business Development
-
Alona Tolentino Gornick
Managing Director, Senior Investment Strategist and Co-Head of Chicago Office
Chicago
-
Jamal Hammoud
Managing Director, Senior Investment Strategist
New York
-
Meredith Chu McDonald
Managing Director, Senior Investment Strategist, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Charlotte
-
Gene Miao
Managing Director, Senior Investment Strategist, Senior Lending
New York
-
Laura Stolfi
Managing Director, Senior Investment Strategist
New York
-
Jessica Tannenbaum
Managing Director, Head of Marketing and Communications
New York
-
Matthew Battle
Principal, Investment Strategist
New York
-
Sherry Chen
Principal, Head of Digital Marketing
New York
-
Emily Manuel
Principal, Investor Relations
New York
-
Saheedat Onifade
Principal, Investment Strategist, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
New York
-
Sofia Azar
Vice President, Investor Relations
New York
-
Sunny Huang, CFA, CPA
Vice President, Product Development
New York
-
Samantha Rapaport
Vice President, Product Development & Investor Relations
New York
-
Matthew Ricotta
Vice President, Investor Relations
New York
-
Katie Travers
Vice President, Investor Relations
Charlotte
-
Meaghan Fortney
Senior Associate, Marketing and Communications
New York
-
Raja Amara
Associate, Investor Relations
New York
-
Emma Duff
Associate, Investor Relations
New York
-
Tyler Reeves
Associate, Investor Relations
Charlotte
-
Evan Velleca, CFA
Associate, Investor Relations
New York
-
Michael Secchiaroli
Associate, Investor Relations
New York
-
Katie Zwetolitz
Associate, Investor Relations
Charlotte
-
Katie Cutrone
Senior Analyst, Investor Relations
New York
Finance
-
Phil Beissner
Managing Director, Management Company Controller
New York
-
Ben Love, CFA
Managing Director, Head of Fund Finance
Charlotte
-
Matt McNamara
Principal, Head of Tax
Charlotte
-
Sydney Nyajeka
Principal, Finance
New York
-
Gareth Wall
Principal, Finance
New York
-
Joe Durkin
Vice President, Finance
New York
-
Lauren Hopson
Vice President, Finance
New York
-
Jessica Medaglia
Vice President, Finance
New York
-
Kevin Oliver
Vice President, Finance
New York
-
Gina Raspa
Vice President, Finance
New York
-
Nicholas Tandoi
Vice President, Finance
New York
-
Brian Walsh
Vice President, Finance
New York
-
Ryan Wells
Vice President, Finance
New York
-
Ryan Wydra
Vice President, Fund Finance
Charlotte
-
Lily Xuan
Vice President, Finance
New York
-
Victoria Adinolfi
Senior Associate, Finance
New York
-
Douglas Halpin
Senior Associate, Finance
New York
-
Alithea Culmer Perry
Senior Associate, Finance
New York
-
Susie Speakmaster
Senior Associate, Finance
New York
-
John Wein
Senior Associate, Finance
New York
-
Sarah Welden
Senior Associate, Finance
New York
-
Carol Qiao
Associate, Finance
New York
Business Systems & Operations
-
Steve Dobson
Principal, Operations, Treasury
New York
-
Luke Garriton
Principal, Operations
New York
-
Kevin McMillin
Principal, Infrastructure & Technology
Chicago
-
Chris Schultz
Principal, Operations
New York
-
Arjun Chhabra
Vice President, Infrastructure & Technology
New York
-
Michael St. Clair
Vice President, Operations
New York
-
Marina Elkinyuk
Vice President, Operations
New York
-
Andy Gilvey
Vice President, Operations
Charlotte
-
Michelle Idrees
Vice President, Operations
New York
-
Joseph Piperato
Vice President, Operations
New York
-
Brian Thompson
Vice President, Operations
New York
-
Zachary Zetlin
Vice President, Operations
New York
-
Graves Ganzert
Senior Associate, Operations
Charlotte
-
Josh Guercio
Senior Associate, Operations
Charlotte
-
Patricia Harris
Senior Associate, Operations
New York
-
Jackson Wexler
Senior Associate, Infrastructure & Technology
New York
-
Karen Yen
Senior Associate, Infrastructure & Technology
New York
-
Morgan Blume
Associate, Infrastructure & Technology
New York
-
Nara Enkhsaikhan
Associate, Operations
New York
-
Owen Donnelly
Senior Analyst, Infrastructure & Technology
New York
-
Gordon MacDonald
Senior Analyst, Infrastructure & Technology
New York
-
Nick Miers
Senior Analyst, Operations
Charlotte
-
Thomas Jones
Analyst, Operations
New York
Risk Management
-
Alex Cole
Senior Associate, Portfolio Management
New York
-
Brent Chase
Managing Director, Head of Workout
New York
-
Mickey Weatherston
Managing Director, Head of Responsible Investing
New York
-
Matthew Cianella
Principal, Portfolio Management
Charlotte
-
Preston Kafka
Principal, Valuation Specialist
Charlotte
-
Cynthia Qualls
Principal, Portfolio Management
Charlotte
-
Andrew Detrick, CFA
Vice President, Workout
New York
-
Kevin Prendergast
Vice President, Portfolio Management
New York
-
Max Schulman
Vice President, Valuation Specialist
Charlotte
-
Nick Taylor
Vice President, Allocation
New York
-
Alecia Chen
Senior Associate, Valuation Specialist
New York
-
Bailey Page
Senior Associate, Responsible Investing
New York
-
Justin Blackman, CFA
Associate, Portfolio Management
New York
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Jonathon D’Arcy
Associate, Portfolio Management
New York
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Susan Orth
Associate, Allocation
New York
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Christy Ims
Senior Analyst, Valuation Specialist
New York
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Michael Joyce
Senior Analyst, Allocation
New York
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Liz Capperella
Analyst, Portfolio Management
New York
Administration
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Lynn Miceli
Director of Administration
New York
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Louisa Colon
Senior Executive Assistant to the President and CEO
New York
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Natalie Austrian
Executive Assistant
Charlotte
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Nadia Bajraktarevic
Executive Assistant
New York
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Rachel Benitez
Executive Assistant
New York
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Jacqueline Morton
Executive Assistant
New York
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Bernise Valdez
Executive Assistant
New York
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Iliana Nunez
Administrative Receptionist
New York
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David Carias
IT Specialist
New York
Legal and Compliance
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Charmagne Kukulka
Principal, Chief Compliance Officer
New York
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Zachary Profant
Principal, Deputy General Counsel
New York
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Robert Engelke
Vice President and Associate General Counsel
New York
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Erin Hood
Vice President and Associate General Counsel
New York
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Jake Wang
Vice President and Associate General Counsel
Charlotte
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Maggie Walker-Hart
Associate and Senior Legal Analyst
New York
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David Baird
Paralegal
New York
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Ken Kencel
President & CEO
Ken serves as President and CEO of Churchill Asset Management, an affiliate of Nuveen, the asset management arm of TIAA, a Fortune 500 financial services company. He also serves as Chairman of the Board, President and CEO of Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending Corp. (NYSE: NCDL) and Nuveen Churchill Private Capital Income Fund (PCAP), Churchill’s publicly registered business development companies.
Throughout his over 35-year career in the investment industry, he has accrued a broad range of experience in leading private credit investment businesses. Previously, Ken served as a Managing Director of The Carlyle Group, where he also served as President and a Director of Carlyle Secured Lending, Inc. (Carlyle’s publicly traded business development company). Prior to that he founded and was President and CEO of Churchill Financial Group, 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 in partnership with Credit Agricole Group. Ken was also a founder of the high yield finance business at Chase Securities (now JP Morgan Chase). He began his career in the Mergers & Acquisitions Group at Drexel Burnham Lambert. He regularly appears as a guest commentator on private credit markets on Bloomberg, CNBC, The Wall Street Journal and The Financial Times. In 2023, Ken was named by Private Debt Investor as “One of the 30 ChangeMakers” who helped shape the private debt industry over the past decade.
Ken graduated with a B.S. in Business Administration, magna cum laude, from Georgetown University and a J.D. from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law. He serves on the Pension Investment Advisory Committee for the Archdiocese of New York, the Board of Trustees and Chairman of the Investment Committee of Canisius High School (a private Jesuit Preparatory school in Buffalo, NY), the Advisory Board of Teach for America (Connecticut), and the Milken Institute’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Asset Management Executive Council. Ken is a former member of the Board of Advisors and Adjunct Professor at the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University.
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Randy Schwimmer
Vice Chairman, Co-Head of Senior Lending
Randy is Vice Chairman and Co-Head of Senior Lending and oversees senior lending origination and capital markets for Churchill Asset Management, an investment specialist 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 Strife
Senior Managing Director, Head of Junior Capital and Private Equity Solutions
Jason leads Churchill’s private equity and junior capital platform, including executing strategic initiatives, capital raising, sourcing investments, firm management, and portfolio construction for six mandates that provide debt and equity capital into the U.S. private equity middle market. Jason is a member of the firm’s Operating Committee and is Investment Committee Chair for six private equity and junior capital mandates, including LP commitments, equity co-investments, structured capital, secondaries, and junior loans.
Prior to joining Churchill, Jason was a Principal at Bison Capital, a Los Angeles based firm focused on junior capital investments. Prior to Bison Capital, Jason was an Associate at Weston Presidio, a private equity firm focused on growth capital and LBOs. Prior to Weston Presidio, Jason worked in the M&A group of Wachovia, executing private equity transactions.
Jason graduated from Wake Forest University with a Bachelor of Science in Analytical Finance and a Masters in Accounting, where he earned a scholarship for his graduate studies and passed the CPA examination. He currently sits on the Board of Visitors of the Wake Forest business school, and is involved with numerous boards and strategic committees, including at the Charlotte Latin School and the Congaree Global Golf Initiative.
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Shai Vichness, CFA
Senior Managing Director & Chief Financial Officer
Shai serves as the chief financial officer of Churchill Asset Management, an investment specialist 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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Mathew Linett
Senior Managing Director, Co-Head of Senior Lending
Mat is co-head of senior lending and oversees senior loan underwriting and portfolio management for Churchill Asset Management, an investment specialist 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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Christopher Cox
Senior Managing Director & Chief Risk Officer
Chris is the chief risk officer for Churchill Asset Management, an investment specialist 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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Courtney DeBolt
Managing Director, Head of Business Systems & Operations
Courtney joined Churchill Asset Management in 2021 and currently serves as a Managing Director, Head of Business Systems & Operations. She has over 15 years of investment operations experience and was previously a Vice President at Ares Management overseeing the middle office for liquid credit and private equity. Prior to managing the middle office, she also held roles managing the reconciliation team and within the account onboarding team. Before Ares Management, she worked at Bain Capital Credit in their Boston and London offices. During her time at Bain Capital Credit, she held various operational roles in project management, settlements, and loan servicing.
Courtney received her BS in International Business, with a concentration in Finance, from Northeastern University.
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Chris Freeze
Senior Managing Director, Co-Head of Nuveen Private Capital Business Development
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 CEO of TCG Securities LLC, Caryle’s broker/dealer. 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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Derek Fricke
Senior Managing Director, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Derek serves as a Senior Managing Director 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 is a member of the firm’s Operating Committee and a member of the Private Equity and Junior Capital team’s Investment Committee overseeing six private equity and junior capital mandates, including LP commitments, equity co-investments, structured capital, secondaries and junior capital loans. 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 Heilbrunn
Senior Managing Director, Head of Product Development & Capital Raising
David oversees the product development and capital raising for Churchill Asset Management, an investment specialist 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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Carol Loundon
Managing Director, Deputy Chief Risk Officer
Carol joined Churchill Asset Management in 2015 and currently serves as a Managing Director of Deputy Chief Risk Officer 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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Kelli Marti
Senior Managing Director, Head of CLO Management & Co-Head of Chicago Office
Kelli Marti serves as Churchill’s Head of CLO Management, the Portfolio Investment Strategist for Nuveen Churchill Private Capital Income Fund (PCAP) and Co-Head of Chicago Office. As Head of CLO Management, she 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. As Portfolio Investment Strategist, Kelli serves as the portfolio manager of PCAP, overseeing day-to-day investment activity and helping to make investment decisions on behalf of the fund.
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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John McCally
Senior Managing Director & General Counsel
John McCally serves as the general counsel for Churchill Asset Management, an investment specialist of Nuveen. He has been responsible for day-to-day legal matters for the firm since its launch in 2015.
Previously, John was an associate general counsel at Nuveen. At Nuveen, John provided advice and strategic guidance to investment and business development teams focused on public and private fixed income, derivatives and structured products, and was responsible for legal matters pertaining to Nuveen’s Leveraged Finance platform. Prior to Nuveen, 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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Kevin Meyer
Managing Director, Head of Origination
Kevin joined Churchill Asset Management in 2015 and currently serves as Managing Director, Head of Origination with over twelve 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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Anne Philpott, CFA
Managing Director, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Anne is a Managing Director on the Private Equity and Junior Capital team at Churchill Asset Management, where she is actively involved in sourcing and executing investments in junior capital and equity co-investments, as well as investments in private equity funds. She is also a member of the Private Equity and Junior Capital team’s Investment Committee, overseeing six private equity and junior capital mandates, including LP commitments, equity co-investments, structured capital, secondaries and junior capital loans. Additionally, Anne serves as Co-Head of Churchill’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council, where she collaborates on initiatives that prioritize inclusion and authenticity.
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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Marissa Short
Managing Director, Funds Controller
Marissa joined Churchill Asset Management in 2018 and currently serves as Managing Director, 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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Jill White
Managing Director, Deputy Head of Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Jill joined Churchill Asset Management in 2018 and currently serves as Managing Director, Deputy Head of Underwriting and Portfolio Management with over 10 years of experience in middle market leveraged finance. Before joining Churchill, she worked at Antares Capital on the underwriting and portfolio management team, where she lead processes for senior debt financings. Prior to that, she spent several years on the Antares credit advisory team managing distressed credit situations. 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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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 Kencel
President & CEO
Ken serves as President and CEO of Churchill Asset Management, an affiliate of Nuveen, the asset management arm of TIAA, a Fortune 500 financial services company. He also serves as Chairman of the Board, President and CEO of Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending Corp. (NYSE: NCDL) and Nuveen Churchill Private Capital Income Fund (PCAP), Churchill’s publicly registered business development companies.
Throughout his over 35-year career in the investment industry, he has accrued a broad range of experience in leading private credit investment businesses. Previously, Ken served as a Managing Director of The Carlyle Group, where he also served as President and a Director of Carlyle Secured Lending, Inc. (Carlyle’s publicly traded business development company). Prior to that he founded and was President and CEO of Churchill Financial Group, 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 in partnership with Credit Agricole Group. Ken was also a founder of the high yield finance business at Chase Securities (now JP Morgan Chase). He began his career in the Mergers & Acquisitions Group at Drexel Burnham Lambert. He regularly appears as a guest commentator on private credit markets on Bloomberg, CNBC, The Wall Street Journal and The Financial Times. In 2023, Ken was named by Private Debt Investor as “One of the 30 ChangeMakers” who helped shape the private debt industry over the past decade.
Ken graduated with a B.S. in Business Administration, magna cum laude, from Georgetown University and a J.D. from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law. He serves on the Pension Investment Advisory Committee for the Archdiocese of New York, the Board of Trustees and Chairman of the Investment Committee of Canisius High School (a private Jesuit Preparatory school in Buffalo, NY), the Advisory Board of Teach for America (Connecticut), and the Milken Institute’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Asset Management Executive Council. Ken is a former member of the Board of Advisors and Adjunct Professor at the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University.
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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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Randy Schwimmer
Vice Chairman, Co-Head of Senior Lending
Randy is Vice Chairman and Co-Head of Senior Lending and oversees senior lending origination and capital markets for Churchill Asset Management, an investment specialist 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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Mathew Linett
Senior Managing Director, Co-Head of Senior Lending
Mat is co-head of senior lending and oversees senior loan underwriting and portfolio management for Churchill Asset Management, an investment specialist 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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Kelli Marti
Senior Managing Director, Head of CLO Management & Co-Head of Chicago Office
Kelli Marti serves as Churchill’s Head of CLO Management, the Portfolio Investment Strategist for Nuveen Churchill Private Capital Income Fund (PCAP) and Co-Head of Chicago Office. As Head of CLO Management, she 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. As Portfolio Investment Strategist, Kelli serves as the portfolio manager of PCAP, overseeing day-to-day investment activity and helping to make investment decisions on behalf of the fund.
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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Kevin Meyer
Managing Director, Head of Origination
Kevin joined Churchill Asset Management in 2015 and currently serves as Managing Director, Head of Origination with over twelve 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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Jill White
Managing Director, Deputy Head of Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Jill joined Churchill Asset Management in 2018 and currently serves as Managing Director, Deputy Head of Underwriting and Portfolio Management with over 10 years of experience in middle market leveraged finance. Before joining Churchill, she worked at Antares Capital on the underwriting and portfolio management team, where she lead processes for senior debt financings. Prior to that, she spent several years on the Antares credit advisory team managing distressed credit situations. 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
Managing Director, Underwriting and Portfolio Management
Joe joined Churchill Asset Management in 2019 and currently serves as Managing Director 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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Jessica Nels
Managing Director, Head of Capital Markets
Jessica is a Managing Director 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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Jason Quinn
Managing Director, Origination
Jason joined Churchill Asset Management in 2022 and currently serves as Managing Director, Origination with over fourteen years of experience in middle market leveraged finance. Previously, he was a Senior Vice President at Antares Capital, responsible for sourcing deals and managing relationships with West Coast private equity sponsors. Prior to that, he was a Vice President leading underwriting processes for senior debt financings supporting sponsored transactions. He began his career at GE Capital.
Jason graduated magna cum laude with a BBA from the University of Notre Dame, and he received his MBA from Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management. Additionally, he is a Certified Public Accountant.
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Jeffrey Rabaut
Managing Director, Origination
Jeff serves as a Managing Director at Churchill Asset Management with over fifteen 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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Vivek Sachidanand
Managing Director, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Vivek joined Churchill Asset Management in 2021 and serves as a Managing Director in the underwriting and portfolio management group. He has over 15 years of experience in middle market leveraged finance. Prior to joining Churchill, Vivek was a Principal in The Carlyle Group’s Global Credit platform, where he was responsible for originating, structuring, and executing private credit investments. Prior to joining Carlyle, Vivek was a Vice President at Jefferies Finance where he structured and underwrote senior and junior debt financings for sponsor-backed buyouts and M&A transactions. Vivek has also held roles at both Ivy Hill Asset Management and CIFC Asset Management, where he evaluated primary and secondary senior secured investment opportunities and managed a portfolio of investments across a variety of sectors.
Vivek earned a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Michigan.
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Tarek Srouji
Managing Director, Origination
Tarek joined Churchill Asset Management in 2018 and currently serves as a Managing Director in 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
Managing Director, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Mark rejoined Churchill Asset Management in 2020 and serves as a Managing Director 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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Nicholas Carroll
Principal, Origination
Nick joined Churchill Asset Management in 2017 and currently serves as a Principal in the Origination team with over nine 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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Pranai Cheroo
Principal, Origination
Pranai joined Churchill Asset Management in 2023, where he is responsible for originating and leading middle market financing transactions as well as developing relationships with private equity sponsors. He has been in middle market leveraged finance for over 14 years. Previously, he was a Principal at The Carlyle Group, responsible for sourcing deals and managing relationships with private equity firms, as well as leading the underwriting, structuring and execution of debt financings. Prior to his time at Carlyle, Pranai held similar positions at Summit Partners and BNP Paribas.
Pranai graduated with a BA from Tufts University, where he double majored in Quantitative Economics and Mathematics. He is based in Los Angeles.
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Jacob Iati
Principal, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Jake joined Churchill Asset Management in 2019 and currently serves as a Principal 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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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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Joseph McShane
Principal, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Joe joined Churchill Asset Management in 2022 where he currently serves as a Principal in the underwriting and portfolio management group with over twelve years of experience in senior lending and middle market leveraged finance. Previously, Joe held various roles at JPMorgan, where he was most recently a Vice President in the middle market banking division focused on originating and structuring transactions for private equity and venture capital backed corporate borrowers within the for-profit healthcare sector. Prior to that, he was a Vice President within the Investment Bank at JPMorgan working with the healthcare, consumer, and retail credit group, where he was primarily focused on leveraged finance transactions with both large and mid-cap healthcare corporate borrowers.
Joe graduated from the College of the Holy Cross with a B.A. in Political Science.
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Paul Sadlowski
Principal, Origination
Paul joined Churchill Asset Management in 2023 and currently serves as a Principal on the Origination team, where he is responsible for developing relationships with private equity sponsors and lenders. He brings over fifteen years of experience and expertise in private equity, leveraged finance and capital markets, having most recently served as Executive Director at J.P. Morgan in the firm’s Leveraged Finance Group. In this role, he was responsible for originating, underwriting and syndicating private equity and corporate financings. Paul began his career at Segall Bryant & Hamill Asset Management where he was an investment professional in the firm’s Fixed Income group.
Paul graduated from Vanderbilt University with a BA in Economics and History and has an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.
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Sanjeet Singh
Principal, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Sanjeet joined Churchill Asset Management in 2018 and currently serves as a Principal 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
Principal, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Justin joined Churchill Asset Management in 2020 and currently serves as a Principal 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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Matt Caulfield
Vice President, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Matt joined Churchill Asset Management in August 2021 and serves as a Vice President in the underwriting and portfolio management group with more than five years of leveraged finance experience. Most recently, Matt was a member of the middle market senior debt group at Manulife Investment Management. Matt started in leveraged finance at Crestline Denali Capital, a CLO asset manager. He began his career in the Deals practice at PWC in Chicago as a consultant advising clients on accounting considerations for capital markets and M&A activity.
Matt graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a B.S. in Finance and a B.S. in Accountancy.
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Lindsey Figliolino
Vice President, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Lindsey joined Churchill Asset Management in 2021 and currently serves as a Vice President in the underwriting and portfolio management group with more than seven years of experience in middle market leveraged finance. Previously, she was an underwriter with Bank of Ireland, providing financing solutions for middle market private equity-backed transactions. Lindsey began her career in the Asset Management Assurance Group at Ernst & Young.
Lindsey graduated from Drexel University, LeBow College of Business, with a B.S. in Business Administration with a dual concentration in accounting and finance.
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Malcolm Ferrell
Vice President, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Malcolm joined Churchill Asset Management in 2024 as a Vice President in the underwriting and portfolio management group with over ten years of experience in private credit and middle market leveraged finance. Previously, he was a Vice President on the direct lending team at Tree Line Capital Partners, an asset manager providing debt and equity financing solutions to sponsor-backed companies. Prior to that, Malcolm worked in leveraged finance at Capital One where he initially began his career in corporate banking within diversified industries.
Malcolm graduated from Texas Christian University with a B.B.A. in finance. He also received an M.B.A. from the University of Texas McCombs School of Business.
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Sam Gonzalez-Gross
Vice President, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Sam joined Churchill Asset Management in 2018 and currently serves as a Vice President in the underwriting and portfolio management group with over five years of experience in middle market leverage 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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Andrew Passero, CFA
Vice President, Capital Markets
Andy joined Churchill Asset Management in 2020 and currently serves as a Vice President focused on Capital Markets. 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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Jad Abdul-Aal
Senior Associate, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Jad joined Churchill Asset Management in 2019 and currently serves as a Senior Associate 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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Ryan Babakian, CFA
Senior Associate, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Ryan joined Churchill Asset Management in 2016 and currently serves as an Senior 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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Jordan Kenney, CFA
Senior Associate, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Jordan joined Churchill Asset Management in 2019 and currently serves as a Senior Associate 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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Kaela Klune
Senior Associate, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Kaela joined Churchill Asset Management in 2022 and currently serves as a Senior Associate in the underwriting and portfolio management group with more than seven years of experience in middle market leveraged finance. Previously, she was an underwriter with Annaly Capital Management, providing financing solutions for middle market private equity-backed transactions. Prior to Annaly, Kaela was an Associate in the Software Lending group at Wells Fargo.
Kaela graduated from Boston College, Carroll School of Management with a B.S. in Management, with a dual concentration in Finance and Management & Leadership.
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Colin Miller
Senior Associate, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Colin joined Churchill Asset Management in 2018 and currently serves as a Senior Associate 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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Andrew Kuntz
Associate, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Andrew joined Churchill Asset Management in 2021 and currently serves as an Associate in the underwriting and portfolio management group with four years of experience in leveraged finance. Previously, he was an Assistant Vice President at Antares Capital managing investor programs and providing financing solutions to middle market private-equity backed companies.
Andrew graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Gies College of Business with a B.S. in Finance.
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Tom Cohen
Associate, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Tom joined Churchill Asset Management in 2024 and currently serves as an Associate in the underwriting and portfolio management group with more than four years of experience in leveraged finance and financial restructuring. Previously, he was an Associate within the U.S. Direct Lending Group at Ares Management, providing financing solutions for private equity-backed transactions. Prior to Ares, Tom was an Analyst in the Financial Restructuring Group at Houlihan Lokey.
Tom graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, Walter A. Haas School of Business in 2019 with a B.S. in Business Administration.
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Jack McTiernan
Associate, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Jack joined Churchill Asset Management in 2022 and currently serves as an Associate in the underwriting and portfolio management group with two years of experience in leveraged finance. Previously, he was an Analyst within the Syndicated & Leveraged Finance Group at TD Securities focused on providing financing solutions for non-investment grade and private equity-backed transactions.
Jack graduated from Boston College, Carroll School of Management with a B.S. in Management, with concentrations in Finance and Business Analytics.
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Caroline Pate
Associate, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Caroline joined Churchill Asset Management in 2022 and currently serves as an Associate in the underwriting and portfolio management group with over two years of experience in the credit markets. Previously, she was an Analyst within the Consumer & Retail Corporate Banking Group at Wells Fargo, focused on providing financing solutions for large corporate customers as well as private-equity backed transactions.
Caroline graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Kenan-Flagler Business School in 2019 with a B.S. in Business Administration.
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Daryl Anderton
Senior Analyst, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Daryl joined Churchill Asset Management in 2023 and currently serves as a Senior Analyst in the underwriting and portfolio management group with two years of experience in leveraged finance. Previously, he was an Associate within the Leveraged Finance Credit Group at Bank of America, focused on providing financing solutions for non-investment grade and private equity-backed transactions. Prior to that, he held several positions at Bank of America focusing on various corporate treasury and credit risk initiatives.
Daryl graduated from East Carolina University in 2017 with a B.S. in Business Administration. He also received a Master’s in Accounting from North Carolina State University in 2018.
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John Bomba
Senior Analyst, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
John joined Churchill Asset Management in 2022 and currently serves as a Senior Analyst in the underwriting and portfolio management group with one year of prior experience in valuations and private debt. Previously, he was an Analyst within the Valuations and Opinions Group at Lincoln International, focused on providing debt and equity valuations for private-equity backed transactions.
John graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Gies College of Business in 2019 with a B.S. in Accounting.
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Jack Gaffney
Senior Analyst, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Jack joined Churchill Asset Management in 2022 and currently serves as a Senior Analyst in the underwriting and portfolio management group with two years of experience in technology, media, and telecommunications leveraged finance. Previously, he was an Analyst at CIT Group focused on providing financing solutions for middle market private-equity backed transactions.
Jack graduated from Boston College in 2020 with a B.A. in economics, with a minor in finance.
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Andrew Greene
Analyst, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Andrew joined Churchill Asset Management in 2024 and currently serves as an Analyst in the underwriting and portfolio management group with over two years of experience in leveraged finance. Previously, he was a Senior Analyst in the Leveraged Finance Underwriting group at Citi, focused on underwriting and monitoring loans extended to non-investment grade corporate and private equity-backed companies.
Andrew graduated from Middlebury College with a B.A. in Economics and History.
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Ryan Greenough
Analyst, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Ryan joined Churchill Asset Management in 2023 and currently serves as an Analyst in the underwriting and portfolio management group with two years of experience in leveraged finance. Previously, he was an Analyst on the Leveraged Finance Capital Markets team at Goldman Sachs focused on executing financings for non-investment grade companies.
Ryan graduated from the University of Iowa, Tippie College of Business with a B.B.A. in Accounting, and a B.B.A. in Finance.
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Timothy Henning
Analyst, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Tim joined Churchill Asset Management in 2024 and currently serves as an Analyst in underwriting and portfolio management. Prior to Churchill, Tim was a part of Wells Fargo’s Leveraged Underwriting team, focusing on credit analysis for sponsor-backed and corporate financing transactions.
He graduated from the University of South Florida in 2021 with a B.S. in Finance.
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Jason Strife
Senior Managing Director, Head of Junior Capital and Private Equity Solutions
Jason leads Churchill’s private equity and junior capital platform, including executing strategic initiatives, capital raising, sourcing investments, firm management, and portfolio construction for six mandates that provide debt and equity capital into the U.S. private equity middle market. Jason is a member of the firm’s Operating Committee and is Investment Committee Chair for six private equity and junior capital mandates, including LP commitments, equity co-investments, structured capital, secondaries, and junior loans.
Prior to joining Churchill, Jason was a Principal at Bison Capital, a Los Angeles based firm focused on junior capital investments. Prior to Bison Capital, Jason was an Associate at Weston Presidio, a private equity firm focused on growth capital and LBOs. Prior to Weston Presidio, Jason worked in the M&A group of Wachovia, executing private equity transactions.
Jason graduated from Wake Forest University with a Bachelor of Science in Analytical Finance and a Masters in Accounting, where he earned a scholarship for his graduate studies and passed the CPA examination. He currently sits on the Board of Visitors of the Wake Forest business school, and is involved with numerous boards and strategic committees, including at the Charlotte Latin School and the Congaree Global Golf Initiative.
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Derek Fricke
Senior Managing Director, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Derek serves as a Senior Managing Director 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 is a member of the firm’s Operating Committee and a member of the Private Equity and Junior Capital team’s Investment Committee overseeing six private equity and junior capital mandates, including LP commitments, equity co-investments, structured capital, secondaries and junior capital loans. 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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Anne Philpott, CFA
Managing Director, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Anne is a Managing Director on the Private Equity and Junior Capital team at Churchill Asset Management, where she is actively involved in sourcing and executing investments in junior capital and equity co-investments, as well as investments in private equity funds. She is also a member of the Private Equity and Junior Capital team’s Investment Committee, overseeing six private equity and junior capital mandates, including LP commitments, equity co-investments, structured capital, secondaries and junior capital loans. Additionally, Anne serves as Co-Head of Churchill’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council, where she collaborates on initiatives that prioritize inclusion and authenticity.
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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Michael Chiulli, CFA, CPA
Managing Director, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Michael is a Managing Director 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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Raja Doddala
Managing Director, Venture Capital & Growth Equity
Raja serves as a Managing Director and leads our venture capital and growth equity strategies. Raja’s mandate includes investments in venture capital funds across stages and growth stage technology companies in fintech, enterprise tech, health tech, prop tech, blockchain, and climate tech sectors. Raja joined TIAA’s parent company in 2016 as Head of digital and fintech strategy for TIAA’s retirement business. In 2018, Raja founded TIAA’s strategic fintech venture capital program where he built a portfolio of top tier fintech and enterprise tech VC fund investments.
Prior to his tenure at TIAA, Raja Spent 12 years at 7&I Holdings, the Japanese parent of 7-Eleven, the largest retailer in the world in terms of number of locations. At 7&I holdings, Raja started and grew several businesses at the intersection of retail, mobile and payments technologies. Raja founded 7-Ventures, a venture capital subsidiary of 7&I holdings that invests in technology and consumer goods start-ups.
Raja holds an MBA from Southern Methodist University in Dallas TX and Masters in Computer Science from La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia. Raja resides with his wife and 2 children in Dallas, Texas. Raja is an endurance athlete and enjoys road cycling.
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Nick Lawler
Managing Director, Head of Secondaries
Nick serves as a Managing Director and Head of Secondaries on the Private Equity and Junior Capital team at Churchill Asset Management, based in Chicago. His responsibilities include oversight of origination, underwriting and portfolio management activities for secondary investments. Prior to joining Churchill in 2022, he spent 10 years at 50 South Capital Advisors, LLC, the alternative investment arm of Northern Trust Corporation, where he was a Senior Vice President and helped build and lead the firm’s secondaries business. Nick also served on 50 South Capital’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. Before joining 50 South Capital, he was a member of Northern Trust’s Global Opportunities in Leadership Development (“GOLD”) program on the Investments Track – Northern’s functional and management training program. Nick joined Northern Trust in 2008 and began his career in Wealth Management.
Nick holds a B.A. in political science and minor in history from Boston College, where he was a member of the men’s varsity golf team, competing in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
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David McManama
Managing Director, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
David is a Managing Director 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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Dodson Worthington
Managing Director, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Dodson serves as a Managing Director 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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Lucas Fries, CFA
Principal, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Lucas is a Principal 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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Andrew Topping
Principal, Secondaries
Andrew serves as a Principal of Secondaries on the Private Equity and Junior Capital team for Churchill Asset Management. His role includes originating and underwriting transactions, and performing portfolio management activities for secondary investments. Prior to transitioning to Secondaries in 2023, Andrew spent over four years with Churchill focused on private equity fund commitments, mezzanine finance, and direct equity co-investments. Andrew has over nine 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. Andrew began his career in accounting performing transaction advisory services and accounting due diligence for middle market private equity transactions.
Andrew graduated from The College of William and Mary with a Masters in Accounting and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance.
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Patrick Anderson, CFA, CPA
Vice President, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Pat is a Vice President on the Private Equity and Junior Capital team at Churchill Asset Management. He is responsible for sourcing, underwriting, and executing venture capital/growth equity fund commitments and equity co-investments, including portfolio construction and management.
Previously, Pat joined Churchill’s parent organization, TIAA, in the Corporate Strategy & Development group. His responsibilities included Corporate Venture Capital investing, management consulting, M&A, and restructuring. Before TIAA, Pat was a Senior Manager at PwC, advising companies on capital raising, securitization transactions, and technology engagements.
Pat graduated with an MBA from Columbia University and earned an MS in Tax and a BS in Accounting/Economics from the State University of New York at Albany and Siena College, respectively. Pat is a CFA charter holder and licensed CPA. He is a member of both the CFA Society of New York and AICPA. Pat resides with his wife and dog in New York and enjoys traveling.
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Erica Cunningham
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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Tyler Donofrio
Vice President, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Tyler joined Churchill Asset Management in 2017 and currently serves as a Vice President on the Private Equity and Junior Capital team. Tyler is focused on sourcing, underwriting, executing, and monitoring investments in junior capital, equity co-investments and private equity funds. Previously, he was a Senior Associate on the Senior Lending Underwriting and Portfolio Management group. Prior to joining Churchill, 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 and received an M.B.A, with honors, with concentrations in Finance and Economics from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
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Adam Froendt
Vice President, 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
Vice President, Secondaries
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
Vice President, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Brandon joined the Private Equity and Junior Capital team in 2018 and currently serves as a Vice President 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
Vice President, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Brandon joined the Private Equity and Junior Capital team in 2020 and currently serves as a Vice President 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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Avery Ramsey
Vice President, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Avery joined Churchill Asset Management in 2020 and currently serves as a Vice President 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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Jay Valentine
Vice President, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Jay joined the Private Equity and Junior Capital team in 2018 and currently serves as a Vice President covering originations, underwriting, and portfolio management. 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
Vice President, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Davis joined the Private Equity and Junior Capital team in 2018 and currently serves as a Vice President covering originations, underwriting, and portfolio management. He has more than 5 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 with a B.A. in Economics and Media & Journalism.
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Connor Dunleavy
Senior Associate, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Connor joined the Private Equity and Junior Capital team in 2022 and currently serves as a Senior Associate covering originations, underwriting, and portfolio management. He has five years of middle market finance experience. Previously, Connor served as an investment banking associate in the Corporate & Institutional Markets Group at Regions Securities, where he worked on syndicated finance and M&A transactions.
Connor graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2017 with a B.S. in Business Administration from the Kenan-Flagler Business School.
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Adam Frank
Senior Associate, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Adam joined the Private Equity and Junior Capital team in 2022 and currently serves as a Senior Associate covering originations, underwriting, and portfolio management. Prior to his current role, Adam was a Director in FTI Consulting’s Restructuring Advisory practice where he advised companies, sponsors, and lenders through both in-court and out-of-court restructurings as well as other strategic finance matters. Previously, Adam was an Analyst within J.P. Morgan’s Investment Bank working with the Diversified Industries Leveraged Credit group where he underwrote leveraged finance transactions and monitored a portfolio of non-investment grade credits.
Adam graduated from The George Washington University School of Business with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance.
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Vince Pupi
Senior Associate, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Vince joined Churchill Asset Management in 2022 and currently serves as a Senior Associate in the Private Equity and Junior Capital group, where he is responsible for sourcing, executing and monitoring investments across mezzanine debt, equity co-investments and fund commitments. Prior to his current role, Vince was an Associate in Wells Fargo’s Corporate & Investment Banking – Technology, Media & Telecom group, focused on debt financing for M&A, recapitalizations, and other investment projects.
Vince graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill – Kenan-Flagler Business School in 2019 with a B.S. in Business Administration.
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Fraser Hahn
Associate, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Fraser joined Churchill Asset Management in 2023 as an Associate in the Private Equity and Junior Capital group, where he is responsible for sourcing, executing and monitoring investments across mezzanine debt, equity co-investments and fund commitments. Previously, Fraser served as an Associate with Lazard Frères & Co. where he focused on pitching, securing and executing M&A advisory engagements across the Consumer, Food & Retail sectors. Prior to his time at Lazard Frères & Co., Fraser was an associate with Citizen Bank’s Aerospace, Defense & Government Services team where he advised on a variety of strategic alternatives including acquisitions and debt financings. Prior to Citizens Bank, Fraser was a senior consultant with Ernst & Young’s Risk Advisory group.
Fraser graduated from Clemson University in 2016 with a B.S. in Finance.
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Eliza Ike
Associate, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Eliza joined Churchill Asset Management in 2023 as an Associate in the Private Equity and Junior Capital group, where she is responsible for covering originations, underwriting, and portfolio management. Prior to joining Churchill, Eliza was an Associate at Salem Investment Partners where she was involved in deal execution and portfolio monitoring. Previously, Eliza was a Consultant at Clarkston Consulting, where she advised clients in the Consumer Products industry.
Eliza graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill – Kenan-Flagler Business School in 2018 with a B.S. in Business Administration.
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Andrew DiCandilo
Senior Analyst, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Andrew joined Churchill Asset Management in 2023 as a Senior Analyst in the Private Equity and Junior Capital group, where he is responsible for sourcing, executing and monitoring investments across junior capital, equity co-investments and fund commitments. Prior to his current role, Andrew was an Analyst within Wells Fargo’s Leveraged Underwriting Investment Banking group, focused on debt financing for M&A and other investment projects.
Andrew graduated from the University of California, Berkeley – Haas School of Business in 2021 with a B.S. in Business Administration.
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Chris Freeze
Senior Managing Director, Co-Head of Nuveen Private Capital Business Development
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 CEO of TCG Securities LLC, Caryle’s broker/dealer. 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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David Heilbrunn
Senior Managing Director, Head of Product Development & Capital Raising
David oversees the product development and capital raising for Churchill Asset Management, an investment specialist 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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Alona Tolentino Gornick
Managing Director, Senior Investment Strategist and Co-Head of Chicago Office
Alona Gornick serves as a Managing Director, Senior Investment Strategist, and Co-Head of the Chicago Office for Churchill Asset Management. In her role, Alona provides meaningful investment insights across the private capital spectrum to the investment community, with a particular emphasis on the Private Wealth and Retail channel. She works closely with Nuveen’s global distribution team to deepen relationships with and educate Churchill’s investors and partners.
Alona also serves as Co-Head of Churchill’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council, where she collaborates on initiatives that prioritize inclusion and authenticity. Alona joined Churchill in 2017 as an Originator, developing relationships with leading private equity sponsors to source and structure high-quality deal flow for the platform.
Prior to joining Churchill, Alona spent 14 years in various investment, capital markets and investor relations roles at leading organizations, including Nuveen (Churchill’s parent company), Golden Gate Capital, and Oaktree Capital Management. She 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 Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her M.B.A. from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
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Jamal Hammoud
Managing Director, Senior Investment Strategist
Jamal Hammoud joined Churchill Asset Management in 2023 as a Managing Director, Senior Investment Strategist, leading Churchill’s and Arcmont’s (collectively, Nuveen Private Capital’s) business development efforts in the Middle East region. He works closely with distribution colleagues from Nuveen, Churchill and Arcmont to deepen relationships with and develop creative solutions to meet the unique needs of Middle Eastern investors.
Jamal has over 25 years of experience in business development, including identifying and building strategic partnerships with a diverse range of sovereign wealth funds, global institutions and family office investors.
Prior to this role, Jamal spent over three years at Credit Value Partners (CVP) as a Managing Director in Investor Relations and Business Development, where he identified investors in the Middle East and other regions interested in opportunistic credit strategies. Prior to CVP, Jamal founded Milestones Capital in 2008, an international fund placement agent and financial services firm responsible for advising asset managers seeking to grow their investor base in the Middle East and Europe. He also advised institutional investors to identify investment managers and opportunities to fulfill their strategy mandates in private equity, real estate, hedge funds and non-alternative long-only investments. Previously, Jamal worked with Wall Street Global, where he established and developed WSG’s business presence in the Middle East. Jamal began his career at Merrill Lynch.
Jamal received a B.S. from Marquette University and an M.B.A. from the Simon Business School at the University of Rochester.
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Meredith Chu McDonald
Managing Director, Senior Investment Strategist, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Meredith Chu serves as Managing Director – Senior Investment Strategist for Churchill’s global private equity business, focusing on providing a best-in-class investor experience for Churchill’s global limited partners. In her current role, she spearheads investor relations and business development for Churchill’s private equity strategies, where Churchill has committed $15.9 billion to middle market GPs. Meredith works closely with Nuveen’s global distribution team to deliver effective solutions to limited partners.
Prior to joining Churchill in 2022, Meredith spent 11 years at The Carlyle Group as a Product Specialist, where she led the project management of 20+ global capital raises for Carlyle’s private equity and AlpInvest solutions strategies across a diverse range of products. Key highlights include: Carlyle’s flagship U.S. buyout fund (the largest North American private equity fundraising in the industry at the time); Carlyle’s first one-and-done fundraising; and multiple fundraises that were achieved at the hard caps.
Meredith graduated from Rice University with a B.A. in Sociology and Managerial Studies. She currently holds her Series 7, 24, and 63 licenses.
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Gene Miao
Managing Director, Senior Investment Strategist, Senior Lending
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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Laura Stolfi
Managing Director, Senior Investment Strategist
Laura serves as a Managing Director, Senior Investment Strategist for Churchill Asset Management. In her role, Laura provides meaningful investment insights across the private capital spectrum to the investment community, with a particular emphasis on the Private Wealth and Retail channel. She works closely with Nuveen’s global distribution team to deepen relationships with and educate Churchill’s investors and partners.
From 2014 to 2021, she worked for Invesco’s Global Private Credit platform where she supported new business development and institutional client communications, shaping investor messaging and business strategy globally. Previously, Laura worked in corporate finance and investor relations at CIFC Asset Management where she supported marketing efforts and was responsible for financial projections on behalf of their private equity owners. Prior to CIFC, she was an associate at Goldman Sachs, where she worked in the firm’s investment management finance division focused on credit strategies. Laura began her career at Deloitte & Touche. She entered the investment management industry in 2003.
Laura graduated with both a B.S. in Business with a major in Accounting and an M.S. in Accounting from the University of Connecticut. She is a Certified Public Accountant (inactive) and holds the FINRA Series 7 and Series 66 registrations.
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Jessica Tannenbaum
Managing Director, Head of Marketing and Communications
Jessica joined Churchill Asset Management in 2018 and currently serves as Managing Director, Head of Marketing and Communications 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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Matthew Battle
Principal, Investment Strategist
Matthew Battle is a Principal, Investment Strategist at Churchill Asset Management. In this role, Matt is responsible for investor coverage and new capital formation across the firm’s private equity and private credit strategies including co-investment, secondaries, structured capital, and senior and junior lending. Matt works closely with Nuveen’s global distribution team to deepen and expand Churchill’s investor relationships.
Prior to his current role, Matt spent two years as the Director of Private Equity Investor Relations at Black Diamond Capital Management. In this capacity, Matt was responsible for all aspects of Black Diamond’s private equity investor relations efforts.
Prior to that, Matt spent nine years at The Carlyle Group focused on investor relations and fundraising activities in the United States. At Carlyle, Matt was actively involved in relationship management, product development, fund formation, and marketing strategy across the firm’s investment platform.
Matt received his B.S. in Finance (Summa Cum Laude) from Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business. He maintains Series 7 and 63 licenses.
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Sherry Chen
Principal, Head of Digital Marketing
Sherry serves as a Principal and the Head of Digital Marketing 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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Emily Manuel
Principal, Investor Relations
Emily Manuel joined Churchill Asset Management in 2021 and currently serves as Principal, Investor Relations.
Previously, Emily was an Associate Vice President on the Investor Relations team at the Carlyle Group, a global investment firm. Emily has over 12 years of experience within the financial services industry, beginning her career at John Hancock Mutual Funds.
Emily received her B.S. in Psychology from Tulane University.
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Saheedat Onifade
Principal, Investment Strategist, Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions
Saheedat is a Principal, Investment Strategist at Churchill Asset Management. In this role, Saheedat is responsible for investor coverage and new capital formation across the firm’s private equity and junior capital strategies including primary fund commitments, co-investments, secondaries and junior lending. Saheedat works closely with Nuveen’s global distribution team to deepen and expand Churchill’s investor relationships.
Prior to joining Churchill in 2023, Saheedat worked at Nuveen, focusing on capital raising efforts across Nuveen’s $20bn+ global private equity platform including Churchill, Nuveen Impact private equity and Winslow growth equity.
Prior to Nuveen, she worked at KKR & Co., within their investing and capital markets team across the U.S. and Europe. She started her career at Goldman Sachs, in their investment banking division covering Financial Institutions and Leveraged Finance companies.
Saheedat graduated with honors from the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia with a B.S. in Business Administration, majoring in Banking & Finance. She currently holds her FINRA Series 7, 79 and 66 licenses.
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Sofia Azar
Vice President, Investor Relations
Sofia Azar is a Vice President, Investor Relations at Churchill Asset Management.
Prior to joining Churchill in 2023, Sofia was a Client Relations Manager at Mandatum Asset Management, a Nordic asset management company. Before that, she was a Senior Product Specialist at the Carlyle Group, focused on fundraising and investor relations for Carlyle’s private equity funds and AlpInvest’s private equity solutions strategies. Sofia has over 10 years of experience in the financial services industry.
Sofia received her B.A. in Art History from Davidson College.
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Sunny Huang, CFA, CPA
Vice President, Product Development
Sunny joined Churchill Asset Management in 2019 as a Senior 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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Samantha Rapaport
Vice President, Product Development & Investor Relations
Samantha joined Churchill Asset Management in 2021 and currently serves as a Vice President in 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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Matthew Ricotta
Vice President, Investor Relations
Matthew joined Churchill Asset Management in 2019 and currently serves as a Vice President 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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Katie Travers
Vice President, Investor Relations
Katie joined Churchill Asset Management in 2021. She currently serves as Vice President, Investor Relations and is responsible for managing Churchill’s Request for Proposal (RFP) process.
Previously, Katie was an Associate Vice President on the Global Client Relations team at Nuveen and TIAA, supporting the broader private asset classes in the capacity of writing RFPs. Katie has nearly 15 years of experience in the financial services industry, beginning in real estate investment consulting.
Katie received her B.A. in Communications and Masters in Communications Management from John Carroll University.
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Meaghan Fortney
Senior Associate, Marketing and Communications
Meaghan joined Churchill in 2024 and currently serves as a Senior Associate on the Marketing and Communications team. Previously, Meaghan was a Senior Associate on the Communications team at TPG Angelo Gordon, an alternative asset management firm.
Meaghan graduated summa cum laude from The University of Alabama with a B.A. in International Affairs & Analytics and minors in Public Relations and Spanish.
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Raja Amara
Associate, Investor Relations
Raja joined Churchill Asset Management in 2023 as an Associate on the Investor Relations team with over four years of experience in the financial services industry. Previously, Raja was an Associate on the Investor Relations team at Sun Capital Partners, a global private equity firm.
Raja graduated from Carnegie Mellon University, Tepper School of Business with a B.S. in Business Administration, with a concentration in Finance and an Economics minor.
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Emma Duff
Associate, Investor Relations
Emma joined Churchill Asset Management in 2024 and currently serves as an Associate, Investor Relations and assists in Churchill’s Request for Proposal (RFP) process.
Previously, Emma was an Associate on the Client Service team at Boston Partners Global Investors, working with Institutional clients in the public equities space. Prior to this, she served as a writer on their RFP team. Emma has nearly 7 years of experience in the financial services industry.
Emma graduated from Providence College with a B.A. in American Studies and a minor in English.
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Tyler Reeves
Associate, Investor Relations
Tyler joined Churchill Asset Management in 2022 and currently serves as an Associate on the Investor Relations team. Previously, Tyler worked as a Senior Analyst at StepStone Group, where he focused on fundraising and investor relations for the firm’s venture capital business.
Tyler graduated from Hood College in 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts in Finance. He is a CAIA level two candidate and has held the FINRA Series 7 and 63 licenses.
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Evan Velleca, CFA
Associate, Investor Relations
Evan joined Churchill Asset Management in 2021 and currently serves as an Associate on the Investor Relations team. Previously, he was an Analyst at CrossBay Capital Partners, a private capital placement agent, where he focused on product diligence and supporting the distribution of alternative investment strategies to institutional investors.
Evan graduated summa cum laude from Sacred Heart University in 2019 with a B.S. in Finance and Business Economics. He is a CFA charterholder and a CAIA charterholder.
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Michael Secchiaroli
Associate, Investor Relations
Michael joined Churchill Asset Management in 2024 and currently serves as an Associate on the Investor Relations team. Previously, Michael worked at Oak Hill Advisors, L.P. where he focused on private fund formation, fundraising, and product development matters. Michael started his career at Cleary Gottlieb where he was a paralegal in the firm’s corporate transactions practice.
Michael graduated cum laude from Union College with a B.A. in Political Science and a Philosophy minor.
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Katie Zwetolitz
Associate, Investor Relations
Katie joined Churchill Asset Management in 2022 and currently serves as an Associate on the Investor Relations team. Previously, she worked at Bank of America for four years in Leveraged Finance, Special Assets, and Valuations.
Katie graduated from the University of Virginia in 2018 and received a B.S. from the McIntire School of Commerce with concentrations in Finance and Marketing.
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Katie Cutrone
Senior Analyst, Investor Relations
Katie joined Churchill Asset Management in 2022 and currently serves as an Investor Relations Senior Analyst. Previously, Katie was a Mergers and Acquisitions Analyst at Rabobank, where she covered the Food and Agriculture sectors.
Katie graduated magna cum laude from Cornell University with a B.S. in Applied Economics and Management and a concentration in Finance from the Charles H. Dyson School.
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Shai Vichness, CFA
Senior Managing Director & Chief Financial Officer
Shai serves as the chief financial officer of Churchill Asset Management, an investment specialist 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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Marissa Short
Managing Director, Funds Controller
Marissa joined Churchill Asset Management in 2018 and currently serves as Managing Director, 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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Phil Beissner
Managing Director, Management Company Controller
Philip joined Churchill Asset Management in 2021 and currently serves as Managing Director, Management Company Controller with over fifteen years of accounting and finance experience. Prior to joining Churchill, he was the corporate controller at Eagle Point Credit Management LLC where he was directly involved with the enhancement of its accounting and financial reporting infrastructure. Earlier in his career, Philip also worked at W. P. Carey Inc. as vice president of financial reporting. Philip began his career in public accounting at Marcum LLP where he was responsible for financial statement audits of SEC filing clients.
Philip received both a B.S. and M.S. in Accounting from St. John’s University and is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of New York. He has passed all three levels of the CFA exam.
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Ben Love, CFA
Managing Director, Head of Fund Finance
Ben joined Churchill in February 2022 as a Managing Director, Head of Fund Finance. He is responsible for the development of the Firm’s leverage strategy as well as the sourcing, execution and monitoring of financing arrangements across the platform. Ben focuses on all forms of bilateral and syndicated lending facilities, as well as public and private debt solutions, including collateralized loan obligations (“CLOs”).
Previously, Ben worked as a director within Wells Fargo’s investment bank serving as a structured finance specialist. He was responsible for relationship origination and management, as well as leading the structuring and execution of CLO transactions and various types of lending facilities. He began his career in Wells Fargo’s sales and trading division, working as an analyst on a fixed income sales desk.
Ben graduated with a B.B.A from Roanoke College and received an M.B.A from Queens University of Charlotte. He is a CFA charterholder.
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Matt McNamara
Principal, Head of Tax
Matt joined Churchill in 2024 and currently serves as Principal, Head of Tax. Previously, he was Tax Director, TIAA/Nuveen responsible for the tax function of Nuveen’s third-party fund asset managers, including Churchill. Prior to joining TIAA/Nuveen Matt spent much of his career with Ernst & Young, LLP’s financial services office where he provided tax compliance and consulting services to a variety of hedge and private equity clients in both the Chicago and Charlotte markets.
Matt graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign where he obtained his B.S. in Accountancy. He also holds a Masters in Taxation from Northern Illinois University. Matt maintains his Enrolled Agent (EA) Credential through the Internal Revenue Service.
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Sydney Nyajeka
Principal, Finance
Sydney joined Churchill Asset Management in 2021 and currently serves as a Principal in Finance with eleven years of financial services experience. Previously, he was a senior manager in PwC’s Asset and Wealth Management Practice, responsible for planning and executing financial statement audits of Direct Lending Private Credit Funds, Business Development Companies, Private Equity Funds and Hedge Funds.
Sydney received his B.S in Accounting and Postgraduates in Advanced Accounting and Applied Accounting from the University of South Africa. He is a Chartered Accountant with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Zimbabwe and is a member of the Chartered Accountants Worldwide (CAW) network.
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Gareth Wall
Principal, Finance
Gareth joined Churchill Asset Management in 2020 and currently serves as a Principal 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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Joe Durkin
Vice President, Finance
Joe joined Churchill Asset Management in 2019 and currently serves as a Vice President 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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Lauren Hopson
Vice President, Finance
Lauren joined Churchill Asset Management in 2022 and currently serves as a Vice President in Finance. Previously, Lauren was a Senior Fund Accountant at Warburg Pincus, responsible for the preparation of quarterly and annual financial statements of Private Equity Funds. Before Warburg, Lauren worked at Ernst & Young LLP in the Wealth and Asset Management Practice where she was responsible for the planning and execution of financial statement audits of Private Equity Funds.
Lauren received both a B.S. in Business Administration with a major in Accounting and an M.S. in Accounting from Southern Methodist University. Lauren is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of New York.
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Jessica Medaglia
Vice President, Finance
Jessica joined Churchill Asset Management in 2021 and currently serves as a Vice President in Finance and Accounting. Previously, she was a Senior Fund Accountant at Siguler Guff & Company, LP, responsible for the preparation of annual and quarterly financial statements of Private Equity Funds and Credit Funds. Before Siguler Guff, she worked at Ernst & Young, LLP in the Wealth and Asset Management Practice where she was responsible for financial statement audits of Private Equity Funds, and Hedge Funds.
Jessica received a B.B.A in Accounting from James Madison University, an M.B.A in Public Accounting from Iona College and is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of New York.
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Kevin Oliver
Vice President, Finance
Kevin joined Churchill Asset Management in 2024 and currently serves as Vice President in Finance with over twenty years of accounts payable experience, primarily in the financial services industry. Previously, he was a Senior Accounts Payable Specialist at Warburg Pincus LLC, responsible for accounts payables for all foreign & domestic offices.
Kevin received an AAS in Finance, minoring economics from the Borough of Manhattan Community College.
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Gina Raspa
Vice President, Finance
Gina joined Churchill Asset Management in 2022 and currently serves as Vice President, Assistant Controller, Finance. Previously, she was the Assistant Controller at Sound Point Capital Management, responsible for the accounting and reporting of the management company. Earlier in her career, Gina worked at VanEck as a Senior Corporate Accountant and began her career in public accounting at Deloitte where she worked on financial statement audits for both SEC and non-SEC clients.
Gina graduated from Quinnipiac University with a B.S. in both Accounting and Finance and is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of New Jersey.
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Nicholas Tandoi
Vice President, Finance
Nick joined Churchill Asset Management in 2023 and currently serves as a Vice President in Finance and Accounting. Previously, Nick was an Assistant Vice President at Oaktree Capital Management, LP where he was responsible for the fund accounting, reporting, and operations of Emerging Market Debt and Opportunity Funds. Prior to Oaktree, he was a Manager in the Wealth and Asset Management Practice at Ernst & Young LLP, responsible for the planning and execution of financial statement audits of Hedge Funds, Private Equity Funds, and Mutual Funds.
Nick graduated from Fairfield University with a B.S. in Accounting. He also received a Masters in Accounting from Fairfield University. Nick is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of New York.
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Brian Walsh
Vice President, Finance
Brian joined Churchill Asset Management in 2021 and currently serves as a Vice President in Finance. Previously, he was a senior in the Wealth and Asset Management Practice at Ernst & Young LLP, responsible for planning and executing financial statement audits of Hedge Funds, Private Equity Funds, and Business Development Companies.
Brian received his B.S. in Accounting from Fordham University.
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Ryan Wells
Vice President, Finance
Ryan joined Churchill Asset Management in 2021 and currently serves as a Vice President in Finance. Previously, he was a manager in the Wealth and Asset Management Practice at Ernst & Young LLP, responsible for financial statement audits of Hedge Funds, Mutual Funds, and Private Equity Funds.
Ryan received his B.S. in Accounting and Finance from the University of Maryland and is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of New York.
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Ryan Wydra
Vice President, Fund Finance
Ryan joined Churchill in May 2023 and currently serves as a Vice President within the Fund Finance vertical. He is responsible for assisting with the development of the Firm’s leverage strategy, including the sourcing, execution, and monitoring of financing arrangements across the platform. Ryan focuses on all forms of bilateral and syndicated lending facilities, as well as public and private debt solutions, including collateralized loan obligations (“CLOs”).
Previously, Ryan worked as an associate within Wells Fargo’s Structured Products Group, focusing on Asset Backed Lines and CLOs. Ryan graduated with a B.S. in Business Administration with a second major in Economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
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Lily Xuan
Vice President, Finance
Lily joined Churchill Asset Management in 2022 and currently serves as Vice President in Finance with thirteen years of financial services experience. Previously, she was a Director in PwC’s Asset and Wealth Management Practice, responsible for planning and executing financial statement audits of Business Development Companies, Direct Lending Private Credit Funds, Private Equity Funds and Hedge Funds.
Lily received her B.S. in Accounting from Baruch College, City University of New York. She is a certified public accountant in the state of New York.
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Victoria Adinolfi
Senior Associate, Finance
Victoria joined Churchill Asset Management in 2022 and currently serves as a Senior Associate in Finance and Accounting. Previously, Victoria was a senior in PwC’s Asset and Wealth Management Practice, where she worked on financial statement audits for clients in the private equity, investment management, real estate, and insurance industries.
Victoria graduated from the University of Miami and received both her B.S and M.S. in Accounting and has passed all four CPA examinations.
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Douglas Halpin
Senior Associate, Finance
Douglas joined Churchill Asset Management in 2022 and currently serves as a Senior Associate in Finance. Previously, Douglas was a Senior Associate in the Wealth and Asset Management practice at Ernst & Young LLP, responsible for planning, preparation, and review of financial statement audit and valuation services for the firm’s premier Private Equity clients.
Douglas graduated from Villanova University in 2019 and received a B.B.A. in Finance and Accountancy.
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Alithea Culmer Perry
Senior Associate, Finance
Alithea joined Churchill Asset Management in 2022 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 of Hedge Funds and Private Equity Funds.
Alithea received her B.S. and MBA in Accounting from Caldwell University and is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of New York.
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Susie Speakmaster
Senior Associate, Finance
Susie joined Churchill Asset Management in 2023 and currently serves as a Senior Associate in Finance. Previously, Susie was a Senior Fund Accountant at Schonfeld, responsible for monthly financial reporting and the annual financial statements of Hedge Funds. Before Schonfeld, Susie worked at Ernst & Young LLP in the Wealth and Asset Management practice where she was responsible for the planning and execution of financial statement audits of Hedge Funds and Private Equity Funds.
Susie received a B.S. in Business Administration with a major in Accounting from Binghamton University. Susie is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of New York.
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John Wein
Senior Associate, Finance
John joined Churchill Asset Management in 2021 and currently serves as a Senior Associate in Finance and Accounting. Previously, he was a Senior Associate in the Asset Management Practice at Cohn Reznick and KPMG, responsible for planning and executing financial statement audits of Private Equity Funds.
John received both a B.S and M.S. in Accounting from Fairfield University.
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Sarah Welden
Senior Associate, Finance
Sarah joined Churchill Asset Management in 2022 and currently serves as a Senior Associate in Finance and Accounting. Previously, Sarah was an analyst at Aquarian Holdings where she was responsible for the general accounting and financial reporting of the management company. Prior to Aquarian, Sarah was an analyst at Arrow Capital Management where she provided operations and accounting support for their funds.
Sarah graduated from DePaul University with a B.A. in Accounting and minor in Economics.
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Carol Qiao
Associate, Finance
Carol joined Churchill Asset Management in 2022 and currently serves as an Associate in Finance. Previously, she was a Senior in PwC’s Asset and Wealth Management Practice, responsible for planning and executing financial statement audits of Hedge Funds and Private Equity Funds.
Carol received her B.S.B.A. in Accounting and Financial Management from Bucknell University. She is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of New York.
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Shai Vichness, CFA
Senior Managing Director & Chief Financial Officer
Shai serves as the chief financial officer of Churchill Asset Management, an investment specialist 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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Courtney DeBolt
Managing Director, Head of Business Systems & Operations
Courtney joined Churchill Asset Management in 2021 and currently serves as a Managing Director, Head of Business Systems & Operations. She has over 15 years of investment operations experience and was previously a Vice President at Ares Management overseeing the middle office for liquid credit and private equity. Prior to managing the middle office, she also held roles managing the reconciliation team and within the account onboarding team. Before Ares Management, she worked at Bain Capital Credit in their Boston and London offices. During her time at Bain Capital Credit, she held various operational roles in project management, settlements, and loan servicing.
Courtney received her BS in International Business, with a concentration in Finance, from Northeastern University.
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Steve Dobson
Principal, Operations, Treasury
Steve joined Churchill Asset Management in 2022 and currently serves as Principal, Treasury Operations. He has over 20 years of industry experience and was previously at Anchorage Capital Group within Treasury Operations, responsible for managing the firms Liquidity, Cash and Collateral management.
Prior to this he worked at Goldentree Asset Management and Deutsche Bank, where he managed various operations and middle office teams within Treasury, Foreign Exchange, and Project Management.
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Luke Garriton
Principal, Operations
Luke joined Churchill Asset Management in 2019 and currently serves as a Principal 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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Kevin McMillin
Principal, Infrastructure & Technology
Kevin joined Churchill Asset Management in 2021 as Head of Investment Analytics & Support and has over ten years of experience in financial markets. He is focused on the firm’s infrastructure and management of data across the platform. Additionally, Kevin oversees the Investment Analytics & Support team, which covers the Senior Lending and Private Equity & Junior Capital businesses.
Previously, Kevin was at Citadel LLC, responsible for tactical and strategic technology and data implementation across the global multi-strategy hedge fund and market making businesses. Prior to Citadel, he was a Manager on the Foreign Exchange business line at CME Group.
Kevin earned his B.S. from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and an M.B.A. from Loyola University Chicago Quinlan School of Business.
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Chris Schultz
Principal, Operations
Chris joined Churchill Asset Management in 2021 and currently serves as a Principal in Operations. Prior to joining Churchill, Chris was a Director at Bain Capital. While at Bain, he was responsible for managing the trade settlement function across the Credit, Public Equity and Partnership Strategies business units. Chris began his career at State Street where he held various operational roles supporting the asset management, securities lending and custody lines of business.
Chris received his B.A. in History from the College of the Holy Cross and his M.B.A. from Boston College.
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Arjun Chhabra
Vice President, Infrastructure & Technology
Arjun joined Churchill Asset Management in 2019 and currently serves as a Vice President, 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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Michael St. Clair
Vice President, Operations
Mike joined Churchill Asset Management in 2020 and currently serves as a Vice President 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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Marina Elkinyuk
Vice President, Operations
Marina joined Churchill Asset Management in 2020 and currently serves as a Vice President 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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Andy Gilvey
Vice President, Operations
Andy joined Churchill in 2021 and currently serves as a Vice President in Operations. Previously, Andy was a Loan Operations Work Director at MUFG Union Bank where he was responsible for servicing Syndicated/Commercial loans as well as cash account monitoring and reconciliation. Prior to that, he worked as a Portfolio Administrator with U.S. Bank in their Corporate Trust division serving as trustee for collateral managers.
Andy received his B.A in Interdisciplinary Studies with minors in Business Administration and Economics from Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.
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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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Joseph Piperato
Vice President, Operations
Joe joined Churchill Asset Management in January 2023 as a Vice President in Operations supporting the Junior Capital and Private Equity Team. Previously, Joe was a Senior Accountant at TIAA where he spent nearly two decades in the Investment Accounting Operations group. Joe began his career at JPMorgan.
Joe received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Saint Peter’s University.
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Brian Thompson
Vice President, Operations
Brian joined Churchill Asset Management in 2021 and currently serves as a Vice President in Operations. Previously, Brian worked at Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank. In this capacity, his team served as Trustee for 20 structured finance deals and he was responsible for monitoring portfolio compliance for all vehicles, signing off on quarterly waterfall calculations and payments, and overseeing daily cash movement and account reconciliation.
Brian graduated from Colgate University with a B.A. in Economics and a minor in Political Science
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Zachary Zetlin
Vice President, Operations
Zachary joined Churchill Asset Management in 2022 and currently serves as Vice President of Operations. Prior to joining Churchill, Zachary worked at Alvarez and Marsal in the Restructuring group. Zachary was responsible for developing Thirteen-Week Cash Flow, Three Statement and Recovery models, as well as performing other ad-hoc analysis for companies.
Zachary received his B.A. in Economics from Amherst College and his J.D. from Fordham University School of Law.
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Graves Ganzert
Senior Associate, Operations
Graves joined Churchill Asset Management in 2022 and currently serves as a Senior Associate in Operations. Previously, Graves was a Loan Operations Work Director at MUFG Union Bank where his responsibilities included cash reconciliation and servicing Syndicated loans. Prior to that, he worked as a Senior Loan Operations Analyst for Credit Suisse in their Loan Agency division servicing a multibillion-dollar portfolio of Syndicated/Commercial loans.
Graves graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2015 with a B.A in Economics and a minor in English.
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Josh Guercio
Senior Associate, Operations
Josh joined Churchill Asset Management in 2021 and currently serves as a Senior Associate in Operations. Previously, Josh was a Senior Portfolio Administrator at U.S. Bank, he served as the trustee for Collateral Managers and was responsible for trade settlement of broadly syndicated, primary, secondary, and direct lending deals, as well as reconciling cash and reporting. Prior to that, Josh served as a Junior Portfolio Administrator and Analyst at U.S. Bank.
Josh graduated from the University of North Carolina in 2017 with a B.A. in Economics and a minor in Cognitive Science.
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Patricia Harris
Senior Associate, Operations
Patricia joined Churchill Asset Management in 2023 and currently serves as Senior Associate, Fund Surveillance and Portfolio Compliance. Previously, Patricia was an Assistant Vice President at Anchorage Capital Group, where she was responsible for their CLO portfolio compliance, reporting, and platform management. Patricia also served as an Analyst at EY, where she focused on auditing CLOs for collateral managers.
Patricia graduated cum laude from Louisiana State University with a B.S. in Finance and a minor in Political Science. She also received her Master of Business Administration, specializing in Finance, from Louisiana State University.
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Jackson Wexler
Senior Associate, Infrastructure & Technology
Jackson Wexler joined Churchill Asset Management in 2021 as an Associate on the Investment Analytics and Support team and has over two years of experience in the financial services industry. He is focused on the development of the firm’s infrastructure with the goal of streamlining and automating reporting processes across the business.
Previously, Jackson was a Technology Associate at Morgan Stanley, where he served as a Business and Data Analyst in the Global Banking Technology division. Within this role, Jackson leveraged data to automate reporting and develop analytical tools.
Jackson graduated cum laude from the University of Florida’s Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering in 2019 with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science.
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Karen Yen
Senior Associate, Infrastructure & Technology
Karen joined Churchill Asset Management in 2018 as a Senior Associate, Data Analytics 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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Morgan Blume
Associate, Infrastructure & Technology
Morgan Blume joined Churchill Asset Management in 2023 as an Associate on the Investment Infrastructure and Technology team. Previously, Morgan was a Data Analyst in the Chief Investment Office at Bank of America where she was responsible for building investment analytics tools and dashboards, and automating reporting. Prior to that she served as a Technology Analyst at Bank of America Private Bank.
Morgan graduated from the Syracuse University College of Engineering and Computer Science in 2019 with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science.
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Nara Enkhsaikhan
Associate, Operations
Nara joined Churchill Asset Management in 2022 and currently serves as an Associate in Operations. Previously, Nara was a middle office Executive at Macquarie Capital within the Debt Capital Markets team, where she provided support to the business in the form of assisting and owning deal closing & funding obligations as well as loan administration.
Nara graduated with a B.B.A. from Lehman College, CUNY and a minor in English.
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Owen Donnelly
Senior Analyst, Infrastructure & Technology
Owen Donnelly joined Churchill Asset Management in 2023 as a Senior Analyst on the Investment Infrastructure and Technology team. He is focused on the development of the firm’s infrastructure with the goal of streamlining and automating reporting processes across the business.
Previously he worked for over two years at PwC as a Technology Consultant strategizing and implementing technology solutions for Private Equity firms and Hedge Funds. A few of these efforts included data pipeline development, FP&A dashboarding, GP accounting system implementation, and target operating model assessment.
Owen graduated cum laude from the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business in 2021 with a B.A. in Business Analytics and a supplementary major in Applied Computational Math and Statistics.
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Gordon MacDonald
Senior Analyst, Infrastructure & Technology
Gordon MacDonald Joined Churchill Asset Management in 2023 and currently serves as a Senior Analyst on the Investment Infrastructure and Technology team. Previously, he was at Deloitte in their Digital Forensics and Technology Group focusing on fraud and financial crime investigations.
Gordon graduated from the University of Georgia in 2021 with a B.B.A in Risk Management & Insurance, an Actuarial Science Certificate, and a minor in Classical Culture. Gordon received a Master of Science in Business Analytics from the University of Georgia in 2022.
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Nick Miers
Senior Analyst, Operations
Nicholas joined Churchill Asset Management in 2022 and currently serves as a Senior Analyst in Operations Asset Servicing. Previously, Nicholas was an Analyst at MUFG Bank where he was responsible for managing a portfolio containing Syndicated & Commercial loans as well as servicing CLO warehouse financing and cash reconciliation.
Nicholas graduated from the University of Mississippi in 2019 with a B.B.A. in Business Management and a minor in Entrepreneurship.
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Thomas Jones
Analyst, Operations
Thomas joined Churchill Asset Management in 2022 and currently serves as an Analyst in Operations. Previously, Thomas was a Data Operations Analyst at Chronograph PE where he was responsible for tracking private equity fund information for General Partners and maintaining their historical investment metrics. Prior to that, Thomas served as a Mortgage Loan Tester at Berkeley Research Group.
Thomas graduated from Marist College with a B.S. in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance and a minor in Communications.
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Christopher Cox
Senior Managing Director & Chief Risk Officer
Chris is the chief risk officer for Churchill Asset Management, an investment specialist 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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Carol Loundon
Managing Director, Deputy Chief Risk Officer
Carol joined Churchill Asset Management in 2015 and currently serves as a Managing Director of Deputy Chief Risk Officer 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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Alex Cole
Senior Associate, Portfolio Management
Alex serves as a Senior Associate in Risk Management. Prior to joining Churchill in 2023, Alex spent the last 9 years working on reporting and technology integration for Direct Lending, Structured Credit and Special Situation Credit Market Opportunities strategies.
Alex graduated from Fordham University with a B.A. in Economics.
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Brent Chase
Managing Director, Head of Workout
Brent joined Churchill Asset Management in 2020 and currently serves as a Managing Director, Head of Workout in the risk management team. 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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Mickey Weatherston
Managing Director, Head of Responsible Investing
Mickey is the Head of Responsible Investing for Churchill Asset Management, an investment specialist of Nuveen.
Prior to joining the firm, Mickey was the director of marketing and client service at Muzinich & Co., where he was responsible for ESG integration for the company’s public and private debt strategies. Before that, he worked as a vice president for AQR Capital Management and spent 12 years as an executive director for UBS Investment Bank. Mickey began his career at Goldman Sachs and received his BS in finance from the University of Maryland. He holds the FINRA Series 7, 24, and 63 licenses and the CFA Institute Certificate in ESG Investing.
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Matthew Cianella
Principal, Portfolio Management
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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Preston Kafka
Principal, Valuation Specialist
Preston joined Churchill Asset Management in 2021 and currently serves as Principal, Valuations Specialist. Previously, he was a Vice President in the Asset Management Division at Goldman Sachs, responsible for managing the quarterly valuation process for private investments within the BDC fund complex. Prior to Goldman Sachs, he was a real estate loan underwriter at FACo, a Blackstone company. Preston has expertise in valuation techniques used to mark-to-market investments, developing financial models, and risk assessment. Preston also has experience in financial reporting and portfolio metric calculation.
Preston received a B.S. in Economics from Vanderbilt University in 2011 and a M.S. in Accounting from Wake Forest University in 2012. Preston is a CFA charterholder and licensed CPA.
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Cynthia Qualls
Principal, Portfolio Management
Cynthia joined Churchill Asset Management in 2021 and serves as Principal, Investment Analytics and Support on the Risk Management Team. She focuses primarily on Private Equity and Junior Capital portfolio reporting, attribution, and portfolio management activities. Cynthia has over 15 years of financial analysis and portfolio analytics experience at Nuveen and TIAA supporting the broader private asset classes, Private Placements, Impact Investing, and Energy and Infrastructure, with their reporting needs. Most recently, she held the position of Director on the Business and Investment Operations team within the Nuveen Equities and Fixed Income organization and supported the Municipal investment team.
Cynthia received a Bachelor of Accounting from DeVry Institute of Technology, and an MBA with Graduate Certificate in Financial Analysis from Keller Graduate School of Management at DeVry University.
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Andrew Detrick, CFA
Vice President, Workout
Andrew joined Churchill Asset Management in 2024 and currently serves as a Vice President in Workout. He has over ten years of experience advising lenders and debtors through distressed situations, including liquidity management, restructurings, and strategic initiatives. Previously, he was a Director at M3 Partners, and prior to that he served as a Vice President with Carl Marks Advisors. He began his career within the transaction advisory and audit groups of CohnReznick.
Andrew graduated from Washington and Lee University with a B.S. in Accounting and Business Administration, with an additional major in Philosophy. Andrew is a CFA charterholder.
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Kevin Prendergast
Vice President, Portfolio Management
Kevin joined Churchill Asset Management in 2022 and currently serves as a Vice President on the Risk Team, primarily supporting the Private Equity and Junior Capital group, where he focuses on Portfolio Management.
Previously, he was an Associate in the Global Markets Division of Goldman Sachs, responsible for overseeing business performance and strategic implementation of different initiatives within Prime Services. Prior to that, he supported the Quantitative Investment Strategy group within GSAM, conducting portfolio performance analysis and management reporting. Before working at Goldman Sachs, Kevin worked in EY’s Structured Finance Advisory Practice, where he focused on CLO cash flow and portfolio constraint modeling and analysis.
Kevin graduated from The University of Scranton, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in both Economics and Finance.
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Max Schulman
Vice President, Valuation Specialist
Max joined Churchill Asset Management in 2022 and currently serves as a Vice President in Valuation. Previously, he was a Manager at KPMG LLP, responsible for financial statement audits of public and non-public companies within the asset management industry. Max has expertise in developing valuation procedures over high risk and complex investment portfolios, including reviews of independent valuation models, methodology, assumptions, and related internal controls. He also has experience with BDC fund complexes.
Max received a B.S. in Accounting from Miami University in 2016. He is a licensed Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in North Carolina and Illinois.
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Nick Taylor
Vice President, Allocation
Nick joined Churchill Asset Management in 2019 and currently serves as a Vice President in risk management. 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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Alecia Chen
Senior Associate, Valuation Specialist
Alecia joined Churchill Asset Management in 2023 and currently serves as a Senior Associate in Valuation. Previously, she was an Associate within the Valuation and Opinions Group at Lincoln International, focused on portfolio company valuations for various asset managers. Prior to Lincoln International, she was a Senior Auditor at Ernst & Young LLC, responsible for the financial statement audits of public and non-public companies in the banking and capital markets industry.
Alecia received a B.S in Applied Economics and Management from Cornell University in 2017 and a M.S. in Accounting from Cornell University in 2018. Alecia is a licensed Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in New York.
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Bailey Page
Senior Associate, Responsible Investing
Bailey joined Churchill Asset Management in 2021 and currently serves as a Senior Associate, Responsible Investing. 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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Justin Blackman, CFA
Associate, Portfolio Management
Justin Blackman joined Churchill Asset Management in 2022 and currently serves as an Associate on the Portfolio Management team. Previously, Justin was a Product Specialist at FactSet, where he helped develop their suite of middle office portfolio analytics products. Specifically, he worked on the Returns Analytics Service team, which was responsible for the returns and statistics calculation engine of FactSet’s Style, Performance, and Risk (SPAR) application.
Justin graduated from the University of Michigan in 2020 with a major in Data Science and a minor in Business Administration.
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Jonathon D’Arcy
Associate, Portfolio Management
Jonathon joined Churchill Asset Management in the summer of 2022 and currently serves as an Associate on the Portfolio Management team. He focuses primarily on Origination analytics and reporting. Previously, Jonathon worked at Prudential Financial in their Chief Data Office as an Associate Data Scientist, where he led the pilot redevelopment of their Business Intelligence platform.
Jonathon graduated first class with Honors from the University of Edinburgh in 2020 with a B.Sc. in Mathematics.
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Susan Orth
Associate, Allocation
Susan joined Churchill Asset Management in 2022 and currently serves as an Associate in Risk Management. Previously, Susan was an Associate at MUFG Union Bank in the Corporate Banking Credit Division. Susan was responsible for investment-grade credit underwriting, credit risk management, and portfolio management within the Healthcare, Consumer & Retail vertical.
Susan graduated from Princeton University in 2020 with a B.A in Economics. She also received Certificates in Cognitive Science and Spanish Language & Culture.
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Christy Ims
Senior Analyst, Valuation Specialist
Christy joined Churchill Asset Management in 2022 and currently serves as a Senior Analyst in Valuation. Previously, she was a Senior Associate within the Valuation, Modeling & Economics group at Ernst & Young (EY), where she was responsible for corporate finance valuations for clients in the banking and financial services industry. Prior to EY, she was a Senior Associate at Grant Thornton, serving in a similar function, and performed financial modeling and analysis for valuations of equity, intangible assets, goodwill, and derivative securities.
Christy graduated from the University of Maryland at College Park, Robert H. Smith School of Business in 2018 with a B.S. in Finance.
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Michael Joyce
Senior Analyst, Allocation
Michael joined Churchill Asset Management in 2022 and currently serves as a Senior Analyst in Risk Management. Previously, Michael worked in business development at PitchBook Data, where he was responsible for managing East Coast business development initiatives and product sales expansion.
Michael graduated from Villanova University in 2021 with a B.S. in Finance and a minor in Business Law.
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Liz Capperella
Analyst, Portfolio Management
Liz joined Churchill Asset Management in 2023 as an Analyst on the Portfolio Management team. Previously, Liz was an Associate Consultant at Northern Trust in the Front Office Solutions group.
Liz graduated from the Wisconsin School of Business in 2022 with a B.S. in Finance.
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Lynn Miceli
Director of Administration
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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Louisa Colon
Senior Executive Assistant to the President and CEO
Louisa joined Churchill Asset Management in the summer of 2017 as the Executive Assistant to the President & CEO. Previously, she has served as the Executive and Personal Assistant to the Chairman and CEO at The Blackstone Group, the CEO of General Growth Properties, and the CEO of Guggenheim Partners. Louisa 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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Natalie Austrian
Executive Assistant
Natalie joined Churchill Asset Management in 2022 as an Executive Assistant to the Head of Private Equity and Junior Capital as well as providing general support to the Charlotte team. In her role she contributes to the smooth operation of the Charlotte office managing calendars, coordinating onsite meetings, and arranging frequent travel. Natalie comes to Churchill with several years of experience spanning across multiple industries including technology, retail, and advertising.
Natalie received her B.A. from the University of Delaware.
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Nadia Bajraktarevic
Executive Assistant
Nadia joined Churchill Asset Management in 2023 as the Executive Assistant to Senior Managing Director, Co-Head of Senior Lending. Nadia has previously served as a Business Analyst at Weichert Financial Services after working in an administrative role there. She has several years of experience in the finance, manufacturing, and advertising industries.
Nadia received her A.A. in Business Administration at Bergen Community College.
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Rachel Benitez
Executive Assistant
Rachel joined Churchill Asset Management in 2021 as an Executive Assistant to the Investor Relations team. In her role she provides administrative support including frequent travel arrangements, substantial onsite meeting support and client communication assistance. She has a background in property management, hedge fund, real estate and asset management administrative support. Rachel previously served as an executive assistant at Canyon Partners Real Estate LLC in Los Angeles, CA.
Rachel earned her Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science from Central Washington State University.
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Jacqueline Morton
Executive Assistant
Jacque joined Churchill Asset Management in 2020 and currently serves as as an Executive Assistant. 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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Bernise Valdez
Executive Assistant
Bernise joined Churchill Asset Management in February 2023 as Executive Assistant to the Investor Relations team. She brings years of experience across the financial space, previously having worked at MetLife Investments, IFM Investors, and more recently, Antin Infrastructure Partners. Over the years she has specialized in providing administrative support to Investor Relations and Business Development teams in their global fundraising efforts.
Bernise received her B.S. from Seton Hall University’s Stillman School of Business with a concentration in Finance.
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Iliana Nunez
Administrative Receptionist
Iliana is a dedicated professional who embarked on her journey with Churchill Asset Management in 2023 as an Administrative Receptionist. In this pivotal role, she excels in delivering crucial support, overseeing a range of clerical and administrative tasks for both Senior Management and the broader organization. Iliana has previous guest services and administrative experience in the finance industry.
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David Carias
IT Specialist
David Joined Churchill Asset Management in 2022 as their IT specialist in charge of running IT support and project/implementations. David has been working in the IT industry for 12 years. Prior to joining Churchill, he worked for Agio for 7 years in IT support for different financial institutions.
David holds an Associate degree in computer science from Bergen Community college and a BS in Information Technology from Kean University.
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John McCally
Senior Managing Director & General Counsel
John McCally serves as the general counsel for Churchill Asset Management, an investment specialist of Nuveen. He has been responsible for day-to-day legal matters for the firm since its launch in 2015.
Previously, John was an associate general counsel at Nuveen. At Nuveen, John provided advice and strategic guidance to investment and business development teams focused on public and private fixed income, derivatives and structured products, and was responsible for legal matters pertaining to Nuveen’s Leveraged Finance platform. Prior to Nuveen, 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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Charmagne Kukulka
Principal, Chief Compliance Officer
Charmagne is a Principal and Chief Compliance Officer at Churchill Asset Management. Charmagne is responsible for managing Churchill’s compliance program and provides compliance support in connection with regulatory matters affecting the business. Prior to joining the organization in 2023, Charmagne was the Chief Compliance Officer at 13D Management LLC, specializing in investment adviser and investment company act rules and regulations. She began her compliance career at Blackstone, where she held various roles within legal & compliance administering the compliance program for Blackstone’s Registered Funds platform.
Charmagne received her B.A. in Business and Corporate Communications from Arizona State University’s W.P. Carey School of Business.
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Zachary Profant
Principal, Deputy General Counsel
Zach is a Principal and Deputy 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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Robert Engelke
Vice President and Associate General Counsel
Robert is a Vice President and Associate General Counsel at Churchill Asset Management, an affiliate of Nuveen. Robert is primarily responsible for providing day-to-day legal support to Churchill’s private equity and junior capital team. Prior to joining the organization in 2023, Robert was an associate at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, specializing in business reorganization and restructurings. He began his legal career as an associate at Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP in their corporate M&A and private equity group.
Robert graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University and received his juris doctor from Brooklyn Law School.
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Erin Hood
Vice President and Associate General Counsel
Erin is a Vice President and Associate General Counsel at Churchill Asset Management, an affiliate of Nuveen. Erin provides day-to-day legal support to Churchill as part of Nuveen’s private credit platform, with a particular focus on its sponsored funds and structured products. Prior to joining the organization in 2022, Erin was an associate at Dechert LLP, specializing in structured finance transactions. She began her legal career as an associate at Milbank LLP in the Alternative Investments group.
Erin graduated from the University of Maryland and received her juris doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law.
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Jake Wang
Vice President and Associate General Counsel
Jake is a Vice President and Associate General Counsel at Churchill Asset Management, an affiliate of Nuveen. Jake has a demonstrated history working in the financial services industry, with specialty in fund formation, private fund investments, and equity co-investments. At Churchill, Jake provides day-to-day legal support and coverage for the Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions team.
Prior to joining Churchill in 2023, Jake worked for Nuveen, 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.
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Maggie Walker-Hart
Associate and Senior Legal Analyst
Maggie is an Associate and Senior Legal Analyst at Churchill Asset Management, an affiliate of Nuveen. Maggie provides legal support to Churchill, with a particular focus on the board relations and corporate governance process for the company’s managed funds and accounts, including its business development companies and registered investment companies. Prior to joining the organization in 2024, Maggie was a paralegal at Ares Management, specializing in private fund formation and structuring. She began her career as a paralegal at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP in the securities litigation and corporate governance practice group.
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David Baird
Paralegal
David is a Paralegal at Churchill Asset Management, an affiliate of Nuveen. David supports Churchill in day-to-day matters of corporate governance, fund formation, and securities law. He also provides pipeline support for the Senior Lending and Junior Capital & Private Equity Solutions teams. Prior to joining Churchill, David served as a corporate paralegal at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP. He has also worked at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP and Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP.
David graduated from Amherst College in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in English. He also holds a Masters of Science from Columbia University in Sports Management.
Our history
Established as Churchill Financial LLC by Bear Stearns Merchant Banking and Senior Management
Becomes a portfolio company of Olympus Partners, a leading middle market private equity sponsor
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
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
Nuveen Private Equity and Junior Capital platform joins Churchill, forming one of the largest, most active platforms serving private equity-owned companies in the U.S.1
Nuveen acquires Arcmont Asset Management, a leading European private debt manager. In combination with Churchill, this creates Nuveen Private Capital, a powerful private capital platform and one of the world’s largest private debt managers.
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