Our Team.

Audrey supports loan execution and portfolio management for the Private Credit team. Prior to her work at New Island Capital, Audrey underwrote credit products across a variety of borrowers, including Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) during her time with Wells Fargo and large-cap technology companies with Bank of America. Audrey holds a BS from the Walter A. Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley. Outside of work, Audrey spends most of her time using food to cultivate community, a sentimental way of saying “doing a lot of dishes.”

Chris directs New Island Capital’s portfolio strategy and company operations while leading investments in farms and forests. In past roles, Chris was involved in community-based watershed restoration in rural northwestern California and supported the launch of Cambridge Associates’ Mission-Related Investment program. Chris holds an MBA from the School of Management at Yale University and a BS from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University. Chris owns and operates a small farm in Marin County focused on organic vegetable and fruit production.

Constanza Asfura-Heim manages real estate investment opportunities for New Island Capital including sourcing, evaluating, and executing mission-aligned opportunities. Prior to joining New Island Capital, Constanza spent over a decade working for a mission-based educational institution in the Hawaiian Islands. Constanza holds an MBA from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and a BA from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Constanza enjoys reading, international travel, cooking, and hiking.

Dingli is responsible for New Island Capital’s liquid investment strategy, with a focus on identifying and managing impact-aligned opportunities in short-duration asset classes and the public markets. Prior to joining New Island Capital, Dingli was a portfolio manager at ArrowMark Partners, a $18 billion alternative investment firm.  Dingli has been a buy-side investor for more than fifteen years, and has actively invested in a wide array of asset classes including public equities, public credit, leveraged loans, and structured products.  Dingli holds an MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management as well as a BS from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and was named a Siebel Scholar in 2006.  In her free time, Dingli enjoys exploring the outdoors with her family.

Eric focuses on diligence, structuring, and portfolio management for the Private Equity team. Prior to New Island Capital, Eric was at Partners Group, an $80 billion investment firm, where he focused on control and joint-control private equity transactions, and subsequently at Lateral Investment Management, a $400 million investment firm focused on providing growth capital for family-owned, owner-operated businesses. Eric holds an MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management and a BA, summa cum laude, from Washington University in St. Louis. Outside of work, Eric enjoys road trips, remote hikes, and other escapes from the city every now and then.

Hans supports investment execution and portfolio management for the Real Estate team. Previously, Hans was at PGIM Real Estate, a $179 billion global real estate manager, where he focused on acquisitions and asset management of multiple property types, and subsequently at Equity Residential, a $21 billion apartment real estate investment trust (REIT), where he was involved in sustainable developments. Hans holds a BA from Wesleyan University. In his free time, Hans enjoys running, hiking, and watching the Great British Bake Off.

Jessica focuses on investment diligence, structuring, and management for the Private Credit team. Prior to joining New Island Capital in 2013, Jessica worked in public fixed income at Goldman Sachs and Fortress Investment Group, and spent a year working on clean energy financial policy as a Fellow at the Environmental Defense Fund. Jessica holds an MBA and a Masters in Environmental Management from the Yale School of Management, and a BA from Dartmouth College. Jessica is based in New York City.

John manages the legal function at New Island Capital, providing strategic and tactical legal advice with respect to investment transactions of all types. John has practiced law in large firms and in-house for more than 25 years, focusing primarily on investments in private equity, venture capital, and private credit. John holds an LLM from Kiel University in Germany, a JD and an MBA from the University of Virginia, and a BA from Yale University. John is a dual U.S./French citizen (through marriage) and a former ultradistance cyclist with a passion for camping, skiing, and hiking as well as biking.

Jon leads private equity, structured debt and project finance efforts for New Island Capital. Prior to joining New Island Capital, Jon was with M/C Partners, a $1.5 billion private equity investment firm. Jon began his investment career in 2000 with JPMorgan Capital, then a $4 billion private equity investment firm. Earlier in his career, Jon was also a management consultant with Bain & Co. in Boston and an investment banker with JPMorgan & Co. in New York. Jon holds an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a BA and a Bachelor of Music from Northwestern University. In his free time, Jon enjoys hiking with his three kids in the Eastern Sierras, learning new music for the classical guitar, and helping his elderly oversized beagle navigate the stairs.

Kwame is responsible for providing legal and transactional support across all of New Island Capital’s asset classes and transaction types. Kwame has served as a paralegal since 2000, working with companies such as Home Depot, Ross Dress for Less, and Nestlé. Before transitioning to New Island, Kwame ran the contracts department for Brightsource Energy. Kwame attended California State University, Long Beach and the Paralegal Studies program at California State University, East Bay. Outside of work, Kwame enjoys spending time with his wife, playing golf, and being an avid aquarist.

Leslie provides strategic guidance and legal support with respect to New Island Capital’s investment activities and general corporate matters. Before joining New Island Capital, Leslie was Partner and Chair of the Sustainable Business and Impact Investing Practice Group at Hanson Bridgett LLP, where her practice focused on the social impact field, representing mission-driven venture capital funds, benefit corporations, and certified B Corporations. Leslie holds a JD from the University of San Francisco School of Law and a BA from Seattle University. When not skiing the powder at the Continental Divide, Leslie can be found hiking the Flatirons in Boulder, Colorado, with her dog Finnley.

Lisa leads organizational development and operations at New Island Capital, including financial services and reporting, administration, human resources, and information technology.  She has over twenty-five years of experience in international development, operations, management, and law.  Prior to New Island Capital, Lisa held an executive operations position at an international non-profit focused on land rights advocacy and legal policy reform.  She holds a JD from Georgetown University Law Center and a BA in Economics from the University of California, Los Angeles. When she isn’t talking about process and efficiency, Lisa can be found planning her next sun-filled vacation, walking by the Bay, or trying out new restaurants.

Michael is responsible for New Island’s Private Credit strategies, overseeing a global portfolio of high-impact credit relationships.  Michael has over 20 years international banking experience in general management and transactor roles with Citibank in Africa.  Michael worked with McKinsey & Company’s Social Sector Office on strategies to support financial inclusion and inclusive rural economies and helped launch the Millennium Challenge Corporation. Michael holds an MS in Finance from MIT Sloan School of Management and a BS from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. Michael is a Chevalier in Senegal’s National Order of the Lion. Michael is based in New York City.

Parren manages New Island Capital’s real estate portfolio. In past roles, Parren was involved in large commercial office, industrial and multifamily real estate developments, and has worked in asset management, acquisitions and portfolio management roles for MetLife Investment Management, McFarlane Partners, and a Chicago-based family office. Parren holds an MBA from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan and a BS in Mathematics from Hampton University. Parren is an active community participant and has served on the Board of Directors of Erasing The Distance, a non-profit focused on mental health awareness, and Aurum Preparatory Academy, a charter school focused on improving educational outcomes in East Oakland.

Paul employs real estate impact investment strategies at New Island Capital to improve the quality, resilience, and vitality of our communities as well as our overall planetary health. Paul was formerly the Executive Director of The Nature Conservancy; the former President of an east coast brownfields redevelopment company; a Principal at a development firm that specializes in affordable housing, adaptive reuse, and historic restorations; as well as an executive with a developer of highly sustainable single-family homes in San Francisco. Paul holds a Master of Urban Planning and Real Estate Finance from the University of Pennsylvania and a BA from the University of Toronto. In his personal time, Paul makes the most out of living in close proximity to the trails and waterways of Marin County.

Renee focuses on investments in sustainable agriculture and forestry in the United States and around the world. Prior to joining New Island, she founded and led Bonterra Partners, an investment consulting firm specializing in sustainable agriculture, fisheries, and other natural capital investments in Latin America and other parts of the world, and worked as private equity executive at RIT Capital Partners PLC and Pantheon Ventures. Renee received a BS in Computer Science and an MS in Management of Science & Engineering from Stanford University. She enjoys exploring unknown places with family, listening to classical music, and learning from farmers.

Rowan joined the New Island Capital team in July of 2016 as the EA and Project Coordinator for the office. Prior to this role, she supported a team of financial advisors at AllianceBernstein and most recently worked at a local San Francisco art gallery, managing the day to day of the gallery and implementing large-scale art exhibits. In her free time, she can be found checking out local artists, trying new recipes, and listening to live music.

Ryan supports New Island Capital’s internal finance activities, including investment tracking and reporting. Prior to joining New Island Capital, Ryan worked as an Analyst at Valuation Research Corporation. Ryan holds a BS from Bentley University. In his free time, Ryan enjoys snowboarding, hiking, camping, and live music.

Shelley joined the New Island Capital team in April 2013 as the office’s Front Desk Assistant. Now, as Office Manager, it is her responsibility to keep the office running smoothly and the team well-fed. Her days are spent managing Accounts Payable, vendor relations, portfolio financials, special events, and most recently assisting in the design and remodel of the new office space in San Francisco. She holds a BA in Communication Studies from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. When Shelley is not at the office, you can find her exploring new bars and restaurants, baking, or burning off her findings at the gym and local hiking trails.

Spenser manages investments in conservation-oriented forestry, sustainable agriculture, and environmental markets. Spenser previously worked as a Program Officer on the World Wildlife Fund’s Business & Industry team, where he partnered with Fortune 500 companies to set greenhouse gas reduction targets. Spenser has also worked in Morocco, Washington DC, and Zambia on economic growth projects for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and Chemonics International. Spenser holds an MBA from the Yale School of Management, a Master of Forestry from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, and a BA, summa cum laude, in international political economy from Colorado College. Spenser is a native of rural Oregon and Idaho and enjoys backpacking in the West.

Thomas supports investment execution and portfolio management for the Private Equity team. Thomas previously worked in investment banking at Goldman Sachs, advising clients on M&A and financing transactions in the renewable energy, healthcare, consumer, and technology sectors. Thomas holds a BS in Business Administration and a BA in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley. In his spare time, Thomas enjoys training for triathlons, trying new foods, and watching college football.

Tina focuses on investment execution and portfolio management for the Real Assets team. Prior to joining New Island Capital, Tina worked as an Investment Banking Analyst at Deutsche Bank on mergers and acquisitions and capital markets transactions within the healthcare sector. Tina holds a BS from Georgetown University. Tina enjoys international food, traveling, and independent films.