Welcome Back

Tim Kiely, Columbia ’82, was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and grew up with a unique connection to professional football. Through his father’s work with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Tim had the good fortune to serve as a ball boy during the team’s legendary dynasty of the 1970s. He later worked Steelers games as a runner for CBS and NBC, an experience that sparked his lifelong interest in television and sports broadcasting.

After graduating from Columbia University, where he played football for the Lions, Tim began a career in sports television that included roles with ESPN and TNT/TBS. At TNT, he was a driving force behind the creation and development of Inside the NBA, the iconic studio show featuring Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, and Shaquille O’Neal. Since 1995, Inside the NBA has earned 22 Emmy Awards and has been recognized by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Tim continues to produce Inside the NBA and lives in Atlanta with his wife, Maureen. His connection to Columbia remains a family tradition: his twin children are also proud Columbia graduates.

 

 

 

 

Michael Lerch ’93 was a wide receiver and special teams standout at Princeton from 1990 to 1992, earning First-Team All-Ivy League honors twice and helping lead the Tigers to a share of the 1992 Ivy League championship.

Over his career, Lerch recorded 99 receptions for 1,715 yards and 10 touchdowns, averaging 17.3 yards per catch, a figure that ranks second in Princeton history. He also finished among the program’s career leaders in all-purpose yardage (3,483 yards) and as one of its top kickoff returners. Lerch accounted for touchdowns six different ways during his career: receiving, rushing, passing, kickoff return, punt return, and fumble return. On special teams, he also recorded tackles, blocked a punt, a field goal, and a PAT. As a senior, he received the John P. Poe/Richard W. Kazmaier Award, presented to the player who best exemplifies leadership, character, and devotion to Princeton football, as well as the William Winston Roper Trophy, awarded annually to a Princeton senior of high scholastic standing and outstanding sportsmanship and athletic achievement. 

On October 12, 1991, against Brown, Lerch delivered one of the most remarkable performances in Princeton football history, catching nine passes for 370 yards and four touchdowns while totaling 463 all-purpose yards. Both remain Princeton single-game records. At the time, his 370 receiving yards tied the NCAA all-divisions record and established Division I-AA and Ivy League records, earning him Sports Illustrated Player of the Week honors. In a 1992 victory over Penn on the way to Princeton’s Ivy League championship, Lerch lined up at defensive end with Penn deep in Tigers territory and recorded a sack, then time expired, sealing the win. 

Following his graduation from Princeton in 1993, Lerch built a career focused on Japan and global financial markets. The international perspective that would later define his professional life first emerged during his playing days, when he competed for the Ivy League All-Stars in the 1993 Epson Ivy Bowl in Tokyo. 

After working in Japan for several global investment banks as a proprietary trader, Lerch founded Evo in 2001 and has operated the firm on proprietary capital since inception, building an alternative investment platform focused primarily on Japan. Known for his opportunistic investing and disciplined approach to risk management, Lerch has deployed more than $3 billion of capital through private investment in public equity (PIPE) transactions in Japan. In 2004, Lerch co-founded Tora Trading Services, a global enterprise software provider for institutional money managers, alongside former Princeton teammates Robert Dykes and Keith Ducker. Evo served as a core sponsor throughout the company’s growth, culminating in its acquisition by the London Stock Exchange Group in 2022. 

Throughout his career, Lerch has remained deeply engaged with Princeton football and its alumni community, dedicating time and resources to mentorship, career guidance, and internship opportunities for younger generations of players. This commitment reflects the support he received as a student-athlete, including mentorship from Princeton legends Dick Kazmaier, Ernie Ransome, and Jim Blair. 

In addition to his professional work, Lerch has supported a variety of educational, cultural, and charitable organizations, including the Silverlake Conservatory of Music, where he serves as Treasurer, ICEF Rugby, the Boulder Crest Foundation, and the U.S.-Japan Council. 

Michael and his wife, Antonina, have been married since 2012. A three-time NAIA national collegiate tennis champion, she is an accomplished athlete in her own right. They have two daughters, Anna and Ellie, and reside in Lake Tahoe.

 

 

 

 

Rick Frisbie grew up in Garden City, New York, graduating from Garden City High School in 1967. A three-year letter winner in football, wrestling, and lacrosse, he earned All-County honors in his senior year in both football and lacrosse.

At Harvard, Rick played football and lacrosse, starting on the freshman teams before earning varsity roles for the next three years. As a freshman, he played halfback and linebacker; as a sophomore, he backed up at halfback and cornerback. After a starting cornerback was injured in the first game of the 1968 season, Rick stepped in and kept the starting job for the remainder of his college career. He earned First Team All-Ivy honors in both football and lacrosse and captained the lacrosse team as a senior.

During his sophomore year, Rick met Lisa Winsor. They dated for ten years and married in 1979. They have two daughters and four grandchildren, and family remains their first priority.

After graduating from Harvard College in 1971, Rick attended Harvard Law School. Upon graduating in 1974, he joined Boston law firm Hutchins & Wheeler, where his work alongside a senior partner with a strong venture capital practice convinced him that his future was not in law but in venture capital — a field he found both intellectually exciting and rewarding. He moved to venture capital, joining UNC Ventures as in-house legal counsel, taking the role with the intent of migrating from the legal side to the investment side. The strategy worked.

Roughly six years later, Rick left to co-found Battery Ventures with two partners. They spent 18 months raising the first fund, closing on $34 million in March 1984, a sizable first fund at the time.

Rick eventually became sole Managing Partner and led Battery through Battery VI, when he handed the reins to a new Managing Partner and moved into a senior advisory role. Battery has continued to grow; its latest fund, Battery XV, raised $3.25 billion, bringing total capital raised to more than $13 billion.

In 2002, while serving as a Senior Advisor at Battery, Rick founded Battery Global Advisors, which provides investment solutions and family office services to investors and entrepreneurs. Starting with a single employee, the firm has grown to 40 employees across Boston, San Francisco, Menlo Park, New York, London, and Tel Aviv, advising clients with aggregate net worth of more than $15 billion.

Throughout his venture capital career and continuing today, Rick has invested alongside his two brothers in real estate development projects, primarily in the Palm Beach and West Palm Beach markets.

Rick has long been active in philanthropy, primarily through the Frisbie Family Foundation. His two principal commitments are Harvard athletics, where he is a former member of the Harvard Visiting Committee for Athletics, and Mass General Brigham, where he serves on the President’s Advisory Board. He supports Harvard athletics because of the lasting impact sports had on his own life, and health care because of how much it matters to everyone. Though formally retired, Rick remains active managing the family’s investment portfolio. Away from work, he is an avid golfer and prioritizes time with his wife, two daughters, four grandchildren, and his two brothers and their families.

Jay Fiedler arrived at Dartmouth College in the fall of 1990 with aspirations to compete in multiple sports and pursue a career in Engineering. The two-sport athlete excelled in both football and track and field through his first 2 years in Hanover. He flashed his skills on the freshman football squad in 1990 showing the Dartmouth coaches a glimpse of what was to come in the next 3 years. He then showed off his athletic prowess in his freshman campaign as an indoor pentathlete and outdoor decathlete on the Track & Field team placing in the top-ten (and highest ranked freshman) in the IC4A Championship Decathlon. At the start of his varsity football career, it only took 3 games to earn the starting role at QB by unseating the reigning Ivy Rookie of the Year. Fiedler went on to lead the team to an outright league title while earning the Ivy Rookie of the Year himself along with being named the 2nd team All-Ivy QB selection. His 1992 junior season would go down as one of the best seasons for a Quarterback in Ivy League history as he led the nation in all divisions in passing efficiency with a 169.35 rating, ranked 3rd in Division 1-AA in Total Offense and threw for 25 touchdown passes, at the time the second most in Ivy League history. Fiedler earned the title of Ivy League Player of the Year as he led the Big Green to its 3rd League Championship in a row. After his stellar junior campaign, Fiedler began to garner interest from NFL scouts. At the conclusion of Fiedler’s Ivy League career which put him at or near the top of the All-Time Ivy League records in multiple categories, he followed it up by earning MVP honors at the Epson Ivy Bowl and the East-West Shrine Bowl in consecutive weeks and an invite to the NFL Scouting Combine as one of the nation’s top pro prospects.

Fiedler graduated in 1994 with a B.A. degree in Engineering Sciences.  

His NFL career began as an undrafted free agent in 1994 with the Philadelphia Eagles where he was a backup for 2 seasons.  After his release from the Eagles in 1996, his career path was defined by his perseverance and steadfastness with a journey that saw him play a season for the Amsterdam Admirals in the World League of American Football and coach at Hofstra University for 2 years before making his way back into the NFL playing for the Minnesota Vikings (1998) and Jacksonville Jaguars (1999) before ultimately earning the starting role with the Miami Dolphins from 2000-04.  His tenure with the Miami Dolphins was highlighted with 4 straight winning seasons where he led the team to 41 wins over that span, an AFC East title, and 2 playoff appearances before an injury cut his 5th season with the team short.  Fiedler’s professional playing career ended with a shoulder injury during his one season with the New York Jets (2005). His 10-year career in the NFL concluded with a record as a starting quarterback of 37-23, ranking Fiedler as one of the highest winning percentage QBs in the league over that span. He finished his career with 11,844 yards passing and 69 touchdown passes along with 854 yards rushing and 11 rushing touchdowns.

The diligence and discipline Mr. Fiedler displayed throughout his playing career has continued in his second career business pursuits.  He owned and operated a minor league basketball franchise and live event entertainment company prior to joining his family’s business as a Director of the Sports Academy at Brookwood Camps from 2013-2021. In addition, Mr. Fiedler has mentored and coached thousands of aspiring young athletes as the Director of Prime Time Football Camps which he has run since 1999.  He continues to train quarterbacks and direct various football camps and clinics to this day.  Fiedler can also be seen on the CBS2 Television Station in New York as the analyst on the “Jets Late Night” show on Sunday nights during the NFL season. 

He is very active in charitable purposes as a founding board member of Ellie’s Army Foundation and a contributor to several other charity organizations.  He resides in Long Island with his wife and 2 children.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brent Felitto spent 34 years at William Blair, a leading global investment bank focused on serving high-growth companies and their investors, most recently as Vice Chair of the Investment Banking Division. He joined William Blair in 1993 and was elected Partner in 1999.

Over the course of his career, Brent held several senior leadership positions, including Head of Industry Groups, Head of North America Investment Banking, and Global Head of Healthcare Investment Banking. As the founding member of the firm’s Healthcare Group, he built the practice into one of the leading healthcare investment banking franchises on Wall Street. During his tenure, Brent and his team completed over a thousand successful advisory and financing transactions on behalf of their clients.

In addition to his client responsibilities, Brent served as Chair of the firm’s Investment Banking Partnership Committee and Recruiting Committee. He was also a member of William Blair’s Executive Leadership Group, Audit Committee, M&A/Fairness Opinion Committee, and Diversity and Inclusion Council.

Prior to joining William Blair, Brent was a Financial Analyst in the Merchant Banking Division at Merrill Lynch. Before beginning his investment banking career, he played professional football in Europe for the Parma Panthers.

Brent is also a Founding Investor and Managing Partner at WinForest Partners, a network- driven private investment firm that invests in leading private equity managers and co-investments alongside its partner funds. He helps shape the firm’s strategic vision while cultivating relationships with both general partners (GPs) and limited partners (LPs).

Outside of his professional endeavors, Brent is deeply committed to education and philanthropy. He supports numerous educational institutions and charitable organizations, including the Cristo Rey Foundation, Columbia College (former Trustee), GreenLight Fund, Chicago Commonwealth Club, Youth Services of North Shore, Hersey Alumni Fundraising Board, Harvard Business School Alumni Angels, the Cornell Football Development Committee, Friends of Cornell Football, and Kenilworth Union Church.

Brent graduated with honors from Cornell University, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Government, and later received his MBA from the Harvard Business School.

Brent and his wife, Susan, have been married for 33 years and are the proud parents of three adult children—Justine, Will, and Jared—who are all currently working in New York City and Boston.

Chris Michalik is a Managing Director at Kinderhook. He has over 25 years of investment experience in the healthcare services sector, with a deep understanding of the trends and impacts of government programs on the delivery of healthcare in the U.S.

Chris was the Chairman of Wellcare Health Plans, one of the largest publicly traded managed care companies in the U.S., prior to its acquisition by Centene Corporation in 2020.  Prior to Kinderhook, Chris was a partner at Soros Private Equity Partners, a multi-billion dollar leveraged buyout fund sponsored by George Soros.  Chris started his investment career in the Investment Banking division of Salomon Brothers, where he specialized in mergers & acquisitions.

Chris graduated from Yale University and received his MBA with Distinction from Harvard Business School.

 

 

 

 

Rob Michalik is a Managing Director at Kinderhook. He has over 25 years of investment experience in business services, with a particular focus on the environmental & equipment services sector.

Prior to Kinderhook, Rob was a Managing Director at Thayer Capital Partners, a middle market buyout fund, where he sourced, financed and negotiated private equity investments.  Rob started his investment career in the Investment Banking division of Morgan Stanley, where he specialized in mergers & acquisitions.

Rob graduated from Yale University and received his MBA with Distinction from Harvard Business School, where he was a Baker Scholar.

 

 

 

Brandon Copeland (Cope) is more than a ten-year NFL veteran; he’s the co-founder leading the charge at Athletes.org, the players’ association for college athletes. Athletes.org was built to educate, organize and represent its members by negotiating and maximizing the terms of their collegiate athletic experience.

In addition to his work with Athletes.org, Copeland is the author of Your Money Playbook and an advocate for financial education. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, he has dedicated his life to democratizing the access to a strong financial education making the important money lessons accessible and digestible.

His contributions include serving on CNBC’s Global Financial Wellness Council, teaching at UPenn while playing in the NFL, and speaking at events nationwide. Copeland has also appeared on Netflix’s top 10 show called Buy My House and earned recognition through honors like the Alan Page Community Service Award, the Council of Economic Education’s Visionary Award and a spot on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, highlighting his impactful work through his family’s foundation, Beyond the Basics Inc.