Jim Roach is a Vice President at Advantage Capital.  In his role he works with the firm’s capital markets team focusing on investor relations and capital formation efforts.  

Jim has over 20 years of experience in the Financial Services industry leading sales teams, developing talent, creating sales strategies, and building distribution teams.  Previously, Jim was at Natixis Investment Managers as the former Head of Sales for Natixis Canada and led distribution efforts for the Industry’s first ESG Target Date Fund.  

Jim holds a bachelor's degree in Accounting from the University of Connecticut.

Christen Roberts is an assistant accounting manager at Advantage Capital, where she is responsible for recording activity and preparing financial statements for several of the firm’s entities.

Prior to joining the firm, Christen worked in the accounting offices of Slidell Oil Company and Great American RV Superstores, where she managed the receivables, payables, title and billing, and payroll departments.  Additionally, Christen worked in the audit practices of LaPorte CPAs & Business Advisors, a regional public accounting firm based in the New Orleans metro area, for 12 years. In that role, she served public and private clients in a variety of industries, including governmental, non-profit, financial institutions, broker-dealers, oil and gas, and healthcare.

Christen received a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from the University of South Carolina and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Southeastern Louisiana University. Additionally, she is a notary public in the state of Louisiana.

Keyaire Robertson is a seasoned HR professional with a strong educational background and years of experience in the field. Holding both a Bachelor of Science in Human Resources and a Master of Science in Human Resource Leadership and Development from LSU in Baton Rouge, Keyaire has honed her expertise in the intricacies of HR management.

With a solid foundation from his academic pursuits, Keyaire has applied her knowledge in various roles, including her most recent position as an HR Specialist at a small community bank. Over her 8 years in the field, she has developed a deep understanding of HR practices and policies, making her a valuable asset in any HR team.

Outside of work, Keyaire enjoys spending weekends out with friends, soaking up sunny weather, and hunting for a good sale. Her vibrant personality and passion for HR make her a well-rounded professional, dedicated to both her career and personal interests.

Tyler Robinson 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, Tyler was a finance and data analytics intern at First Onsite Property Restoration. He received is bachelor's degree in economics from Dartmouth College.

Josh Rogers is a principal at Advantage Capital. As a member of the investment team, he is responsible for helping to source investments, perform due diligence, structure transactions and manage portfolio companies.

Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Josh was an equity research associate covering mid and large-cap U.S. banks at ISI Group, now Evercore Partners. At UBS Investment Bank in New York, he was an investment banking analyst and an equity research associate director covering financials and healthcare services, as well as IT.

Josh received his MBA from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business and his bachelor’s degree in economics from Harvard College.

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Tracy Rolstad is the Director of Grid Integration at Advantage Renewables. Prior to his current role, Tracy worked at Trina Solar and Grant County Public Utility District.

Tracy received his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Idaho and attended the U.S. Naval War College. Tracy served as SRS Chair on the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC).

Gabe Rosen is a vice president  at Advantage Capital. As a member of the firm’s investment team, he focuses on sourcing investments, performing due diligence, structuring transactions and portfolio management.

Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Gabe worked at Goldman Sachs where he held roles analyzing and evaluating several asset classes.

Gabe received his bachelor’s degree in economics as well as his MBA from Harvard University.

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Valentino Rovere is a vice president at Advantage Capital. In this role, he works closely with portfolio companies, focusing on turnaround and liquidation.

Valentino first established a relationship with Advantage Capital in 1988. The firm invested in a New Orleans hotel development for which he was a managing partner and, later, a real estate consultant after the property was sold to be redeveloped as housing. In addition to his knowledge of real estate investing and turnaround business management, Valentino has nearly three decades of experience in hospitality management throughout the world. After beginning at his family’s restaurant Vittorio in his native San Remo on the Italian Riviera, he has owned and run three New Orleans area restaurants.

Philip Ruppel is a principal and a member of the firm’s investment team. His responsibilities include sourcing new deals as well as providing due diligence and valuation analysis for current and prospective investments.

Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Philip worked for Navigation Capital Partners in Atlanta, Georgia, where he was responsible for evaluating prospective investments, conducting due diligence of investments, executing transactions and monitoring portfolio companies. He also spent time in New York working as an investment banking analyst for Bear Stearns.

Philip received his MBA from the Goizueta Business School at Emory University and his bachelor’s degree in economics and business administration from Rhodes College.

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Tom Schaefer is a Senior Vice President on the LIHTC Syndication Team, where he is primarily responsible for managing the finance relationships and overseeing the underwriting team and process. His career has covered a wide range of responsibilities including investing, underwriting, and lending in both the Federal and State Tax Credit space.

Prior to joining Advantage Capital, he was the Senior Vice President – Market Credit Officer for the greater Missouri and Southern Illinois markets of Busey Bank. While at Busey, Tom was charged with managing a team of underwriters and analysts, the bank’s tax credit lending portfolio and co-managing the bank’s tax credit investment opportunities.

Tom holds his MBA from the Olin School of Business at Washington University and a bachelor’s degree in finance and accounting from the University of Dayton.

Cara Schiffman is senior vice president on the compliance team at Advantage Capital. Previously, she served as vice president of regulatory affairs.

Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Cara practiced regulatory compliance and consumer defense law at Sessions, Fishman, Nathan & Israel, LLC. During her tenure, she managed regulator and agency administrative proceedings, consulted with colleagues on Federal Trade Commission investigations and routinely interacted with State Attorneys General, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and state licensing agencies.

Cara received her J.D. cum laude from Loyola University School of Law, where she was a member of the Law and Technology Annual and earned a certificate in international law. She earned her bachelor’s summa cum laude from Louisiana State University, where she majored in international trade and finance with a minor in French.

Sam Schlichting is a senior associate at Advantage Capital. As a member of the firm’s investment team, he is responsible for sourcing investments, supporting business development efforts and providing due diligence support.

He graduated from Colgate University with a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry. While attending Colgate, Sam was a member of the football team.

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Greg Schwarztrauber is a principal and leads our tax team at Advantage Capital. As part of the tax team, he focuses on tax issues facing the firm’s investment funds and performs tax and financial analysis in connection with new transactions, existing funds and exit opportunities. Greg brings over 30 years of varied income tax and accounting experience to the firm.

Prior to joining Advantage Capital, he worked at Anheuser-Busch where he served as a Senior Director, Tax Strategy. His duties primarily focused on M&A transactional planning along with implementing tax efficient operating structures.  Before joining Anheuser-Busch, Greg spent seven years as the head of tax for XTRA Lease, a national transportation equipment leasing business owned by Berkshire Hathaway.  In addition, Greg worked as a Senior Manager in the tax consulting practice at KPMG where he provided services to clients operating in a variety of industries.  

Greg received an undergraduate degree in Accounting from Southern Illinois University – Carbondale, a Master of Taxation from the University of Illinois and a MBA from Washington University in St. Louis.  Greg is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of Missouri, a member of the AICPA, Missouri Society of CPAs and former President of the Tax Executives Institutes, St. Louis Chapter.

Tom Selden is a member of the Solar Development Team at Advantage Capital, specializing in financial planning and analysis.  Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Tom was a solar project developer and financier for commercial projects at Transition Energy and HelioPower.  He has also been in various financial roles at other companies and as a member on the Chicago Board of Trade, trading U.S. Treasuries and commodities.  

Tom received his MBA at Marylhurst University and a bachelor's degree in business at St. Vincent College.  He lives in southern California, near the vineyards of Temecula, with his wife and three children.

Ally Shea is an analyst at Advantage Capital on their investment team, where she is responsible for sourcing investments and providing due diligence support.

Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Ally was a finance intern at Northwestern Mutual.

Alley received her bachelor’s degree in finance and economics with a minor in accounting from Saint Anselm College.

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Jonah Simpson is an analyst at Advantage Capital. As a member of the syndication team, he is responsible for asset management of affordable properties within the company’s portfolio.

Jonah interned for Advantage on two separate occasions prior to his joining the team, supporting the syndication business line in its efforts to provide access to affordable housing through the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit.

Jonah received his bachelor’s degree in business with a major in finance from Miami University.

Talmadge Singer is a managing director at Advantage Capital. He has extensive experience raising capital for and structuring tax credit equity incentivized funds, closing both levered and unlevered funds in excess of $1.5 billion. Talmadge has also syndicated more than $1.45 billion of state and federal tax credits. In addition to his fundraising functions, he supports Advantage Capital’s national expansion efforts, focusing on government relations at the federal level.

Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Talmadge was an associate in the Corporate and Securities practice group at Thompson & Knight LLP where he focused on fund formation, securities law and mergers and acquisitions.

Talmadge earned his J.D. from the Dedman School of Law at Southern Methodist University and was a member of the SMU Law Review Association. He earned his bachelor’s degree in English from Louisiana State University.

Debbie Singer is a Senior Vice President at Advantage Capital. With nearly 15 years of experience in New Markets Tax Credits (NMTC), public-private partnerships, the negotiation of credits and incentives, Tax Increment Finance (TIF), and various structured finance transactions, Debbie is a seasoned real estate, legal and financial executive.

Most recently, Debbie was the Leader of the Great Lakes Credits & Incentives practice at RSM in Chicago, IL, where she was responsible for all public-private partnership projects—including tax credits and negotiated incentives—for the firm’s Great Lakes clients and for all NMTC projects across the country. Debbie received her J.D. and master’s in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Wisconsin and her bachelor’s in Economics and Political Science from Washington University in St. Louis.

Sharone Slakman is a data architect at Advantage Capital. His primary role is to focus on Salesforce, working closely with every business line to outline long-term and short-term goals, and leveraging Salesforce to address Advantage’s evolving data and reporting needs. In addition to enhancing workflow efficiency, he is responsible for system integrations that streamline internal processes and improve data accessibility across teams.

Prior to joining the firm, Sharone held leadership roles in various organizations where he spearheaded data-driven initiatives and implemented robust data solutions. At Parallel, he directed the development of enterprise BI platforms and data governance frameworks. During his time at Coca-Cola, Sharone contributed to optimizing business analytics, supporting operational efficiency and strategic decision-making.

Sharone earned his MBA from Washington University in St. Louis and holds a B.S. in Management Information Systems from Maryville University of Saint Louis.

Erik Slavin is an associate at Advantage Capital. As part of the compliance and structuring team, he focuses on investor relations, capital formation and deal structuring.

Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Erik was an associate at Vinson & Elkins, a law firm specialising in transactions and investments.

Erik received his JD from Tulane University Law School, his MBA from Tulane University A.B. Freeman School of Business, and his bachelor's in economics and psychology from Tulane University.

Parker Sloan is Director of External Affairs at Advantage Capital, where he focuses on due diligence, land use approvals, and community benefits. Prior to Advantage Capital, Parker did solar and battery storage development work in PJM, the Southeast, and Texas with FLS Energy and Cypress Creek Renewables. Prior to that, Parker worked for local government where he did land use and affordable housing planning. Parker is currently also a local elected official for Buncombe County in Asheville, NC.

He has a bachelor’s degree from Appalachian State University in Geography and City Planning and a Masters Degree in Public Administration.

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Nick Tyler Smith is a senior marketing manager at Advantage Capital, where he focuses on internal and external marketing, advertising and creative services initiatives supporting the firm's small business investment, expansion and fundraising, renewable energy, and affordable housing business lines.

Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Nick worked at ARCO National Construction as a creative services specialist where he leveraged his skills in art and design to create compelling collateral to communicate the company’s value proposition. He was also owner and manager of his own photography business for five years.

In addition to his role at Advantage Capital, Nick is a mentor to young entrepreneurs across the country and participates in several entrepreneurship and professional development focused speaking engagements every year.

Nick received his bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing and a minor in psychology from Illinois College, and has earned the designation of Professional Certified Marketer from the American Marketing Association.

Kim Smith is a due diligence coordinator on the syndication team. Kim's primary responsibility is to support the syndication team's underwriters, as well as being secondary support to the tax credit sales team.

Prior to joining the firm, she managed a team of mortgage professionals.  Her and the team’s primary focus was analyzing and preparing documentation for the lender’s review of a mortgage transaction.

Kim brings 23 years of real estate experience with a primary emphasis in residential lending.

Moniqua Spencer is an experienced banking and finance professional. As a senior vice president on the investment team, she helps mid-sized companies access capital to facilitate growth and create and retain jobs.

Moniqua most recently served as vice president and banking business sales manager for central Ohio at U.S. Bank. There, she led a team of business banking professionals focused on the lending, depository and treasury management needs for companies up to $25M in annual revenue.

Her defining moment in realizing her passion for working in underserved markets came when she served on the leadership team of Ohio Community Development Finance Fund, a statewide CDFI, CDE and SBA Community Advantage Lender. As executive vice president of lending and programs, she was responsible for the administration, management and deployment of multiple lending and grant programs. She further gained significant expertise with the New Markets Tax Credit program, having been directly responsible for closing over $125M in NMTC loans during her tenure.

Moniqua has also served on multiple boards primarily focused on underserved businesses and youth. Currently, she served as past-chair of the board of directors for Economic & Community Development Institute (ECDI), board of directors for Communities in Schools of Ohio, and was most recently appointed to the board of directors for The Women's Center for Economic Opportunity (WCEO).

Moniqua is a graduate of the The Ohio State University, where she received a bachelors of science in business administration with a major in marketing. She has continues studies through the Harvard Kennedy School's Executive Education series.

Michael Sponseller is a vice president at Advantage Capital, where he focuses on oringinating, structuring and executing investment for the firm's renewable energy platform.

Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Michael was a vice president at Lazard Frères & Co. in the Global Power, Utility and Infrastructure team, where he advised clients in the context of capital raising, M&A and strategic advisory.

Earlier in his career, Michael was the director of structured finance at Sungevity, Inc., where he led the structuring project finance commitment while supporting the company's Series D equity raise. Michael has also held positions at Green Lake Capital and Borrego Solar, where he performed investment analysis and due diligence for C&I and utility-scale solar projects. Michael began his career with Teach for America where he taught middle school math, science and social studies.

Michael received his MBA from University of Texas at Austin and his bachelor's degree in economics and international development from Vanderbilt Unidersity.

Schuyler St. Germain is an analyst on the investment team where he is responsible for sourcing investments and providing due diligence support.

Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Schuyler was a summer analyst at TerraNova Capital, where he worked with the structured finance team.

Schuyler received his bachelor's degree in legal studies and political economy from UC Berkeley, where he was also a member of the men's varsity rowing team.

Aaron Steely is the Director of Project Development at Advantage Renewables. With over a decade of experience in public, private, and federal sectors of Geographic Information System (GIS) sensing, Aaron has led the development of over 700 MW of PV and 200 MW of storage projects with over 3 GWs of new solar and storage projects sited.

Aaron received his B.A./B.S. in Philosophy and Geography from Salisbury University.

Sean Stelken is a vice president and is responsible for the firm's state and federal LIHTC asset management functions. In his role he will manage the oversight of all LIHTC investments including the build out of the federal LIHTC asset management team.

Sean joined Advantage Capital from Aegon Asset Management where he managed LIHTC assets for over 10 years. In addition to managing a portfolio of tax credit investments, he managed a team of asset managers and real estate analysts and oversaw an affordable housing portfolio consisting of more than 175 multifamily housing assets nationwide. He also was involved in developing and executing workout plans on severely distressed assets.

Sean holds a bachelor’s degree in finance and real estate from the University of Northern Iowa.

Alex Stepanek is a senior associate at Advantage Capital. As a member of the national expansion and fundraising teams, he focuses on the firm’s economic development, public policy and public finance initiatives at the state and local level.

Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Alex was the director of program development for a national nonprofit leadership organization based in Richmond, VA, where he was responsible for heading multiple growth initiatives for the organization.  

Alex received his bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Northern Iowa.

Nick Stingley is a analyst at Advantage Capital. As a member of the syndication team, he is responsible for assisting with due diligence and transaction work for the firm's Low-Income Housing Tax Credit investments.

Prior to joining the firm, Nick was a new site development director for a national nonprofit leadership organization based in Richmond, Virginia. He has a varied background in sales, strategic growth and early-stage business formation.

Nick holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from Mississippi State University.