The Najafi Cos. is a major private-equity investor that invests across industries. But we do so unconventionally. We are actively looking for deals that:+Have a flexible and non-formulaic approach to structure+In industries and companies that may have fallen out of favor, and where speed to close may be an important factor+Where we can invest behind management teams for whom we can create significant equity incentives+Preferring control transactions, but increasingly open to minority investments where we can participate alongside trusted partners

The Governor's Scholars Program strives to enhance Kentucky's next generation of civic and economic leaders. Established in 1983, the program provides academic and personal growth through the balance of a strong liberal arts program with a full co-curricular and residential life experience. Students must complete an application and compete with others from across the state. Those selected attend the program free of charge.

The Aspen Institute’s Finance Leaders Fellowship develops a community of enlightened leaders to chart the course of the global finance industry. Fellows strengthen their companies’ cultures, look for ways to improve system stability, and innovate to ensure global financial inclusion.

LTSE seeks to transform the structures of the public market, allowing companies to realize their full potential as businesses and citizens.For more: https://ltse.com/about

Lazard’s Telecom, Media and Entertainment practice advises the most important companies in the ever-blurring ecosystems of communication and information. My practice focuses on the economics of subscription-based business models, and how these models create opportunity and risk for both new and legacy media companies.I began my Lazard career as a Managing Director in our Shareholder Advisory group, which serves executive teams and board directors with relevant, timely insights on shareholders. I maintain a specialty creating defenses against activists or unsolicited takeover attempts, and building shareholder support for business plans and transactions.

I ran the financial and markets coverage at the Wall Street Journal, directing more than 200 reporters and editors around the globe in their coverage of markets, currencies, banking, hedge funds, asset management, mergers and acquisitions and beyond.

I ran the business coverage at the Wall Street Journal, directing more than 200 reporters and editors around the globe in their coverage of industries from technology to natural resources, from health care to heavy industry.

Led the Journal's coverage of mergers and acquisitions, private equity, and restructuring, while helping manage a team of 65 reporters and editors. Won a Loeb Award for coverage of the 2008 financial crisis and authored a column, "The Game," about Wall Street.

Conceived and built the Journal's online presence in the world of mergers and acquisitions, while directing M&A coverage around the globe.

As the Journal's mergers reporter from 2004 to 2008, penetrated the rarified realms of Wall Street and broke the biggest scoops of the era. Those include: AT&T's purchase of BellSouth, Federated Department Stores' purchase of May Department Stores, Alcatel’s purchase of Lucent Technologies, Mars' purchase of Wrigley, Sprint’s merger with Nextel Communications, ConocoPhilips’ purchase of Burlington Industries, Wachovia’s purchase of Golden West Financial, and the private-equity purchases of hospital chain HCA and Equity Office Properties.

Joined the Journal as a telecom reporter. Covered the historic financial collapse and subsequent accounting scandals at companies such as Lucent, Global Crossing and WorldCom, and later became a tech columnist. A story on fraud in the telecom industry shared in the 2003 Pulitzer Prize in explanatory journalism.

I served on the committee that determines which companies are added and removed from the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

Part of the start-up team at Business Week Online, working as a technology and small business reporter while helping build BW.com in its early days.