Mark Anson is the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of the Commonfund and Chairman of the Board of Commonfund Capital Inc. and Commonfund Asset Management Company. Previously, he was the President and Chief Investment Officer for the Bass Family Office of Ft. Worth, Texas which was recognized as Family Office of the Year for 2014 & 2015. He was the President and Global Head of Investment Management at Nuveen Investments, a full-service asset management company with over $900 billion in assets under management. Prior to Nuveen, Mark served as the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer for the British Telecom Pension Scheme (BTPS), the largest institutional investor in the UK with assets of £65 billion. In addition, Mark was the CEO of Hermes Pensions Management in London, a £55 billion asset management company that is wholly owned by the BTPS. Prior to joining BTPS, he served as the Chief Investment Officer of the California Public Employees' Retirement System, the largest institutional investor in the United States with over $300 billion in assets. Mark is currently the Chairman of the Investment Committee for the $65 billion UAW Medical Benefits Trust. He also serves on the Law Board of the Northwestern University School of Law, and the Board of the Toigo Foundation. He is the only person to serve on the Board of Governors for both the CFA Institute and the CAIA Association. He was an inaugural member of the SEC Investor Advisory Committee and the Chairman of the Board for the International Corporate Governance Network.

Mark has published over 100 investment articles in professional journals and has won three Best Paper Awards. He is the author of five financial textbooks including the Handbook of Alternative Assets, which is the primary textbook used for the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst program. Mark earned a B.A. in Economics and Chemistry from St. Olaf College, a Ph.D. and Masters in Finance from Columbia University Graduate School of Business, and a J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law, all with honors. He has also received several industry awards in recognition of his leadership in asset management including the Lifetime Achievement Award in Pension Fund Management from Plan Sponsor. Last, Mark has earned the Chartered Financial Analyst, Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst, Certified Public Accountant, and Chartered Global Management Accountant professional degrees, and he is a Member of the Law Bar of New York and Illinois.

Rebecca Patterson is a globally recognized investor and macro-economic researcher with nearly 30 years of experience across the US, Europe and Asia, Rebecca studies how politics and policy intersect with economic trends to drive financial markets.

Rebecca is a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and an independent director at Vanguard, a global asset manager with more than $10 trillion in assets under management. She also serves as an advisor for a number of companies and organizations on macro-economic issues.  

Previously, Rebecca was Chief Investment Strategist for Bridgewater Associates, the world’s largest hedge fund. From 2012 through 2019, Rebecca was Chief Investment Officer of Bessemer Trust, a multi-family office where she managed $85 billion in client assets. Before joining Bessemer, Rebecca spent more than 15 years at JPMorgan, where she held a number of senior roles in Europe, Asia and the US.

Rebecca has supported the Federal Reserve throughout her career, including serving on the New York Federal Reserve’s Investor Advisory and Foreign Exchange committees. She is on the Executive Committee of the Trilateral Commission, a member of the Economic Club of New York and serves on the University of Florida’s Investment Corporation Advisory Board. She chairs the Council for Economic Education and is Vice Chair of the board of the Bretton Woods Committee.

Rebecca holds an M.B.A. from New York University, an M.A. in International Relations from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, and a B.S. in Journalism from the University of Florida. She was included in American Banker’s list of Most Powerful Women in Finance for six consecutive years and was named to Forbes’ 50 over 50 in 2022.

Joe joined the World Gold Council in 2016 and is currently serving as the Chief Market Strategist for North America. Additionally, Joe  serves as Principal Executive Officer for the World Gold Trust Services, LLC; President and Principal Executive Officer of WGC USA Asset Management Company, LLC. 

With over 30 years of experience in the financial services industry (including 15 years working in Asia), Joe’s expertise is in global 
capital markets, exchange traded funds, asset management, trading, and business/platform development. Prior to joining the World Gold Council, Joe acted as Managing Director at BlackRock where he was responsible for iShares Capital Markets – Americas. Prior to BlackRock, he held senior positions at UBS, Merrill Lynch and Bank of America focused on equity derivatives training, securities financing, and lending.  Joe’s career is centered around discovery – finding the best way to turn business plans into viable commercial activities and looking for innovative ideas that “break the mold.”  

Chris Kuiper is VP of Research for Fidelity Digital Assets®, which provides enterprise-grade digital asset solutions for institutional investors. Chris contributes to and oversees the research creation process, working closely with sales and marketing to provide leading education and resources to clients.

Prior to joining Fidelity Digital Assets®, Chris served as Vice President of equity research at CFRA Research, one of the largest independent global investment research providers. There he covered financial exchanges as well as payment and fintech companies, while also expanding CFRA’s research capabilities to include digital assets and led the creation of CFRA’s research methodology. Chris also previously served as a research analyst at various asset management firms, as well as a research fellow at the Mercatus Center, a university-based public policy research center where he focused on technology- and finance-related public policy issues.

Chris holds an MA in Economics from George Mason University as well as a BA in Business Administration from Dordt University. Chris Kuiper is a CFA® charterholder.

Josh Gruss is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Round Hill Music, a leading private equity platform specializing in music catalog investment, management and artist development. Alongside his leadership at Round Hill, Josh co-owns Sienna Studios Nashville, a historic recording facility on Music Row, and plays guitar with the Boston-based band Rubikon, which has toured with major rock acts including The Cult and Candlebox. Since founding Round Hill Music, Josh has led major acquisitions, including Carlin America and Telegram Studios, securing the rights to over 200,000 iconic songs by artists like The Beatles, Frank Sinatra, Bruno Mars and Tim McGraw.

Josh’s career journey began in the music industry at Warner Music Group in 1997 as an Assistant Director in product development. He then transitioned into finance and investment banking at Bear Stearns in 1999. Josh joined Gruss & Co. in 2002, where he gained further experience in investment and risk management. While at Gruss & Co., Josh recognized music IP as an undervalued asset with strong potential, especially as streaming grew, and he launched Round Hill Music in 2010 to merge his love for music with his finance expertise, capitalizing on the music industry’s new revenue opportunities.

Josh graduated with a B.A. from Trinity College and earned an M.B.A. from both Columbia University and London Business School. Josh is also a Trustee and Alumnus of Berklee College of Music in Boston. He served in the United States Coast Guard Reserve for six years, including active duty after the September 11 attacks. In 2021, Josh was recognized as a Billboard Change Agent, and in 2022, Billboard International Power Player in 2023 and he was included in the Billboard Power List for his transformative contributions to the industry. Josh also established an ongoing $1 million Round Hill Music Endowed Scholarship Fund in 2021 to support students pursuing Music Business and Management degrees.

Ms. Molnar joined Fairfax County Retirement Systems in 2013 and currently serves as Chief Investment Officer of the Fairfax County Police Officers Retirement System (PORS), a $1.9 billion plan. Her responsibilities include all aspects of portfolio management and oversight, including strategic and tactical asset and risk allocation, selection and supervision of external investment managers and risk management. During her time at PORS, Ms. Molnar has been repeatedly nominated for CIO Innovation Awards and PORS’s performance has made it a top-ranked System. From 2001 until 2012, Ms. Molnar was Vice President, Senior Research Analyst at AIG Investments’ Hedge Fund Solutions Group – both in London and New York. At AIG Investments, Ms. Molnar was responsible for due diligence procedures and research including: sourcing new managers, monitoring current hedge funds, analyzing portfolio risk and performance, making new investment recommendations to an investment committee as well as hedge fund asset allocation recommendations for portfolio construction. She was additionally responsible for portfolio reviews and overall asset allocation recommendations for external client portfolios. Previously, she was Vice President, Market Research Analyst at Citigroup Investments’ Alternative Investment Strategies group. Prior investment management experience includes positions at Paribas Asset Management as well as Trevor Stewart Burton & Jacobsen. Additionally, Ms. Molnar spent one year in Warsaw, Poland launching the first retail mutual funds available to the Polish market as well as two years in Frankfurt, Germany as an intern with J.P. Morgan. Ms. Molnar received a B.S. in Business Administration/Finance from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Ms. Molnar currently serves on the Board of Directors of the CFA Society Washington, D.C. She is a CFA charterholder.

Lukas (Luke) Smart is a Senior Investment Director in Dimensional’s Investment Solutions Group (ISG). He focuses on business development, client engagement, thought leadership, analysis, and education on a wide range of investment-related topics, partnering with teams across the firm to fulfill his responsibilities. Luke previously served as a Senior Portfolio Manager and head of Dimensional’s US Large Cap Portfolio Management team. In that role, he led an experienced team responsible for around a quarter of Dimensional’s global assets.

Prior to rejoining Dimensional in 2023, Luke was a managing director and head of US iShares factors and sustainable product segments for BlackRock. In this role, he was responsible for product development, data and analytics, distribution strategy, and thought leadership for both priority segments. He also shared marketing responsibilities.

Luke earned a bachelor of business economics degree from the University of San Diego and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, where he focused on analytic finance, economics, and accounting. He is a CFA charterholder and a member of the CFA Society of Austin.

Luke Rossiter is a member of the Venture Capital team at CF Private Equity and his responsibilities include sourcing, due diligence, manager selection and investment management for the firm’s global venture capital platform; across primaries, direct investments, secondaries and blockchain. Before joining CF Private Equity, he was a Senior Investment Analyst at VenCap International plc, a venture capital advisory firm based in Oxford, England. Luke received his Bachelor of Science degree (with honours) in Psychology and Law from Swansea University and completed his Legal Practice Course at the Oxford Institute of Legal Practice where he focused on Equity Finance, Private Acquisitions and Commercial Law.

As a Regional Director and Vice President in Dimensional’s Global Client Group, Noah Caust builds and strengthens relationships with institutional prospects and clients, including endowments, foundations, pensions, family offices, and other large pools of wealth. Prior to joining Dimensional, Noah was a large-market regional manager for Paychex Inc., where he managed a team of 10 experienced personnel selling 401(k) recordkeeping services in the Midwest US.

He earned an MBA from Excelsior College and a bachelor’s degree in hospitality administration from Boston University. In addition, he holds Certified Investment Management Analyst® (CIMA®) and Accredited Retirement Plan Consultant (ARPC) designations.

Katie Kowinski brings over 20 years of experience in developing innovative marketing strategies and building strong relationships in the financial sector. Before joining Round Hill in 2024, Katie held key roles across private equity, venture capital, hedge funds, and alternative investments. She’s known for her ability to blend strategic thinking with creative execution, driving brand awareness and fostering engagement with institutional investors.

Most recently, Katie was Managing Director of Business Development at Raven Capital, where she developed strategic fund marketing campaigns. Before that, she led Investor Relations at Kairos Venture Investments. Katie has also held senior positions at PFM Health Sciences, Artisan Partners, and Pacific View Asset Management, where she played a pivotal role in growing assets and establishing market presence.

Katie holds a B.A. in Religious Studies from Indiana University. Outside of work, she loves traveling and exploring new cultures, and is deeply committed to philanthropy, actively supporting nonprofits focused on child abuse prevention and Multiple Sclerosis research.

Robert Sydow is a portfolio manager and leads MetLife Investment Management’s (MIM) opportunistic high yield team. He is responsible for overseeing portfolio management, investment strategy and credit research specializing in energy, health care, financials, metals & mining, services and utility industries for MIM’s opportunistic high yield strategies.

Bob joined MIM on February 28, 2025 in connection with the acquisition of Mesirow Financial Investment Management’s high yield fixed income management team where he served as chief investment officer and portfolio manager of the team. Prior to joining Mesirow in 2017, he was a senior vice president at Pacific Income Advisers. Before that, he founded Grandview Capital and served in multiple positions at SunAmerica Investments’ high yield bond department. Bob also held multiple positions at First Interstate Bancorp and Atlantic Richfield Company. He has 36 years of investment management experience.

Bob earned his joint undergraduate degrees, summa cum laude, in economics and history and a Master of Business Administration and Juris Doctor from UCLA.

Will Beck of Wilshire Associates is a Senior Vice President and member of Wilshire’s Traditional Manager Research Group where he focuses on fixed income strategies. After the fastest U.S. Federal Reserve tightening cycle on record, fixed income markets are the focus of asset allocation conversations across the investment landscape.

Join us as Will takes us through the current fixed income environment and where he and his colleagues at Wilshire are finding opportunity. In addition to Will’s responsibilities in identifying, researching, and monitoring fixed income managers, Will is also a rotating member of the Wilshire Investment Committee. He is also a portfolio manager on Wilshire’s active fixed income products and a senior member of the consulting team for the firm’s clients.

Will has been with Wilshire for more than 13 years, covering more than 100 unique strategies and representing more than $50 billion of client assets. The Dakota Live! Podcast was thrilled to discuss the fixed income markets with veteran allocator, Will Beck in this timely and informative conversation.

Will joined NEPC in 2021. He officially joined NEPC’s public funds team in 2025. His consulting responsibilities include advising public pensions, corporate pensions, insurance companies, and corporate foundations. He facilitates asset allocation studies, manager searches, manager due diligence, portfolio performance and financial market analysis for clients. Will is also the Co-Chair of NEPC’s Diverse Manager Committee and is responsible for sourcing high conviction diverse, emerging manager ideas for NEPC’s platform.

Will has over 14 years of industry experience and 5 years of experience in manager research. Previously, he led all manager due diligence and capital markets idea generation for real estate, infrastructure, and commodity funds at Marquette Associates. Prior to joining Marquette, he was a Senior Research Consultant within Mercer, where he underwrote both public fixed income strategies and private credit strategies.

Before becoming a consultant, Will worked several years in investment advisory and sales roles for both Neuberger Berman and JPMorgan. Will received his MBA from DePaul University and his Bachelor of Science from Hampton University. He is currently pursuing his Chartered Financial Analyst designation.

Kirk Sims heads TRS’ Emerging Manager Program. Since being established in 2005, TRS has committed $3.7 billion to one of the largest programs of its kind. An additional $2 billion has been invested directly with EM Program graduates. Each graduate was selected as a result of consistent outperformance among a group of more than 160 EM managers. Recognizing the Program’s success, in early 2019, TRS rolled out a plan to invest another $3 billion over the next three to five years.

Sims joined the Teacher Retirement System of Texas on March 1, 2019. Before joining Texas Teachers, he was a Senior Investment Officer for the Teachers’ Retirement System of the State of Illinois. Sims had oversight and management responsibility of TRS’s Emerging Manager Program, a $750 million evergreen pool of capital designed to identify and invest in emerging investment managers across all asset classes.

Prior, Sims worked at Prudential Retirement where he was responsible for a manager of manager’s retirement platform as well as an open architecture investment platform. He also has a background in asset management and has held various positions with both large and small asset managers.

Sims is a CFA charter holder and holds a Masters in Business Administration from the Columbia University Graduate School of Business. He received a Bachelor of Business Administration from Howard University in Washington, DC.

Randy Jackson’s fearless and forward-thinking mentality has guided him from musician, songwriter and Grammy Award-winning producer to revered record-industry executive, business entrepreneur, best-selling author, talent manager, television producer and beloved global television personality. All of this stems from Jackson's lifelong passion for music. Jackson produced and performed on hit records by Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Steven Tyler, Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Smokey Robinson, Van Hunt and Madonna, to name just a few.  He's also lived in the rock 'n' roll world, recording and performing with legendary musicians such as Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Bon Jovi, Keith Richards, Journey, Carlos Santana, Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir and countless others. All in all, he has over 1,000 gold and platinum plaques to his name, with collective sales exceeding 200+ million copies. However, it is on television where Randy Jackson became a household name and reached iconic status within pop culture as a judge on American Idol for 13 seasons.   Jackson returned to television as the ultimate band leader opposite host Jane Krakowski in the reboot of the iconic game show “Name That Tune” for FOX.  

Jackson launched various other ventures including producing MTV’s “Randy Jackson Presents: America’s Best Dance Crew” for seven seasons; founding a successful music and influencer management firm and production company, as well as the representation of world-renowned chefs.  And for the past 15 years, Randy Jackson Eyewear has been one of the leading men’s optical eyeglass brands in more than 10,000 retail locations in the USA, Canada, Puerto Rico, Mexico and Latin America. 

His charitable work includes his role as Goodwill Ambassador for Save the Children U.S., involvement with the Gibson Foundation, and the Music in the Schools program of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, he was one of the architects of the multimillion-dollar fundraiser, Idol Gives Back, delivering relief to his home state Louisiana. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Randy donated 5,000 N95 masks to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles through his health and wellness company, UNIFY Health Labs; and served as a celebrity judge for Harvard Business School’s fundraiser in support of Boston’s pandemic relief efforts.  

Andrew Spellar has over three decades of investment experience spanning the public and private sectors. He has expertise in investment manager selection, portfolio construction, risk management, Board and shareholder engagement, product management, asset raising and financial operations.

Andrew currently serves as the Chief Investment Officer (CIO) of the Fairfax County Employees’ Retirement System (FCERS) in Northern Virginia – a role he has held since 2004. Since joining FCERS in 1998, the System’s assets have grown from $1.6 billion to $5 billion.

As CIO, he collaborates extensively with the broader investment team at Fairfax County Retirement Systems, leading the Investment Matters portion of the retirement system’s monthly Board of Trustees meetings and is directly accountable to its 10-person Board of Trustees.

Andrew is the architect of FCERS’s widely recognized risk-based asset allocation philosophy and its innovation-themed venture capital allocation, which includes commitments to areas such as: Blockchain Technology, Life Sciences, Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Machine Learning and Cybersecurity/National Security Technologies.

During Andrew’s tenure, FCERS has shown strong performance relative to its peers – routinely ranking in the top quartile on a multi-year basis. He has been repeatedly nominated by his peers for a CIO Innovation Award and is a sought-after speaker at widely attended industry conferences. One can listen to Andrew describe his innovative approach on an episode of the Top Traders Podcast here.

Currently, Andrew serves on Limited Partner Advisory Committees with such firms as PIMCO, DoubleLine, Marathon, Crestline, Morgan Creek and Sands Capital among others. Andrew is a long-standing Investment Committee member of the Pi Kappa Phi Foundation, including a stint as Chairman.

In addition to his tenured experience with FCERS, Andrew was a Portfolio Manager with Parametric Associates specializing in the use of derivative overlays to manage risk in institutional portfolios, served multiple roles with the mutual fund firm GIT Investments, and began his career with Riggs Bank of Washington, DC.

Andrew holds Bachelor of Arts degrees in History and Area Studies (Europe) from George Mason University and a Master of Business Administration from Marymount University. An avid golfer and traveler, Andrew resides in the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington D.C. with his wife and has three grown children.