Dakota Live! Podcast

Michael Marvelli, Deputy Chief Investment Officer of the UCLA Investment Company joins Dakota Live! to discuss the company's investment strategy, its approach to asset allocation, and investment manager research and selection process. Along the way, Michael walks us through UCLA’s lower middle market (LMM) private equity portfolio from its first LMM commitment in 2016 through today’s investment opportunities. With the increasing availability of dry powder driving activity in the LMM market, Michael walks us through UCLA’s LMM strategy and approach to sourcing investment partners. The UCLA Investment Company provides professional stewardship of investment assets entrusted to The UCLA Foundation for the advancement of UCLA and related charitable purposes. Join us as we come to better understand Michael and his more than twenty-five years of investment and capital markets experience. Whether you are interested in learning about LMM private equity, how endowments are approaching alternative assets, or how UCLA aligns its mission with its investment objectives, I encourage you to watch and listen to how Michael and UCLA uncover new opportunities in this increasingly interesting and challenging area of the market.

Frank Mihail, Chief Investment Officer of the North Dakota Department of Trust Lands joins us to share his experiences over his first year in the role and how he is approaching the strategic investments for the $7 billion sovereign wealth fund. The Land Board, which oversees the North Dakota Department of Trust Lands manages 2.4 million mineral acres with interest in more than 8,600 of the 17,400 producing oil and gas wells in the state. The Land Board manages 13 permanent education trusts, including the Common Schools Trust Fund, the state’s primary education trust fund. Over the last decade the Land Board has distributed more than $1.8 billion to K-12 education. Join the conversation as we explore the dynamic landscape of managing North Dakota’s valuable land and resource assets, and the importance of its mission in giving back to public education. Discover the strategies that drive the decisions behind allocating the state’s resources. In this thought-provoking conversation, we learn about the CIO’s approach to identifying investment opportunities that align with the state’s values and objectives. Tune in to gain valuable insights into the mindset of an investment leader who understands the significance of managing state assets with a forward-thinking perspective. Whether you're interested in investments, land management, or the responsible utilization of resources, this episode offers a wealth of knowledge that will leave you inspired and informed.

Kevin Khang, Head of Active and Alternatives Research and Andy Reed, Head of Investor Behavior at Vanguard sit down to discuss a variety of topics ranging from the fundamentals of behavioral economics to how artificial intelligence is expected to play a role in both research and application. Along the way, Kevin and Andy touch on active and passive management solutions, liquid alternatives, how insights are generated for external value, and how Vanguard sets their priorities and manager research process. The Vanguard Group, Inc. is an American registered investment advisor based in Malvern, Pennsylvania, with approximately $7.7 trillion in global assets under management, as of April 2023. It is the largest provider of mutual funds and the second-largest provider of exchange-traded funds in the world. Join us in this interesting and insightful conversation to help you better understand the gap between what investors should do and what they actually do.

Nisha Atre of Old City Investment Partners shares her over twenty years of asset allocation and sales experience in this informative discussion on how she has navigated her successful career in asset management.  Along the way, Nisha guides our listeners through Old City’s approach to offering specialized investment solutions for their clients.  Founded in 2006, Old City identifies high-quality alternative investment sponsors for a growing investor base of families and institutions. Nisha shares her experiences distributing alternatives and how specialist strategies fit into a broader asset allocation model. Join Nisha and Robert as they discuss changes in the industry, and how best to position your investment strategies with investors for the years ahead.

Melvin Lindsey, CFA, Founder and Managing Partner of the Nile Capital Group joins us on the Dakota Live! Podcast to share his more than thirty years of experience in business development and manager selection. Mel shares advice and the attributes he and his team look to identify when investing in asset management businesses. Throughout this informative conversation, Mel shares the approach he developed from his success at Julius Baer Investment Management through the formation and launch of Nile Capital nearly a decade ago. By relying on the pillars of talent, innovation, diversity, economies of scale, and speed, which Mel and his colleagues describe as the TIDES, Nile Capital continues to source and stake innovative performance-driven asset management companies. Be sure to catch this masterclass in investment sales and emerging manager development.

Doug Hanly, Chief Investment Officer for the Louisiana State Police Retirement System (LSPRS) joins us at Dakota Live! to take us through his experience as the first CIO of the LSPRS. The Louisiana State Police Retirement System is a qualified pension and retirement plan created to provide retirement benefits for Louisiana state police officers and their beneficiaries. Currently, the LSPRS serves over 1,000 active members and over 1200 retired/survivor members. With over $1 billion in assets, LSPRS’ primary goal is to safeguard and manage the funds it holds in trust so that future benefits are guaranteed and protected. Over the course of our conversation, Doug shares how virtues such as courage, strength of voice, and vulnerability have benefited him as it relates to career and investment decisions. Along the way, Doug shares the building blocks he looks for when looking for asset managers as part of his manager research process.

Venus Phillips, Managing Director of the Kresge Foundation joins us at Dakota Live! to share her insights and experience in manager selection and asset allocation. Over the course of our conversation, Venus takes us on her career journey and shares with us those who have influenced over the years. The Kresge Foundation is a philanthropic private foundation with over $4 billion in assets. The foundation works to expand opportunities in America's cities through grantmaking and investing in arts and culture, education, environment, health, human services, and community development efforts. Venus is responsible for evaluating investment opportunities and investment managers across all asset classes and geographies for the foundation’s endowment. Join us as Venus shares what the power of authentic leadership means to her and the importance of mission-oriented work. Be sure to stay tuned until the end of the conversation, where Venus answers questions and shares advice to students at Drexel University in Philadelphia.

Gildas Quinquis, Chief Investment Officer for the Boston-based Windrose Advisors, takes us through his nearly thirty-year career in investment management, describing how he approaches the current landscape for his clients and where he is finding areas of opportunity. Gildas oversees investment strategy, asset allocation, and manager selection at this independent boutique wealth management firm that delivers sophisticated, customized investment advice to a select group of families, foundations, and endowments. Founded in 2009 by Boston-area entrepreneurs and experienced institutional investment professionals, the firm has grown to approximately $4 billion in assets under advisement. Gildas shares his team’s process to manager sourcing, due diligence, selection, and how they consider investment decisions. Watch and listen as Gildas shares his professional mission that helps him foster an environment of innovation and growth.

Adam Landau is a Partner and Co-Market Leader for the Pennsylvania office of Cerity Partners. He is also a member of the firm's Investment Committee. Cerity Partners LLC is a Registered Investment Advisor serving high-net-worth individuals and their families, businesses and their employees, and nonprofit organizations with approximately $62 billion in assets.In this special edition episode, Adam takes the Dakota Live! team through Cerity's approach to risk management, the firm’s manager research and underwriting process, and what a potential client partnership looks like with their firm. Join us as we come to better understand Cerity Partners and their allocation to various asset classes and investment strategies in the changing intermediary landscape.

William Yung, Partner, and Director of Private Markets at Angeles Investments takes us on his career journey from wealth management to investment manager research for one of the financial industry’s innovative leaders in OCIO and investment consulting. With over seventeen years of investment experience, William is responsible for conducting research in private capital and real asset strategies for the firm. Join us as William takes our listeners through the firm’s approach to manager research and selection. Along the way, we learn more about William and the personal and professional impact of his family’s journey to the United States from China. Globally recognized for their positive impact on their clients and industry, Angeles Investments is a multi-asset investment firm, providing sophisticated, customized investment solutions to institutional and private wealth clients. Founded in 2001, the firm oversees approximately $6.4 billion in discretionary relationships, as well as $33.3 billion in consulting relationships.  Angeles is an independent, 100% employee-owned firm with over 40% of clients being with the firm for more than 10 years. A great achievement in today’s industry. Tune in as we come to better understand how this unique organization approaches investment opportunities.