TIMOTHY H. BIRNBAUM

General Counsel

Timothy H. Birnbaum (“Tim”) is a Principal and General Counsel of B.E. Blank & Company. He is a seasoned trial attorney with ten years of litigation experience after practicing in the New York offices of two premier law firms

In 2008, Tim joined DLA Piper LLP (“DLA Piper”), where his practice focused on consumer class action litigations, securities litigations, government enforcement and civil and criminal fraud-related litigations and compliance. He also advised clients on matters relating to corporate governance and partnership disputes and conducted internal investigations for corporate clients. In 2015, The American Lawyer recognized Tim’s efforts in helping to secure a $22 million settlement for human trafficking victims, naming DLA Piper an honoree for Tim’s contributions to the “Global Pro Bono Dispute of the Year.”

In 2017, Tim joined Brewer Attorneys & Counselors (formerly Bickel & Brewer LLP) as a Senior Associate, where he managed a robust case load that included complex commercial litigations, intellectual property disputes, hospitality litigations and privacy matters. He also represented an investor in litigating against a global insurer for bad faith insurance practices in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California and served on the trial team that successfully secured a multimillion dollar jury verdict in their client’s favor.

Tim holds a Bachelor of Arts in history from the University of Pennsylvania, awarded cum laude and with special honors, and a Juris Doctor from Cornell Law School. Tim, who is proficient in Spanish, spent a semester as an undergraduate studying global finance at the ICADE Business School in Madrid, Spain and subsequently worked as a summer analyst in Bear Stearns’ investment advisory group. Upon graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in 2003, Tim was awarded a James H. Dunn Jr. Memorial Fellowship by the State of Illinois and spent two years working as Aide to the Chief of Staff of the Governor of Illinois. At Cornell Law School, Tim was appointed Managing Editor of the Cornell LII Supreme Court Bulletin and was the recipient of the CALI Excellence for the Future Award. He has written articles for several legal publications including the National Law Review, New York Law Journal, Law360 and the Hospitality Business Review.

JOSEPH A. FLEMING

CFO/COO

Joseph A. Fleming, CFA (“Joe”) is a Principal, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operations Officer of B.E. Blank & Company. He is a seasoned financial executive with more than eighteen years of well-rounded financial experience.

In 2000, Joe joined PwC as an assurance associate in his hometown of Memphis, and later received an early promotion to senior associate in PwC’s Las Vegas office. It was there that Joe met the work requirements to receive his CPA designation. In 2004, Joe joined the Inland Group in Chicago, where his purview expanded to cover finance. As VP of Finance, he was instrumental in financing a $8 billion real estate portfolio. Emerging from the credit crisis in 2008, he led efforts to refinance 65% of the fund’s debt during 2009 and 2010, closing only the second CMBS transaction since the start of the great recession. Joe also managed internal operations reporting, loan servicing, budget and forecasting, and institutional investor relations. In 2011, Joe was recruited to Cincinnati to serve as VP of Finance at Phillips Edison & Co. (PECO), a real estate fund manager focused on growing through the REIT fund structure. Joe was able to make an immediate impact in setting public-company standards for financial reporting, controls, operations, forecasting and valuations. PECO ultimately raised $1.7 billion in its first REIT fund, and Joe led structuring efforts and launched its second REIT fund before his departure. Most recently Joe served as Chief Financial Officer of a rapidly growing real estate developer. He oversaw all financial and administrative aspects and assisted in strategic planning and execution related to the firm’s transformation from a $50 million family-owned company to a $200 million employee-owned enterprise. Joe focused on raising and structuring debt and equity capital, and managed all matters related to accounting operations, finance, HR, IT, risk management, asset management and investor relations.

Joe holds a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame, graduating magna cum laude in 1999, and was named to the Dean’s List for seven semesters. During his undergraduate studies, Joe was one of only eight business-major students selected to attend Notre Dame’s London program in the fall semester of 1997. Joe also holds a Master’s in Accountancy from the University of Notre Dame, graduating with high honors in 2000. Joe was awarded a full academic scholarship for this program, and was elected president of his class. Joe also holds the designation of Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), which he has held since 2012. During his time in Cincinnati, Joe was an active community service leader, in large part, through his efforts with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Cincinnati.

JASON E. TROCK

Deputy Chief Investment Officer

Jason E. Trock (“Jason”) is a Principal and Deputy Chief Investment Officer at B.E. Blank & Company. He is a practiced financial executive with 15 years of investment banking experience complemented by his time spent leading strategic investments across a range of industries as a principal for nearly five years.

Jason spent the first 15 years of his career as an investment banker in New York City. He joined Lehman Brothers out of college in 2001 as an Analyst in the Financial Institutions Group. He was promoted directly to Associate after three years and subsequently to Vice President. In 2008, he remained at Barclays Capital after its acquisition of Lehman, where he had advised on pre-bankruptcy strategic and financial alternatives. In 2010, Jason left Barclays with a team of six colleagues to build the financial services investment banking practice at Jefferies, where he was promoted to Managing Director. As a trusted advisor, Jason originated and executed buy and sell-side M&A engagements and capital market financings for his corporate clients, primarily publicly and privately-owned regional banks. He raised over $13 billion of capital for his clients and advised on M&A transactions with aggregate deal values totaling more than $18 billion.

In 2016, Jason joined SunTrust Bank as Head of Mergers and Acquisitions within its Corporate Development Group. At SunTrust, he was responsible for enterprise-wide M&A transactions and strategic investments across all divisions and functions. Jason sourced and evaluated more than 100 opportunities annually, led cross-functional due diligence teams, and collaborated with business leaders to assess the role of M&A in their strategic plans. Jason was a key member of the execution team for SunTrust’s $66 billion merger with BB&T, the largest bank transaction in over a decade.

Prior to joining B.E. Blank & Company, Jason was a senior member of the investment team at Aquila Software, a Miami-based subsidiary of Constellation Software, a global portfolio of vertical market software companies with more than $3 billion in overall revenue. At Aquila, he led the due diligence, transaction structuring and financial analysis for the acquisition of companies generally ranging from $3-30 million in revenue and predominantly based in North and South America.

Jason holds a Bachelor of Science from Vanderbilt University, graduating summa cum laude with a double major in mathematics and economics. At Vanderbilt, he received a merit-based academic scholarship and was Vice President of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. He previously held Series 7, 63 and 79 licenses with FINRA. Jason resides in Delray Beach, Florida.

DAVID E. CHILDERS

Portfolio Manager

David E. Childers, CPA (“Dave”) is the Portfolio Manager at B.E. Blank & Company. He is a licensed Certified Public Accountant (“CPA”) in Florida with a deep background in business and data analytics, coupled with meaningful Big Four audit experience of direct lenders, broker dealers, and other complex investment vehicles in the financial services industry.

Dave spent the first eleven years of his professional career as a Naval Officer. In the first part of his Naval career, Dave flew the P-3C Orion and P-8A Poseidon airframes while conducting migrant, counter-narcotic, and anti-submarine deployments in El Salvador, Italy, and Japan. While in Italy, Dave flew humanitarian missions supporting the safety of “life at sea” refugees escaping war-torn Libya. He subsequently served as the Navy advisor to an interagency task force specializing in counter-narcotic operations. Afterwards, Dave served as the Deputy Air Officer at a joint Navy and Marine Corps task force in the Kingdom of Bahrain where he assisted with the planning and execution of crisis and contingency operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria. During his Naval career, Dave led teams as large as 25 people and budgets of up to two million dollars. His personal awards include three Navy Commendation Medals and one Navy Achievement Medal. Dave left active duty in 2019 and continues to serve as a Lieutenant Commander in the drilling reserves.

After leaving active-duty, Dave joined PricewaterhouseCoopers (“PwC”) as an audit associate where his clients were primarily based in the financial services sector, including the lending and broker-dealer industries. As a part of his audit career, he has experience with analyzing lending portfolios, debt covenant testing, internal controls testing, and compliance analysis. He passed the four-part CPA exam while working full-time and was licensed as a CPA in September 2020.

Dave is currently completing a Master of Science in Quantitative Management – Business Data Analytics from Duke University, which focuses on the use of machine learning and other strategies for analyzing data and predicting future outcomes. As B.E. Blank & Company continues to refine its data collection strategy, Dave’s background in Data Analysis will provide immense benefit in analyzing trends and outcomes within the portfolio.

Dave holds a Bachelor of Business Administration with a major in Finance from the University of Notre Dame, a Master in Accounting from Florida Atlantic University, and a Master in Business Administration (“MBA”) from Duke University, where he was a Fuqua Scholar for being in the top ten percent of his graduating class.

JACK H. BOYLE

Senior Portfolio Associate

Jack H. Boyle (“Jack”) is a Senior Portfolio Associate at B.E. Blank & Company, where he is responsible for all aspects of servicing the firm’s commercial law firm loan portfolio.

Prior to joining B.E. Blank & Company, Jack was an Associate Lending Portfolio Manager at Provident Bank, where he was responsible for servicing a $400 million commercial loan portfolio extended to various lower-middle and middle-market operating companies that included several law firm clients.

In his role, he undertook commercial credit and financial analysis for the entire portfolio in order to maintain controls and compliance, loan servicing, compliance and covenant monitoring and testing, and customer service. During this period, he also completed formal commercial credit training and oversaw the transition of the portfolio to a newly named department following Provident Bank’s merger during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.

Jack spent the first year of his professional career as a life insurance agent and financial advisor where he learned high quality customer service for high-net-worth clients in the financial services industry.

Jack holds a Bachelor of Arts in History with a Concentration (minor) in Business Management from Columbia University. He also completed post graduate studies in commercial credit analysis and accounting as part of his banking experience.

While at Columbia, Jack was a NCAA Division 1 runner for both the cross country and track teams, following a successful high school career highlighted by his school’s national championship victory in 2011. Jack was selected three times as All-Ivy League and twice named team MVP while helping lead the Columbia Lions to two Ivy League Cross Country Championships and appearing at the NCAA National Cross Country Championships in 2013 and 2014.

Paul F. Bauknight

Portfolio Associate

Paul F. Bauknight (“Paul”) is a Portfolio Associate at B.E. Blank & Company where he is responsible for all aspects of servicing the firm’s commercial law firm loan portfolio.

Prior to joining B.E. Blank & Company, Paul was a Mortgage Loan Officer at NewDay USA, where he was responsible for serving veterans and providing them with debt relief solutions through the utilization of their VA Home Loan Benefit. 

In his role, he contacted many veterans each day and walked them through the VA Home Loan process from the point of origination to the funding of the loan. During the entire loan process, Paul would serve as the liaison for the processing and underwriting team, gathering all of the necessary documentation, ensuring accuracy, and qualifying each veteran for the loan. 

Paul is a First Lieutenant in the Army Reserves. He completed the Basic Officers Leaders Course at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri on November 25th, 2020. Paul went on to serve as a Platoon Leader at the 132nd Military Police Company for the next two years. In July 2022, Paul became the Planning Officer for the 51st Military Police Battalion where he coordinates advanced logistics and procurement for over 300 soldiers.

Paul holds a Bachelors of Arts from The Citadel, graduating magna cum laude with a major in Intelligence and Security Studies and minors in Psychology and Business Administration. He also earned a Master in Business Administration (“MBA”) from Clemson University.

ROCCO V. KUHN

Director of Special Assets

Rocco V. Kuhn is Director of Special Assets at B.E. Blank & Company, where he is responsible for the servicing the firms non-performing commercial loan portfolio. 

Prior to joining B.E Blank & Company, Rocco was a Senior Vice President at Happy State Bank/Centennial Bank, where he was responsible for managing the adversely graded commercial loan portfolio in the Texas market. In this role, he contacted each assigned business entity/principals, performed extensive credit analysis and formulated an action plan to mitigate each loan relationship’s weakness.  During this credit servicing process, Rocco would serve as the liaison between bank’s assigned Attorneys to implement and direct the specific legal action plan necessary to bring all stated credit objectives to fruition. 

In his previous position, Rocco worked as Special Assets Department Manager and Loan Review Department Manager, employed by Capital One Bank, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo, in addition to numerous state and community banks. Additionally, he also serving on the bank’s due diligence teams evaluating various banks’ acquisition.

Rocco holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from Texas A&M – Commerce, with a major in Psychology, with post-graduate studies in Accounting, Credit and Financial Analysis, and Theology at Southwestern Theological Seminary. 

ZACK C. THOMAS

Vice President of Credit Underwriting

Zack Thomas is a Vice President of Credit Underwriting at B.E. Blank & Company where he leads the due diligence and financial analysis on potential clients.

Prior to joining B.E. Blank & Company, Zack was a Commercial Credit Underwriter for Bank of America, where he was responsible for underwriting new applications and modifying and renewing existing middle-market credit facilities. He also monitored and managed a loan portfolio totaling over $500 million.

Zack holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a double major in Finance and Economics from the University of Kentucky.

During his time at the University of Kentucky, he was a member of Theta Chi Fraternity where he served as Chairman of the Chapter’s largest philanthropy event benefitting the United Service Organization. Zack resides in West Palm Beach, Florida.

MARYELIZABETH DOWELL

Associate General Counsel

MaryElizabeth Dowell is Associate General Counsel of B.E. Blank & Company.  She is an experienced six-year personal injury attorney who spent her previous career at plaintiff-side and contingency-fee based law firms of all sizes.

Upon graduation from law school, MaryElizabeth worked for Badgley Law Group, a plaintiff’s firm specializing in personal injury, medical malpractice, legal malpractice and debtor-side bankruptcy.  While at Badgley Law Group, MaryElizabeth built a strong strategic outlook on bankruptcy and its implications for asset protection and personal injury claim recovery.  Following her mother’s hospitalization as a pedestrian in a hit-and-run collision, MaryElizabeth joined the Orlando office of Morgan & Morgan, devoting her professional efforts to representing clients injured in motor vehicle collisions. While at Morgan & Morgan, MaryElizabeth quickly elevated to a leading role within the pre-litigation division, representing hundreds of plaintiffs in claims relating to ultra-catastrophic motor vehicle crashes throughout the state of Florida. Thereafter, she was elevated to the role of trial attorney, a position in which she represented auto negligence plaintiffs through every stage of litigation, recovering millions of dollars for her clients.

MaryElizabeth was awarded undergraduate degrees in Criminology and Classical Studies by the University of Florida, from which she graduated summa cum laude. She was a competitor and subsequent assistant coach of the University of Florida’s award-winning undergraduate mock trial team. Following graduation, she worked with educational publisher Caduceus International Publishing, developing educational tools for medical professionals. MaryElizabeth subsequently attended the University of Florida Levin College of Law, from which she graduated cum laude. As a law student, Ms. Dowell was honored with Book Awards in the subjects of Negotiation and Arbitration. She was an executive board member of the UF Mental Health Law Association, as well as a competitor in the Phi Alpha Delta mock trial national championships.  MaryElizabeth also worked as a research assistant for Professor William H. Page, updating Kintner’s Federal Antitrust Law, a seminal treatise.

SANDRA E. MARIN

Paralegal

Sandra E. Marin (“Sandra”) is a paralegal within B.E. Blank & Company’s Legal Underwriting Team.  She has worked at South Florida based law firms as a litigation paralegal for over 25 years and has extensive experience from working on both the Plaintiff and Defense sides of civil trial litigation.

Prior to joining B.E. Blank & Company, Sandra worked as a Senior Litigation Paralegal for over 10 years assisting the Managing Partner at one of Palm Beach County’s most prestigious law firms, Clark, Fountain, La Vista, Prather & Littky-Rubin, where her work was focused on extensive involvement in personal injury, wrongful death, products liability, and medical malpractice claims.

Sandra’s experience in defense work extends to both local Palm Beach County and national law firms focusing on personal injury, appellate and medical malpractice litigation.

Sandra has an Associates of Arts Degree in Computer Science from Palm Beach State College.  She is continuously working to develop herself as a professional by attending Florida Atlantic University and completing continuing legal education courses.  She is a Florida Registered Paralegal and is a Paralegal member of the Florida Justice Association.

ELI J. GIOMBI

Director of Risk Management

Eli J. Giombi, CFA (“Eli”) is Director of Risk Management at B.E. Blank & Company. He is an investment and risk management professional with more than eighteen years of experience. He led the design, implementation, and scaling of best-in-class investment risk management operations for one of the country’s largest multi-family office investment firms, a firm with more than $20 billion in assets under management (“AUM”) at its peak.

Eli began his career as an actuarial associate for Allstate Financial, where he spent two years in the insurance firm’s Valuation Center of Expertise before spending a year at the Chicago Board of Trade and ultimately deciding to pursue his MBA. When he graduated from business school in 2004, he joined the Hartford Investment Management Company (“HIMCO”), a large advisory firm with over $100 billion in assets under management. It was there that he first encountered leading risk analytic tools. He valued previously unmodeled derivative transactions with Numerix and analyzed bonds with BlackRock Aladdin and Barclays POINT.

In 2006, Eli accepted a position with GenSpring Family Offices (“GenSpring”), one of the largest multi-family offices in the US with more than $20 billion in AUM at its peak. Through his tenure at GenSpring, he was involved in nearly every step of the family office investment process, including asset allocation, manager selection, and portfolio construction. He also created, and then managed, GenSpring’s Investment Risk Group, which was critical to the firm’s operational and investment due diligence processes. He was responsible for leading the firm’s risk management and portfolio optimization by analyzing value at risk (“VaR”), stress testing, scenario analysis, and multivariate factor analysis. After more than a decade at GenSpring, Eli joined the Kronos Fund, where he served as Chief Risk Officer. He designed, built, and implemented the fund’s risk management infrastructure before joining B.E. Blank & Company in 2019.

Eli holds a Bachelor of Arts from Northwestern University, graduating cum laude and with departmental honors. He was selected into the Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences (“MMSS”) honors program and double-majored in economics. He holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Yale, where he had a focus in finance and received distinctions in DAGT, hedge funds, finance, and probability & statistics. Eli has held the Chartered Financial Analyst (“CFA”) designation since 2006.

MATTHEW J. ADER

CONTROLLER

Matthew J. Ader (“Matt”) is the Controller at B.E. Blank & Company and a licensed Certified Public Accountant (“CPA”) in the State of Florida. He has more than seventeen years of experience in the financial sector, serving in senior roles within the alternative investment fund administration industry, and working as part of “Big Four” audit practice.

Matt began his professional career in 2007 as a Fund Accountant with Kaufman Rossin Fund Services, a boutique hedge fund administrator based in Miami, Florida, where he ascended to the role of Senior Fund Accountant. In 2012 Matt decided to pursue his CPA designation and joined the Miami office of Deloitte in the Audit & Assurance practice, where he was promoted to the role of Audit Senior. Throughout his time with Deloitte, Matt conducted financial statement audits and internal control testing for both public and private companies across various industries, with a focus on real estate. It was at Deloitte that Matt completed all requirements to earn his CPA designation, becoming licensed in the State of Florida in 2013.
 
In 2014, Matt rejoined Kaufman Rossin Fund Services as a Fund Accounting Supervisor within a newly formed private equity and closed end fund administration group. Matt received an early promotion to Fund Accounting Manager in 2015. In 2018, the company was acquired by SS&C Technologies, Inc. (“SS&C”), the largest third-party fund administrator in the world. At SS&C, Matt oversaw a global team of private equity fund accountants and managers and served as a subject matter expert in European and American waterfall modeling. Matt concluded his tenure with SS&C towards the end of 2022 as a Vice President of Private Equity Fund Administration. Matt’s next role within the alternative investment fund administration industry was with Juniper Square as a Senior Director of Fund Administration. During his time with Juniper Square, Matt successfully oversaw financial reporting and acted as the relationship manager for nearly 100 clients and a portfolio of accounts totaling close to $10 billion in assets under administration.

Matt holds a Bachelor of Business Administration with a major in Finance from the University of Florida and a Master of Accounting from the University of Miami.

WILL F. STONE

Assistant Controller

William F. Stone, CPA (“Will”) is the Assistant Controller at B.E. Blank & Company. He is a licensed Certified Public Accountant (“CPA”) in Florida with substantial experience in tax compliance, consulting, and accounting, as well as financial statement audit from his background at one of the largest professional services firms in the world serving clients across a variety of industries including technology, industrial, telecommunications, and hospitality.

Before joining B.E. Blank & Company, Will was a Senior Tax Consultant in the Business Tax Services group focusing on corporate tax consulting and compliance at Deloitte Tax LLP. In his role, Will worked closely with large multinational corporations to complete provisions, estimates, and coordinated across internal service lines to ensure timely filing of federal, state, and international forms. He was involved in tax consulting projects related to acquisitions, dispositions, restructuring, and bankruptcy. In addition, Will participated in audits of private and public entities in accordance with AICPA and PCAOB standards.

Will holds a Bachelor of Business Administration with a major in Accounting from the University of Notre Dame and a Master of Science in Accountancy from the University of Notre Dame, where he served as the Treasurer of his graduate school class.

TAMI R. SEGAL

Firm Administrator

Tami is the Firm Administrator at B. E. Blank & Company where she is responsible for managing the day-to-day operations and administrative functions of the firm.   Tami brings a depth of operations and office management experience from 25 years working in administration for medium and large national law firms overseeing non-attorney staff and the efficient operations of the firm.

Tami began her legal career as a part-time administrative assistant and advanced to become an Office Administrator at a top 100 law firm.  Tami has a demonstrated history of working in office administration, human resources, team building, training, event planning, project management, customer service, and strategic planning.  She has spearheaded major projects and community initiatives that improved public relations and client communication.

Prior to joining B.E. Blank & Company, Tami was the Human Resource Manager for a regional law firm where she led all Human Resources processes, including the management of support staff and paralegals, employee orientation, training and performance evaluations. She worked closely with firm leadership to recruit and retain talent, as well as implementing ongoing initiatives to maintain and enhance company culture and employee engagement while ensuring alignment with the firm’s core values.

Tami has a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management from Florida International University.  She is a member of the Association of Legal Administrators (ALA) and the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM) as well as the local Palm Beach County ALA and SHRM chapters.

MICHAEL S. GILLS

Director of Capital Formation

Michael Gills is the Director of Capital Formation at B.E. Blank & Company. In this role, he leads the firm’s capital raising efforts working closely with prospective investors. Michael is responsible for articulating the firm’s investment strategy, managing due diligence processes, and building long-term relationships with institutional and private investors. He plays an integral role in shaping the firm’s fundraising strategy and growth initiatives.

Previously, Michael was an Institutional Business Development professional at Eastspring Investments. He focused on growing Institutional assets under management and supporting product strategy and development. He covered institutional asset owners, investment consultants, and select wealth/RIA and sub-advisory platforms in the Americas.

Before joining Eastspring, he was a Vice President at BMO Global Asset management and Head of Institutional Product Strategy. Prior to this role, Michael worked at Neuberger Berman where he worked as a Portfolio Analytics Associate for their Non-Investment Grade and Floating Rate Loan team. Michael started his career at Mercer as an Investment Consultant.

Michael holds a BBA in Finance and BA in History from the University of Notre Dame.

TIMOTHY H. BIRNBAUM

General Counsel

Timothy H. Birnbaum (“Tim”) is a Principal and General Counsel of B.E. Blank & Company. He is a seasoned trial attorney with ten years of litigation experience after practicing in the New York offices of two premier law firms

In 2008, Tim joined DLA Piper LLP (“DLA Piper”), where his practice focused on consumer class action litigations, securities litigations, government enforcement and civil and criminal fraud-related litigations and compliance. He also advised clients on matters relating to corporate governance and partnership disputes and conducted internal investigations for corporate clients. In 2015, The American Lawyer recognized Tim’s efforts in helping to secure a $22 million settlement for human trafficking victims, naming DLA Piper an honoree for Tim’s contributions to the “Global Pro Bono Dispute of the Year.”

In 2017, Tim joined Brewer Attorneys & Counselors (formerly Bickel & Brewer LLP) as a Senior Associate, where he managed a robust case load that included complex commercial litigations, intellectual property disputes, hospitality litigations and privacy matters. He also represented an investor in litigating against a global insurer for bad faith insurance practices in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California and served on the trial team that successfully secured a multimillion dollar jury verdict in their client’s favor.

Tim holds a Bachelor of Arts in history from the University of Pennsylvania, awarded cum laude and with special honors, and a Juris Doctor from Cornell Law School. Tim, who is proficient in Spanish, spent a semester as an undergraduate studying global finance at the ICADE Business School in Madrid, Spain and subsequently worked as a summer analyst in Bear Stearns’ investment advisory group. Upon graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in 2003, Tim was awarded a James H. Dunn Jr. Memorial Fellowship by the State of Illinois and spent two years working as Aide to the Chief of Staff of the Governor of Illinois. At Cornell Law School, Tim was appointed Managing Editor of the Cornell LII Supreme Court Bulletin and was the recipient of the CALI Excellence for the Future Award. He has written articles for several legal publications including the National Law Review, New York Law Journal, Law360 and the Hospitality Business Review.

JOSEPH A. FLEMING

CFO/COO

Joseph A. Fleming, CFA (“Joe”) is a Principal, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operations Officer of B.E. Blank & Company. He is a seasoned financial executive with more than eighteen years of well-rounded financial experience.

In 2000, Joe joined PwC as an assurance associate in his hometown of Memphis, and later received an early promotion to senior associate in PwC’s Las Vegas office. It was there that Joe met the work requirements to receive his CPA designation. In 2004, Joe joined the Inland Group in Chicago, where his purview expanded to cover finance. As VP of Finance, he was instrumental in financing a $8 billion real estate portfolio. Emerging from the credit crisis in 2008, he led efforts to refinance 65% of the fund’s debt during 2009 and 2010, closing only the second CMBS transaction since the start of the great recession. Joe also managed internal operations reporting, loan servicing, budget and forecasting, and institutional investor relations. In 2011, Joe was recruited to Cincinnati to serve as VP of Finance at Phillips Edison & Co. (PECO), a real estate fund manager focused on growing through the REIT fund structure. Joe was able to make an immediate impact in setting public-company standards for financial reporting, controls, operations, forecasting and valuations. PECO ultimately raised $1.7 billion in its first REIT fund, and Joe led structuring efforts and launched its second REIT fund before his departure. Most recently Joe served as Chief Financial Officer of a rapidly growing real estate developer. He oversaw all financial and administrative aspects and assisted in strategic planning and execution related to the firm’s transformation from a $50 million family-owned company to a $200 million employee-owned enterprise. Joe focused on raising and structuring debt and equity capital, and managed all matters related to accounting operations, finance, HR, IT, risk management, asset management and investor relations.

Joe holds a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame, graduating magna cum laude in 1999, and was named to the Dean’s List for seven semesters. During his undergraduate studies, Joe was one of only eight business-major students selected to attend Notre Dame’s London program in the fall semester of 1997. Joe also holds a Master’s in Accountancy from the University of Notre Dame, graduating with high honors in 2000. Joe was awarded a full academic scholarship for this program, and was elected president of his class. Joe also holds the designation of Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), which he has held since 2012. During his time in Cincinnati, Joe was an active community service leader, in large part, through his efforts with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Cincinnati.

JASON E. TROCK

Deputy Chief Investment Officer

Jason E. Trock (“Jason”) is a Principal and Deputy Chief Investment Officer at B.E. Blank & Company. He is a practiced financial executive with 15 years of investment banking experience complemented by his time spent leading strategic investments across a range of industries as a principal for nearly five years.

Jason spent the first 15 years of his career as an investment banker in New York City. He joined Lehman Brothers out of college in 2001 as an Analyst in the Financial Institutions Group. He was promoted directly to Associate after three years and subsequently to Vice President. In 2008, he remained at Barclays Capital after its acquisition of Lehman, where he had advised on pre-bankruptcy strategic and financial alternatives. In 2010, Jason left Barclays with a team of six colleagues to build the financial services investment banking practice at Jefferies, where he was promoted to Managing Director. As a trusted advisor, Jason originated and executed buy and sell-side M&A engagements and capital market financings for his corporate clients, primarily publicly and privately-owned regional banks. He raised over $13 billion of capital for his clients and advised on M&A transactions with aggregate deal values totaling more than $18 billion.

In 2016, Jason joined SunTrust Bank as Head of Mergers and Acquisitions within its Corporate Development Group. At SunTrust, he was responsible for enterprise-wide M&A transactions and strategic investments across all divisions and functions. Jason sourced and evaluated more than 100 opportunities annually, led cross-functional due diligence teams, and collaborated with business leaders to assess the role of M&A in their strategic plans. Jason was a key member of the execution team for SunTrust’s $66 billion merger with BB&T, the largest bank transaction in over a decade.

Prior to joining B.E. Blank & Company, Jason was a senior member of the investment team at Aquila Software, a Miami-based subsidiary of Constellation Software, a global portfolio of vertical market software companies with more than $3 billion in overall revenue. At Aquila, he led the due diligence, transaction structuring and financial analysis for the acquisition of companies generally ranging from $3-30 million in revenue and predominantly based in North and South America.

Jason holds a Bachelor of Science from Vanderbilt University, graduating summa cum laude with a double major in mathematics and economics. At Vanderbilt, he received a merit-based academic scholarship and was Vice President of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. He previously held Series 7, 63 and 79 licenses with FINRA. Jason resides in Delray Beach, Florida.

JOSEPH A. FLEMING

CFO/COO

Joseph A. Fleming, CFA (“Joe”) is a Principal, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operations Officer of B.E. Blank & Company. He is a seasoned financial executive with more than eighteen years of well-rounded financial experience.

In 2000, Joe joined PwC as an assurance associate in his hometown of Memphis, and later received an early promotion to senior associate in PwC’s Las Vegas office. It was there that Joe met the work requirements to receive his CPA designation. In 2004, Joe joined the Inland Group in Chicago, where his purview expanded to cover finance. As VP of Finance, he was instrumental in financing a $8 billion real estate portfolio. Emerging from the credit crisis in 2008, he led efforts to refinance 65% of the fund’s debt during 2009 and 2010, closing only the second CMBS transaction since the start of the great recession. Joe also managed internal operations reporting, loan servicing, budget and forecasting, and institutional investor relations. In 2011, Joe was recruited to Cincinnati to serve as VP of Finance at Phillips Edison & Co. (PECO), a real estate fund manager focused on growing through the REIT fund structure. Joe was able to make an immediate impact in setting public-company standards for financial reporting, controls, operations, forecasting and valuations. PECO ultimately raised $1.7 billion in its first REIT fund, and Joe led structuring efforts and launched its second REIT fund before his departure. Most recently Joe served as Chief Financial Officer of a rapidly growing real estate developer. He oversaw all financial and administrative aspects and assisted in strategic planning and execution related to the firm’s transformation from a $50 million family-owned company to a $200 million employee-owned enterprise. Joe focused on raising and structuring debt and equity capital, and managed all matters related to accounting operations, finance, HR, IT, risk management, asset management and investor relations.

Joe holds a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame, graduating magna cum laude in 1999, and was named to the Dean’s List for seven semesters. During his undergraduate studies, Joe was one of only eight business-major students selected to attend Notre Dame’s London program in the fall semester of 1997. Joe also holds a Master’s in Accountancy from the University of Notre Dame, graduating with high honors in 2000. Joe was awarded a full academic scholarship for this program, and was elected president of his class. Joe also holds the designation of Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), which he has held since 2012. During his time in Cincinnati, Joe was an active community service leader, in large part, through his efforts with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Cincinnati.

DAVID E. CHILDERS

Portfolio Manager

David E. Childers, CPA (“Dave”) is the Portfolio Manager at B.E. Blank & Company. He is a licensed Certified Public Accountant (“CPA”) in Florida with a deep background in business and data analytics, coupled with meaningful Big Four audit experience of direct lenders, broker dealers, and other complex investment vehicles in the financial services industry.

Dave spent the first eleven years of his professional career as a Naval Officer. In the first part of his Naval career, Dave flew the P-3C Orion and P-8A Poseidon airframes while conducting migrant, counter-narcotic, and anti-submarine deployments in El Salvador, Italy, and Japan. While in Italy, Dave flew humanitarian missions supporting the safety of “life at sea” refugees escaping war-torn Libya. He subsequently served as the Navy advisor to an interagency task force specializing in counter-narcotic operations. Afterwards, Dave served as the Deputy Air Officer at a joint Navy and Marine Corps task force in the Kingdom of Bahrain where he assisted with the planning and execution of crisis and contingency operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria. During his Naval career, Dave led teams as large as 25 people and budgets of up to two million dollars. His personal awards include three Navy Commendation Medals and one Navy Achievement Medal. Dave left active duty in 2019 and continues to serve as a Lieutenant Commander in the drilling reserves.

After leaving active-duty, Dave joined PricewaterhouseCoopers (“PwC”) as an audit associate where his clients were primarily based in the financial services sector, including the lending and broker-dealer industries. As a part of his audit career, he has experience with analyzing lending portfolios, debt covenant testing, internal controls testing, and compliance analysis. He passed the four-part CPA exam while working full-time and was licensed as a CPA in September 2020.

Dave is currently completing a Master of Science in Quantitative Management – Business Data Analytics from Duke University, which focuses on the use of machine learning and other strategies for analyzing data and predicting future outcomes. As B.E. Blank & Company continues to refine its data collection strategy, Dave’s background in Data Analysis will provide immense benefit in analyzing trends and outcomes within the portfolio.

Dave holds a Bachelor of Business Administration with a major in Finance from the University of Notre Dame, a Master in Accounting from Florida Atlantic University, and a Master in Business Administration (“MBA”) from Duke University, where he was a Fuqua Scholar for being in the top ten percent of his graduating class.

JACK H. BOYLE

Senior Portfolio Associate

Jack H. Boyle (“Jack”) is a Senior Portfolio Associate at B.E. Blank & Company, where he is responsible for all aspects of servicing the firm’s commercial law firm loan portfolio.

Prior to joining B.E. Blank & Company, Jack was an Associate Lending Portfolio Manager at Provident Bank, where he was responsible for servicing a $400 million commercial loan portfolio extended to various lower-middle and middle-market operating companies that included several law firm clients.

In his role, he undertook commercial credit and financial analysis for the entire portfolio in order to maintain controls and compliance, loan servicing, compliance and covenant monitoring and testing, and customer service. During this period, he also completed formal commercial credit training and oversaw the transition of the portfolio to a newly named department following Provident Bank’s merger during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.

Jack spent the first year of his professional career as a life insurance agent and financial advisor where he learned high quality customer service for high-net-worth clients in the financial services industry.

Jack holds a Bachelor of Arts in History with a Concentration (minor) in Business Management from Columbia University. He also completed post graduate studies in commercial credit analysis and accounting as part of his banking experience.

While at Columbia, Jack was a NCAA Division 1 runner for both the cross country and track teams, following a successful high school career highlighted by his school’s national championship victory in 2011. Jack was selected three times as All-Ivy League and twice named team MVP while helping lead the Columbia Lions to two Ivy League Cross Country Championships and appearing at the NCAA National Cross Country Championships in 2013 and 2014.

Paul F. Bauknight

Portfolio Associate

Paul F. Bauknight (“Paul”) is a Portfolio Associate at B.E. Blank & Company where he is responsible for all aspects of servicing the firm’s commercial law firm loan portfolio.

Prior to joining B.E. Blank & Company, Paul was a Mortgage Loan Officer at NewDay USA, where he was responsible for serving veterans and providing them with debt relief solutions through the utilization of their VA Home Loan Benefit. 

In his role, he contacted many veterans each day and walked them through the VA Home Loan process from the point of origination to the funding of the loan. During the entire loan process, Paul would serve as the liaison for the processing and underwriting team, gathering all of the necessary documentation, ensuring accuracy, and qualifying each veteran for the loan. 

Paul is a First Lieutenant in the Army Reserves. He completed the Basic Officers Leaders Course at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri on November 25th, 2020. Paul went on to serve as a Platoon Leader at the 132nd Military Police Company for the next two years. In July 2022, Paul became the Planning Officer for the 51st Military Police Battalion where he coordinates advanced logistics and procurement for over 300 soldiers.

Paul holds a Bachelors of Arts from The Citadel, graduating magna cum laude with a major in Intelligence and Security Studies and minors in Psychology and Business Administration. He also earned a Master in Business Administration (“MBA”) from Clemson University.

ROCCO V. KUHN

Director of Special Assets

Rocco V. Kuhn is Director of Special Assets at B.E. Blank & Company, where he is responsible for the servicing the firms non-performing commercial loan portfolio. 

Prior to joining B.E Blank & Company, Rocco was a Senior Vice President at Happy State Bank/Centennial Bank, where he was responsible for managing the adversely graded commercial loan portfolio in the Texas market. In this role, he contacted each assigned business entity/principals, performed extensive credit analysis and formulated an action plan to mitigate each loan relationship’s weakness.  During this credit servicing process, Rocco would serve as the liaison between bank’s assigned Attorneys to implement and direct the specific legal action plan necessary to bring all stated credit objectives to fruition. 

In his previous position, Rocco worked as Special Assets Department Manager and Loan Review Department Manager, employed by Capital One Bank, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo, in addition to numerous state and community banks. Additionally, he also serving on the bank’s due diligence teams evaluating various banks’ acquisition.

Rocco holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from Texas A&M – Commerce, with a major in Psychology, with post-graduate studies in Accounting, Credit and Financial Analysis, and Theology at Southwestern Theological Seminary. 

JASON E. TROCK

Deputy Chief Investment Officer

Jason E. Trock (“Jason”) is a Principal and Deputy Chief Investment Officer at B.E. Blank & Company. He is a practiced financial executive with 15 years of investment banking experience complemented by his time spent leading strategic investments across a range of industries as a principal for nearly five years.

Jason spent the first 15 years of his career as an investment banker in New York City. He joined Lehman Brothers out of college in 2001 as an Analyst in the Financial Institutions Group. He was promoted directly to Associate after three years and subsequently to Vice President. In 2008, he remained at Barclays Capital after its acquisition of Lehman, where he had advised on pre-bankruptcy strategic and financial alternatives. In 2010, Jason left Barclays with a team of six colleagues to build the financial services investment banking practice at Jefferies, where he was promoted to Managing Director. As a trusted advisor, Jason originated and executed buy and sell-side M&A engagements and capital market financings for his corporate clients, primarily publicly and privately-owned regional banks. He raised over $13 billion of capital for his clients and advised on M&A transactions with aggregate deal values totaling more than $18 billion.

In 2016, Jason joined SunTrust Bank as Head of Mergers and Acquisitions within its Corporate Development Group. At SunTrust, he was responsible for enterprise-wide M&A transactions and strategic investments across all divisions and functions. Jason sourced and evaluated more than 100 opportunities annually, led cross-functional due diligence teams, and collaborated with business leaders to assess the role of M&A in their strategic plans. Jason was a key member of the execution team for SunTrust’s $66 billion merger with BB&T, the largest bank transaction in over a decade.

Prior to joining B.E. Blank & Company, Jason was a senior member of the investment team at Aquila Software, a Miami-based subsidiary of Constellation Software, a global portfolio of vertical market software companies with more than $3 billion in overall revenue. At Aquila, he led the due diligence, transaction structuring and financial analysis for the acquisition of companies generally ranging from $3-30 million in revenue and predominantly based in North and South America.

Jason holds a Bachelor of Science from Vanderbilt University, graduating summa cum laude with a double major in mathematics and economics. At Vanderbilt, he received a merit-based academic scholarship and was Vice President of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. He previously held Series 7, 63 and 79 licenses with FINRA. Jason resides in Delray Beach, Florida.

ZACK C. THOMAS

Vice President of Credit Underwriting

Zack Thomas is a Vice President of Credit Underwriting at B.E. Blank & Company where he leads the due diligence and financial analysis on potential clients.

Prior to joining B.E. Blank & Company, Zack was a Commercial Credit Underwriter for Bank of America, where he was responsible for underwriting new applications and modifying and renewing existing middle-market credit facilities. He also monitored and managed a loan portfolio totaling over $500 million.

Zack holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a double major in Finance and Economics from the University of Kentucky.

During his time at the University of Kentucky, he was a member of Theta Chi Fraternity where he served as Chairman of the Chapter’s largest philanthropy event benefitting the United Service Organization. Zack resides in West Palm Beach, Florida.

TIMOTHY H. BIRNBAUM

General Counsel

Timothy H. Birnbaum (“Tim”) is a Principal and General Counsel of B.E. Blank & Company. He is a seasoned trial attorney with ten years of litigation experience after practicing in the New York offices of two premier law firms

In 2008, Tim joined DLA Piper LLP (“DLA Piper”), where his practice focused on consumer class action litigations, securities litigations, government enforcement and civil and criminal fraud-related litigations and compliance. He also advised clients on matters relating to corporate governance and partnership disputes and conducted internal investigations for corporate clients. In 2015, The American Lawyer recognized Tim’s efforts in helping to secure a $22 million settlement for human trafficking victims, naming DLA Piper an honoree for Tim’s contributions to the “Global Pro Bono Dispute of the Year.”

In 2017, Tim joined Brewer Attorneys & Counselors (formerly Bickel & Brewer LLP) as a Senior Associate, where he managed a robust case load that included complex commercial litigations, intellectual property disputes, hospitality litigations and privacy matters. He also represented an investor in litigating against a global insurer for bad faith insurance practices in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California and served on the trial team that successfully secured a multimillion dollar jury verdict in their client’s favor.

Tim holds a Bachelor of Arts in history from the University of Pennsylvania, awarded cum laude and with special honors, and a Juris Doctor from Cornell Law School. Tim, who is proficient in Spanish, spent a semester as an undergraduate studying global finance at the ICADE Business School in Madrid, Spain and subsequently worked as a summer analyst in Bear Stearns’ investment advisory group. Upon graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in 2003, Tim was awarded a James H. Dunn Jr. Memorial Fellowship by the State of Illinois and spent two years working as Aide to the Chief of Staff of the Governor of Illinois. At Cornell Law School, Tim was appointed Managing Editor of the Cornell LII Supreme Court Bulletin and was the recipient of the CALI Excellence for the Future Award. He has written articles for several legal publications including the National Law Review, New York Law Journal, Law360 and the Hospitality Business Review.

MARYELIZABETH DOWELL

Associate General Counsel

MaryElizabeth Dowell is Associate General Counsel of B.E. Blank & Company.  She is an experienced six-year personal injury attorney who spent her previous career at plaintiff-side and contingency-fee based law firms of all sizes.

Upon graduation from law school, MaryElizabeth worked for Badgley Law Group, a plaintiff’s firm specializing in personal injury, medical malpractice, legal malpractice and debtor-side bankruptcy.  While at Badgley Law Group, MaryElizabeth built a strong strategic outlook on bankruptcy and its implications for asset protection and personal injury claim recovery.  Following her mother’s hospitalization as a pedestrian in a hit-and-run collision, MaryElizabeth joined the Orlando office of Morgan & Morgan, devoting her professional efforts to representing clients injured in motor vehicle collisions. While at Morgan & Morgan, MaryElizabeth quickly elevated to a leading role within the pre-litigation division, representing hundreds of plaintiffs in claims relating to ultra-catastrophic motor vehicle crashes throughout the state of Florida. Thereafter, she was elevated to the role of trial attorney, a position in which she represented auto negligence plaintiffs through every stage of litigation, recovering millions of dollars for her clients.

MaryElizabeth was awarded undergraduate degrees in Criminology and Classical Studies by the University of Florida, from which she graduated summa cum laude. She was a competitor and subsequent assistant coach of the University of Florida’s award-winning undergraduate mock trial team. Following graduation, she worked with educational publisher Caduceus International Publishing, developing educational tools for medical professionals. MaryElizabeth subsequently attended the University of Florida Levin College of Law, from which she graduated cum laude. As a law student, Ms. Dowell was honored with Book Awards in the subjects of Negotiation and Arbitration. She was an executive board member of the UF Mental Health Law Association, as well as a competitor in the Phi Alpha Delta mock trial national championships.  MaryElizabeth also worked as a research assistant for Professor William H. Page, updating Kintner’s Federal Antitrust Law, a seminal treatise.

SANDRA E. MARIN

Paralegal

Sandra E. Marin (“Sandra”) is a paralegal within B.E. Blank & Company’s Legal Underwriting Team.  She has worked at South Florida based law firms as a litigation paralegal for over 25 years and has extensive experience from working on both the Plaintiff and Defense sides of civil trial litigation.

Prior to joining B.E. Blank & Company, Sandra worked as a Senior Litigation Paralegal for over 10 years assisting the Managing Partner at one of Palm Beach County’s most prestigious law firms, Clark, Fountain, La Vista, Prather & Littky-Rubin, where her work was focused on extensive involvement in personal injury, wrongful death, products liability, and medical malpractice claims.

Sandra’s experience in defense work extends to both local Palm Beach County and national law firms focusing on personal injury, appellate and medical malpractice litigation.

Sandra has an Associates of Arts Degree in Computer Science from Palm Beach State College.  She is continuously working to develop herself as a professional by attending Florida Atlantic University and completing continuing legal education courses.  She is a Florida Registered Paralegal and is a Paralegal member of the Florida Justice Association.

ELI J. GIOMBI

Director of Risk Management

Eli J. Giombi, CFA (“Eli”) is Director of Risk Management at B.E. Blank & Company. He is an investment and risk management professional with more than eighteen years of experience. He led the design, implementation, and scaling of best-in-class investment risk management operations for one of the country’s largest multi-family office investment firms, a firm with more than $20 billion in assets under management (“AUM”) at its peak.

Eli began his career as an actuarial associate for Allstate Financial, where he spent two years in the insurance firm’s Valuation Center of Expertise before spending a year at the Chicago Board of Trade and ultimately deciding to pursue his MBA. When he graduated from business school in 2004, he joined the Hartford Investment Management Company (“HIMCO”), a large advisory firm with over $100 billion in assets under management. It was there that he first encountered leading risk analytic tools. He valued previously unmodeled derivative transactions with Numerix and analyzed bonds with BlackRock Aladdin and Barclays POINT.

In 2006, Eli accepted a position with GenSpring Family Offices (“GenSpring”), one of the largest multi-family offices in the US with more than $20 billion in AUM at its peak. Through his tenure at GenSpring, he was involved in nearly every step of the family office investment process, including asset allocation, manager selection, and portfolio construction. He also created, and then managed, GenSpring’s Investment Risk Group, which was critical to the firm’s operational and investment due diligence processes. He was responsible for leading the firm’s risk management and portfolio optimization by analyzing value at risk (“VaR”), stress testing, scenario analysis, and multivariate factor analysis. After more than a decade at GenSpring, Eli joined the Kronos Fund, where he served as Chief Risk Officer. He designed, built, and implemented the fund’s risk management infrastructure before joining B.E. Blank & Company in 2019.

Eli holds a Bachelor of Arts from Northwestern University, graduating cum laude and with departmental honors. He was selected into the Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences (“MMSS”) honors program and double-majored in economics. He holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Yale, where he had a focus in finance and received distinctions in DAGT, hedge funds, finance, and probability & statistics. Eli has held the Chartered Financial Analyst (“CFA”) designation since 2006.

JOSEPH A. FLEMING

CFO/COO

Joseph A. Fleming, CFA (“Joe”) is a Principal, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operations Officer of B.E. Blank & Company. He is a seasoned financial executive with more than eighteen years of well-rounded financial experience.

In 2000, Joe joined PwC as an assurance associate in his hometown of Memphis, and later received an early promotion to senior associate in PwC’s Las Vegas office. It was there that Joe met the work requirements to receive his CPA designation. In 2004, Joe joined the Inland Group in Chicago, where his purview expanded to cover finance. As VP of Finance, he was instrumental in financing a $8 billion real estate portfolio. Emerging from the credit crisis in 2008, he led efforts to refinance 65% of the fund’s debt during 2009 and 2010, closing only the second CMBS transaction since the start of the great recession. Joe also managed internal operations reporting, loan servicing, budget and forecasting, and institutional investor relations. In 2011, Joe was recruited to Cincinnati to serve as VP of Finance at Phillips Edison & Co. (PECO), a real estate fund manager focused on growing through the REIT fund structure. Joe was able to make an immediate impact in setting public-company standards for financial reporting, controls, operations, forecasting and valuations. PECO ultimately raised $1.7 billion in its first REIT fund, and Joe led structuring efforts and launched its second REIT fund before his departure. Most recently Joe served as Chief Financial Officer of a rapidly growing real estate developer. He oversaw all financial and administrative aspects and assisted in strategic planning and execution related to the firm’s transformation from a $50 million family-owned company to a $200 million employee-owned enterprise. Joe focused on raising and structuring debt and equity capital, and managed all matters related to accounting operations, finance, HR, IT, risk management, asset management and investor relations.

Joe holds a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame, graduating magna cum laude in 1999, and was named to the Dean’s List for seven semesters. During his undergraduate studies, Joe was one of only eight business-major students selected to attend Notre Dame’s London program in the fall semester of 1997. Joe also holds a Master’s in Accountancy from the University of Notre Dame, graduating with high honors in 2000. Joe was awarded a full academic scholarship for this program, and was elected president of his class. Joe also holds the designation of Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), which he has held since 2012. During his time in Cincinnati, Joe was an active community service leader, in large part, through his efforts with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Cincinnati.

MATTHEW J. ADER

CONTROLLER

Matthew J. Ader (“Matt”) is the Controller at B.E. Blank & Company and a licensed Certified Public Accountant (“CPA”) in the State of Florida. He has more than seventeen years of experience in the financial sector, serving in senior roles within the alternative investment fund administration industry, and working as part of “Big Four” audit practice.

Matt began his professional career in 2007 as a Fund Accountant with Kaufman Rossin Fund Services, a boutique hedge fund administrator based in Miami, Florida, where he ascended to the role of Senior Fund Accountant. In 2012 Matt decided to pursue his CPA designation and joined the Miami office of Deloitte in the Audit & Assurance practice, where he was promoted to the role of Audit Senior. Throughout his time with Deloitte, Matt conducted financial statement audits and internal control testing for both public and private companies across various industries, with a focus on real estate. It was at Deloitte that Matt completed all requirements to earn his CPA designation, becoming licensed in the State of Florida in 2013.
 
In 2014, Matt rejoined Kaufman Rossin Fund Services as a Fund Accounting Supervisor within a newly formed private equity and closed end fund administration group. Matt received an early promotion to Fund Accounting Manager in 2015. In 2018, the company was acquired by SS&C Technologies, Inc. (“SS&C”), the largest third-party fund administrator in the world. At SS&C, Matt oversaw a global team of private equity fund accountants and managers and served as a subject matter expert in European and American waterfall modeling. Matt concluded his tenure with SS&C towards the end of 2022 as a Vice President of Private Equity Fund Administration. Matt’s next role within the alternative investment fund administration industry was with Juniper Square as a Senior Director of Fund Administration. During his time with Juniper Square, Matt successfully oversaw financial reporting and acted as the relationship manager for nearly 100 clients and a portfolio of accounts totaling close to $10 billion in assets under administration.

Matt holds a Bachelor of Business Administration with a major in Finance from the University of Florida and a Master of Accounting from the University of Miami.

WILL F. STONE

Assistant Controller

William F. Stone, CPA (“Will”) is the Assistant Controller at B.E. Blank & Company. He is a licensed Certified Public Accountant (“CPA”) in Florida with substantial experience in tax compliance, consulting, and accounting, as well as financial statement audit from his background at one of the largest professional services firms in the world serving clients across a variety of industries including technology, industrial, telecommunications, and hospitality.

Before joining B.E. Blank & Company, Will was a Senior Tax Consultant in the Business Tax Services group focusing on corporate tax consulting and compliance at Deloitte Tax LLP. In his role, Will worked closely with large multinational corporations to complete provisions, estimates, and coordinated across internal service lines to ensure timely filing of federal, state, and international forms. He was involved in tax consulting projects related to acquisitions, dispositions, restructuring, and bankruptcy. In addition, Will participated in audits of private and public entities in accordance with AICPA and PCAOB standards.

Will holds a Bachelor of Business Administration with a major in Accounting from the University of Notre Dame and a Master of Science in Accountancy from the University of Notre Dame, where he served as the Treasurer of his graduate school class.

TAMI R. SEGAL

Firm Administrator

Tami is the Firm Administrator at B. E. Blank & Company where she is responsible for managing the day-to-day operations and administrative functions of the firm.   Tami brings a depth of operations and office management experience from 25 years working in administration for medium and large national law firms overseeing non-attorney staff and the efficient operations of the firm.

Tami began her legal career as a part-time administrative assistant and advanced to become an Office Administrator at a top 100 law firm.  Tami has a demonstrated history of working in office administration, human resources, team building, training, event planning, project management, customer service, and strategic planning.  She has spearheaded major projects and community initiatives that improved public relations and client communication.

Prior to joining B.E. Blank & Company, Tami was the Human Resource Manager for a regional law firm where she led all Human Resources processes, including the management of support staff and paralegals, employee orientation, training and performance evaluations. She worked closely with firm leadership to recruit and retain talent, as well as implementing ongoing initiatives to maintain and enhance company culture and employee engagement while ensuring alignment with the firm’s core values.

Tami has a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management from Florida International University.  She is a member of the Association of Legal Administrators (ALA) and the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM) as well as the local Palm Beach County ALA and SHRM chapters.

MICHAEL S. GILLS

Director of Capital Formation

Michael Gills is the Director of Capital Formation at B.E. Blank & Company. In this role, he leads the firm’s capital raising efforts working closely with prospective investors. Michael is responsible for articulating the firm’s investment strategy, managing due diligence processes, and building long-term relationships with institutional and private investors. He plays an integral role in shaping the firm’s fundraising strategy and growth initiatives.

Previously, Michael was an Institutional Business Development professional at Eastspring Investments. He focused on growing Institutional assets under management and supporting product strategy and development. He covered institutional asset owners, investment consultants, and select wealth/RIA and sub-advisory platforms in the Americas.

Before joining Eastspring, he was a Vice President at BMO Global Asset management and Head of Institutional Product Strategy. Prior to this role, Michael worked at Neuberger Berman where he worked as a Portfolio Analytics Associate for their Non-Investment Grade and Floating Rate Loan team. Michael started his career at Mercer as an Investment Consultant.

Michael holds a BBA in Finance and BA in History from the University of Notre Dame.

ZACK C. THOMAS

Vice President of Credit Underwriting

Zack Thomas is a Vice President of Credit Underwriting at B.E. Blank & Company where he leads the due diligence and financial analysis on potential clients.

Prior to joining B.E. Blank & Company, Zack was a Commercial Credit Underwriter for Bank of America, where he was responsible for underwriting new applications and modifying and renewing existing middle-market credit facilities. He also monitored and managed a loan portfolio totaling over $500 million.

Zack holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a double major in Finance and Economics from the University of Kentucky.

During his time at the University of Kentucky, he was a member of Theta Chi Fraternity where he served as Chairman of the Chapter’s largest philanthropy event benefitting the United Service Organization. Zack resides in West Palm Beach, Florida.