Co-Managing Partners

Mr. Peter S. Stamos is a Co-Managing Partner and the Chairman and CEO of Sterling Stamos Capital Management, L.P.

Prior to founding Sterling Stamos, Mr. Stamos was the CEO of SAI (a Perot Systems company), a management consultant with Booz Allen & Hamilton and McKinsey & Company, and Chief of Staff and Chief Economist for US Senator Bill Bradley. Mr. Stamos also taught Economics at Harvard University, where he received the Allyn Young Award for Teaching Excellence.

Mr. Stamos currently serves as the Chair of the Investment Advisory Board for Major League Baseball and served as the Founding Chairman of the Investment Committee for the Board of Stanford University Hospital and Clinics.

Mr. Stamos earned a BA in Economics and Political Science from Stanford University, where he was a Truman Scholar, received the J.E. Wallace Sterling Award, and graduated Phi Beta Kappa with Honors and Distinction. Mr. Stamos holds a JD from Harvard Law School with Honors and a doctorate from Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar.

Mr. Michael Chisek is a Co-Managing Partner and the Chief Investment Officer at Sterling Stamos. Mr. Chisek leads the Firm’s investment team, overseeing fixed income, absolute return, public equity, private equity, and real assets. In particular, he oversees the day-to-day operations of the absolute return and public equity funds. Mr. Chisek joined Sterling Stamos with over 25 years of experience as an investor and strategist. Prior to joining the Firm, Mr. Chisek was a Co-Managing Partner/Managing Director of D.C. Capital, a New York-based hedge fund that invests in a wide range of public equities, principally in domestic industries. Previously, Mr. Chisek was a partner at McKinsey & Co., where he gained extensive experience in a variety of industries, including automobiles, chemicals, and telecommunications, developing operating plans and programs that addressed changes in company and market conditions. Mr. Chisek also spent six years as a US Foreign Service Officer, both overseas and in Washington. He currently serves on the board of the Washington National Opera, and has served on the board of the Washington International School.

Mr. Chisek received a BA (with High Honors) from the University of Illinois and an MBA from Harvard Business School where he was a Baker Scholar and Henry Ford Medalist as the top graduate for 1981.

Senior Partners and Partners

Mr. Kevin Barcelona is a Senior Partner and has been the firm's Chief Financial Officer and a Partner since he joined the firm in 2004. Kevin is responsible for finance and fund operations, including accounting, financial reporting, and tax compliance. Kevin also leads the firm’s investment operational due diligence team. Prior to joining Sterling Stamos, he was a Partner with Rothstein Kass, where he provided accounting, tax, and consulting services to investment partnerships including hedge funds, fund of funds, and private equity funds.

Kevin received a BBA in Accounting from Hofstra University and a Masters in Taxation from Seton Hall University. He is a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA).

Mr. Matthew Frymier is a Senior Partner, the President of Sterling Stamos, and is also responsible for client service, distribution, investor relations, Private Equity, and managing the day to day operations of the firm. Prior to joining Sterling Stamos in 2010, Matthew spent 17 years at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, most recently as Head of Global Strategic Capital ("GSC"), the primary strategic investment arm of the bank and its subsidiaries. During his tenure, GSC managed approximately $9B in primarily alternative investments and employed approximately 50 professionals. Matthew has also served on the board of directors of more than 15 companies, including Value Asset Management, BATS Global Markets, FXall, and Conversus Asset Management where he also served on the investment committee. Matthew started his career in the training program at Putnam Investments in Boston.

Matthew received a BA from Colby College.

Mr. Jared Kanover is a Senior Partner and serves as the Firm’s General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer. Mr. Kanover joined Sterling Stamos in 2005 from Schulte, Roth & Zabel LLP where he was an Associate in the Investment Management Group. Before joining Schulte, Mr. Kanover was an Associate at Dewey Ballantine LLP in their Private Equity, Venture Capital, and Investment Management Group.

Mr. Kanover received a BS from Cornell University and a JD from the New York University School of Law, where he was awarded a full-tuition academic Dean’s Scholarship. He is a member of the Professional Advisory Board of the NYU School of Law’s Journal of Law and Business and a member of the New York State Bar Association.

Mr. Jeff Soukup is a Senior Partner and serves as the Firm’s Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Soukup has over two decades of experience as a business operator, investor, and strategist. Prior to joining the Firm in 2008, Mr. Soukup was President, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Financial Officer of a public media and entertainment company where he led the company’s successful financial turnaround and initial public offering. Mr. Soukup also served as a California Co-Chair and an economic advisor for a major presidential campaign, co-founder of SAI, venture capitalist with GE Equity and H&Q Technology Partners, strategy consultant with Booz-Allen & Hamilton, attorney with Kirkland & Ellis, and Legislative Counsel and chief economic advisor for Senator Bill Bradley.

Mr. Soukup received a BA (with distinction and Phi Beta Kappa) and an MA from Stanford University. He also received an MBA (with a concentration in finance) and JD (with Honors) from the University of Chicago, where he was a member of the University of Chicago Law Review.

Ms. Cathy Tse is a Senior Partner and serves as the Head of Public Equity. Ms. Tse, who joined the Firm in 2004, has over 10 years of investment management experience. Since joining Sterling Stamos, Ms. Tse has helped build the Firm’s absolute return and public equity teams, and has managed long/short equity and long-biased equity strategies. In addition to portfolio management responsibilities, she is also responsible for the day-to-day management of the public equity team. Before joining Sterling Stamos, Ms. Tse spent over four years as an institutional trader in the International Equities Division of Merrill Lynch. Her previous experience includes positions with the Equity Derivatives Controllers Group at Goldman Sachs and the Financial Institutions Group at Arthur Andersen.

Ms. Tse earned an undergraduate degree from New York University. She received an MBA from The Wharton School at University of Pennsylvania.

Mr. Bong-Seok Choi is a Partner at Sterling Stamos, focused on managed accounts, public equity, and the firm’s endowment funds. Prior to joining Sterling Stamos, Mr. Choi worked at Wellington Management, where he was responsible for fundamental research on publicly listed Asian property companies. Before his role at Wellington, Mr. Choi was an Associate at a family investment office, Capricorn Management, where he was responsible for sourcing, evaluating, and executing direct and fund investments. Mr. Choi also served as an Associate at Orion Partners, a growth capital and buyout firm. He began his career at The Beacon Group, where he was a mergers and acquisitions analyst.

Mr. Choi holds a BA from Yale University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Mr. Jason Cipriani is a Partner and serves as Head of Private Capital Managed Accounts. Prior to joining Sterling Stamos in 2010, he was Head of Strategic Fund Investments for Bank of America Merrill Lynch with responsibility for the company’s proprietary investments in private equity funds and hedge funds. Mr. Cipriani was previously Chief Operating Officer of Global Strategic Capital and held various roles within Bank of America’s Global Corporate and Investment Bank. Prior to joining Bank of America, he held corporate finance and accounting positions at Paramount/VIACOM, Time Warner Cable and PL Industries. Mr. Cipriani is a member of numerous limited partnership advisory boards across several sectors including domestic and international private equity, hedge funds, and real estate. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the Urban Ministry Center.

Mr. Cipriani earned a BS from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is a Certified Public Accountant.

Mr. Edmund Hannon is a Partner and serves as Head of Absolute Return and Fixed income. Mr. Hannon is responsible for the Firm’s absolute return platform, day-to-day management of the team, and oversees the Firm’s fixed income products. Prior to joining Sterling Stamos, Mr. Hannon was Head of Alternative Assets Risk Management at RBC Capital Markets, where he managed qualitative and operational due diligence reviews of hedge funds and evaluated and managed hedge fund portfolio risk. Previously, Mr. Hannon was the Head of Hedge Fund Investment Due Diligence at Merrill Lynch. He has held a number of investment management and trading roles in the US and Japan, including serving as the Head of Fixed Income Trading at Bank of Nova Scotia Capital Markets (Tokyo) and as a portfolio manager at Nomura Securities where he had oversight of a $3.7 billion portfolio of mortgage backed securities accounts as well as US bond funds. Mr. Hannon began his career as a financial consultant at Merrill Lynch.

Mr. Hannon earned a BS from Pennsylvania State University and is a CFA charter holder.

Mr. Josh Shapiro is a Partner and the Head of Risk Management, responsible for portfolio risk management for all Sterling Stamos funds. Prior to joining Sterling Stamos, Mr. Shapiro was a Principal in the Global Principal Investments Division of Merrill Lynch, where he was responsible for managing the investment strategy, due diligence, and risk management efforts of a multi-billion dollar portfolio of hedge fund investments. During his tenure at Merrill Lynch, Mr. Shapiro also served as the Head of Strategy and Business Development in the Hedge Fund Group, where he focused on strategic transactions in the hedge fund space, and as a Director of Merrill Lynch Investment Managers, where he developed strategy and launched new alternative investment products. Before joining Merrill Lynch, Mr. Shapiro was an Engagement Manager in the Financial Institutions Group at McKinsey & Company, a Senior Associate at PricewaterhouseCoopers, and a faculty member at Yale University.

Mr. Shapiro earned a BA from Wesleyan University, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa, and a PhD from Yale University, where he received an Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship and graduated with Honors.

Ms. Joanna Strober is a Partner and serves as Head of Private Equity with responsibility for fundraising and investment activities for these funds. Prior to joining Sterling Stamos, Ms. Strober spent more than 12 years in the private equity and venture capital industry. Before joining the Firm, she was Managing Director at Symphony Technology Group, a technology buyout fund with an emphasis on software and software services, including overseas outsourcing opportunities. Ms. Strober was previously a General Partner at Bessemer Venture Partners, where she invested in software and internet companies. Joanna’s investments include BlueNile (Nasdaq: NILE), Flycast (Nasdaq: FCST, sold to CMGI), HotJobs (Nasdaq: HOTJ, sold to Monster), eToys (Nasdaq: ETYS), and Gloss.com (sold to Estee Lauder). She served on the Board of Directors of BlueNile as a member of the Compensation and Corporate Governance Committees.

Ms. Strober earned a BA from University of Pennsylvania (Phi Beta Kappa) and a JD from the University of California at Los Angeles.

Managing Directors

Ms. Kristina Brenner is a Managing Director on the finance team at Sterling Stamos. Ms. Brenner joined the Firm in 2004 and has been integral in helping to build and manage the finance team. Ms. Brenner currently oversees the day-to-day operations of the finance team and is primarily focused on the Firm’s investment fund accounting and reporting. Prior to joining Sterling Stamos, Ms. Brenner was a manager with International Fund Services, a hedge fund administrator, where she worked with hedge funds and hedge fund of funds.

Ms. Brenner received a BS from Boston University.

Ms. Carolyn Choi is a Managing Director on the private equity team at Sterling Stamos. Ms. Choi is responsible for sourcing, analyzing, and monitoring global investments in venture capital, growth equity and private equity. Prior to joining Sterling Stamos, Ms. Choi was a Vice President at Banc of America Capital Access Funds, a fund of funds focused on underserved markets in the US. Before her work at Banc of America Capital Access Funds, she was a Vice President at DFJ ePlanet Ventures, DFJ's first global information technology/life sciences venture capital fund which included investments such as Baidu (BIDU), Cyanea (acquired by IBM), and Skype (acquired by eBay). Ms. Choi’s previous experience also includes roles at Salomon Smith Barney, Deutsche Banc Alex. Brown, The Yankee Group, and the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Korea.

Ms. Choi received a BA and an MA from the University of Pennsylvania. Ms. Choi earned an MALD from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University where she was a Woodrow Wilson Fellow.

Mr. John A. Fulton is a Managing Director on the private equity team at Sterling Stamos. Mr. Fulton is responsible for sourcing, analyzing, executing and managing private equity fund investments, with a primary focus on the domestic and international buyout market. Prior to joining Sterling Stamos, Mr. Fulton was a Vice President in Bank of America’s Global Strategic Capital group with responsibility for the sourcing, evaluation, due diligence and execution of private equity fund investments. Mr. Fulton joined Bank of America in 1997 and immediately prior to Global Strategic Capital, spent one year in Corporate Funding with responsibility for execution of capital raising activities by Bank of America through the issuance of senior and subordinated bonds, preferred equity and convertible securities. Mr. Fulton also spent eight years in Global Corporate & Investment Banking with responsibility for underwriting, structuring and executing senior bank debt transactions for clients primarily in the healthcare industry and financial sponsors. In this role, Mr. Fulton managed a diverse credit portfolio and was an integral team member for multiple merger & acquisition, leveraged buyout and leveraged recapitalization transactions.

Mr. Fulton received a BS from Clemson University and an MBA from The Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.

Mr. Jonathan Mandle is a Managing Director at Sterling Stamos. He is focused absolute return and the management of multi-asset class solutions for institutions. He is also responsible for the management of the Global Credit Opportunities Fund. Prior to joining Sterling Stamos, Mr. Mandle was a Director at University of California, Office of the Treasurer of the Regents, where he managed a multi-billion dollar absolute return portfolio. In this role, his responsibilities included sourcing new managers, determining tactical and strategic allocations and investment strategy, and performing investment due diligence. Previously, Mr. Mandle built and managed customized investment portfolios for pension and endowment clients at New England Pension Consultants. He has also served as a Research Associate focused on equity and fixed income strategies at Fidelity Investments. He currently serves on the board of Peace First and is an adjunct professor at the University of San Francisco.

Mr. Mandle received a BS and an MBA from Boston College and is a CFA charter holder.

Ms. Tizu Menelik is a Managing Director of Private Equity at Sterling Stamos. Ms. Menelik is responsible for sourcing, analyzing, executing and managing private equity fund investments, with a primary focus on domestic and international buyout, natural resources, and renewable and alternative energy. Prior to joining Sterling Stamos, Ms. Menelik was a Vice President in Bank of America's Global Strategic Capital group with responsibility for the sourcing, evaluation, due diligence and execution of private equity fund investments. Ms. Menelik joined Bank of America in 2001 and spent six years in Global Corporate and Investment Bank with primary responsibility for underwriting, structuring, and executing debt transactions for clients in the natural resources sector. Ms. Menelik was also a Senior Trader in Corporate Funding at Bank of America. In this role, she traded Fed Funds on the Overnight/Short Term Desk and managed the bank's daily liquidity position. Ms. Menelik began her career at JPMorgan Chase as a Corporate Credit Underwriter.

Ms. Menelik earned a BS from Central State University (Summa Cum Laude) and an MBA from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University.

Ms. Deanna Ho Montgomery is a Managing Director on the real assets team at Sterling Stamos, where she is responsible for managing the Firm’s investments in natural resources and infrastructure, as well as fundraising and operating activities. Her previous positions include Senior Manager at Deloitte & Touche LLP, where she advised companies in Chapter 11 as well as out-of-court restructurings, and Vice President at J.P. Morgan Securities, Inc. At J.P. Morgan, she invested in early stage financial technology companies and served as head of the committee responsible for sourcing and screening deal flow. Also at J.P. Morgan, Ms. Montgomery raised capital for venture and growth stage companies, as well as private equity funds. Prior to that role, she was based in Hong Kong in the Equity Capital Markets Group, where she raised public equity and equity-linked securities for Asia-based companies from a global investor base. Before joining J.P. Morgan, Ms. Montgomery worked in the Telecom, Media & Technology Investment Banking Group at Merrill Lynch & Co. where she focused primarily on executing equity underwritings and mergers and acquisitions transactions. She began her career with Chemical Bank, where she worked in the Metals and Mining Group and completed the credit training program.

Ms. Montgomery holds a BS degree from Cornell University.

Ms. Michelle Ruvolo is a Managing Director on the risk management and absolute return teams at Sterling Stamos. Ms. Ruvolo is focused on underwriting risk due diligence and the ongoing risk management of the Firm’s absolute return and equity portfolios. She is also responsible for tail hedging and CTA strategies as part of the Absolute Return team. She was previously in the Assistant Trader Program working in equity options at Susquehanna International Group.

Ms. Ruvolo earned a BA from Stanford University (with Honors). She earned an MA from the University of Chicago and an MS from Carnegie Mellon University.