Private Debt & Equity

Steve Myers is a Vice President and Co-Head of the Private Debt & Equity team. Steve joined the company in 2008 and is responsible for all private debt and equity investment activities related to private equity fund investments and direct investments. He has more than 20 years of credit experience across both public and private leveraged finance markets. Throughout his career he has been involved with the origination, underwriting and management of private-equity-sponsored middle market loans. Prior to RGA, Steve was involved with the management of commercial credit, investment grade corporate bonds and private markets with Americo Life, Heller Financial, Merrill Lynch, and Bank of America. Steve serves on multiple fund advisory boards and is a Board Observer for five portfolio companies. He earned the right to use the Chartered Financial Analyst designation, and he received a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in finance from Indiana University and a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) in finance and entrepreneurship from DePaul University. Steve has been on the St. Louis JCC Board of Directors since 2014.

 

Kevin Prunty is Vice President and Co-Head of RGA’s Private Debt & Equity team. He is responsible for both direct and fund investments, focusing primarily on corporate subordinated debt and private equity. Kevin has more than 20 years of experience in all facets of corporate and leveraged finance, including origination, underwriting, structuring, and portfolio management across a wide range of industry sectors, as well as workout situations.

Prior to joining RGA in 2015, Kevin managed credit transactions for LaSalle Bank/ABN AMRO, Citigroup, Wachovia, M&I/Southwest Bank, and Parkside Financial. He also has direct equity investment experience with the family-owned manufacturing conglomerate Caparo Group and has directly managed more than $1 billion of credit exposure in his career. Kevin serves on multiple fund advisory boards and is a board observer for many portfolio companies.

Kevin received a Bachelor of Science in business administration from Washington University in St. Louis. He is a current board member and past president of the Association for Corporate Growth’s (ACG) St. Louis chapter and is also a member of the national Board of Governors for the Small Business Investor Alliance (SBIA). Kevin also serves on the board of Addiction is Real (AIR), a nonprofit organization focused on parent-based drug addiction prevention for young people.

Brett Parr is a Senior Director on RGA’s Private Debt & Equity team. He is responsible for both direct and fund investments, focusing primarily on corporate subordinated debt and private equity. Brett has more than a decade of experience in leveraged finance and lower middle market subordinated debt and private equity, including origination, underwriting, structuring, and portfolio management across a wide range of industry sectors. Prior to joining RGA in April 2017, Brett was a Vice President at Capital For Business, Inc.
(a subsidiary of Commerce Bancshares, Inc.), managing a portfolio of subordinate debt and equity investments. Prior to CFB, he began his career in the Leverage Finance Group at U.S. Bank, managing direct lending relationships with private equity groups. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (B.S.B.A.) from the University of Kansas and an Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) from the Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis. He is also a tenured member of the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG) and the Alliance of Merger and Acquisition Advisors (AM&AA).

Trevor Gibson is a Senior Director on RGA’s Private Debt & Equity team. He is responsible for both direct and fund investments, focusing primarily on corporate subordinated debt and private equity. Trevor has 12 years of experience in middle market commercial banking, including origination, underwriting, structuring, and portfolio management. Prior to joining RGA in May 2017, Trevor was a Director with BMO Harris Bank, responsible for originating new opportunities and managing a portfolio of middle market companies across a broad range of industries. Trevor started his career at LaSalle Bank in Chicago and St. Louis. After LaSalle was acquired, he was a relationship manager at First Bank and The PrivateBank, focusing on leveraged and non-leveraged transactions across multiple industries and working with both family-owned and private-equity-owned businesses. Trevor received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (B.S.B.A.) in finance from the University of Missouri and an Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) from the Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis. Prior to attending the University of Missouri, he served in the United States Navy as a Non Commissioned Officer and helicopter aircrewman.

 

 

Sam Panke is a Director on the Private Debt & Equity team. His primary focus is underwriting funds, subordinated debt, and equity co-investments in middle market companies alongside private equity sponsors.

Prior to joining RGA in April 2018, Sam was a Vice President in the Syndicated & Leveraged Finance group at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, where he had eight years of experience in structuring and executing a broad range of transactions, including leveraged buyouts and recapitalizations, across a diverse set of industries.

Sam received a Bachelor of Arts in economics from Vanderbilt University, and has studied at the London School of Economics with a focus on Intermediate Micro- and Macroeconomics. He also holds Series 7, 63, and 79 licenses.

Nick Careklas is a Director on the Private Debt & Equity team. His primary focus is underwriting funds, subordinated debt, and equity co-investments in middle market companies alongside private equity sponsors.

Prior to joining RGA in December 2017, Nick was a Senior Associate with PwC, a Big Four accounting and advisory firm. In this role, he was responsible for providing audit services to public and private companies across a wide array of industries, including publicly held retail and consumer products companies along with portfolio companies of middle market private equity funds. Nick received both a Bachelor of Science in accountancy and Master of Accountancy from the University of Missouri – Columbia. He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in the state of Missouri, and a member of American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA).

Bhabya Tewari is a Senior Associate on the Private Debt & Equity team. Her primary focus is underwriting funds, subordinated debt, and equity co-investments in middle market companies alongside private equity sponsors.

Bhabya joined the team in May 2018 after completing her Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) from Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis, prior to which she worked in the commercial and corporate banking industry in Mumbai, India. As a relationship manager, Bhabya was responsible for originating and underwriting commercial loans, and managing a portfolio of middle market companies across a broad range of industries. She specialized in corporate lending, trade and receivables finance, and structured loans. Bhabya has a Master of Finance degree from the London School of Economics (LSE), and received her Bachelor of Arts in economics and statistics from St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai.

Ben Dinehart is a Senior Associate on the Private Debt & Equity team. His primary focus is underwriting funds, direct debt, and equity co-investments in middle market companies alongside private equity sponsors.

Prior to joining RGA in February 2021, Ben was a relationship manager with the Regional Commercial Banking team at CIBC Bank USA in St. Louis, Missouri, where he had 10 years of experience in underwriting, structuring, and portfolio management across a diverse set of industries, including both leveraged and non-leveraged transactions, and working with family-owned and private-equity owned businesses.

Ben received a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in management and a Bachelor of Science Business Administration (B.S.B.A.) in accounting from Rockhurst University

In his role as Associate on the Private Debt & Equity team, Kyle Quatrochi primarily focuses on underwriting funds, subordinated debt, and equity co-investments in middle market companies alongside private equity sponsors.

Prior to joining RGA in 2019, Kyle was an Associate and then Senior Associate with PwC, a Big Four accounting and advisory firm. In this role, Kyle provided audit services to public and private companies in a variety of industries, including publicly traded retail and consumer products and portfolio companies of a middle market private equity fund.

Kyle received a Bachelor of Science in Accountancy, and a Master of Accountancy, from the University of Missouri-Columbia, and is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Missouri Society of CPAs.

Michael McNulty is an Associate on the Private Debt & Equity team. His primary focus is underwriting funds, direct debt, and equity co-investments in middle market companies alongside private equity sponsors.

Prior to joining RGA in 2021, Michael was Assurance Manager with PwC, a Big Four accounting and advisory firm. In this role, he was responsible for managing and providing audit services to public and private companies across a wide array of industries, including publicly held retail and consumer products companies along with portfolio companies of middle market private equity funds.

Michael received a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in accountancy and a Master of Accountancy (MAcc) from the University of Missouri - Columbia. He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in the state of Missouri, and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA).

As Analyst for RGA’s Private Debt & Equity team, Christie Lane performs in-depth diligence research on potential portfolio companies and private equity funds. Her responsibilities also include monitoring and evaluating financial reports and assessments, as well as analyzing historical fund performance for forecasting variable income. She has been with RGA since 2017.

Prior to joining the RGA Private Debt & Equity team in 2020, Christie spent over three years with RGA Commercial Real Estate Investments as a Real Estate Analyst. In this role, she monitored RGA’s $5.75B commercial mortgage loan portfolio and assisted RGA’s real estate field offices with loan modifications and restructurings.

Christie received a Bachelor of Health Science, magna cum laude, from the University of Missouri-Columbia, where she also minored in business administration.

As Analyst for RGA’s Private Debt & Equity team, Nick Marlo performs in-depth diligence research on potential portfolio companies and private equity funds. His responsibilities also include monitoring and evaluating financial reports and assessments, as well as analyzing historical fund performance for forecasting variable income.

Nick received a Bachelor of Science (magna cum laude) in business economics and finance from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

As Analyst for RGA’s Private Debt & Equity team, Matt Schau performs in-depth diligence research on potential portfolio companies and private equity funds. His responsibilities also include monitoring and evaluating financial reports and assessments, as well as analyzing historical fund performance for forecasting variable income.

Prior to joining RGA, Matt was an associate analyst at Fitch Ratings, one of the Big Three credit rating agencies. In his role, he was responsible for monitoring collatoralized loan obligation (CLO) transactions and assisting in structured credit market research.

Matt received a Bachelor of Science in business from Indiana University, where he majored in finance and international business.

As Senior Director, Portfolio Manager, Stan Beltramea leads the risk management and operational processes for tracking, monitoring and analyzing investments for RGA’s Private Debt & Equity team. He joined the company in 2020 with a background in both private lending and in financial reporting, planning and analysis.

Prior to RGA, Stan spent 10 years in corporate finance, most recently as Director of Finance at Mark Andy, and before that as Director of Financial Planning & Analysis at Armstrong Energy. He also has experience in commercial and investment banking, with previous roles with Wells Fargo, Bank One, and the Industrial Bank of Japan.

Stan received a Bachelor of Science degree from Illinois State University and a Master of Arts from the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University. He also received a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Indiana University.

As Senior Associate, Finance, Kassy Gardner’s primary focus is on the overall financial management of RGA’s Private Debt & Equity team, including reporting, valuation, pricing, performance monitoring, and financial systems.

Prior to joining RGA in 2018, Kassy was with Brown Smith Wallace, LLP, and with Centene Corporation. Her experience includes auditing and advisory services regarding public and private insurance companies, as well as financial monitoring and reporting of subsidized state-based health insurance marketplace exchanges.

Kassy received a Bachelor of Science in accounting from Missouri State University, and is a member of the Insurance Accounting & Systems Association, Inc. (IASA).

In his Senior Associate role on the Private Debt & Equity team, Ryan focuses on underwriting private equity funds, subordinated debt investments, and equity co-investments in middle market companies alongside private equity sponsors. He joined the company in 2019.

Prior to coming to RGA, Ryan worked as an investment banker for seven years in Minneapolis, MN where he was a vice president at Hennepin Partners and its predecessor firm, Quetico Partners. In that role, he completed 20 merger and acquisition transactions in the lower middle market with an aggregate value of more than $650 million. He was also an investment operations analyst at Thrivent Financial, where he provided trade support for various asset classes including equities, corporate and government bonds, mortgage-backed securities, commercial paper, convertible stock, derivatives, and syndicated bank loans. Ryan received a Bachelor of Science degree in finance from the University of Minnesota, and is a CFA charterholder.

In her role as Private Debt & Equity Analyst, Pam Hankins manages operations cash flow including all capital calls and fund distributions, the onboarding of new funds, equity investments and loans, as well as all operational aspects of loan management. She joined the company in 2013 as part of the investment department, where she served as Project Coordinator for five years.

Prior to joining RGA, Pam worked for A.G. Edwards & Sons, A.G. Edwards Trust Company, and Guarantee Electrical Company in roles including trainer, IT training coordinator, and office manager.

As Senior Vice President, Private Markets, David Clayton is responsible for managing the Private Debt and Equity platform, with current assets under management exceeding $1 billion. David also manages the lifetime mortgage asset class, a key strategic asset supporting RGA’s pension risk transfer business in the U.K., with holdings exceeding $700 million. David joined RGA in 2010 and was previously Chief Operating Officer of Investments, responsible for managing all financial reporting, budgeting, and operational aspects of the department. David was also an owner of the Project TRADE investments system infrastructure initiative that implemented FINDUR for derivatives, efront for alternative assets, and Markit Enterprise Data Management, integrating each with the department’s data warehouse. The project also included automating and implementing best-in-class processes. David has more than 35 years of experience in investments, asset management, finance, and accounting. David received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree (B.S.B.A.) in accounting from the University of Missouri – Columbia. David is a Certified Public Accountant (inactive).

As Senior Administrative Assistant for RGA Private Debt & Equity, Casey Hirtz is responsible for coordinating the many details of the team’s administrative operations, including travel, marketing, team support, and customer databases.

Casey joined RGA in 2021 with 16 years of experience in administrative support and customer relationship roles, most recently as Medical Assistant Receptionist with St. Luke’s Medical Group in Winghaven, Missouri.