BlackRock and Texas Capital Bank invite you to join them for an engaging conversation panel discussion on the Texas Stock Exchange, what’s happening in the legislature and an economic and market update from a PM and head of product strategy. We will hear from Nicole Chambers with the Texas Stock Exchange, Danner Bethel with BlackRock Corporate Affairs, Carlos Pena with Texas Capital ETF & Funds Management and Karen Veraa-Perry with iShares/BlackRock.

Nicole Chambers, Global Managing Director, Texas Stock Exchange

Nicole brings nearly 17 years of extensive experience collaborating with public and private companies across the United States. Previously, she served as senior managing director, listings at Nasdaq. In that capacity, Nicole played a pivotal role in driving the growth and development of Nasdaq's listings and services, forging strategic partnerships throughout every stage of the capital markets lifecycle. Nicole is a graduate of Southern Methodist University.

Danner Bethel, Director, Global Corporate Affairs, BlackRock

Danner Bethel is a member of the State Government Affairs team and a Director within the US Government Affairs & Public Policy (GAAP) group. He is responsible for BlackRock’s engagement with Governors, Attorneys General, Treasurers, legislators and other state and local officials and regulators across Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Oklahoma.

Prior to joining BlackRock, Danner held several government positions at both the state and federal levels and most recently served as a public affairs advisor at a global consulting firm. Danner received his undergraduate degree at the University of Texas.

Carlos Pena, CFA, CAIA, Vice President, Portfolio Manager, ETF & Funds Management Group, Texas Capital

Carlos Pena is responsible for the implementation and management of Texas Capital’s ETF and mutual funds.

Mr. Pena joined Texas Capital in August 2023, bringing to his role more than 11 years of experience in financial services and investment management. Previously, he served as a portfolio strategist at State Farm where he was a member of the State Farm Investment Management team and responsible for establishing the firm’s investment management infrastructure and the construction of model portfolios using both passive and active strategies. Prior, Mr. Pena served as a fixed income portfolio manager at Wells Fargo where he was responsible for $900 million in customized actively managed SMA portfolios across taxable and tax-exempt strategies. He has also held roles at JPMorgan Corporate & Investment Bank and United Capital.

Mr. Pena earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance and international business at the University of North Texas. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) designations.

Karen Veraa-Perry, CFA®, Managing Director, Global Portfolio Solutions US Fixed Income, iShares/BlackRock

Karen Veraa-Perry is Head of US Fixed Income Strategy within BlackRock's Global Product Solutions (GPS). She is a subject matter expert on fixed income ETFs and leads the commercialization efforts across the firm.

As part of her role, she writes content on fixed income markets and ETFs. She has been interviewed on CNBC, Bloomberg TV and BNN. Mrs. Veraa-Perry is a contributor the BlackRock and iShares.com Insights hub. She works with the iShares Product Innovation team on new fixed income ETF launches.

Prior to joining BlackRock, she was an investment research analyst at Laird Norton Wealth Management, providing investment solutions for high net worth clients. She began her career as a short-term funding trader in the treasury department of Washington Mutual Bank. Mrs. Veraa-Perry earned a Bachelors of Business Administration in Finance from The University of Texas at Austin and is a CFA Charterholder.

 Moderator: Nancy McDonnell, Managing Director, Head of Treasury Solutions Texas Capital

Nancy McDonnell is Managing Director, Head of Treasury Solutions at Texas Capital. She is responsible for leading all aspects of Texas Capital’s treasury and liquidity businesses and furthering the firm’s commitment to providing innovative treasury and payment solutions as well as liquidity management services.

Nancy joined Texas Capital in January 2021. She brings to her role more than three decades of experience across a variety of senior leadership roles. Previously, she served as global head of commercial banking treasury and security services at JPMorgan Chase & Co. Prior to that, she served as head of sales for treasury services for clients in middle market, healthcare, real estate and the public sector across all domestic markets. Nancy first joined JPMorgan Chase & Co. as a lender in the corporate client banking group where her focus included both diversified and industrials and financial institutions. Prior, she served as vice president at Bank of America Dallas. Her first role was in the credit trading program, and she was assigned to the national corporate practice at Bank of America Merrill Lynch following successful program completion.

Nancy earned a Bachelor of Business Administration at Texas Tech University. She was named a Distinguished Alumni by the Rawls College of Business at Texas Tech University in 2022. Nancy is an active member of the Dallas Women’s Club and a sustaining member of the Junior League of Dallas. Nancy has served as treasurer for the Women’s Council of the Dallas Arboretum and as a board member for Wesley Rankin Community Center, a 501(c)3 faith-based organization serving West Dallas. She is a graduate of Leadership Dallas, was elected as a Fellow for the International Women’s Forum and is currently a member of the International Women’s Forum Dallas

Following this expert panel discussion, please stick around and enjoy some Texas themed light bites and cocktails.

Additional Information:

Complimentary parking will be offered. 

Please enter the Texas Capital Center parking garage off Harwood Avenue and proceed through the gate and take a ticket. You may park in any of the open spaces on Level 3 or above that are not labeled Reserved. Please bring your parking ticket to be validated at check-in. Once you have parked, please take the garage elevators to Floor 1 and head towards the lobby.