John Davi
Astoria's founder, John Davi, is an award-winning research strategist and has over 20 years of experience spanning across Macro ETF Strategy, Quantitative Research, and Portfolio Construction. Before starting Astoria, he was the head of Morgan Stanley's Institutional ETF Content and advised many of the world's largest hedge funds and asset managers on ETF portfolio construction. John published hundreds of reports in his research career across a variety of topics from ETFs, indices, futures, and structured products.
John began his career in 2000 doing research on ETFs in Merrill Lynch's Global Equity Derivatives Research group. John structured ETF portfolio solutions as early as 2002 for Merrill Lynch's client base where several billion in assets were raised and executed. John's research has been recognized and featured on ETF.com, ETFTrends.com, InsideETFs, Institutional Investor Magazine, and he is a regular contributor to CNBC, Bloomberg, and other media outlets. He was recognized by Bloomberg as an "ETF Master Chef."
CEO and CIO
David Clark
President and Head of Business Development
David Clark is President and Head of Business Development for Astoria Portfolio Advisors LLC. He has more than 25 years of experience in the financial services industry. David spent the first 18 years of his career at Merrill Lynch (subsequently Bank of America), holding various institutional sales management and business development leadership roles in London and New York. David was Head of Merrill’s European Convertible Bond, Equity Derivative, ETF and Delta One sales, and sat on the firm’s European Markets Operating Committee. He also served as Head of B of A’s Americas International Derivative and Swap sales. Additionally, David was Head of Americas Global Delta One, ETF and Stock Loan Distribution and Product, and a member of the North American Equity Sales Operating Committee. He later spent six years at Société Générale, where he was head of U.S. Sales for Global Securities Financing, overseeing distribution of ETF, Swap and Structured Financing products. David graduated from Villanova University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics, and currently sits on the school’s President’s Advisory Council. He lives in Chatham, New Jersey with his wife and three children.
Bruce Lavine, CFA
Senior Strategy Advisor
Bruce Lavine is a Senior Strategy Advisor of Astoria Portfolio Advisors LLC. Bruce has a long history in the ETF and asset management business beginning with Barclays Global Investors over 20 years ago. He was one of the earliest employees at iShares and had roles including CFO, Head of Product Development and CEO of iShares Europe. In 2006, Bruce joined WisdomTree as President and Chief Operating Officer. He was there for 10 years as an employee and remains active with WisdomTree today as a member of their Board of Directors. Most recently, Bruce was the CEO of 55 Capital. Bruce has an MBA and BS both from the University of Virginia and he is a Chartered Financial Analyst.
Gregory Sanderson
Director of Sales
Gregory Sanderson is Director of Sales for Astoria Portfolio Advisors LLC. He has more than 15 years of experience in the financial industry. Gregory began his career as a specialist clerk on the American Stock Exchange. He has worked for several investment banks including Credit Lyonnais and JP Morgan, always in a trading capacity. Over the course of his career, he has worked with many different financial products including equity, bonds, credit default swaps, and collateralized loan obligations. Gregory is a graduate of Fordham University.
Michael Stulic, CFA, FRM, PRM
Director of Capital Markets
Michael Stulic is the Director of Capital Markets for Astoria Portfolio Advisors. Within this capacity, he oversees all trading execution and front-to-back client account management. Michael brings over 20 years of experience within the financial industry and sell-side banking. His banking experience, largely within bulge bracket firms, consists of JPMorgan, Deutsche Bank, Credit Suisse, and Barclays. Having worked within Credit Derivatives, Emerging Markets, and Correlation trading along with more recent risk management experience within the liquidity, capital, and contingent liability risk stripes, Michael brings a diversified background and unique perspective to the firm.
Michael has achieved several notable designations over his career, consisting of the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), Financial Risk Manager (FRM), and Professional Risk Manager (PRM) designations. He is a graduate of Binghamton University with Bachelor of Science degrees in both Economics and Chemistry.
Nick Cerbone, CFA
Vice President, Quantitative Strategy
Nick Cerbone serves as a Vice President and Quantitative Strategist for Astoria Portfolio Advisors LLC. In this capacity, Nick assists in all aspects of portfolio construction and optimization of our cross-asset ETF portfolios. Nick is a Summa Cum Laude graduate of Hofstra University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematical Finance.
Frank Tedesco III
Analyst
As an Analyst at Astoria Advisors, Frank Tedesco contributes to both the sales and portfolio management teams, providing them with the perspective and understanding of the other. He works with high-net-worth clients and institutional investors, delivering customized solutions and strategies based on their goals and risk profiles.
Frank holds a BS in Finance from Fordham University's Gabelli School of Business, where he graduated magna cum laude and received multiple honors and certifications. Frank is passionate about helping clients achieve their financial objectives and grow their wealth.
Pankaj Patel, CFA
Quantitative Research and Data Science
Pankaj Patel is responsible for Quantitative Analytics and Data Science at Astoria. He has over 20 years of experience in Quantitative Research, having worked at firms such as Credit Suisse, Evercore ISI, Cirrus Research, and Vedanta Analytics. Throughout his 20+ year career in finance, he has led the development and implementation of advanced quantitative products for major institutional and hedge fund clients. Notably, at Credit Suisse, he collaborated with the MIT Sloan School of Management to pioneer the first 130/30 index. Pankaj began his finance career as a Quantitative Analyst/Portfolio Manager at Weiss Peck & Greer, where he assisted in managing $1.5 billion using quantitative models.
.png)
Erilda Danaj
Financial Engineer
As a dedicated Financial Engineer committed to empowering clients, Erilda specializes in financial management and accounting. With more than 5 years of experience, Erilda assists Astoria and the firm’s clients in enhancing their financial processes, maximizing cash flow, and making strategic decisions. Her approach focuses on providing customized solutions to help clients achieve financial clarity and success. She is a graduate of Columbia University.