Education

BA Geography, University of Northern Iowa, 2000

• Summa Cum Laude- 3.78 GPA
• Gamma Theta Upsilon (Geography Honor Society) Student Achievement Award-2000
• National Student Exchange with the University of North Carolina at Wilmington – Academic Year 1998-1999

MA Geography, University of Georgia, 2002 

• 3.8 GPA
• Outstanding Teaching Assistant Awards -2001+2002
• Thesis Focus: A Comparative Analysis of the Historical Economic Development of Hong Kong and Singapore
   

Why did you choose to attend UNI? What factors influenced your reason for studying your major?

My family moved to Cedar Falls when I was beginning junior high school.  I went on to graduate from Cedar Falls High School and quite literally spent my formative years around UNI.  Weekends at the UNI Dome attending football games, countless hours on the soccer fields, tennis courts, and indoor soccer at the UNI Dome during winter open public hours, were all examples of how UNI so positively impacts the town around it.  My parents also enjoyed concerts and plays there and I would occasionally join.   Academically, I was part of the gifted programs of the Cedar Falls School System and had occasional interactions with UNI through those programs.  In the end, what sealed the move for me was when my gifted advisor suggested that I go take College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) at UNI to see what general education courses I would be able to test out of.  After testing out of more than a semester worth of classes, the decision to put that head start to good use at UNI was an easy one.  

As far as why I picked my major, that is a very easy answer.  I quite literally grew up as a child of the world, having spent much of my youth abroad in such countries as Thailand, Liberia, and Singapore.  My mother is a native Singaporean, who is one of seven sisters.  Five of those sisters married and moved somewhere outside of Singapore and we spent many vacations visiting the various places they all lived.  Reading everything about the various countries we visited was a favorite hobby of mine.  Fast forward to me as a freshman at UNI, when I attended World Geography with Dr. Philip Suckling, who was the Geography Department Head at the time.  Coincidently, Dr. Suckling and I already knew each other since his daughter, Karla, and I were in the same class year at Cedar Falls.  Dr. Suckling and I met at his office a few weeks into that class, and I declared Geography as my major and he honored me by being an academic mentor from that point on.   

What do you do in your current position? 

I am founder, CEO, and CIO (Chief Investment Officer) of Everstar Asset Management, an asset management company based just north of Charlotte, N.C.  We have two primary lines of business.  One line of business is what you think about when you hear the term financial advisor.  Everstar Asset Management is also the investment manager of two internally operated private investment funds that are open to accredited or qualified investors.  

How did your major help prepare you for your current role? 

My two degrees in Geography helped to further shape and focus problem-solving skills that I utilize daily.   Geography is many things, but what has always fascinated me is how both the human and physical sides of our discipline focus on the interconnectivity of numerous factors.  There are many examples I could state, but one that comes to mind is when the Brumadinho dam disaster flooded one of the biggest iron ore mines in Brazil in 2019, I knew immediately to go invest in iron ore miners in Australia.  I also bought some dry bulk shipping companies that focus on seaborne transportation of iron ore since I knew shipping rates would rise as a result.  Every day, examples like that play out for my research team and I as we scour the world for opportunities.  I strongly believe that my worldly bias has been, and will continue to be, one of my biggest strengths as an investor.  

What is a memorable part of your studies or participation within your major?

First and foremost, would be the relationships I built.   To my fellow majors, it was a blast.   Alan Krantz, you were a particular inspiration to me.  Dean Reedy, Karla Suckling, Molly, and many others were friends and/or study partners.  Sandra Heller, the office admin at the time, was a warm face always looking out for us.   Geography professors Dr. Suckling, Dr. Dahms, Dr. Weller, Dr. Owusu, Dr. Austin, and the rest of the faculty, all took the time to really get to know and guide me both as a student and a person.  Outside of Geography, Dr. Yu (Political Science) and Dr. Jackson (Ecology) are names that immediately jump to mind.  

Truly it was people like those I listed above that made the experience for me at UNI.   I would also mention that my time spent at UNC-Wilmington on exchange was fantastic.  I would highly encourage others to think about the National Student Exchange Program that UNI offers.  I was able to expand my academic horizons by taking geography classes that focused on coastal issues and problems.  Shortly into my exchange year, I met my wife Claire, who was on an international exchange from England.  We have been inseparable ever since and are most proud of our children Izzie and Zach.   

What advice would you give to students currently interested in the same major and/or going into your career field?

Geography is a wonderful stand-alone major.  It also easily crosses over with other disciplines since geographical principles and concepts permeate most career paths.  I recently toured the UNI geography department, 21 years after I graduated.  I was blown away at the departmental facilities compared to when I was a major!  I really enjoyed my conversations while I was there with Dr. Welford, Dr. Dahms, Dr. Larsen and Sue Davis.  The department is in great hands and would be a great place to call home as your major.