UASBIG - Advisory Board

To further build the group, an advisory board of faculty and alumni was created to combine both academic and “street” insight to be used in evaluating the group’s investment proposals, as well as to help guide the direction of the overall group. The advisory board is comprised of the following distinguished Alumni and School of Business faculty:

Gary Jacobson, BA ’82, MBA

            After earning his MBA, Gary started out on the sell-side, and quickly became a well-known retail analyst. After creating a long track record of solid investment recommendations, notably Coleco during “Cabbage Patch Kids” mania, as well as Blockbuster when the chain only had 18 stores, he was named “All Star Analyst” in the Entertainment Industry by The Wall Street Journal in 1997. He then decided to take his expertise and instinct for picking winners to the buy-side, where he spent 12 successful years. Gary currently manages his own hedge fund, and remains an active alumnus within the University community. Gary brings a tremendous amount of insight, critical thinking, enthusiasm, and passion to the group.

DeForest Hinman, BA ‘05

            Enrolled in the Financial Analyst Program during its early stages, DeForest graduated Summa Cum Laude from the School of Business at the University at Albany. After interning at Paradigm Capital Management in 2005, he went back to work full-time as a research analyst. In 2007, DeForest left Paradigm to become a partner in Walthausen & Co., a small-cap value investment management company. He currently is a research analyst for both the small-cap value fund, and small-mid cap value fund. He regularly teaches seminars in security analysis, research, and financial modeling to members of UASBIG. DeForest brings an abundance of knowledge about security selection and modeling, as well as great industry insight regarding his own experiences as a research analyst.

Matt Reiner, CFA, MBA

            Matt started his investment career in 1994 as a sell-side research associate with CL King & Associates. He served as Senior Analyst, Vice President and Portfolio Manager for CL King’s Investment Advisory business, Paradigm Capital Management from 1998-2004. In February 2005, Matt joined Adirondack Funds, where he is currently a Portfolio Manager. Matt brings great knowledge of the field, as well as outside-the-box thinking, and enthusiasm to the group.
David M. Smith, Ph.D. ‘89, CFA, CMA

            Professor Smith received his Ph.D. from Virginia Tech in 1989. He has received the President’s and Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence in Teaching. An active member of the CFA Insititute, he also encourages and advises School of Business students wishing to enroll in the CFA Program. A well-published author, his teaching and research interests include corporate finance and investments. 

Christophe Faugere, Ph.D. ’93

            Professor Faugere, Chair of the Finance Department at the School of Business, received his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Rochester in 1993. His principal subject areas in teaching and research include corporate finance, stock valuation models, derivatives, as well as behavioral finance.

Hany A. Shawky, Ph.D. 1978

            Professor Shawky received his Ph.D. from Ohio State University in 1978. His principal subject areas in teaching and research include: corporate finance, portfolio management, international finance, stock valuation models, and hedge funds. Professor Shawky brings his passion for research and finance to the classroom, as he teaches the Senior Financial Analyst Thesis class, while working closely with each student.