Our Teams

Mark Anson is the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of the Commonfund and Chairman of the Board of Commonfund Capital Inc. and Commonfund Asset Management Company. Previously, he was the President and Chief Investment Officer for the Bass Family Office of Ft. Worth, Texas which was recognized as Family Office of the Year for 2014 & 2015. He was the President and Global Head of Investment Management at Nuveen Investments, a full-service asset management company with over $900 billion in assets under management. Prior to Nuveen, Mark served as the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer for the British Telecom Pension Scheme (BTPS), the largest institutional investor in the UK with assets of £55 billion. In addition, Mark was the CEO of Hermes Pensions Management in London, a £60 billion asset management company that is wholly owned by the BTPS. Prior to joining BTPS, he served as the Chief Investment Officer of the California Public Employees' Retirement System, the largest institutional investor in the United States with over $400 billion in assets. Mark is currently the Chairman of the Investment Committee for the $65 billion UAW Medical Benefits Trust. He also serves on the Law Board of the Northwestern University School of Law, and the Board of the Toigo Foundation. He is the only person to serve on the Board of Governors for both the CFA Institute and the CAIA Association. He was an inaugural member of the SEC Investor Advisory Committee and the Chairman of the Board for the International Corporate Governance Network.

Mark has published over 90 investment articles in professional journals and has won three Best Paper Awards. He is the author of five financial textbooks including the Handbook of Alternative Assets, which is the primary textbook used for the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst program. Mark earned a B.A. in Economics and Chemistry from St. Olaf College, a Ph.D. and Masters in Finance from Columbia University Graduate School of Business, and a J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law, all with honors. He has also received several industry awards in recognition of his leadership in asset management including the Lifetime Achievement Award in Pension Fund Management from Plan Sponsor and the CAIA Leadership Award from the CAIA Association. Last, Mark has earned the Chartered Financial Analyst, Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst, Certified Public Accountant, and Chartered Global Management Accountant professional degrees, and he is a Member of the Law Bar of New York and Illinois.

Peter M. Burns is the President and CEO of Commonfund Capital and is responsible for managing all aspects of Commonfund’s private capital business, which focuses on providing investment solutions in private equity, venture capital, and real assets and sustainability through primaries, secondaries and co-investments. In this role, he leads a team of over 50 professionals that advise, build and monitor private capital investment programs for institutional investors. Since Commonfund Capital’s founding in 1988, it has managed approximately $20 billion of private capital commitments from investors. Peter is a member of the Investment Committees of Commonfund Capital and Commonfund Asset Management Company and a member of the Operating Committee of Commonfund. He has over 30 years of investment, corporate finance, and lending experience. Prior to joining Commonfund in 1998, Peter worked as a Vice President of Taglich Brothers, a New York-based investment bank and brokerage firm. Prior to this, he was an associate in the Leveraged Funding Group of Heller Financial. He is presently a member of the advisory boards of several private capital limited partnerships. Peter received a B.A. in Economics from St. Lawrence University and an M.B.A. in Finance and Marketing from Columbia Business School.

Elaine Mizer is responsible for executing Commonfund’s business and strategic plan from a human capital perspective. She leads Commonfund’s human resources practice to develop talent and leverage it effectively for consistency with our business strategy and plans for growth while overseeing all other human resources functions and facilities management. Elaine serves as Chair of the Commonfund Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Office and is also a member of the Commonfund Operating Committee. Prior to Commonfund, she was Head of Human Resources and Administration at Aquiline Capital Partners. Prior to joining Aquiline, Elaine spent four years with Citigroup in Human Resources supporting the investment bank. She earned a B.A. degree in Human Resources from Western Connecticut State University.

Dana Moreau has firm-wide oversight and responsibility for risk management, investor services, information technology, operations, and human resources and oversees the financial management of Commonfund, creating and maintaining all financial policies and procedures for the firm. He has over 20 years’ experience in finance and operations and serves as a member of the Commonfund Operating Committee. Prior to joining Commonfund, Dana worked at State Street Bank & Trust where his primary responsibilities were portfolio accounting and administration for the bank’s hedge fund clients. He has a B.A. in Economics from Assumption College and an M.B.A. from Columbia University.

Sharad Samy serves as the General Counsel of Commonfund. He has extensive transactional and litigation experience, having served as the general counsel of two prominent investment management firms; as a partner of the international law firm of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP; and as counsel to both plaintiffs and defendants in complex civil litigation and arbitration matters. He has worked extensively in Connecticut, New York and the United Kingdom on matters involving jurisdictions in North America, South America, Europe, Africa and Asia. Sharad was also a Judge Advocate for the U.S. Army Reserve from 1997 through 2008, having served in the Horn of Africa in connection with Operation Enduring Freedom, and is currently serving as a Major in the Connecticut National Guard. In addition to his professional activities, Sharad serves as a Trustee of the State of Connecticut Board of Veterans Affairs and as a Member of the State of Connecticut Hate Crimes Advisory Council. He is also active in the non-profit community, serving as the Secretary of the Connecticut Bar Association, as a Director for the Karam Foundation, an aid organization supporting young Syrian refugees, and as a Director for Lawyers for Children America. Sharad was awarded the Game Changer Award from the Connecticut Law Tribune in 2020, the Modern 100 Governance Award by Diligent in 2019 and the Outstanding Veteran Volunteer Award by the Stamford Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution in 2018, and he is a Life Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. He is a graduate of Columbia College with a B.A. in Political Science and of Columbia University Law School with a J.D. He is admitted to practice law in the State of Connecticut and the State of New York and is a solicitor in England and Wales.

Timothy T. Yates, Jr. heads Commonfund Asset Management and is responsible for managing all aspects of Commonfund’s Outsourced Chief Investment Office (OCIO) business, which focuses exclusively on non-profit institutions. In this role, he leads a team of professionals that advise, implement and monitor custom investment solutions for institutions with total assets under management of more than $15 billion. Tim is a member of the Commonfund Asset Management Executive Group and serves on both the Commonfund Asset Allocation and Operating Committees. Tim joined Commonfund as an associate in the Commonfund Capital Associate Program. In 2003, he was a founding member of Commonfund’s OCIO platform, where he was responsible for the design, tailoring and implementation of total portfolio solutions. Additionally, he held several roles with Commonfund Capital including having responsibility for custom accounts and serving as a senior member of the firm’s emerging markets private equity portfolio leadership team with a focus on Latin America. Before joining Commonfund, Tim was an instructor of Spanish and Italian at Fordham Preparatory School in the Bronx, NY. He holds an M.B.A. in Finance with a designation in International Business from Fordham University and a B.A. in Modern Languages from Trinity College. Tim is a member of the investment committee for St. Paul’s Church in Fairfield, CT, the Advisory Board of Girls Who Invest, and the Board of Directors of Caroline House, a non-profit in Bridgeport, CT, focused on enabling women and children to reach the fullness of their potential through education in English language and life skills.

Timothy T. Yates, Jr. heads Commonfund Asset Management and is responsible for managing all aspects of Commonfund’s Outsourced Chief Investment Office (OCIO) business, which focuses exclusively on non-profit institutions. In this role, he leads a team of professionals that advise, implement and monitor custom investment solutions for institutions with total assets under management of more than $15 billion. Tim is a member of the Commonfund Asset Management Executive Group and serves on both the Commonfund Asset Allocation and Operating Committees. Tim joined Commonfund as an associate in the Commonfund Capital Associate Program. In 2003, he was a founding member of Commonfund’s OCIO platform, where he was responsible for the design, tailoring and implementation of total portfolio solutions. Additionally, he held several roles with Commonfund Capital including having responsibility for custom accounts and serving as a senior member of the firm’s emerging markets private equity portfolio leadership team with a focus on Latin America. Before joining Commonfund, Tim was an instructor of Spanish and Italian at Fordham Preparatory School in the Bronx, NY. He holds an M.B.A. in Finance with a designation in International Business from Fordham University and a B.A. in Modern Languages from Trinity College. Tim is a member of the investment committee for St. Paul’s Church in Fairfield, CT, the Advisory Board of Girls Who Invest, and the Board of Directors of Caroline House, a non-profit in Bridgeport, CT, focused on enabling women and children to reach the fullness of their potential through education in English language and life skills.

Amy Harlacker is Head of Investor Services and Fund Operations. She oversees the delivery of operational and investor services to outsourced CIO clients and fund investors which includes the management of valuations and financial and regulatory reporting for Commonfund funds. As a member of the Commonfund Asset Management Executive Group, Amy is responsible for collaborating with members of the team to provide operational leadership, direction and support during the implementation of the organization’s strategic plans and initiatives. She has also held a series of roles within the Commonfund organization across the Financial Operations, Client Service and Information Technology groups. Prior to joining Commonfund, Amy was a business analyst at Energy East Corporation. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Aspetuck Land Trust and holds an M.B.A. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Lehigh University. 

Kristofer Kwait formulates and communicates strategic market views, economic perspectives, and investment themes to clients and internal constituents for Commonfund Asset Management. He serves on the Commonfund Asset Management Executive Group and is a member of the Investment Committee and the Commonfund Asset Allocation Committee. Prior to his current role, Kris was head of the Hedge Fund Strategies Group and previously served as head of hedge fund research with responsibility for overseeing the design and implementation of proprietary models for manager selection, portfolio construction, and risk management. Before joining Commonfund, Kris was a proprietary trader at both Andover L.L.C. and A.B. Watley, where he managed relative value equity strategies. Prior to his experiences as a trader, he was a stockbroker at Smith Barney. Kris attended pre-college at Juilliard School of Music, has a B.S. from Purdue University and an M.B.A. from the Yale School of Management.

Keith W. Luke is a member of Commonfund Asset Management Sales and Service and leads a team responsible for client relationship management and business development. In this capacity, he and his team provide service and investment solutions across endowments, foundations, healthcare organizations and other nonprofits. Keith is a member of both the Commonfund Asset Management Executive Group and the Commonfund Operating Committee, and is President of Commonfund Securities, Inc. Prior to joining Commonfund, he was in commercial banking for 19 years, most recently at Citibank, where he held a number of marketing and strategic planning positions in The Private Bank and Corporate Bank. Prior to Citibank, Keith was with HSBC USA (formerly Marine Midland Bank) in corporate finance and investment banking. He earned a B.A. in Economics at Duke University and an M.B.A. in Finance from NYU Stern School of Business.

Deborah Spalding leads the Commonfund Asset Management Investment team and oversees the design, tailoring, and implementation of custom investment solutions for clients. Deborah serves as a member of the Commonfund Asset Management Executive Group and chairs the Investment Committee and the Commonfund Asset Allocation Committee. She also leads the firm’s sustainable development efforts. Prior to joining Commonfund, she was the Chief Investment Officer for the State of Connecticut’s $30 billion Retirement Plans and Trust Funds. Previously, she was a Managing Partner at Working Lands Investment Partners, LLC, an independent investment management firm that invests in rapidly growing environmental markets. Prior to that, she held several executive level positions including Executive Vice President and Head of International Investments for Schroders Investment Management N.A. and Managing Director and Head of International Institutional Investments at Scudder Kemper Investments. She began her career as an equity analyst at SKB & Associates in San Francisco. Deborah received a B.A. in International Relations and Asian Studies from Tufts University and holds graduate degrees from Harvard University, University of California Berkeley and Yale University. She is a past Board Chair and a member of the investment committee of the National Wildlife Federation, is an advisory board member of the Center for Business and the environment at Yale, and is a Lecturer in Forest and Ecosystem Finance at Yale.

Peter M. Burns is the President and CEO of Commonfund Capital and is responsible for managing all aspects of Commonfund’s private capital business, which focuses on providing investment solutions in private equity, venture capital, and real assets and sustainability through primaries, secondaries and co-investments. In this role, he leads a team of over 50 professionals that advise, build and monitor private capital investment programs for institutional investors. Since Commonfund Capital’s founding in 1988, it has managed approximately $20 billion of private capital commitments from investors. Peter is a member of the Investment Committees of Commonfund Capital and Commonfund Asset Management Company and a member of the Operating Committee of Commonfund. He has over 30 years of investment, corporate finance, and lending experience. Prior to joining Commonfund in 1998, Peter worked as a Vice President of Taglich Brothers, a New York-based investment bank and brokerage firm. Prior to this, he was an associate in the Leveraged Funding Group of Heller Financial. He is presently a member of the advisory boards of several private capital limited partnerships. Peter received a B.A. in Economics from St. Lawrence University and an M.B.A. in Finance and Marketing from Columbia Business School.

Mark Hoeing is the Head of Private Equity and a member of the Investment Committee of Commonfund Capital. Based in Commonfund’s Connecticut headquarters, his primary responsibilities include oversight of due diligence, manager selection and portfolio construction for the firm’s private equity investment management programs that include primaries, secondaries and co-investments. Prior to joining Commonfund Capital, his experience includes positions at Deutsche Bank, evaluating third-party managers in the private capital funds division, as well as direct private capital investing with DB Capital Partners, Deutsche Bank’s merchant banking subsidiary. Part of Mark’s work at Deutsche included the bank’s coverage of the Asia-Pacific basin. Mark began his career as a credit analyst and commercial lending officer with Citizens Financial Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Royal Bank of Scotland. He is presently a member of the advisory boards of several private capital limited partnerships. Mark has a B.S. in Health Policy and Management and an M.B.A. from Providence College.

Ethan Levine is Head of Real Assets and Sustainability and a member of the Investment Committee of Commonfund Capital. His primary responsibilities include due diligence, manager selection and portfolio construction for the firm’s natural resources programs while also contributing to venture capital, private equity and distressed capital programs. Ethan originally joined Commonfund Capital in 2007 as a Senior Analyst in the Commonfund Capital Rotational Program. Prior to Commonfund Capital, Ethan specialized in energy markets at Charles River Associates, an economic and litigation consulting firm in Boston, MA. At Charles River Associates, he advised power and utility clients with their damages litigation, regulatory approval and business strategy forecasting. While at business school, Ethan also worked at Rockland Capital, a private equity firm, where he conducted due diligence on potential power generation asset acquisitions and helped manage existing portfolio investments. Ethan is a member of the advisory boards of several private capital limited partnerships. He is a member and prior chairperson of the Dartmouth College Hillel Board of Overseers. Ethan received a B.A., B.E. and an M.E.M. from Dartmouth College and an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Cari B. Lodge is head of Secondaries and a member of the Investment Committee. Her responsibilities include oversight of due diligence, underwriting, manager selection and investment management for the firm’s private capital Primary, Secondary, Co-Investment and Distressed Capital Programs. Cari has over 20 years of secondaries experience and has closed over 325 secondary transactions for approximately $2.8 billion in total capital obligation. She began her career at Donaldson, Lufkin and Jenrette (which merged with Credit Suisse in 2000) as an Associate in Investment Banking. She spent 12 years with Credit Suisse’s Secondary Team, Strategic Partners, since its founding in 2000, and served as a member of the Investment Committee. Prior to joining Commonfund Capital, Cari was at Tulane University’s Investment Management Office where she was responsible for overseeing the private equity and private real assets investments for the endowment. Cari is presently a member of the advisory board of several private capital limited partnerships. Cari is also a member of the Investment Committee of her alma mater, The Hotchkiss School. She received an A.B. from Dartmouth College in both Economics and Government and an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School.

Aaron Miller is head of Venture Capital and a member of the Investment Committee of Commonfund Capital. His primary responsibilities include due diligence, manager selection and portfolio construction for the firm’s venture capital that include primaries, secondaries and co-investments while also contributing to private equity, emerging markets, natural resources and distressed capital strategies. Aaron brings over 15 years of private equity, M&A, capital markets and management consulting experience. Prior to joining Commonfund Capital, Aaron was a Vice President at Lazard in the mergers and acquisitions department in New York. During his tenure at Lazard, he counseled companies and institutions in the technology, media and telecom industries (TMT) advising on strategic, financial, takeover defense and capital structure matters. As an investment banker, he completed investments and executed transactions in North America, Asia, Europe and Latin America. Aaron also worked in the corporate finance department at Barclays and Lehman Brothers. Prior to investment banking, Aaron began his career as a management consultant, where he advised a broad range of clients on strategy, sales force effectiveness and organizational design matters. He is presently a member of the advisory boards of several private capital limited partnerships. Aaron earned a B.A. from University of Michigan and an M.B.A. from Yale University.

Ralph Money is Head of Global Marketing at Commonfund Capital. He is a member of the investment team, senior product specialist and serves as the team’s lead limited partner contact. Ralph has over 30 years of experience in investments, investor relations, nonprofit financial and general management and institutional banking. Prior to joining Commonfund Capital, he worked with Commonfund Securities, Inc. serving the investment management needs of institutional investors primarily in the northeast. Prior to joining Commonfund, Ralph held various leadership positions within foundation and mission-based organizations including the American Red Cross. His responsibilities included setting strategic directions, financial and investment management, advancement and resource development. Ralph also spent four years at the Chase Manhattan Bank as an officer responsible for covering financial institutions in New England and the Midwest. He has served on the advisory boards of several private capital limited partnerships. He currently serves on the investment committee of the Northfield Mount Hermon School. Ralph has served on the boards of directors of several social sector enterprises and is the former ranking member and chairman of the fire commission in Fairfield, CT, past chairman of the Investment Committee of The Unquowa School and is a former member of the Police and Fire Retirement Board for the Town of Fairfield. He received a B.S. in Business Administration from Georgetown University and has an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

Miriam Schmitter is Head of ex-U.S. Private Equity based in Commonfund's London investment office and is a member of the Investment Committee. Miriam's primary responsibilities include due diligence, manager selection and investment management for the firm’s private equity programs while also contributing to venture capital, natural resources, and distressed capital programs. Before joining Commonfund Capital, she was with Cambridge Associates where she served as Managing Director and head of international private equity research in London. Miriam was also a member of the internal Investment Committee at Cambridge. She started with Cambridge in Boston in 2005 and was responsible for due diligence and research published by the firm on private equity funds which resulted in significant client commitments to private capital strategies. Miriam also supervised due diligence on investment opportunities and oversaw consultants and associates in the Boston, London and Singapore offices. Prior to 2005, she was an investment manager of private equity fund investments at Allianz, where she researched and selected private equity investment opportunities. Prior to that, Miriam was an investment professional at DB Capital Partners/ DB Investor, the direct private equity investment division of Deutsche Bank, where she evaluated buyout investment opportunities. She also worked as a consultant for Deloitte & Touche performing financial analysis and valuations and conducting financial due diligence for clients. Miriam has a PhD from the University of Darmstadt and an M.B.A. from the University of Mannheim.

George Suttles leads Commonfund’s educational, market research, and professional development activities as Executive Director of Commonfund Institute. He also serves as a member of the Commonfund Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Office. Prior to joining Commonfund, George was a Program Officer at the John A. Hartford Foundation, an independent, national private foundation focused on improving care for older adults. Before joining the foundation, he was a Vice President, Senior Philanthropic Relationship Manager at U.S. Trust/Bank of America. In this role he worked with private and institutional clients on issues related to best practices in strategic grantmaking. Throughout his career, George has supported the philanthropic activities of leading nonprofits with a focus on healthcare and related missions. He is also a member of numerous nonprofit boards, including Odyssey House, Drive Change, and the Support Center for Nonprofit Management. Currently, he is on the Adjunct Faculty at the New York University (NYU) School of Professional Studies. George received a B.A. from Wesleyan University, an M.A. in Philanthropic Studies from Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy (IUPUI) and an M.P.A. from Baruch CUNY School of Public Affairs.

Allison Kaspriske develops and manages programs and research initiatives for Commonfund Institute, including the Commonfund Benchmarks Studies®, the Council on Foundations-Commonfund Study of Foundations® (CCSF) and is also involved in developing and maintaining strategic partnerships. She manages the Institute's educational initiatives such as Commonfund Institute Online and the Investment Stewardship Academy and is actively involved in all other educational programs that Commonfund provides. She earned a B.A. in English from the University of Connecticut, Storrs.