BIOGRAPHIES
ART BAKER | FACULTY ADVISOR AND INVESTMENT COMMITTEE MEMBER |
Art Baker is a Clinical Associate Professor of Finance at the UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School. Prior to his role at Kenan-Flagler Business School, Art taught at Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University and the Investment Banking Institute. Before Art's teaching roles, he served as Chief Strategy Officer for SmartStart, an American manufacturer of alcohol-monitoring technology and held finance executives roles at Fortune 500 companies such as AAA and General Motors. Prior to that, Dr. Baker worked as an investment banker for RBC Capital Markets. Art received his MBA from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, his Ph.D. in economics from Moscow State University, his BS in business from Oklahoma City University, and holds a CFA certification. |
DAVID J. HARTZELL |
David J. Hartzell is the Steven D. Bell and Leonard W. Wood Professor of Real Estate and Finance at the UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School, and Director of the Wood Center for Real Estate Studies. Dr. Hartzell is a member of KFBSF Private Equity Funds’ Board of Directors. He was formerly Vice President at Salomon Brothers Inc. in New York, where he primarily focused on institutional real estate finance and investments. Dr. Hartzell has also served as a research associate for The Urban Institute, a financial economist for the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of Currency, and President of the American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Highwoods Properties, a publicly traded real estate investment trust that focuses on investment and development in the office sector. Dr. Hartzell received his PhD in Finance from UNC Kenan-Flagler, and his MA and BS in Economics from the University of Delaware. |
JANA RAEDY | TREASURER |
Jana Raedy serves as an associate Professor of Accounting, EY Scholar in Accounting and Senior Associate Dean of Business and Operations at the UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School, and teaches financial reporting courses, including financial research and the core financial reporting sequence. Her research focuses in two areas – international reporting and the intersection between book and tax reporting. Dr. Raedy served as associate dean for the Master of Accounting (MAC) Program from 2011 to 2021. She has published in journals such as Journal of Accounting Research, The Accounting Review, The Journal of Accounting and Economics, Contemporary Accounting Research, Journal of the American Taxation Association and Tax Notes. She works with the Ernst & Young Academic Resource Center to provide curriculum materials for academia. Before she began her academic career, Dr. Raedy worked as a CPA in Kentucky. She received her PhD from Pennsylvania State University and her MS in agricultural economics from University of Kentucky. She received a BS in accounting and a BS in agricultural economics from the University of Kentucky. |
JEFF PERSINGER | INVESTMENT COMMITTEE MEMBER |
Jeff Persinger is a seasoned executive with over 30 years of experience building and leading innovative companies currently serving as Managing Partner at Advest Financial, an alternative asset manager focused on opportunities in commercial real estate. Prior to joining Advest, Jeff was the Chief Executive Officer of BioPharm Communications, an omnichannel marketing company that provides digital marketing campaigns and services to leading pharma and biotech clients. Jeff co-founded the company in 2005 and led BioPharm through sixteen consecutive years of growth. Jeff also led an investment round from a private equity firm, managed the strategic acquisition of a data and analytics company, and orchestrated the eventual sale of BioPharm to a Fortune 500 company. Prior to pursuing his entrepreneurial passion, Jeff had over 15 years of leadership experience in sales, marketing, and finance with several top global technology and pharmaceutical companies. Jeff holds a MBA and a BS in Business Administration from The University of North Carolina and is a member of the Leadership Council at the UNC Entrepreneurship Center. |
JEFFREY A. ALLRED | INVESTMENT COMMITTEE MEMBER |
Jeffrey A. Allred is a partner in the Atlanta office of Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarbourgh, LLP, concentrating in corporate strategy, governance, acquisitions, and finance. Mr. Allred is a member of KFBSF Private Equity Funds’ Board of Directors and Investment Committee. He is the former CEO of Griffeon Group, LLC, a strategic advisory firm. Before founding Griffeon, he served eight years as President, COO, and board member of Premiere Global Services, Inc. (NYSE: PGI), a global provider of on-demand communications technologies. Mr. Allred received a BA, with highest honors (1976), a JD with honors (1980), and an MBA (1980), all from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. |
JOE CANADY | INVESTMENT COMMITTEE MEMBER |
Joe Canady has been at UNC for over a decade in numerous roles across campus. He is currently the Assistant Dean of Finance at the Kenan-Flagler Business School. In his previous positions at UNC, Joe served as a Director in the Provost’s Office, and Senior Advisor to the Chancellor. His career began at UNC as the Director of Operations for Kenan-Flagler’s online MBA program, MBA@UNC. Prior to his roles at UNC, Joe served as VP of Global Finance Operations at Bank of America, responsible for the implementation and management of corporate governance and risk processes within the bank’s corporate finance function. Before Bank of America, Joe worked at Deloitte as a Senior Manager providing management, risk, and IT consulting services. Joe received his MBA from the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University and his BSBA in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. |
LEONARD W. WOOD |
Leonard W. Wood is a Founder of and Director with GLJ Partners, a southern California apartment development company. Mr. Wood is currently a member of KFBSF Private Equity Funds’ Board of Directors. He has also continued to serve on the Board of Directors of Wood Partners, LLC since his retirement as CEO. Prior to forming Wood Partners, he was a Group Managing Partner at Trammell Crow Residential, which primarily focuses on apartment development, acquisition, and management. Mr. Wood is a former Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Multi Housing Council, and past Governor, Trustee, and Chairman of the Multi Family Council of the Urban Land Institute. In 2007, Mr. Wood founded the Wood Center for Real Estate Studies as a part of the Kenan-Flagler Business School, and is the current Chairman of its Advisory Board. Mr. Wood received his MBA from UNC Kenan-Flagler where he received the Alumni Merit Award, and his BSBA from N.C. State University. |
STEVE CUMBIE |
Mr. Cumbie is Chief Executive Officer and Principal of NVCommercial Incorporated, NVRetail and the Metro Realty group, commercial real estate investment, development and services companies which projects exceed $500 million completed or in process in the Washington, D.C. and Denver, Colorado metro areas. Prior to founding NVCommercial, NVRetail and Metro Realty Group, Mr. Cumbie was President from 1977 to 1983 of Elm Street Development (formerly NVLand Incorporated), a residential land development company. He is a founder of all the “NV” companies including NVR, a publicly traded home-building company that operates through the Ryan Homes and NVHomes trade names. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of North Carolina in 1970 and received a Masters in Business Administration from UNC in 1973. Mr. Cumbie has served in leadership roles in numerous community, business and charitable organizations in the Washington area, including the current Chair of INOVA Health System and membership on the Boards of Directors of the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce, NVR Inc., INOVA, Potomac Bank of Virginia and UNC College of Arts and Sciences Foundation. |
