Felix Akresi
Vice President
Felix Akresi
Vice President
Felix Akresi is a Vice President and member of Advantage’s talented Capital Markets team working to expand the low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) and renewable energy lines of business while also bolstering fund management and investor relations activities. Felix joined Advantage from Aegon Asset Management where most recently, he was an Associate Director on the Strategy Analytics and Client Management team, and responsible for oversight of the pricing models and fund analytics for Aegon’s tax credit strategies. At Aegon, he also played a leading role in the closing of more than $2.5 billion of tax credit equity and structured debt investments. Earlier in his career, Felix was an Associate at KPMG advising on tax regulatory compliance, transfer pricing for cross-border transactions, and general business advisory services. He also held a position as an Actuarial Analyst on Transamerica’s Pricing and Margin Analytics team.
Mr. Akresi holds a B.S. in, Statistics and Actuarial science from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology (KNUST), Ghana and an M.S. in Mathematics and Statistics from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Amine Alami
Principal
Amine Alami
Principal
Amine Alami is a Principal at Advantage Capital where he leads the engineering, procurement and construction of the firm’s renewable energy investment platform.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Amine was the senior director of business and corporate development at Solv Energy, one of the largest renewable energy construction firms in the United States. He also served as vice president of asset management at Renewable Energy Systems (RES) and the director of solar operations at K Road Power Holdings, LLC. During this period, he led the development, asset management, engineering procurement and construction for approximately 2GW of renewable energy projects.
Earlier in his career, Amine held several leadership roles at Sunedison, FRV and MMA renewable ventures where he managed M&A activities, engineering, development, supply chain, and construction and operations of renewable energy assets.
Amine received his master’s degree in electrical engineering and MBA from Georgia Tech focused on renewable energy and finance. During his tenure at Georgia Tech, Amine led lab research on high efficiency solar cells at the University Center of Excellence of Photovoltaics and was a key member of the 2007 solar decathlon competition. He is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and speaks 4 languages (Arabic, French, Spanish and English).
Al Alvarez
Director
Al Alvarez
Director
Al Alvarez is a director at Advantage Capital leading sourcing efforts across the state of Nevada.
Al comes to Advantage with over 35 years of experience in the commercial banking and lending sector. He was most recently a director and principal market manager at Bank of the West in Las Vegas, where he oversaw the managing and servicing of mid-market companies with $25 million to $500 million in revenue. Prior to his work with Bank of the West, Al held leadership positions with other financial institutions in the Las Vegas, Nevada area, such as managing partner at Trism Business Solutions, senior vice president at Silver State Banks, president and CEO at Business Bank of Nevada and senior vice president and manager of Commercial Banking at Bank of America.
Lynn Ambrosy
Managing Director
Lynn Ambrosy
Managing Director
Lynn Ambrosy is a Managing Director and a leader on the talented Capital Markets team working to expand the low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) and renewable energy business lines of the firm.
Ambrosy comes to Advantage Capital from Aegon Asset Management where he led its tax credit syndication platform with direct responsibility for capital raises, fund structuring and investor relations. At Aegon, he originated more than $4.5 billion of tax credit equity in 43 proprietary and multi-investor funds and served as co-head of the LIHTC platform. Ambrosy has more than 25 years of commercial real estate experience spanning both debt and equity with a primary focus on affordable housing.
Ambrosy leads LIHTC syndication initiatives and place tax credit equity in the firm’s other growing lines of business, including renewable energy, while helping to bolster Advantage Capital’s Investor Relations function.
Ambrosy holds an MBA from The University of Iowa Tippie College of Business and a B.A. in finance from the University of Northern Iowa.
Brian Anderson
Managing Director
Brian Anderson
Managing Director
Brian Anderson is a Managing Director at Advantage Capital. As a member of the firm’s investment group, he is responsible for sourcing, due diligence and valuation analysis of current and prospective investments.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Brian co-owned and served as lead operator of a south Texas-based trucking company. Before purchasing that company, he was a managing director at GF Capital Management & Advisors, a NYC-based private equity fund. He has also held roles with NBC Universal, RBC Capital Markets and Credit Suisse earlier in his career.
Brian received his J.D. degree from Harvard Law School and his bachelor’s degree in accounting from Indiana University.
Corey Archibeque
Associate
Corey Archibeque
Associate
Corey Archibeque is an associate at Advantage Capital. As a member of the investment team, Corey is responsible for screening potential investment opportunities, performing due diligence and monitoring portfolio companies.
Corey received his MBA from Vanderbilt University's Owen Graduate School of Management and his bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point.
Betsy Avila
Assistant Accounting Manager
Betsy Avila
Assistant Accounting Manager
Betsy Scallan Avila is a assistant accounting manager at Advantage Capital. As a senior staff accountant, she is responsible for recording activity and preparing financial statements for several of the firm’s entities.
Prior to joining the firm, Betsy worked as an accountant for Allied Capital and PL Midstream, with a focus on accounting for entities in the private equity and oil and gas industries, respectively.
She received her bachelor’s degree in accounting from Louisiana Tech University and a certificate in project management from Louisiana State University.
Anan Balaji
Senior Analyst
Anan Balaji
Senior Analyst
Anan Balaji is a senior analyst on the investment team where he is responsible for sourcing investments and providing due diligence support.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Anan was an investment banking analyst at Wells Fargo Securities where he managed and analyzed client investment portfolios.
Anan received his bachelor’s degree in economics from New York University.
Madeline Bale
Senior Analyst
Madeline Bale
Senior Analyst
Madeline Bale is a senior analyst at Advantage Capital. As a member of the investment team, she provides due diligence support, helps underwrite new investments, and aids in growth initiatives at the firm's portfolio companies.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Madeline spent two summers as an institutional equities sales & trading intern at Morgan Stanley, where she used statistical techniques to help finetune the dynamic margin policy used by the prime brokerage business.
Madeline received her master's in statistics and her bachelor's in statistics & data science from Yale.
Nick Barbknecht
Vice President
Nick Barbknecht
Vice President
Nick Barbknecht is a vice president on Advantage Capital’s expansion team. With more than a decade of experience in prominent positions within project development, policy advancement, and politics, Nick brings his leadership and relationships to Advantage Capital to support the firm with targeted legislative work across the U.S. and oversee community and government relations for energy development.
Nick joins Advantage Capital from the America First Policy Institute where he served as Chief Marketing Officer for the non-profit, nonpartisan think tank. Nick has spent his career in the private and public sectors connecting with thousands of state and local elected officials to advance important agendas through his time in the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Indiana Department of Labor, and Indiana Department of Transportation.
Nick received a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Manchester University and an MBA from Purdue University.
Kayin Barclay
Vice President
Kayin Barclay
Vice President
Kayin Barclay is a vice president at Advantage Capital. As a member of the firm's investment group, he is responsible for sourcing, conducting due diligence, executing transactions, and managing portfolio companies.
Before joining Advantage Capital, Kayin worked as a senior vice president at Insight Equity, where he invested across the business services and manufacturing sectors. He has also held roles at RLJ Equity Partners, Barclays Capital, and McKinsey & Company.
Kayin received his MBA from Harvard Business School and his BA in economics from Morehouse College.
Shannon Bartolo
Director of Accounts Payable & Receivable
Shannon Bartolo
Director of Accounts Payable & Receivable
Shannon Bartolo is a member of the accounting team at Advantage Capital. As the manager of all accounts payable functions, she is a key asset in the overall management of the firm’s financial operations.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Shannon served as office manager for Standard Parking, where she maintained accounts payable, payroll and coordinated office operations, procedures and resources to facilitate organizational effectiveness and efficiency.
Kendra Becker
Analyst
Kendra Becker
Analyst
Kendra Becker is a sourcing analyst on the investment team at Advantage Capital. She is responsible for sourcing investments and providing due diligence support.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Kendra was a marketing intern for OnLogic, where she focused on content migration and quality assurance for a new website launch.
Kendra received her bachelor's degree in business and psychology from St. Lawrence University.
Evan Bell
Associate
Evan Bell
Associate
Evan Bell is an associate at Advantage Capital. Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Evan was an associate in the Business group at Phelps Dunbar, L.L.P., where she focused on corporate and securities laws, mergers and acquisitions and real estate finance. Evan earned her J.D. from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, where she served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Loyola Law Review. She earned her bachelor's degree in environmental studies from Rhodes College.
Mike Benson
Senior Vice President
Mike Benson
Senior Vice President
Mike Benson is a senior vice president at Advantage Capital, where he identifies and screens potential new private equity and debt investment opportunities, performs due diligence and valuation analysis, structures, negotiates and closes transactions, and manages investments in venture through mature stage portfolio companies.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, he served in a similar role as a director at Ironwood Capital, where he led the development and implementation of several best practices and process improvements, including development of the firm’s proprietary deal structuring and return analysis financial model, and its fund cash flow and return analysis financial model, as well as spearheaded the search and selection of the firm’s private equity-tailored fund reporting and portfolio management ERP system. Earlier in his career, Mike worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers in its Global Risk Management Solutions practice, specializing in performing and managing business process, operations, systems, and internal controls consulting and assurance engagements for financial services industry clients.
Mike received an MBA degree from Yale University with concentrations in strategy and finance, as well as a BBA degree from Hofstra University with a major in accounting. He has also received a Certified Public Accountant designation.
Samantha Berman
Accounting Manager
Samantha Berman
Accounting Manager
Samantha Berman, a dedicated Certified Public Accountant (CPA), serves as an accounting manager at Advantage Capital. In this capacity, Samantha spearheads financial planning and analysis, ensuring the financial health and strategic growth of the organization.
Before joining Advantage Capital, Samantha demonstrated her prowess as the Acquisitions and Divestiture Manager at Service Corporation International (NYSE: SCI), where she played a pivotal role in overseeing all aspects of business and real estate acquisitions and divestitures. Furthermore, Samantha served as the Trust Services Supervisor for Trust Advisors, Inc., a subsidiary of SCI and a Registered Investment Advisory Firm (RIA). Her responsibilities extended to nurturing valuable client relationships, representing their interests internally, and championing initiatives.
Samantha's professional journey began at Hannis T. Bourgeois, LLP, a prominent Public Accounting Firm headquartered in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. During her tenure, she showcased her expertise by providing assurance and consulting services to various sectors, including Financial Institutions, the automobile industry, and small businesses in Southeast Louisiana.
Samantha's academic achievements are equally impressive, holding a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the E.J. Ourso College of Business at Louisiana State University (LSU) and a Master of Accountancy from the esteemed Brock School of Business at Samford University.
Beyond her corporate pursuits, Samantha is an active member of her community. She serves as the Treasurer on the Board of Trustees for St. George’s Episcopal School and plays integral roles on the Executive Committee, Finance Committee, and the Committee on Employee Advocacy & Engagement.
Andrew Berrier
General Counsel
Andrew Berrier
General Counsel
Andrew Berrier is the General Counsel of Advantage Renewables, where he represents the company’s renewable energy development platform in all legal and regulatory matters.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Andrew was General Counsel for Birdseye Renewable Energy, a developer based in Charlotte North Carolina. At Birdseye, Andrew led the legal department in the development of a nationwide utility-scale renewable energy portfolio and the sale of the Birdseye platform to Fortune 500 company Dominion Energy.
Andrew earned a J.D. from Wake Forest University School of Law, and a Bachelors in History from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Anthony Billings
Senior Vice President
Anthony Billings
Senior Vice President
Anthony Billings is a senior vice president at Advantage Capital. As a member of the investment team, he focuses on portfolio management and the evaluation of new investment opportunities. Anthony’s primary responsibilities include monitoring the firm’s current investments, interfacing with portfolio companies to assess current and future capital needs and underwriting new opportunities to deploy firm capital effectively.
Prior to joining the firm, Anthony served as an associate and assistant vice president in the sponsor finance division of U.S. Bank where he worked primarily with private equity firms to evaluate the financial and business risks of potential new investments, while also monitoring an existing portfolio of loans to identify any issues or capital needs.
Anthony received his bachelor’s degree in business administration with a focus on finance from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana.
Tom Bitting
Managing Director
Tom Bitting
Managing Director
Tom Bitting is one of the founding members of Advantage Capital’s renewable energy investment platform and currently leads the sourcing and underwriting for all of the fund’s solar project investments. In that capacity, he is responsible for structuring and underwriting transactions, performing due diligence, managing investments and seeking new opportunities to deploy fund capital effectively. Tom also serves as a member of the solar Investment Committee.
Prior to joining the firm, Tom served as a vice president in the commercial credit administration division of Pulaski Bank. In that role, he assessed investment risk, collaborated with lenders to develop customized financing options to best serve customer needs, and made loan approval decisions for new and existing customers. He served as a member of the bank’s Risk Management Committee and was responsible for monitoring and assessing a number of bank-wide loan portfolio and balance sheet metrics.
Tom received his MBA from Saint Louis University and his bachelor’s degree in accounting from Bucknell University.
Alexandra Blake
Analyst
Alexandra Blake
Analyst
Alexandra Blake is an investment analyst at Advantage Capital. As a member of the investment team, she provides due diligence support, helps underwrite new investments, and aids in growth initiatives at the firm's portfolio companies.
Prior to Advantage Capital, Alexandra was a capital planning intern for Ameren and a development intern for Christian Community Service Center in Houston.
Alexandra received her bachelor’s degree in finance and entrepreneurship and a minor in writing from Washington University in St. Louis.
Tim Blanke
Senior Special Assets Associate
Tim Blanke
Senior Special Assets Associate
Tim Blanke is a senior special assets associate in the government-guaranteed lending team. In this capacity, he plays a key role in the team’s loan portfolio servicing, collections and collateral management.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Tim served as an insurance adjuster for Associate Claims and Insurance Services.
Tim received his bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of New Orleans. Since 2013, he has been a member of a barbeque competition team that annually competes to raise funds for families suffering from pediatric brain cancer.
Corinne Bolding
Analyst
Matt Bonner
Analyst
Matt Bonner
Analyst
Matt Bonner is a sourcing analyst on the investment team at Advantage Capital. He is responsible for sourcing investments and providing due diligence support.
Prior to Advantage Capital, Matt was a private equity intern at National Life Group and a financing accounting intern at Good for My Planet Association.
Matt received his bachelor's degree in financial economics from Denison University.
Becky Boudreaux
Compliance Administrator
Becky Boudreaux
Compliance Administrator
Rebecca (Becky) Boudreaux brings over two decades of experience in legal administration and compliance to her role as a Compliance Administrator at Advantage Capital. With a robust background as a legal assistant at Murphy, Rogers, Sloss, Gambel & Tompkins, where she dedicated 25 years to the firm, Becky has honed her skills in navigating complex regulatory landscapes and ensuring adherence to legal standards.
In her current position at Advantage Capital, Becky demonstrates her expertise in regulatory compliance, leveraging her meticulous attention to detail and comprehensive understanding of legal frameworks to maintain organizational integrity and uphold industry standards. Her commitment to excellence and professionalism is evident in every aspect of her work, where she consistently strives to exceed expectations and deliver results of the highest caliber.
With her wealth of experience, unwavering dedication, and genuine enthusiasm for making a difference, Becky Boudreaux continues to make significant contributions to the success and integrity of Advantage Capital and the broader community.”
Mitch Boyer
Associate
Mitch Boyer
Associate
Mitch Boyer is an associate at Advantage Capital. As a member of the firm’s investment team, his primary responsibilities include helping underwrite new investments, performing due diligence and aiding in growth initiatives for the firm’s portfolio companies.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Mitch was at Commerce Bank where he worked as a commercial banking officer.
Mitch received his bachelor’s degree in finance from Indiana University Bloomington.
Rachel Branson
Vice President
Rachel Branson
Vice President
Rachel Branson serves as a vice president on the firm’s syndication group, for which she is responsible for due diligence and transaction work for our state-based Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) investments.
Rachel brings more than 20 years of real estate, legal and development experience, the last 13 of which were spent working on LIHTC and Historic Tax Credit (HTC) projects. Prior to joining the firm, she worked for many years in corporate real estate departments and a law firm, where she gained a wealth of knowledge in due diligence, real estate transactions, multifamily housing and the LIHTC and HTC programs. Most recently, she served as the director of acquisitions for Bruce Development Company, where she worked on all aspects of commercial and multi-family real estate development.
Rachel received her bachelor’s degree in history and political science from Webster University and earned a paralegal studies certificate.
Amy Breen Johnson
Vice President
Amy Breen Johnson
Vice President
Amy Breen Johnson is a Vice President on the Capital Markets team, focusing on investor relations across the firm’s Renewables, LIHTC, NMTC, and state tax credit platforms.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital in 2024, Amy served as the Vice President of Development at HRI Communities, where she managed the financing and development of affordable housing projects. During her tenure at HRI, she held various roles, overseeing diverse projects that utilized multiple financing sources, including LIHTCs, NMTCs, and HTCs.
She holds a B.S. in Finance from the University of Alabama and a Master of Sustainable Real Estate Development from Tulane University.
Ryan Michael Brennan
Managing Director
Ryan Michael Brennan
Managing Director
Ryan Brennan is a Managing Director at Advantage Capital. Mr. Brennan leads the firm’s efforts to foster access to capital and economic development in underserved communities. He is a leader on the firm's fundraising team and spearheads initiatives to strengthen and develop internal talent and assets.
Ryan was most recently the Chief Operating Officer of the United States International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), the development finance arm of the U.S. government. While at DFC, he drove the creation and adoption of the Impact Quotient (IQ), an innovative method of measuring and improving impact in projects around the world. Ryan was a member of the DFC Investment Committee and led business development across the Western Hemisphere that facilitated billions in direct investment to Central America’s Northern Triangle. Prior to COO, Ryan led the DFC Office of Investment Policy, implementing environmental, social and governance standards across the $23 billion DFC portfolio.
Ryan serves on the Providence Queen of the Valley Hospital Community Board, the Truman State University Foundation Board of Directors as well as on the Board's Investment Committee. He is also on the Board of the Napa Little League. He is the former President of the Boys and Girls Club of Napa Valley Board.
Ryan received his MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and his bachelor’s degree, cum laude, from Truman State University.
Maggie Brennan
Vice President
Maggie Brennan
Vice President
Maggie Brennan is a Vice President on Advantage Capital’s Partner Services team. Prior to her role at Advantage Capital, Maggie was a Managing Consultant at FUND Consulting, a Senior Analyst at the National Community Investment Fund, and a Social Enterprise Manager at Rabble.
Maggie received her MPA focused on Urban Policy from Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs and a B.A. in Public Policy Analysis from Vanderbilt University.
Pete Byford
Principal
Pete Byford
Principal
Pete Byford is a principal on the firm’s Partner Services team. In his role, he helps lead the growth of the overall line of business and focuses on origination of New Markets Tax Credit financing transactions.
Byford is a veteran attorney and former equity finance consultant. Over the past eight years, he has been involved in NMTC transactions delivering more than $1.1 billion in total investment to underserved areas.
Before joining Advantage Capital, Byford was a director at one of the largest regional accounting firms in the U.S. In a previous role as Executive Vice President and General Counsel, S.B. Phillips Co., Inc., he served as legal counsel, oversaw financial departments, and worked closely with top executives to define business strategies while providing legal advice on specific issues. For more than thirteen years, he led his own law firm, Byford Law LLC.
Byford holds a B.A. from The Citadel along with a J.D. from University of South Carolina and a L.L.M, Taxation from University of Denver.