Alternative Investment Fund Conference Webcast

Joanna Conte is a partner in Marcum LLP’s Alternative Investment Group, responsible for advising clients on the operations of investment funds as well as managing financial statement audit engagements. Her industry experience includes hedge funds, private equity funds and fund of funds. Joanna has over 20 years of experience within the financial services industry. She spent 12 years in the alternative investments auditing practice of a Big Four accounting firm and subsequently spent five years in the controllers group at AIG Inc. as a director of financial statement analytics for the company’s international operations. She has taught alternative investment concepts and practices at external and internal educational seminars and authored technical articles. Joanna joined Marcum in 2016. She is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of New York. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from University of Pennsylvania.

Kristy is a partner in the Financial Accounting Advisory Services Practice out of the New York office specializing in the Wealth and Asset Management sector and leads the regulatory reporting policy function in the EY Comply managed services offering. Prior to joining EY in January of 2019, Kristy was an Assistant Chief Accountant in the Division of Investment Management at the U.S Securities and Exchange Commission, where she assisted the Division’s staff, as well as other Offices and Divisions within the Commission, in developing recommendations for rules, regulations and policies concerning investment management entities. Additionally, Kristy assisted in interpreting accounting principles and directing the financial reporting and accounting practices of investment companies in compliance with the federal securities laws. Prior to joining the SEC, Kristy was a Senior Manager in the Financial Services Office of Ernst & Young LLP in New York, where she managed the audits of asset managers and their related entities, specializing in hedge funds with complex portfolios. She also served in EY’s National Accounting Practice as the resident covering the Wealth and Asset Management sector nationwide

Veronika is a partner in EY’s Financial Accounting Advisory Services practice. She has over 15 years of experience providing accounting advisory and audit services to global financial services clients specializing in Wealth and Asset Management. Veronika helps clients with accounting and operational projects, navigating complex accounting and financial reporting matters, remediation, regulatory compliance, new accounting standards adoption, and operating model design of the finance function. Prior to joining the FAAS practice, Veronika was an Audit Senior Manager focused on large registered investment companies, separate accounts, business development companies, and introducing broker dealers in Canada and the US

As an Assistant Chief Accountant within the Division of Investment Management at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Nicolina assists the Chief Accountant in interpreting new accounting regulations and directing the financial reporting and accounting practices of investment companies in compliance with the federal securities laws. As part of this role, Nicolina works closely with SEC staff, both within the Division of IM and across other Divisions within the Commission, as well as investors, registrants, and auditors. Prior to joining the SEC, Nicolina was a Senior Manager at Deloitte & Touche LLP in the audit practice, where she primarily served clients in the investment management industry, specifically mutual funds, hedge funds, private equity funds, and business development companies. Nicolina is a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Nicolina has a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.

Josh is a Tax Senior Manager in Grant Thornton’s New York-Midtown Office focused on serving clients within the firm’s Privately Held Business (PHB) practice. He has nine years of tax experience with a focus on consulting and advising the U.S. and foreign firms on partnership and corporate tax issues, including but not limited to tax allocations, inbound/outbound investments, earnings, and profits, and both federal and state entity filing requirements. His client service experience includes tax consulting and compliance services for various hedge funds and private equity funds consisting of multiple investment strategies and fund structures, including domestic and offshore side-by-side entities, master-feeder structures, and fund-of-funds with over two billion in assets under management. Josh earned his MS in Taxation from Fordham University, an MBA (concentration in Accountancy) from Baruch College, and a Bachelor of Arts from Brown University. He is a Certified Public Accountant in New York and a member of the AICPA.”

Grant Smith is a managing director in the partnership taxation group at Grant Thornton. Grant has more than twenty four years of experience in the field of taxation, both in private industry and public accounting. His focus has been federal tax compliance and consulting for hedge funds, including their related management companies, as well as security transaction analysis. Grant also has experience with private equity funds, mutual funds and other similar investment vehicles. Grant also has experience with tax provision review and state, local and international income tax compliance.

Rafael Beck is based at Integrated Solutions’℠ Boca Raton, Florida office. Among his responsibilities, Rafael coordinates and supervises a specialized team of CPAs, portfolio accountants and bookkeepers who handle the financial activities and reporting of the firm’s asset management, broker-dealer and outsourced accounting clients. He has extensive experience serving domestic and offshore hedge funds, private equity funds, funds of funds and broker-dealers. He provides advice on fund start- up issues including organizational structure, economic issues and general business consultation. Rafael also leads the firm’s financial statements preparation group, as well as manages key client relationships. Prior to joining the firm, Rafael was at Ernst & Young, as a supervising senior accountant, where his work concentrated on audits of asset management clients. Previously, he was a senior hedge fund accountant at International Fund Services (N.A.) L.L.C., a fund services company providing accounting and administration services to asset management clients. Rafael started his professional career at Rothstein, Kass & Company P.C., CPAs, specializing in audit and tax compliance engagements for hedge fund and broker-dealer clients. Rafael received a B.B.A in Accounting from Pace University in 2000. He is a Certified Public Accountant and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and serves as a member of the Investment Management, Stock Brokerage and Digital Assets Committees of the New York State Society of CPAs (NYSSCPA). He also holds the Series 7 and Series 27 licenses.

Michael Corcione is the lead Partner of PKF’s O’Connor Davies, (part of PKF International) Cybersecurity & Privacy practice. He has over 30 years of professional experience in advisory services. Michael advises firms and Boards on cybersecurity and privacy strategy and leads cyber and information security engagement teams. He also provides advisement on regulatory enforcement matters related to cyber and information security and appropriate remediation. Currently, Michael is a Cybersecurity Advisory Board Member for Pace University’s Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems, where he has a role on the Vendor Risk Management Committee. He is also a Board member of American Management Association and holds several subcommittee roles. Michael leads client engagements performing cybersecurity business and IT risk assessments, evaluating cyber threat identification, incident response readiness and testing, IT infrastructure implementations, regulatory compliance, vendor and third-party due diligence, and strategy. He works with clients from all verticals, including financial services, asset management, private equity, hedge funds, venture capital, real estate, government contracting, healthcare, construction, and insurance. Prior to joining HKA, Michael was a Managing Director and led the Cybersecurity and Privacy Advisory Practices at Treliant, and Cordium Consulting, and a Director at PricewaterhouseCoopers’s (PwC) where he led cybersecurity and privacy engagements as part of the Financial Crimes Unit. Michael routinely engages with the senior leadership of organizations, including the board and C-suite executives on M&A strategies, and to identify their cybersecurity business risks, threats, and potential impacts, regarding their organization’s client, regulatory, legal, and corporate responsibilities. He has led global efforts to help companies comply with emerging cyber and information security regulations, which include; the New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS, Cybersecurity Regulation), the U.K.’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), Securities and Exchange Commission’s Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (SEC OCIE), Office of the Comptroller of Currency (OCC), Federal Reserve Board (FRB), National Credit Union Association, (NCUA), Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), U.S. Department of Defense Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC), among others. Michael is a graduate of Pace University’s Lubin Business School with a Management of Information Systems degree.

Jason Ripkey is the Chief Executive and Principal Consultant at One Place Concepts. His company provides organizations with high-quality IT services and solutions tailored to their needs. With over 20 years of experience in the field, Jason has become an expert in Cloud, security, and compliance. He has consulted, designed, and implemented complex IT solutions that have helped his customers achieve their goals and meet their business outcomes. Jason's professionalism, expertise and passion for his work make him a valuable asset to any organization. Jason is also an inspiring individual outside of work. He is a military veteran who served in the United States Coast Guard and currently enjoys spending his free time with his family and two fur babies while training as a triathlete.

Tom Williams, CFA, is the Head of the Outsourced Chief Investment Office (OCIO) at Morgan Stanley. The OCIO group designs and manages bespoke portfolios for pension funds, endowments, foundations, and family offices. These are multi asset, multi manager portfolios managed on a 100% discretionary basis. Tom has over 20 years of experience managing diversified portfolios as a Chief Investment Officer, Portfolio Manager, and Director of Research. Prior to joining the firm in June 2020, Tom was Chief Investment Officer and President of Pine Grove Asset Management, a multi- strategy fund of hedge funds. Tom held many senior positions at Pine Grove, including Portfolio Manager and Director of Research, before executing a management buyout and assuming co-ownership. During his tenure, his responsibilities included portfolio management, manager due diligence, risk management and client relationship management. In 2014, he negotiated the sale of Pine Grove to the Man Group, a London-based global investment manager, where he continued as Chief Investment Officer of Pine Grove and was a member of the investment committee for its multi-manager division overseeing $17 billion of portfolios of hedge funds. Tom is a CFA charter holder, received his B.A. in economics from Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., and earned a law degree from the University of Southern California. He lives in Summit, New Jersey, with his wife and two teenage children. Tom is on the Board of Trustees for SHIP, Summit Helping Its People, whose mission is to feed the homeless and at-risk homeless people in Summit and assist participants in obtaining additional support services.

Valerie Wong Fountain is a Managing Director at Morgan Stanley, and she is based in the firm’s New York office. Valerie serves as Head of Family Office Resources Platform & Partner Management, which includes responsibility for Trust Services, Signature Access and Single Family Office Advisory. Prior to her current role, Valerie served as Co-Head of Private Capital Markets, a dedicated platform within the Global Capital Markets division of the Institutional Securities Group that is focused on raising capital for corporations in private market transactions. Valerie partnered closely with the Investment Banking Division to advise companies across multiple sectors on all matters related to their private funding goals. She also managed the private syndicate, connecting institutional pools of capital with high-quality issuers on a global basis. Previously, she served as Chief of Staff to James Gorman, Morgan Stanley’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. She was responsible for managing the Office of the Chairman and CEO and broader Firm management staff; liaising with senior executives, coverage officers, and clients on behalf of the Chairman and CEO; driving key strategic projects and initiatives; and covering key clients across geographies as a firm relationship manager. She started her career in the Institutional Equity Division, where she traded a range of Delta One products including Exchange-Traded Products, Index and Custom Basket Total Return Equity Swaps, Futures, and Program Baskets. Valerie serves on the First Tee of Metropolitan New York Executive Committee and Board of Directors, Morgan Stanley Foundation Board of Trustees and the Penn Golf Alumni Board. She is also a member of the Advisory Committee for the Firm’s Multicultural Client Strategy Team. In addition, she completed a two-year term as Morgan Stanley’s Corporate Leader for the Council on Foreign Relations. Valerie earned a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, graduating summa cum laude and as a University and Joseph Wharton Scholar. She was also a Division I athlete, competing as a three-year letterwinner on the Women’s Varsity Golf Team. As an amateur golfer, she won the Women’s Metropolitan Golf Association Better Ball Championship in 2019 and 2018. Valerie was recently presented with Asia Society’s 2022 APA Driver for Diversity Award. In 2021, Valerie received the Trailblazer Award from Ascend. In 2020, Valerie was honored as one of the top 100 Most Impactful Asians (A100) in culture by Gold House. In 2014, she was recognized as one of the top 50 Outstanding Asian Americans in Business by the Asian American Business Development Center and was awarded Most Influential APIA New Yorker by the National Association of Asian American Professionals New York. Valerie also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.

Richard D. Marshall, Esq. is a Partner at Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP. He focuses his practice on the representation of financial institutions and employees subjected to investigations by the SEC, the Department of Justice, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), and state securities regulators. He also counsels broker-dealers, investment companies, and investment advisors on regulatory issues, particularly relating to SEC and FINRA regulations. He also frequently counsels clients on compliance and risk management issues and the handling of inspections. He provides extensive advice regarding the possible impacts of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and related regulatory rulings, as well as time-sensitive guidance on securities trading, ownership reporting, and other investment regulations to a broad range of clients.

Anthony Scaramucci is the founder and managing partner of SkyBridge, a global alternative investment firm, and founder and chairman of SALT, a global thought leadership forum and venture studio. Prior to founding SkyBridge in 2005, Scaramucci co-founded investment partnership Oscar Capital Management, which was sold to Neuberger Berman in 2001. Earlier, he worked in Private Wealth Management at Goldman Sachs & Co. In 2022, Scaramucci was ranked #47 in Cointelegraph’s Top 100 Influencers in Crypto and Blockchain. In 2016, he was ranked #85 in Worth Magazine’s Power 100: The 100 Most Powerful People in Global Finance. In 2011, he received Ernst & Young’s New York Financial Services “Entrepreneur of the Year” Award. Anthony is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and a board member of the Federal Enforcement Homeland Security Foundation. He is the author of five books. Scaramucci served on President Donald J. Trump’s 16-person Presidential Transition Team Executive Committee, and in 2017 briefly served as Chief Strategy Officer of the Export-Import (EXIM) Bank and White House Communications Director. Scaramucci, a native of Long Island, New York, holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Tufts University and a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School.

Jake is a growth capital and special situations investor, advisor, founder, and board member. He currently serves on the Sports Illustrated Tickets board and is on the advisory board for a semi-conductor startup, advisory board of a healthcare investment bank, and advisory board for a crypto asset portfolio solutions company. His career began in the leveraged lending market in 1988 at First National Bank of Chicago before he joined Morgan Stanley’s high yield group followed by a move into investment banking and subsequent stints at Bank of America, Deiutsche Bank, Houlihan Lokey, and Brean Capital. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst and a 1988 Graduate to The University of Texas at Austin with a Master of Professional Accounting degree after completing his undergraduate degree program. He is also an angel investor in pre-revenue startups since 1990 and a Broadway producer both above the line and below.

Paul Marino is the head of the Corporate and Mergers & Acquisitions group, and co chair of the Financial Services group. Paul focuses his practice in matters concerning financial services, corporate law and corporate finance. Paul provides counsel in the areas of private equity funds and mergers and acquisitions for private equity firms and public and private companies and private equity fund and hedge fund formation. Paul works on a variety of M&A transactions, including leveraged acquisitions, divestitures of business divisions, going-private transactions, and other strategic acquisitions and dispositions, in the following industries: manufacturing, telecommunications, consumer products, hospitality, healthcare, and technology, among others. His practice also includes joint ventures and general company representation matters. Paul has represented national and multinational corporations, ranging from telecoms to tech companies, as well as real estate syndication and financial investors and investment advisors. He has also negotiated and structured a number of U.S. domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions and joint ventures. As of 10/18/24

Eric Gelb, CPA, is a Senior Managing Director in Financial Services with PKF O’Connor Davies Advisory, LLC. His clients include private equity and hedge funds, RIAs and family offices. Eric’s practice includes fractional CFO to private equity funds; transaction and M&A advisory, and quality of earnings due diligence relating to structured credit. He has advised the Board of Directors for a leading RIA. In addition to 20+ years’ experience in public accounting, he was a Vice President with Citibank and JP Morgan Chase for a total of 15 years where he focused on equipment leasing, securitization and asset-based lending. Eric is a graduate of The Wharton School of Economics where he majored in Accounting and Finance; and the Columbia Business School where he completed his MBA in Finance and Marketing. As of 10/18/24

Jaime is an audit partner in EY’s Financial Services Organization. She has nearly 25 years of experience in the asset management industry and provides audit services to mutual funds, ETFs, BDCs, private equity funds, venture capital funds, hedge funds, and investment advisers. She also advises audit teams and clients on technical accounting and SEC regulatory matters impacting investment companies and investment advisers, including SEC registration and reporting. Jaime previously was a partner in EY’s Professional Practice Group and served as EY’s subject matter expert on FASB ASC Topic 946, Investment Companies, and on the SEC’s regulation of investment companies and investment advisers. Prior to rejoining EY in December 2014, Jaime spent 7 years at the SEC and was the Chief Accountant for the SEC’s Division of Investment Management for over 3 years, where her responsibilities included directing the financial reporting, accounting, and auditing practices of registered investment companies and BDCs in compliance with the federal securities laws. Jaime also worked closely with other Divisions and Offices within the SEC, including the Division of Corporation Finance, the Division of Enforcement, the Division of Examinations, and the SEC’s Office of the Chief Accountant. Jaime currently serves as the Chair of the AICPA’s Investment Companies Expert Panel. Jaime also serves as EY’s member on the ICI’s Accounting Policy Subcommittee and the ICI’s Accounting/Treasurers Committee. Jaime is a frequent panelist and speaker at industry conferences and meetings, and she has spoken at events sponsored by the SEC, AICPA, ICI, MFA, SIFMA, Practising Law Institute, Private Equity International, Mutual Fund Directors Forum, Independent Directors Council, New York State Society of CPAs, Greater Cincinnati Mutual Funds Association, Small Business Investor Alliance, CFA Society, BDC Capital Roundtable, and various professional services firms. Jaime is a member of the Board of Trustees of Bryant University . Jaime also serves as a guest lecturer at Bryant University and has served as a guest lecturer at Georgetown University. Jaime is licensed as a Certified Public Accountant in New York and received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting from Bryant University.

Brent is an audit partner in KPMG’s Minneapolis office and National Audit Industry Leader for KPMG’s Investment Management practice. Brent has more than 30 years of experience providing audit services to investment management and investment fund clients, including mutual funds, hedge funds, private equity/venture capital investment companies, and investment advisers. Brent serves as an SEC reviewing partner (quality review partner for audits of SEC registrants) for the public sector of KPMG’s Investment Management practice. Earlier in his career, Brent was a partner in KPMG’s Department of Professional Practice (national technical group) where his responsibilities included monitoring activities at accounting and auditing standard-setting bodies and regulators and formulating KPMG’s views relative to investment management and investment company matters. Brent is KPMG’s representative and former chair of the AICPA Investment Companies Expert Panel and serves as KPMG’s representative to the ICI Accounting/Treasurer’s Committee and Accounting Policy Subcommittee.

Toai Chin is Head of Fund Accounting Policy at The Vanguard Group, Inc. Toai has held various roles over the last 20-plus years which have given her a unique perspective into the operations, audits and regulation of investment companies. At Vanguard, Toai provides leadership on setting the accounting and financial reporting policy for Vanguard’s funds in various domiciles around the globe. She also serves on industry committees, most notably as Chair of the ICI’s Accounting/Treasurers Committee and as a member of the AICPA Investment Companies Expert Panel. Prior to joining Vanguard, Toai was an Audit Partner at Deloitte, where she began her career, and provided audit and advisory services to investment management clients. Toai was also a Professional Accounting Fellow at the US Securities and Exchange Commission, where she served as Assistant Chief Accountant in the Division of Investment Management’s Office of the Chief Accountant; this role gave her insight into the regulator’s approach to policy, rulemaking and enforcement, as well as oversight of registrants in support of its mission to protect investors. Toai is a graduate of Drexel University and is a Certified Public Accountant. Outside of work, Toai is a strong believer in giving back to the community, and serves on several non-profit boards for community-focused organizations. She also enjoys traveling and hiking.