ALTSTX

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ALTSTX is an education-focused alternative investment event designed to bring the investor community together for dialogue and discussion on the most relevant topics facing investors and managers today.

ALTSTX is co-hosted by the CFA Society Dallas/Fort Worth and the CAIA Association and is a hot spot for those seeking the very latest in alternative investment news and developments. ALTSTX is specifically designed to provide relevant, education-focused content for individuals who manage, advise, allocate to, or oversee alternative investments. With leading allocating and management firms, the agenda will include topics such as global asset allocation, risk management, private markets, real assets, alternative beta strategies, private equity, hedge funds, crypto and more.

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OUR SPEAKERS

Keynote Speakers

Josh Friedman

Josh Friedman

Canyon Partners

Co-Founder, Co-Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer

Josh Friedman is Co-Founder, Co-Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer of Canyon Partners, LLC. Mr. Friedman is a graduate of Harvard College (B.A., summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, Physics), Oxford University (M.A., honors, Politics and Economics, Marshall Scholar), Harvard Business School (M.B.A., Baker Scholar) and Harvard Law School (J.D., Sears Prize, magna cum laude). Prior to forming Canyon, Mr. Friedman was Director of Capital Markets for High Yield and Private Placements at Drexel Burnham Lambert. Prior to working at Drexel, Mr. Friedman worked in the Mergers and Acquisitions Department of Goldman Sachs in New York. In 2014, Mr. Friedman, along with Co-Founder Mitch Julis, received Institutional Investor’s “Lifetime Achievement” Award. Mr. Friedman is a member of the George W. Bush Presidential Center Executive Advisory Council. Additionally, Mr. Friedman serves on the boards and/or investment committees of a number of endowments and foundations including Harvard Management Company, Harvard Committee on University Resources, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, The Broad Foundation, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), and the Dallas Museum of Art (DMA). Mr. Friedman previously served on the investment committee of the J. Paul Getty Trust and Board of the Dean’s Advisors for Harvard Business School, as well as the boards of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the UCLA Hospital Department of Neurosurgery, the UCLA Anderson School of Management, The California Science Center, California Institute of Technology, and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Mr. Friedman and his wife, Beth, live in Dallas, Texas and have three sons. Mr. and Mrs. Friedman co-endowed the Star-Friedman Challenge for Promising Scientific Research at Harvard University and are 2019 recipients of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.

Speakers

Brian Heider

Brian Heider

True North Advisors

Deputy Chief Investment Officer

As the Deputy Chief Investment Officer, Brian maintains oversight of the team’s research functions and plays an important role in shaping and implementing the firm’s investment strategy. His extensive experience with traditional and alternative asset classes combined with his collaborative approach help the Investment Team deliver thoughtful investment solutions for clients. Brian is also a voting member of the firm’s Investment Committee. Prior to joining True North in 2014, Brian worked in the Public Equity group at Employees Retirement System of Texas and served as a portfolio manager on the MBA Investment Fund LLC while completing his MBA at the University of Texas at Austin, McCombs School of Business
Chris Schelling

Chris Schelling

Aksia

Managing Director

Chris is a Managing Director on the Pan-Alts team in the Americas and has over 22 years of experience in alternative investments. He is responsible for alternative investment programs in the Americas and focuses on portfolio construction and manager selection, providing customized investment recommendations and regular portfolio updates across alternative investment programs. Prior to joining Aksia in 2025, Chris was a Managing Director of Private Markets at The Caprock Group, where he oversaw $3 billion in assets allocated across private markets. Before that he held various managerial roles, including Chief Investment Strategist at Venturi Wealth Management, Director of Private Equity at Texas Municipal Retirement System and Deputy CIO at Kentucky Retirement Systems. Chris started his career at Calamos Investments and Thomson Reuters. Chris graduated from the University of Illinois with a BS in Liberal Arts and Sciences and an MBA in Finance and Accounting. He holds an MSc in Financial Markets from the Illinois Institute of Technology and the CAIA designation. Chris is also a member of the Global Investor Board at AIMA, and author of the book Better Than Alpha: Three Steps to Capturing Excess Returns in a Changing World.
Dave Morehead

Dave Morehead

Baylor University Endowment Fund

Chief Investment Officer

Dave Morehead joined the Baylor University Office of Investments in 2011 and currently serves as the Chief Investment Officer. From 2019-2024, Mr. Morehead co-taught the Large Cap and Small Cap practicum classes at Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business. Previously, he was a senior portfolio manager at Lotsoff Capital Management, where he managed securities across the corporate capital structure, and a partner at Highview Capital Management, where he focused on public and private energy investments.

Prior to this, he was a portfolio manager at Ritchie Capital Management, responsible for a generalist corporate relative value and distressed portfolio and spent time performing equity research on the transportation/logistics and specialty retail sectors at William Blair & Company.

Mr. Morehead also held roles at Bank of America, where he was responsible for the risk management of the bank's interest rate derivatives desk, and First Trust Advisors, where he advised community banks on their investment portfolios.

Dave graduated summa cum laude from Wheaton College and earned his MBA in finance and entrepreneurship with honors from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.

Derrick Dagnan

Derrick Dagnan

Fort Worth Employees’ Retirement Fund

Chief Investment Officer

Derrick Dagnan joined the Fort Worth Employees’ Retirement Fund as Chief Investment Officer in 2020. He provides oversight for the management and strategic growth of the Fund’s $3.0 billion in assets, working closely with the Fund’s Executive Director, the Board and its Investment Committee as well as Fund staff. Immediately prior to joining the Fund, Derrick served as Deputy Chief Investment Officer of the Tennessee Treasury Department, where he helped design, oversee, and execute the investment and operational aspects of the Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System (TCRS) defined benefit plan, 401K, 457, and 403(b) defined contribution plans, higher education employee retirement plans, the TN Promise College Savings Program, the TN STARS 529 Plan, and other investment and endowment programs for State, University, and Local Governments. Earlier, as a Senior Portfolio Manager, he managed internal equity portfolios, an alternative fixed income portfolio, and various domestic and international multi-asset portfolios. In his early financial career, Derrick worked at investment banks as a sell-side equity research analyst focused on the healthcare industry. Dagnan received his BS in Agricultural Engineering from Purdue University and his MBA in Finance, and Strategy from Vanderbilt University. He is a CFA Charterholder.

Jack Reilly

Jack Reilly

Turtle Creek Capital, LLC

Chief Investment Officer and Head of Private Investments

Jack serves as Head of Private Investments, Chief Investment Officer and Partner with Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors. Jack serves as a member of Turtle Creek’s Investment Committee where he is involved in the development and investment strategy and risk management for Turtle Creek. Prior to joining Turtle Creek, Jack was a Managing Director and member of the executive team at Stronghold Investment Management, a technology-driven, vertically integrated investment manager focused on real assets and related private markets.
Kyle Stewart

Kyle Stewart

Children's Health

Investment Director

Mr. Stewart is the Investment Director at Children’s Health System of Texas, a 2.5-billion-dollar Dallas based foundation. At Children’s, Mr. Stewart oversees the Foundation’s Hedge Fund, Private Credit and Liquid Real Asset allocations and serves on the internal investment committee. Prior to joining Children’s, Mr. Stewart was a Sr. Investment Analyst at Irvington Capital as well as a Research Associate at Taylor Investment Advisors. Mr. Stewart holds a B.B.A. from Texas Tech University and a M.S. in Finance from Southern Methodist University.

Mark Buntz

Mark Buntz

BOK Financial

SVP, BOK Financial Director, Alternative Investments

Mr. Buntz is the Director of Director of Alternative Investments for BOK Financial. The alternative investment team that Mark oversees is responsible for over $2 billion in assets invested in over one hundred different funds currently. These funds include private equity, real assets and hedge funds along with direct and co-investments. Mark has over 25 years experience in managing alternative investments. Prior to his career in investing, Mark was a partner in an international accounting firm. Mark received his Bachelor of Accountancy degree from the University of Oklahoma and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Renee Hanna

Renee Hanna

Baylor University Endowment Fund

Managing Director of Investments

Renee Hanna joined the Baylor University Office of Investments in May of 2008. She currently serves as Managing Director of Investments and is responsible for the endowment's private investments across all categories and geographies. Prior to returning to her alma mater, she was an Associate Investment Analyst at Lee Financial Corporation, a multi-family investment office. Renee graduated cum laude from the Baylor University Hankamer School of Business and earned her MBA with honors from the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin. She also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.
Ryan Harms

Ryan Harms

Multilateral Endowment Management Company (MEMCO)

Chief Investment Officer

Ryan Harms serves as the CIO for MEMCO.  In his role, Ryan is responsible for leading MEMCO’s investment affairs, including manager selection, portfolio construction, and risk management for all MEMCO client portfolios.  Previously, Ryan served as the Director of Public Strategies, where he was responsible for sourcing, evaluating, and monitoring investments for client portfolios, with a primary focus on public strategies, including hedge funds.  He also worked closely with the CIO on portfolio construction and risk management for MEMCO client portfolios.  Ryan joined the Oklahoma State University Foundation Investment Office in 2012, as an Investment and Risk Analyst, and subsequently held the positions of Investment Officer and Investment Officer – Public Strategies, before joining MEMCO at its inception.  Ryan began his career in the defense industry, at Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, where he specialized in data analysis and algorithm development for proprietary radar systems.  Ryan received a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and Master of Business Administration from Oklahoma Christian University.

Ryan Wagner

Ryan Wagner

Dallas Police & Fire Pension System

Chief Investment Officer

Ryan Wagner joined the Dallas Police & Fire Pension System (DPFP) in 2012 as an Investment Analyst and was named Chief Investment Officer in March 2022. During his time at DPFP, Ryan has worked across multiple asset classes. The 4-person investment team oversees and manages the $2B investment portfolio. Ryan is a CAIA charterholder.  Prior to coming to the System, Ryan received his Masters of Business Administration from Texas Christian University, where he also received a BBA. Previous work experience includes roles at Universal Forest Products, Alcon Laboratories and NLM Capital Partners.

 

Steve Thieme

Steve Thieme

HighGround Advisors

Director of Public Markets

Steve serves as Director of Public Markets at HighGround Advisors and manages all aspects of HighGround’s public equity and hedge fund portfolios. With over 15 years of investment management experience, his background includes investment manager selection and portfolio selection across multiple asset classes.

Prior to joining HighGround in 2022, Steve served as Senior Vice President at Fund Evaluation Group, where he led hedged and specialty equity research and constructed equity and hedge fund portfolios for nonprofit institutions. Before that, he was Investment Officer at Summer Hill Capital Partners, a family office in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Tom Tull

Tom Tull

Employees Retirement System of Texas

Former Chief Investment Officer

Mr. Tull is the Former Chief Investment Officer at the Employees Retirement System of Texas (ERS). Previously, he was a founding partner of Gulfstream Global Investors, Ltd. Mr. Tull is the former Director of the Employee Benefit Fund Investments for The LTV Corporation and served as President of Western Reserve Capital Management, Inc., the pension asset management subsidiary of The LTV Corporation. Mr. Tull received a B.S. in Finance from Ohio State University and an MBA from Xavier University and is a CFA charter holder. He also is a member of a variety of financial organizations.

Hosted at

The Statler Dallas, Curio Collection by Hilton

1914 Commerce St
Dallas, TX
USA, 75201
(214) 459-3930

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Key Discussion Topics

NEXT BEST MOVE IN ALTERNATIVES As the controversy around alternatives carries on, investors voice the opportunity in cash and fixed income investment strategies.

INSTITUTIONAL PORTFOLIO CONSTRUCTION Discussing hedge fund manager selection, addressing over-diversification mistakes and understanding both the art and science of developing a successful portfolio for pensions, endowments and foundations.

MACROECONOMICS & GLOBAL TRENDS Comparing and contrasting global macro conditions and investment performance.

GROWING OPPORTUNITIES IN PRIVATE DEBT Asset owners aim to get in on the opportunities in private debt and credit and are increasingly looking at impact investing as an alternative.

HEDGE FUND INVESTMENT STRATEGIES Creating a dialogue around the opportunities in this volatile market through credit investing, long/short equity, market neutral, global macro, convertible arbitrage and liquid alternatives.

PRIVATE WEALTH & HEDGE FUNDS As hedge funds continue to be important to family offices, wealth managers and private banks, investors will discuss the rise in their allocation.

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