Team
Glenn Pierce
President
gpierce@turnerimpact.com
Glenn Pierce is the President of Turner-Agassi Charter School Facilities Fund. Mr. Pierce is responsible for the oversight and management of all Turner-Agassi investment opportunities across the country.
Mr. Pierce has over thirty years of experience in corporate finance, food service and K-12 education management and has been a leader in the development of charter schools since 1997. Throughout his career, Mr. Pierce has developed over ninety charter schools in thirteen states and the District of Columbia, creating over 40,000 incremental student seats for best-in-class operators across the United States.
Prior to joining Turner Impact Capital, Mr. Pierce was CEO and President of Canyon-Agassi Charter School Facilities Fund where he was responsible for the oversight and management of all Canyon-Agassi investment opportunities across the country. Mr. Pierce has served as President and CEO of Pacific Charter School Development (PCSD), which he co-founded with NewSchools Venture Fund in 2003. Mr. Pierce was also Chief Financial Officer for Advantage Schools and Chief Financial Officer and Chief Development Officer for Charter Schools USA.
Mr. Pierce is a graduate of Lafayette College (B.A., Economics) and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania (M.B.A.). He is a graduate of Citicorp's Institute for Global Finance and the Broad Center for Urban Superintendents (Class of 2003). Mr. Pierce serves as Chairman of the South Florida Autism Charter Schools and as a Board Member of the Andre Agassi Preparatory Charter Academy.
K. Robert Turner
Managing Partner
Over the past two decades, Mr. Turner has established himself as a pioneer in the area of social impact investing. As former Chairman, CEO and Co-Founding Partner of Canyon Capital Realty Advisors LLC (CCRA), he oversaw a commercial real estate and mortgage asset portfolio totaling over $12 billion, and was responsible for launching several groundbreaking funds that have helped define the “triple bottom line” investment movement. Through the Canyon-Agassi Charter School Facilities Fund, the Canyon Multifamily Impact Fund, the Canyon-Johnson Urban Funds and Canyon Catalyst Fund, he has dedicated himself to providing sound financial returns for investors, fostering opportunities for residents of the communities in which his funds invest, all while embracing environmental responsibility.
Mr. Turner is involved in many civic ventures, having served on the boards of the Virginia Avenue Project, the Pacific Charter School Development Corporation, and the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City. He holds a B.S. in Finance from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he and his wife have endowed a curriculum development fund and speaker series for social impact studies. He also serves on the school’s Undergraduate Executive Board of Advisors.
Andre Agassi
Managing Partner
After turning pro at the age of 16, tennis prodigy Andre Agassi rose to international fame, earning 60 men's singles titles, including eight Grand Slam singles championships, over a 20- year career. A former World No. 1 player, Agassi is the only male player ever to win all four Grand Slam titles and an Olympic gold medal. He was also a member of three winning Davis Cup teams (1990, 1992 and 1995). While his tennis career took him all over the world, Agassi always stayed connected to his hometown of Las Vegas, Nevada. In 1994, at the age of 24, he created The Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation. Early activities included building a shelter in Las Vegas for abused and neglected children; creating the Andre Agassi Boys and Girls Club; and developing Team Agassi, a tennis program that nurtures professional players and puts college within reach.
Over 20 years, the Foundation has honed its mission to focus on transforming public education. In 2001, in partnership with the Clark County School District, the Foundation opened the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy (Agassi Prep) in West Las Vegas. Recognized as a model charter school, Agassi Prep graduated its first senior class in June 2009 with a 100 percent college acceptance rate. Each year, the Foundation's primary fundraising vehicle, the Grand Slam for Children, brings together international stars to raise awareness and money. Since 1987, the Grand Slam for Children has raised more than $70 million for the Foundation's activities. Since retiring in 2006, Andre Agassi has increased his focus on his Foundation and on promoting education reform. He is also building a lifestyle business through endorsement relationships, joint venture investments and real estate development. He is married to tennis superstar, philanthropist and businesswoman Stefanie Graf. The couple resides in Las Vegas with their children, Jaden Gil and Jaz Elle.
Ramiro Viramontes
Director of Construction Services
rviramontes@turnerimpact.com
Ramiro Viramontes is the Director of Construction Services of Turner-Agassi Charter School Facilities Fund. Mr. Viramontes is based in Los Angeles and is responsible for all charter school construction projects, including Design Development, Pre-Construction and Construction Management across the country. Prior to Turner-Agassi, Mr. Viramontes was most recently the Vice President of Construction Services at Pacific Charter School Development (PCSD). For five years he oversaw the portfolio of facility development projects for Aspire Public Schools and other CMO’s.
Ramiro brings over 25 years of corporate experience in construction management, facility operations, and property management. Prior to joining PCSD, he served as First Vice-President of Facility Operations for Countrywide Financial Corporation, the largest mortgage lender in the U.S. During his ten years at Countrywide, he oversaw a 3.2 million square foot portfolio of corporate sites across the country, a staff of 386 employees, and the remodeling/new construction and expansion of over 1.5 million square feet of office and data center space.
Ramiro’s other management experience includes Fiserv, 20th Century Insurance, and Transamerica Corporation. He studied at Pasadena City College in Architecture Design and at UCLA in Construction Management. In his spare time, Ramiro serves on the boards of several schools in Southern California and is a member of the Executive Board for the Re-Development of private high schools in the San Gabriel Valley.
Antonio Gonzalez
Director of Business Development
agonzalez@turnerimpact.com
Antonio Gonzalez is the Director of Business Development of Turner-Agassi Charter School Facilities Fund. Mr. Gonzalez brings over 10 years of charter school facility development experience and is responsible for sourcing and developing projects across regions. Specifically, Mr. Gonzalez partners with national CMOs and works with them to develop long-term facilities strategies.
Mr. Gonzalez was most recently the Regional Director of the Midwest Region of the Canyon-Agassi Charter School Facilities Fund and prior thereto, he was a Senior Project Manager at Pacific Charter School Development (PCSD) where he oversaw the portfolio of facilitiy development projects for Green Dot Public Schools, Alliance and other CMOs. In his career, he has built over 10,000 charter school seats. Prior to PCSD, Mr. Gonzalez worked for the New Construction Division of Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) where he managed projects under the Measure K Charter School Expansion Program. He also served as a Neighborhood Planner for Lawrence Community Works (LCW), in Lawrence, Massachusetts, where he worked on various community and youth development initiatives. Mr. Gonzalez was also a founding board member of Equitas Charter Academy and currently serves as a founding board member and Vice Chair of Chicago Collegiate Charter School. Mr. Gonzalez is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley (B.A. Architecture) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Master in City Planning with a concentration in Housing, Community and Economic Development).
David Leahy
Regional Director – East
dleahy@turnerimpact.com
David Leahy is a Regional Director of Turner-Agassi Charter School Facilities Fund. Mr. Leahy is based in Washington D.C. and is responsible for underwriting, analyzing, negotiating and executing investment opportunities in the Eastern region. Prior to Turner-Agassi, Mr. Leahy was most recently the Chief Operating Officer for DC Prep, a charter school management organization (CMO) serving over 900 students on 3 campuses in Washington, DC. In that role, he was responsible for operations, human resources administration, finance, and real estate. Prior to DC Prep, David was an Associate Partner at NewSchools Venture Fund, conducting due diligence on CMOs nationally and making investment recommendations to NewSchools investment partners. Before joining NewSchools, he served as Director of Financial Planning for Charter Schools USA for three years, where he also managed new school development, including the launch of multiple schools in Florida and Texas. Mr. Leahy taught senior high Social Studies for two years in Pensacola, Florida. Mr. Leahy is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame (B.A., Cum Laude), of Wake Forest University (M.B.A) and of the University of Portland (M.S. Teaching).
Carmen Maldonado
Regional Director – Northeast
cmaldonado@turnerimpact.com
Carmen Maldonado is a Regional Director of Turner-Agassi Charter School Facilities Fund. Ms. Maldonado is based in New York and is responsible for underwriting, analyzing, negotiating and executing investment opportunities in the Northeast region. Prior to Turner-Agassi, Ms. Maldonado was the Director of Real Estate for the KIPP Foundation where she supported and advised the national KIPP network of schools in the real estate process. During her career at KIPP, she devised the Foundation’s Early Stage Revolving Loan Fund, for short-term tenant improvements, and the KIPP Foundation Credit Enhancement Program (KCEP) which in four years leveraged $80 million in charter school leases and loans. Prior to KIPP, Ms. Maldonado was a Program Officer for the New York City office of the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, working with community development corporations across NYC to secure financing for affordable housing and community facilities. Ms. Maldonado is a graduate of Baruch College (M.A. Public Administration) and of the University of Pennsylvania (M.S.Ed. Elementary Education, B.A. Communications).
Aarthi Sowrirajan
Regional Director - West
asowrirajan@turnerimpact.com
Aarthi Sowrirajan is a Regional Director of Turner-Agassi Charter School Facilities Fund. Based in Los Angeles, Ms. Sowrirajan manages the Fund's business development efforts for the West and Southwest regions, including identifying high-performing charter school partners. In addition, she is responsible for underwriting, structuring, negotiating and executing investment opportunities, managing Fund finances, investor relations and the various operational needs of the Fund. Prior to joining Turner-Agassi, Ms. Sowrirajan was an Associate at Deutsche Bank Securities in the Structured Products Group, underwriting deals and structuring debt financing for non-prime mortgage originators and credit card companies through bond offerings in the capital markets. She has also held a position as a Summer Associate at Credit Suisse within various Equity and Debt Sales and Trading teams. Ms. Sowrirajan is a graduate of the University of Chicago (B.A., Honors, Economics) and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania (M.B.A.).
David Feinberg
Regional Director - Central
dfeinberg@turnerimpact.com
David Feinberg is a Regional Director of Turner-Agassi Charter School Facilities Fund. Mr. Feinberg is based in Chicago and is responsible for underwriting, analyzing, negotiating and executing investment opportunities in the Central region. Prior to Turner-Agassi, Mr. Feinberg was the Director of Real Estate and a co-founder of Launchpad Development Company, a non-profit charter school developer for Rocketship Education's Bay Area's projects. He developed four Rocketship elementary schools in San Jose with a total capacity of 2,200 students and assisted in securing more than $30M of construction financing. Prior to Launchpad Development Company, Mr. Feinberg worked with Pacific Charter School Development as an assistant project manager for the Aspire Huntington Park project and with the CRA/LA in the South L.A. region as a community planner, reviewing development proposals and analyzing the performance of the south L.A. implementation plan. Prior to his work in urban redevelopment, Mr. Feinberg was a 3rd grade and middle school teacher in South Phoenix in the Roosevelt School District with Teach For America. Mr. Feinberg currently serves on the board of Great Lakes Academy, a new charter school in Chicago. Mr. Feinberg is a graduate of Hampshire College (B.A. Creative Writing), Arizona State University (M.S.Ed.), and the University of Southern California (MPL, concentrations in Urban Design and Sustainability).
Bob Flynn
Construction Manager
bflynn@turnerimpact.com
Bob Flynn is a Construction Manager of Turner-Agassi Charter School Facilities Fund. Mr. Flynn is based in North Carolina and is responsible for Construction Management of charter school projects. Prior to Turner-Agassi, Mr. Flynn was most recently Senior Property Manager at CB Richard Ellis on the Bank of America account. He was responsible for managing Construction and Operations for a portfolio of 6 million square feet of Critical Data Centers, Call Centers, Bank Branches and Cash Vaults.
Mr. Flynn brings over 25 years of corporate experience in construction management, facility operations, and property management. Prior to joining CBRE, he served as First Vice-President of Engineering & Construction for Countrywide Financial Corporation, the largest mortgage lender in the U.S. During his many years at Countrywide, he oversaw the construction and management of a 2.5 million square foot portfolio consisting of Call Centers and Data Centers in the West/Southwest. Additional Management experience includes Manager of Facilities & Construction for Catholic Healthcare West in Southern California and Facilities Manager for the Flatley Company in Massachusetts.
Thomas Bilinski
Construction Manager
tbilinski@turnerimpact.com
Thomas Bilinski is a Construction Manager of Turner-Agassi Charter School Facilities Fund. Mr. Bilinski is based in Southern California and is responsible for Construction Management of charter school projects. Mr. Bilinski has been in the commercial construction industry for 29 years and has been a General Contractor for the past 20 years in the State of California. Mr. Bilinski started working in music and movie production studio facilities and progressed into the ground-up construction and refurbishment of commercial buildings. Prior to joining the Turner-Agassi team, Mr. Bilinski, for the past 7 years, was a Consultant to General Contractors in the State of California working on custom homes, public assemblies, commercial properties and charter schools. He has been involved in the construction of 9 charter school facilities over the past 3 years, including gymnasium and performing arts centers. His knowledge of commercial construction, public assemblies and data infrastructure has enabled him to implement cost-effective building methods for charter schools. Mr. Bilinski studied at Cal State Dominguez Hills and has completed the Project Management Program at UCLA Extension.
Tina Van Curen
Construction Manager
tvancuren@turnerimpact.com
Tina Van Curen is a Construction Manager of Turner-Agassi Charter School Facilities Fund. Ms. Van Curen is based in New York and is responsible for Construction Management of charter school projects. Prior to Turner-Agassi, Ms. Van Curen was most recently a Construction Consultant at Newbanks Boston on commercial projects throughout the Tri-State area. She was responsible for providing due diligence, property evaluations, and construction monitoring on construction projects for Construction Lenders or Equity Investors to ensure that the project objectives were achieved. Projects ranged in scope from office buildings, retail, hotels, health care facilities, single and multifamily developments, and affordable housing throughout the Tri-State region.
Ms. Van Curen brings over 17 years of commercial construction experience in plan and cost reviews, property condition assessments, and project oversight. Prior to Newbanks Boston, she served as Project Manager for IVI International, Inc. During this time, she provided property condition assessments and project oversight nationwide on behalf of institutional lenders, investors, sureties, and corporate real estate departments. Projects ranged in scope from single and multi family developments to suburban office buildings to urban high-rises to retail centers/super regional malls to hospitality to apartment buildings. Prior to the due diligence field, Ms. Van Curen developed and supervised a 12-year master plan of alterations and new construction for the largest Residential Treatment Center in New York State, Children's Village. During this time, all phases of facilities and engineering management were supported including code research, planning and development, bid documents, contractor coordination, change order management, site inspections and punch list administration.
Angela Shi
Analyst
ashi@turnerimpact.com
Angela Shi is an Analyst of Turner-Agassi Charter School Facilities Fund. Ms. Shi is based in Los Angeles and is responsible for financial modeling, managing fund finances and supporting Regional Directors in underwriting, analyzing, negotiating and executing investment opportunities. Prior to joining Turner-Agassi, Ms. Shi was an analyst at Barclays Capital in the Leveraged Finance Credit Risk Group, conducting due diligence and credit analysis on LBO and M&A transactions in the Industrials sector. Ms. Shi is a graduate of Baruch College (B.B.A., Honors, Finance).
Michelle Felman
Executive Director and Senior Advisor
mfelman@turnerimpact.com
Michelle Felman is Executive Director and Senior Advisor of Turner-Agassi Charter School Facilities Fund. From 1997-2010, Ms. Felman served as the Executive Vice President of Acquisitions for Vornado Realty Trust (VNO), the second largest U.S. REIT. During her tenure, she helped grow the REIT from a $1 billion market capitalization company to a $30 billion company. During that same period, VNO diversified from a strip center company into the largest owner of office buildings in NYC and Washington DC. She currently serves as a consultant to VNO and as a board member of LNR, the largest special servicer in the United States. Ms. Felman began her career at Morgan Stanley in the Investment Banking Division. She later joined GE Capital as a Managing Director of Business Development, where she was responsible for the acquisition of real estate and non- performing loans from the Resolution Trust Corporation (RTC), banks and insurance companies in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and France.
Ms. Felman received her B.A. from The University of California, Berkeley with highest honors and her M.B.A. from The Wharton School at The University of Pennsylvania, where she currently serves as an adjunct Professor in the Real Estate Department. She serves on the Executive Committee of The Zell-Lurie Center.