Board of Directors

The Board of Directors is responsible for implementing the investment policy and asset allocation, monitoring of investment performance and other investment decisions. These individuals were selected for their professional or personal knowledge and experience in the area of investments along with a demonstrated interest in the university and its mission.

Board members are elected for a one, four-year term and may be reelected for one additional four-year term.

2023 Board of Directors Bios

NCSIF Board of Directors Org Chart [PDF]

Mr. Alex Wallace, Chair | Board Member, 2020
Alex Wallace is a Managing Director of Higher Education/Not-for-Profit Business at Loop Capital Markets. Alex Wallace is an 18-year veteran of the municipal securities industry with broad experience across many aspects of municipal finance. Prior to Loop Capital Markets, Alex was Head of the Public Finance Banking Team of the U.S. Bancorp Municipal Securities Group. Alex joined U.S. Bancorp in August 2009.

At Wachovia Securities (1996 – 2008), Alex was Co-Head of the Municipal Securities Group and was responsible for the Public Finance Group. Alex also led a number of other businesses including Municipal Credit Origination, Syndications, and Municipal Leasing. He also spent a year as the Head of Mid-Atlantic Region for Loop Capital Markets. Prior to joining Wachovia Securities, Alex worked for the State Treasurer’s Office of the State of North Carolina.

Alex currently serves on the Board of Advisors for the Poole College of Management at North Carolina State University and the Board of Advisors for the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy Center for Municipal Finance. He is the current Secretary-Treasurer and a member of the Executive Committee for the Bond Dealers of America (BDA). In addition, Alex serves on the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (“SIFMA”) Municipal Securities Executive Committee. He is a Past Chairman of the Carolinas Municipal Advisory Council and Past President of the CityWest Community Development Corporation. He has also been a long-time member of the National Federation of Municipal Analysts and the New York Municipal Forum.

Mr. Jeff Brock, Vice Chair | Board Member, 2016
Jeff Brock is an investment management professional with 15+ years of private equity, investment banking and corporate banking experience in business development primarily focused on providing debt capital solutions to middle market companies across multiple industries and with particular concentrations in restaurants, beverage distributors and domestic subsidiaries of foreign-based parent companies.

He currently serves as managing partner at Hargett Hunter Capital Partners which he founded in July of 2015. He also cofounded Triangle & Two Hospitality Group LLC in June of 2015 which is a restaurant operating company. Prior to his current entrepreneurial ventures, Mr. Brock held several prominent roles at Morehead Capital Management, General Electric, Bank of America, and JPMorgan Chase Bank. He currently sits on the board of Stealz, Inc. and has been a board member for PlotWatt, Chop’t Creative Salad Company, and Run Hargett Run, LLC.

Mr. Brock graduated from North Carolina State University in 1993 with a degree in Business Administration concentrating in Finance and HR Management. He also completed an MBA in Corporate Finance at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2001. He served previously as a board member for the NC State University Foundation, Inc.

Mr. Craig Demko | Board Member, 2018
Craig Demko is the Director of Private Equity at the North Carolina Department of State Treasurer – Retirement Systems Division. He joined the North Carolina Retirement Systems in 2005 as the Alternative Investments Portfolio Manager. Since that time, he participated in expanding the portfolio with more than 100 fund transactions across Venture Capital, Growth Equity, Buyout, Secondary and Co-Investment strategies. In 2010 he was promoted to Director of Private Equity. As of 2Q18, the Private Equity portfolio represented 5.2% of the Pension Plan with a market value of $5.1 billion.

Mr. Demko began his career in New York City with Oppenheimer & Company Inc., which subsequently became a subsidiary of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, and renamed CIBC World Markets. Within the Equity Research Department, he began as an Associate, later to be promoted to Director, contributing to the management of a staff of 150 investment professionals and an equity research universe consisting of approximately 1000 public companies across multiple industries.

In 2000, he relocated to Boston and worked for two companies, a Vice President with HC Wainwright & Co., and a Senior Vice President for Josephthal and Co., in both cases coordinating an Institutional Equity Research platform with institutional clients. Mr. Demko attended the University of Massachusetts, Amherst where he received a BA in Economics.

Mr. Randall Dishmon | Board Member 2023
Randall Dishmon is a Senior Portfolio Manager for Invesco Global Focus Strategy. Mr. Dishmon joined Invesco when the firm combined with OppenheimerFunds in 2019. His previous positions at OppenheimerFunds included serving as co-manager of the global multi-cap growth strategy and senior research analyst for the global equity strategy. Before joining OppenheimerFunds, Mr. Dishmon served for two years as a management consultant with Booz Allen and Hamilton. He also served four years as a manager with UtiliCorp United and for seven years as a Vice President and Division Chief with KCI Technologies.

Mr. Dishmon earned a BS degree in Engineering from North Carolina State University, an MS in Engineering from Johns Hopkins University and an MBA from the University of Michigan.

Mr. Ty Huggins | Board Member, 2023
Ty Huggins is a Vice President in the Private Wealth Management Group of Goldman, Sachs & Co., where he advises institutions, wealthy individuals, family groups and foundations. For the last 18 years, Mr. Huggins and his team have been advising clients located throughout the United States; concentrated in the Southeast. Prior to Goldman Sachs, Mr. Huggins was responsible for business development and technical sales with Ciba Specialty Chemicals, a Swiss conglomerate where he served large manufacturing clients. Mr. Huggins joined Goldman Sachs after earning his MBA from Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management in 2000. He also has a BS in Textile Chemistry from the Wilson College of Textiles. Mr. Huggins has demonstrated his personal commitment to philanthropy and service to the NC Textile Foundation and the Wilson College by serving on the Investment Committee and building an endowed scholarship – The Huggins Family Endowed Scholarship Fund.

Mr. Rob Nelson | Board Member, 2015
Rob Nelson is the former Vice President for Finance for the University of North Carolina System. Mr. Nelson is currently in private consulting after retiring from an almost 32-year career in State Government, the most significant of which was the last 10 years of his career where he served the UNC System Office, the UNC Board of Governors, and worked daily with then-President Erskine Bowles helping to manage the finances of the sixteen campus University system and the NC School of Science and Mathematics.  Rob Nelson is a graduate of Wake Forest University with a Master of Public Affairs from North Carolina State University.   Prior to joining the University, Mr. Nelson invested a 21-year career in the Office of State Budget and Management working in all areas of public finance and with the highest level of elected government leadership. As Vice President for Finance, his accomplishments included the successful implementation of the Board’s Four-Year Tuition Plan; completion of the $2.5 Billion Higher Education Bond Program; expansion of the UNC Pool Bond Program and the issuance of $1.5 billion in long-term, tax-exempt bonds; implementation of recommendations from President Bowles’ efficiency and effectiveness commission; creation of the NCSU/UNC-CH Commercial Paper Program; and helped guide the University through the fiscal crisis of 2008-2010.

Rob Nelson has been actively working with Universities for the last 5 years as a consultant with a focus on finance and operational efficiencies.  He has also served on the Legislative Commission to Study the Governance and the Adequacy of the Investment Authority of Various State-Owned Funds; the ECU Board of Visitors; the UNC Press Finance Committee and the Board of Directors of the Longleaf Press; and the Board of Directors of the UNC-TV Foundation.   His community activities include involvement with his church, the Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, youth basketball, and continues to be a strong family person and community supporter.

In addition to Mr. Nelson’s experience in the area of public finance, he has demonstrated a strong commitment to public service through both his professional career and his personal life.  He is knowledgeable, personable, dedicated, committed—and these attributes would enhance and guide the board through the years ahead.

Mr. Bob Newell | Board Member, 2015
Bob Newell is Chief Executive Officer of Franklin Street Partners. In addition, he leads the marketing and business development efforts for the firm. He retired as President of Wachovia Trust Company in January 2009, after 27 years with Wachiovia Bank.

Mr. Newell served on the board of Trustees of Peace College from 2002 until April 2009, where he chaired the Development Campaign and served on the Presidential Search Committee. Bob Newell is immediate past Chairman of IFB Solutions, a Winston Salem based nonprofit that is the largest employer of blind and visually impaired workers in the U.S. Mr. Newell is currently serving as Chair of the Investment Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina, managing the Diocesan funds under the direction of the Bishop and Trustees of the Church.

Mr. Newell received his B.A. in Business Management and Economics from NC State University in 1981. Bob Newell completed the Executives Institute of the Kenan Flagler Business School at UNC-Chapel Hill in 1988.

Mrs. Nan G. Strader | Board Member, 2016
After graduating from North Carolina State University, Nan was an Account Executive for Kidder Peabody & Co., San Francisco, and Assistant Vice President of Asset Management Marketing in New York. In 1989, she was an Institutional Consultant for the Manager’s Funds, Norwalk, CT; and in 1992, became Managing Director of Institutional Marketing and Client Service for Trainer, Wortham & Co., New York City. In 1997, she joined Seneca Capital Management, headquartered in San Francisco, CA, as Managing Director of Institutional Business Development.

In 2002, Nan co-founded Virginia Ventures, LLC, with her husband and Partner, Leighton Strader. They serve as Business Advisors and interim COO’s to Institutional asset management platforms, Multi-Family and Single Family Offices, and Consultants. Virginia Ventures is headquartered in Williamsburg, VA, and its clients are located in NYC, San Francisco, and Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Nan’s speaking engagements include topics covering Marketing/Sales and establishing marketing platforms; fiduciary responsibility and managing the RFP process. She served 10 years on the NC State University Foundation Board and currently serves on the NC State Investment Fund Board (past Chair) and the Fund’s Private Assets Committee and Nominations Committee. Nan has served on several Boards including Angel Guardians for the Elderly in NYC and Dream Catchers Therapeutic Riding Center, and the Williamsburg Winery in Williamsburg, VA. She also worked as Development Coordinator for Saint Francis Service Dogs for over two years.  

Mr. Jeff Smith | Board Member, 2015
Jeff Smith serves as the Director of Fixed Income at North Carolina Department of State Treasurer.  As Director, Mr. Smith’s role includes the oversight of $40 billion in internally managed fixed income assets within the Investments Division. 

He has 24 years institutional experience in the capital markets in multiple assets classes.  Mr. Smith is a graduate of North Carolina State University with a B.S. in Business Management and is a CFA charter holder.  He is an active member of the CFA North Carolina Society and previously served on the Board of Directors. 

Jeff currently serves as a member of the Executive Committee for the National Association of State Investments Professionals (NASIP) and was recognized by Institutional Investor Magazine as one of the Rising Stars of Public Funds in 2009.