Next Generation Board

Steve is a partner in PwC’s Deals practice in New York. Steve specializes in providing financial, accounting, and capital markets advisory services to private equity clients and their portfolio companies. He received his Bachelor’s in Business Administration and Masters in Accounting from the University of Connecticut and is a Certified Public Accountant in New York and Connecticut. Steve has served as a mentor in TEAK’s Professional Coaching Initiative and joined the Next Generation Board in 2019.

Susan is a Managing Director at Blackstone. Previously, she was Director in the Financial Sponsors Group within the Investment Banking Division at Credit Suisse. Prior to joining Credit Suisse in 2013, Susan was in the Leveraged Finance Group at BMO Capital Markets. Susan started her career at Goldman Sachs in the Financing Group and graduated from Wellesley College in 2006 with a double major in Economics and Chinese Language and Literature. Susan joined the Next Generation Board in 2018.

Tarif grew up in Astoria, Queens and is an alumnus of TEAK Class 3. He received an undergraduate degree in Mathematics at NYU and went on to receive his M.D. from Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, NY. He is currently a general anesthesiologist and practices at a community hospital in North Jersey. Tarif attributes his personal and professional success to the foundations that were established during his formative years as a TEAK Fellow. He strongly identifies with TEAK’s mission to spread equity in education to disadvantaged students, and remains involved with the fellowship as a member of the Next Generation Board, as a mentor and a professional coach.

Lissette is a senior ESG associate at Paul Weiss and a member of TEAK’s second class. She has extensive experience with internal employment investigations and development of HR and DEI policies, initiatives and disclosures. Prior to joining the ESG practice, Lissette was a litigation associate specializing in complex litigation and regulatory defense, representing leading companies in the fields of finance, oil and energy, government and technology. Lissette also weaves in-house experience into her practice after being seconded to a financial institution where she worked on general litigation, employment, and policy matters.

Lissette earned a B.A. at the University of Pennsylvania and J.D. at Columbia Law School. She clerked for Judge Edgardo Ramos at the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of New York, and, during law school, Lissette was a member of the Columbia Law Review.

Lissette also maintains a significant immigration pro bono practice, assisting clients with naturalization, asylum and Special Immigrant Juvenile Status applications, as well as release and reunification efforts.

David works at Viking Global Investors as an Investor Relations professional tasked with managing existing and prospective investor relationships. Prior to Viking, David worked at General Atlantic and Lightyear Capital in similar capacities. Outside of work David is involved with AVID’s student mentorship program and conducts alumni interviews for Hamilton College, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in Chinese.  David grew up in Greenwich, CT and is an avid NY Yankees, Rangers, and Giants fan.

John is a Portfolio Manager at Brevan Howard, a leading global alternative investment management platform, specializing in global macro and digital assets. Prior to joining Brevan Howard in 2021, John worked at MUFG managing CMO Derivative and Agency Mortgage Backed Securities books. John also helped found the group in 2015. Previously, he was a Research Analyst at BlueCrest Capital Management and a CMO/Mortgage Option Trader at RBS. John graduated from Vanderbilt University with a degree in Electrical Engineering and completed an EMBA at Columbia University.

Sarah is an Executive Director at J.P. Morgan Asset Management in the US Equities business. She specializes in consumer investing for the Large Cap Growth Fund. Prior to joining J.P. Morgan in 2018, she spent seven years at two alternative asset managers in New York City, Select Equity Group and MIK Capital. She began her career at Bain & Company as a management consultant. Sarah was raised in Miami, Florida and is a graduate of the University of Chicago with a degree in Economics and German Literature, with honors. She has been a member of the Next Generation board since 2013 and served as founding co-chair.

Inna is an alumna of TEAK Class 9 and works at Capital One as a Director in the Corporate Strategy group. Inna worked in Corporate Banking at Bank of America in New York for two years before joining Capital One and moving to Northern Virginia. Inna completed a B.A. in Applied Economics and Management at Cornell University and attended Trinity School for high school.

Lara works in Partnerships at Carta, an ownership and equity management platform. Previously, Lara spent four years at Summit Rock Advisors as an Associate and Senior Associate in Venture Capital and Private Fund Investing. Prior, Lara was an Investment Banking Analyst at Lazard. Lara mentors a TEAK Class 22 Fellow and is a graduate of Columbia University, where she received a B.A. in Economics.  

Sarah is a Vice President at Goldman Sachs, focusing on Interest Rates Products Trading. Sarah is from Milwaukee, WI and attended the University of Pennsylvania, where she completed a Bachelor and Master of Science in Engineering. Sarah serves as a mentor to a TEAK Class 23 Fellow and joined the Next Generation Board in 2022.  

Jessica is a Principal at Blackstone focused on the Consumer and Industrial sectors. Since joining in 2019, Jess has been involved in Blackstone’s investments in Spanx, Sustana, ZO Skin Health, International Market Centers, and RG Barry. She currently serves on the boards of ZO Skin Health and Sustana. Before joining Blackstone, she was an Associate in the Consumer, Media and Retail Group within the U.S. Buyout Fund at The Carlyle Group. Jess began her career as an Investment Banking Analyst at Credit Suisse in the Financial Sponsors Group. She received a BA in Economics and English from Georgetown University, where she graduated magna cum laude.

Agatha is a member of TEAK’s second class and works as a Senior Account Executive at Microsoft Tech for Social Impact, which aims to accelerate digital transformation for nonprofits globally, so they can have a greater impact on the world's most critical social issues. Agatha partners with clients to drive their digital transformation strategy and manages an internal team of technical specialists. Prior to joining Microsoft, Agatha worked as a fundraising and communications consultant for a number of nonprofit clients, including Coalition for the Homeless and the Ms. Foundation for Women. Agatha has a passion for education and has worked throughout her career to create access to opportunities for those from underprivileged backgrounds. Agatha completed a M.B.A. at UVA’s Darden School of Business, earned a B.A. in International Relations at Pomona College, and attended St. Paul’s School. Agatha joined the Next Generation Board in 2019 and also serves as a community outreach pillar co-lead for the local Women@Microsoft Employee Resource Group.

Rob is CFO of GlassView, a digital media startup specializing in the distribution of video advertising. Outside of the office, Rob is a mentor to a Class 23 TEAK Fellow and also serves on the Associate Board for Covenant House and Shatterproof. He resides in Riverside, CT with his wife Melinda and their dog Tipper.

Natasha is a Principal and Relationship Manager in the Global Client Solutions Group at Ares Management, where she focuses on institutional client management in North America. Prior to joining Ares in 2023, Natasha was a Director on the Marketing and Investor Relations team at King Street Capital Management and Principal in the Client & Partner Group at KKR. Before joining KKR, Natasha was an Analyst at J.P. Morgan in Equity Capital Markets within the investment bank. Natasha received a B.S. in Economics and Human and Organizational Development from Vanderbilt University. Natasha received a B.S. in Economics and Human and Organizational Development from Vanderbilt University.

Matthew is a Managing Director at Atalaya and is responsible for corporate debt and equity investments, as well as opportunistic transactions, including portfolio purchases, litigation related opportunities, and reinsurance. Matt also works on strategic development opportunities for Atalaya. Prior to joining Atalaya, Matt worked with Candlewood Investment Group, a multi-billion dollar credit-focused alternative asset manager where he focused on highly structured, esoteric transactions spanning distressed and special situation opportunities. Prior to Candlewood he was an Executive Director at JPMorgan Alternative Asset Management where he developed and oversaw the group's program of direct and co-investments made alongside its hedge fund relationships. Matt holds a B.S. in Computational Finance with University Honors from Carnegie Mellon University and is a CFA charterholder. In addition to his longtime service on the Next Gen Board, Matt was a mentor to a Class 10 TEAK Fellow.

Tracy is a Director in Private Equity at Elliott Management. Previously, Tracy spent four years as a Principal at Apollo Global Management, where she focused on private equity investments in the technology, business services, and industrials sectors.  She held leadership positions across many initiatives within the firm, including Apollo Women Empower, Apollo's Citizenship Advisory Council, and AltFinance. Tracy was formerly a Vice President in the Private Equity group at Cerberus Capital Management and started her career in the Financial Sponsors Group at Credit Suisse.  Tracy graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College with a BA in Economics and French Language and Literature. 

Catherine is a Senior Associate at Stonepeak Partners on the Digital Infrastructure Investment team. Prior to joining Stonepeak, Catherine was an Associate at BMO Capital Markets in the Industrials Investment Banking group. Catherine earned a B.S. in Applied Economics and Management from Cornell University. She serves as a Mentor to a member of TEAK’s 24th class.