About Our Visionaries

Paul Cannings

The 1921 Institute
Co-founder

For nearly two decades, Mr. Cannings has served as Global Head of Investment Strategy, heavily vested in the intersection of technology, economic development, healthcare and commercial real estate internationally. As the Managing Partner of Paul Alexander Company, he has been responsible for managing the firm’s investment funds, capital markets and oversight of real estate development advisory activities, which are in excess of $1 billion.

Ben Duster

Cormorant IV Corporation, LLC
Board of Directors

Founder and CEO of Cormorant IV Corporation, LLC, a consulting firm specializing in operational turnarounds and organizational transformations. Duster is a 30-year veteran of Wall Street with extensive experience in M&A and Strategic Advisory Services in both developed and emerging markets. He currently serves as CFO of MTI - Mobile Technologies, Inc. and as a member of the Board of Directors of Weatherford International, Chesapeake Energy Corporation and Republic First Bank.

Steve Gray

The 1921 Institute
Co-founder

Mr. Gray has been involved in private equity, venture capital, corporate finance and capital markets for over 40 years. He is currently a Partner at Dreamit Ventures of Philadelphia, prior to which he was a Partner at VantagePoint Capital Partners of San Bruno, CA. He has been a Senior Advisor to several venture fund managers and spent many years at Salomon Brothers and Jefferies in New York where he managed the fund placement businesses.

Karen Kerr

Exposition Ventures
Board of Directors

Karen Kerr is a general partner at Exposition Ventures. Prior to her current role, Karen was executive managing director at GE Ventures where she led a team focused on making investments and developing partnerships in the advanced manufacturing ecosystem. Previously, she served as senior director of new ventures and alliances at the University of Southern California (USC) Stevens Center for Innovation where she was responsible for accelerating the formation of startup companies out of university research. Before joining USC, Karen led business development at Intellectual Ventures, served as a managing director at ARCH Venture Partners, and founded Agile Equities LLC, a venture development company specializing in emerging technology companies. Focused on venture education and technology advancements, Karen has held a variety of board roles for organizations including the Center for Venture Education, the National Science Foundation SBIR/STTR Advisory Committee, and National Institute of Standards and Technology Visiting Committee on Advanced Technology. Karen earned a Doctorate in Physical Chemistry from the University of Chicago and a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Bryn Mawr College.

Greg McCray

FDH Infrastructure Services
Board of Directors

CEO of FDH Infrastructure Services of Raleigh, NC, Greg is an accomplished CEO of multiple organizations, including Access/Google Fiber. With degrees in Industrial and Computer Engineering, he began his career with Bell Labs/AT&T and Lucent.

Michelle Morris

Morgan Stanley
Board of Directors

An experienced leader in the financial services industry, Michelle has cross-divisional expertise in banking and capital markets, asset management and wealth management. Michelle is an Executive Director and Head of Business Development – Diverse Asset Managers in Morgan Stanley Wealth Management Investment Solutions. Previously, Michelle led the Alternative Investments Education initiative, where she provided portfolio construction guidance regarding Alternative Investments to Financial Advisors and their clients and facilitated business development across private equity, venture capital, private credit, private real estate and infrastructure. Michelle also was a senior investment due diligence analyst in the Wealth Management Global Investment Office, where she evaluated private market funds for Morgan Stanley’s Wealth Management platform. Michelle also has extensive business development experience in the asset management industry, with a focus on public and corporate pension plans, endowments and foundations. As a recognized thought leader in the financial services industry, Ms. Morris has been a panelist for forums sponsored by the Institute for Portfolio Alternatives and the Money Management Institute. Prior to joining Morgan Stanley, Michelle held various positions at a large financial services firm in corporate M&A, private equity fundraising, institutional investment management sales and municipal finance banking. Michelle received a B.A. in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. Michelle is a board member of 100 Women in Finance and Brightpoint Care, a subsidiary of Sun River Health.

Elizabeth P. Munson​

Rockefeller Capital Management
Board of Directors

Elizabeth P. Munson is the Chairperson of Rockefeller Capital Management, N.A. and The Rockefeller Capital Management (Delaware) as well as Managing Director and member of Rockefeller Capital Management’s Management Committee. Prior to joining Rockefeller, Liz was a partner in White & Case for many years. In addition to her deep legal and commercial skills, she is highly involved in serving on the boards of several nonprofit organizations, including Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, Sheltering Arms Children and Family Services, Cancer Schmancer Foundation, and Stichting to Promote Women’s World Banking.

Mark Walsh

Ruxton Ventures
Board of Directors​

Former head of the SBA Innovation & Technology Section, including SBIC and SBIR, CEO of VerticalNet and Senior Executive with AOL.

Stephen West

Stepstone Group
Board of Directors

Mr. West is a member of the private equity team, focusing on venture capital and growth equity investments. Prior to StepStone, Mr. West was a member of the research team at Greenspring Associates, a venture capital and growth equity investment firm that merged with StepStone in 2021. Prior to that, Mr. West was a technology investment associate at JMP securities focused on cybersecurity and an associate management consultant within the strategy and organization practice at Booz Allen Hamilton. Mr. West served as a human intelligence officer in the Marine Corps. Mr. West received his MBA from Georgetown University and BS in general engineering with an Arabic minor from the United States Naval Academy.

Dr. Frazier Wilson

Shell USA, Inc.
Board of Directors

Vice President, Shell USA, Inc. Foundation; Director, Workforce Development & Diversity Outreach, Shell USA, Inc. Dr. Frazier Wilson directs Shell’s corporate and foundation contributions, workforce, community, employee giving, and education outreach programs. He currently serves on the boards of the Smithsonian Science Education Center, Texas Southern University Foundation and Museum of Fine Arts Houston. And, he also serves on the advisory councils for the Jackson State College of Business, KIPP Academy-Houston, and Texas Southern University College of Education. He is chairman emeritus of 100 Black Men of Metropolitan Houston.

Kristi Craig

National Geographic Society
Advisory Board Member

As chief investment officer at the National Geographic Society, Kristi Craig oversees the organization’s $1.4 billion endowment. She leads and builds a differentiated and investment portfolio while contributing to the Society’s growth and mission. Kristi champions sustainability efforts, acknowledging and embracing the increasingly important role of impact investing without compromising portfolio returns. She incorporates diversity, equity, and inclusion in the selection of investment managers. Kristi joins the Society from Georgetown University where she served as the director of private investments, overseeing a $3.6 billion endowment’s private equity, venture, real estate, and energy portfolios. Previously, Kristi was a senior investment officer in the Investment Division of the U.S. Small Business Administration, where she was primarily responsible for due diligence and review of private equity and private credit funds on behalf of the Small Business Investment Company Program, a public-private investment fund with $15 billion under management. Kristi serves on the Investment Committee of Rebalance360, a company dedicated to delivering world-class, low-fee investment advice to everyday Americans. She served on the Capital City Public Charter School Board of Trustees and the Investment Advisory Committee for the Concord Hill School endowment. Kristi earned a BA in economics from Georgetown University and is a CFA charterholder.

Jeff Johnson​

Temasek
Advisory Board Member

Jeff is Managing Director at Temasek with extensive experience investing in and scaling high growth companies. Jeff is the veteran of several tech enabled companies, both large and small. Before joining Temasek, he was a senior strategic executive at ABB and consultant to multiple high growth startups.

Carmen Palafox

MiLA Capital
University of Southern California
Advisory Board Member

Carmen Palafox has over 20 years of experience in finance, and an established record of investing across industries including Climate tech, Fintech, Health tech, and consumer. Carmen is the Founding Partner at 2045 ventures, a preseed and seed-stage venture capital firm based in Los Angeles. Carmen is a Partner at MiLA Capital, an early- stage venture capital firm specializing in Deeptech. And she is also an Adjunct Professor teaching venture capital at USC Marshall School of Business. Prior to venture capital, she was Vice President at Dimensional Fund Advisors where she scaled investment operations going from $75 Billion AUM to $300 Billion AUM. Carmen has an MBA from Berkeley-Haas, an MA in sports management from USF, and a BA in economics from USC.

Byron Pope

ChampionX Corporation
Advisory Board Member

Byron Pope is a Vice President and member of the Executive Committee at ChampionX Corporation, a global energy solutions, equipment, and technologies provider. He joined ChampionX to spearhead the company’s ESG efforts and lead its Investor Relations function following the June 2020 merger between Apergy (former upstream energy division of Dover Corporation) and ChampionX (former upstream energy division of Ecolab). Byron previously spent 26 years in energy financial services, split between investment banking and investment management. Prior to ChampionX, Byron was a Partner and member of the Management Committee at Perella Weinberg Partners, and he was Co-Head of Research for the firm’s energy business, Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. Byron serves on the Board of Trustees of Rice University, the Board of Directors of Rice Management Company, the Board of Directors of the Houston Zoo, the Investment Committee of the Memorial Hermann Health System, and the Advisory Board of Pickering Energy Partners. Byron earned a BA degree from Rice University, an MBA from Harvard University, and he is a CFA charterholder.

Dr. Ann Ziker

The Brown Foundation, Inc.
Advisory Board Member

Dr. Ann Ziker is the Executive Director of The Brown Foundation, Inc. Previously, Ann held executive leadership positions in strategy and advancement at YES Prep Public Schools. Ann’s earlier professional experiences include strategy consulting at McKinsey & Company, nonprofit leadership, academic research, and teaching at a public high school. Ann is a founding board member for Thrive With Autism, which recently earned authorization to create Texas’s first public charter school with a mission to serve special-education students. Ann also serves on the Board of Directors for the Emerge Fellowship and the advisory councils of YES Prep Public Schools, Beta Academy, and the Houston Charter Seed Fund, an accelerator to support early-stage charter school development. She holds a B.A. and a doctorate from Rice University. Ann and her husband Ben have lived in Houston for many years and have two children.