Successful Alums in NYC Host Bauer Team Vying in CFA Finals

In New York City for National Stock Analysis Competition, Cougar Fund Students Meet UH Bauer Success Stories

Published on March 29, 2010

Photo: In New York City for National Stock Analysis Competition, Cougar Fund Students Meet UH Bauer Success Stories

Left to right: Regina Balderas, Luis Lugo, Carlo Pippolo, Maria Haggerty, Yvette Klevan, Karen Herbst, Natara Holloway, Tom George, Lenny Bianco, Zimuzo Agim, and Paul Stewart connected to celebrate Cougar achievement and alumni bonds.

In late March, four members of the University of Houston C. T. Bauer College of Business student-run investment fund traveled to New York, saw some big names on Wall Street and networked.

While in New York to compete in the CFA Investment Research Challenge, the four MBA students from the Cougar Investment Fund had a lunch with six Bauer alumni who have made it in the Big Apple.

The guest list included a fund manager for a fixed income fund, the director of internal audit for the National Football league, the CFO of an e-retailing services company and an associate with an investment fund focused on clean energy investments.

The four-member student team flew to New York to compete at the national level of the CFA Investment Research Challenge, won by UH two years ago. (See Related Story)

During the trip, the four MBA students on the Cougar Fund team, Karen Herbst, Lenny Bianco, Paul Stewart and Luis Lugo, got a chance to make some connections in New York.

The luncheon at Ernst & Young’s Manhattan office was hosted by Carlo Pippolo (’87), who is an Ernst & Young partner, and Regina Balderas (’95). Pippolo is in charge of accounting standards involving the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and Balderas is a senior manager in private equity accounting.

They also met with Yvette Klevan (’82), Senior Vice President & Lead Manager Global Core, Fixed Income, Lazard Asset Management; Natara Holloway (’98), Director of Corporate Development-New Business Development, National Football League; Maria Haggerty (’84), Executive Vice President & CFO, Dotcom Distribution; and Zimuzo Agim (’06), Ambata Capital Partner.