Our Team

Anand Kesavan

Founder & Chief Executive Officer

As a seasoned investment banker, charter school executive, and senior leader of a large philanthropic organization, Anand is passionate about solving educational inequalities, creating efficient financial markets, optimizing school financial models to send more resources to classrooms, and using philanthropy to do so in a scalable and sustainable manner.

Prior to founding Equitable Facilities Fund, Anand led the Structured Finance Group and ran the Facility Fund for the Charter School Growth Fund, where he helped identify the nation’s best schools and invest in them. Prior to CSGF, he served as Chief Financial Officer of KIPP Austin Public Schools. Prior to KIPP, Anand spent more than a decade in senior investment banking roles, financing more than $10 billion in public projects including state revolving funds and K-12 schools with a specialty in credit ratings & quantitative structuring.

Anand is a graduate of the University of Michigan Ross School of Business, the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and the Education Pioneers Fellowship.

Michelle Getz

Partner & Chief Credit Officer

Michelle is charged with building Equitable Facilities Fund’s credit platform and leading a thorough credit diligence and approval process for each charter school loan. Additionally, she leads the loan closing, loan servicing and portfolio management processes.

She brings with her nearly 30 years of professional experience, including 18 years at Nuveen Asset Management. During her time at Nuveen, Michelle developed and refined their charter school investment methodology and implemented it via analysis of over 300 charter school organizations to determine viability and credit worthiness for investment. Michelle has also served as an Internal Auditor for the Coca-Cola Company and an External Financial Auditor with Deloitte & Touche.

Michelle earned a BS from Auburn University and an MS from the University of Houston. She is also a CPA in the states of Illinois and North Carolina.

Kevin Alin

Senior Advisor - Equity & Impact

Kevin is a founding member of the EFF team and leads the strategic planning efforts for the organization’s $500M commitment to schools run by leaders of color. He also advises EFF leadership on team culture and talent development with an emphasis on equity and inclusion.

Kevin is the founder of New Frontiers Development Group: an innovative platform that invests in the revitalization of latent neighborhoods. He most recently served as VP at the Fund For Our Economic Future where he leveraged more than $120M in philanthropic investment to bring accessible and inclusive economic growth for all residents of Northeast Ohio.

Prior to that, Kevin served as the Executive Director of School Choice & Enrollment for the Cleveland Metropolitan School District and in 2010 he co-founded Citizens Leadership Academy, a high-performing expeditionary middle school in Cleveland, Ohio. Since its launch, CLA has now grown to over 400 students enrolled over two campuses. Kevin now serves the students and families of Citizens Leadership Academy from the Board of Directors.

Kevin, his wife Tara and their two beautiful daughters live in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Sam Alnagar

Investment Analyst

Sam supports EFF’s efforts to to underwrite and originate loans to high-impact charter schools throughout the US. He is a member of the inaugural cohort of the Education Finance Analyst (EFA) Program sponsored by EFF and Civic Builders.

Prior to joining EFF, Sam was an Associate at Magellan Research Group, a primary research firm that connects institutional investors with leading experts across various industries. Prior to joining Magellan Research Group, Sam held internships across wealth management, media, and clean energy. Sam holds a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration with a primary concentration in Finance from Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business.

Wendy Berry

Investment Principal - Lending & Research

Wendy is a facility financing specialist with deep credit expertise. At EFF she conducts bond market research, builds and leads our internal underwriting process, and works closely with our Chief Credit Officer on greenlighting transactions and due diligence efforts. For the past decade, Wendy has focused on the evolving charter school sector, where she has been a thought leader in improving credit standards for the burgeoning market.

She has authored or co-authored several comprehensive publications on the sector, including the LISC Charter School Bond Issuance: A Complete History Volumes I, II, and III along with numerous articles on the ever-changing charter school facility finance landscape.

Wendy has consulted with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the New York State Housing Finance Agency, the Local Support Initiatives Corporation, the State University of New York Charter Schools Institute, and the Arizona State Board of Education. She was also a senior credit analyst at Moody’s Investors Service.

Wendy received a BA and MPA from the Rockefeller College of Public Administration at the University of Albany. During her career, Wendy has held Series 7, Series 53, and Series 63 licenses.

Desiree’ Beckett

Vice President of Talent & DEI

Desiree’ is the VP of Talent & DEI and leads EFF’s talent functions, including talent strategy & acquisition, professional development, team culture & staff engagement, diversity, equity & inclusion (DEI), and HR.

Before joining EFF, Desiree’ spent seven years at STRIVE Prep, a K-12 public charter school network in Denver, CO. Over the years, her work has encompassed recruitment, selection, human resources, and intentionally integrating DEI into all Talent functions and across a network of 500+ employees. During her tenure with STRIVE Prep, she participated in the 2019-20 cohort of the Emerging Human Capital Leaders Initiative professional development program, run by USHCA and Education Pioneers. Desiree’ began her career in Education in 2013 as a Teaching Fellow and Citizen Teacher Lead with Citizen Schools, supporting a low-performing school in Houston, TX via Reading Intervention and extended learning time. At the end of her two-year fellowship, she joined KIPP Voyage Academy, the only all-girls school in the KIPP network, as an Associate Teacher before relocating back to Colorado.

Aside from the professional experiences that have driven her dedication to Education, Human Capital and DEI, Desiree’s own educational journey frames her passion for EFF’s mission. She attended charter schools while in middle school, graduated from a Title I high school, and is a first-generation college student with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Africana Studies from the University of Northern Colorado. Desiree’ currently resides in the Denver Metro area with her adopted fur baby, Moo.

James Dennis

Investment Analyst

James supports EFF’s efforts to underwrite and originate loans to high-impact charter schools throughout the US. He has a personal connection with EFF as a charter school alumni. 

Prior to joining EFF, James was a Financial Planning Intern at Creative Planning, an independent wealth management firm. He was charged with creating client dashboards that encompassed an individual’s entire financial position. Prior to working at Creative Planning, James held several internships within the wealth management sector and worked closely with advisors for client meetings. James holds a Bachelors of Arts degree in Economics from Yale University.

Andria Fernandez

Portfolio Associate

As a member of the lending team at EFF, Andria supports the loan closing, loan servicing, and portfolio management processes. She comes to the EFF team with an unwavering commitment to the mission of quality education for all students.

Andria’s prior experience lies in teaching, leading school teams, and spearheading campus operations. She served three years on the campus leadership team as Operations Manager for DC Prep Academy, the highest performing public charter school network in Washington, DC. During the pandemic, Andria led the school’s Covid response, developing and executing the strategy for the transition to remote learning and, later, back into the classroom.

Prior to that, Andria spent three years in the classroom, beginning her career with Teach For America and working at a District Public School in the Bronx. She simultaneously completed her MA in Teaching at Relay Graduate School of Education. Andria earned her Bachelor’s degrees from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She currently lives in Washington, DC with her fiancé, who she is trying to trick into getting a cat and a dog.

Jared Kane

Investment Analyst

Jared supports EFF’s efforts to to underwrite and originate loans to high-impact charter schools throughout the US. He is a member of the inaugural cohort of the Education Finance Analyst (EFA) Program sponsored by EFF and Civic Builders.

Prior to joining EFF, Jared was a Finance Intern at Energy LB LLC, an energy savings company. He was charged with streamlining the proposal creation process. Before working at Energy LB LLC, Jared worked as an Finance Operations Analyst at NETSCOUT. Jared holds a bachelor of science degree in finance from Rutgers Business School.

Brian Kates

Vice President of Finance

Brian is responsible for developing EFF’s financial systems to address current and future needs of the organization, monitoring business plan results, and assuring financial and reporting compliance to public, philanthropic and private partners. He builds and supports EFF’s finance, accounting, compliance, reporting, and human resource functions.

Prior to joining EFF, Brian founded ZATA Consulting, an education-focused practice that works primarily with charter schools on strategic planning, financial, operational, and facility initiatives.

Brian has worked with more than 50 growing charter organizations both during strategic planning and execution of growth plans. He served as the founding Director of Finance and Operations for Intrinsic Schools, a blended-learning charter network in Chicago. Prior to Intrinsic, he served as the founding Director of Finance for the Achievement School District in Tennessee.

Brian is a graduate of the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver and holds a MS in Finance.

Seth McClerklin

Investment Associate

Seth supports EFF’s efforts to underwrite and originate loans to high-performing charter schools throughout the US, with the goal of extending high-quality education to all students. As a former CDFI underwriter, Seth is passionate about bridging socio-economic gaps by providing minority businesses with crucial financing opportunities.

Prior to joining the EFF team, Seth was an Underwriter at New Jersey Community Capital, a non-profit Community Development Financial Institution, where he underwrote over $25 million of commercial, residential, and small business loans. Prior to moving to underwriting, Seth worked as a New Market Tax Credit Compliance Coordinator for the same organization, where he managed compliance for 21 NMTC transactions.

Seth holds a BS in Urban Planning and Public Affairs from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a Masters in City and Regional Planning from Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning at Rutgers University.

Shawn McCormack

Investment Principal

Shawn supports charter leaders and local stakeholders in navigating the complex charter facilities landscape. As a member of the lending team, Shawn guides schools through the lending process and seeks to expand EFF’s impact through the development of new state-level financing vehicles. As a former charter school leader, Shawn is passionate about being an advocate for schools and creating equitable financing solutions that put more money back into classrooms.

Before joining the EFF team, Shawn was the Vice President of Building Hope, a non-profit charter school support organization, where he developed 12 charter school projects totaling over $150 million in Texas and Nevada. Prior to Building Hope, Shawn was the Director of Finance and then CFO of KIPP San Antonio, where he helped the organization grow from three to six schools and earn an investment grade rating. A graduate of the Broad Residency and Education Pioneers Fellowship, Shawn transitioned to the charter school sector after spending the first seven years of his career as a CPA with PwC and a private wealth firm.

Shawn holds a BS and MA from Tulane University and a MBA from the University of Texas at Austin. He also holds a MA in education leadership from the Broad Center.

Michael McGregor

Chief Operating Officer

Mike oversees EFF’s capital raising, finance, and operations functions and leads various strategic initiatives to support the fund’s effort to deploy over $2B of financing by 2026. He is dedicated to facilitating the continuous growth of a high-caliber team that is on a mission to transform capital access for schools and communities.

Mike is a mission-driven leader with deep experience in education, financial management, fundraising, and impact investing. He previously served as the Chief Operating Officer of the Great Oaks Foundation, where he oversaw the charter management organization’s business operations and led efforts to procure facilities, secure philanthropic revenues, and support Great Oaks’ expansion to serve over 3,000 students in New York City, Newark, Connecticut, and Delaware.

Prior to Great Oaks, Mike served as a school leader and humanities teacher at Match Public Charter School, which consistently performed amongst the best high schools in Massachusetts during his tenure. Mike earned an MBA with a concentration in finance and real estate from Columbia University and a BA in American History from the University of Pennsylvania.

Mark Medema

Senior Advisor - Growth Strategy

Mark Medema is a founding member of the EFF team and plays a leading role in the development of the organization’s capitalization strategy, communications strategy, strategic partnerships, and institutional culture.

Mark currently serves as the Managing Director for the Charter School Facility Center at the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. He is building a community of practice around facility research and best practices in policy initiatives, technical assistance, and new ventures. Previously, he helped a non-profit community loan fund, Building Hope, grow into new markets and new business lines. He started an international education reform organization that spurred the launch of Global School Leaders, a leader in the training of school leaders in low and moderate income countries. Prior to this, he worked for the KIPP Foundation in its early years to replicate their success and grow across the country. He has advised numerous charter school related groups.

Mark has been active in the education sector since serving as the Special Assistant to the Dean of the Northwestern Law School. Before transitioning to education, Mark worked in the infrastructure industry in engineering, urban planning, finance, and management consulting. Mark received his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Northwestern University and his MBA from the Kellogg School of Management. He lives in Alexandria, VA with his wife and two daughters.

Marc Wancer

Investment Principal - Lending & Credit

Marc is charged with sourcing loans and developing Equitable Facilities Fund’s pipeline. He works closely with partner schools to evaluate and guide them through our internal credit and underwriting process.

Marc brings 20 years of impact investing and nonprofit management experience. Formerly a Senior Executive and Analyst at Aeris, Marc conducted in-depth analysis and ratings of more than 70 Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) throughout the U.S. and the U.K. Prior to Aeris, Marc worked as an independent consultant, managing development finance projects in Southeast Asia, including impact assessments and operational and financial evaluations of microcredit and savings programs, as well as designing microfinance initiatives to facilitate rural populations’ access to solar products. Marc’s international work was preceded by extensive lending and program management experience in the CDFI sector, working with NFF and Hope Enterprise Corporation.

Marc holds a BA from the University of Minnesota in Central European and Russian history and an MA from Fordham University in international politics and economic development.

Danielle Williams

Administrative Assistant

Danielle supports EFF’s strategy and operations as the Administrative Assistant. She works closely with the CEO and COO to manage their schedules, meeting requests, and travel; manages EFF’s “hybrid office” set-up; and facilitates the coordination of major team events. Danielle possesses in-depth and varied expertise in office management, public service and communications, including nearly a decade in senior administrative roles.

Prior to EFF, Danielle was a Senior Administrative Assistant for the New York City Police Department, where she worked with over 200 officers and civilians on a daily basis and supervised payroll, timekeeping, and roll call units. Danielle approaches EFF’s work and mission with a positive and determined mindset, and she is passionate about helping her teammates boost their efficiency, conserve time, and find solutions to challenges. Danielle holds a BA in Mass Communication from Lehman College.