Our Team

Alan leads the firm’s investor relations department and focuses on client relations, sales, and marketing initiatives. Prior to joining the firm, he was the Managing Director and co-creator of Miami Sports International, a marketing and event management company. He earned both his M.S.Ed. in Sport Administration and his B.S. in Broadcast Journalism and Spanish from the University of Miami.

Golan is focused on developing and supporting relationships with RIAs, Institutions and their consultants. He has been a part of the Crystal team since 2013 and brings over two decades of Wall Street experience and relationships dating back to 1997. Prior to joining the firm, he served as Director of International Sales for GSM Systems, Principal Managing Partner and Registered Investment Advisor with Chicago Investment Group, as well as a SVP of the Wealth Management Group for Ladenburg Thalmann & Company in London and New York. He earned his BSBA in Finance and Business Administration from West Virginia University.

Karishma works closely with the partners to execute their vision and maintain strong operations for the firm. She is responsible for implementing new initiatives and for coordinating different departments of the firm to operate more efficiently. Karishma was previously with Morgan Stanley for over ten years in their London and New York offices. She has a strong background in fund structuring and origination with a focus on hedge funds and built the Morgan Stanley liquid alternatives platform in 2009. Karishma has an MS in Economics and Finance from Warwick Business School, UK. Karishma is a holder of the right to use the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation.

Natalie is responsible for developing the firm’s marketing and branding strategies. She is in charge of Crystal’s private label offerings and works closely with intermediaries to develop their custom websites and reporting facilities. Prior to joining Crystal, Natalie worked as a fund-raising and development director for The Sundari Foundation, Inc. She earned her M.S. in Non-Profit Management from The New School for Management and Urban Policy and her B.B.A. in Finance from the University of Texas at Austin.

Julieta is responsible for brand development and corporate communications. Prior to joining Crystal she managed and conceptualized branding initiatives for various industries, focusing on strategic problem solving in both digital and print mediums. She earned a B.B.A. in Multimedia Design & Development with a concentration in management.

Steven has over 25 years of alternative investment experience. In 2001, he joined Crystal, launching several US based multi-strategy fund of funds. Having a keen understanding of the industry, Steven realized that one size does not fit all, and advisors needed more customizable options to avoid manager and strategy overlap in client portfolios. Thus, he initiated the Customized Portfolio Program, providing financial advisors with a platform to build customized hedge fund and private equity portfolios for their clients. Steven is primarily responsible for the company’s strategic direction as well as overseeing manager selection and investment support services. He earned his M.B.A. with a specialization in investments from the University of Miami and his B.S. from Bentley College.

George has over 35 years of alternative investment experience. In 1994, he pioneered the distinctive vision to create an institutional solution to not only navigate, but also facilitate and simplify the alternative investment journey. He launched his career as an early investor in today’s most recognizable alternative investment funds, creating and managing several offshore fund of funds. He now heads our investment committee and oversees the quantitative research efforts including portfolio modeling and technical analytics. George has a deep knowledge of investments, mathematics, statistics, technology, and model developing. He earned his M.S. in Industrial Administration from Carnegie Mellon University.

Brian is primarily responsible for overseeing the firm’s manager research and due diligence program. Prior to joining Crystal, he was an energy analyst with U.S. Gas & Electric. Brian earned his B.B.A. in Finance with a minor in Marketing from the University of Miami. Brian is a holder of the right to use the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation as well as the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst designation. He is a chapter executive for CAIA Miami.

Avery is part of the firm’s continuing due diligence effort for the funds on the platform as well as research on prospective managers. Before joining Crystal, he worked at Mutual of America Financial Group on their FINRA/SEC Regulatory Compliance team, working to ensure that the activity of the affiliated investment advisor and the registered funds they advise are following the applicable rules and regulations. He also helped manage the Compliance Risk Assessment program which served as the mechanism to identify and mitigate the set of risks based on the advisor’s business model, affiliations, and conflicts of interest. Avery is a Chartered Financial Analyst Level III Candidate and holds the Series 6 & Series 26 Licenses. Avery graduated from Florida State University with a B.S. in Economics and a minor in Entrepreneurship.

Syra is part of the firm's continuing due diligence effort for the funds on the platform as well as research on prospective managers. Before joining Crystal, she worked at Morgan Stanley on their Alternative Investment team, guiding client allocations to private equity and hedge funds for the team’s sales and distribution efforts. Her background in alternative investments started at J.P. Morgan, where she worked at their Investment Bank on the structured credit team and later at their Private Bank for an advisor team, catering to high-net-worth clients. Syra holds her Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst Designation and Series 7 & 63 Licenses. Syra graduated magna cum laude from Fordham University with a B.B.A. in Finance and Economics.

Michael is responsible for all of the operational responsibilities of the firm including the calculation of net asset valuations (NAVs), manager allocations, audits, and tax reporting for each of the funds. Prior to joining Crystal, he worked as a senior treasury analyst for LNR Partners, a diversified real estate and finance company, and also at Franklin Templeton Investments as a senior fund analyst. He earned his B.S. in Finance from Florida Atlantic University. Michael is a holder of the right to use the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation.

Oscar is responsible for overseeing the legal and compliance matters of the firm. Prior to joining Crystal, Oscar was a practicing attorney at Florida’s largest litigation firm, Cole, Scott & Kissane, P.A. There, he focused on complex business and commercial litigation, shareholder and corporate disputes, and professional malpractice. Oscar is a member of the Florida State Bar and the Federal Bar Association. He earned his JD from the University of Miami’s School of Law. He also has an MS in Business Management and a BA in English from the University of Florida.

Anthony is responsible for shareholder activity, audits, NAVs, tax, investor reporting, and other financial and operational matters for the firm and the funds. Prior to joining Crystal, he worked as an operations manager for Bibby Financial, a factoring company. He earned his B.S. in Administration from Saint Michael's College in Colchester, Vermont and his MBA from the University of Florida.

Ignacio is involved in the accounting, financial and operational activities of the firm and each of the funds. Prior to joining Crystal he performed hedge fund accounting roles at Kaufman Rossin Fund Services and Citco Fund Services where he was involved in all aspects of fund accounting, including reconciliations, valuations and pricing, Profit/Loss distribution, fees calculation, NAV and financial statement preparation. He earned his B.S. in Business Administration from Florida International University.

Stephanie is fully responsible for the Crystal Family Office and all associated accounting, tax and operational activities. In addition, she assists the Crystal Funds Operations team with shareholder activity and particularly the due diligence/ onboarding requirements of new and existing investors. Originally from the UK, Stephanie is a Chartered Accountant (ICAEW FCA) and has gained a wide range of international experience. Prior to joining Crystal in 2019, her previous role was an Account Manager for an Offshore Hedge Fund Administrator and before that she was an Audit Manager in a Big 4 accountancy firm.

Salomon joined Crystal in 2000 and oversees all facets of the firm’s information technology, including the architecture and development of proprietary technology, secure operation of IT networks/systems/cloud, and IT support to staff. He is a full-stack technology professional with deep expertise in software development, IT security, IT infrastructure, Cloud Computing, and artificial intelligence. Salomon has earned an Executive Certificate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, his M.B.A. with specializations in Investments and Applied Statistics from the University of Miami and his B.S. in Computer Science from Florida International University. Salomon holds several certifications including: Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer (Azure Solutions Architect, Web Applications), Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (Cloud Platform and Infrastructure), and Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP).

James serves as a member of the Technology Team. His responsibilities include software development and technical support for staff and clients. James earned his B.S. in Information Technology from Florida International University and earned his M.B.A. with a specialization in Finance from the H. Wayne Huizenga School of Business at Nova Southeastern University, in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. He is also a Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP).

Darius is responsible for the administration of the firm’s IT systems and infrastructure. He also provides technical support for staff and clients. He earned his B.S. in Information Technology from Kaunas University of Technology (Lithuania). Darius holds several certifications including: Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (Cloud Platform and Infrastructure), Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (Windows Server 2016), Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) and CompTIA Security certification, which certifies competency in system security, network infrastructure, access control, and organizational security.

As a member of the technology team, Nicolae Paraschiv is responsible for web and desktop applications development as well as maintaining and improving existing applications. Nicolae graduated from Polytechnic University of Bucharest with a specialization in Electronic and Telecommunications. Prior to joining Crystal he used to work for Perfumania, a national retail chain as a web developer and NationsHealth, a leading South Florida health care service provider.

Vincent has close to 10 years of UI and UX design experience and a Bachelors in Fine Arts from Florida Atlantic Univeristy. He constructs visual designs for the web and advises on all front-end development related to Information Technology and Marketing. Prior to joining the Crystal team he worked for a multi-faceted technology firm in advertising.