Texas Angels

Janie Becker
Director, Citi Global Markets

Janie Becker has 9 years of experience in the financial services industry. Currently she serves as a Director of Citi Global Markets covering Texas-based pension funds, hedge funds and mutual funds through Institutional Equity sales. She previously covered the same Texas client base with Goldman Sachs out of Chicago. Later, she was a Principal at Timeless Investment Management & Research, a Chicago-based small cap value investment advisor that was part of CalPERS' Manager Development Program, where she led the asset gathering and marketing efforts of the firm. Janie started her career in Investment Banking at J.C. Bradford & Co. out of Nashville.

Janie graduated from Vanderbilt University with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Business Administration. She served as the Philanthropy Chair of the Texas Chapter of 100 Women in Hedge Funds from 2006-2007.

Leah R. Bennett, CFA, CIC
Managing Director, King Investment Advisors, Inc

Leah R. Bennett is a portfolio manager and securities analyst for King Investment Advisors, Inc. She has been with KING fourteen years and has seventeen years of experience in the investment business. Leah, a CFA charterholder and a Chartered Investment Counselor, is a graduate of Texas A&M University with a B.S. in Economics. Before joining KING, Leah was a research analyst for Capital Research & Management in Los Angeles. As an analyst for KING, Leah has followed the healthcare and retail industries for the last ten years. She authors the firm's quarterly portfolio analysis publication, KING Portfolio Review, and has been both author and contributing author of the DecisionMaker, KING's quarterly commentary on the financial markets and the economic environment.

Her articles on the firm's equity holdings are widely distributed to major brokerage firms within the industry. Leah is past-President and current Director of the CFA Society of Houston. She is a member of the CFA Institute and co-founder of the CFA Institute-Texas Investment Research Challenge, having formerly served as Chairman of the organization's education committee. Leah serves on the M. A. Wright Fund Oversight Board, Jessie H. Jones Graduate School of Management, Rice University.

Christine Drusch
Chief Financial Officer and Chief Compliance Officer of Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. Securities, Inc.

Christine Drusch is responsible for broker/dealer financial operations, regulatory affairs, compliance, trading operations and human resources. Drusch is one of the founding partners of Pickering Energy Partners. She previously served as Managing Director and portfolio manager at Van Kampen, managing two mutual funds which invested in convertible securities and the utility sector which held a top quartile performance record. She began her career as a mutual fund accountant and quickly moved into investment analysis and portfolio management for the mutual fund group at American General. Drusch holds a BS in Accounting and Finance from Lehigh University. She earned the Chartered Financial Analyst designation in 1988.

Elizabeth Betsy Ewing
Partner & Head of Investor Relations, Carlson Capital, L.P.

Elizabeth joined Carlson Capital in 1997. Carlson is a $6.5 billion alternative asset management firm based in Dallas, Texas. Elizabeth is a Partner and Head of Investor Relations for Carlson. She is responsible for overall client servicing and client development activities for Carlson. In addition, Elizabeth is a Partner responsible for Carlson's product development and involved with overall business strategy. She has additional responsibility for external public relations and marketing. Elizabeth is also a member of the Investment Decisions Committee. She currently is an Angel board member for Texas Wall Street Women and is involved with raising capital for various non-for-profit organizations in Texas. Elizabeth holds a B.A. degree from Texas Christian University.

Heather Gilker
Vice President, Business Development - Fidelity Family Office Services (FFOS)

Heather Gilker is vice president, Business Development for Fidelity Family Office Services (FFOS), a Fidelity Investments company and provider of custody, brokerage, investment and reporting services to family offices. Fidelity Investments is a leading provider of investment management, retirement planning, portfolio guidance, brokerage, benefits outsourcing and other financial products and services to more than 20 million individuals, institutions and financial intermediaries. She is responsible for leading FFOS’ Southwest region.

Prior to joining Fidelity Investments in her current role, Ms. Gilker was president of GSG Capital Advisors, LLC, a strategic consulting firm that provides due diligence and capital raising, infrastructure build-out and business development for alternatives managers. Previously during her career, Ms. Gilker served on the Investment Committees and acted as director of research for hedge fund-of-fund portfolios for Carlson Capital, L.P. and Rainbow Trading Corporation, in addition to serving on the Investment Committee for Ranger Advisors, L.P. She also founded and ran Opus Advisors, L.P., an early-to-middle stage information technology fund, and served as an equities analyst for Stockbridge Partners/Feshbach Brothers. She began her career at Bank of America.

Ms. Gilker received her undergraduate degree from Southern Methodist University. She is a member of AIMR and the Dallas Association of Investment Analysts, 100 Women in Hedge Funds and Texas Wall Street Women. She serves as Chairwoman of the Texas Hedge Fund Association and is also a Senior Advisor to Texas Wall Street Women. In addition, Ms Gilker serves on the Advisory Board of the Great Investors’ Best Ideas Foundation Investment Symposium, and is a member of the Governance Board of the Member to the Dallas Museum of Nature and Science, where she chairs the Investment Committee and serves on the Finance Committee.

Afi Lowery
Director, BNP Paribas Prime Brokerage, Dallas, TX

Afi has over thirteen years experience in the financial services industry. She is currently a Director at BNP Paribas' Dallas based SW Prime Brokerage which was recently acquired from Banc of America Securities. Her previous experience includes almost nine years at BofA's SW Prime Brokerage Group and four years working for an Emerging Technology hedge fund in Atlanta, GA. Prior to that Afi was in Sales Compensation Management for seven years with NYNEX Corporation in Albany, NY & Atlanta, GA.

Afi graduated Magna Cum Laude from UTD with a B.S. in Economics & Finance. She also has an Advanced Level Certificate of Education from Holy Child College, Cape Coast, West Africa.

Afi serves on the board of BNP Paribas Diversity Council and volunteers for Hunger busters (a local program that feeds the homeless). Afi served on the board of Bank of America's DFW Leadership Council, the executive committee of Bank of America's Dallas Lead for Women and was a Mentor in Bank of America's Women's Mentorship Program. Afi lives in Dallas and is an avid runner.

Christina Markell-Balleza
Attorney, Haynes and Boone, LLP

Christina Markell-Balleza is an attorney in the investments funds practice of Haynes and Boone, LLP. She has over 7 years of experience working with investment advisers, investment funds, and family offices.

Christina received her Doctor of Jurisprudence with Honors from The University of Texas School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts from St. Mary's University, where she was an Honor's Scholar.

Christina has been an active volunteer for several Dallas-area non-profit organizations including serving as a member of the steering committee for the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas Young Leaders Society and as a director for the Dallas Area St. Vincent de Paul Society.