In this episode of dakota live!, Robert Morier welcomes Scott Perry, Partner and Head of OCIO Portfolio Strategy at NEPC, one of the largest investment consulting firms in the industry.

Scott brings nearly two decades of institutional experience and a candid perspective on how the OCIO model is evolving — from portfolio construction and liquidity management to alignment of incentives, pacing, and risk.

We cover what it really takes to be an effective discretionary partner in a world defined by complexity, compressed alpha, and a rising demand for private markets access.

Scott breaks down NEPC’s “secret sauce,” including second-level thinking, cross-asset research collaboration, 250-point due-diligence checklists, and the importance of doing the “dirty work” — the legal, operational, fiduciary, and back-office responsibilities that clients often underestimate.

We also dive into the strategic acquisition wave sweeping the investment landscape. Scott offers an inside look at NEPC’s partnership with Hightower, why the RIA channel represents a major growth opportunity, and how private market capabilities and model portfolios will increasingly blur the lines between institutional and wealth.

And, because relationships are still the game behind the game, we talk basketball. NEPC’s legendary Friday-morning runs, the roots of the Year Up Charity Tournament, and how the same court-sense — knowing when to pass, when to take the shot, and how to read the room — translates into durable client partnerships and long-term trust.

Topics Covered:
• OCIO evolution and what institutions should look for in a partner
• Democratizing the endowment model — and why access still matters
• How NEPC evaluates managers (and why attribution beats storytelling)
• Strategic acquisitions & the Hightower partnership
• Private markets pacing, venture vs. buyout dispersion, and niche lending
• The rise of active ETFs and the future of manager-client alignment
• Relationship building, committee dynamics, and managing emotion

Whether you’re a CIO, allocator, manager, RIA, or an emerging professional in the field, Scott offers one of the clearest views into how OCIO decisions get made — and how the industry is changing in real time.

Watch, learn, and subscribe for more insights from the people shaping institutional investing.

In this week’s episode of Dakota Live, Robert Morier sits down with Jennifer Mink, President of Investment Performance Services (IPS). With IPS advising on approximately $70 billion in assets—98% of which are Taft-Hartley (Union) plans—this conversation offers a rare masterclass on how to navigate the unique ecosystem of union pensions.

Jennifer takes us behind the curtain of IPS’s rigorous investment consulting practice, breaking down exactly how her team approaches manager research, due diligence, and the critical "finals" presentation.

If you are an asset manager looking to work with the Taft-Hartley community, this episode is essential listening. Jennifer explains why understanding the "people behind the pension" is just as important as the performance numbers.

We cover:

• The Taft-Hartley Landscape: Understanding the specific needs of Union plans and why Defined Benefit plans remain the "Gold Standard" in this space.
• The IPS Manager Research Process: How a manager goes from an initial email to an onsite visit, and finally, to the Investment Committee approved list.
• The "Finals" Pitch: Jennifer reveals what works (and what doesn't) in that critical (and timed) presentation—including a cautionary tale about knowing your audience (the "Wegmans story").
• Alternative Investments: The current appetite for Private Credit, the enduring role of Hedge Funds, and the specific ERISA fiduciary requirements managers must accept.
• Building Trust: Why "calling people back" is a competitive edge and how to build long-term relationships with trustees.

Subscribe to the Dakota Live Podcast to stay ahead of the curve in institutional investing and investment sales. Whether you are focused onmanager research, mastering due diligenceprocesses, or navigating the complexities of Taft-Hartley pension funds, our interviews provide the inside track. 

Join us as we unlock the strategies behind successfulasset allocation, explore the shift to private markets, and help you connect with the topinvestment consultants and decision-makers shaping the future of the industry.

In this episode of the Dakota Live! Podcast, host Robert Morier sits down with Paul Cavazos, Senior Vice President and Chief Investment Officer at American Beacon Advisors.
Paul brings more than 25 years of experience managing institutional portfolios for major corporate plans—including Chrysler, Boeing, and DTE Energy—before joining American Beacon to lead their investment strategy, manager oversight, and OCIO business.
Paul shares how those years as an asset owner shaped the way he evaluates investment managers today: his emphasis on disciplined oversight, quarterly underwriting, long-term partnership, and understanding the “why” behind performance—good or bad.
He also discusses what he believes makes a truly effective sub-advisory relationship, and why transparency, consistency, and communication matter far more than flash.
Join us as we explore:
• How Paul approaches the CIO role across multiple vehicles—mutual funds, ETFs, CITs, and OCIO portfolios
• What thoughtful manager research looks like when you’re meeting every quarter, not once a year
• The tension between value and growth, and how he thinks about concentration risk today
• The growing role of private markets and how American Beacon evaluates new opportunity sets
• His views on global investing—from the U.S. to Europe to Asia—and what investors may be underestimating
• The leadership lessons, mentors, and soft skills that shaped his career
• The advice he gives young professionals on patience, preparation, and showing up fully
Paul’s perspective is both practical and generous—rooted in decades of real responsibility, committee work, governance, and decision-making under scrutiny.
It’s a wide-ranging conversation that brings clarity to how a seasoned CIO thinks about risk, alignment, manager selection, and the evolving landscape of institutional investing.

In this episode of dakota live!, host Robert Morier sits down with Chrissie Pariso, Managing Partner of MPowered Capital, to discuss what it takes to identify, underwrite, and empower the next generation of investment managers. With over two decades of allocator experience—from leading Exelon’s Private Equity Manager Program to joining MPowered Capital alongside industry legend Marcia Page—Chrissie offers an insider’s perspective on manager selection, due diligence, and firm building in today’s complex private markets.

From her early career in capital markets to her leadership at MPowered, Chrissie shares how emerging managers can position themselves for success, the importance of character and transparency in fund management, and how the Multiplier Program at MPowered helps first-time firm builders develop operational excellence, institutional credibility, and lasting impact.

Whether you’re an allocator evaluating boutique funds, a GP raising capital for the first time, or an investor looking to understand the future of the emerging-manager ecosystem, this episode delivers invaluable lessons from one of the industry’s most thoughtful leaders.

Key Topics:
✅  The evolving role of emerging managers in private markets
✅  How due diligence and character assessment drive investment decisions
✅  MPowered Capital’s bespoke capital solutions and the Multiplier Program
✅  Why smaller, undercapitalized firms often generate outsized alpha
✅  The importance of mentorship, resilience, and values-based leadership in firm building

For Allocators:
✅  Understand how institutional investors assess manager integrity and firm readiness
✅  Learn where GP seeding and co-investment strategies fit within asset allocation models
✅  Gain insight into the qualities that distinguish managers who thrive in today’s fundraising environment

For Asset Managers:
✅  Discover how to tell your firm’s story and build credibility with allocators
✅  Learn how to manage your firm’s first 180 days with institutional discipline
✅  Hear how MPowered helps emerging GPs navigate operational, strategic, and fundraising challenges

Tune in to learn how experienced allocator Chrissie Pariso and MPowered Capital are redefining the future of emerging managers, private equity, and institutional due diligence through values-based investing and innovative capital solutions.

In this episode, host Robert Morier sits down with Kyle Marmelstein, Investment Director at Crewcial Partners, live from Newport, Rhode Island.

With over 15 years in institutional consulting and manager research, Kyle shares insights into building lasting partnerships, managing risk through market cycles, and why empathy and listening are essential tools in the allocator’s toolkit.

From the lessons of 2008 to today’s private equity dislocations, Kyle offers a grounded view of what it means to invest with conviction, humility, and purpose.

Crewcial Partners is an independent investment advisory firm based in New York, serving endowments, foundations, and mission-driven institutions across the U.S. With over 40 years of experience, the firm designs customized portfolios that align mission with performance, grounded in rigorous research, transparent communication, and long-term partnership.

Key Insights for Allocators

• Hybrid OCIO models — Kyle explains how Crewcial Partners bridges advisory and execution, offering clients flexibility while maintaining investment discipline.
• Private equity secondaries — Learn how current market dislocations are creating opportunity for smaller endowments and foundations to enter private markets more efficiently.
• People and process alignment — Discover why trust, transparency, and culture drive Crewcial’s due diligence and client partnerships more than any model or metric.

Key Takeaways for Asset Managers

• Preparation and empathy win the meeting — Kyle emphasizes the importance of knowing allocators’ pain points and coming prepared to connect, not just to sell.
• Tell your story honestly — Authentic storytelling, humility, and transparency—especially about mistakes—build trust faster than performance charts ever will.
• Understand the human side of due diligence — Hear how allocators like Kyle “build the mosaic” over time, testing conviction and consistency through multiple meetings.

Listen now to hear how one allocator’s journey from the 2008 crisis to today’s dynamic markets reveals enduring truths about partnership, patience, and purpose in investing.

Recorded from the beautiful Castle Hill Inn in Newport, Rhode Island, this special episode of the Dakota Live! Podcast captures the energy and insights of the Havener Capital Partners StorySales Accelerator Capstone Event.

In this conversation, host Robert Morier sits down with Evan Butler, Investment Analyst at CW Advisors, to explore the art and science of manager research and due diligence from the perspective of both the Chief Investment Officer and the analyst. Evan shares how CW Advisors identifies and underwrites top-tier managers across asset classes, balancing institutional rigor with a boutique approach to client service.

Evan shares his journey from studying marketing at Bryant University to becoming a key member of CW’s alternative investment research team—illustrating how data analytics, storytelling, and relationship-building converge in the modern investment landscape.

From sourcing niche managers and structuring bespoke client portfolios to managing the delicate balance between performance and partnership, Evan offers an authentic look into the relationship between idea generation, investment committee collaboration, and client education.

Recorded amid the ocean air of Newport, this conversation dives deep into:

• The evolving relationship between CIOs and analysts in modern wealth management
• The discipline behind manager sourcing and due diligence
• How CW Advisors balances accessibility with institutional-quality investments
• The mentorship and decision-making process that defines successful investment teams

This episode reminds us that great investing—like great conversation—is built on curiosity, collaboration, and trust.

What’s changed—and what still matters—in the OCIO model? In this episode of the Dakota Live! Podcast, host Robert Morier sits down with Adam Lerner, Senior Director of Investments at Prime Buchholz, to unpack how a research-driven OCIO and consulting platform evaluates managers, constructs portfolios, and serves nonprofit clients across endowments, foundations, healthcare systems, and more. 

Founded in 1988, Prime Buchholz is one of the industry’s leading independent investment consulting firms, advising on over $80 billion in assets for a diverse range of clients, including colleges and universities, foundations, endowments, hospitals, pension plans, and other long-term investors.

We dig into sourcing, underwriting, and ongoing due diligence; active vs. passive in public equities; portfolio concentration; operational red flags; and how client service and technology shape today’s OCIO experience.

In this conversation:
- The OCIO landscape and Prime Buchholz’s client mix (education, foundations, healthcare) and footprint from Portsmouth (NH), Boston, and Atlanta. 
- Research philosophy: why qualitative conviction drives the “A-list,” and how holdings-based questioning tests process discipline. 
- Common diligence pitfalls: process drift, team turnover (culture tells), and capacity creep—especially in less-liquid segments. 
- Balancing quant screens with judgment (including niche screens like risk-aware 130/30) and aligning manager roles inside the total portfolio. 
- Technology’s role: the Prime Plus portal for scenarioing managers, tracking characteristics, and improving meeting-to-meeting clarity with committees. 
- Endowment model realities: liquidity, governance, and mission-aligned investing—what’s evolving and what endures. 

Whether you’re considering an OCIO platform, running due diligence, or managing client relationships, this conversation is a reminder that consistency, transparency, and conviction remain the hallmarks of enduring investment leadership.

In this episode of the Dakota Live! Podcast, host Robert Morier welcomes Sean Poe, Director of Investment Manager Research at Key Private Bank, for an insightful conversation about investment philosophy, rethinking career paths, and the art of selecting managers across public and private markets.

With a dynamic background that spans equity research, private investing, and operating roles at firms like Wayfair and Lowe’s, Sean brings a unique perspective to portfolio construction and manager evaluation. Listen in to explore how Sean’s unconventional path has shaped his views on risk, alignment, and long-term partnerships—and how he's applying those lessons at Key Private Bank, where he oversees manager research and multi-strategy portfolios within a $60 billion platform.

Listeners will gain insight into:
 • Key’s seven P’s framework for manager research—from people to partnership
 • How "Poe’s Alpha" measures real-world investment friction
 • Building trust and alignment in manager relationships
 • Why operational experience makes for sharper allocators
 • The evolving role of fund structures, from SMAs to evergreen private equity
 • Lessons in networking, career pivots, and transparent storytelling

Whether you’re an asset manager seeking to stand out or an allocator curious about evaluating skill vs. luck in today’s markets, this episode offers practical wisdom and fresh perspective from a seasoned decision-maker who's been on both sides of the table.

In this episode of Dakota Live!, host Robert Morier sits down with Nick Gentile, Interim President and Chief Investment Officer of Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors, to explore how a mission-driven $29 billion organization navigates today’s complex fixed income and alternative markets.

Nick Gentile, a seasoned fixed income specialist, offers an inside look at how his team approaches asset allocation, manager selection, and liquidity management while staying true to the Knights’ Catholic investing principles. From private credit and securitized products to real estate debt and duration positioning, Nick shares how the firm balances stewardship with innovation in a volatile rate environment.

Listeners will gain valuable insights into:

• How a values-based investment philosophy informs portfolio construction.
  
  
• The evolving role of private credit and real assets in institutional portfolios.
  
  
• What CIOs look for in external managers during the due diligence process.
  
  
• How insurers and asset allocators are adapting fixed income strategies post–rate cycle.
  
  
• Lessons in leadership, communication, and risk discipline from a CIO who rose through the ranks.
  
  

Whether you’re an allocator, asset manager, or student of investment strategy, this episode offers a masterclass in CIO decision-making, fixed income portfolio design, and faith-driven investing.
Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube to understand how one of America’s most enduring institutions is redefining stewardship for the modern markets.

• The Role of Character: Why courage, patience, and integrity in leadership remain irreplaceable, especially as artificial intelligence takes over technical tasks.
• The Pitfalls of Pattern Recognition: How overreliance on short-term performance and surface-level communication can mask deeper organizational weaknesses, and how allocators can uncover them during due diligence.
• The Value of Information: Why decision quality should be judged in the context of information available at the time (not just outcomes) and how allocators can fairly assess managers’ choices through this lens.
• Trust in Fundraising and Asset Allocation: Moving beyond interaction-based trust toward vision-based trust—and why boutique managers who clearly articulate a differentiated future are more likely to stand out with investment committees.
• Cognitive Diversity & Early Warning Signs: How giving analysts a voice, fostering psychological safety, and embracing cognitive diversity can prevent blind spots and strengthen investment teams.