Board of Directors

2024-2025 Board of Directors & Officers

President

Janko Trenkoski, CFA, CAIA

Email: [email protected]

Janko is a Financial Advisor with Merrill Lynch Wealth Management. Janko has more than 20 years of professional finance experience. Right after college graduation, in 1996, Janko started with Merrill Lynch in San Francisco, CA. Then, from 1998 to 2016, he spent his career in private equity investing, founding a start up company, and managing a public pension fund in Eastern Europe. Janko rejoined Merrill in 2017 as a part of the Greater Houston team. Janko assists select individuals and families in developing and implementing financial and wealth management strategies to manage their personal and business finances.

Janko holds a Bachelor's degree in Finance from McNeese State University. He is a CFA Charterholder, Certified Financial Planner professional and he also holds the Chartered Alternative Investment (CAIA) designation.

VP Programs

Jessica Seff, CFA

Email: [email protected] or [email protected]

Jessica Seff, Director of Mergers & Acquisitions at Statesman Business Advisors, has 17 years of experience in investment banking, fixed income, structuring, and corporate finance having worked for companies such as Lehman Brothers, Shell Trading, and Yes Prep Public Schools prior to joining Statesman. She is a CFA Charterholder and collaborates extensively with the CFA Society of Houston as their Membership Chair and Treasurer. She is also President-Elect of the Association of Corporate Growth (ACG) Houston, and holds her B.B.A. from Vanderbilt University and a Master’s degree from the London School of Economics. Jessica lives in Rice Village with her husband and two young daughters.

Treasurer & Secretary

Thomas Sartor, CFA

Email: [email protected]

Thomas Sartor is the Chief Investment Strategist at The Financial Advisory Group. Thomas’s responsibilities include investment research, portfolio construction, trading, financial planning, business development and he serves on the firm’s Investment Committee and Technology Committee. Thomas holds both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in finance from Louisiana State University and is a CFA® charterholder. He has been with the Financial Advisory Group since 2014 and is a shareholder.

Thomas is currently an active member of the CFA Society® Houston where he serves as the Treasurer/Secretary role and a member of the Financial Planning Association (FPA). 

Thomas was born in New York City and grew up in Northern Louisiana. When not working, Thomas enjoys spending time with his family, playing guitar, attending concerts and watching soccer matches. 

Director

Giovanna Carter, CFA, CAIA

Email: [email protected]

Giovanna Carollo Carter is a Managing Director at the Duncan Family Office. Previously she was an Investment Manager at Martin Currie Investment Management in Edinburgh, UK. She also held a variety of roles in invetsment management in Credit Suisse, Karrig Startegic Capital, Lehman Brothers, Collins Stewart and Unicredit, In London, UK and Milan, Italy.

Ms. Carter received an MBA from London Business School in London, UK and an undergraduate degree in Business Administration from Boccini University in Milan, Italy. Ms. Carter holds the CFA and CAIA designations.

Director

Steven Sheldon, CFA

Email: [email protected]

Steven is a Director and Senior Wealth Advisor with Mariner Wealth Advisors.  Steven has more than 20 years of professional finance experience. Prior to joining Mariner Wealth Advisors, he was principal of SMS Capital Management, LLC, a boutique wealth management firm he founded in 2002, to serve the needs of business owners, corporate executives, professionals and mass-affluent households.

Steven holds an MBA from Tulane University and a Bachelor's of Business Administration (BBA) from The University of Texas at Austin. He is a CFA^® charterholder and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER^™ professional.

Director

Jun Gu, CFA

Email:[email protected]

Jun Gu is a Partner, Head of Manager Research at Corient. She leads the manager research efforts for the firm's national investment platform and serves on the national investment committee. Previously, Ms. Gu was the Chief Investment Officer at the legacy firm Stavis & Cohen, where she joined in 2010. Prior to that, she worked as a financial journalist, focusing on the consumer sector. 

Ms. Gu holds the CFA designation and is a member of the CFA Institute & the CFA Society of Houston. Ms. Gu received an MBA from Rice University with concentrations in Finance and Accounting and a B.A. in Journalism from Fudan University in China.

Director

Lee Partridge, CFA

Email: [email protected]

Lee Partridge is a private investor with over 25 years of investment experience. Mr. Partridge served as the Chief Investment Officer of Salient Partners from December 2010 through October 2016. Previously, Mr. Partridge founded Integrity​ Capital to provide outsourced CIO services to public pension systems. He also held positions as the Deputy CIO and Director of Fixed Income for the Teacher Retirement System. During his early career, Mr. Partridge served in a variety of portfolio and risk management roles within the banking and insurance industries.

Mr. Partridge holds the CFA and CAIA designations and received an MBA from Rice University and a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Houston.

Director​

Jason S. Leder, CFA

Email: [email protected]

Director​

Brian Sharpe, CFA

Email: [email protected]

Director

Todd Centurino, CFA

Email: [email protected]

Todd Centurino is a Senior Director of Investments and Head of Private Markets for the Memorial Hermann Health System, a Houston-based hospital system with over $5B in assets. In this role, he is active in all investment office matters, but is especially focused on managing and overseeing the build-out of the systems Private Market allocation.

Previously, Mr. Centurino was the Chief Investment Officer at New Capital Management, a Houston-based Registered Investment Advisor, where he had responsibility for investment research, portfolio management, investment reporting, and trading. Prior to joining New Capital, Mr. Centurino was at Salient Partners, L.P. (four years), and the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (for six years). He began his career as an Investment Consultant with Fidelity Investments.

Mr. Centurino holds a bachelor's degree from Clemson University and an MBA from Rice University. He is a member of the Board of Overseers for the Rice University M.A. Wright Fund and is a CFA charterholder.