Ben Blakney is President of Mesirow Institutional Real Estate Direct He is responsible for the development and strategic implementation of capital and client solutions He has more than 30 years of investment industry experience as a senior executive in both the public and private sectors He sits on the IRED Investment Committee and is also a member of Mesirow’s Board of Directors Prior to joining…

Bill Gumbert is a Managing Director in Mesirow Public Finance With 35 years experience in the municipal capital markets Bill has coordinated the successful completion of over $150 billion in financings to support the needs of local communities Recognizing the importance of public education in local communities he specializes in supporting the needs of school districts across Texas Prior to…

Boden Pollack is Analyst Asset Management of Mesirow Alternative Credit  Prior to joining Mesirow Boden served as an Analyst at Bastion Management where his responsibilities included portfolio monitoring and unit economic modeling Bastion joined Mesirow in December 2024 Before joining Bastion Boden was a Researcher in the Wake Forest University Department of Mathematics and a Data Analyst Intern…

Brad Schrage CFA is a Senior Research Scientist specializing in research initiatives for Mesirow Financial’s Currency Management Team He has over 14 years of currency management experience In previous roles within the Currency Team at Mesirow and Russell Investments he has optimized alpha portfolio construction written and maintained the code base for portfolio implementation co-authored…

Brad Karelitz is a member of the investor relations and business development team and is responsible for distribution of Mesirow Private Equity’s investment capabilities to institutional investors and investment consultants Prior to joining Mesirow in 2021 Brad was a Vice President of Investor Relations at HarbourVest Before that he held various roles at Columbia Threadneedle Investments Brad…

Brandon Kerndt is a Managing Director and Wealth Advisor in Mesirow Wealth Management He works closely with clients and their external advisors in order to implement comprehensive wealth management plans with asset protection strategies designed to help clients accumulate manage and preserve wealth Brandon has 28 years of experience in the financial services industry executing tactical asset…

Brenda Bernstein is a Vice President in Mesirow Executive Benefit Services She is responsible for the design of corporate-owned life insurance (COLI solutions to address client needs She provides financial analysis that includes carrier illustrations and competitive comparisons as well as other due diligence and client support Brenda has 26 years of experience working with COLI and BOLI products…