Alex Cass
Principal, Investor Relations
Bringing together a diverse range of backgrounds, experience and expertise.
Principal, Investor Relations
Principal, Investor Relations
Alex joined Ara Partners in 2023 as Principal of Investor Relations.
Prior to joining Ara, Alex was a Managing Director at Campbell Lutyens in London where he spent ten years in their primary advisory team. During his tenure at CL Alex advised on over $15bn of capital raised across Europe and North America with a principal focus on sustainable infrastructure.
Alex holds a Masters’ in Mathematics and Philosophy from the University of Bristol and is a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst.
Head of Operations
Head of Operations
Steve Cherington manages Ara’s operations, investor reporting, and research functions. He has nearly 20 years of experience in private equity operations, research and portfolio management.
Prior to Ara, Steve served as a Director at Intervale Capital and its predecessor, where he was responsible for industrial research and was involved with portfolio management. He previously held several operational roles at MFS Investment Management, where he worked for seven years.
Steve holds a Bachelor of Arts in economics from Wheaton College (MA) and a Master of Business Administration, with honors, from Kent Business School in Canterbury, England.
Managing Director, Energy Decarbonization
Managing Director, Energy Decarbonization
James plays a critical role in aligning Ara Energy’s infrastructure investments with its aims to decarbonize and enhance sustainability in energy, including thermal power and biofuels. James’ extensive background in energy and finance, with a focus on strategic planning and execution, equips him with unique insights necessary for leading Ara Energy’s multi-faceted initiatives. Specifically, recent roles at Pilot Travel Centers and Castleton Commodities International saw James leading initiatives across business and corporate development, and alternative fuels, setting the stage for impactful contributions at Ara.
In addition to his professional endeavors, James has a Bachelor’s degree from McGill University, where he studied Finance and Chemistry. James’ commitment to sustainability extends to his personal life, where he enjoys activities such as running and hiking and a dedication to a balanced, health-conscious lifestyle.
Head of Finance
Head of Finance
Floyd Christopher is involved with all aspects of Ara’s finance operations, including accounting, audit, treasury, tax, and reporting.
Prior to joining Ara in 2023, Floyd served as Vice President of Accounting at Lionstone Investments, a real estate investment management firm that conceptualizes, analyzes, and executes national investment strategies. Prior to Lionstone Investments, Floyd served in various senior finance and accounting roles for Intertek, a leading assurance provider that delivers innovative and bespoke assurance, testing, inspection, and certification solutions to industries. Floyd began his finance career with Hines, a privately owned global real estate investment, development, and management firm.
Floyd received Bachelor of Business Administration degrees in International Business and Accounting from the University of Houston–Downtown and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Houston. He is a licensed Certified Public Accountant and Certified Management Accountant. He is a member of the Texas Society of Public Accountants (TSCPA), the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), and Institute of Management Accountants (IMA).
Senior Finance Ops Coordinator
Senior Finance Ops Coordinator
Carissa Clark is a Senior Finance Operations Coordinator and is involved with various aspects of Ara’s finance operations team, including AP, AR, treasury, audit, and tax.
Prior to joining Ara in 2023, Carissa was a Finance Operations Manager at Lionstone Investments, a real estate investment management firm that conceptualizes, analyzes, and executes national investment strategies. At Lionstone Investments, her primary focus was treasury, AP, and tax coordination. Prior to Lionstone Investments Carissa spent many years as commercial property manager overseeing many duties including billing, AR, AP, and administrative operations.
Senior Operating Partner
Senior Operating Partner
Luis Pais Correia is a Senior Operating Partner at Ara, where he is primarily focused on operational and technical matters. He has more than 25 years of experience as a senior executive, managing multi-billion revenue businesses.
Prior to joining Ara, Luis co-founded Aksiom Group in 2017. He has been a board member and a shareholder of px Group Ltd since 2014. Luis serves as the Chairman of Anesco Holdings Ltd and Aloxe Holding B.V. and as a board member of Petainer Ltd. He is also Chairman of Jernbro Industrial Services AB and is a member of the Advisory board of Getec, a leading German Energy Efficiency company owned by institutional investors advised by JP Morgan Asset Management. Luis has been a senior manager in the energy industry for over 25 years. Prior to Aksiom, Luis was a Director and Manager at Dalkia (a company co-owned by Veolia Environnement and EDF) for more than 15 years. He was CEO of several Dalkia subsidiaries including Dalkia NAMEA (North-Atlantic, Middle East, Asia-Pacific) and a Board Director for the UK, Ireland, Sweden, Portugal, Spain, Belgium, Netherlands, US, Canada, GCC, China and Australia. He was directly responsible for $2.5 billion in annual revenue and 15,000 employees.
Luis received a PhD in civil engineering from École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland and is a chartered engineer from IST Lisbon.
Office Manager
Office Manager
Prior to joining Ara Partners, Tammy Crenwelge was the owner of two successful businesses, Le Bone Pet Spa and Zenobia’s Catering. Throughout her career she was also a manager for The Chocolate Bar, Baylor College of Medicine and Saks Fifth Avenue.
Tammy received a Bachelor of Science degree in fashion merchandising with a minor in business. She is an avid animal advocate volunteering her time with several shelters and rescue groups fostering the “Tiny but Fierce” population who are medically or socially challenged. Formerly she served on the board of HOPE, a 501c(3) having been secretary, vice president and president throughout the years she was a member.
Principal
Principal
Ari David is a Principal at Ara and is involved with all aspects of the firm’s investment process.
Prior to joining Ara, Ari was a Vice President at AUA Private Equity where he was responsible for origination, structuring, due diligence, execution and monitoring of investments in the consumer and food sectors. He was a board member of Epi Breads, Profectus Beauty, Westminster Pet Products, and Gourmet Culinary Partners. Prior to joining AUA, he was with J.P. Morgan Asset Management.
Ari holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Tufts University, where he graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa and was a member of the Varsity Baseball team. He received a Master of Business Administration from the Columbia Business School.
Head of Human Resources
Head of Human Resources
Colin Dicke joined Ara Partners in 2023 as Head of Human Resources. He brings over 15 years of human resources experience in financial services and has led many strategic initiatives around growth, organizational change, and leadership development.
Prior to joining Ara, Colin worked at Wellington Management for 12 years where he ran a team aligned to multiple functions of the organization. He was instrumental in leading many strategic initiatives as Wellington grew and evolved through multiple structural changes. Prior to Wellington, Colin formed the foundation of his human resource experience working with Hanover Insurance Group’s commercial line businesses and, prior to that, Fidelity Investments’ Institutional Products Group and as a member of Fidelity’s internal HR consulting team.
Colin graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and Sociology. He also has a Master’s in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University. Outside of work, Colin loves traveling with his wife and daughter and can be found hiking in the White Mountains or rowing on the Charles River.
Principal, Energy Decarbonization
Principal, Energy Decarbonization
Matthew is a Principal at Ara, bringing focused expertise to the firm’s investment strategy in the evolving energy market.
Previously, as Head of Mergers and Acquisitions at Pilot Company, he spearheaded significant transactions, including a pioneering nationwide electric vehicle charging infrastructure program. His career path includes roles at Castleton Commodities International, where he focused on power asset investments from both Houston and London offices, and Mercuria Energy Trading, where he served as an associate in the principal investments group. Matthew’s professional journey began at Goldman Sachs.
At Ara, Matthew leverages his extensive background to identify and cultivate opportunities aligned with the firm’s mission to invest and innovate in sectors in need of decarbonization such as thermal power, biofuels, and retail energy distribution.
A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Matthew holds a B.A. in History. When he’s not navigating the complexities of energy markets, you can find him engrossed in a good book, continuing his long time passion for rowing, or cherishing moments with his wife and two children.
Humanity Development Leader, Portfolio Services
Humanity Development Leader, Portfolio Services
Victoria Fradette is a member of the Ara Portfolio Services team as Humanity Development Leader based in Houston, TX. Her focus in her role is to provide best in class Human Resources related support to Ara’s portfolio of companies. Prior to joining Ara, Victoria worked at Kent for four years as a Senior HR Business Partner where she was responsible for building the HR program for the organization in the USA and Canada. Before joining Kent, Victoria worked for SGS for eight years in several HR roles in Fort McMurray, AB, Tulsa, OK and Houston, TX.
Victoria holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Regina and a Master’s Degree from the University of South Carolina in Human Resource Management. She has also completed her Leadership Coaching Certification through Rice University.
Operations Analyst
Operations Analyst
Prior to joining Ara, Dhrumil worked as a Real Estate Analyst on the Underwriting team at DLP Capital, where he evaluated and advised on debt and equity transactions across Single and Multi-Family asset classes, playing a key role in their overall execution.
Dhrumil holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics as well as a Business Foundations Certificate from the University of Texas at Austin.
Staff Assistant, Government Affairs
Staff Assistant, Government Affairs
Kiran Garewal is Staff Assistant of Government Affairs at Ara Partners. He assists Ara’s government affairs team with government relations and policy development on behalf of portfolio companies.
Before joining Ara, Kiran interned at Boundary Stone Partners, a climate-focused government affairs firm, where he supported domestic solar manufacturers in advocating for favorable implementation of federal legislation. He also spent two legislative sessions interning in the Georgia State Capitol, first for Holland & Knight, LLP, and most recently for House Democratic Whip Sam Park.
Kiran holds a Bachelor of Science in Public Policy from the Georgia Institute of Technology. In his free time, he enjoys long walks and exploring the cuisine of Washington, DC.
Senior Associate
Senior Associate
AJ Getter is a Senior Associate at Ara and is involved in all aspects of the firm’s investment process including origination, execution, and portfolio management.
Prior to joining Ara, AJ was an AVP in GIC’s Direct Investment Group, primarily focused on equity investments in large-cap climate transition, financial services, and consumer companies. Prior to GIC, AJ was an Analyst at Bregal Partners.
AJ graduated with distinction from the University of Virginia’s McIntire School of Commerce concentrating in Quantitative Finance.
Head of Government Affairs
Head of Government Affairs
Reese Goldsmith is Head of Government Affairs at Ara Partners and is based in Washington, D.C. Reese oversees the firm’s government affairs strategy, policy monitoring, and outreach to key elected officials across portfolio companies.
Prior to joining Ara, Reese was a Senior Policy Advisor at Holland & Knight, LLP, a leading U.S. law and lobbying firm. At Holland & Knight, she helped secure over $1 billion in federal grants and loans through programs funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act. Before joining Holland & Knight, Reese was an Associate and Policy Advisor in the Energy, Environment, and Resources Strategies Group at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, the number one U.S. lobbying firm by revenue. While at Brownstein, she also led advocacy for small business COVID-19 relief efforts to ensure the hardest-hit businesses could benefit from the $953 billion in Paycheck Protection Program loans. Prior to private practice, Reese worked across several federal agencies on energy and environmental law and policy. Reese completed clerkships at the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy and the U.S. Department of Justice Environment and Natural Resources Division Law and Policy Section. Reese also contracted with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office.
Reese attended Virginia Tech and received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. She received her Juris Doctor from the Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law in Washington, DC. In her spare time, Reese enjoys escaping to Virginia Hunt Country with her Labrador Retriever Lily, viewing exhibits at the Phillips Collection, and mentoring students through the D.C. Bar’s Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Section Law Fellows Program.
Vice President
Vice President
Manuel Ferreira Gomes is a Vice President at Ara and is involved with all aspects of the firm’s investment process.
Prior to joining Ara, Manuel was a Director at AMERRA Capital Management, a New York-based private equity firm focused on sustainable food & agriculture. Before AMERRA, he was at ECS Capital, focusing on Private Equity Special Situations in Europe. Prior to joining ECS, he was a consultant at the Boston Consulting Group.
Manuel majored in Management & Business Administration at Nova School of Business and Economics in Portugal. He received a Master of Business Administration from the Columbia Business School.
Associate, Infrastructure
Associate, Infrastructure
Huilai Gu joins Ara as an Associate on the Infrastructure investment team.
Previously, she worked on utility-scale power generation M&A at Onward Energy, an IPP operating 6GW of solar, wind, and gas assets. Huilai started her career in the Energy Practice of Charles River Associates, an economic and management consulting firm, where she focused on utility resource planning and transmission projects.
Huilai graduated magna cum laude from Lehigh University, with dual B.S. degrees in Chemical Engineering and Finance.
Executive Administrator
Executive Administrator
Prior to joining Ara, Eloise worked as Workplace Operations Coordinator at Indeed, enhancing employee experience and creating diversity and inclusion initiatives.
Prior to this, she worked as an Account Executive at Accenture and at Revolut Business. She started her career gaining experience within Business Support and Event Management roles.
Eloise holds a Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics and Italian Studies from University College Dublin (UCD).
Compliance Manager
Compliance Manager
Lauren Heuermann manages Ara’s compliance functions, including regulatory filings, AML/CFT, KYC, and training.
Prior to joining Ara, Lauren was a financial crime compliance manager at Hines, a privately owned global real estate investment, development, and management firm. At Hines, she was primarily focused on policy development, due diligence requests, KYC/CFT, AML on investors and business partners, and investigations. Lauren also has experience with due diligence platform implementation, gifts and entertainment review, and training development.
Lauren started her career at AIG, now known as Corebridge Financial, within the retirement services division. Lauren received a Bachelor of Arts in International Business with minors in Spanish and Psychology from Maryville College.
Managing Director, Infrastructure
Managing Director, Infrastructure
Alyssa Hooper joined Ara in 2022 as a Principal focused on the Firm’s infrastructure strategy. Alyssa has over ten years of infrastructure investment and project management experience.
Prior to joining Ara, Alyssa was a Principal at Global Infrastructure Partners focused across numerous verticals, including transportation, digital infrastructure, and energy. Previously, Alyssa served as a Vice President in Goldman Sachs, where she built and led the Midstream Leveraged Finance business. She started her career in investment banking at Credit Suisse, where she served as Associate in the Leveraged Finance Origination & Restructuring group and as an Analyst in the Global Energy and Project Finance group.
Alyssa holds a bachelor of science in Finance and Accounting from New York University Stern School of Business.
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