Our Team

Gershie Vann

CEO & Founder

Gershie Vann is the Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Magma Capital Funds. Previously, Gershie was a Business Intelligence Manager at Concerto Renal Services. Gershie began his career in the healthcare space working in analytics and process design. Gershie holds a BS in Finance from Touro College. He can often be found running, reading The Economist, and spending time with his wife and two daughters.

Katie Franks

COO/CMO

Katie is the Chief Operations Officer & Chief Marketing Officer at Magma Capital Funds. Katie leads Magma’s daily operations by ensuring a smooth end-to-end investor onboarding experience and influencing the Magma brand through ongoing outreach initiatives.

Katie has previous professional experience assisting in early marketing efforts for startups, building client-facing teams, and working on large-scale ad campaigns. Katie holds a BA in Fine Arts from the University of Michigan, a Juris Doctor from Loyola University of Chicago School of Law, and often can be found jogging with her dog and working on home improvement projects.

Aerin Han

Quantitative Researcher

Aerin is a Quantitative Researcher at Magma Capital Funds. Aerin is responsible for developing tools for quantitative research and finding features.

Aerin has professional experience in both buy-side and sell-side companies in the financial industry in the US. She worked as an associate for fixed income pricing in an investment bank and got experience in risk management in a hedge fund in New York. Aerin earned a Master’s degree in Financial Engineering from New York University. Besides work, Aerin likes skiing, hiking, and making dishes.

Liza Karic

Director of Operations and Investor Relations

Liza is the Director of Operations and Investor Relations at Magma Capital Funds. Liza is primarily responsible for implementing the investor onboarding process and working closely with investors to address any issues.

Liza has previous professional experience managing multiple complex cross-functional projects and streamlining operations. Liza holds a BS degree in Nutrition and Dietetics from the University of Cincinnati and can be found rock climbing or perfecting her Thai cooking skills.

Wendy Gao

Director of Quantitative Research

Wendy is the Director of Quantitative Research at Magma Capital Funds. Wendy works on a team of quantitative researchers and is responsible for managing Magma’s neural network.

Wendy has previous professional experience interning for financial services companies in both the United States and China. Wendy holds a BS in Economics from Peking University, an MS in Financial Mathematics from the University of Chicago, and often can be found jogging in the gym and watching K-pop music on the internet.

Stanley Zhang

Data Scientist

Stanley is a Quantitative Researcher at Magma Capital Funds. Stanley works on a team of quantitative researchers and assists in managing Magma’s neural network.

Stanley has previous professional experience interning for financial services companies in both the United States and China. Stanley holds a BS in Mathematical Finance and Mathematical Economics, an MS in Financial Engineering from Columbia University, and often can be found jogging in parks, watching movies, and playing board games with his friends.

Jillian Hall

Product Marketing Lead

Jillian is the Product Marketing Lead at Magma Capital Funds. She is responsible for the development and implementation of marketing campaigns that support the launch of new financial products for the company. Prior to joining Magma, Jillian led marketing initiatives for cloud-based SaaS companies in the real estate investment and mobility industries and holds a degree in Global Studies from The University of California, Santa Barbara. In her free time, Jillian can be found running at the lakefront or exploring local restaurants in her neighborhood with friends.

Kevin O’Keefe

Director of Business Development

Kevin is the Director of Business Development for Float Management at Magma Capital Funds. Kevin spent the last 5 years as a strategy consultant focused on helping fortune 100 companies rapidly lift revenue through pricing changes. Prior to that, Kevin worked in construction doing everything from working as a laborer, project manager, and structural engineering. Kevin holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Illinois and a Master’s of Business Administration from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. When not working, Kevin can be found spoiling his puppy or training for his next triathlon.

Kai Mei

Quantitative Researcher

Kai is a Quantitative Researcher at Magma Capital Funds. He’s now focusing on the firm’s trading strategy building and applicable machine learning research on trading-related topics. Kai has previous professional experience in the hedge industry both in the US and China. Before joining Magma, he worked in the equity derivative team at Millennium, one of the biggest hedge funds in the US. Kai holds an MS in Computational Finance from Carnegie Mellon University. When not working, Kai can often be found skiing/snowboarding, playing video games, and handing out with friends.

CJ Molino

Business Operations Specialist

CJ is the Business Operations Specialist at Magma Capital Funds. CJ is primarily responsible for managing IT protocols and assisting with the investor onboarding process. CJ has previous professional experience consulting clients on corporate filings and compliance of entities. CJ holds a BS degree in Marketing and Professional Sales from Indiana University and can be found playing basketball, mountain biking, or traveling to try new foods.