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MFA Summer Intern Event 2025 - Agenda

July 16, 2025
Conference
New York, NY
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    Agenda

    3:00pm - 3:30pm

    Arrivals

    3:30pm - 3:35pm

    Opening Remarks

    3:35pm - 4:00pm

    From intern to industry leader: Career insights from Jody Gunderson

    Speaker
    Jody A. Gunderson , Managing Principal, Member of the Investment Committee , AB CarVal

    Ms. Gunderson is a managing principal and member of the Investment Committee for CarVal Investors, responsible for leading the firm’s investment strategy and management, as well as its global loan portfolios and real estate businesses. In addition, Ms. Gunderson manages investments in asset-backed securities globally, including residential mortgage-backed securities, commercial mortgage-backed securities and collateralized loan obligations. Prior to joining CarVal Investors in 1994, Ms. Gunderson was a manager in the financial services practice of PriceWaterhouseCoopers where she served investment fund, commercial banking and thrift clients. Ms. Gunderson earned her B.S. degree in Business from the University of Minnesota and is a Certified Public Accountant (inactive).

    CarVal Investors is a leading global alternative investment fund manager focused on distressed and credit-intensive assets and market inefficiencies. Since 1987, our experienced team has navigated through ever-changing credit market cycles, opportunistically investing $100 billion in 5,300 transactions across 77 countries. Today, CarVal Investors has approximately $10 billion in assets under management in both credit and real estate strategies.

    Moderated by
    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.

    4:00pm - 4:30pm

    Inside the alternative asset ecosystem—current trends and what’s next

    Speaker
    Kate Dunbar , Head of Macro Research and Partner , Bridgewater Associates

    Kate joined Bridgewater in 2017 and is currently the Head of Macro & Policy Research and a Partner at the firm. In her role, she is responsible for overseeing and evolving Bridgewater’s outlook and estimates of growth, inflation, and their impact on global monetary and fiscal policy. Kate works closely with our co-CIOs and regularly shares her insights in the Bridgewater Daily Observations. 

    In 2023, Kate was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 – Finance list, and was a 2024 Millenium Fellow at the Atlantic Council. Prior to joining Bridgewater, she studied English Literature at Magdalene College, University of Cambridge. 

     

    Jeff Himstreet , Vice President and Senior Counsel, Regulatory Affairs , MFA

    Jeff Himstreet is Vice President and Senior Counsel with the MFA’s Global Regulatory Affairs team.

    In this position, he analyzes and helps shape regulatory and legislative initiatives affecting the private funds industry.

    Prior to joining the MFA, Jeff was a senior member of the PGIM (Prudential) Fixed Income law team, where he advised on a wide range of investment advisory, private fund, and derivatives matters.  Prior to joining PGIM, he was a partner with Bingham McCutchen, where he advised investment advisers, private funds, investment companies, and broker-dealers on asset management and regulatory issues. He has also worked in-house as the chief managed product support for a dually-registered firm and as the chief legal officer for the wealth management division of a regional bank.  Before this, he was an attorney with the SEC’s Division of Investment Management.

    Jeff received his J.D. from the Willamette University College of Law and his LL.M. (with honors) from the Georgetown University Law Center.

    Moderated by
    Daniel Spies , Partner, Investment Funds , Sidley

    Dan Spies is the head of Sidley’s New York Investment Funds practice. He has more than 20 years of experience focusing on private investment funds and their investment advisers in connection with formation, corporate, regulatory, and compliance matters. Dan regularly advises clients on the formation and operation of private equity and credit funds, hedge funds, digital assets funds, hybrid funds, commodity pools, funds of funds, managed accounts, and single investor funds. Dan represents private fund sponsors in all aspects of their business, in the U.S. and abroad, counseling both well-known sponsors and emerging managers focused across sectors. He also assists his clients with the formation and operation of their management entities, including compliance with the Investment Advisers Act.

    Dan has been ranked in Chambers USA (Nationwide, 2019–2024) and Chambers Global (USA, 2020–2025), for Hedge Funds. Chambers notes that Dan is described as an “amazing” lawyer (2024). Chambers further notes that Dan is described as having a “pragmatic approach to matters” and being “a very strategic lawyer” (2024). Dan has also been recognized by IFLR1000 and Legal Media Group for Investment Funds, and he was named as one of the “29 people to know when launching a hedge fund” by Business Insider.

    4:30pm - 5:00pm

    Kickstarting your career in an uncertain, digitally driven world

    Speaker
    Annie Brockett , Director, Broker Relations & Corporate Access , Junto Capital

    Ms. Annie Brockett is the Director of Broker Relations & Corporate Access at Junto Capital Management, an equity long/short fund in New York City. Ms. Brockett joined Junto in 2021 and served as the firm’s Trader for two years prior to her current role. Ms. Brockett began her career in the finance industry at Sanford C. Bernstein, where she spent two years as a Sales Trader serving large institutional investors. Ms. Brockett previously taught second grade in Brooklyn, New York as a Corps Member with Teach for America. She earned her BA in French and English from Davidson College, where she graduated cum laude and was captain of the varsity lacrosse team. 

     

     

    Hannah Dinardo , Head of Campus Recruiting , Balyasny Asset Management
    Georgette Sierra , Vice President, U.S. Government Affairs , MFA

    Georgette Sierra is MFA’s Vice President of Government Affairs. In this role, she works with the Government Affairs team to execute advocacy initiatives in Washington, closely collaborating with Members of Congress and the Administration.

    Before joining MFA, she held positions as Director of U.S. Public Policy at Credit Suisse and Director of Government Affairs at BNP Paribas. Georgette also served as Vice President of Government Affairs at the Bank Policy Institute (formerly the Financial Services Roundtable) where she developed and executed advocacy efforts for the organization’s mid-size and regional bank groups.

    Georgette has almost 20 years of Capitol Hill and financial services industry experience. Prior to her recent private sector positions, she served as Chief of Staff and policy advisor for former Representative Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), a senior member of the House Financial Services Committee, where she was the Congresswoman’s lead advisor on her legislative agenda and Financial Services Committee work, which included passage of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, as well as legislation to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank. Prior to Rep. McCarthy’s office, she worked in the governmental affairs offices at USAA and Grant Thornton. She began her career in Washington D.C. as a legislative aide for former Representative Owen Pickett (D-VA).

    Georgette received a B.A. in Political Science from James Madison University.

    Moderated by
    Orville Thomas , Executive Director , UBS AG

    Orville Thomas is an Executive Director in the UBS Business Consulting team based in New York. Orville has almost 15 years of experience in prime brokerage/financing where he has advised hedge funds in various capacities including legal, business consulting and capital introductions. Prior to joining UBS, Orville was a member of the Capital Introductions team and BofA Securities in New York having previously worked at Credit Suisse in Hong Kong, and Morgan Stanley in both London and Hong Kong. Orville began his career as a lawyer in London and received a B.A. in political science from Boston College and a J.D. from Boston College Law School.

    5:00pm

    Closing remarks

    5:00pm - 5:45pm

    Networking reception

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