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 & CEO of Nuveen Investments, and Nuveen Alternative Investments, a full service asset management company with over $250 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 £65 billion. In addition, Mark was the CEO of Hermes Pensions Management in London, a £55 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 $300 billion in assets. Mark is currently a Trustee for the $65 billion UAW Medical Benefits Trust. He also serves on the Law Board of the Northwestern University School of Law, the Board of the Toigo Foundation, and the Board of Panagora Asset Management. He is the only person to have served on the Board of Governors for both the CFA Institute and the CAIA Association. Mark has published over 100 investment articles in professional journals and has won three Best Paper Awards. He is also 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. 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.

Celeste R. Barone oversees the financial management of Commonfund, creating and maintaining all financial policies and procedures of the firm, including financial planning, reporting, investment valuations, cash management, registration filings, and annual audits and tax returns. Celeste has over 25 years’ experience managing the finance and operations affairs of private capital and asset managers. She serves as a member of the Commonfund Operating Committee. Prior to joining Commonfund, Celeste was Managing Director of Finance and Chief Compliance Officer for Pomona Capital, a global private capital firm that specializes in purchasing secondary interests in existing partnerships as well as investing in primary funds and co-investments alongside private equity funds in individual companies. Previously, Celeste held financial management positions within the investment management divisions of LyonRoss Capital, Dillon, Read & Co. and Drexel Burnham Lambert. She holds a B.A. in Business Communications and Business Administration from Baruch College and is a Board Member of the Financial Executives Alliance.

Peter Burns is the President and CEO of Commonfund Capital and co-Head of Real Assets and Sustainability. His responsibilities include oversight of due diligence, manager selection and investment management for the firm’s private capital Primary, Secondary, Co-investment, and Distressed capital programs. Peter is a member of the Investment Committee of Commonfund Capital and member of the Operating Committee of Commonfund. He has 27 years of investment, corporate finance, and lending experience. Prior to joining Commonfund, 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 a member of both the Commonfund Operating Committee and the Commonfund Diversity and Inclusion Office. 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. Prior to becoming COO, Dana was Chief Risk Officer of Commonfund. Previously, Dana was with Commonfund’s Hedge Fund Strategies Group sharing responsibility for portfolio analysis, manager identification, due diligence, and investment monitoring. His primary focus during this time was on portfolio construction, risk management and the operational oversight of the funds. As a member of the Hedge Fund Strategies Group he led the effort to implement a research management system and oversaw the onboarding of an external risk engine, each of which are now utilized firm-wide. 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 General Counsel of Commonfund.  Prior to Commonfund, he was the General Counsel of Aladdin Capital Holdings LLC, a global hedge fund with $22 billion assets under management at its peak with a registered investment adviser and registered broker-dealer subsidiary.  Prior to joining Aladdin, Sharad was a partner of Orrick, Herrington and Sutcliffe LLP in its Financial Markets Group, resident in its London and New York offices.  He has worked extensively in both London and New York and has covered cross-border transactions involving jurisdictions in North America, South America, Europe, Africa and Asia for offerings in the United States and European capital markets.  From 1997 through 2008, Sharad was a Judge Advocate for the U.S. Army Reserve, having served in the Horn of Africa in connection with Operation Enduring Freedom and leaving the service with the rank of Major.  In addition to his professional activities, Sharad is a Trustee of the State of Connecticut Board of Veterans Affairs, the Judge Advocate for Post 6933 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and a friend of the board of directors of A Better Chance, Darien.  Sharad was awarded the Game Changer Award from the Connecticut Law Tribune in 2020 and the Modern 100 Governance Award by Diligent in 2019. Sharad is a graduate of Columbia College with A.B. in Political Science and received a J.D. from Columbia University Law School.  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 investment 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. Additionally, he is a senior member of the firm’s emerging markets private equity portfolio leadership team with a focus on Latin America. 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. 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 investment 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. Additionally, he is a senior member of the firm’s emerging markets private equity portfolio leadership team with a focus on Latin America. 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. 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 a member of Commonfund Investor Services and leads a team responsible for the delivery of operational service to investors and clients in the areas of investor relations, onboarding, transaction support, portfolio accounting, liquidity management, and investment performance reporting. As a member of the Commonfund Asset Management Executive Group, she 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. Amy 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. Amy holds an M.B.A. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Lehigh University.

Kristofer Kwait co-leads the Commonfund Asset Management Investment team and oversees investments in marketable equities, fixed income, hedge funds and real assets as well as analytics. He serves on the Commonfund Asset Management Executive Group and chairs the Investment Committee and is a member of 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 co-leads the Commonfund Asset Management Investment team and oversees the design, tailoring, and implementation of custom investment solutions for clients. She also leads the firm’s sustainable investment efforts. Deborah serves as a member of the Commonfund Asset Management Executive Group and the Investment Committee, and chairs the Commonfund Asset Allocation Committee. 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, and 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 Burns is the President and CEO of Commonfund Capital and co-Head of Real Assets and Sustainability. His responsibilities include oversight of due diligence, manager selection and investment management for the firm’s private capital Primary, Secondary, Co-investment, and Distressed capital programs. Peter is a member of the Investment Committee of Commonfund Capital and member of the Operating Committee of Commonfund. He has 27 years of investment, corporate finance, and lending experience. Prior to joining Commonfund, 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.

Celeste R. Barone oversees the financial management of Commonfund, creating and maintaining all financial policies and procedures of the firm, including financial planning, reporting, investment valuations, cash management, registration filings, and annual audits and tax returns. Celeste has over 25 years’ experience managing the finance and operations affairs of private capital and asset managers. She serves as a member of the Commonfund Operating Committee. Prior to joining Commonfund, Celeste was Managing Director of Finance and Chief Compliance Officer for Pomona Capital, a global private capital firm that specializes in purchasing secondary interests in existing partnerships as well as investing in primary funds and co-investments alongside private equity funds in individual companies. Previously, Celeste held financial management positions within the investment management divisions of LyonRoss Capital, Dillon, Read & Co. and Drexel Burnham Lambert. She holds a B.A. in Business Communications and Business Administration from Baruch College and is a Board Member of the Financial Executives Alliance.

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.

Cari 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. 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 $1 billion endowment. Prior to Tulane, she was at Credit Suisse Strategic Partners, Credit Suisse’s dedicated secondary private equity fund with over $11 billion in commitments and interests in over 1,300 funds. Cari was a member of the investment committee, co-managed the $750 million aged primary program, and closed over 115 secondary transactions and co-investments for over $1.25 billion in total capital obligation. She worked with the team for twelve years since its founding in 2000, having started with Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette (which merged with Credit Suisse in 2000) as an Associate in Investment Banking. 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.

Ethan Levine is co-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.

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 the Investor Relations team 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.

Cathleen M. Rittereiser leads Commonfund’s educational, market research and professional development activities as Executive Director of Commonfund Institute. She is the co-author of the books Foundation and Endowment Investing and Top Hedge Fund Investors: Stories, Strategies, and Advice. Prior to joining Commonfund, Cathleen was the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Uncorrelated, LLC, a conference and thought leadership publishing platform for endowment, foundation and pension investors, and a frequent speaker and writer on the endowment model and Outsourced CIO (OCIO). Prior to Uncorrelated, she spearheaded an annual endowment and foundation conference as the Executive Director of Institutional Investor’s conference division, and held investor relations and marketing roles with leading financial services firms and hedge funds. She received an A.B. from Franklin & Marshall College, where she served on the investment committee, and an M.B.A. from NYU Stern School of Business.

George Suttles supports Commonfund’s educational, market research, and professional development activities as Director of Research of Commonfund Institute. He also serves as a member of the Commonfund Diversity 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.