Shawn Foley

Senior Portfolio Manager - Avenue U.S. Strategy

Mr. Foley is responsible for assisting with the direction of the investment activities of the Avenue U.S. Strategy. Prior to joining Avenue in 2008, Mr. Foley was a Managing Director and Co-Portfolio Manager in Merrill Lynch’s Principal Credit Group, a proprietary investing platform for the firm’s capital, where he was responsible for evaluating and managing assets in the team’s North American portfolio, including non-investment grade bank loans, stressed/distressed fixed income investments and public and private equity. Prior to helping launch Merrill Lynch’s Principal Credit Group, Mr. Foley was with Merrill Lynch’s Global Convertible Research team, where he was responsible for building a research effort centered on credit-sensitive convertible issues. Before this, Mr. Foley was a Portfolio Manager within the distressed fixed income group at Baker Nye Greenblatt, an investment advisory firm specializing in merger arbitrage and distressed fixed income investing.

Mr. Foley received a B.B.A. in Finance from the University of Notre Dame (1990).

Matthew Kimble

Senior Portfolio Manager - Avenue U.S. Strategy

Mr. Kimble is responsible for assisting with the direction of the investment activities of the Avenue U.S. Strategy. Mr. Kimble has held various positions with Avenue prior to serving as a Portfolio Manager, including as an Associate, Vice President and Senior Vice President where he was responsible for identifying, analyzing and modeling investment opportunities for the Avenue U.S. strategy. Prior to joining Avenue in 2003, Mr. Kimble was a Research Analyst with Bellport Capital Advisors, L.L.C. Previously, he served as an Investment Banking Associate for Gordian Group, L.P. Mr. Kimble was a Senior Analyst in Corporate Accounting & Finance for International Business Machines Corporation.

Mr. Kimble received a B.S. with Honors in Accounting from the University of Illinois (1993) and an M.B.A. in Finance, as a Stern Scholar, from the NYU Stern School of Business (1999).

Craig Hart

Portfolio Manager - Energy

Mr. Hart is a Portfolio Manager responsible for identifying, analyzing and modeling investment opportunities for the Avenue U.S. Strategy, with a focus on energy and utility investments. Prior to joining Avenue in 2014, Mr. Hart was an Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at U.S. Power Generating Company. Previously, Mr. Hart was a Managing Consultant with the energy practice of PA Consulting Group. Mr. Hart has a B.A. from The Colorado College (1990) and an MES from Yale School of Forestry (1999) and an M.B.A. from Yale School of Management (1999).

Randal Klein

Portfolio Manager - Restructurings & Transactions

Mr. Klein is responsible for assisting with the direction of the investment activities of the Avenue U.S. strategy with a particular focus on restructurings and transactions. Prior to joining Avenue in 2004, Mr. Klein was a Senior Vice President at Lehman Brothers. His responsibilities at Lehman during the time from 1994 to 2004 included restructuring advisory work, financial sponsors coverage, mergers acquisitions work and corporate finance. Prior to Lehman, Mr. Klein worked from 1986 to 1992 in sales, marketing and engineering as an aerospace engineer for The Boeing Company.

Mr. Klein received a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering, with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia (1986) and an M.B.A. in Finance, as a Palmer Scholar, from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania (1994).

Richard Furst

Chief Investment Officer, Co-Head of Europe Strategy

Mr. Furst is the Co-Head of Europe Strategy, with joint responsibility for directing the investment activities of the Avenue Europe Strategy, and dedicates his time predominantly to the Europe Strategy. He also serves as Avenue’s Chief Investment Officer and spends a portion of his time providing high-level investment oversight globally.* Mr. Furst started with Avenue in 2004 as a Portfolio Manager for the U.S. Strategy, and prior to joining Avenue in 2004, he was a Portfolio Manager with Moore Capital Group, focusing on both U.S. and European distressed and high yield securities. Prior to that, he was a Managing Director and Head of the U.S. Special Situations Trading Group for Bank of America. Previously, Mr. Furst was a Vice President in the High Yield and Distressed Trading and Research Department of Salomon Brothers Inc., after serving as an Associate in the Mergers, Acquisitions, and Restructuring Group.

Mr. Furst received a B.S. in Economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania (1986) and an M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management of Northwestern University (1989).

* The Senior Portfolio Managers and Portfolio Managers leading each of the Firm’s strategies are responsible for day-to-day investing and managing their independent investment teams within each of the respective strategies. Mr. Furst spends a substantial majority of his business time dedicated to the Avenue Europe Strategy, and the remainder of his business time dedicated to his role as Chief Investment Officer of the Firm.

Jonathan Ford

Senior Portfolio Manager, Co-Head of Europe Strategy

Mr. Ford is a Senior Portfolio Manager and Co-Head of Europe Strategy, with joint responsibility for directing the investment activities of the Avenue Europe Strategy. Prior to joining Avenue in 2009, Mr. Ford was the Head of European Research based in London for the Distressed Products Group at Deutsche Bank, focused on European distressed and special situations investments across the capital structure. Previously, Mr. Ford was an Assistant Director in the Corporate Restructuring Group at Close Brothers Group, where he worked on a number of high profile European restructuring and distressed mergers and acquisitions transactions. Prior to joining Close Brothers Group, Mr. Ford was an Assistant Manager in the Banking & Capital Markets division of PricewaterhouseCoopers (London).

Mr. Ford received a B.S. in Economics from the University of Birmingham (1996).

Padraig Moore

Portfolio Manager- Avenue Europe Strategy

Mr. Moore is a Portfolio Manager responsible for assisting with the direction of the investment opportunities for the Avenue Europe Strategy.  Prior to joining the Firm in 2012, Mr. Moore was the head of distressed debt research at Deutsche Bank AG in London.

Mr. Moore received an M.A. in Economics from the University of Cambridge (2003), an M.Sc. in Financial Economics from the University of Oxford (2006), and a Ph.D. in Economics from Trinity College Dublin (2007).

Anil Gorthy

Senior Portfolio Manager - Avenue Asia Strategy

Mr. Gorthy is responsible for directing the investment activities of the Avenue Asia Strategy and has over 18 years of investment experience in Asia. Prior to joining Avenue in 2014, Mr. Gorthy was a Managing Director and Partner at Pacific Alliance Group (PAG) in Hong Kong from 2009 to 2014, where he was a Senior Portfolio Manager focusing on special situations and distressed investments. Prior to PAG, Mr. Gorthy was a Director in Deutsche Bank’s Asia-Pacific Distressed Products Group from 2005 to 2009. Previously, he was a Director at Beacon Advisory Pte Ltd in Singapore from 2003 to 2005, providing consulting and advisory services to Asian corporates and, before that, Mr. Gorthy worked in Deutsche Bank’s Corporate Finance and Investment Banking division from 2000 to 2002.

Mr. Gorthy received a Bachelor of Technology (First with Distinction) from National Institute of Technology Warangal (1996) and a Post Graduate Diploma in Management from the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta (2000).

William Maier

Senior Portfolio Manager - Avenue Performing Loans Strategy

Mr. Maier is the Senior Portfolio Manager responsible for assisting with the direction of the investment activities of the Performing Loans Strategy. Prior to joining Avenue in 2016, Mr. Maier spent 26 years at Natixis and its predecessor banks, Natexis and Banque Francaise du Commerce Exterieur (BFCE), where he was one of the founders of the bank’s leveraged finance business in the United States. Most recently, Mr. Maier founded and served as Senior Managing Director and Head of Coverage – Americas at Natixis with responsibility for all investment banking client relationships with corporations, financial Institutions and private equity sponsors. As such, he chaired the bank’s Client Committee and was a member of the Senior Executive Committee of the Americas for the Corporate & Investment Bank. He was a co-founder and served as Chief Investment Officer of Natixis Credit Opportunities Fund I, L.P. as well as a co-founder and general partner of Natixis Strategic Partners I, II, & III private equity fund-of-funds. Mr. Maier started his career at NatWest Bank and completed the bank’s officer training program in New York and London.

Mr. Maier received a B.A. with Honors in Philosophy and Law and Economics from Cornell University (1987).

Patric Lager

Portfolio Manager - Avenue Performing Loans Strategy

Mr. Lager is a Portfolio Manager responsible for assisting with the direction of the investment activities of the Performing Loans Strategy. Prior to joining Avenue in 2016, from September 2014 to May 2016, Mr. Lager was Head of Private Equity, Asset Management and Brokerage at Falcom Financial Services in Saudi Arabia. Prior to joining Falcom, from November 1997 to October 2013, he was a Managing Director at Natixis in New York where he orchestrated direct investments in private equity funds and co-investments. On the investment banking side, Mr. Lager was a member of the leveraged finance team. He was a co-founder of Natixis Credit Opportunities Fund I, L.P. as well as a co-founder and general partner of Natixis Strategic Partners I, II, & III private equity fund-of-funds. Prior to that, from January 1995 to November 1997, Mr. Lager worked for Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation in New York.

Mr. Lager received a B.A. in Business Administration from Friends University (1990), an M.B.A. from Pennsylvania State University (1992) and was awarded the Chartered Financial Analyst Certification (1997).

John Larkin

Head of Impact Investments and Senior Managing Director

Mr. Larkin is responsible for the direction of the Avenue Impact Team. Mr. Larkin is a member of the Strategy’s investment committee assisting in the strategic direction, sourcing of key relationships and advising on investment opportunities. Prior to the creation of the Strategy in 2017, he was a Senior Managing Director for Avenue’s Business Development team from 2010-2017. Previously, Mr. Larkin was Head of Alternative Investments - Americas at Deutsche Bank where he managed the private asset platform which included private equity, hedge funds and real estate investments. While at Deutsche Bank, he served as a board member to various investment funds with fiduciary oversight and as a speaker on the topic of climate change. Prior to joining Deutsche Bank, Mr. Larkin was Head of Private Investments within Merrill Lynch and later Co-Head of Third Party Alternative Investments at Citigroup. Mr. Larkin currently serves on the board of Cogent Energy Systems and previously as a board member of North American Biofuels Co and advisor to Amelio Solar. These firms focused on innovative technology in the cleantech sector where he has been an avid personal investor and spokesman for the past 15 years.

Mr. Larkin is a retired Navy Commander/Pilot and holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology (1984) where he currently serves on the Tuchman School of Management advisory board.

Peter Pulkkinen

Portfolio Manager, Avenue Impact Strategy

Mr. Pulkkinen is the Portfolio Manager responsible for assisting with the direction of the investment activities of the Sustainable Solutions Strategy. Mr. Pulkkinen is a member of the Strategy’s investment committee assisting in the strategic direction, sourcing of key relationships and advising on investment opportunities. Mr. Pulkkinen has over 20 years of experience sourcing, structuring, syndicating and principal investing in private debt with a historical focus on infrastructure, renewable energy, project and asset backed finance. Prior to joining Avenue in 2018, Mr. Pulkkinen was Managing Director and Head of US Private Placement Debt at BNP Paribas with a focus on direct lending and project finance in agribusiness, and solar and wind renewable energy. During this time, BNP Paribas was named “Most Innovative Investment Bank for Climate Change and Sustainability” by The Banker magazine. Prior to that, Mr. Pulkkinen was a Managing Director at Silverpeak Strategic Partners, UBS, and Deutsche Bank where he specialized in originating and investing in private debt and direct lending opportunities.

Mr. Pulkkinen received a B.A. in Political Science from University of New Hampshire (1992) and a Masters in International Affairs from The Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs, with a concentration in International Finance/Economics (2004).

Jeff Gary

Senior Portfolio Manager - Avenue Public Fund Strategy

Mr. Gary is the Senior Portfolio Manager responsible for directing the investment activities of the Public Fund Strategy. Prior to joining Avenue in 2012, Mr. Gary was a Portfolio Manager at Third Avenue Management LLC.  Prior to that, Mr. Gary was a Portfolio Manager at Black Rock Financial, which he joined in 2003,and was head of the high yield and distressed investment team which managed approximately $17 billion in assets in various mutual funds and institutional accounts. Prior to that, he was a senior high yield and distressed Portfolio Manager at AIG/American General and Koch Industries. Prior to that, Mr. Gary was a distressed analyst at Cargill Financial; Vice President of Corporate Finance responsible for restructuring and workouts at Mesirow Financial; and a senior analyst at Citigroup. He began his career as an auditor at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Mr. Gary received B.S. in Accounting from Penn State University (1984) and an M.B.A. from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management (1991).  He earned a CPA certificate from Illinois.

Richard Cocozza

Chief Risk Officer

Mr. Cocozza is responsible for overseeing risk management across the firm’s strategies and funds. Prior to joining Avenue as Chief Risk Officer in 2016, Mr. Cocozza was an Executive Director at J.P. Morgan, where he was responsible for overseeing credit risk for hedge funds in the bank’s Prime Brokerage business in North America. Prior to that, Mr. Cocozza was a Vice President in the Prime Brokerage group at Bear Stearns.

Mr. Cocozza received a B.A. in Economics and Political Science from Syracuse University, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa, magna cum laude, with Honors (2005) and a J.D. from New York Law School (2010).

Nish Kolonne

Chief Technology Officer

Mr. Kolonne is responsible for the firm’s global technology infrastructure. He oversees the development of new and existing infrastructure, systems, network, security and information technology policies. Prior to joining Avenue in 2002, Mr. Kolonne served as Network Administrator for the New York City Employees Retirement System where he designed, developed and implemented the system’s technological structure, including a disaster recovery plan. He previously held the position of Lead Systems Engineer at News Digital Media: Foxsports.com, Foxnews.com and Fox.com.

Mr. Kolonne received a B.S. in Engineering Science and Computer Science from City University of New York (1998) and an M.S. in Information Assurance from Capitol College (2010).

Todd Greenbarg

Senior Managing Director

Mr. Greenbarg is responsible for legal matters across the firm’s strategies. Mr. Greenbarg focuses on all areas affecting the firm’s management companies and funds, including structuring new investment products, drafting all constituent documents for the funds and general contract work. Prior to joining Avenue in 2003, Mr. Greenbarg was an Associate in the Investment Funds practice at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, where he specialized in the formation, structuring and development of private equity funds, institutional funds, hedge funds and other private investment partnerships. During his time at Paul Weiss, Mr. Greenbarg was responsible for the fund formation work for the Avenue funds.

Mr. Greenbarg received a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa, summa cum laude, with Honors (1997) and a J.D. from New York University School of Law (2000).

Eric Ross

Chief Compliance Officer

Mr. Ross is responsible for overseeing compliance across the firm’s strategies. Prior to joining Avenue in 2006, Mr. Ross was a Senior Associate at Cobb & Eisenberg LLC, Avenue’s former regulatory counsel, where he represented hedge funds, private equity funds, fund of funds, offshore funds, investment advisers and broker-dealers and focused on compliance, fund formation and investment adviser regulations. Prior to that, Mr. Ross was a Senior Associate at Olshan Grundman Frome Rosenzweig & Wolosky LLP, where he focused on general corporate matters. Earlier in his career, Mr. Ross was also an Associate General Counsel with Josephthal & Company, Inc., a NYSE and FINRA (formerly NASD) member firm.

Mr. Ross received a B.S. in Finance from Syracuse University (1991) and a J.D. from New York Law School (1995).

Cherie Alcoff

Senior Managing Director

Ms. Alcoff is a senior member of the firm's business development team. Prior to joining Avenue in 2006, Ms. Alcoff was a senior member of the Investor Relations and Business Development team at Cyrus Capital Partners. Prior to Cyrus, she was the Head of Off-Shore Investor Relations at Davidson Kempner Partners. Prior to that, Ms. Alcoff worked at Goldman Sachs where she was an Institutional Salesperson in the firm’s Fixed Income, Currencies and Commodities Division.

Ms. Alcoff received a B.A. in Political Science from Colgate University (1997).

Julie Baumann

Senior Managing Director

Ms. Baumann is responsible for investor relations across the firm’s strategies and is a senior member of the business development team. She has worked with the Senior Principals since 1993. Prior to her current role, Ms. Baumann was a Portfolio Manager at the firm where she was responsible for assisting in developing the investment focus of the Avenue U.S. strategy. She also was previously Director of Research at Amroc where she directed a team of research analysts focused on distressed and special situation securities for institutional clients. Prior to that, she was with James D. Wolfensohn, Inc., where she advised domestic and international clients on acquisitions, divestitures, restructurings and joint ventures. Prior to James D. Wolfensohn, Inc., Ms. Baumann was with the Corporate Finance Department of Drexel Burnham Lambert, and she also served on the audit staff of KPMG Peat Marwick.

Ms. Baumann received a B.S. with distinction in Accounting and Business Administration from the University of Kansas (1985) and an M.B.A. in Finance from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania (1989).

Randy Takian

Senior Managing Director, Head of Public Fund Strategy

Mr. Takian is responsible for product, strategic and business development across the firm’s Public Fund Strategy. Prior to joining Avenue in 2010, Mr. Takian held various roles within Morgan Stanley’s Asset Management Group (MSIM), most recently as Managing Director and Head of Americas for distribution, product and marketing as well as their Corporate Development team. Prior roles at MSIM also included heading their strategy and product development group and the $10 billion Senior Loan business for the Alternatives Group. Prior to joining Morgan Stanley in 2006, Mr. Takian led the strategy and mergers and acquisitions group for the Global Wealth and Investment Management businesses at Bank of America.

Mr. Takian received a B.A. in Economics and International Relations from Brown University (1996).

Alexander Wolfman

Senior Managing Director

Mr. Wolfman is responsible for institutional fundraising, as well as product and strategic development across the firm’s strategies. Prior to joining Avenue in 2004, Mr. Wolfman was an Investment Banker with Citigroup’s Private Equity Group in the financial sponsors division. Previously, Mr. Wolfman was a corporate attorney with Schulte Roth & Zabel’s Investment Management Group, where he focused on structuring and advisory work for hedge funds and private equity firms.

Mr. Wolfman received a B.A. in History (1993) and a J.D. with distinction (1997) from Emory University and served as a Managing Editor of the Emory Law Journal.