We believe that our people set us apart from the rest. The Management Committee of Austin Capital has taken care to assemble a team of individuals that are alike in their professionalism and have complementing strengths. Having the right mix of knowledge, experience, and perspective has allowed us to consistently meet our clients investment objectives.

Please read on for the following individual bios: Investment Team, Investor Relations/Business Development, Fund Operations, Accounting, Compliance and Administration.

INVESTMENT TEAM

Charles (Chuck) W. Riley, Senior Managing Director, is Chief Investment Officer of the All Seasons Fund and Managing Director of Austin Capital Management. He is responsible for coordinating and supervising the firm’s research and portfolio construction activities. From 1988 to 1993, he successfully organized and managed a group of multi-manager, multi-strategy investment partnerships, and managed an in-house hedge fund for a private family group (total invested capital in excess of $200 million). Chuck’s previous experience was as an analyst for a mergers and acquisition group and as a CPA for the international public accounting firm of KPMG Peat Marwick. He received his BBA degree from the University of Texas at Austin and his graduate (MS in accounting) degree from the University of Houston.

Brent A. Martin, Senior Managing Director, is Chief Investment Officer of the Safe Harbor Fund and focuses primarily on research and evaluation of event-driven, relative value, and arbitrage funds. From 1983 to 1994, he was  Senior Vice President in institutional sales with Westcap Securities, Shearson Lehman Hutton and Underwood Neuhaus. During this period he was responsible for structuring portfolios with Treasury, agency, and mortgage-backed securities. As CMOs (collateralized mortgage obligations) evolved in the late 1980s, Brent worked with accounts to create quantitative systems applying pre-payment models to portfolios using CMOs . He also worked to develop strategies for hedging pre-payment risk, interest rate risk and LIBOR risk. From 1994 to 1998, he marketed exclusively to hedge funds with a focus on distressed bonds, structured asset-backed securities and equity securities. He received his BBA degree in Management from Southwest Texas State University.

Montgomery (Buck) Green, Portfolio Manager, focuses on hedged equity strategies. In this capacity, he coordinates research on current and potential long/short equity managers and the allocation and rebalancing for those managers in the All Seasons and Next Generation Funds. Prior to joining the firm, Buck served as the primary analyst at another alternative investment firm specializing in institutional hedge fund research. He also worked as an analyst in institutional investment consulting for a regional investment firm. He received his MBA from the University of Texas at Austin and a BS degree in International Trade and Finance from Louisiana State University. He is a CFA charterholder.

Jay W. Van Ert, Portfolio Manager focuses on non-directional multi-strategy portfolios. In this capacity he is responsible for the coordination of our research efforts on non-directional prospective hedge fund managers and the allocation and rebalancing decisions for the managers included in the Safe Harbor Funds. Prior to joining the firm, Jay was a managing director of Tejas Securities Group and Vice President, Portfolio Manager and Director of High Yield Research at T. Rowe Price Associates in Baltimore. Jay earned a MBA in 1984 from Southern Methodist University and a BBA from the University of Texas in 1983.

Kyle McDaniel, Chief Risk Officer, is responsible for providing risk analysis to the Austin Capital funds as well as their underlying hedge funds. Kyle is the architect of the firm’s proprietary risk model, which includes underlying funds in its correlation analyses and shock-test scenarios. Prior to joining Austin Capital, he managed investments for a multi-family office, including a very active trading portfolio and an alternative investment portfolio focused on hedging strategies. In this capacity, he designed and implemented a due diligence system for evaluation of hedge fund managers. Kyle began his career in investment banking with a focus on pricing and valuing portfolios of loans and mortgage-backed securities. He holds a BS degree in Accounting and Finance from Texas A&M University and is a CPA in the state of Texas.

Justin Balthrop, Senior Analyst, is responsible for the research and due diligence on prospective hedge fund managers for inclusion in the Safe Harbor Fund. In this capacity, he focuses on a wide range of strategies, including fixed income arbitrage, event-driven, and credit-related investment strategies. He graduated summa cum laude from the University of Texas at Austin, receiving his degree in Finance with a minor in Economics.

Michael Gill, Senior Analyst, is responsible for the research and due diligence on prospective hedge fund managers for inclusion in the Safe Harbor Funds. In this capacity he focuses primarily on credit, distressed and asset-backed strategies. Prior to joining Austin Capital, Mike has had research experience in high yield and distressed bonds at Tejas Securities, Jefferies & Co, Drexel Burnham Lambert and United Savings of Texas, as well as in venture capital at United Capital Ventures. In addition, he was a distressed bank debt and bond trader at JPMorgan. Mike received his MBA from The University of Texas at Austin and a BA from Villanova University.

Jonathan Sempsrott, Investment Risk and Information Analyst, is responsible for the research and due diligence on various hedge fund managers and strategies. He is also responsible for the technological development and implementation of proprietary tools used by the investment team. Prior to joining Austin Capital Management in 2004, he managed the daily operations of his family-owned company.  Jonathan graduated with honors from Indiana Wesleyan University with a BS in Business Information Systems. He is a Level I candidate in the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst Program.

Mark Telschow, Quantitative Risk Analyst, is responsible for portfolio analysis involving return-based, time series information and monitoring factor and sensitivity-based risk factors associated with the portfolios. Mark disseminates information from multiple third-party risk reports and leverages a blend of proprietary/customized software tools such as Omicron Alpha Analysis to perform systematic measurement of alpha and comparison to risk benchmarks. He is responsible for quarterly risk reporting and developing “best practices” for quantitative risk management. Prior to joining Austin Capital Management, he worked in the engineering industry, with a focus on quantitative modeling and analysis. Mark graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a BS in Civil Engineering.

Jorge de Lafuente, Director of Operational Due Diligence, is responsible for the preliminary and on-going operational due diligence of prospective and existing hedge fund managers. Prior to joining the firm, he was an Assistant Vice President with Citigroup’s Multi-Asset and Fund Derivatives Trading Desk in New York and had previously held structured credit documentation positions at Citigroup, Bear Stearns & Co., and Lehman Brothers. He received his BBA in International Finance from Saint Mary’s University.

Alison Hermann, Analyst, is responsible for due diligence and research on various hedge fund strategies for both current and prospective managers.  Previously, she served as a fixed income research analyst covering multiple industries at Conseco in Indianapolis. She has also served as a financial advisor at STAR Financial Bank after beginning her career at Heller Financial in Chicago. She received her MBA with a concentration in Finance from Butler University and a BS degree in Finance from Indiana University. She holds her Series 7 and 63 licenses. Alison is a Level I candidate in the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst Program.

Summer Witherington, Analyst, is responsible for due diligence and research on various hedge fund strategies for both current and prospective managers. She graduated with honors from the University of Texas as Austin, earning a degree in finance and an accounting minor.

Jason Wallace, Investment Risk Analyst, is responsible for the investment risk at the manager and strategy level through a combination of on-site due diligence and internal research. His other responsibilities include managing portfolio risk in order to maintain the long-term strategic and short-term tactical objectives of the investment mandate (e.g. portfolio returns exceeding return expectations, within risk and volatility barriers). Previously, he served as a senior equities trader for The Warrior Fund and was a wealth manager for UBS Financial Services. Jason graduated cum laude from Texas A&M University, with a degree in Human Physiology with a Biomechanics Concentration. He is a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst designee, a Level II Chartered Financial Analyst candidate and holds his Series 7 and 66 licenses.

Lesley Bowers, Analyst, is responsible for due diligence and research on various hedge fund strategies for both current and prospective managers in the credit segment of the Safe Harbor Fund.  She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin, earning a degree in mathematics. 

INVESTOR RELATIONS / BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

William Gray III, Director, is responsible for investor relations and marketing activities to the Firm’s institutional clients and consultants. He also maintains an observational seat on the investment team. Prior to joining the firm in 2002, he was a portfolio analyst at an investment advisory firm focusing on hedge fund strategies for high net worth clientele. He received his BBA degree in finance from the University of Texas at Austin.

Randall W. Horton, Director, is responsible for investor relations and marketing activities to the Firm’s clients and consultants. He also maintains an observational seat on the Investment Team. Prior to joining Austin Capital Management in his current capacity, Randall was an analyst for the firm for over a year, focusing on hedged equity strategies. He graduated with honors from The University of Texas at Austin receiving a BBA in Finance and a minor in History. Randall holds his Series 7 and 63 licenses.

Elizabeth Randolph, Manager, is responsible for assisting the Directors of Investor Relations. Prior to joining Austin Capital in 2007, Elizabeth was the Director of Resource Development and Membership Services at the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce. Elizabeth graduated from the University of Virginia receiving her BA in Economics.

Beth Perl, Manager, is responsible for assisting the Directors of Investor Relations. Prior to joining Austin Capital in 2006, Beth held several investor relations positions for both publicly-traded companies, as well as non-profit. She worked in Boston for both Shearson Lehman and Putnam Investments, a subsidiary of Marsh & McLennan, as well as a Cincinnati-based, publicly traded flavor and fragrances firm. Beth also served as director of publicity and publications at a preparatory school in New England. She currently is a director of a non-profit foundation awarding excellence in broadcast journalism. Beth graduated with honors from Simmons College in Boston.

James P. Owen, Managing Director, has more than 35 years of experience in the investment management industry, including 15 years as a partner with NWQ Investment Management Company, Los Angeles. He is co-founder and Chairman Emeritus of the Investment Management Consultant Association (IMCA). In addition to his most recent book, Cowboy Values: Recapturing What America Once Stood For, as well as Cowboy Ethics: What Wall Street Can Learn from the Code of the West, he is the author of the financial bestseller The Prudent Investor: The Definitive Guide to Professional Investment Management (McGraw-Hill, 1990) and of The Prudent Investor’s Guide to Hedge Funds: Profiting from Uncertainty and Volatility (John Wiley & Sons, 2000). Jim graduated summa cum laude from Regis University with a BS degree and later earned the IMCA designation of Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA). He is a past president of the board of trustees of the Santa Barbara Museum of Art.

OPERATIONS

David Friedman, Managing Director, is the Chief Operating Officer of Austin Capital Management. He is responsible for the daily operations of the business, including in-house oversight of finance, accounting, legal and technology related matters. In addition, David oversees the construction and implementation of all new products, including principal protected notes, swaps, options, portable alpha products and other investment solutions for our clients. He joined Austin Capital Management in 2006. Prior to that, he was a Director and Team Leader of Citigroup's Equity Finance Global Prime Broker Client Service / Account Management Group. David earned his Bachelor of Science in Management degree with honors from Tulane University in 1985, and his Juris Doctor degree from Duke Law School in 1988. He is a member for the bar of the State of New York. Prior to joining Citigroup, he practiced law at Proskauer Rose in New York City and was active in the aluminum and copper industries.

Jason Rottinger, Director of Operations, reports to the Chief Operating Officer and is responsible for implementing and managing organizational policy and strategy, and for overseeing the day-to-day running of the organization at the administrative, legal and tactical level. Until June 2008, Jason served as Austin Capital’s Chief Compliance Officer, administering the firm's Compliance Program in accordance with the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, federal and state securities laws, and all other rules and regulations generally applicable to the firm's business. He joined Austin Capital Management in 2006. Jason previously served as Compliance Officer for Victory Capital Management in New York City, and was responsible for the daily compliance functions and the oversight of Victory’s separately managed account business. He joined Victory Capital Management in 2002. Jason earned his Bachelor of Science and Arts in Finance from Xavier University in 2001 and his Masters of Business Administration from Cleveland State University in 2006.

ACCOUNTING

Ryan Schooler serves as Chief Financial Officer and is responsible for financial planning, reporting, accounting, and maintaining the internal control environment. In this capacity, Ryan works closely with the Investment Team, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Compliance Officer. Ryan's prior experience includes senior roles with Level 3 Communications, CFO of Jardine Foods, Inc., and audit and advisory roles with PricewaterhouseCoopers and BDO Seidman. He brings to Austin Capital experience aligning operations and finance, modeling and forecast creation, internal control evaluation and design, and SEC and SOX compliance. Ryan has successfully recruited, managed, and lead geographically dispersed teams that have positively impacted shareholder value. He received a BBA in Accounting from Texas A&M University and is a CPA in the state of Texas.

Valerie Vance, Accounting Analyst, assists in the daily accounting operations of the Austin Capital Funds. She is primarily involved in the valuation and reporting process for the funds and management companies. Valerie received a BBA in Marketing from The University of Texas at Austin.

COMPLIANCE

Duane Mattson, Chief Compliance Officer, is responsible for administering the firm’s compliance program in accordance with the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, federal and state securities laws, and all other rules and regulations generally applicable to the firm’s business. He joined Austin Capital Management in June 2008. Duane most recently served as Chief Supervisory Officer for NFP Securities, Inc., in Austin, Texas. Duane began his financial services career in sales with Lutheran Brotherhood (now Thrivent Financial for Lutherans) in 1993. He served in the firm’s compliance department as a specialist in 1998 before joining NFP Securities as a sales supervisor in 2003. Duane holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Minnesota (College of Liberal Arts, Journalism) and has earned the Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) and Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) designations, granted by the American College, Bryn Mahr, Pennsylvania.

ADMINISTRATION

Tina McMillin, Office Manager, is responsible for all administration tasks for the firm.  Prior to joining Austin Capital Management in 2002, she worked for a local telecommunications company.

Tiernie Bauer, Executive Assistant, provides administrative support to Austin Capital’s management team. Prior to joining the firm, she worked for 10 years at Thomson Media/Sheshunoff in a customer service and product management role within the banking and regulatory filing group. Tiernie received her degree from Parkland College.