Erik Barefield is a Senior Managing Director and Head of Mesirow Traditional Investment Management. In this capacity, he is responsible for providing strategic oversight and leadership on all aspects of the traditional investment management platform including competitive positioning, product development, distribution, and collaboration both within and between the businesses. He is also a member of Mesirow’s Board of Directors.

Erik returned to Mesirow in 2020, after having transitioned to Lighthouse Investment Partners following their acquisition of Mesirow Advanced Strategies in 2018. He joined Mesirow Advanced Strategies in 2005 and served as the Head of the Global Client Relationship team. Prior to joining Mesirow in 2005, Erik spent over 11 years as an institutional salesperson in the Fixed Income Group at Morgan Stanley.

Erik serves as Vice Chairman, Chair of the Investment Committee and member of the Executive Committee for Metropolitan Family Services. In addition, he is a member of the Executive Committee of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, member of the Board of Directors of Frontier Funds, Inc., and a member of the Board of Directors of the DePaul College Prep.

Erik received a Bachelor of Science in finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Master of Business Administration from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.