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Terry Savage to Moderate Panel Featuring Author Meredith Jones

at Chicago Finance ExchangeDinner

CHICAGO, Aug. XX, 2016 -- The Chicago Finance Exchange, (CFE), an organization of women leaders in finance, is hosting “Women of The Street” on Thursday, Sept. 8, 5:30– 8 p.m. at the Standard Club located at 320 Plymouth Court, Chicago.

Terry Savage, a nationally known expert on personal finance, the market and the economy will moderate a panel featuring Meredith A. Jones, an internationally-recognized researcher, writer, speaker and expert in the alternative investment industry and the author of “Women of The Street: Why Female Money Managers Generate Higher Returns (And How You Can Too).”

Jones will discuss her book and the panel will provide attendees with insights on how women can amp up their careers by elevating leadership skills, creating a mindful strategy for success and capitalizing on their innate business styles. Topics will include:

  • Behaviors that matter in achieving superior investment performance: Approaches to trading, risk management, and portfolio management
  • Ways women create cognitive and behavioral alpha in their investment portfolios
  • Leadership principles and entrepreneurship in investment management
  • Ways that diversity in decision making is good for employees, clients, and the firm and how investors benefit from diversity

The panel will also feature commentary by successful female mutual fund, hedge fund and fund of hedge fund managers including:

Fran Tuite, CFA, founder and portfolio manager of 1837 Partners, a long/short equity hedge fund. She has been in the investment business since 1983. Tuite began her career spending six years as an analyst at the Johnson Investment Counsel in Cincinnati, Ohio, followed by two years at William Blair & Company in Chicago, Illinois. In 1990, Tuite joined Harris Associates as an analyst for Hesperus Partners Ltd, an equity hedge fund. In 1994, she left Harris Associates and joined Sirius Partners Ltd. Tuite managed the small cap segment of the partnership and was actively involved in the long/short equity portfolio. In 1997, Tuite joined Talon Opportunity Managers L.L.C. ("Talon") and established The Talon Small Cap Fund L.P. (now known as Talon Opportunity Partners L.P.), which she directed from its inception until she left Talon in March 2006 to join the General Partner and RMB Capital Management LLC. Tuite received her BBA from the University of Cincinnati and her MBA from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. She holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and has passed the Certified Public Accountant examination. She is also a member of the CFA Institute and the CFA Society Chicago. An active volunteer for Chicago-area nonprofits, Tuite is a Directors' Circle Member of the Steppenwolf Theatre and Board Chair for Recovery on Water, a rowing team for survivors of breast cancer.

Connie Teska, co-founder and the chief investment officer of Pluscios Management LLC, a women-owned, SEC registered investment manager that advises institutional investors on hedge fund investing and runs a family of hedge funds. Pluscios is consistently recognized for creating top ranking portfolios. She and her co-founder launched Pluscios in 2006 having previously run JPMorgan's (formerly Bank One's) Chicago Hedge Fund Group. Her career spans 35 years, 25 of which were at JPMorgan and its predecessor banks, with a dedicated focus in capital markets and alternatives investing. In 2011, Teska was named Distinguished Women Investment Professional of the year by the Chicago Women Investment Professionals. Teska received her MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University and her B.S. degree from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. Teska is a member of 100 Women in Hedge Funds and Women Investment Professionals, Chicago Chapter. Teska serves on the Leadership Circle of the American Cancer Society and the Eliminate Project for the US Fund for UNICEF.

Kelly Chesney, co-founder and the chief operating officer of Pluscios Management LLC. She and her co-founder launched Pluscios in 2006 having previously run JPMorgan's (formerly Bank One's) Chicago Hedge Fund Group. In her current role she oversees business operations, heads the firm's operational due diligence efforts and is a voting member of the investment committee. Prior to co-founding Pluscios, Chesney was a managing director at JPMorgan Capital Management, which invested both proprietary and client assets in portfolios of hedge funds. Chesney received an MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University, a J.D. from IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law, and has over 25 years of legal and capital markets investment experience. Chesney is a member of 100 Women in Hedge Funds, the Chicago Finance Exchange, the National Association of Securities Professionals, and is on the Illinois Board of Gift Adoption.

Leah Zell, Ph.D, CFA is a nationally recognized expert in international investing, and a pioneer in the international small-cap category. From 1992 to 2005, she was a co-founding partner and portfolio manager at Wanger Asset Management, a global small-mid cap equity specialist. During her tenure there, she was Head of the International Equities Team; Lead Portfolio Manager of the Acorn International Fund; and Portfolio Manager of the Wanger European Smaller Companies Fund. Zell earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Harvard College in 1971, graduating Magna Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa. In 1979, Zell received her Ph.D in Modern Social and Economic History from the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences where she won Woodrow Wilson, Fulbright (DAAD) and Krupp Foundation fellowships. Zell earned her Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®) designation in 1987.

Thyra Zerhusen,principal founder of Fairpointe Capital LLC, CEO and chief investment officer of the firm. She is part of the Mid-Cap Investment Team, serving as lead portfolio manager of the mid-cap strategy. Prior to founding Fairpointe Capital, Zerhusen was the chief investment officer for Mid-Cap Equities at a predecessor firm beginning in October of 2003. Zerhusen also spent four years at Talon Asset Management as Senior Vice President and Portfolio Manager, where she began managing the Aston/Fairpointe Mid-Cap Fund. Previously, she was employed by The Burridge Group as principal and portfolio manager for a tax-sensitive mid-cap product, and eleven years as Senior Investment Analyst at Sears Investment Management Company. Zerhusen started her career as an Investment Research Analyst at Harris Trust & Savings Bank in Chicago and was responsible for in-depth financial analysis of company fundamentals and industry trends. Zerhusen received a Diplom Ingenieur (M.S.) from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and an M.A. in Economics from the University of Illinois.

Members of CFE and their guests are invited to attend at no cost. The program includes a cocktail reception and dinner, and an opportunity to purchase a copy of Jones’ book. Part of the book proceeds will be donated toRock the Street Wall Street, a financial literacy program designed to spark the interest of high school girls into careers of finance. CFE also will make a $200 donation to the organization. For more information, please visit

CFE membership is comprised of female financial executives in high-level, senior management positions in the Chicago metropolitan area. Members include chief financial officers, treasurers, commercial and investment bankers, money managers, attorneys, CPAs, venture capitalists, financial consultants, financial writers and entrepreneurs, representing both national and local organizations. Membership to CFE is by invitation only.

About Chicago Finance Exchange:

Founded in 1980, Chicago Finance Exchange (CFE) is a community of women leaders in finance dedicated to exchanging ideas, experiences, and expertise for the success of its members and the betterment of the Chicago community and global marketplace. CFE provides an integrated offering of professional and networking events on critically relevant topics for its members. In 2015, CFE was named one of Chicago’s eight most exclusive business clubs by Crain’s Chicago Business. For more information visit

About Meredith Jones:

In addition to being an author, Jones is a frequent speaker on the international conference circuit and has had her findings published in books and major media outlets, including the Economist, the New York Times, CNBC, the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, the Journal of Investing, and others. Jones began her alternative investment career at Van Hedge Fund Advisors International where she was Director of Research. She continued her research at PerTrac Financial Solutions and Barclays Capital, Inc., producing groundbreaking reports on emerging managers and diversity investing, before becoming Director of the Rothstein Kass Institute, an alternative investment think tank. As founder of MJ Alternative Investment Research, Jones continues to provide timely research, education and actionable insights to the investment community.