Jay Braden is Senior Managing Director, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Investment Officer of Bastion, A Mesirow Company. 

Before joining Mesirow, Jay was the founder, Chief Executive Officer, and Chief Investment Officer of Bastion Management. Prior to founding Bastion in 2013, Jay was President of Castillo, LLC, a US investment firm, and before that, he served as Managing Director and Co-Head of High Yield at Wachovia Securities where he led a team of 60+ professionals. Earlier in his career, Jay also held senior roles at Smith Barney and Bear Stearns. 

Jay holds a B.A. from Roanoke College and an MBA from The Wharton School.