Turning Rock

Saba Ahmad is President and Founding Partner at Turning Rock, where she oversees business operations including investor relations, finance, and post-close asset management, having previously held COO and CFO roles at the firm. Before Turning Rock, she spent over seven years at Fortress Investment Group as a Managing Director and COO of the Fortress Partners Fund, and earlier worked in operational due diligence at UBP Asset Management and in the banking and capital markets audit group at PricewaterhouseCoopers. She holds a dual degree in Accounting and Finance from Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business and is an inactive Certified Public Accountant.

David Markus is a Partner at Turning Rock. He previously spent five years as a Managing Director at Fortress Investment Group, where he handled credit and event-driven investments for the Fortress Partners Fund and served on its Investment Committee overseeing hedged equity, private equity, real estate, and distressed assets. Earlier in his career he helped launch Voras Capital, was co-portfolio manager at Boone Capital Management and Delaware Street Capital, and worked as a research analyst at Amroc Investments and Salomon Brothers; he holds a BS in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from the Wharton School.

Erin Andrew is a Senior Managing Director on Turning Rock's investment team, where she works on origination, underwriting, and deal execution. She previously spent over five years as a senior loan officer at Live Oak Bank, leading a lending business for small and medium-sized borrowers and holding roles in the bank's M&A advisory practice, and earlier served six years as an Associate Administrator at the U.S. Small Business Administration. She began her career in management consulting at Booz Allen Hamilton and holds a Bachelor's in Business Administration and a Master's in Public Policy from Carnegie Mellon University.

Shahid Khoja is a Partner and Head of Credit at Turning Rock, where he serves on the firm's investment team. He previously was a Managing Director and Head of Credit at Z Capital Group, leading the investment team and its credit strategy across opportunistic credit funds and CLOs, and earlier held a Director role at Garrison Investment Group focused on private credit, syndicated loans, and special situations. He started his career at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in the Corporate Credit Products group and holds a BA in Economics from Bowdoin College.

Ania Zielinska is an Associate on the Asset Management team at Turning Rock Partners. Before joining the firm, she worked at Upterior, where she oversaw the company's expansion into material innovation and developed a portfolio of intellectual property assets. She holds an MBA from The Wharton School and a Master in Law from Penn Carey Law School, and earned a dual BA in Economics and Art History from Columbia University.

Daniel Rojas-Villafane is a Fund Accountant at Turning Rock Partners. He previously worked as a Senior Fund Accountant at Gen II Fund Services, where he supported fund managers with credit and operations services. He earned a master's degree in economics from the City University of New York, John Jay College, and is pursuing a Master of Finance at Baruch College's Zicklin School of Business.

David Idy is Manager of Accounting and Tax at Turning Rock. He previously worked as a Senior Tax Consultant at Deloitte. He holds a BS in Public Accounting, Business Management and Finance from Brooklyn College at The City University of New York and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Demetrios Papadopoulos serves as an Assistant Controller at Turning Rock Partners. He previously held the same role at DW Partners LP and worked in fund accounting at SS&C Technologies and JP Morgan Chase. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Northeastern University with a dual concentration in finance and accounting.

Fred Schweinfurth is an Investor Relations Senior Associate at Turning Rock, where he focuses on capital formation and investor relations. He previously worked as an Associate at ASC Advisors, a communications advisory firm serving investment managers across alternative asset classes. He holds a BA in Strategic Communications and Political Science from Elon University.

Hannah S. Ulrich serves as Office Manager and an Executive Assistant at Turning Rock Partners. She previously held similar roles at Starwood Capital, Macquarie, and IBM. She earned a BS in Communication Art with a minor in Photography from Marymount Manhattan College.

Jared de Perio is a Senior Associate on the investment team at Turning Rock. He previously worked as an Investment Banking Senior Analyst at Matrix Capital Markets Group, and earlier as an Analyst in CFRA Research's forensic equity research group and in the Finance Rotational Program at Maximus. He holds a BSBA in Business (Finance) and a degree in Philosophy, Politics, Economics and Law with a concentration in Political Science from the University of Richmond.

John Hamilton is Chief Operating Officer at Turning Rock and a member of the firm's Management Committee, focusing on day-to-day operations and fund valuations. He previously served as the firm's Managing Director of Asset Management & Operations, and before that spent twelve years in asset management at Fortress Investment Group, most recently as Head of Private Equity Valuations overseeing a $20 billion portfolio. He began his career at Alcatel-Lucent Asset Management Corporation and holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Northeastern University.

Kirk Clark is a Senior Vice President at Turning Rock and a member of the investment team. He was previously a Vice President of Investments at NewSpring Capital, where he worked on sourcing, underwriting, and monitoring investments, and earlier an associate at Bayou City Energy Management. He holds a BBA in Economics and Business Administration from Millsaps College.

Matthew Parayil is a Senior Analyst on the investment team at Turning Rock. He previously worked as an investment banking analyst at Miller Buckfire and Company, supporting financial restructuring transactions for companies, governments, and creditors. He earned a BS/BA in finance and accounting from Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business.

Sam Gilliss is a Senior Vice President in Asset Management at Turning Rock, where he supports portfolio monitoring, valuation, and asset management, coordinating with third-party valuation firms, collateral agents, and capital markets providers after deals close. He joined the firm as an Associate and advanced to Vice President and then Senior Vice President. He previously worked in Alvarez & Marsal's Valuation Services group and spent three years at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Asset & Wealth Management Assurance. He holds a BA in Business Administration from Washington State University and a Master of Accounting from the University of Washington, and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Varsha Tallapaka is a Vice President on the investment team at Turning Rock. She previously worked as an investment banking analyst at Guggenheim Partners, supporting advisory and capital markets transactions. She holds a BSB in finance from the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management.

Yang Chen is a Vice President and member of the investment team at Turning Rock. He previously worked as an investment professional at BTG Pactual Asset Management on credit investments and at Colbeck Capital focusing on lower middle market credit, and started his career in investment banking at Barclays and Bank of America Merrill Lynch. He holds a B.A. in Economics from Colby College.

Ziyang Nie is a Senior Vice President at Turning Rock, where he works on asset management activities such as portfolio monitoring, financial analysis, valuations, and technology implementation. He previously served as a Vice President in the Capital Markets Group at Bayview Asset Management, spent over six years at Fortress Investment Group handling valuations of portfolio companies and structured credit investments, and began his career at PricewaterhouseCoopers in the Structured Finance Group. He holds a BA in English Language and Literature from Beijing International Studies University and a Master in Public Administration from Cornell University, and is a CFA Charterholder.