CDIG ETF

The art of good business is solving problems with the resources available to you. Sometimes you just don’t have an unlimited budget or manpower to pursue good ideas… so you have to figure out another way. That’s been my calling card as a manager for the last 30 years.

I bring new technologies, new processes and a contrarian attitude to corporate problems; just because “we’ve always done it that way” doesn’t mean that’s how it should be done going forward.

Case in point, in 2017 when I was at my prior employer, I wanted to hire an exceptional candidate… but I knew they would never move to New Mexico (remote work was not really a thing, yet). My boss at the time did not agree with the decision, and we argued about it. I stood my ground and volunteered to accept the consequences if it went sideways. It worked out very well. I was able to hire someone with incredible talent and experience that added outsized value to the organization.

That’s why I wanted to join City Different Investments — that kind of employee trust, empowerment and a corporate culture that embraces all manner of new ideas, people, and processes is baked in here. It’s been their culture from day one, and it truly makes CDI different.

I consider myself a translator. Working as an in-house lawyer for the fixed income group at Vanguard, I sat between the risk-averse and those paid to take risks. I could see both sides, find patterns by observing past scenarios, and adeptly communicate across differing styles. Growing up as a black girl in Iowa was incredible training. I navigated others’ fears and biases every time I stepped out my door; inside our home, I was a translator of American culture for my Bolivian-born father. As a global diversity and inclusion officer, I help companies see what is lost by NOT having a diverse organization. It all starts with the will to do things differently. It’s one of the reasons I’m proud to serve as a Director at City Different Investments.

I’ve always been driven by acts of kindness and live my daily life doing what I can for others. I launched my own consultancy at a time when it was rare for a woman to hold a PhD and work outside of the home. I’ve spent a career teaching and advising executives on issues of leadership, strategy, performance and culture. Beyond my formal training, my professional experiences with organizations from many industries have polished my skills as an empathetic listener and advisor to thoughtful leaders motivated to build purposeful, successful organizations. This is the background I bring as a Director at City Different Investments.

Success–anyone’s–improves the world for all of us. When I see my kids master what once seemed impossible; when I see a company we invested in achieve a key milestone; when I see a friend reach a goal–I am genuinely excited for them, and we are all better. I learned long ago that success also demands honesty, and truth resides in facts. I seek to check my own biases and look at facts to guide my decisions, and respectfully but honestly help my colleagues do the same. Often the strongest voice in the room may garner the most attention, but may not offer the best solution. All perspectives and voices bring value; together, we can ensure success is celebrated and shared. I’m proud to be a Director at City Different Investments to examine the facts, celebrate achievements, and support their inevitable success.

As the second youngest of fourteen kids, I learned valuable life lessons: how to fit in and how to stand out; when to talk and when to listen; how much attitude matters; the value of hard work; the joy of shared laughter; and to never ever be late for dinner! I have carried these lessons in my personal life and a professional career in public accounting, pharmaceuticals, and the not-for-profit sector. In my experience, a successful organization, much like a happy family, has a culture of teamwork. A team-first company can achieve extraordinary results. I came to City Different Investments for its winning team and a dynamic culture that empowers people. As an accountant, that means solving problems with numbers, digging deeper to understand the story behind them, and supporting the team to do our best for our clients.

I was raised in the South to love dresses and pink, but as a kid, you could usually find me mucking out a horse’s stall. Always up for an adventure, I went far from home to college and quickly found a passion for the field of Social Work. As a therapist, I discovered the intersection of my communication skills, undergraduate art degree, and empathetic nature. I practiced as a children’s therapist for six years before entering the non-profit space. That’s where I learned the power of a compelling story. The common thread throughout my career has been connecting with people, listening compassionately, and caring deeply about how their stories shaped their lives. The City Different story is an exciting one. I am ready for this new adventure and look forward to sharing how our different, more personable type of boutique investment company can better serve our clients.

So much of who I am was molded on the soccer field. I was fortunate to play soccer in college at the division I level, and relished in the competition. More importantly, I gained an appreciation for teamwork, communication and a strong work ethic necessary to achieve a common goal. I’ve parlayed this game and the life experiences it offered into my role in the financial industry for over 17 years.

It wasn’t only the game of soccer that shaped me. My father, a financial advisor, demonstrated the importance of building meaningful and personal relationships. He had a wonderful way of connecting with clients. Growing up with a front-row seat to the business gives me the unique ability to understand financial advisors’ needs and form long-lasting partnerships based on trust.

I’m proud to partner with a talented team who empower one another, and value authentically engaging with our clients.

At age 16, I became a professional motocross racer. It’s an atypical childhood with homeschooling squeezed into a rigorous schedule of training and travel. In motocross, race prep is everything. It’s making sure the bolts are tight, the brakes are working and the throttle is smooth. While an injury brought an early end to my professional racing career, I brought a mindset for operational efficiency to a career in investment operations. I enjoy the challenge of solving problems before they arise. Aligned components in the investment process are as critical to success as a well-tuned bike in winning a race. I’m proud to bring all these elements together with my colleagues to serve the clients of City Different Investments.

You can’t run an investment firm without operations. I simply never imagined I’d be directing a global investment firm operations team. I joined the industry post college, put my head down and got to work. T. Rowe Price introduced me to the world of mutual fund accounting and separately managed accounts. I fully established my investment operations career at Thornburg, where my hard work was continually rewarded with more responsibility. I’m proud to have done the same for others. In 2020, I moved out of state and considered myself retired—major transitions on their own, but even more challenging in a year that tested everything. It was a needed refresh and reset. I’m ready to once again make an impact by building the operations base of City Different Investments.

Growing up in the Midwest, my grandfather was my vision for success—a family guy who started his own business, who was generous and respected in his community. He also was an investor. As a kid, my dream job was to be a stockbroker. Always a numbers guy, I became a CPA and gravitated towards real estate investment. As I took on more responsibility, I found myself adept at—and surprisingly enjoying—managing diverse teams. I was energized by collaboration and in hearing different perspectives; by sharing credit versus taking it. I realized the cultural side of business is as important as the numbers side. It’s rare to find a team that unanimously shares that belief. At City Different Investments, building a culture of integrity and trust is a key component of our business and investment strategy.

Growing up in Santa Fe, I can attest to its “City Different” title. My friends and peers were of different races, religions, and socio-economic backgrounds. Differences fueled my curiosity. High school and collegiate athletics pushed my determination. Early in my finance career, I hit the pause button. I flew to Spain and hiked the 500-mile Camino de Santiago. Some questioned my decision, but I couldn’t fight my curiosity and determination to accomplish this lifelong goal. I’ll always remember the diverse people I met along the journey. In my life and career, I committed to only surround myself with people I care about and who inspire me. I’m proud to have returned to New Mexico, the state that taught me to think differently. Freedom and responsibility are the cultural tenets that link us at City Different Investments.

I chart my own course, but I’m also not afraid to change it. Growing up in Brunei, I chose the unconventional path to attend college in the U.S. While I studied physics, I couldn’t see it as my career. I pivoted to strategy consulting, enjoying my on the ground work with Fortune 500 companies. It fueled my desire to become an investor. I find it a field where truth, facts and reality eventually trump all else. My investment thinking has been shaped by the pragmatism of Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew and the investment reasoning of Charlie Munger. My favorite advice from Charlie is to become good at destroying my own best-loved ideas. City Different Investments’ culture of trust and diverse thinking helps each of us do that.

Thinking differently requires disagreement; I’ve built my entire career on fostering healthy debate. I started out in mutual fund accounting but found that I had a strong interest in investments. That eventually led to my running the Trade Desk at Thornburg Investment Management for 24 years. I used to tell my traders that part of their job description was to disagree with me because the only way to find the best idea is to test and defend your ideas in a room full of sharp people. A willingness to listen to an unconventional idea is how I came to own two Urban Air franchises. That’s part of what drew me to City Different Investments — healthy debate is baked into the culture here. By creating a collegial and collaborative space to consistently test and defend our ideas, CDI can better serve our clients. It also allows us to create a different kind of investing firm.

Spending five years in the 1990’s post-Soviet Union was a remarkable first travel experience. While navigating my own after-college transition, I watched mindsets, businesses—entire societies—in Eastern Europe shift around me. It led me to appreciate the virtues of capitalism, but also its limits. This bolstered my enthusiasm and the realism I would bring to bear in a career in global investing. The world continues to change, and I welcome today’s diversity of opinions and investing styles. But I find my penchant for high-quality companies with responsible governance at reasonable valuations remains the same. I’m proud when our investment success produces strong client relationships. At City Different Investments, our values and consistency make the difference.

My desire to constantly learn and adapt is my greatest gift. After immigrating to the U.S. and earning two degrees, I was awarded a fellowship in New York State’s Debt Division. I learned every aspect of debt issuance, and leveraged the experience to become a bond analyst, and later on a portfolio manager. An extended low interest rate environment gave me the opportunity to seek quality growth strategies in equities. I’ve always embraced the advantages that technology has brought to our industry, and utilize data science and machine learning technology to bring competitive advantages to investing. I believe that investing is dynamic, and its future entails the best of human and machine. It’s a belief I share with my colleagues at City Different Investments.

My hockey coach and career taught me not only grit, but the culture of a winning team. I’ve been on losing teams packed with individual talent and winning teams that won solely on collective effort. A strong hockey team is like a strong investment team. Culture and incentives matter. People go the extra mile for those they genuinely like, when they feel secure in their role. Finding that culture at a small but growing investment office off the Santa Fe Plaza, I took a risk and moved West. I make better decisions seeking challenges from trusted peers with different backgrounds and beliefs. That’s important as a generalist needing to consider how trends in one industry can spill to another. Successful investing isn’t the sum of inputs from experts, but different perspectives debated in a healthy way. At City Different, we believe that when we build the right culture, it’s our clients who win.

I’d rather be lucky than smart. But we also make our own luck. My career began as a healthcare consultant for an accounting firm. Firm culture and lifestyle led me to switch directions. I joined this little firm called Vanguard as a muni healthcare/high yield analyst. Wanting to prove my investment talent, I killed myself trying to uncover hidden market opportunities. I was fortunate to work for investment leaders at Vanguard and Thornburg who listened to my ideas and encouraged me to pursue them. Listening—to anyone I can learn from—makes me a better portfolio manager. I learn from the unique perspectives of my adult children, and from our investors. Former colleagues have cringed hearing me encourage clients to call me. But I don’t just manage client money. I manage their trust. It’s a commitment we bring to our clients at City Different Investments.

My father is a former Roman Catholic priest and social worker turned financial advisor. He started an RIA in the 1970’s in Pittsburgh that has achieved wild success by always doing right by clients. When it comes to thinking differently about life and investing, I have one of the world’s best mentors. His influence was behind my decision to leave the East Coast to start my career at Thornburg in Santa Fe. I was promoted to portfolio manager in between the Internet bubble and the Global Financial Crisis, and for 19 years thrived in a highly entrepreneurial culture. While trained in financial analysis, I found myself most inspired by company cultures and visions. I am influenced by my wife’s work as an ER doctor and volunteer roles focused on at-risk youth. These remind me that life and investing are all connected. I am proud to bring learnings from portfolio companies, colleagues, family, and community to the culture and clients of City Different Investments.