Vera provides value-added support to portfolio investments as they leverage their outreach efforts and build a strong brand with a long-term view. As an Operating Partner, she supports teams as they build a dynamic communications program and a disciplined process. Since 2009, she has helped Decagon’s clients achieve tangible asset growth by enhancing their ability to build strong partnerships with investors through valuable information flow.

Previously she had a long tenure as a Managing Director at Deutsche Bank, formerly Bankers Trust, in marketing communications and product management during a period of rapid expansion of the private fund strategies platform. She led teams that supported hundreds of private fund vehicles with a global reach in multiple currencies. She began her career at Irving Bank Corporation as a Marketing Specialist in the Consumer Banking Group.

She graduated Cum Laude from Harvard University with an A.B. in Economics and holds an M.B.A. from New York University, where she was the valedictorian.

Wayne brings both investing and management expertise to the Steward investment process particularly during the review and assessment of private equity funds and co-investment opportunities focused on middle market buyout, growth equity and venture capital strategies. As an Operating Partner, he primarily engages after the initial transaction to help portfolio investments execute with speed and agility.

Previous roles include Partner at Credit Suisse’s Sprout Group, a late-stage venture capital platform, Senior Associate at Booz Allen and Engineering Supervisor and Aerodynamicist at The Boeing Company. He has led numerous investment transactions and has served as Chairman of the Board of DynamicOps, Internet Photonics and Optical Solutions. He also served on the boards of LeftHand Networks and CyOptics, among others. In addition to his role with the Steward team, he is the founder of Pelap Group, where he periodically serves as an interim C-level executive to high growth companies, and Venture Advisor to CloudScale Capital Partners.

He holds a B.S. in Engineering and an M.B.A. from the Wharton School, both from the University of Pennsylvania.

Christine provides value-added expertise to the Steward investment process, primarily during diligence and post execution implementation of both fund and co-investment opportunities. As an Operating Partner she primarily after the initial investment to help portfolio investments execute with speed and agility.

Previously, Christine served as Managing Director at the Shorenstein Company, Vice President at Goldman Sachs as well as roles at Boston Financial and E&Y Kenneth Leventhal. She has led teams on due diligence and has deployed more than $4.0 billion of acquisition and disposition transactions and $2 billion of financings.

In addition to her role at Steward, she invests in partnership with Dr. Peter Linneman, retired Chairman of the Real Estate Department and Center at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School which include KL Realty, AOZA and American Land Funds I and II.

She holds a B.A. in Architecture from the University of California at Berkeley, an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and is also a member of the Urban Land Institute.

Christine leads the firm’s operations and reporting as well as the ongoing value-add engagement with portfolio investments. She supports the path to successful partnership engagement so that anchored firms reach their full potential as the next generation of alternative asset management leaders.

Previous roles include a senior role at Maritime Capital, where she was responsible for new partnerships and products. Prior to that, as a Partner at Kaufman Rossin Fund Services, she focused on business development with an eye toward the negotiation and onboarding of newly forming funds across the full breadth of private market strategies. She held business development and operating roles at HSBC, Morgan Stanley, and Wellington Management while starting her career at Coopers & Lybrand.

In addition to her role with the Steward team, she is currently Senior Vice President of Client Administration at Mittleman Brothers Investment Management.

She holds a B.A. in Accounting from Simmons College. Additionally, she is a Director of the Safe Center Long Island which focuses on assisting and sheltering victims of family violence.

Erin leads the firm’s operations, accounting, reporting and execution. She works to maintain a sound control environment on the basis of strong fiduciary practices.

Most recently, she was a Managing Director in the Alternative Assets Group at RBC Capital Markets where she was responsible for the Counterparty Services Group. She also served on the U.S. Diversity Leadership Council at Royal Bank of Canada. During her long tenure at RBC, she was responsible for managing counterparty relationships and structuring complex transactions.

She received a B.A. from Boston College and holds the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst designation.

David contributes to fund and co-investment transactions. He brings broad knowledge of the capital markets and deal analysis to the team.

Prior to joining Steward, David was Principal at Brookville Advisory and Managing Director and Portfolio Manager at Morgan Stanley following their acquisition of a fund which he co-founded. Previously, he was a Managing Director of Bankers Trust Company, with responsibility for both credit and equity portfolios; during his tenure, he was awarded a 5-star rating by Morningstar.  Earlier positions include Portfolio Manager at Kidder Peabody and analyst roles at Goldman Sachs and Salomon Brothers.

He holds a B.A. in Mathematics and an M.B.A. from the Wharton School, both from the University of Pennsylvania. He is an auxiliary professor of finance at Molloy College and is an avid athlete having completed more than forty triathlons including “Escape from Alcatraz.”

Sheryl leads sourcing, diligence, execution, and monitoring of investments targeting private funds and co-investment opportunities. She specializes in building deeper strategic partnerships with smaller and debut private fund managers.

Most recently, she was the Director of Emerging Managers at the New York State Common Retirement Fund, overseeing over $7 billion in commitments to more than 120 small, diverse and emerging firms.  She is passionate about supporting the incubation of owner-manager entrepreneurs, those with a strong record in buyout, growth equity, infrastructure and opportunistic strategies.

Previously, she was the Managing Partner of Decagon Advisors, a consulting firm providing due diligence as well as launch advisory to newly forming firms.  Decagon was formed as a direct result of the evolving needs in her previous role as Macroeconomic and Due Diligence Analyst at KCS Funds, a Fund of Funds. Prior to that, she served in asset management and client-facing roles as a Director at Deutsche Bank (formerly Bankers Trust Asset Management) after beginning her career at KPMG in the Financial Services practice.

She holds a Bachelor of Commerce, Honors, from Queen’s University in Canada and an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. She is a CFA charterholder and a Canadian Chartered Accountant. In addition, she serves as Director of the Levy vonWald Foundation, which primarily focuses on literacy initiatives in New York State.

Leroy leads business development with a focus on sourcing transactions as well as the needs of the firm’s institutional limited partners. He brings decades of industry experience in product strategy and delivery across a range of private fund strategies.

His previous roles include long tenures as a Director of Alternative Investment Marketing at Lazard Asset Management and Managing Director of Alternative Investment Marketing for American Express Asset Management. He has also held leadership positions at NexTier Companies, Loomis Sayles, Shearson Lehman Hutton, among others.

Leroy has served on the Board of Trustees of Colgate University, his alma mater, and is one of the founders of the Whitney M. Young Jr. Memorial Conference at the Wharton School, an annual event designed to inform, empower, and support Black business professionals and students.

He holds a BA from Colgate University and an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.