Board of Directors
Tazia Smith
StreetWise Partners Board Chair,
Closed Loop Partners
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Tazia Smith is Managing Partner and Chief Executive Officer of Closed Loop Capital Management, Closed Loop Partners’ investment group. Previously, she served as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Head of Capital Partnerships of Closed Loop Partners. She is currently responsible for the Closed Loop Capital Management business, as well as stakeholder management, capital formation and investor relations across the firm, and is a member of the firm’s Management Committee.
Tazia brings nearly 20 years of experience within investment banks, working with institutional family offices across the capital structure. Prior to joining Closed Loop Partners, Tazia was a Managing Director at Deutsche Bank, covering institutional family offices. Throughout her last year at Deutsche Bank, Tazia worked with the CEO’s strategy team focused on the integration of ESG, impact and sustainable finance. Before she joined Deutsche Bank, Tazia spent seven years at Goldman Sachs providing institutional cross-asset sales coverage for private clients.
In 2019, Tazia co-founded and served as a Strategic Advisor for the IMP+ACT Alliance, an independent nonprofit technology initiative funded by Deutsche Bank, with the purpose of advancing market participants’ assessment of impact investments, that is now part of The Global Impact Investing Network (The GIIN). Tazia holds a BA in Environmental Science & Policy from Duke University, where she graduated magna cum laude. She is a CFA® (Chartered Financial Analyst) Charterholder.
Tazia’s involvement with StreetWise Partners began in 2005. She volunteered as a mentor in the PwC adult program for four cycles. In 2007, Tazia joined the StreetWise Partners Junior Board, of which she served as Co-Chair from 2008-2012, before being elected to the StreetWise Board of Directors in 2014. Tazia started serving as the Chair of the Board of Directors in 2023.
Padma Elmgart
StreetWise Partners Board Vice Chair,
Global Atlantic
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Padma Elmgart is the Chief Technology Officer of Global Atlantic, a privately-owned life and annuity insurance company that has grown substantially since separating from Goldman Sachs in 2013. Today, Global Atlantic has approximately $85 billion of assets supporting promises to over two million policyholders throughout the United States. In her capacity as Chief Technology Officer, Padma oversees the technology strategy and operations of the firm. Padma also sits on Global Atlantic’s Management Committee, which oversees the broader operations of the business.
Prior to joining Global Atlantic in June 2019, Padma spent 20 years as a senior technology officer at global banks namely Barclays, Lehman Brothers, JP Morgan and Citigroup. Most recently, she served as the Chief Information Officer responsible for Deutsche Bank’s Capital Markets, Risk, Finance, and Treasury functions in North America.
Padma holds a Masters in Computer Science and a Bachelors in Chemical Engineering, both from University College London.
Monica Aggarwal
StreetWise Partners Board Treasurer,
Fitch Ratings
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Monica Aggarwal is a Managing Director and Team Head of Retail and Consumer in Fitch’s U.S. Corporate Ratings group. She is responsible for the sector team covering retail, consumer products, packaged foods, beverages, proteins, agricultural commodities and restaurants.
Prior to joining Fitch in September 2007, Monica spent almost ten years in equity research at Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch and Chapdelaine Institutional Equities covering various retail segments.
Monica earned a BA in economics from Delhi University and an MBA with majors in finance and international business from Fordham University. She is a CFA® charterholder and a member of the CFA Institute and New York Society of Security Analysts.
In addition to StreetWise, Monica is actively involved in various organizations, serving as Vice President of the Board of the Fixed Income Analysts Society, Inc., and the Women’s Bond Club where she was the co-chair of their mentoring committee for fiscal year 2018/2019. She is also a HearstLab (innovation lab for women led businesses) Scout, assisting in the evaluation process for HearstLab investments and advising the startups on business strategy and development.
Nadja Marcoz
StreetWise Partners Board Secretary,
First Eagle Investments
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Nadja Marcoz is senior managing director and head of alternatives business development. She became part of First Eagle in 2022 upon the firm’s acquisition of Napier Park Global Capital. Napier Park separated from Citigroup’s alternative investment arm, Citi Capital Advisors (CCA), in 2013. Prior to joining CCA in June 2009, Nadja worked as sales coverage for institutional accounts at Wachovia Securities. Between 2003 and 2007 Nadja worked for Citi Investment Bank – Credit Structured business covering both UHNW as well as institutional accounts. Between 1997 and 2003, Nadja was working as a product manager for offshore vehicles in London and Switzerland. Nadja started her career at Citi in Sydney where she was recruited as a management associate. Nadja finalized her management associate program in Switzerland where she implemented a compliance program for the Citi Private Bank in Switzerland and Luxemburg. Nadja has an MBA (cum laude) from Neuchatel University.
Rahul Advani
StreetWise Partners Founder,
Ser Capital Partners
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Rahul, a Founder and a former Chairman of StreetWise Partners, is the founder and CEO of SER Capital Partners, a firm dedicated to private equity investing in sustainable, environmentally-focused, and renewable energy sectors.
Prior to founding SER Capital, Rahul was a partner at Energy Capital Partners, a private equity firm with over $20 billion of capital commitments, where he focused primarily on renewable and environmental infrastructure investments as well as capital raising. Prior to Energy Capital, Rahul was an early team member to join Orion Power, a Goldman Sachs-backed power company which was formed during industry deregulation and sold within five years after meaningful growth. Additionally, he was an investment banking analyst at Morgan Stanley after working at PriceWaterhouseCoopers as a turnaround consultant.
Rahul graduated from Colgate University where he majored in mathematical economics. Rahul earned an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
Matt Gorin
StreetWise Partners Founder,
Contour Venture Partners
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Matt, the Founder of StreetWise Partners and former Chairman of StreetWise Partners for 12 years, is a co-founder and Managing Partner at Contour Venture Partners, an early stage venture capital firm based in New York. Matt was previously with Promontory Financial Group, a merchant banking firm focused on the financial services sector, where he helped launch Promontory Interfinancial Network. Previously he worked for Red Hat as Business Development Manager in its Strategic Planning & Corporate Development group. Matt also worked at Morgan Stanley within its strategic venture capital fund, concentrating on making investments in early-stage financial services companies. Prior to entering business school, he was a turnaround consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers in its Financial Advisory Services group. Matt received his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and B.A. in Economics and American Studies from Brandeis University, where he was an NCAA Academic All-American for tennis.
Vipula Gandhi
Gallup
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Vipula Gandhi is Managing Partner at Gallup Inc. She leads business strategy, performance and teams for Financial Services, Professional Services and Healthcare industries for the organization. She is motivated to make a positive difference within organizations by ensuring that individuals realize their full potential, thereby helping their organizations to reach their goals and achieve their vision. Since joining Gallup, Vipula has led consulting and change management engagements for many clients. Delivering significant business impact at these organization has made her a valued advisor to leadership, as evidenced by the positive client feedback she has received throughout her career. Prior to joining Gallup, Vipula spent eight years with some of the best known banks in the world. Her last assignment was as a Director in corporate banking for one of the largest banks in the United Kingdom. Her responsibilities there included long-term strategy, short-term financial deliverables, credit analysis and management, and team management. She received her master’s degree in business administration from Warwick Business School in the United Kingdom.
Todd Greenbarg
Avenue Capital Group
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Mr. Greenbarg is a Senior Managing Director and General Counsel of Avenue Capital Group. He is responsible for legal matters across the firm’s strategies. Mr. Greenbarg focuses on all areas affecting the firm’s management companies and funds, including structuring new investment products, drafting all constituent documents for the funds and general contract work. Prior to joining Avenue in 2003, Mr. Greenbarg was an Associate in the Investment Funds practice at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, where he specialized in the formation, structuring and development of private equity funds, institutional funds, hedge funds and other private investment partnerships. Mr. Greenbarg received a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa, summa cum laude, with Honors (1997) and a J.D. from New York University School of Law (2000). He joined the StreetWise Board in 2017.
Alex Kaplan
Sidley Austin LLP
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Alex Kaplan is a partner in the New York office of Sidley Austin LLP, an international law firm, where he represents clients in high stakes litigation and threatened disputes, with a particular focus on securities litigation, litigation relating to mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance issues, and proxy contests, as well as related internal and regulatory investigations. Alex represents financial institutions, private equity firms, hedge funds, corporations and individuals in a range of matters, and also counsels clients on risk and diligence issues. Alex has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania, and is a magna cum laude graduate of American University’s Washington College of Law. Alex joined the StreetWise Board in 2020.
Brian Korb
Swellbox
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Brian is currently CEO of Swellbox, a digital health company specializing in data connectivity solutions and patient engagement products for health systems. Prior to Swellbox, Brian was a Co-Founder of Glocap, a leading tech-enabled recruiting company in the alternative asset space, also featured in Forbes “Best of the Web” rankings. While with Glocap Brian co-authored a yearly PE compensation report with Dow Jones and also authored “The Glocap Guide to Getting a job in Private Equity” published by John Wiley & Sons. Brian has been an invited expert guest on CNBC and Reuters, as well as an invited speaker at Harvard, Stanford and Wharton business schools. Prior to Glocap, Brian worked in investment banking in telecom and gaming sectors at Deutsche Bank in NY (DMG). Brian has a B.S. in Economics from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Brian is married to his wife Vanessa with whom he lives in Westchester, NY with his three children.
David Kurzweil
Latham & Watkins LLP
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David Kurzweil is a partner in the new York office of Latham & Watkins LLP, an international law firm, where he specializes in mergers and acquisitions and general public company representation. David has a broad array of experience in both public and private company mergers and acquisitions, which includes representation of principals, special committees, private equity and leveraged buyout funds, and financial advisors. David has also represented issuers, underwriters and initial purchasers in numerous debt and equity securities offerings, and has provided general corporate advice to both public and private companies. David has a BA from Georgetown University and a JD from Columbia University School of Law.
Anton Levy
Layer Global
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Anton Levy is the Founder and Managing Partner of Layer Global, a leading technology investment firm.
Prior to founding Layer Global, Mr. Levy served as an Advisory Director at General Atlantic, a leading global investor with more than $103 billion in assets under management. Since joining GA in 1998, Anton has worked on investments around the globe and across various sector such as Airbnb, Alibaba Group, CrowdStrike, Facebook, Klarna AB, Mercado Libre, Slack, Snapchat, Squarespace, and Uber.
He graduated with a B.S. in commerce with degrees in finance and computer science from the University of Virginia and earned an M.B.A. from Columbia University. Anton graduated with highest honors from both universities.
Bethany Menzies
The Ready Foundation
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As founder of The Ready Foundation ("Ready"), Bethany is a hands-on philanthropist in support of at-risk and underserved members of the community across New York City. Ready's mission and resources are devoted to non-profits within the five boroughs doing remarkable work with youth development, workforce and economic development and social justice. Through Ready, Bethany provides direct funding, strategic advisory and board service. Her experience is drawn from over two decades in the private sector and more than a decade with non-profits. She and her husband and Ready co-founder have become advocates for the role of strong mentors and coaches in helping to build successful careers; hard work, formal education, and even luck often prove to be insufficient without leadership and role models. This perspective guides much of the work of Ready. Bethany is currently serving in board governance and strategic advisory roles with non-profits including StreetWise Partners and The Door. Prior to Ready, she served in executive sales, marketing, and business development leadership roles with global consulting firms including Gartner and Deloitte, "Fortune 500" corporations including The Thomson Corporation (now Thomson Reuters), and two venture backed start-ups. Bethany earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from The Pennsylvania State University, and an Executive development Program Sponsored Certificate from Columbia Business School. She joined the StreetWise board in 2016 and lives in downtown Manhattan with her husband and two dogs.
Maya Pochiraju
The Contract Network
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Maya Pochiraju is the Chief Product Officer at The Contract Network, an AI-powered contract collaboration platform focused on radically accelerating contract negotiation and simplifying contract compliance. She leads Product, Strategy, and Customer Enablement for the company. Prior to this role, Maya served as the Chief Operating Officer at Payability, a New York-based fintech startup providing financing and payment solutions to propel growth for eCommerce businesses. At Payability, Maya led all Go To Market, Product, and Customer Success functions, focusing on company strategy, product innovation, and customer experience. Before her tenure at Payability, Maya was a Vice President in Blackstone’s Innovations Group, where she drove firm-wide strategic technology programs across investor experience, fundraising, new-business regulation, and cloud computing. Maya is deeply committed to mentoring and unlocking potential in others. She has been volunteering with StreetWise Partners since 2017 as a mentor and lead volunteer. Maya joined the Program Committee in 2018 before joining the Board in 2020. Maya received BAs in both Economics and Information Science from Cornell University.
Samantha Vega
Verizon
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Samantha is a Data Scientist within the Artificial Intelligence and Data group at Verizon, a leading provider of technology and communications services. The Artificial Intelligence and Data (AI&D) organization focuses on delivering the power of data and AI to drive Verizon’s marketplace leadership through innovative solutions that create value for customers, shareholders, employees, and society -- responsibly. Samantha is tasked with using advanced data analytics techniques to enhance and maintain Verizon's network infrastructure and services. She is focused mainly on Competitive Intelligence.
Samantha graduated magna cum laude with her B.S in Computer Science with a concentration in Networking and Telecommunications from St. John's University. Samantha began her involvement with Streetwise Partners in 2020 as a mentee. Following her program graduation, she joined the Alumni Council, focusing on improving alumni relations. Samantha now serves as the first Alumni Ambassador of the Streetwise Partners Board of Directors.
Gitanjali Workman
Soros Capital Management LLC
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Gitanjali Workman is General Counsel and Chief Operating Officer of Soros Capital Management LLC.
Prior to joining SCM in early 2018, Gitanjali practiced for over a decade at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton and Garrison LLP where she focused on all aspects of the alternative asset management industry. Prior to her time at Paul, Weiss, Gitanjali worked as an advocate in the Supreme Court of India, handling constitutional law and complex commercial and civil litigations.
Gitanjali holds a BA. LL.B (Hons.) degree from The National Law School, India and a LL.M from Duke University School of Law. She is a member of the Board of Visitors at Duke University School of Law.
Colin Smith
SageSure
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Colin Smith is the Chief Operating Officer of SageSure, the country's largest residential property insurance MGA, where he is responsible for identifying and executing strategies for the company’s continued growth. Colin oversees strategic planning, financial planning, and corporate development efforts - including raising over $800 million of capital from institutional investors. Prior to SageSure, he worked in investment banking at Banc of America Securities and Atlantic-Pacific Capital.
Colin served as the Executive Director of the NYC nonprofit Change for Kids from 2009 to 2017. At CFK, he increased revenue 25x, built a robust network of over 3,000 individual donors and corporate sponsors, and supported nearly 5,000 elementary school students annually. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees at the Congregational Church of New Canaan, and has a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Virginia.
Fred Strobel
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Fred Strobel is an executive advisor and leadership strategist with more than 25 years of experience guiding organizations through growth, transition, and complexity. Over the course of his career, he has focused on building strong leadership teams and creating environments where individuals can develop, contribute, and thrive.
He most recently served as Global Head of Human Resources and a member of the Executive Committee at Tradeweb Markets, where he helped lead the company through its IPO and global expansion. Earlier in his career, he spent 15 years at Morgan Stanley in senior leadership roles within a global financial institution.
Fred’s work today reflects a long-standing commitment to mentorship and economic mobility. He actively supports nonprofit initiatives that connect individuals to opportunity through structured mentorship, professional exposure, and long-term relationship building. He believes sustained guidance and access to strong networks can meaningfully change life trajectories.
He is a Certified Grief Educator and integrates resilience-based leadership principles into his volunteer and advisory work.
He is a board member of both Tuesday's Children and StreetWise Partners.
Fred holds a B.S. from St. John’s University and a Master’s degree in Organizational Management.
Keith Banhazl
Moody’s Investors Service
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Keith Banhazl is a Managing Director and Head of Commercial Real Estate Finance for Americas within the Structured Finance Group and leads the team responsible for CMBS & CRE CLO new ratings and surveillance at Moody’s Investors Service. The team is responsible for reviewing Conduit/Fusion, Large Loan/Single Borrower, Agency CMBS, Credit Tenant Lease, Small Balance Commercial, CRE CLO, CRE CDO and other structured products at Moody’s Investors Service.
In his role, Keith also coordinates the Commercial Real Estate cross group initiatives and liaises with CFG, FIG, PFG and CSS teams. Additionally, he is Moody’s Global Structured Finance Outreach Coordinator. He has been involved in various research initiatives and outreach activities related to the CRE securitization space, publishing and speaking on Moody’s behalf. Prior to being appointed to his current position, Mr. Banhazl was a Managing Director within the Structured Finance Group leading the US CRE Surveillance team and the review of primary US CRE CLO/CDO transactions.
Keith also serves as a mentor within the Women’s BRG and the Pan-Asian Impact BRG at Moody’s. In addition to his work at Moody’s, Keith is actively involved in other organizations, serving as a Board Member at Turning Point Brooklyn (Brooklyn Community Services).
Keith has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brown University in Economics and History.
Russell Schmidt
Morgan Stanley
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Russell is a Managing Director at Morgan Stanley and is head of the Alternative Capital Solutions practice for the firm.
He has spent 19 years in broader investment banking, primarily in global capital markets with roles in Equity Capital Markets, Leveraged Finance and Alternative Capital Solutions throughout his career. Prior to joining Morgan Stanley in 2022, Russell was a Managing Director at Goldman Sachs, where he led the Industrials and Business Services Equity Capital Markets verticals. During his career, Russell has worked on over 275 bookrun transactions, raising over $115Bn in proceeds for clients across industries.
Russell graduated magna cum laude from The College of William & Mary with a double major in History and Finance. He holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).