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Doug Ashburn, CAIA, spent more than 20 years as a derivatives market maker and asset manager before “reincarnating” as a financial media professional a decade ago. Before joining Britannica Money, Doug spent nearly six years managing content marketing projects for a dozen clients, including The Ticker Tape, TD Ameritrade’s market news and financial education site for retail investors. He has been a CAIA charter holder since 2006, and also held a Series 3 license during his years as a derivatives specialist. Doug previously served as Regional Director for the Chicago region of PRMIA, the Professional Risk Managers’ International Association, and he also served as editor of Intelligent Risk, PRMIA’s quarterly member newsletter. He holds a BS from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an MBA from Illinois Institute of Technology, Stuart School of Business.

Elly is an investor on the private investment team at Global Endowment Management (GEM), where she covers all illiquid asset classes including private equity, venture capital, real assets, and private credit. Prior to GEM, She was previously an Associate at Social Finance, and a Research Associate at LSU Economics Policy & Research Group. She started her career as an Analyst with JP Morgan Chase. Elly graduated from The University of Virginia with a B.S. in Finance and is a CFA Charterholder.

Mark Corigliano founded Corigliano Investment Advisers and manages the Energy Security Fund, a long/short equity fund in the oil & gas and energy transition sectors. He was employed at DUMAC, Inc., the investment management company of Duke University, from 2014 to 2022. In 2017, he was named Head of the Private Investments Team, a group of approximately eight investment professionals with responsibility for roughly half of DUMAC’s capital. Prior to this appointment, he co-led the Public Securities Team, which oversees DUMAC’s investments in equities, hedge funds, and commodities. He also served as an Adjunct Professor at the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He instructed a class on Alternative Energy and lectured on commodity investing and alternative investments. In 2009, Mr. Corigliano founded Belltower Advisors LLC, a $200 million investment management firm that utilized a long/short equity strategy to generate superior risk-adjusted returns in the energy, mining, and materials sectors. Prior to founding Belltower Advisors, he invested in a similar fashion with New York-based Proxima Alfa Investments. Mr. Corigliano initiated his investment career at DUMAC where he managed a $200 million portfolio of private equity investments in the natural resources sector and implemented a unique and successful commodity futures trading program. He started his career with Schlumberger, the world’s largest oil service company, where he performed engineering services in the Gulf of Mexico for major exploration and production companies. Mr. Corigliano received a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University and an M.B.A. (beta gamma sigma) from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Jim Dunn oversees all investment decisions and is responsible for setting the course for the company, leading corporate strategy and ensuring that Verger remains competitively positioned to serve their clients’ complex needs. Prior to founding Verger, Jim was Vice-President and Chief Investment Officer at Wake Forest University, responsible for investment of the University’s endowment, working capital and life income assets. Before joining Wake Forest, Jim served as Managing Director at Wilshire Associates Inc., and Chief Investment Officer and Portfolio Manager for Wilshire Funds Management, the money management arm of Wilshire Associates. At Wilshire Jim was responsible for providing leadership on asset allocation, investment policy and investment manager selection. Jim served as the Chairman of the Wilshire Funds Management Investment Committee and served as Portfolio Manager for all of Wilshire Fund Management’s alternative investment portfolios. Jim holds a BBA in Finance from Villanova University, where he was a member of the NCAA Division I men’s varsity soccer team.

Patrick O’Hara is a member of Barings’ Diversified Alternative Equity team and is responsible for originating, underwriting and monitoring primary fund, co-investment, and secondary fund opportunities for private equity and real assets. Patrick has worked in the industry since 1998 with experience as a General Partner and Limited Partner investor in private equity, real assets, leveraged loans and distressed credit. Prior to joining the firm in 2017, Patrick held several leadership and investment positions including Co-Founder and Partner at Aldea Capital Partners, Principal at GCM Grosvenor, Director of Private Equity at the Employees Retirement System of Texas, Managing Director at Patriarch Partners and Portfolio Manager at GE Capital. Patrick holds a B.S. in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University and an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School.