FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 22, 2016
Contact: Nick Jacobs, 202-618-6430 or njacobs@bettermarkets.com
Washington, D.C. – Better Markets today announced the addition of three new members of the organization’s Board of Directors: mathematician, former Google software engineer and investor David desJardins; former Alcoa and Citigroup executive and M&A legal and strategy expert Mike Schell; and Vermont Law School professor, author and investment law attorney Jennifer Taub.
They join current Board members Michael W. Masters, founder and Chairman of the Board of Better Markets and founder and managing member of Masters Capital Management; Adam White, Director of Research at Masters Capital Management; and Dennis M. Kelleher, president and CEO of Better Markets.
“With their diverse backgrounds, the perspectives that Jennifer, David and Mike will bring to Better Markets will be invaluable as we continue to promote the economic security, opportunity and prosperity of the American people,” said Mr. Kelleher. “Coming from the business and academic communities, their experiences with and views on how the financial markets can better support the real economy, economic growth and jobs will be especially beneficial to promoting a stable and balanced financial system and preventing future crashes and crises.”;
David desJardins is a mathematician and software engineer. He was the 25th employee at Google, where he worked from 1999 to 2005. Since leaving Google, Mr. desJardins continues to engage with mathematical research and has been a private investor, an active philanthropist and a supporter of several other groups and organizations. He is also a trustee of the University of California Berkeley Foundation, a member of the MIT Corporation, the Institute’s board of trustees and a member of the Scholars Strategy Network board.
Mike Schell retired from Alcoa at the end of 2010, where he was the Chief Compliance Officer, led Alcoa’s business development and legal departments and was a member of the Alcoa Executive Council that provides strategic direction for the company. Prior to Alcoa, Mr. Schell was Vice Chairman of Global Banking at Citigroup from 2005 to 2008. Mr. Schell was a longtime, leading M&A partner at the international law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP.
Jennifer Taub is a Professor at Vermont Law School where she teaches courses in contracts, corporations, securities regulation, and white-collar crime, and most recently is the author of the financial crisis book Other People’s Houses. Prior to joining academia, she was an associate general counsel at Fidelity Investments. Professor Taub has written extensively on financial reform, attracting speaking engagements at conferences, colloquia and lectures in the U.S. and abroad as well as testifying before Congress.
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Better Markets is a non-profit, non-partisan, and independent organization founded in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis to promote the public interest in the financial markets, support the financial reform of Wall Street and make our financial system work for all Americans again. Better Markets works with allies – including many in finance – to promote pro-market, pro-business and pro-growth policies that help build a stronger, safer financial system that protects and promotes Americans’ jobs, savings, retirements and more. To learn more, visit www.bettermarkets.com.
