Kari Niermann is a senior vice president on the investment team where she focuses on portfolio management, seeks new investment opportunities and interacts with portfolio companies to assess their current and future capital needs.  

Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Kari served as an assistant vice president in the Leveraged Finance Group at U.S. Bank, where she was responsible for analyzing, underwriting and assisting in the structuring of syndicated leveraged senior debt transactions for business mergers and acquisitions, recapitalizations and capital expenditure purchases, as well as the management of a $350 million portfolio comprised of more than 20 clients. Earlier in her career, Kari worked as a commercial banking officer for BMO Harris, formerly Southwest Bank, where she managed a $25 million middle market portfolio of clients in a wide range of industries within the commercial and industrial sector.

Kari received her bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in finance from Saint Louis University.

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Sonny Nunes, vice president and tax counsel, is involved in all aspects of the firm’s tax credit syndication practice, tax planning, and entity structuring and restructuring.  He is an experienced tax attorney with experience as a private practitioner and in-house counsel.  

Prior to joining the firm, Sonny was a partner in the law firm of Jones, Walker where he served a diverse client base as a trusted tax advisor.  After leaving Jones, Walker, Sonny spent a time with KPMG’s M&A tax group in New York and then served as vice president, tax counsel at American Express Company.

Sonny received an LL.M with a concentration in tax from New York University, a J.D. from Tulane Law School, and a BBA with a concentration in accounting from the University of Notre Dame.

Justin Obletz is a managing director and chief financial officer at Advantage Capital, based in the New Orleans office. In his role, Justin manages the accounting, tax, and financial planning & analysis functions of the firm. Prior to his role as chief financial officer, Justin was a member of the investment team. He is an experienced multi-stage investor, having worked across the firm’s investment programs to evaluate and structure transactions, as well as monitor portfolio company investments. He currently serves on the board of directors of TurboSquid, Lamm Food Service and the Louisiana Technology Fund.

Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Justin worked in the New Ventures division of Trader Publishing Company in various strategic and operational roles. He began his professional career in the Assurance and Advisory Business Services group at Ernst & Young.

Justin received his MBA from the Darden School at the University of Virginia and a bachelor’s degree in accountancy from the University of Notre Dame. He is a certified public accountant (inactive).

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Mary Perren is a community relations specialist at Advantage Capital where she works to engage and promote community relations and opportunities.

Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Mary worked at the Starke County Economic Development Foundation as an executive assistant. In that role she oversaw the annual Starke Tank Countywide Small Business Pitch Competition and assisted with various business growth, retention, and development projects. Perren is an avid animal lover who serves on the Starke County Humane Society Board of Directors. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Indianapolis.

Tim Perusek is a principal at Advantage Capital. As a member of the Investment group, he is responsible for sourcing, due diligence and valuation analysis of current and prospective investments. Tim supports the firm’s Southeast investment footprint.

Tim joins us most recently from SunTrust, where he served as a senior vice president in the Corporate Finance Specialty Group. Prior to SunTrust, he spent 27 years at GE Capital, working in a variety of corporate finance roles including regional management, business development and underwriting and credit.

Tim holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Florida.

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Keith Pettus is a tax credit equity veteran with more than a decade of experience sourcing and structuring investment opportunities. As a principal on the Advantage Capital Renewable’s Capital Markets team, he will focus on sourcing new, and expanding existing, investor relations.

Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Keith spent more than five years with JP Morgan Chase building out its market leading Historic Tax Credit Equity platform.

Keith received his bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from Lehigh University and is a CFA and CAIA Charterholder.

Nicole Pilié is the director of program compliance at Advantage Capital. As a member of the government-guaranteed lending team, she primarily focuses on the determination, management and reporting of New Market Tax Credit compliance guidelines.

Prior to joining the firm, Nicole served as a third-party liability adjuster with Hanover Insurance Group.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in history with a minor in psychology from the University of New Orleans.

Jack Plaster is a member of the solar group, focused on development. Within this group, he focuses on new business development, financial and budgeting and due diligence. He has previously had internships in Wealth Management with Stifel and was an ESG Analyst at Aristeia Capital.

Jack received his bachelor’s degree in business with a major in finance from Miami University.

Leslie Powell is vice president of the syndication asset management team. With a strong background in affordable housing financing, his responsibilities include overseeing the asset management function and managing the syndication asset portfolio to ensure activities align with the firm's and business unit's risk appetite and risk management framework.

Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Leslie held positions in underwriting and asset management within PNC Bank's Real Estate Tax Credit Solutions division. In his asset management roles, Leslie managed a large portfolio of LIHTC investments throughout the country and was responsible for the continuous evaluation of investments. In his underwriting roles, Leslie was responsible for understanding complex financial and tax issues related to Section 42 of the IRS Tax Code as well as analyzed transaction structures and key principles of affordable housing projects to make recommendations regarding the suitability of projects for syndication or acquisition by the bank.

Leslie holds an MBA from Bellarmine University and bachelor's degree in finance from North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University. In addition, Leslie earned a certificate in accounting from the University of Louisville.

Damon Rawie is a seasoned investor and managing director at Advantage Capital. Based in Austin, Damon heads the firm’s overall equity investment operations. In this role, his responsibilities include managing members of the firm’s investment group and coordinating Advantage Capital’s equity investment strategies. In addition, Damon is an active multi-stage investor for the firm. He evaluates potential investments, performs due diligence and structures transactions. His investment experience covers a variety of industries including new media, business services, software and energy technology.

Damon provides administrative, financial and strategic planning support to Advantage Capital portfolio companies, and he serves as a member of the board of directors for a number of the firm’s portfolio companies. He is also a board member of the Texas Coalition for Capital, a non-profit statewide organization that supports various economic development initiatives including job creation and access to capital for emerging businesses.

Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Damon worked in investment banking and operational consulting. He was a manager at China International Capital Corporation (CICC), a Morgan Stanley/China Construction Bank joint venture investment bank in Beijing. Before working with CICC, Damon was a management consultant at Price Waterhouse and an investment banking analyst at J.P. Morgan Securities.

Damon holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business and a bachelor’s degree from Wesleyan University.

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Marjorie Reed is an associate with InState Partners where she focuses on the firm’s economic development, public policy and public finance initiatives at the state and local levels.

Prior to joining the InState team, she was a Project Assistant on the Intellectual Property team at Latham & Watkins LLP. Marjorie previously served as an Associate Director in the Office of Strategic Initiatives at the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC).

Marjorie received her bachelor’s in Economics with a minor in Development Economics from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

George Revock is an associate at Advantage Capital. As a member of the solar investment team, George focuses on sourcing investments, performing due diligence, structuring transactions and portfolio management.

Prior to joining Advantage Capital, George worked for CohnReznick Capital, where he focused on financial structuring and modeling, due diligence, and transaction management for solar, wind, and battery storage project finance and M&A transactions.

George received his bachelor's degree in business administration with a concentration in finance from the Robins School of Business at the University of Richmond.

Loren Richard is an Accounting Administrator at Advantage Capital, where she assists with various duties for the firm's accounting team.

Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Loren worked at Brock Services, LLC as an accounting billing clerk, where she supported the project managers with creating monthly invoices generated for the work done on projects in the southern region.

In addition to her role at Advantage Capital, Loren enjoys crafting, baking homemade dog treats, and most importantly, being a great mother to her son Nicholas.

Loren received her bachelor’s degree in business management with a minor in business administration from Xavier University of Louisiana.

Cynthia Coleman is executive assistant to the president at Advantage Capital. In this role, she maintains overall office operations and procedures and manages many day-to-day functions of the company.

Cynthia has 15 years of experience in executive assistant and management roles. Before joining the firm, she served as the wine club manager at a local Napa winery for several years and the store manager at the GH Bass Outlets in Napa and Folsom, California and the Village of Oak Creek in Arizona.

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Jim Roach is a Vice President at Advantage Capital.  In his role he works with the firm’s capital markets team focusing on investor relations and capital formation efforts.  

Jim has over 20 years of experience in the Financial Services industry leading sales teams, developing talent, creating sales strategies, and building distribution teams.  Previously, Jim was at Natixis Investment Managers as the former Head of Sales for Natixis Canada and led distribution efforts for the Industry’s first ESG Target Date Fund.  

Jim holds a bachelor's degree in Accounting from the University of Connecticut.

Christen Roberts is an assistant accounting manager at Advantage Capital, where she is responsible for recording activity and preparing financial statements for several of the firm’s entities.

Prior to joining the firm, Christen worked in the accounting offices of Slidell Oil Company and Great American RV Superstores, where she managed the receivables, payables, title and billing, and payroll departments.  Additionally, Christen worked in the audit practices of LaPorte CPAs & Business Advisors, a regional public accounting firm based in the New Orleans metro area, for 12 years. In that role, she served public and private clients in a variety of industries, including governmental, non-profit, financial institutions, broker-dealers, oil and gas, and healthcare.

Christen received a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from the University of South Carolina and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Southeastern Louisiana University. Additionally, she is a notary public in the state of Louisiana.

Keyaire Robertson is a seasoned HR professional with a strong educational background and years of experience in the field. Holding both a Bachelor of Science in Human Resources and a Master of Science in Human Resource Leadership and Development from LSU in Baton Rouge, Keyaire has honed her expertise in the intricacies of HR management.

With a solid foundation from his academic pursuits, Keyaire has applied her knowledge in various roles, including her most recent position as an HR Specialist at a small community bank. Over her 8 years in the field, she has developed a deep understanding of HR practices and policies, making her a valuable asset in any HR team.

Outside of work, Keyaire enjoys spending weekends out with friends, soaking up sunny weather, and hunting for a good sale. Her vibrant personality and passion for HR make her a well-rounded professional, dedicated to both her career and personal interests.

Josh Rogers is a principal at Advantage Capital. As a member of the investment team, he is responsible for helping to source investments, perform due diligence, structure transactions and manage portfolio companies.

Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Josh was an equity research associate covering mid and large-cap U.S. banks at ISI Group, now Evercore Partners. At UBS Investment Bank in New York, he was an investment banking analyst and an equity research associate director covering financials and healthcare services, as well as IT.

Josh received his MBA from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business and his bachelor’s degree in economics from Harvard College.

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Gabe Rosen is a vice president  at Advantage Capital. As a member of the firm’s investment team, he focuses on sourcing investments, performing due diligence, structuring transactions and portfolio management.

Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Gabe worked at Goldman Sachs where he held roles analyzing and evaluating several asset classes.

Gabe received his bachelor’s degree in economics as well as his MBA from Harvard University.

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Valentino Rovere is a vice president at Advantage Capital. In this role, he works closely with portfolio companies, focusing on turnaround and liquidation.

Valentino first established a relationship with Advantage Capital in 1988. The firm invested in a New Orleans hotel development for which he was a managing partner and, later, a real estate consultant after the property was sold to be redeveloped as housing. In addition to his knowledge of real estate investing and turnaround business management, Valentino has nearly three decades of experience in hospitality management throughout the world. After beginning at his family’s restaurant Vittorio in his native San Remo on the Italian Riviera, he has owned and run three New Orleans area restaurants.

Philip Ruppel is a principal and a member of the firm’s investment team. His responsibilities include sourcing new deals as well as providing due diligence and valuation analysis for current and prospective investments.

Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Philip worked for Navigation Capital Partners in Atlanta, Georgia, where he was responsible for evaluating prospective investments, conducting due diligence of investments, executing transactions and monitoring portfolio companies. He also spent time in New York working as an investment banking analyst for Bear Stearns.

Philip received his MBA from the Goizueta Business School at Emory University and his bachelor’s degree in economics and business administration from Rhodes College.

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Betsy Scallan Avila is a assistant accounting manager at Advantage Capital. As a senior staff accountant, she is responsible for recording activity and preparing financial statements for several of the firm’s entities.

Prior to joining the firm, Betsy worked as an accountant for Allied Capital and PL Midstream, with a focus on accounting for entities in the private equity and oil and gas industries, respectively.

She received her bachelor’s degree in accounting from Louisiana Tech University and a certificate in project management from Louisiana State University.

Tom Schaefer is a Senior Vice President on the LIHTC Syndication Team, where he is primarily responsible for managing the finance relationships and overseeing the underwriting team and process. His career has covered a wide range of responsibilities including investing, underwriting, and lending in both the Federal and State Tax Credit space.

Prior to joining Advantage Capital, he was the Senior Vice President – Market Credit Officer for the greater Missouri and Southern Illinois markets of Busey Bank. While at Busey, Tom was charged with managing a team of underwriters and analysts, the bank’s tax credit lending portfolio and co-managing the bank’s tax credit investment opportunities.

Tom holds his MBA from the Olin School of Business at Washington University and a bachelor’s degree in finance and accounting from the University of Dayton.

Cara Schiffman is senior vice president on the compliance team at Advantage Capital. Previously, she served as vice president of regulatory affairs.

Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Cara practiced regulatory compliance and consumer defense law at Sessions, Fishman, Nathan & Israel, LLC. During her tenure, she managed regulator and agency administrative proceedings, consulted with colleagues on Federal Trade Commission investigations and routinely interacted with State Attorneys General, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and state licensing agencies.

Cara received her J.D. cum laude from Loyola University School of Law, where she was a member of the Law and Technology Annual and earned a certificate in international law. She earned her bachelor’s summa cum laude from Louisiana State University, where she majored in international trade and finance with a minor in French.

Sam Schlichting is a senior associate at Advantage Capital. As a member of the firm’s investment team, he is responsible for sourcing investments, supporting business development efforts and providing due diligence support.

He graduated from Colgate University with a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry. While attending Colgate, Sam was a member of the football team.

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Greg Schwarztrauber is a principal and leads our tax team at Advantage Capital. As part of the tax team, he focuses on tax issues facing the firm’s investment funds and performs tax and financial analysis in connection with new transactions, existing funds and exit opportunities. Greg brings over 30 years of varied income tax and accounting experience to the firm.

Prior to joining Advantage Capital, he worked at Anheuser-Busch where he served as a Senior Director, Tax Strategy. His duties primarily focused on M&A transactional planning along with implementing tax efficient operating structures.  Before joining Anheuser-Busch, Greg spent seven years as the head of tax for XTRA Lease, a national transportation equipment leasing business owned by Berkshire Hathaway.  In addition, Greg worked as a Senior Manager in the tax consulting practice at KPMG where he provided services to clients operating in a variety of industries.  

Greg received an undergraduate degree in Accounting from Southern Illinois University – Carbondale, a Master of Taxation from the University of Illinois and a MBA from Washington University in St. Louis.  Greg is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of Missouri, a member of the AICPA, Missouri Society of CPAs and former President of the Tax Executives Institutes, St. Louis Chapter.

Ally Shea is an analyst at Advantage Capital on their investment team, where she is responsible for sourcing investments and providing due diligence support.

Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Ally was a finance intern at Northwestern Mutual.

Alley received her bachelor’s degree in finance and economics with a minor in accounting from Saint Anselm College.

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Jonah Simpson is an analyst at Advantage Capital. As a member of the syndication team, he is responsible for asset management of affordable properties within the company’s portfolio.

Jonah interned for Advantage on two separate occasions prior to his joining the team, supporting the syndication business line in its efforts to provide access to affordable housing through the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit.

Jonah received his bachelor’s degree in business with a major in finance from Miami University.

Talmadge Singer is a managing director at Advantage Capital. He has extensive experience raising capital for and structuring tax credit equity incentivized funds, closing both levered and unlevered funds in excess of $1.5 billion. Talmadge has also syndicated more than $1.45 billion of state and federal tax credits. In addition to his fundraising functions, he supports Advantage Capital’s national expansion efforts, focusing on government relations at the federal level.

Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Talmadge was an associate in the Corporate and Securities practice group at Thompson & Knight LLP where he focused on fund formation, securities law and mergers and acquisitions.

Talmadge earned his J.D. from the Dedman School of Law at Southern Methodist University and was a member of the SMU Law Review Association. He earned his bachelor’s degree in English from Louisiana State University.

Debbie Singer is a Senior Vice President at Advantage Capital. With nearly 15 years of experience in New Markets Tax Credits (NMTC), public-private partnerships, the negotiation of credits and incentives, Tax Increment Finance (TIF), and various structured finance transactions, Debbie is a seasoned real estate, legal and financial executive.

Most recently, Debbie was the Leader of the Great Lakes Credits & Incentives practice at RSM in Chicago, IL, where she was responsible for all public-private partnership projects—including tax credits and negotiated incentives—for the firm’s Great Lakes clients and for all NMTC projects across the country. Debbie received her J.D. and master’s in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Wisconsin and her bachelor’s in Economics and Political Science from Washington University in St. Louis.