MFA Summer Intern Event 2026 - Speakers
July 15, 2026
Conference
Katten
New York, NY
Mark Attanasio
Director, Alternative Investments, General Motors Asset Management
Mark Attanasio is a Director at General Motors Asset Management (“GMAM”). He currently oversees a team responsible for managing an allocation to hedge funds across a number of GM related pension plans. Mark has been a member of this program since its inception in 2001. His primary responsibilities include due diligence, risk management and portfolio construction. Additionally, Mark has managed GM’s Equity and Global Tactical Asset Allocation programs during his career and sits on a several internal committees that oversee GM’s pension assets.
Mark joined GMAM in 1999, where his initial responsibilities were in risk management until his transition into the Absolute Return Strategies Group. Prior to joining GMAM, Mark worked at Bankers Trust Company in their Investment Consulting and Risk Management Groups.
Mark received a BA in Economics and an MBA from Rutgers University. Mark is a Chartered Financial Analyst.
Amy D’Annunzio
Managing Director, Sponsorship & Conferences
MFA
Amy D’Annunzio is MFA’s Managing Director, Sponsorship and Conferences. She is based in the New York office and is responsible for managing and executing MFA’s marquee conferences.
Prior to MFA, Amy worked at Morgan Stanley as Vice President Firmwide Marketing and Events. At Morgan Stanley, Amy was responsible for the organization, production and execution of large scale events, conferences and meetings across all divisions, including the Firm’s Senior Management.
Amy graduated from the University of Massachusetts with a Bachelor’s degree from the Isenberg School of Management, with a concentration in Hospitality, Tourism and Event Management.
Shawn Fagan
Chief Legal Officer
Citadel LLC
Shawn Fagan is Chief Legal Officer of Citadel, responsible for Citadel’s global legal, compliance, transaction management, and regulatory affairs functions. Shawn is a member of Citadel’s Portfolio Committee.
Prior to joining Citadel in 2005, Shawn was a Partner at Bartlit, Beck, Herman, Palenchar & Scott. Previously, he served as a clerk for Chief Justice William Rehnquist of the U.S. Supreme Court and Judge Douglas H. Ginsburg of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.
Shawn serves on the Board of Directors for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Program on International Financial Systems (PIFS), is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation (ABF), and is a member of the Economic Club of Chicago. He graduated with honors from the University of Michigan with a B.A. in Political Science and holds a J.D., magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School where he was a recipient of both the Sears Prize and John E. Thayer Award.
Kate Fisher Baumann
Partner, Head of Investor Relations
Empyrean Capital Partners, LP
Kate Baumann has 18 years of experience in the financial services industry. Ms. Baumann joined Empyrean in 2017 as Director of Business Development. She was named Head of Investor Relations in 2020 and Partner in 2022. Prior to joining Empyrean, from 2010 to 2017, Ms. Baumann was a member of the Investor Relations Team at Eton Park Capital Management in New York. Ms. Baumann began her career at J.P. Morgan Private Bank in 2007, where she worked as a Banking Analyst until 2009, and as a Global Investment Analyst from 2009 to 2010. She earned a BS in Business Administration-Finance, with a Minor in Spanish, from Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business in 2007. Ms. Baumann is a co-founder of Women of Georgetown, an alumni networking initiative focused on cultivating the next generation of leaders, and remains actively involved as a member of their Board.
Ruta Gnedeviciute
Director, Content and Programming
MFA
Ruta Gnedeviciute is MFA’s Director of Content and Programming, based in New York. She develops content for the association’s major conferences and peer-to-peer forums, including programming, speaker acquisition, and content preparation.
Ruta is an accomplished event content editor and project manager with 13 years of experience in global news and media. Before joining MFA, she was a Content Portfolio Manager at the Financial Times, where she oversaw content creation and commercial success for a global event series covering sustainable and ethical business and investment practices. Prior to that, she was the Events Lead for the Americas at Risk.net (part of Infopro-Digital), a leading trade publication covering financial risk management, trading, investing, and regulation.
Ruta began her career as an event content producer in London. She holds a BA in International Business Finance and Economics from the University of Manchester and a certificate in Storytelling: Narrative Tools and Applications from the NYU School of Professional Studies.
Nikki Hawkins
Director, Capital Introductions
Bank of America
Nikki Hawkins is a Director on the Capital Introductions team at Bank of America where she advises hedge fund managers across all stages of growth on fundraising strategy, investor engagement, and market positioning. She works closely with institutional investors across all verticals and multiple regions. Nikki joined Bank of America in 2018 and has worked in both their New York and London offices. She is a CAIA Charterholder and graduated from Villanova University with degrees in Economics and Finance.
Elise W. Michael
Partner, Financial Markets and Funds
Katten
Elise Michael advises hedge and private equity sponsors and investors on a broad range of transactional, fund formation, regulatory and corporate matters. Elise is dedicated to delivering tailored, solution-driven counsel to her sell-side and buy-side clients, ensuring efficient and timely service.
Elise’s practice focuses on the formation and ongoing representation of hedge funds, private equity funds, private credit funds, commodity pools and managed account platforms. Her clients pursue a diverse array of strategies, including quantitative trading, private credit and litigation finance, among others. She also advises on insurance-dedicated funds, private placement life insurance (PPLI) and related structures.
Institutional investors turn to Elise for counsel on allocating capital to hedge funds, private equity funds and other ventures. Her clients include sovereign wealth funds, insurance companies, pension plans, family offices, endowments and high-net-worth individuals. She provides guidance on global regulatory considerations that arise in connection with investments in funds and managed accounts.
Additionally, Elise counsels investment management clients on a variety of ongoing regulatory matters, including reporting, disclosure and registration requirements, as well as corporate, employment and intellectual property issues. Clients appreciate her comprehensive approach to navigating issues regarding regulatory compliance and her assistance with filing and registration processes.
Krishna Sardana
Senior Portfolio Analyst
Man Numeric
Krishna Sardana is a Senior Portfolio Analyst at Man Numeric. His day-to-day responsibilities include managing systematic equity market neutral strategies, portfolio construction, and alpha research. Prior to joining Man Numeric in 2023, he completed internships in credit systematic market making at J.P. Morgan and options volatility trading at Peak6. Krishna received a bachelor’s degree in computer science, with a minor in finance, from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Jillian Snyder
Managing Director and Head of Americas Capital Introductions
Citi
Jillian Snyder joined Citi as Managing Director and Head of Americas Capital Introductions in December 2025. In her current role, Jillian and team leverage deep expertise in and connectivity to institutional hedge fund allocators to advise the bank’s hedge fund and asset management clients on their capital raising efforts. Jillian joined from Bank of America, where she spent almost 8 years in Capital Strategy split across Hong Kong and New York, most recently as Managing Director and Head of APAC Capital Strategy. Jillian’s prior work experiences include buy-side roles as Head of Marketing and Investor Relations for a hedge fund, Riverloft Capital, and a Real Estate PE firm, Mast Capital, making her well-positioned to understand and address clients’ needs across a variety of products. Jillian rejoins Citi after working at the firm from 2008 to 2015, most recently as a Vice President on the Americas Capital Introductions team. Jillian holds a B.S. in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University.
Noah Theran
Executive Vice President and Managing Director, Head of Global External Affairs
MFA
Noah Theran is MFA’s Executive Vice President and Managing Director, Head of Global External Affairs.
Noah joined MFA after six years at Internet Association, a national trade association representing more than 40 of the world’s top internet companies, where he oversaw global communications, creative, marketing, events, and grassroots. In this role, he helped grow Internet Association from a startup into a respected voice on tech policy issues.Prior to Internet Association, Noah was Director of Communications at the American Investment Council, the trade association representing the interests of the world’s largest private equity firms. There, his team earned a PRSA Silver Anvil Award of Excellence, Reputation/Brand Management for their campaign to help the private equity industry manage the spotlight of the 2012 presidential election.
Noah also worked at Rasky Baerlein Strategic Communications in Washington, where he developed and executed communications strategies for a diverse set of clients with broad reputation, image, and crisis management challenges.
Noah earned his B.S. from Cornell University in Ithaca, NY.
Lexie Toorock
Head of US Wealth
Bridgewater Associates
Lexie Toorock has spent more than a decade at Bridgewater Associates and over the last 5 years, has been focused on building the firm’s presence in global wealth. Reporting into the Head of Client Service & Marketing, she focuses on client service and new partnership development across the Americas, covering private banks, wirehouses, RIAs, and family offices.
Before joining Bridgewater in 2012, Lexie worked in strategy and marketing consulting. Outside of work, she contributes to fundraising and strategy at Grameen America — the largest microfinance nonprofit in the United States, founded by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus — an organization whose mission of expanding economic access for underserved women she has supported for over a decade. She is also an Associate Member of the Economic Club of New York and a graduate of the 2025 CSIS Women’s Global Leadership Program.
Lexie holds a B.S. in Strategic Management and Economics from Babson College, graduating with honors. Her thesis examined women’s representation in media and sports. Lexie lives in New York City with her husband, daughter, and two French bulldogs.
John D. Van Etten
Managing Director, Head of U.S. Government Affairs
MFA
John Van Etten is Managing Director, Head of U.S. Government Affairs at MFA. He leads the U.S. Government Affairs team in representing the alternative asset management industry on political and regulatory issues that impact capital formation, investment strategies, and beneficiaries. He engages directly with Congress, the Administration, and other key policymakers and stakeholders.
Before joining MFA, John spent more than seven years at JPMorgan Chase & Co., advising and representing the firm before Congress, multiple U.S. Administrations, and global regulatory bodies. He previously held government affairs roles at HSBC and The Clearing House (now the Bank Policy Institute), practiced financial services law at a major law firm, and served as a financial policy advisor in the U.S. House of Representatives.
John earned a Bachelor’s degree from the University of California, San Diego, and a Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center.
