SMF Fund Managers are selected through a highly competitive application process. Each team has three fund managers, with one Lead Manager per team. Student Fund Managers apply the knowledge they learn in the classroom to real investment portfolios, traditionally earning impressive returns even in today’s volatile economic environment.
| SMF Investment Team: Undergraduate |
CO-LEAD MANAGER
Steven Gasparini
Undergraduate Student – Senior
Major: Finance
| Steven Gasparini is a senior Finance major and Economics minor at the University of Connecticut. In addition to the Student Managed Fund, Steven has been an active member of UConn’s Finance Society since 2013 and holds an Executive Board position as Current Events Contributor. During the summer of 2015, Steven interned at GE Capital within the company’s Financial Management Program and worked as a Risk Valuations intern at GE Capital Aviation Services. Steven is from Norwalk, Connecticut and in his free time enjoys watching sports and staying physically active and fit. Upon graduation, Steven hopes to pursue a career in Portfolio and Investment Management. |
CO-LEAD MANAGER
Rob Tavernier
Undergraduate Student – Senior
Major: Mathematics – Actuarial Science – Finance
| Rob Tavernier is a senior honors student at the University of Connecticut majoring in Mathematics-Actuarial Science-Finance. In addition to being on the Student Managed Fund team, Rob is the president of Gamma Iota Sigma, a professional fraternity with a focus on Insurance, Risk Management, and Actuarial Science. He has received credit for five actuarial examinations, and is currently pursuing his Fellowship through the Society of Actuaries. He has interned at Milliman, MassMutual, and Ernst & Young, and he will be working at Ernst & Young upon graduation in the Insurance and Actuarial Advisory Service area. In his free time, Rob enjoys skiing, golf, and spending time with friends and family. |
PORTFOLIO MANAGER
Sean Elliott
Undergraduate Student – Senior
Major: Finance
|
Sean Elliott is currently a senior at the University of Connecticut pursuing a degree in Finance. This past summer, Sean interned at Aetna in the Integration Finance department to analyze synergy opportunities for the acquisition of Humana. Sean is originally from Sandy Hook, Connecticut, and enjoys spending time with friends and family. Outside of the classroom, Sean is the President of the UConn Club Tennis Team. Upon graduation, Sean hopes to pursue a career in Finance.
|
TREASU
RER/SECRETARY
Joseph Cotton
Undergraduate Student – Senior
Major: Finance
| Joe Cotton is a senior Finance major from Cheshire, Connecticut who is also minoring in Criminal Justice at UConn. In addition to being the Secretary and Treasurer of the Student Managed Fund, he is also a member of the UConn Honors Program and the Special Program in Law. Joe is currently the President of the UConn branch of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. He has worked under Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen in the Consumer Protection Department and has been an International Trade Compliance intern at Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation. Joe spends his free time water-skiing, scuba-diving, and volunteering for his hometown baseball league, the Cheshire Challengers, a league designed to accommodate children with special needs. Upon graduation he hopes to pursue a career in Investment Management. |
WEB MANAGER
Taylor VanFleet
Undergraduate Student – Senior
Major: Finance
|
Taylor VanFleet is a senior in the Honors Program pursuing a degree in Finance with a minor in Professional Sales Leadership at the University of Connecticut. This past summer, Taylor interned at Virtus Investment Partners in Hartford, splitting her time between the sales desk and Newfleet Asset Management. She has also interned at Tudor Investment Corporation in Greenwich, CT. Taylor is from Southport, CT and enjoys the outdoors, cooking and spending time with her family and close friends. |
Sean Phelan
Undergraduate Student – Senior
Major: Finance
| Sean is a senior finance major in the Honors Program at UConn. He interned with Conning Asset Management this summer on the Portfolio Management Team. His sophomore summer, he interned with McLagan, a financial services consulting firm. Sean is interested in pursuing a career in investment management following graduation, and has long term career goals of working in private equity. Outside of the SMF, Sean has studied abroad in Ireland, is the Vice President of the Finance Society, and is a consultant with the UConn Consulting Group. Sean is from Ridgefield, CT, and enjoys playing golf and watching sports in his free time. |
Thomas Delaney
Undergraduate Student – Senior
Major: Finance
| Tom Delaney is a senior at the University of Connecticut pursuing a degree in Finance. This past summer, Tom was a Municipal Credit Summer Analyst at Liberty Mutual Investments in Boston, where he worked within their Global Credit Division. Here he gained valuable experience in analyzing the issues affecting municipal debt markets and the sector’s long-term credit outlook. The prior summer he worked at Private Client Resources, a firm specializing in investor services and financial reporting in Wilton, CT. In addition to the Student Managed Fund, he is an active member of the Finance Society and a drummer for the UConn Band. Tom is from Southbury, Connecticut and in his spare time he enjoys exercising and playing music. |
Romanna Romaniv
Undergraduate Student – Senior
Major: Finance & Human Rights
| Roma Romaniv is a senior in the Honors Program at the University of Connecticut, pursuing dual degrees in Finance and Human Rights. Over the summer, Roma was a Summer Analyst in the Institutional Clients Group at Citigroup. In previous summers Roma gained experience working for a large insurance company, as well as volunteering in Guatemala with the Social Entrepreneurship Corp. On campus Roma has been an active leader in the UConn Consulting Group, the Ukrainian Student Association, and Student Government. Upon graduation Roma will return to Citi as an equity capital markets analyst. In the future she hopes to attend graduate school and become more involved in social impact investing and social enterprise. In her free time, she enjoys watching foreign films, traveling, and trying new foods. |
Tami Stawicki
Undergraduate Student – Senior
Major: Finance & Actuarial Science
| Tami Stawicki is a senior at the University of Connecticut pursuing a dual degree in Finance and Actuarial Science. Tami has passed two of the Society of Actuaries’ exams and plans on taking another before graduating in the spring. Over the summer, Tami was an actuarial intern at AXA Equitable where she independently developed and programmed various tools to create efficiency for the Capital Forecasting team. In addition to being a member of the Student Managed Fund, Tami volunteers weekly with Community Outreach, works at UConn’s Math Department, and is a member of Alpha Epsilon Phi sorority. After graduation, Tami hopes to work in an actuarial role with investments. Tami is from Fairfield, CT and in her free time enjoys long distance running and spending time with family and keeping up with the Kardashians. |
Taishi Kato
Undergraduate Student – Senior
Major: Finance
| Taishi Kato is currently a senior at the University of Connecticut pursuing a degree in Finance. Over the summer, Taishi was a summer analyst at Tanaka Capital Management, where he focused on equity research. In addition to being a member of the Student Managed Fund, Taishi is involved on campus as the President of the Mock Wall Street Club and a member of the Finance Society. Taishi is from Riverside, Connecticut and hopes to pursue a career in investment management upon graduation. |
Tommy Stodolski
Undergraduate Student – Senior
Major: Finance
| Tommy is currently a senior pursuing a degree in Finance with a minor in Economics and a certificate in Real Estate. Last summer, he was a Financial Management Program Intern for Liberty Mutual in Boston, MA in their Investments department. The prior summer he interned at Ironwood Capital, which is a private equity firm located in Avon, CT. |
Jason Mraz
Undergraduate Student – Senior
Major: Finance
| Jason Mraz is a senior finance major in the Honors Program at the University of Connecticut. On campus, Jason is very involved with the UConn Consulting Group (UCG), a relatively new experiential learning organization on campus that works on real consulting projects for both the University and private corporations. Last year with UCG, he led a project working with UConn Athletics to change their basketball ticket selling strategy. Jason is also heavily involved with the professional business fraternity, Delta Sigma Pi. In his free time, Jason enjoys playing basketball, skiing, and watching professional football and college basketball. He is also an avid traveler and hopes to travel to either Africa or South America after graduation. |