OUR TEAM

Mr. Alesescu is an investment consultant to institutions and private clients. He assists clients with investment strategy, asset allocation decisions, and risk management. Prior to this role, he was an Investment Analyst serving institutional and taxable clients with asset allocation modeling, performance reporting, and investment implementation. Additionally, Mr. Alesescu has previous experience in asset management as a Research Analyst at Alupka Asset Management, a long only equity investment advisor. Mr. Alesescu is a graduate of the University of California, San Diego where he earned his Bachelors of Science in Management Science. He is a CFA Level II candidate.  

Mr. Asmus is part of Canterbury’s Research Group and is responsible for the sourcing, due diligence, and monitoring of public market investment managers. He serves as the Chair of Canterbury’s Real Assets and Fixed Income Manager Research Committees and he also sits on the Capital Markets Committee. Mr. Asmus joined Canterbury in 2013 as an analyst where he served institutional and taxable clients. Prior to Canterbury, Mr. Asmus was an Institutional Fixed Income Representative for Mutual Securities, LLC where he provided fixed income solutions for county and city municipalities. Mr. Asmus graduated from California State University, Fullerton where he double-majored in Business Administration, Finance and Music Performance, Jazz Studies.  

Ms. Berwanger began her Canterbury career in 1991 and has over 30 years of investment experience. As an investment consultant and a shareholder of the firm, Ms. Berwanger works with a number of the firm’s long term institutional and private client relationships. She also served as a member of the firm’s Board of Directors from 1996 to 2012. Ms. Berwanger has also done extensive work in developing investment policy statements, asset allocation modeling and portfolio analyses. She is a member of both the Fixed Income and the Private Equity Manager Research Committees, and also serves on the Capital Markets Committee. Just prior to joining Canterbury in 1991, Ms. Berwanger opened the Los Angeles office of Wurts, Johnson & Company, and prior to that she provided consulting services through her own firm, Funds Decision Services. Prior to Wurts, Ms. Berwanger was with Crocker Bank where among other things, she managed the Business Trust Services Division. Ms. Berwanger currently sits on the Board of Directors for the United Way of Greater Los Angeles and is a founding member of the Women’s Philanthropy Fund of Orange County’s United Way. Ms. Berwanger attended Vassar College, received a degree in History from the University of California, Berkeley, and received her MBA from the University of Southern California.  

As the Director of Research, Mr. Blair is responsible for all functions related to research on investment managers, asset classes, and capital markets. Mr. Blair oversees the activities for all five of Canterbury’s Asset Class Committees and the Capital Markets Committee. Prior to joining Canterbury, Mr. Blair was the Director of Public Equity and Research at Sobrato Capital, the securities investment platform of The Sobrato Organization. There his responsibilities included broad asset class research, manager due diligence on public and private assets, and tax optimization of both taxable investment pools and a large charitable foundation. Prior to Sobrato Capital, Mr. Blair was a Senior Analyst at Canterbury where he focused on asset allocation, manager research, and capital market assumptions. Mr. Blair holds a B.S. in Finance from California State University, Long Beach and is a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst.  
Published articles for Stuart Blair, CAIA

Mr. Bollenbach is an investment consultant to families and institutions and assists clients with asset allocation, portfolio construction and wealth strategies. Mr. Bollenbach is a member of Canterbury’s Real Assets and Fixed Income Manager Research Committees. Prior to joining Canterbury, Mr. Bollenbach was a senior wealth advisory analyst for Capital Group Private Client Services focusing on asset allocation and investment planning. He previously worked at Trenwith Securities as an investment banking associate and at AXA Advisors as a financial consultant. Mr. Bollenbach received an MA in Latin American studies and BA in international relations from Stanford University.  

Mr. Brugman is an investment analyst who works with Canterbury’s taxable clients and institutions, providing guidance on asset allocation, portfolio construction, and performance reporting. He completed an internship program with Canterbury prior to joining the firm, and previously held jobs with increasing responsibilities in day-to-day business. Mr. Brugman received a Bachelor of Arts in business administration from California State University, Fullerton, with concentrations in accounting and finance.  

Mr. Chowdhury is the President and an investment consultant at Canterbury. In his role as President, Mr. Chowdhury is responsible for firm strategy, consulting, investment research, and business development. He consults directly to institutions and private clients in the key areas of investment policy, asset allocation and portfolio construction. Mr. Chowdhury serves on Canterbury’s Board of Directors and is a shareholder of the firm. He is also a member of Canterbury's Global Equity and Hedge Fund Manager Research Committees. Prior to Canterbury, he was part of the Advanced Advisory Services division of American Express in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He presently serves on the Board of the Child Abuse Prevention Center of Orange County and the Mission Hospital Foundation. Mr. Chowdhury is also a contributor to the Human Genome Project while working in the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Minnesota. While there, he was lead author of a paper titled, Synaptotagmin I and 1B4 are identical: implications for Synaptotagmin distribution in the primate brain; published in the Journal of Neuroscience Letters in 1995. Mr. Chowdhury received a degree in Management and Economics from the Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota and is a CFA charterholder.  
Published articles for Debashis Chowdhury, CFA

Mr. Cluck is a co-founder of Canterbury Consulting and has over 35 years of investment consulting experience. He serves as the Chair of Canterbury’s Board of Directors and is a shareholder of the firm. Mr. Cluck is also a member of Canterbury's Outsourced Investment Management Committee and sits on both the Global Equity and Hedge Fund Manager Research Committees. Prior to forming Canterbury in 1988, Mr. Cluck was a Founder, Principal, and Vice President of the Institutional Consulting Services of Kidder Peabody, Newport Beach. From 1978 to 1979, he was with Smith Barney Harris Upham & Company. Mr. Cluck is a co-author of Asset Management for Endowments & Foundations and currently serves on the United Cerebral Palsy Foundation of Orange County as both board member and Treasurer. He also serves as Chair on the Investment Committee of the University of California Irvine Foundation. He holds a degree in Economics from the University of California at Irvine and an MBA from Pepperdine University.  

Mr. Cochran is an investment consultant to institutions and families. He assists clients with investment strategy, asset allocation, and risk management. Mr. Cochran serves on both the Global Equity and Private Equity Manager Research Committees as well as Canterbury’s Capital Markets Committee. He is also a shareholder of Canterbury. Prior to his consulting role, Mr. Cochran was responsible for the sourcing, due diligence, and monitoring of long only equity, fixed income, and real asset managers. Mr. Cochran came to Canterbury in 2009 as an analyst primarily serving Institutional clients. Mr. Cochran graduated from Chapman University with a degree in International Business Administration with an emphasis in Economics.  

As Chief Operating Officer and shareholder of the firm, Mr. Ethridge is responsible for the development and implementation of Canterbury’s internal management strategy. He maintains oversight responsibility for the areas of operations, finance, human resources and administration. Prior to moving into his current role, Mr. Ethridge was Canterbury’s Director of Information Technology from 2008 to 2013. His key responsibilities included, developing and implementing a comprehensive IT strategy, managing vendor relationships, contracts and agreements and overseeing the data center and desktop support operations. Mr. Ethridge graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Science in Political Science.  

Ms. Gorniak is a member of Canterbury’s Research Group, and her responsibilities include sourcing, evaluating, and monitoring private capital managers. Ms. Gorniak serves as Chair of Canterbury's Private Capital Manager Research Committee, is a member of the Hedge Fund Manager Research Committee, and sits on the Capital Markets Committee. Prior to joining Canterbury, Ms. Gorniak was vice president of alternative investments and manager selection at Goldman Sachs Asset Management and vice president of the growth portfolio at Pacific Global Advisors. In both roles, Ms. Gorniak led manager research for private capital and hedge funds and worked closely with clients on both private capital and hedge fund allocations. Previously, Ms. Gorniak was associate director of student loan and commercial paper asset backed securitizations at Fitch Ratings. Ms. Gorniak received a B.S. in finance and international financial accounting with a minor in international politics from New York University and is a CFA charterholder.  

Ms. Green is part of Canterbury’s Research Group and is responsible for the sourcing, due diligence, and monitoring of hedge fund managers. She sits on Canterbury’s Hedge Fund and Fixed Income Manager Research Committees. Prior to joining Canterbury, Ms. Green was Junior Hedge Fund Analyst at AllianceBernstein, where she supported the firm’s hedge fund manager due diligence process. She began her career in the investment management industry as Investment Data Analyst at Meketa Investment Group. She received a Bachelor of Arts in international liberal studies with a concentration in international political science from Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan, and a Master of Arts in economics from Claremont Graduate University.  

Ms. Howard is an investment consultant advising institutions and private families on investment strategy, risk management, and portfolio construction. Ms. Howard is a member of Canterbury’s Equity, Fixed Income and Real Assets Manager Research Committees. Prior to joining Canterbury, she was with Russell Investments for 14 years, most recently as a consulting director responsible for delivering market and economic insights and portfolio strategy advice to investment professionals and individual investors. Ms. Howard speaks and writes on a variety of topics, including the global markets and economy, alternative investments, and women in investing. She currently serves as a member of the investment committee for Gonzaga University’s Endowment and is a member of the Washington Women’s Foundation. Ms. Howard graduated from Gonzaga University with a Bachelor of Arts in economics and history, and is a CFA charterholder and a CAIA charterholder.  
Published articles for Jaylene Howard, CFA, CAIA

Mr. Jeffs is part of Canterbury's Research Group and is responsible for the sourcing, due diligence, and monitoring of private capital managers. Mr. Jeffs sits on Canterbury's Private Equity Manager Research Committee and Capital Markets Committee. Prior to this role, he was an Investment Analyst serving institutional and taxable clients. Prior to joining Canterbury, he worked at Cambridge Associates where he researched private limited partnerships. In addition to holding his Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from George Washington University, Mr. Jeffs is a CFA charterholder.  

Mr. Laven is the CEO and an investment consultant at Canterbury with 30 years of experience working with endowments, foundations, corporations and families. Mr. Laven is a member of Canterbury’s Board of Directors and a shareholder of the firm. He also serves on Canterbury's Outsourced Investment Management Committee, as well as the Global Equity and Private Equity Manager Research Committees. Prior to joining Canterbury in 1995, he was in charge of asset consulting on the West Coast for the Retirement Services Division of CIGNA Corporation. From 1985 to 1986, he was a consultant with Allrich, Alexander & Co. in Los Angeles, where he specialized in pension investments. Mr. Laven is a former director of the Western Pension Benefits Conference. Mr. Laven is a graduate of Princeton University and he is a CFA charterholder.  

Mr. Levey is an investment consultant who advises clients on investment strategy, risk management and portfolio construction. In addition to being a shareholder of the firm, Mr. Levey is the Chair of Canterbury’s Capital Markets Committee and plays an integral role in determining the firm's macro investment views. Mr. Levey also sits on the Global Equity Manager Research Committee, Private Equity Manager Research Committee and Outsourced Investment Management Committee. Upon joining Canterbury in 2005, Mr. Levey partnered with senior consultants as an analyst performing asset allocations studies, implementing portfolio decisions and conducting performance measurement. Previously Mr. Levey was a Financial Advisor at Morgan Stanley. Mr. Levey is a graduate of CSU Fullerton and is a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst.  

Mr. LoPiccolo is an investment consultant to institutions and families. He assists clients with investment strategy, asset allocation, and risk management. Mr. LoPiccolo sits on the Capital Markets Committee and Real Assets Research Committee. Prior to that role, he was an Investment Analyst supporting institutional and private wealth clients with investment implementation and performance reporting. Prior to joining Canterbury, Mr. LoPiccolo was a sales associate for Union Banc Investment Services providing private clients with investment and retirement planning solutions. Mr. LoPiccolo received his BA in Finance from California State University, Long Beach.  

Mr. Lui is a member of Canterbury’s Research Group and is responsible for sourcing, evaluating, and monitoring traditional, long-only equity managers. Mr. Lui serves as the Chair of Canterbury's Global Equity Research Committee and he also sits on the Capital Markets Committee. Prior to joining Canterbury, Mr. Lui was a trader and research analyst at Knightsbridge Asset Management. Mr. Lui received a degree in Economics from U.C. Berkeley and is a CFA charterholder.  

As an Investment Analyst, Mr. Meek works with taxable clients and institutions with asset allocation, portfolio construction, and performance reporting. Prior to joining Canterbury, Mr. Meek was an Investment Research Intern at WCM Investment Management where he was responsible for equity research and analyst support. Mr. Meek graduated from the University of Southern California with a B.S. in Business Administration and a minor in Mathematical Finance.  

As an Investment Analyst, Mr. Merchant works with institutions and taxable clients with asset allocation, portfolio construction, and performance reporting. Prior to joining Canterbury, Mr. Merchant was a Solutions Analyst at Profit Recovery Partners where he had responsibility for innovative expense reduction. He also has prior experience as Senior Fund Analyst for Franklin Templeton Investments, with mutual fund accounting responsibilities. Mr. Merchant graduated from Loyola Marymount University with a Bachelors of Business Administration in Finance.  

Mr. Moel is a Wealth Management Analyst assisting taxable clients with asset allocation, portfolio construction and wealth strategies. Prior to joining Canterbury, he worked as a Portfolio Advisor at Walpole Financial Advisors, an independent Registered Investment Advisor, where he was responsible for managing client relationships and portfolios. He was also involved in the advanced planning process which addressed estate and income tax considerations. Prior to Walpole, he worked at Pacific Capital Bancorp and Wells Fargo Bank. Mr. Moel earned a Bachelor of Science from San Francisco State University and a Master of Business Administration from California Lutheran University.  

Mr. Montgomery is a Managing Director at Canterbury with over 27 years of experience serving significant families. He drives the Family Office efforts at Canterbury by advising families in four key areas: Strategy, Measurement, Organization and Effectiveness. In addition to providing core advice on asset allocation and manager selection, Mr. Montgomery brings value to his clients’ portfolios by developing wealth strategies that optimize tax considerations and through his education of families on financial stewardship. Mr. Montgomery is a member of Canterbury’s Board of Directors and a shareholder of the firm. He also sits on Canterbury’s Hedge Fund and Private Equity Manager Research Committees. Prior to joining Canterbury in 1999, he worked as a financial advisor at American Express and spent six years managing his own practice at K.F.M. Mr. Montgomery graduated from Stanford University with an Economics and Political Science emphasis and is a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst.  
Published articles for JD Montgomery, CAIA

Mr. Murray is an Investment Analyst supporting institutional and private clients with asset allocation, performance reporting, and investment implementation. Prior to Canterbury, Mr. Murray was a Private Equity Fund Analyst for TorreyCove Capital Partners, LLC where he monitored and reported on the performance of funds for institutional investors. Mr. Murray graduated from California State University, San Marcos where he majored in Business Administration with an emphasis in Finance.  

Ms. Parekh serves as a member of the Board of Directors and is a shareholder of Canterbury. In her role, she manages Canterbury’s Outsourced Investment Management (OIM) platform which caters to institutions and private clients who have decided to outsource the management of their portfolio to Canterbury. In that role, she is the Chair of the OIM Committee and each of the firm’s five Manager Research Committees which recommend specific managers for Canterbury’s Approved Manager List. Ms. Parekh came to Canterbury in 1996 as the Manager of Analytics with responsibility for directing the firm’s account analysts and client services group. During this period, Ms. Parekh was instrumental in securing many of the asset allocation modeling and research software tools we use today. In 2001 she assumed the Director of Manager Research role where she was responsible for oversight of all manager/fund/product research, maintenance of Canterbury’s proprietary research database and chairing the Investment Manager Research Committee. Ms. Parekh graduated from the University of Hong Kong with a BA in economics. She completed her MBA at Shenandoah University.  

As Marketing Manager and shareholder of the firm, Ms. Patel manages and oversees the firm’s marketing and business development efforts. Her responsibilities include new business development, event planning, website and social media management, request for information activities, and all forms of client communication and contact database management. She also oversees the development, management, and consistency of distribution material at Canterbury. Prior to her role in Marketing, Ms. Patel spent a number of years as a Senior Analyst where she focused on serving our institutional and private wealth clients. Ms. Patel graduated from California State University, Fullerton with a degree in Business Administration, Finance.  

As an Investment Analyst, Mr. Sanchez works with institutions and taxable clients with asset allocation, portfolio construction, and performance reporting. Prior to joining Canterbury, Mr. Sanchez was a Senior Wealth Management Associate at Salient Consulting Group where he was responsible for supporting the estate planning and wealth management group, creating portfolio reviews, and managing the investment team and operations. Mr. Sanchez graduated from California State University Fullerton with a Bachelors of Arts in international business, and minor in spanish. He also has his Masters of Business Administration from the University of Redlands.  

Mr. Shiras is a member of Canterbury’s Research Group and his responsibilities include sourcing, evaluating, and monitoring traditional, long-only equity managers. Mr. Shiras serves on Canterbury's Global Equity and Fixed Income Manager Research Committees, and he also sits on the Capital Markets Committee. Prior to joining Canterbury, Mr. Shiras served as a financial analyst with Apriem Advisors, where he conducted security and economic research, and was an investment analyst with NFP Retirement, where he contributed to strategy and market research. Mr. Shiras received a B.A. in business administration from the University of California, Irvine, and is a CFA charterholder.  

Ms. Splane directs the Analytics team and oversees the work done for both institutional and taxable clients. This work includes the development of investment policy statements, asset allocation and portfolio construction, manager search and due diligence, custodian bank review and search, portfolio cost analysis, portfolio rebalancing as well as performance evaluation. Prior to joining Canterbury in 2014, Ms. Splane was Director, Portfolio Implementation for Russell Investments. She is a graduate of the University of Washington, earning a BA in Business Administration with a Finance concentration.  

Mr. Stillman is an investment consultant to institutions and families. He assists clients with investment strategy, asset allocation, and risk management. Mr. Stillman sits on the Capital Markets Committee and Hedge Fund Manager Research Committee. Prior to his consulting role, Mr. Stillman came to Canterbury in 2013 as an investment analyst primarily serving institutional clients. Mr. Stillman graduated from California State University Fullerton with a degree in Business Administration.  

Ms. Sullivan directs the firm’s marketing and oversees all aspects of the company’s public and client communications, marketing, and client acquisition. This work includes responsibility for developing and executing the firm’s marketing plan, enhancing the firm’s reputation and brand, leveraging external resources, and reinforcing a culture of marketing and client growth. Prior to joining Canterbury in 2015, Ms. Sullivan excelled in managing marketing, communications, and business development activities at both for-profit and nonprofit companies, including Vertos Medical and the American Heart Association. Ms. Sullivan received her B.A. in Communications with an emphasis in Business from Merrimack College, MA.  

Mr. Touhey is an investment consultant and currently works with endowments, foundations, corporations and private clients. He advises clients in key areas of asset allocation, investment manager selection and performance measurement. Mr. Touhey sits on the firm’s Fixed Income and Hedge Fund Manager Research Committees. He is also a shareholder of the firm. Mr. Touhey joined Canterbury in 2006 as a Senior Analyst where he was responsible for quantitative and qualitative analytical work on client portfolios. Previously, Mr. Touhey was an Analyst at Mercer Investment Consulting in Chicago, Illinois. He began his career as an Analyst at The Rockwater Group, a boutique investment advisor in Newport Beach, California. Mr. Touhey received a Bachelor of Business Administration from Eastern Michigan University and is a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst.  

Ms. Tseng is an Investment Analyst for Canterbury Consulting. She works with institutional and taxable clients on asset allocation, portfolio construction and investment implementation. Ms. Tseng has been in the asset management industry for 10 years. Prior to joining Canterbury in 2015, Ms. Tseng was a Senior Associate with Analytic Investors, a quantitative asset manager, where she focused on servicing a broad range of institutional clients. Before that, she worked with Western Asset Management Company as an Associate servicing eleemosynary clients. Ms. Tseng graduated from California State Polytechnic, Pomona with a degree in Business Administration, Finance.  

Mr. Wood is a Managing Director and investment consultant to institutions and private families. In addition to managing the ongoing relationships with his clients, Mr. Wood brings value to his clients’ portfolios through his work in the development of investment policy statements, asset allocation modeling and portfolio construction. Mr. Wood sits on Canterbury’s Fixed Income, Real Assets and Private Capital Manager Research Committees. He is also a shareholder of Canterbury. Prior to joining Canterbury, he was a Vice President at Nicholas Applegate Capital Management from 1999 through 2004. Mr. Wood serves on the Board of the Downtown Seattle YMCA. Mr. Wood received an Economics degree from the University of New Mexico and is a CFA charterholder.