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PAC Fall Seminar Speaker Bios

Brian Friedman has served as President and Chief Investment Officer of GHP Investment Advisors, Inc. (GHPIA) since January of 1999. With $950 million in assets under management GHPIA provides portfolio management services as well as in-depth analysis of world financial markets and economies.

Brian has more than 25 years of experience in the fields of economic analysis and investment management. Prior to joining GHPIA in 1999, he was a U.S. Equity Portfolio Manager with Owen-Joseph Asset Management in San Diego, CA and an International Equity Analyst for Founders Asset Management, a Denver-based mutual fund company. Before entering the investment business, Brian worked as an Economic Analyst at Applied Business Economics and as a Research Assistant at the Brookings Institution, a leading public policy think tank in Washington, D.C. In 2010 Brian, along with Andy Kark and Shaul Gabbay, introduced Israel Investment Advisors (IIA), a registered investment advisor providing opportunities of investment and wealth management with an Israel-centric focus. Brian serves as the Portfolio Manager and Chief Investment Officer for IIA.

Brian earned a BA in Economics from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. and an MBA from the University of Chicago. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and Certified Business Economist (CBE) designations and was an adjunct lecturer in economics at the University of Colorado at Denver.



Steven Schoenfeld is the Founder and Chief Investment Officer of BlueStar Indexes® (bluestarindexes.com), which developed and maintains the BIGI® and TA-BIGITechTM benchmarks for Israeli Global Equities. BIGI® is tracked by the VanEck Vectors Israel ETF (NYSE – ISRA), and TA-BIGITechTM is tracked by the BlueStar TA-BIGITechTM Israel Technology ETF (Nasdaq – ITEQ). Israeli-listed index products also track both BIGI® and TA- BIGITechTM.

Steven is a 32-year veteran of the investment management industry, having served in senior fiduciary positions at Northern Trust where he oversaw more than $300 billion in index and quant/active equity and fixed income portfolios, and at Barclays Global Investors (now Blackrock), where he managed more than $70 billion in developed and emerging market stock index funds and helped launch and manage many of the original iShares ETFs. In the early 1990s at the International Finance Corporation - the World Bank’s private-sector affiliate - he developed the IFC Investable Emerging Market Indexes (now S&P/IFC Indices) and helped launch the first global Emerging Market index fund for IFC in partnership with State Street.

Steven also serves on the Investment Committee of a large New York-based charitable foundation, and on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Index Investing. He is the Editor and primary author of Active Index Investing (Wiley Finance, 2004) and The Pacific Rim Futures and Options Markets (McGraw-Hill, 1992), and was the Co-Founder of ETF.com. He has an MA from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, was a Fulbright Scholar in Economics at the National University of Singapore, and has a BA from Clark University.

Click here to read a recent article by Steven.



Brian Rosenzweig has worked extensively with emerging technology companies operating in a variety of U.S., European, and South American markets. As a Partner at JANVEST Capital, Brian is a member of the firm’s investment committee and is responsible for fund marketing and investor development, as well as advising portfolio companies on their public relations, social media, branding, and communications. Prior to JANVEST, Brian served as Director of Marketing for 21Ventures LLC, a U.S.-based alternative energy, security, and mobile technology venture fund where he was responsible for developing and executing more effective market entry and expansion strategies for the firm’s 45+ portfolio companies. Under his guidance, 21Ventures launched Expansion Media; a consultancy dedicated to providing technology start-ups with capital efficient marketing and business development solutions. Brian graduated from Indiana University – Bloomington with a B.A. in Journalism from the Ernie Pyle School of Journalism, a B.A. in Jewish Studies, and a Minor in Hebrew.



Steven Wagner is Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Omnia Family Wealth. With more than 35 years of experience and investment insight, Steven guides individuals, families and private foundations through the strategic process of identifying their goals, investment profile and ultimate wealth management plan. He draws on deep analytical acumen and a nuanced grasp of the markets to support the firm’s investment strategies. Before co-founding Omnia Family Wealth, Steven was a Managing Director at Merrill Lynch’s Private Banking and Investment Group. Prior to Merrill Lynch, he was a Managing Director at UBS Private Wealth Management. In recognition of his accomplishments, Steven was honored as one of Barron’s prestigious “Top 1,200 Financial Advisors” in 2014 and 2015. The magazine also acknowledged him in its annual state-by-state ranking of the “Top 1,000 Financial Advisors in America” in 2011, 2012, and 2013. Long active in his community, Steven currently serves on both the boards and investment committees of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation. He has also served on the boards and investment committees of the Miami Jewish Home and Hospital for the Aged, and the Make-A-Wish Foundation of South Florida.

Miami Jewish Community Study

Miami Jewish Community Study

In order to better understand the demographics and needs of Miami’s Jewish population, the Greater Miami Jewish Federation has launched its “Miami Jewish Community Study.”

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Mental Health After 10/7

Mental Health After 10/7

Through donations to the Annual Greater Miami Jewish Federation/UJA Campaign and the Israel Emergency Fund, individuals coping with the gravity of October 7 are receiving support to begin the long healing journey ahead.

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Make Your Federation Donation Tax-Deductible

Make Your Federation Donation Tax-Deductible

Nancy and Norman Lipoff pay their Annual Federation/UJA Campaign contributions through an IRA Charitable Rollover.

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Join Your Community for Matzah Mitzvah


Join Your Community for Matzah Mitzvah


Help share the joy of Passover with Holocaust Survivors and other older adults in our community by participating in Matzah Mitzvah on Sunday, April 7 at 9 a.m.

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