Lena Arens
VP, Investor Relations, Grosvenor Capital Management LP
Ms. Arens is responsible for client reporting, specialized deliverables and client interactions with Grosvenor’s Client Web Portal. Prior to joining GCM Grosvenor, she was an Accounts Receivable Representative from 2004 to 2006, responsible for coordinating research, credit calculation and dispute determinations for clients and interacting with clients to resolve billing errors, collections and account changes. Ms. Arens received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, majoring in Marketing, Advertising and Public Relations from Youngstown State University in 2004.
Michelle Beck
EVP, Chief Risk Officer, Nuveen
Michelle McCarthy Beck is the Chief Risk Officer for Nuveen. Before joining Nuveen in 2010, she served as Chief Risk Officer at Russell Investments. From 2003 to 2009 she was the Chief Market and Operational Risk Officer at Washington Mutual Bank. She began her career in 1986 at Bankers Trust which was acquired in 1999 by Deutsche Bank. At Bankers Trust, Michelle marketed and traded interest rate, equity and currency derivatives. From 1991-95, she headed the market risk function for Bankers Trust’s European offices in London, then headed the risk function for the bank’s investment management division in New York. From 1996 to 2003 she provided market risk software and measurement for the bank’s customers, including asset managers, hedge funds and pension funds.
Michelle holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington and a master’s degree in Government from Harvard University. She serves on the board of trustees of the Global Association of Risk Professionals (“GARP”), heads Chicago’s GARP chapter, and serves as a trustee of the CFA Society of Chicago. She is a member of GARP’s Buy Side Risk Managers Forum, and the Investment Company Institute’s Risk Management Committee and Derivatives Advisory Committee. In addition, she serves on an advisory committee for DePaul University’s Arditti Center for Risk Management, participates in the Working Group on Financial Markets at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, and chairs the Chicago chapter of 100 Women in Finance. Michelle serves on the board of trustees for the Maya Health Alliance, which provides health care for rural populations in Guatemala.
Michelle’s publications include the Level II market risk reading for the CFA designation, co-authored with Don Chance, scheduled for publication in November, 2016, as well as “Utilizing Downside Risk Measures,” published by the CFA Institute in Third Quarter, 2014. Her article “Risk Budgeting for Pension Funds and Investment Managers Using VaR” appeared as a chapter in “Risk Budgeting” edited by Leslie Rahl, published by Risk Books in 2000. She has been featured by GARP in a 2016 video series on risk management for asset managers.
April Heitz
Research Analyst, DRW Holdings LLC
April Heitz is a Research Analyst for DRW Holdings, LLC where she specializes in equity options focusing on a volatility arbitrage strategy. She is responsible for performing research across a variety of industries to evaluate fundamentals, identify catalysts, and discover trading opportunities. Prior to joining DRW, Ms. Heitz served as an Analyst for Spot Trading, LLC and Peak6 Investments, LP. Ms. Heitz is a member of the 100 Women In Finance Philanthropy Committee and a CFA Society Chicago Candidate member. She holds a Master of Science in Finance from Loyola University Chicago and a Bachelor of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Cincinnati.
Deborah Hill
FinTech Consultant
Deborah has a deep background in alternative asset management and is a CAIA Level II Candidate; she recently worked Solovis, a multi-asset class portfolio management software company where she was the Executive Vice President responsible for Account Management, Product Management and internal operations. Before Solovis, Deborah was a Managing Director at Backstop Solutions Group. Prior to joining Backstop Solutions, Deborah was a Global Practice Director with Kronos and Vice President of Consulting Resources with PeopleSoft.
Deborah holds a BA in Economic Theory from Wheaton College, an MBA from the Lake Forest Graduate School of Management and a certificate in International Business from Cambridge University. Deborah is a member of the advisory board for Satuit Technologies, a firm serving the wealth management community.
Donna Holmes, CAIA, JD, LLM
Managing Director, Business Development and Client Service, Lizard Investors LLC
Before joining Lizard in 2011, Ms. Holmes was the Managing Director of Business Development at Narragansett Asset Management LLC from 2010 to 20011, and held the same position at Tremblant Capital Group from 2002 to 2009. She also served as the General Counsel at Tremblant from 2002 to 2003. Ms. Holmes began her career as an Employee Benefits Attorney in New York City. She earned her LLM in Taxation from NYU Law School in 1990, her JD from Syracuse University School of Law in 1987 and her BS in Accounting from Syracuse University in 1983. Additionally, Ms. Holmes completed the Association of Investment Management Sales Executives (AIMSE) program at the Wharton Institute in 2008. She earned her CAIA designation in 2016.
Debra Panzarella
Tax Partner, Alternative Investments, KPMG LLP
Debbie is a Partner in KPMG’s asset management tax practice. Debbie has significant experience advising public and private funds. She helps clients structure products to optimize investor tax sensitivities. Debbie’s clients cover a wide-range of financial services including investment advisors, investment partnerships, mutual funds, business development companies, and private equity companies. Debbie is also responsible for directing, planning and managing the completion of all tax compliance for her clients.
Debbie holds a BA and MSA in Accountancy from the University of Illiniois Urbana-Champaign.
