2021 AIF Southwest Investors' Forum
Plus the AIF Institute Southwest Trustee Education Symposium
November 16–17 | In Person | Austin
On behalf of AIF Global, we invite you to join us for the 2021 AIF Southwest Investors’ Forum on November 16–17 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Austin, Texas. The Forum is geared toward institutional investment professionals and will include a comprehensive agenda of asset-class sessions and panel discussions.
The AIF Southwest Investors’ Forum will begin with a keynote panel from the AIF Institute Center for Financial innovation followed by a welcome reception and dinner on Tuesday, November 16. On Wednesday, November 17, the forum will feature a full day of comprehensive programming, including investment roundtable sessions on private equity, private credit, diversifying and opportunistic strategies, real estate, and infrastructure investing. Register online
Agenda at a Glance
Day One: Tuesday, November 16 | AIF Institute Southwest Trustee Education Program
8:30–9:00 a.m. CST
Registration: AIF Southwest Trustee Education Program
(Open to trustees, investment staff and consultants only)
9:00–9:15 a.m. CST
Welcome and Introductions
9:15–10:30 a.m. CST
Interactive Trustee Panel on Governance
Moderator:
- Sharmila Kassam, Fellow, AIF Institute
Panelists:
- Art Alfaro, Executive Director, TEXPERS
- Andrew Messer, Deputy Treasurer for Policy and Debt Management, Oklahoma Treasurer and Trustee, Oklahoma Public Employees Retirement System
- Rhonda Smith, Trustee, Houston Municipal Employees Pension System
10:45 a.m.–12:15 p.m. CST
Center for ESG and Sustainable Investing
10:45 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. CST
Academic Primer on Understanding Navigating Divestment Decisions and Mandates
Presenter:
- Dr. Laura Starks, Professor of Finance, University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business
11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. CST
Panel Session: Understanding and Navigating Divestment Decisions and Mandates
Moderator:
- Marianne Dwight, Of Counsel, Michael Best & Freidrich LLP and Advisor, Strategic Insight Group
Panelists:
- Patrick Lee, Vice President and Managing Regional Director, Institutional Development Unit, Natixis Investment Managers
- Laurie Medley, Global Head of ESG and General Counsel, Private Equity, Apollo Global Management
- Stephen Trauber, Vice-Chairman & Co-Global Head of Natural Resources & Clean Energy Transition, Citi
12:15–1:30 p.m. CST
Luncheon
1:30–2:30 p.m. CST
Panel Discussion: Innovation in the Infrastructure Asset Class and Its Unique Investment Structures
Panelists:
- Geraldine Barlow, Managing Director, Infrastructure, USAA Real Estate
- David Altshuler, Executive Director, IFM Investors
- Dominic Garcia, Chief Pension Investment Strategist, CBRE Investment Management
- Joseph Falcone III, CEO & CIO, Chamonix Partners Capital Management
2:45–3:45 p.m. CST
Interactive Leadership Development Workshop: Best Practices for Board and Management on Collaborative Decision Making
Workshop Leader:
- Tissa Richards, Founder, Speaker, Coach, Tissa Richards
3:30–4:00 p.m. CST
General Registration
(Open to all attendees of the Southwest Trustee Education Program and the South West Investors’ Forum)
4:00–5:00 p.m. CST
Center for Financial Innovation Panel: What Every CIO Should Know About Technology
Open for all attendees
Moderator:
- John D’Agostino, Fellow, AIF Institute
Panelists:
- Dominic Garcia, Chief Pension Investment Strategist, CBRE Investment Management and Former CIO, Public Employees Retirement Association of New Mexico
- Ron Pruitt, President and CEO, Solovis, A Nasdaq Company
5:30–8:30 p.m. CST
Welcome Reception and Dinner
Four Seasons Hotel Terrace and Lawn
Open to all attendees
Keynote Address:
- The Honorable Glenn Hegar, Comptroller, State of Texas
Day Two: Wednesday, November 17 | AIF Southwest Investors' Forum
8:15 a.m. CST
Registration
(Open to all attendees)
8:45–9:00 a.m. CST
Welcome and Introductions
9:00–10:00 a.m. CST
Private Equity Roundtable Session
Session Leader:
- Greg Garrett, Managing Director, Portfolio Advisors
Session Participants:
- Adriana Ballard, Portfolio Manager, Employees’ Retirement System of Texas
- Michael Elio, Partner, StepStone
- Chirag Shah, Senior Portfolio Manager, Private Equity and Special Opportunities, Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation
- Edward Keith III, Partner, Secondary Solutions Group, Ares Management
- Alan Weinfeld, Partner, Invesco Private Capital
10:15–11:15 a.m. CST
Private Credit Roundtable Session I: Core Strategies
Session Leader:
- Lynn O’Connell, Senior Portfolio Advisor, Aksia LLC
Session Participants:
- Rhonda Smith, Trustee, Houston Municipal Employees Pension System
- Amit Bafna, Managing Director, Antares Capital
- James Kirby, Founder & President, Deerpath Capital Management, LP
- Stephen Swentzel, Managing Director, 17Capital Management
11:30 a.m–12:30 p.m. CST
Private Credit Roundtable Session II: Specialized Strategies
Session Leader:
- Lynn O’Connell, Senior Portfolio Advisor, Aksia LLC
Session Participants:
- Skardon Baker, Partner, Apollo Global Management
- Brandon Baer, CIO and Founder, Contingency Capital
- Ed Cong, Principal and Managing Director, Marathon Asset Management
- Neha Santiago, Managing Director and Head of Real Estate, Cerberus
- Chris Schiavone, Portfolio Manager, Private Credit, 400 Capital Management LLC
- Paul Triggiani, Managing Director and Head of Distressed Credit, Invesco
12:30–1:30 p.m. CST
Luncheon
1:30–2:30 p.m. CST
Diversifiers & Opportunistic Strategies Session
Session Leader:
- Spencer Edge, Partner, Senior Portfolio Analyst, Albourne Partners
Session Participants:
- Panayiotis Lambropoulos, Portfolio Manager, Hedge Funds, Emerging Managers, Opportunistic, Employees Retirement System of Texas
- Tod Trabocco, Director of Strategy and Research, ITE Management
- Kevin Vandolder, Investment Consultant, AndCo
2:45–3:45 p.m. CST
Infrastructure Roundtable Session
Session Leaders:
- Carolyn Hansard, Senior Director, Energy, Natural Resources and Infrastructure, Teacher Retirement System of Texas
- Rob Kochis, Partner, The Townsend Group
Session Participants:
- Anurag Agarwal, Head of Portfolio Management of the Global Transportation, J.P. Morgan Asset Management
- David Altshuler, Executive Director, IFM Investors
- Joseph Falcone III, CEO & CIO, Chamonix Partners Capital Management
- Dominic Garcia, Chief Pension Investment Strategist, CBRE Investment Management
- Chris Ortega, Managing Director and Head of Americas, Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners
4:00–5:00 p.m. CST
Real Estate Roundtable Session
Session Leaders:
- Grant Walker, Senior Director, Teacher Retirement System of Texas
- Rob Kochis, Partner, The Townsend Group
Session Participants:
- Tyson Skillings, Managing Partner, Rockwood Capital
- Chris Tokarski, Managing Partner and Co-Chief Executive Officer, ACORE Capital
- Matthew Weinstein, Partner and Head of Commercial Real Estate, Axonic Capital
5:00–6:00 p.m. CST
Closing Reception/Forum Concludes
2021 AIF Southwest Investors' Forum Confirmed Participants List
The investors and consultants below have confirmed their desire to participate (subject to any required internal approvals and final schedules)
Alex Dauria, Senior Portfolio Advisor
Lynn O’Connell, Senior Portfolio Advisor
Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation
Chirag Shah, Senior Portfolio Manager, Private Equity and Special Opportunities
Spencer Edge, Senior Portfolio Analyst
AndCo
Sheldon Askew, Trustee
Pattie Featherston, Executive Director
Tyler Link, Deputy Executive Director
Chesley Wood, Trustee
Adriana Ballard, Portfolio Manager
Panayiotis Lambropoulos, Portfolio Manager
Houston Municipal Employees Retirement System
Rhonda Smith, Trustee
Liberty Bankers Insurance Group
Robby Abraham, CIO
Oklahoma Public Employees Retirement System
Andrew Messer, Trustee; Deputy Treasurer for Policy and Debt Management, State of Oklahoma
Portfolio Advisors
Graham Ballard, Vice President
Greg Garrett, Managing Director
Public Trust Advisors
Brent Turner, Vice President of Investment Advisory Services
Rice University
Carmen Thompson, Managing Director
StepStone
Michael Elio, Partner
Texas Municipal Retirement System
Peter Teneriello, Investment Manager
Teacher Permanent School Fund
Kathryn Gernert, Senior Portfolio Manager, Private Market Investments
Teacher Retirement System of Texas
Emiliano De Leon, Investment Analyst
Carolyn Hansard, Senior Director
Eric Lang, Senior Managing Director
Maddie Kurapati, Investment Manager
Grant Walker, Senior Director
Jennifer Wenzel, Director
Texas Treasury Safekeeping Trust Company
Bradley Davis, Senior Portfolio Manager
Glenn Hegar, Chairman
Anca Ion, CIO
Matthew Williams, Senior Investment Analyst
The Townsend Group, Aon Company
Rob Kochis, Partner
