People

Founder and Managing Partner

Gerry Cardinale

Gerry Cardinale is the Founder and Managing Partner of the firm.

Prior to founding RedBird, Gerry spent 20 years at Goldman Sachs where he was a Partner of the firm and a senior leader of the Merchant Bank’s private equity investing business, which managed over $100 billion of private capital across equity, debt, real estate and infrastructure investment strategies.

During his tenure, Gerry worked with entrepreneurs and family business owners to build several successful multi-billion-dollar platform companies, including the Yankees Entertainment & Sports (“YES”) Network, the #1 Regional Sports Network in the United States; Legends Hospitality, a premium ticketing, concessions and merchandising services company which was created in partnership with the New York Yankees and Dallas Cowboys; and Suddenlink Communications, which was the 7th largest American cable company at the time it was acquired by Altice USA.

At RedBird, Gerry has continued partnering with entrepreneurs and founders to build world-class business platforms across the firm’s industry verticals, including (i) Skydance Media with Larry and David Ellison; (ii) the YES Network which RedBird acquired with the New York Yankees and Amazon; (iii) OneTeam Partners, with the Players’ Associations of the NFL, MLB, MLS, USWNT and the WNBA; (iv) the XFL, with Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia, which is the first professional sports league owned by a female and a diverse owner; and (v) RedBall Acquisition Corp. (ticker: RBAC), a special purpose acquisition company formed with baseball executive Billy Beane who developed the “Moneyball” data analytics strategy in sports; and (vi) Fenway Sports Group with Tom Werner, John Henry and Mike Gordon.

Philanthropically, Gerry is a Trustee of the Mount Sinai Health System in New York City and leads one of the multi-state Selection Committees that awards Rhodes Scholarships each year. Gerry received an Honors BA from Harvard University where he graduated Magna Cum Laude and an M.Phil in Politics and Political Theory from Oxford University where he was a Rhodes Scholar.

Partner

Hunter Carpenter

Hunter Carpenter is a Partner of the firm.

Prior to joining RedBird, Hunter spent the majority of his career working for The Stephens Group, a private equity firm investing the capital of the Arkansas based Stephens family, one of America’s longest-tenured private equity investors. During his time at The Stephens Group, Hunter helped launch the company as a stand-alone private equity firm, continuing the family’s extensive history of direct principal investing.

Hunter currently sits on several boards across the RedBird investment portfolio, including (i) Aethon United, one of the largest independent, privately held upstream and midstream natural gas producers in the Haynesville; (ii) FireBird Energy, an oil and gas company with assets in the Permian Basin; (iii) Four Corners Petroleum, a Colorado-based oil and gas company that operates and develops crude oil assets on the Central Basin Platform in the Permian Basin; (iv) Lambda Energy, an oil and gas company focused on acquiring and developing assets in the Michigan Basin; (v) Majority Strategies, an influence marketing platform utilizing data, digital and print services; (vi) Tally Energy Services, a buy-and-build oilfield service platform focused on fit-for-purpose solutions for shale producers in the verticals of directional drilling, completions and artificial lift; (vii) Perdure Petroleum, an oil and gas company with enhanced oil recovery assets in Oklahoma and Texas; and (viii) Zenith Shipping, a portfolio of product tankers and dry bulk shipping vessels.

Hunter received both his B.A. and Master’s degree in Accounting from The University of Mississippi, as well as a J.D. from The University of Mississippi Law School. Hunter serves as Chairman of the Investment Committee for the University’s endowment and is a board member of the University’s private foundation.

Partner

Andy Gordon

Andy Gordon is a Partner of the firm.  

Prior to joining RedBird, Andy had a successful 35-year career at Goldman Sachs, where he was most recently the global chairman of Investment Banking Services (IBS), head of the Investment Bank’s West Region, global head of media and telecommunications for the Technology, Media and Telecom Group and co-head of the One Goldman Sachs family office initiative in the Americas. 

Andy played a significant role in building Goldman Sachs’ leading investment banking franchise, leveraging his many years of experience and trusted relationships with some of the firm’s top clients.  He has advised some of the most prominent industry leaders in Media, Entertainment and Telecommunications, including Disney, AT&T, Liberty Global, Live Nation, Activision, Netflix, IAC, Clear Channel, CBS and Univision, as well as professional sports franchises, including the LA Rams, among others.  During the 1990’s, Andy advised many of today’s financial services leaders as part of the decade-long deregulation of the industry, including Wells Fargo, Bank of America, AIG and Franklin Resources.

Among his many advisory assignments, Andy and his team led Disney’s acquisitions of Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm and FOX; the largest Media & Entertainment Leveraged Buyout with Clear Channel’s sale to a private equity consortium; Access Industries Initial Public Offering of Warner Music; IAC’s spinoff of Match.com and Expedia’s acquisition of HomeAway; Live Nation’s acquisition of Ticketmaster; the sale of the Atlanta Hawks to its current ownership group; Wells Fargo’s merger with First Interstate Bancorp and Norwest; Bank of America’s merger with NationsBank; SunAmerica’s sale to AIG; Transamerica’s sale to Aegon; and Franklin Resources’ acquisition of Templeton, Galbraith and Hansberger. 

Over the last few years, Andy was a leading member of the Goldman Sachs team covering RedBird, helping lead the Initial Public Offering of RedBird’s Special Purpose Acquisition Company RedBall Acquisition Corp., as well as advising  Skydance Media on RedBird’s investment in the company alongside the Ellison family. 

During his tenure at Goldman Sachs, Andy was the first leader to build and unify the West Region, which now spans three offices generating over $3 Billion in revenue.  Andy also served as the founding head of the Investment Banking Services (IBS) Leadership Group and as a member of the Americas Diversity Committee, the Partnership Committee and the Investment Banking Division (IBD) Senior Leadership Council.  Andy was named partner in 1998.

Philanthropically, Andy is the founding chairman of the Sierra Canyon School, an early kindergarten through grade 12 college preparatory school in Los Angeles. He serves on the Board of Trustees for Wesleyan University and is the co-chairman emeritus and trustee of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). He holds a B.A. from Wesleyan University and a general course degree from the London School of Economics.

Partner

Robert Klein

Robert Klein is a Partner of the firm.

Prior to joining RedBird, Robert spent ten years at JPMorgan, most recently as Global Head of the Alternative Investments Group — a hedge fund, private equity/credit and real estate platform with over $80 billion in assets under supervision. He managed the firm’s relationships with General Partners for commingled funds as well as for direct investments and was instrumental in building the group from $20 billion in AUS to over $80 billion. Robert originated public and private investment opportunities and constructed alternatives portfolios for many of the firm’s most sophisticated clients in multiple jurisdictions globally.  Prior to JPMorgan, Robert worked for four years as a Director at North Street Partners, a private equity investment firm that specialized in lower-middle market transactions. Prior to North Street, Robert spent six years at Bernstein Investment Research & Management, where he was a Vice President in the firm’s wealth management division.

During his tenure at JPMorgan, Robert was also President of J.P. Morgan Alternative Asset Management (“JPMAAM”), a $13 billion hedge fund solutions provider that served both institutional and retail investors globally. He helped to lead the group’s efforts into liquid alternatives and a more fully developed separate account capability for clients. He also served on the Private Bank’s Global Investment Review Committee, the Private Equity Portfolio Advisory Committee, the firm’s Commercial Real Estate Council, the Investment Management Americas Operating Committee, and the Private Bank Investment Team.

In his current role, Robert is responsible for overseeing all operational functions of the firm as well as its capital partnerships. Robert has helped to build RedBird from $650 million in AUM with 18 employees in 2017 to over $4bn in AUM and 40 employees today.  He is also active on the Firm’s investment committee and is a Board Member of Vida Capital, a RedBird Series 2019 portfolio company.

Philanthropically, Robert is a member of the Cornell University ILR Finance Council and has been a Board or Advisory Board member of Make a Wish Foundation of New York and helpusadopt.org. He is active as a Friend of the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music.  Robert received a B.S. in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University and an M.B.A. from NYU-Stern School of Business.

Partner

Andrew Lauck

Andrew Lauck is a Partner of the firm.

Prior to joining RedBird, Andrew was a Vice President of BDT & Company LLC, a Chicago-based merchant bank that provides advice and capital to family-owned and closely-held businesses. Prior to BDT, Andrew was an Associate of Flexpoint Ford, LLC, a Chicago-based middle-market private equity firm that focuses on healthcare and financial services. Andrew began his career at The Goldman Sachs Group in both the firm’s Investment Banking and Merchant Banking Divisions.

Andrew leads the firm’s Consumer vertical. In addition, Andrew currently sits on several boards across the RedBird investment portfolio, including (i) RedBird’s Aviation Platform, including Jet Linx, a Part 135 (FAA-regulated charter) aviation operator that offers both aircraft management services and jet card membership programs; (ii) RedBird’s QSR Investment, a diversified quick-service restaurant platform; (iii) Main Event, a differentiated family-entertainment center platform based in Texas; (iv) Aethon United, one of the largest independent, privately held upstream and midstream natural gas producers in the Haynesville; (v) FireBird Energy, an oil and gas company with assets in the Permian Basin; (vi) Four Corners Petroleum, a Colorado-based oil and gas company that operates and develops crude oil assets on the Central Basin Platform in the Permian Basin; (vii) Lambda Energy, an oil and gas company focused on acquiring and developing assets in the Michigan Basin; and (viii) Vida Capital, a multi-billion-dollar alternative asset manager specializing in uncorrelated assets. In addition, Andrew serves as a Board Observer of EquipmentShare, a high-growth, technology-enabled equipment rental platform focused on the US construction industry. Andrew previously served on the board of Avmont, an asset manager specializing in insurance-linked products, which was sold to Vida Capital in July 2020.

In addition to his investment responsibilities, Andrew leads the firm’s Portfolio Monitoring Team, which ensures a consistent and timely approach to monitoring is implemented for portfolio companies, including encouraging detailed dialogue with deal teams to review performance. Andrew also oversees junior investment professional development and recruiting.

Andrew received a B.S. in Finance and International Business, with distinction and honors, from Indiana University. Philanthropically, Andrew is a Board Member of Vogel Alcove in Dallas and he is the former Chairman and a current member of Indiana University’s Investment Banking Network Advisory Council.

Partner

Nicole Musicco

Nicole Musicco is a Partner of the firm.

Prior to joining RedBird, Nicole spent over 16 years in a broad range of senior leadership roles at Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (“OTPP”). During her tenure, Nicole’s various roles included, (i) Director, Teachers’ Private Capital direct investment team, investing across multiple sectors, including Healthcare, Technology, and Business Services; (ii) Managing Director, Teachers’ Private Capital (2012-2015), responsible for OTPP’s $12 billion private equity and venture capital fund investments, as well as emerging market co-investments; (iii) Regional Managing Director, Asia-Pacific (2015-2017), based in Hong Kong, responsible for establishing OTPP’s presence in Asia; and (iv) Senior Managing Director, Public Equities (2017-2018), when Nicole returned to Canada to lead the $32 billion Public Equities department.  Nicole was a member of the OTPP Global Investment Committee and Total Fund Asset Allocation Committee.

In 2018, Nicole was recruited to lead the Private Markets investment program at Investment Management Corporation of Ontario (“IMCO”), a pension asset management firm with $70 billion in assets under management. As Senior Managing Director, Private Markets, Nicole was responsible for $20 billion investment program across Private Equity, Infrastructure and Real Estate.

Nicole has been affiliated with RedBird since its inception in 2014. RedBird was initially launched in 2014 with anchor capital from OTPP and a group of Entrepreneurs and Family Offices that had a long investment history with the firm’s principals. At the time, Nicole led the Private Equity Fund and Co-Investment program at OTPP, which oversaw the investment in RedBird. Nicole also represented OTPP on the RedBird Investment Committee from 2014 to 2017.

In her current role, Nicole has oversight and responsibility for building RedBird’s Canadian investments business, as well as Canadian LP Relations.  In addition to her investments responsibilities, Nicole assists with portfolio company management and firm-wide strategic initiatives.

Philanthropically, Nicole is a Board Member of Youth Employment Services (“YES”) in Toronto and a member of the Investment Committee of Toronto General & Western Hospital Foundation. Nicole is a graduate with distinction from the H.B.A. and M.B.A. programs at the Richard Ivey School of Business, Western University, and a graduate of the Bachelor of Science Kinesiology program at Western University in Canada.

Partner

Alec Scheiner

Partner

Dan Swift

Dan Swift is a Partner of the firm.

Prior to joining RedBird, Dan spent 22 years at Goldman Sachs, where he was a Partner of the firm and led the Corporate Finance practice and co-led the Technology, Media & Telecom group of Goldman in Asia.  He was a founding member of Goldman’s Beijing office, and lived in Hong Kong and Singapore, spending 17 years in Asia.

During his tenure, Dan advised Goldman’s largest clients in Asia and led deal teams across Greater China, Korea, India and Southeast Asia.  He and his teams were instrumental in Goldman’s long-tenured #1 Asia IPO league-table ranking, and he was a key adviser to Goldman’s global corporate and investing clients around the Asian markets. He was a member of the firm’s Capital Committee and Commitments Committee, supervising all aspects of Corporate Finance and M&A execution.  Dan also served on the Listing Committee of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, guiding key policy reforms for the Hong Kong capital markets.

Dan currently sits on several boards across the RedBird investment portfolio, including (i) Compass Datacenters, a developer and owner of wholesale build-to-suit data centers for hyperscale cloud, software, and enterprise customers; (ii) Constellation Affiliated Partners, a platform buy-and-build of managing general agents in the insurance distribution space; (iii) Main Event, Differentiated family-entertainment center platform based in Texas; and (iv) Next Tier Connect, a platform to acquire and optimize underappreciated real estate properties with enhanced telecom and mission-critical characteristics.

Philanthropically, Dan and his wife Julie are Trustees of the Asian Cultural Council in New York City and the International Advisory Council of Washington University in St. Louis. Dan holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Washington University and an M.B.A. from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Partner

Mike Zabik

Mike Zabik is a Partner of the firm.

Prior to joining RedBird, Mike was a Vice President of Ares Management LLC, a diversified asset manager, where he focused primarily on opportunities in business services, healthcare, industrials, consumer and specialty finance. Prior to Ares, Mike was an Associate of Kelso & Company, a New York-based private equity firm, where Mike evaluated investment opportunities across a broad set of industries including renewable energy, shipping, industrials, business services and consumer.

Mike leads the firm’s Financial Services practice. In addition, Mike currently sits on several boards across the RedBird investment portfolio, including (i) Aquarian Holdings, an asset manager and holding company for Investors Heritage Life Insurance Company; (ii) Credit Key, a leading point of sale B2B lending platform, (iii) Majority Strategies, an influence marketing platform utilizing data, digital and print services; (iv) OneTeam Partners, a partnership with the Players Associations of the National Football League (NFL) and Major League Baseball (MLB) to monetize the Name, Image and Likeness (“NIL”) of the collective players; (v) Tally Energy Services, a buy-and-build oilfield service platform focused on fit-for-purpose solutions for shale producers in the verticals of directional drilling, completions and artificial lift; and (vi) Zenith Shipping, a portfolio of product tankers and dry bulk shipping vessels. In addition to his involvement on company boards, Mike plays an active role in the following RedBird investments: (i) Grafine Capital Partners, a private investment and advisory firm focused on seeding platforms and capital raising; and (ii) Skydance Media, a diversified content-production studio founded by David Ellison focused on subscription video on demand (SVOD), feature film, animation and interactive gaming. Mike previously served on the board of On Location Experiences, which was sold to Endeavor in January 2020 and Constellation Affiliated Partners, which was sold to Truist Insurance Holdings in July 2021. .

In addition to these responsibilities, he also leads the Portfolio Financing Team, which is top-down monitoring of the existing financing structures in place across the portfolio, with a view to opportunistically adjust the capital structures of portfolio companies on a go-forward basis.

Mike received a B.S. in Finance and Accounting from Indiana University. He is the former Chairman and a current member of Indiana University’s Investment Banking Network Advisory Council.

Operating Partner

Mark Dowley

Mark is an Operating Partner at the firm.

Prior to joining RedBird, Mark was the Chief Strategy Officer of MacAndrews & Forbes Holdings, a diversified entity with portfolio companies in media, entertainment, consumer products, gaming, biotech, defense and technology.

In addition to his role at Redbird, Mark is also Founder & CEO of Art and Science Partners, a marketing, entertainment, sports and media advisory firm that manages efforts for several Fortune 100 companies including Walmart, Verizon, Sam’s Club and American Express.  Mark is also an Advisor to the CEO of Interpublic Group of Companies.  Mark is best recognized for creating the concept of “Artists in Residence”, a platform that leverages creative talent and content on behalf of brand marketing and business objectives.

As a former partner at Endeavor, Mark was responsible for overseeing the agency’s corporate marketing, commercial, digital and new business efforts. Prior to Endeavor, Mark was the chairman and chief executive officer at Interpublic Sports and Entertainment Group, where he oversaw multiple divisions, including Octagon, Octagon Motorsports, Initiative Media, PMK/BNC, Rogers & Cowens and GM EventWorks. Mark was also vice chairman of McCann-Erickson WorldGroup, where he was the youngest member ever to join McCann’s board of directors and oversaw more than 50 marketing service company acquisitions in 30 different countries. Earlier in Mark’s career, he ran Momentum Worldwide, an award-winning event and experiential marketing unit of McCann-Erickson.

Mark has created and managed sponsorship and media transactions with professional and amateur sports leagues, global artists, musicians and athletes, including IOC, FIFA, USOC, NBA, Premier League, NCAA, MLB, America’s Cup, F1, NASCAR, CART, NFL, Live Nation, U2, The Rolling Stones, Coldplay, Jay Z, Lady Gaga, the Grateful Dead, Annie Leibovitz, LeBron James, and Martin Scorsese, among others. Mark has also served as executive producer for multiple films, television shows and music specials, including “Breakthrough” for National Geographic, “Without a Net” for Verizon and a series of “Unstaged” concerts for American Express. Since 2010, Amex Unstaged has featured more than 40 A-List acts, including Taylor Swift, Chris Martin, Tim McGraw, Sting, Kenny Chesney and Usher. The seminal moment of Mark’s career happened in 1999 when he was asked to produce the US Visit for His Holiness the 14^th Dalai Lama.

Philanthropically, Mark has been actively involved in raising support for COVID relief. He produced two documentaries, including “Sparks in the Darkness“ and the “Surge at Mt. Sinai” as well as the music series  “Pay it Forward for Small Business,” with concerts that featured Billie Eilish, Chance the Rapper, Dave Matthews, Luke Bryan, Alicia Keyes. Mark is also the co-founder and co-executive director of Briland Aid, a COVID relief and job corps charity in the Bahamas.

In addition, Mark, along with Bobby Shriver and Bono, is the co-creator of Product (RED) a global AIDS/HIV relief organization. To date, (RED) has raised more than $700M from global consumers and garnered over $10B in government funding to supply ARV medication for more than 180M people. Mark is also on the board of Pharrell Williams and Virgil Abloh’s “Black Ambition” – an entity dedicated to providing business grants to young BIPOC entrepreneurs. Mark is also on the boards of the Child Mind Institute, the world’s leading childhood mental health clinical research organization, and the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team.  Mark is a member of the Board of Trustees of The College of Wooster, his Alma Mater.

Operating Partner

Brent Stehlik

Brent Stehlik is an Operating Partner at the firm as well as the President of OneTeam Partners.

In his current role at RedBird, Brent helps to advise, operate and invest in high growth platform companies in a holistic, integrated approach that unlocks greater value for sports teams, leagues and other rights holders over a longer-term trajectory.

OneTeam Partners, a RedBird portfolio company, is a partnership with the Players Associations of the National Football League (“NFL”) and Major League Baseball (“MLB”) to monetize the Name, Image and Likeness (“NIL”) of the collective players, anchored by exclusive rights for video games and trading cards. A first of its kind platform, OneTeam will further commercialize collective player intellectual property through content, sponsorship, youth sports, venture investing and other verticals. In addition to the NFLPA and MLBPA, OneTeam’ s portfolio of athlete partnerships include the Players Associations of Major League Soccer, the US Women’s Soccer National Team and WNBA.

Prior to joining RedBird in 2018, Brent spent five years with the Cleveland Browns after joining the organization as Executive Vice President/Chief Revenue Officer in January 2013.  He oversaw all aspects of revenue generation for the franchise, including ticket sales and retention, operations, suite and premium sales, corporate partnership sales and activation, concessions, merchandise and special events.  Brent has received national recognition as a recipient of the Sports Business Journal “Forty Under 40” Award (2013) and the Leaders In Sport “Under 40” Award (2017). Under Brent’s leadership, the Browns enjoyed consecutive years of organization sales records for new season ticket, club seat and suite sales.  He oversaw significant growth of corporate partnerships, nearly doubling revenues in his first four years. Additionally, the organization rose dramatically through league rankings in both total local revenue and ticket revenue.

Prior to joining the Browns, Brent was Senior Vice President of business operations for the San Diego Padres, where he managed all aspects of revenue generation and marketing.  With Brent at the helm, the Padres achieved record-breaking seasons of ticket, suite and corporate partnership sales that resulted in a number of milestones for the organization.  During his first two seasons with the Padres, Brent also oversaw ballpark operations, as well as the acquisition of the Tucson Padres (Triple-A). Brent has held additional roles as Director of Business Development for the Dallas Cowboys, Vice President of Ticket Sales and Service for the Arizona Diamondbacks (MLB), Chief Operating Officer of the Frisco RoughRiders (MiLB) and Director of Group Sales for the Tampa Bay Lightning (NHL).

A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Brent graduated from the University of Mount Union with a B.A. in Sport Business.

Chief Financial Officer

David Grochow

Prior to joining RedBird, David spent over eight years at Irving Place Capital, most recently as CFO. Prior to Irving Place Capital, David worked for six years as Controller in the Private Equity Group at The Blackstone Group. David also spent time with Geller & Co. and Arthur Andersen as a Senior Accountant.

In his current role, David oversees all financial activities for the firm, including accounting and investor reporting operations, risk management, compliance and tax planning.

In addition, David is the CFO of RedBall Acquisition Corp, a Special Purpose Acquisition Company (“SPAC”) focused on sports and media businesses.

David received a B.B.A. degree from the Goizueta Business School at Emory University and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer

Michael Chiaravalloti

Prior to joining RedBird, Michael spent over fifteen years at J.P. Morgan, most recently as a Managing Director and Head of Global Funds Structuring team within the J.P. Morgan Private Bank’s Alternative Investments Group. The Global Funds Structuring team is responsible for the complex process of introducing a diverse array of alternative fund investments to private bank clients. Michael has helped successfully onboard some of the largest and most recognized global alternative firms to the Alternatives Investments Group, a platform with over $100 billion in client capital invested across the private equity, hedge fund and real asset space as of his departure. As part of his activities at J.P. Morgan, Michael served as a director of J.P. Morgan Private Investments Inc., a registered investment advisor, and a member of the Private Equity Advisory Council and Private Investments Council.

Prior to joining J.P. Morgan, Michael was an Associate in the Corporate Department at Proskauer Rose LLP working on a variety of finance, M&A, restructuring and private equity fund transactions. A former clerk for the New Jersey Supreme Court, Michael graduated from Duke University School of Law in 1999. He received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics from the University of Notre Dame in 1996.

Managing Director

Kevin LaForce

Kevin is a Managing Director of the firm.

Prior to joining RedBird, Kevin had an acclaimed 14-year career at the National Football League, where he most recently served as the Senior Vice President of Media Strategy and Business Development.  In addition, Kevin established and led the NFL’s strategic investment entity, 32 Equity LLC, serving as Vice President from 2013 to 2021.  Under Kevin’s leadership, the NFL negotiated the most favorable live game distribution contract in the League’s history and grew 32 Equity into a market-leading strategic investment platform.

During his tenure at the NFL, Kevin led the League’s media strategy and business development efforts, focusing on partnerships representing over 70% of the NFL’s annual revenue.  Responsible for driving the League’s U.S. content distribution strategy and executing its major media partnerships, Kevin played a leading role in negotiating the League’s 2021 landmark media distribution deals with Amazon, CBS, Disney, Fox and NBC valued at over $110 billion.  In addition, Kevin’s oversight included the NFL’s partnership with AT&T in connection with its out-of-market games package, NFL Sunday Ticket, and key partnerships with market- leading digital platforms including Amazon, Facebook, Google / YouTube, SNAP and Twitter.  Kevin also oversaw the media strategy and commercial business development attached to the NFL’s efforts in legalized sports betting, including both content and data licensing.  This included the League’s transformational $950 million global data licensing partnership with Genius Sports.

As Vice President of 32 Equity, Kevin led the formation and growth of the NFL’s direct investment platform, including the NFL’s Strategic Investment Fund as well as other equity-based partnerships supported by direct investment from the NFL’s 32 member clubs.  Notable strategic investments made by 32 Equity include: Learfield Communications, Fanatics, Skillz, Hyperice and Clear, among others.  One of 32 Equity’s most transformative transactions was the 2015 spin-off of the League’s premium hospitality business, On Location Experiences (“OLE”).  Kevin spearheaded the repositioning of the business as an independent entity by establishing a long-term license to operate the NFL’s Super Bowl hospitality program and by sourcing strategic capital for business growth via direct investment by 32 Equity, RedBird Capital Partners and other private equity investors.  OLE grew to become one of the world’s leading independent premium event and hospitality platform increasing its revenue from $20 million at inception to over $550 million upon its sale to Endeavor in 2020.  Kevin served on the Board of Directors of OLE from 2015 to 2021.  Under Kevin’s leadership, the NFL’s investment platform grew from $32 million in AUM at launch to more than $450 million AUM in 2021.

Kevin joined the NFL in 2007, as a Director, Media Strategy and Business Development.  His initial focus was to build the League’s nascent digital media licensing business and grow the League’s owned and operated media business (NFL Network, NFL RedZone, NFL Fantasy, League and Club websites and apps).  In this capacity, he also played a central role in the League’s 2011 television agreements, established the NFL’s in-market direct-to-consumer model in partnership with Verizon Communications and negotiated the NFL’s out-of-market media rights package (NFL Sunday Ticket) with DirecTV.

Prior to joining the NFL, Kevin was an Associate at Bear Stearns & Co in the Technology, Media and Telecommunications Investment Banking group.  Among his many advisory relationships, he worked closely with CKX, Take Two Interactive, Electronic Arts, Cox Communications, NEP, KKR, Apax and Spectrum Equity.

Kevin holds a B.A. in English and Government from Lehigh University and an M.B.A. from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.

Head of Capital Partnerships

Colleen Quilty

Colleen is Head of Capital Partnerships at the firm.

Prior to RedBird, Colleen was a senior member of the Business Development team at Lone Star, an $85 billion real estate, equity, credit fund. While at Lone Star, Colleen focused on the firm’s marketing and fundraising efforts, as well as managing investor relations. She primarily focused on North American LPs including consultants and public pension plan clients.  Prior to Lone Star, Colleen was a Relationship Manager in the Marketing and Investor Relations Group at Och-Ziff Capital Management.  Before joining Och-Ziff, Colleen was a Relationship Manager at UBS Wealth Management.  Colleen began her career at J.P. Morgan Private Bank as an investor and advisor to families and institutionally sized private accounts.

Colleen received her B.A. in Economics from Northwestern University.  Philanthropically, Colleen is involved with the Junior League of New York City, an organization of women committed to promoting volunteerism, developing the potential of women, and improving communities through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers.

Principal

Tyler Alexander

Tyler Alexander is a Principal of the firm.

Prior to joining RedBird, Tyler was an Associate at MidOcean Partners, a New York-based private equity firm focused on consumer and business services.  Prior to MidOcean, Tyler began his career at Rothschild & Co. in the firm’s global advisory restructuring group. At Rothschild, Tyler specialized in special situations, debt advisory, and in-court and out-of-court restructuring transactions related to the financial crisis.

Tyler currently sits on several boards across the RedBird investment portfolio, including (i) Compass Datacenters, a developer and owner of wholesale build-to-suit data centers for hyperscale cloud, software, and enterprise customers; (ii) N3, a tech-enabled growth platform that provides outsourced B2B sales solutions to leading global technology players; and (iii) Next Tier Connect, a platform to acquire and optimize underappreciated real estate properties with enhanced telecom and mission-critical characteristics. In addition to his involvement on company boards, Tyler plays an active role in TierPoint, a leading data center operator and provider of IT infrastructure services focused on private and hybrid cloud solutions, managed services, and retail colocation in 40+ locations across the US.

In addition to these responsibilities, Tyler leads the firm’s Management Compensation Team, which designs and implements competitive executive compensation packages that create strong alignment, drive performance and are in accordance with best practices.

Tyler received a B.A. in History, with distinction, from the University of Virginia, where he was a Jefferson Scholar.

Principal

Alexander Blankfein

Alex Blankfein is a Principal of the firm.

Alex currently sits on several boards across the RedBird investment portfolio, including Aquarian Holdings, an asset manager and holding company for Investors Heritage Life Insurance Company and RedBird’s Aviation Platform, which includes Jet Linx, a Part 135 (FAA-regulated charter) aviation operator that offers both aircraft management services and jet card membership programs. Alex is also actively involved in the management and oversight of the investment in TierPoint.

In addition to his investment responsibilities, Alex is a member of the firm’s Portfolio Monitoring Team.

Prior to joining RedBird, Alex was a Senior Associate at The Carlyle Group, focusing on growth and middle-market buyout opportunities and portfolio companies across the healthcare, services and industrials sectors. Prior to Carlyle, Alex was a Consultant at Bain & Company, where he performed market, financial, and operational diligence for both private equity and corporate clients.

Alex received both his M.B.A. and B.A. in History from Harvard University.

Head Of Entrepreneur & Family Office ("EFO") Partnerships

Elizabeth Browne

Elizabeth is Head of Entrepreneur & Family Office (“EFO”) Partnerships for RedBird.  In this role, she works with families and business founders to create bespoke relationships across transaction sourcing, company building and co-investments.  EFO Partnerships is a formal program designed to deepen relationships within RedBird’s global investor network, pairing RedBird’s flexible, long-term capital with entrepreneur and family business owners to help them scale their platform companies over the long term.

Based on RedBird’s premise that capital partnerships are a critical component of successful long-term investing, Elizabeth helps curate RedBird’s dialogues and relationships with its EFO Network, working closely with the firm’s investment teams to enhance proprietary deal sourcing and co-investment strategies and effectuate more integrated diligence and investment platform partnerships.

Prior to joining RedBird in 2019, Elizabeth was a senior member of the investment team and helped oversee external relationships for DNS Capital, a prominent Midwest family office.  As part of her responsibilities, she served as a board member or observer in six portfolio companies across the fintech, consumer retail, specialty ingredients and hospitality sectors.

Prior to joining DNS Capital in 2015, Elizabeth was an Associate in Goldman Sachs’ investment management division in Chicago. While there, Elizabeth advised entrepreneurs, family business owners and family offices on asset allocation, portfolio management, and direct investing strategies.  Her previous experience included advising on M&A and private equity transactions for Simpson Thacher & Bartlett in Beijing.

Elizabeth received her M.B.A. in Finance and International Business from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and her B.A. from McGill University with Great Distinction.  Elizabeth resides in Chicago, where she is a member of The Chicago Network, the Midwest Steering Committee for the Women’s Association of Venture & Equity (WAVE), the Private Equity Women Investor Network (PEWIN) and the Economic Club of Chicago.

Principal

Niraj Shah

Niraj Shah is a Principal of the firm.

In his current role, Niraj is actively involved in the management and oversight of the investments in Fenway Sports Group, OneTeam Partners, RedBall Acquisition Corp, RedBird FC, Skydance Media, Wasserman Media Group, XFL and the YES Network. He was also involved with RedBird’s prior investment in On Location Experiences.

Niraj was previously an Associate of Apax Partners, a global private equity firm, where he evaluated traditional leveraged buyout, minority investment and debt refinancing opportunities within the Media & Entertainment, Sports and Business Services industries.

Prior to Apax, Niraj was an Analyst in the Investment Banking Division of The Goldman Sachs Group, where he advised a variety of clients within the Consumer Retail Group on mergers and acquisitions, activism defense, equity and debt financings and leveraged buyouts.

Niraj received a B.S. in Finance and Marketing with honors from The Ohio State University, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude.

Vice President

David Dingman

David Dingman is a Vice President of the Firm.

Prior to joining RedBird, David was the Managing Director of Shipston Group Limited, a private equity firm focused on both international and domestic investments across a wide range of industries, including automotive, biotech, real estate, and fintech. During his 13 years at Shipston Group Limited, David was instrumental in the transformation of several of the Company’s investments into global businesses, many of which were built as platform buy-and-builds. David also directed the reorganization and prioritization of investments with the focus on the monetization of legacy investments through both private and public market transactions. David was a member of Shipston’s Investment Committee, supervising all aspects of the corporate finance and M&A execution.

Among his many investments, David led Shipton’s roll up and integration of multiple high-precision machining companies and low-pressure aluminum casting suppliers to create Mobex Global. Mobex Global is a fully integrated globally trusted partner to the automotive, heavy-duty, construction, agriculture, and industrial markets, and is at the forefront of the evolving mobility industry. In addition, David positioned the IPOs of both China Maple Leaf Educational Systems and Genscript Biotech Corp, solving complicated jurisdictional and governance issues resulting in successful exits. Maple Leaf was the largest private boarding school system in China and Genscript Biotech Corp was a leading Hong Kong gene and cell therapy provider with a current market cap of $37 Billion HK.

In his current role at RedBird, David is actively involved in the sourcing and due diligence process involved with new investment opportunities, as well as actively involved in the management and oversight of the Firm’s investments in Compass Datacenters, Main Event, and Aquarian Holdings.

Philanthropically, David is an Advisor Advocate for the OKU Foundation and serves on the Board of the Boston Winter Ball. David is also an advisor to the Michael and Elizabeth Dingman Foundation.

David received both his MBA and BA in History from Boston College.

Vice President

Steven Loh

Steven Loh is a Vice President of the firm and Chief Financial Officer of FireBird Energy.

In his current role at RedBird, Steven is actively involved in the management and oversight of the investments in Aethon United, FireBird Energy, Four Corners Petroleum, Lambda Energy Resources, Perdure Petroleum, and Tally Energy Services.

Prior to joining RedBird, Steven was the Director of Finance and Treasurer of RSP Permian, a publicly traded upstream company, where he managed a broad range of financial responsibilities including M&A, capital markets, credit facility, hedging and treasury.  Prior to RSP Permian, Steven worked at Aethon Energy, Lime Rock Resources and Deutsche Bank in a variety of energy finance-related roles.

Steven received a B.A. in Mathematical Economic Analysis and Classical Studies from Rice University, where he graduated Cum Laude.

Senior Associate

Dana Covo

Dana Covo is a Senior Associate of the firm.

In her current role, Dana works closely with Institutional and EFO partners to tailor investment solutions which help bring strategic capital partners to RedBird portfolio companies, develop co-investment opportunities and connect global family offices.

Prior to joining RedBird, Dana spent four years at the J.P. Morgan Private Bank. In her most recent role, she was an Investment Specialist in the Global Investment Opportunities group (GIO), a team that provides both long term and tactical multi-asset class investment ideas to the firm’s most active and sophisticated Individual and family office clients. Prior to GIO, Dana was part of the Global Investments Business Strategy team. In her role, she helped oversee the management of 700 global Investment advisors.

Dana received a B.A. with honors in English Literature from Emory University where she graduated Summa Cum Laude.

Senior Associate

Alex Goheen

Alex Goheen is a Senior Associate of the firm.

Prior to joining RedBird, Alex was a Vice President at Pine Brook Partners, a New York based private equity firm that makes control investments in the energy and financial services sectors. At Pine Brook, Alex was responsible for deal sourcing, transaction execution, and portfolio oversight of the firm’s energy investments. Prior to Pine Brook, Alex was an Investment Banking Analyst at Evercore Partners where he advised on mergers and acquisitions, activism defense, equity and debt financings and leveraged buyouts across the energy and infrastructure sectors.

In his current role, Alex is actively involved in the management and oversight of the investments in Aethon United, FireBird Energy, Four Corners Petroleum, Lambda Energy Resources, Perdure Petroleum, and Tally Energy Services.

Alex received a B.B.A in Finance from the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University and was a member of the Portfolio Practicum Honors Program.

Senior Associate

Isaac Halyard

Isaac Halyard is a Senior Associate of the firm.

In his current role, Isaac is actively involved in the management and oversight of the investments in Fenway Sports Group, OneTeam Partners, RedBall Acquisition Corp., RedBird FC, Skydance Media, Wasserman Media Group and the YES Network. He also was involved with RedBird’s prior investment in On Location Experiences.

Isaac was previously an Analyst in the Investment Banking Division of The Goldman Sachs Group, where he advised a variety of clients within the Technology, Media & Telecommunications Group on mergers and acquisitions, activism defense, equity and debt financings and leveraged buyouts.

Isaac received a B.A. in Economics from Stanford University.

Senior Associate

Katherine Kapnick

Katherine is a Senior Associate of the firm.

In her current role, Katherine is actively involved in the management and oversight of the investments in Compass Datacenters, Constellation Affiliated Partners and Grafine Partners.

Prior to joining RedBird, Katherine worked as COO and Co-Founder of Hill House Home, a direct-to-consumer home goods brand. Katherine started her career as an analyst at L Catterton, a global private equity firm, where she evaluated leveraged buyout and minority investment opportunities within the Consumer sector.

Katherine received a B.A. in English from the University of Virginia, with high honors. She received an M.B.A. from Yale School of Management.

Senior Associate

Dillon West

Dillon West is a Senior Associate of the firm.

In his current role, Dillon is actively involved in the management and oversight of the investments in Aethon United, Four Corners Petroleum, Lambda Energy Resources, Main Event, RedBird’s QSR Investment, Skydance Media, and Tally Energy Services.

Dillon was previously an Investment Banking Analyst at Evercore Partners, where he advised on mergers and acquisitions as well as restructuring and recapitalization transactions.

Dillon received a B.B.A. in Finance from the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin.

Associate

Alex Balleza

Alex is an Associate of the firm.

Prior to joining RedBird, Alex was an Investment Banking Analyst at Wells Fargo Securities, where he advised on mergers and acquisitions, leveraged buyouts and debt and equity financings in the Financial Institutions space. Some of Alex’s notable deals at Wells Fargo include Root’s initial public offering, Metromile’s merger with a SPAC, Wells Fargo’s sale of Centurion Life Insurance Co. and Gallatin Point Capital’s acquisition of First Investors Financial Services.

Alex received a B.S. in Finance from Bentley University.

Associate

Jake Cohen

Jake is an Associate of the firm.

Previously, Jake was an Investment Banking Analyst at Evercore Partners, where he advised on mergers and acquisitions, restructurings, and debt and equity financings in the Transportation and Infrastructure sectors. He began his career at Stifel as an Investment Banking Analyst advising companies on M&A and equity financings in the Healthcare Group.

Jake received a B.A. in Political Science and History from the University of Pennsylvania.

Associate

Madyn Field

Madyn Field is an Associate of the firm.

In her current role, Madyn focuses on RedBird’s strategic Capital Partnerships. 

Prior to joining RedBird, Madyn was a Client & Product Solutions Associate at Apollo Global Management. During her time at Apollo, she focused on the firm’s Opportunistic Credit products, including its event-driven credit hedge fund, dislocated liquid credit fund series and liquid credit separately managed accounts.  Prior to Apollo, Madyn was a Management Consulting Associate at L.E.K. Consulting. 

Madyn received a B.A. in Public Policy and a minor in Economics from Duke University. 

Associate

Bradley Hicks

Associate

Michael Kaplan

Michael Kaplan is an Associate of the firm.

In his current role, Michael is actively involved with the investments in Fenway Sports Group, Grafine Partners, RedBall Acquisition Corp, Wasserman Media Group, the XFL and the YES Network.

Michael was previously an Investment Banking Analyst at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, where he advised on mergers and acquisitions, activism defense and leveraged buyouts.

Michael received a B.A. in Economics from Cornell University.

Associate

Toby Lee

Toby Lee is an Associate of the firm.

In his current role, Toby is actively involved with the investments in Constellation Affiliated Partners, Majority Strategies, OneTeam Partners and Zenith Shipping.

Toby was previously an Investment Banking Analyst at Lazard Freres & Co., where he advised on mergers and acquisitions, activism defense, equity and debt financings and leveraged buyouts in the Technology Group.

Toby received a B.B.A. in Finance and Real Estate from the Goizueta Business School at Emory University.

Associate

William Norcross

William Norcross is an Associate of the firm.

In his current role, William is actively involved with the investments in Main Event, Next Tier Connect, and RedBird’s QSR Investment.

William was previously an Associate in the Investment Banking Division of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, where he advised a variety of clients within the Technology, Media & Telecommunications Group on mergers and acquisitions, activism defense, equity and debt financings and leveraged buyouts.

William received a B.S. in Systems Engineering and a minor in Business from the University of Virginia.

Associate

Mary Nosa

Mary Nosa is an Associate of the firm.

In her current role, Mary is actively involved with the investments in Vida Capital and Constellation Affiliated Partners.

Mary was previously an Associate in the Investment Banking Division of The Goldman Sachs Group, where she advised a variety of financial services clients within the Structured Finance Group on mergers and acquisitions, debt financings, activism defense, and recapitalizations.

Mary received a B.A. in Computer Science from Columbia University

Associate

Dean Pacinelli

Dean Pacinelli is an Associate of the firm.

In his current role, Dean is actively involved with the investments in TierPoint and Zenith Shipping.

Dean was previously an Analyst at UBS Investment Bank where he worked in the Global Industries Group, focused on Industrial Technology and Tech-Enabled Services.

He received a B.S. in Finance from the Pennsylvania State University.

Associate

Gavin Springer

Gavin Springer is an Associate of the firm.

Prior to joining RedBird, Gavin was an Investment Banking Analyst at Guggenheim Securities, where he advised a variety of clients within the Technology, Media & Telecommunications Group on mergers and acquisitions, activism defense, equity and debt financings and leveraged buyouts. While at Guggenheim, Gavin advised Acumen Solutions on its sale to Salesforce, Chef on its sale to Progress Software and Signifyd on its Series E growth equity financing.

Gavin received a B.A. in Economics from Harvard University.

Controller

Kimberly Raba

Kimberly Raba is the Controller of the firm.

Prior to joining RedBird, Kimberly was a Vice President of Finance at Benefit Street Partners.  Prior to BSP, Kimberly worked in a financial reporting capacity at CAN Capital.  She also spent time as an auditor at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Kimberly received a B.B.A. degree from James Madison University, a M.S. degree in Professional Accounting from the Stillman School of Business, and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Kimberly also serves as the New York City Advisory Chair to the SEC Professionals Group.

Finance Manager

Kellie Wiederhold

Kellie Wiederhold is a Finance Manager of the firm.

Prior to joining RedBird, Kellie spent five years at The Blackstone Group, most recently as an Assistant Vice President in the Infrastructure group. Prior to joining the Infrastructure team, Kellie held various finance roles across Blackstone’s Private Equity and Energy businesses. Kellie began her career at General Electric as an analyst in GE’s two-year Financial Management Program.

Kellie received a B.A. in Economics from the College of the Holy Cross.

Finance Associate

Paige Claire Mesher

Paige Claire is a Finance Associate of the firm.

Prior to joining RedBird, Paige Claire spent three years at PricewaterhouseCoopers working as an Assurance Senior Associate in the Banking and Capital Markets practice.

Paige Claire received a B.S. in Accounting and Finance from the College of Charleston and is a Certified Public Accountant.