Investment Fund Management, Board and Advisors

The Student Executive Board is overseen by the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors consists of Faculty Advisors that provide fundamental direction and guidance for the fund.

Board of Directors 

Name
Position
  • Dr. Govind Hariharan

    Professor of Economics

    gharihar@kennesaw.edu
    (470) 578-6580
    BB 407

    Chairman of the Board & Professor at Coles College of Business 

    Background: 

    • Former Executive Director of the India China America Institute
    • Former Chair, Department of Economics, Finance and Quant. Analysis
    • D. State University of New York at Buffalo

    Visit Website
  • Dr. Tom Miller

    Professor of Finance

    tmiller@kennesaw.edu
    (470) 578-6494
    BB 348

    Full Professor at Coles 

    Background:

    • DBA - Indiana University

    Visit Website
  • Dr. Roger Tutterow

    Henssler Financial Endowed Chair, Director of the Econometric Center and Professor of Economics

    rtuttero@kennesaw.edu
    (470) 578-3278
    BB 323

    Director, the Econometrics Center 

    Background:

    • Chief Economic Adviser for the Henssler Financial Group
    • Professor, Mercer University
    • Served on Several Board of Directors

    Visit Website
  • Dr. David Bray

    Professor of Finance

    dbray1@kennesaw.edu
    (470) 578-6429
    BB 344

    Associate Professor at Coles 

    Background:

    • PhD - The Florida State University
    • MBA - The Florida State University
    • BS - The Florida State University

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Industry Advisors by Industry Group

Adjunct Professor Economics and Finance: Thomas Garr; Kennesaw State University

Healthcare: Mr. Jim Budzinski; CFO, Wellstar Health Systems

Information Technology: Mr. Anurag Rana; Sector Head and Senior Analyst for IT, Bloomberg

Consumer Staples: Mr. Scott Bomar; VP and Treasurer, Home Depot

Industrials: Mr. John Eichorn; M&A Manager, UPS

Consumer Discretionary: Mr. Walter Stackow, CFA; Senior Vice President & Research Analyst, Oak Ridge Investments

Financials: Mr. Troy Harmon, CFA & CVA; CIO, Henssler Financial

Energy: Mrs. Xia Liu; CFO, Gulf Power

Modeling and Economics Research: Mr. Brian Robertson; Quantitative Research Specialist, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta

Management

  • Cain Beatty is a senior at Kennesaw State University pursuing a BBA in Finance. He joined SMIF in August 2021 as a junior analyst and was promoted to Chief Executive Officer in December 2022. In October 2022, he was part of the team that placed second in the SMIFC poster challenge and is currently a member of the Fall 2022-Spring 2023 CFA research challenge team. Once he graduates, he plans on working at the Office of the State Treasurer of Georgia as an investment analyst. Cain enjoys playing basketball, golf, and scuba diving in his off time.
    Cain Beatty
  • Amitai Ilan
    Amitai Ilan is a Senior at Kennesaw State University pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance. He joined the Student Managed Investment Fund in December 2019 and was a Junior Analyst assigned to the Consumer Discretionary sector. In December of 2020, Amitai was promoted to Associate Director of the Industrials, Materials, and Real Estate Investment Trusts sector, in May of 2020 he was promoted to Chief Operating Officer, and in December of 2021, he was promoted to Chief Executive Officer. He was part of the team that won the CFA Ethics Challenge, got second at the SMIFC competition, has completed a research fellowship with the Bagwell foundation, was the Coles College USG representative, and is also an Eagle Scout. He spent nine months working in Henssler Financial's Equity Research Department and then spent four months working as a valuation analyst intern at HDH Advisors focused on valuation analysis for LLCs, FLPs, and holding companies. Over the summer he worked at Houlihan Lokey as a summer analyst in their portfolio valuation group valuing private credit, private equity, and GP stakes. Upon graduation he will join Nasdaq in their index development group working to create and come up with new indices for ETFs and informational purposes.
  • Eric McCart
    Eric McCart is a Senior at Kennesaw State pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance. He joined SMIF as a freshman and since then has been promoted to Managing Director, Chief Investment Officer, and now Chief Economist. He was a part of the team for the SMIFC challenge hosted by Indiana State which placed 2nd place out of many universities competing nationwide. He has held several internships working in Financial Advisory at Centurion Advisory Group, Equity Research at Henssler Financial, and most recently in Wells Fargo’s Commercial Bank. Upon graduation, he will be joining Wells Fargo’s Corporate & Investment Bank as an analyst in their Consumer & Retail group. He will cover public and large private companies in the Consumer Discretionary and Consumer Staples sectors.
  • Luke Aumer
    Luke Aumer is a senior at Kennesaw State University pursuing a bachelor's degree in accounting and an associate degree in Finance. Luke has been a part of KSU SMIF for 7 semesters now and his current role is Chief Operating Officer and Human Resources. He was a part of the CFA Ethics Challenge 2022 team. Luke plans on sitting for his CPA Exam in 2025 with the goal to achieve a career in Managerial accounting.
  • Hudson Anderson
    Hudson Anderson is a senior at Kennesaw State studying Finance with a double minor in Economics and Accounting. Hudson has been a part of SMIF since the fall of 2021 consistently learning and growing his knowledge and network. As the Director of Investments, Hudson is looking forward to supporting SMIF analysts and being a leader to move forward into the Finance industry. Hudson has been an outstanding team member participating in competitions such as the Game Forum, CFA Ethics challenge, and interned with JP Morgan’s CIB Risk Management.
     
  • Keegan Thottam
    Keegan is a Sophomore at Kennesaw State University majoring in Mechatronics with a minor in Finance. Keegan is also a full-time research assistant for the university. Keegan joined SMIF in the Fall of 2022 as a Junior Analyst and Head of Marketing. He is currently working as a Senior Analyst and the Head of Marketing. With a goal to pursue a career in Fintech he hopes to learn more about Finance and grow SMIF and help it gain recognition and attention. 

Managing Directors

  • Andrew Olsen
    Andrew Olsen is a senior at Kennesaw State University majoring in Finance with a minor in Music Performance. This is Andrew’s 6th semester in the KSU SMIF and his 2nd serving as managing director. Currently Andrew works at Henssler Financial as an Equity Research Intern. After graduation Andrew plans on working in the field of Investment Consulting or Investment Analysis.
  • Justin Waters
    Justin Waters is a sophomore at Kennesaw State University studying Finance. He has been a part of SMIF since the Spring of 2022 as a freshman. He joined SMIF as a Junior Analyst in January 2022, and was a part of the Real Estate, Financials, and Industrials Sectors. He was unanimously voted "Analyst of the Year" by management and was promoted to Associate Director of the Consumer Staples, Discretionary, and Financials sector. In Spring 2023 he serves as a Managing Director and  looks forward to supporting the SMIF analysts this semester in the Finance world as he hopes to pursue a career in Investment Banking.
  • John Henry Davis III 
    John Henry Davis III is a Senior at Kennesaw State University pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance. He joined the Student Managed Investment Fund in January 2022 and previously held the role of Junior Analyst and Associate Director. Outside of SMIF he is currently interning with a commercial property management firm and works as a private chef for select clients within the Atlanta metro area. Upon graduation, he hopes to pursue opportunities focused on financial planning and analytics, private equity, or commercial real estate management. 

Associate Directors

  • Claudia May
    Claudia May is a senior at KSU majoring in International Business. She joined SMIF in the Spring of 2022 as a Junior Analyst and is currently an Associate Director (AD). As an Associate Director, Claudia strives to support all the SMIF analysts this semester. Claudia is a member of the 2023 CFA Research Challenge team. Upon graduation in spring, Claudia looks forward to pursuing a graduate degree in Supply-chain management.
  • Duc
    Duc is a second-year finance major and will be assuming the position of Assistant Director after 2 semesters as a junior and senior analyst respectively. While his career goals are still evolving, his preference is for a position in finance based in Southeast Asia where he hails from. For his outstanding work, Duc was selected as the Senior Analyst of the semester in Fall 2022.  Some of his interests include the study of finance (both personal and corporate), making and drinking tea, swimming, gaming, and badminton.
  • Brandon Goff is a Junior at Kennesaw State University pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance. He initially joined SMIF in the Fall of 2022 and was selected as Junior Analyst of the Semester and will now be assisting the Fund as an Associate Director of one of the three sectors. Brandon started his professional career in Finance working for Ameris Bank as a Teller for several months, before being promoted to a Travel, Universal Banker position. As a result of the opportunities and experience gained through the SMIF program, he left Ameris to work an internship for Henssler Financial as an Investment Research Analyst for the Spring 2023 semester, where he is currently working. Brandon is a big sports fan and enjoys playing golf and basketball in addition to spending time with family and friends.