Industry and Faculty Advisors
Starting fall of 2024, distinguished alumni will be available throughout the term to help students in the fund develop their investment theses.
Joshua Kaufman- Co-Founder, Brenner West Capital Partners
Joshua W. Kaufman co-founded and co-managed Brenner West Capital Partners, a value-oriented investment partnership, from 2005-2019. The firm, which had peak assets under management of $1.6 billion, built a successful track record for its clients that significantly exceeded market returns net of all fees over that time. Brenner West utilized an investment strategy that featured deep fundamental research to support multi-year investments in publicly traded companies.
Prior to co-founding Brenner West, Joshua worked for two other family investment firms, MSD Capital & Korsant Partners. He began his career in the Investment Banking Division of Goldman, Sachs & Co focused on advising companies in the media, communications and entertainment sectors.
Joshua graduated with a BBA with high distinction from the University of Michigan Business School in 2000. He has been an active participant in numerous non-profit organizations including most recently serving on the Board of the Boys & Girls Harbor.
Today, Joshua is primarily focused on managing his family investment office. He invests across a broad spectrum of public and private asset classes. He and his wife and three children live in Westchester County.
Pedram Nezafat is a Finance lecturer at the Ross School of Business and the faculty advisor of Tozzi trading center. He received his PhD in Electrical Engineering and his PhD in Finance from the University of Minnesota. His areas of expertise are empirical and theoretical asset pricing. He has presented at annual meetings of the American Finance Association, the Western Finance Association, and the European Finance Association. His research has been published in the Review of Financial Studies, Journal of Economic Theory, and Journal of Corporate Finance. He teaches both undergraduate and MBA courses at University of Michigan and has been awarded several teaching awards.
Kai Petainen is the manager of Tozzi trading center at the Ross School of Business. Petainen is featured in Matthew Schifrin’s book, “The Warren Buffetts Next Door: The World’s Greatest Investors You’ve Never Heard Of and What You Can Learn From Them”. He’s also a contributing blogger at Forbes. Petainen had articles in Forbes, MoneyShow.com, Welt Am Sonntag, the San Francisco Chronicle, Santa Cruz Sentinel, MSN Money, Financial Post, the Globe and Mail, and many others.
Student Leadership Team
Tejas Gumudavelly-President
Tejas is a senior from Northville, Michigan. He is currently pursuing a BBA degree emphasizing in finance and minoring in computer science. Last summer, he worked as an investment banking summer analyst for Financial Technology (FT) Partners in New York. He has also previously interned in corporate finance and data analytics. On campus, Tejas is the Maize and Blue Endowment Fund President, as well as the VP for Professional Development in the Michigan Investment Group, and a CDO Finance Peer Coach. Outside of class, he likes to play sports, video games, and poker. Please reach out to gtejas@umich.edu with any questions you may have about the Maize & Blue Endowment Fund.
Sajiv Shah- Vice President
Sajiv Shah is a junior from Crystal Lake, Illinois. He is currently pursuing a BBA and minoring in mathematics. He has previous experience interning for Investcorp in institutional capital raising and for U.S. Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi. Next summer, he will be interning in investment banking in New York. In addition to serving as VP of the Fund, Sajiv serves as VP of Investing for the Michigan Investment Group, writes for satire newspaper The Every Three Weekly, assists with research on the gig economy, and participates in the Erb Institute Undergraduate Fellowship. Please feel free to reach out at sajiv@umich.edu.
Zevik Citron- Vice President of Community Engagement
Zevik Citron is a junior BBA student from Davis, California. He works in the nonprofit sector and has previous experience as a private equity intern at Berg Lake Ascension. Next summer, he will be interning in investment banking in New York. At the University of Michigan, Zevik is involved in MEG Consulting Group and the Alternative Investments Club. In his spare time, he enjoys playing soccer and listening to ’70s soul music. Please feel free to connect at zcitron@umich.edu.
Valarie Sherr- Portfolio Manager
Valarie Sherr is a junior from West Bloomfield, Michigan. She is currently pursuing a BBA with minors in computer science and quantitative methods in the social sciences. She has previous experience interning in software buyout at Permira advisors as well as proptech venture capital at Nine Four Ventures. Next summer, she will be interning in technology investment banking. Outside of the fund, Valarie is involved in Michigan Interactive Investments and the Quantitative Investment Society. She also enjoys hiking, chess, and playing the piano in her spare time. Please feel free to reach out at vsherr@umich.edu.