Our Team
ASAFE runs on volunteers, donors, and supporters.
Board of Directors
Nancy Burnett
Nancy is CEO of The SB Group, a business consulting firm serving boards of directors and their executives across a range of global industries including private equity, technology, healthcare and international nonprofits.
Charles Spearman
Charles is the Senior Policy Advisor at The SB Group serving C-Suite executives and their missions. As a former Senior Managing Director at Guggenheim Partners for 13 years, Charles brings a depth of experience in global ops. Guggenheim is a global investment and advisory firm with more than $310 billion in assets under management. Charles has served in appointed government leadership roles in state and federal posts. He continues to lead as an active director on several non-profit boards.
Nate Saint-Victor
Nate is the Executive Vice President, Deputy General Counsel at LPL Financial . As the Chief Legal and Compliance Officer, Nate designs innovative, industry-leading solutions to emerging problems. Nate applies his extensive expertise in advising C-suite and Board members, senior management, investment professionals, client service teams and operations staff on enterprise-wide matters..
Alex Hillman
Alex is a former Associate at Booz Allen Hamilton working as a management consultant supporting healthcare and government clients. Alex currently serves in a federal US defense department post serving high-level communications functions.
Faculty
Tony Alexis
Tony is a Partner in Goodwin’s Complex Business Litigation and Dispute Resolution and Financial Industry Litigation practices focusing on Consumer Financial Services Litigation.
Brian Breheny
Brian is a Partner at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. He heads the firm’s SEC Reporting and Compliance practice, is a member of Skadden’s Policy Committee and co-chair of Skadden’s global Diversity Committee.
Peter Canzano
Peter is a Partner at Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP, serving as bond, underwriter’s, and credit enhancer’s counsel on public finance transactions and restructurings across the country.
Linda Chatman Thomsen
Linda is Senior Counsel at Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP and concentrates on matters related to the enforcement of the federal securities laws. She is a former Director of the Division of Enforcement for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Claudius Sokenu
Claudius Sokenu is Executive Vice President, Chief Legal and Compliance Officer and Corporate Secretary at Avantor, a leading global provider of mission critical products and services in biopharma, helthcare, education, government and advanced and advanced technologies.
Senior Board of Advisors
Fabrice Coles
Fabrice is a Vice President at Bank Policy Institute and former Executive Director of the Congressional Black Caucus. His specialties include financial services policy, small business policy, economic development, securities and banking regulations. Fabrice is an alumnus of the first ASAFE class.
Gus Macedo
Gus is Managing Principal at
Asset Management Compliance Consulting Solutions, LLC. He has 25 years of experience providing legal advice and counseling to investment advisers.
Kapil Pandit
Kapil is a Partner at Akin Gump. He concentrates his practice on private investment funds and complex corporate transactions for institutional investors and private equity and hedge fund sponsors. Kapil is an alumnus of the first ASAFE class.
Alumni Board of Advisors
R. Bisi Adeyemo
R. Bisi is an Associate at BakerHostetler, focusing on privacy and cybersecurity matters, mergers and acquisitions, private equity, finance transactions, venture capital, and corporate matters.
Toks Arowojolu
Toks is an Associate General Counsel at the Baltimore Ravens. Toks leads negotiations for a wide variety of commercial contracts as well as advising leaders on litigation and compliance matters.
Jay Chen
Jay is Corporate Counsel at Amazon. Jay oversees a variety of legal operations including M&A, corporate compliance and strategic growth projects. Formerly, Jay was Corporate Counsel at StartEngine an equity crowdfunding platform in the U.S., where everyday people can find and invest in early-growth companies and startups.
Anthony Fadel
Anthony is General Counsel & Corporate Secretary at ST Engineering North America, a multi-billion dollar technology company with 12 subsidiaries in the US.
Anika Jones
Anika is the General Counsel and Chief compliance Officer at The Kelly Group, Financial and Wealth Management. Formally, Legal Counsel at Morgan Stanley, Anika has served in the financial industry for more than two decades. Anika has extensive experience advising corporations, boards and business on legal, regulatory and operational matters.
Trevor Tanifum
Trevor is a Managing Principal at FS Vector. He is a multidisciplinary financial services corporate lawyer and strategy consultant with broad and deep experience in regulatory compliance and risk advisory.
Terrence Zhang
Terrence is an Associate Attorney at Wolf Popper in NY. Formerly with White & Case LLP, Terrence’s practice covers white collar crime, corporate compliance matters, government and internal investigations as well as economic sanctions and export control matters.
Mentors
Sharon Davison
Sharon is the Owner of her own law office. She provides legal and strategic advice to broker-dealers, investment advisors, private funds, investors and individuals.
Natalie Fleming Nolen
Natalie is Managing Partner at Morrison & Foerster LLP. She is an advocate who focuses on complex civil litigation and regulatory proceedings.
Tarik Gause
Tarik is an Associate General Counsel, business and Legal Affairs at Roku Inc.. He is a solutions-focused corporate attorney with a unique blend of public company, international law firm and U.S. government experience.
Omar Hashmi
Omar is the Director of Global Business Development & Strategy at Lockheed Martin where he is responsible for facilitating the strategic direction of a leading aerospace and defense company.
Sadeeka Scott Porter
Sadeeka is a Principal at MITRE. She has Over 15 years of experience in domestic and international development, corporate law, in-house counsel, nonprofit management, and federal government grant compliance and monitoring.
Juan Sempertegui
Juan is the Deputy General Counsel at the US Small Business Administration. Formerly Assistant General Counsel and Senior Vice President at Bank of America, Juan has extensive experience addressing a rang of corporate legal issues. With expertise in creating profitability for business owners and entrepreneurs, Juan is one of the most strategic and outstanding leaders in his field.
Special Invited Speakers
Richard Best
In Memoriam
The ASAFE community joins many throughout the nation who mourn Richard’s passing on March 12, 2025. As we process this loss, Richard’s legacy continues to positively impact and inspire hundreds of colleagues, students, friends, family and global leaders. Tributes to Richard’s remarkable life can be found in many quarters reflecting the extensive range of his unique influence and leadership. The ASAFE community of leaders and learners will be forever in his debt for the disciplined, high integrity and kind model he so generously and humbly contributed to each of our lives. We are filled with admiration and gratitude for a life remarkably lived—and one that will continue to serve as a model for us all. Peace be with Richard’s immediate family and with all of his friends who mourn.
Richard was the Director of the US Securities and Exchange Commission’s New York Regional Office as well as the Director of the SEC’s national examination program. In these roles Richard was responsible for the largest concentration of SEC-registered financial institutions in the US. See more about Richard’s remarkable life in local and national tributes found online.
Get Involved
Our volunteers include senior and junior securities experts for graduate schools and a variety of volunteers for younger students and their programs.