Board of Directors

Marc Lipschultz
Blue Owl

Marc Lipschultz

Blue Owl
Background

Marc Lipschultz is a Co-Founder and Co-President of Blue Owl, a member of the firm’s Executive Committee and a member of the firm’s board of directors. Marc is also a Co-Founder and President of Owl Rock Capital Partners, serves as the Co-Chief Investment Officer of the Owl Rock Advisers and is a member of the Owl Rock Investment Committees.

Prior to co-founding Owl Rock, Marc spent more than two decades at KKR, serving on the firm’s Management Committee and as the Global Head of Energy and Infrastructure. Marc has a wide range of experience in alternative investments, including leadership roles in private equity, private credit and infrastructure. Prior to joining KKR, Marc was with Goldman, Sachs & Co., where he focused on mergers and acquisitions and principal investment activities.

Marc received an AB with honors and distinction, Phi Beta Kappa, from Stanford University and an MBA with high distinction, Baker Scholar, from Harvard Business School. Marc serves on the board of the Hess Corporation and is actively involved in a variety of nonprofit organizations, serving as a board member of the 92Y, American Enterprise Institute, Michael J. Fox Foundation, Mount Sinai Health System and Stanford University Board of Trustees.

Philip Kim
KKR

Philip Kim

KKR
Background

Philip Kim (New York) joined KKR in 2012 and is the Head of Derivatives & Liability Management. He is a member of the Global Macro, Balance Sheet and Risk team and serves on the KCM Capital Committee as well as the Liability Risk Management Committee. Prior to joining KKR, Mr. Kim was with Morgan Stanley in its Corporate Derivatives Group. He holds a B.A. from Stanford University.

Christophe Auber
Greenspot AI

Christophe Auber

Greenspot AI
Background

Christophe Auber is the co-founder and CEO of Greenspot AI. Prior to starting Greenspot AI, Christophe was an Associate at Hellman & Friedman’s London office. Christophe started his career at McKinsey & Company in New York. He graduated from Stanford in 2016 with a Bachelors in Mathematical and Computational Science, and is fluent in English, French, and Spanish.

Merit Webster
Warburg Pincus

Merit Webster

Warburg Pincus
Background

Merit Webster is a Vice President at Warburg Pincus in the Technology Group and is based in New York City. Previously, Ms. Webster worked at BBH Capital Partners, the private equity strategy of Brown Brothers Harriman & Co., and TZP Group LLC. She received her B.A. in Public Policy from Stanford University and M.B.A. from the MIT Sloan School of Management.

Bill Hart
Bank of America Merrill Lynch

Bill Hart

Bank of America Merrill Lynch
Background

Bill Hart joined Bank of America Merrill Lynch in 2014 and is a Vice President in the Financial Sponsors Group, based in San Francisco. He is responsible for providing advisory and capital markets services to private equity firms and their portfolio companies. Prior to joining BofAML, Mr. Hart served as strategy lead for Asia at Christie’s International, based in Hong Kong. He holds an MBA from the Wharton School, an MA from the University of Pennsylvania and a BA from Stanford University.

Dottie Jones Serure
Morgan Stanley

Dottie Jones Serure

Morgan Stanley
Background

Dottie Jones Serure is a quantitative researcher in the Electronic Trading Business within the Institutional Equities Division at Morgan Stanley. Upon graduating Phi Beta Kappa from Stanford in 2016 with a B.A. in Psychology, she spent a year in London where she received a Master of Science in Business and Organizational Psychology from University College London. She then worked briefly at Engineers Gate before returning to Stanford to complete a Master of Science in Statistics, which she completed in December 2019. She lives in Miami with her husband Dean.

Heidi Boyd
Blackstone

Heidi Boyd

Blackstone
Background

Heidi Boyd is a private equity investor at Blackstone, where she works on infrastructure-focused investments.  Ms. Boyd has worked in private equity in New York for nearly a decade, first at Macquarie and later at Blackstone, covering sectors including transportation, utilities, waste, and water.  Ms. Boyd previously worked as a consultant for the Boston Consulting Group in Los Angeles and Paris.

Ms. Boyd received a BA in Science, Technology and Society from Stanford University, where she also co-founded Stanford Women in Business. Ms. Boyd received an MBA from Harvard Business School. Ms. Boyd currently serves on the Board of Common Denominator, a not-for-profit, mathematics tutoring program for middle school students based in New York City.

Paige Thacher
KKR

Paige Thacher

KKR
Background

Paige Thacher is a Principal at KKR on the Growth team. Prior to KKR, she worked in growth equity at 3L Capital and General Atlantic. Paige began her career in investment banking at Morgan Stanley. She graduated from Stanford University with a BA in Public Policy. Paige is a co-founder and former President of Synergist Network.

Patrick Bennett
Two Seas Capital

Patrick Bennett

Two Seas Capital
Background

Patrick Bennett is a Managing Director and Head of Trading at Two Seas Capital, a distressed debt focused hedge fund. Prior to joining Two Seas, Patrick served as a Managing Director at Aurelius Capital, and also spent time at Morgan Stanley in both the Structured Products and Commodities trading groups. Patrick graduated from Stanford University in 2007 with both a B.S. and M.S. in Management Science & Engineering.

Meera Clark
Redpoint Ventures

Meera Clark

Redpoint Ventures
Background

Meera Clark supports Redpoint’s early-stage consumer investing efforts where she focuses on companies facilitating physical, emotional, and financial empowerment. She joined Redpoint in 2022 from Obvious Ventures, an early-stage venture capital fund and B Corp where she spearheaded much of the firm’s work in consumer health and wellness, freelancer enablement, and economic opportunity. 

Prior to joining Obvious, Meera invested in and advised high-growth technology companies at Morgan Stanley. Across the firm’s New York and Bay Area offices, she spent time in Technology Investment Banking supporting consumer internet and software executives through both late-stage private placements and Initial Public Offerings. Meera also scaled the firm’s early-stage technology accelerator, the Multicultural Innovation Lab, focused on female and multicultural entrepreneurs. 

Prior to Morgan Stanley, Meera worked in product and marketing roles at PayPal and Stella & Dot respectively, aligning with her keen interest in consumer businesses and the solutions that enable them to scale.

Beyond her investing efforts at Redpoint, Meera is an active member of All Raise and serves as a member of the Steering Committee for the organization’s annual Summit. 

In 2021, Meera was recognized in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 List for Venture Capital and Business Insider’s 55 Rising-Star VCs of 2021. In 2022, she has been listed as one of Venture Forward’s Women in VC: Rising Stars to Watch. 

Meera holds a BS in Management Science and Engineering with a focus on Entrepreneurship from Stanford University and remains active as a member of the community in her role as a Board Member for Stanford Professionals in Finance and as a member of the university’s Alumni Equestrian Team.

Board of Governors

Steven J. Wisch
BA ’83

Steven J. Wisch

BA ’83
Background

Steven J. Wisch is the managing partner of El Dorado Partners, LLC, an investment firm which creates and invests in emerging private consumer, healthcare and retail businesses. He is the former Chairman and currently Director and an owner with KKR of Channel Control Merchants, LLC, a privately held, extreme value retail and reverse logistics company based in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. He was a co-founder and managing partner of India Equity Partners, an Indian private equity fund from 2006 through 2013 and an advisor to IREO, an Indian real estate development fund from 2005 through 2012. From 2003 through 2005, Steven was president of Related Investments, a New York based private investment firm. From 2001 through 2002, he was COO of The 9/11 United Services Group, a New York based non-profit organization which coordinated the distribution of over $3 billion to help the victims of the terrorist attacks. In December 2001, Steven retired as a partner and managing director of Goldman, Sachs & Co., an international investment bank, where he worked in Corporate Finance, M&A, Capital Markets, Private Wealth Management and Asset Management. He serves as Chairman of Stanford University’s Humanities & Sciences Council and he co-chairs Stanford’s Career Task Force. He received an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA from Stanford University (’83).

Jamie Halper
BA ’81

Jamie Halper

BA ’81
Background

Jamie Halper is senior adviser – formerly partner – at Leonard Green & Partners in Los Angeles, a private equity firm with more than $15 billion in capital. Previously, he was president of TDA Capital Partners and a principal of Odyssey Partners.  He currently serves on the boards of Lucky Brand, Tourneau, Topshop and Focus Brands, Inc. At Stanford, Halper has played a key role in a broad range of activities. He is currently a member of the Parents’ Advisory Board and the Office of Development’s LEAD Council (Lifelong Engagement and Advocacy for Development). In addition, he is chair of the Haas Center for Public Service National Advisory Board, where he has been a champion of the Cardinal Service initiative. Halper earned a bachelor’s degree in economics at Stanford in 1981 and an MBA from Harvard University in 1985.

Bill Barnum
Undergrad, JD, MBA

Bill Barnum

Undergrad, JD, MBA
Background

Bill Barnum joined Brentwood in 1984 and co-founded the firm’s private equity effort. Presently, Bill serves as a Director of Afterburn Holdings, Blaze Pizza, Chicken Salad Chick, Excelligence Learning Corp., Lazy Dog Restaurants, MD Now, The Teaching Company and Veggie Grill.

He also serves as a member of the Advisory Council of the Stanford Graduate School of Business, The Dean’s Advisory Council of Stanford Law School, and The Board of Trustees of the Harvard-Westlake School. Previously, Bill served as a director of Ariat International, Filson Holdings, K-Mac Holdings, ThreeSixty Group, Zoës Kitchen (NYSE:ZOES) and Zumiez (NASDAQ: ZUMZ). He was also a member of the Board of Trustees of Stanford University from 2005 to 2010.

Prior to joining Brentwood, Bill worked at Morgan Stanley & Co. in the investment banking division. He is a graduate of Stanford University, Stanford Law School, and Stanford Graduate School of Business. Bill was both an Arjay Miller Scholar and a member of the Order of the Coif.

Allen Thorpe
BA ’92

Allen Thorpe

BA ’92
Background

Allen Thorpe joined H&F in 1999 and is a member of the Investment Committee. He leads the Firm’s New York office and its investing activities in the Healthcare and Financial Services sectors.

In Healthcare, Allen is a Director of athenahealth, Medline Industries, and MultiPlan (MPLN), and was previously a Director of Pharmaceutical Product Development (PPD), Cordis, Change Healthcare (CHNG) and Mitchell International, and the Chairman of Sheridan Healthcare.

In Financial Services, Allen is a Director of Edelman Financial Engines. He was previously the Lead Director of LPL Financial (LPLA), a Director of investment management firms Artisan Partners (APAM), Mondrian Investment Partners and Gartmore Investment Management, and on the Advisory Board of GCM Grosvenor (GCMG).

Prior to H&F, Allen was a Vice President with Pacific Equity Partners in Australia and a Manager at Bain & Company. Additionally, Allen serves on the Board of Trustees for the NYU Langone Medical Center, the Advisory Council of the Stanford Center on Longevity, and the Leadership Council of Robin Hood. Previously he was a Lecturer at Stanford University.

RoAnn Costin
GSB ’81

RoAnn Costin

GSB ’81
Background

RoAnn Costin is the founder and president of Wilderness Point Investments, a private equity company that focuses on investing in early and expansion stage consumer non-durable product and retailing companies. Ventures in which Ms. Costin has invested and sits or has sat on the board of directors include Lululemon Athletica, Genuine Health International, 2020 Onsite Optometry and Sarah Flint, Inc.  Ms. Costin began her career in 1981 working for State Street Research and Management, Co. She was the first woman investment analyst, portfolio manager and partner in the firm.  Ms. Costin joined the Putnam Companies as a member of the Quality Growth group, and was President of Reservoir Capital Management, a firm specializing in quality growth equities investments.  Ms. Costin worked in government at the federal and local levels. She received an MBA from Stanford University and a BA in Government, cum laude, from Harvard University, where she was an All-American in swimming and rowing. She currently serves on the Board of Trustees for Stanford University, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Perkins School, American Repertory Theater and Codman Academy Charter School.

Raj Agrawal
BA’ 95, GSB ’00

Raj Agrawal

BA’ 95, GSB ’00
Background

Raj Agrawal (Menlo Park) joined KKR in 2006 and has 20 years of experience. He is the Global Head of KKR’s Infrastructure business and is Chairman of the Infrastructure Investment Committee and serves as a member of the Infrastructure Portfolio Management Committee. He currently sits on the boards of SunTap Energy I & II, Associated Partners and PEMEX Midstream. Prior to joining KKR, he was a vice president with Warburg Pincus, where he was involved in the execution and oversight of a number of investments in the energy and infrastructure sector. Mr. Agrawal’s prior experience also includes Thayer Capital Partners, where he played a role in the Firm’s business and manufacturing services investments, and McKinsey & Company, where he provided strategic, merger, and acquisition advice to clients in a variety of industries. He holds a B.A., Honors and Distinction, Phi Beta Kappa, from Stanford University and an M.B.A., Arjay Miller Scholar, from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.

Jon Blum
BA ’84

Jon Blum

BA ’84
Background

Jon Blum is a Senior Banker in Citi Private Bank. Prior to joining the Private Bank in 2019, he was a Global Relationship Manager in Citigroup’s Institutional Client Group with primary responsibility for coverage of hedge funds across all markets products (2010 – 2019). Before Citigroup, Jon was a Managing Director and Head of Business Development at Liberty Square Asset Management where he had responsibility for capital raising for the firm’s international equity funds, including hedge, long only and Japanese activist strategies (2005 – 2009). Jon was a Managing Director at Morgan Stanley before joining Liberty Square, where he developed the firm’s Latin American Equity Sales business. He later went on to manage Morgan Stanley’s Emerging Market Equity Sales business in the US and was a senior relationship manager for a number of the firm’s most important hedge fund clients (1993 – 2005). Prior to joining Morgan Stanley, Jon was a Vice President at Credit Suisse and started the firm’s Latin American Equity Sales business (1992 – 93). Jon began his career at JP Morgan in International Capital Markets and Latin American Corporate Finance (1986 – 1992). He graduated from Stanford University with a Bachelor of Arts with Highest Honors and Distinction in International Relations and Economics in 1984 and Columbia University Graduate School of Business in 1986. He served on the Stanford University Board of Trustees from 2003 – 2008. 

Deborah A. DeCotis
MBA ’78

Deborah A. DeCotis

MBA ’78
Background

Deborah A. DeCotis (Debbie) served on the Stanford board of trustees from 2011 to 2015. She is a private investor with D Squared Holdings LLC. She serves as an advisory director at Morgan Stanley, where she built an impressive 22-year career and has the distinction of being one of the first female managing directors of the firm. She has served as chair of the Business School Trust, a member of the GSB Advisory Council, and a member of the Leading Matters New York Outreach Committee. She volunteered for her 20th reunion (chair), 25th reunion (co-chair), and 30th reunion. She was the keynote speaker at the first and tenth GSB Women in Management conferences. For her many contributions to the GSB, she received the John W. Gardner Volunteer Leadership Award in 2008. Debbie also served on the Stanford Connects outreach Committee for the New York City area and serves on the New York Committee for Stanford Arts. She directs her Stanford giving, including a fellowship fund, to the GSB.

Dipanjan (DJ) Deb
GSB

Dipanjan (DJ) Deb

GSB
Background

Dipanjan “DJ” Deb is a Founding Partner and the CEO of Francisco Partners.

 

Prior to founding Francisco Partners in 1999, DJ was a Principal with Texas Pacific Group. Earlier in his career, he was Director of Semiconductor Banking at Robertson, Stephens & Company and a management consultant at McKinsey & Company.

DJ currently serves on the board of BeyondTrust, GoodRx (GDRX), LegalZoom, Quest, and SonicWall. He formerly served on the board of directors of AMI Semiconductor (AMIS), Barracuda (CUDA), CBA Group, Cross Match Technologies, Ichor Systems (ICHR), Legerity, MagnaChip, Metrologic, NPTest/Credence (CMOS), Numonyx, Plex, Sectigo, SMART Modular Technologies (SMOD), Ultra Clean Technology (UCTT), Conexant (CNXT), Globespan (GSPN), ON Semiconductor (ONNN), and Verifone (PAY).

 

Mr. Deb has an M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business,  and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from University of California Berkeley where he was a Regents Scholar.

 

Mr. Deb is currently a board member of the UCSF Foundation and the UC Berkeley Engineering Board and was formerly on the Stanford Board of Trustees, the Stanford GSB Advisory Council and the Stanford GSB Management Committee where he was chair. He is also a member of YPO (Barbary Coast Chapter).

Jay Rubenstein
Citadel

Jay Rubenstein

Citadel
Background
Jay Rubenstein is the CEO of Citadel Energy Marketing, a subsidiary of Citadel Investment Group. He also serves on the Management Committee of Citadel Commodities. Formerly, Jay was a Managing Director and Global Head of Commodities Trading at Morgan Stanley. He served on both the Fixed Income Management Committee as well as the Commodities Management Committee. Jay graduated from Stanford University in 2007 with a B.A. in economics.

Leadership Council

Serena Harber
The Cooper Companies

Serena Harber

The Cooper Companies
Background

Serena Harber  is a Corporate Development Associate at The Cooper Companies (NYSE: COO). Serena was previously in Corporate Development and Finance at Generate Life Sciences, acquired by The Cooper Companies in December 2021. Prior to joining Generate, Serena was an Investment Banking Analyst in Rothschild & Co’s Global Advisory group, focused on Technology. She graduated from Stanford in 2019 with a B.S. in Human Biology.

Trey Strobel
Cerberus Capital Management

Trey Strobel

Cerberus Capital Management
Background

Trey Strobel is a Senior Associate on the Private Equity team at Cerberus Capital Management. He joined Cerberus in 2018 and is based in New York. Prior to joining Cerberus, Trey worked as an Investment Banking Analyst at Lazard in the Telecommunications, Media and Technology Group. He graduated from Stanford in 2016 with a B.S. in Management Science and Engineering.

Audrey Miller
Amaranthine

Audrey Miller

Amaranthine
Background

Audrey Miller is a venture capital investor and founding team member of Amaranthine, headquartered in San Francisco and Dublin. Prior to joining Amaranthine, Audrey founded Monte Partners, advising startups around fundraising. Audrey began her career in Goldman Sachs’s Investment Banking Division in London. She graduated from Stanford with a BA in Economics

Jim Liu
GI Partners

Jim Liu

GI Partners
Background
Jim Liu is an Associate on the Business Services team at GI Partners, a San Francisco based Private Equity firm. Prior to joining GI, Jim was an Investment Banking Analyst at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in the Financial Sponsors Group, based in New York. He graduated from Stanford University in 2018 with a B.A. in Economics.
Michael Genender
KKR

Michael Genender

KKR
Background
Michael Genender is a Private Equity Associate at KKR. He previously worked as an analyst at The Raine Group and was a summer analyst at Goldman Sachs.
Michael graduated with Distinction, Phi Beta Kappa from Stanford in 2019. He received a B.S. in Science, Technology and Society, with a minor in History
Michael Boden
Compass Diversified

Michael Boden

Compass Diversified
Background

Michael Boden is a Private Equity Associate at Compass Diversified (NYSE: CODI). Prior to joining Compass, Michael was an Investment Banking Analyst at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in the Financial Sponsors Group, based in New York. He graduated from Stanford University in 2019 with a B.S. in Management Science and Engineering.

Marco Lorenzon
Stripes

Marco Lorenzon

Stripes
Background

Marco Lorenzon is a growth equity investor at Stripes focused on investments across Consumer, Technology, and Healthcare. Marco joined Stripes in 2020 and is based in New York. Marco received his B.A. with honors in Economics and M.S. in Management Science and Engineering from Stanford University.

Katherine Du
Cat Rock Capital

Katherine Du

Cat Rock Capital
Background

Katherine Du is an Analyst at Cat Rock Capital, a hedge fund based in Greenwich, Connecticut. Katherine earned a B.A. in Economics and M.S. in Management Science & Engineering at Stanford University, where she received University Distinction, joined Phi Beta Kappa, and served as the Undergraduate Voting Member of the Stanford University Board of Trustees Committee on Finance.