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DCALTA, a leading non-profit association in the U.S. retirement ecosystem, is pleased to announce the appointment of Jennifer DeLong, Adam Farrell, Diane Smola, and Jani Venter to its Board of Directors.
DCALTA Welcomes Four New Members to Its Board of Directors
The Defined Contribution Alternatives Association (DCALTA) is excited to announce the appointment of four distinguished professionals to its Board of Directors: Jennifer DeLong, Adam Farrell, Diane Smola, and Jani Venter. Their diverse expertise and commitment to enhancing retirement outcomes for plan participants will be instrumental in guiding DCALTA's continued growth and innovation.
As DCALTA celebrates its 10-year anniversary, the organization expresses its sincere gratitude to its distinguished board members transitioning on July 1, 2025. Serge Boccassini - a founding board member is retiring as DCALTAs Chair of the Board, Kathy Wanner – of Shore Capital, a founding board member and outgoing treasurer, and Kirk Penland – of VOYA who will also be retiring. “Their dedication and contributions have played a critical role in shaping DCALTA’s collective voice on alts in DC plans and advancing the interests of U.S. retirement savers, remarked Jonathan Epstein, DCALTA President & Founder. “We are deeply grateful to the board members who are transitioning their roles, for their exceptional leadership, generous service, and steadfast commitment to DCALTA. Serge, Kirk and Kathy’s expertise have been instrumental in advancing our conversation around alternative investments in defined contribution plans”, says Chris Yau, DCALTA Treasurer and StepStone Partner.
The new board members bring a wealth of experience that will help provide fresh perspectives on expanding investment diversification and access for U.S. defined contribution savers. “We are thrilled to welcome Jennifer DeLong, Adam Farrell, Diane Smola and Jani Venter to our board. Their collective knowledge and experience will be invaluable as the industry embraces alternative investments within defined contribution plans.” said Epstein.
The new appointees are recognized leaders in their respective fields, each demonstrating a strong commitment to DCALTA’s mission. “We are excited to have these talented individuals join our leadership, their deep industry expertise will help us navigate challenges and continue to unlock opportunities to expand the use of private assets in the retirement landscape,” stated Michelle Rappa of Neuberger Berman and DCALTA Board Chair.
New Board of Directors
Jennifer DeLong - Managing Director and Head—Defined Contribution, AllianceBernstein; President—AllianceBernstein Trust Company
“I am honored to join the DCALTA Board of Directors and represent AllianceBernstein, a proud member for more than five years. AB has a decade of experience integrating private markets into DC plans for our custom target-date clients, and I look forward to collaborating with my fellow board members to help plan sponsors shape better retirement outcomes for their plan participants. Given that today’s market outlook seems more challenging for investors, we believe that incorporating private markets into DC plans has the potential to enhance returns and improve diversification alongside public exposures.”
Diane Smola – Managing Director, Defined Contribution Real Estate Solutions at Principal Real Estate
“It’s been an exciting four years as a DCALTA member, not only witnessing the organization’s tremendous growth but also the progress achieved in advocating for defined contribution plan access to private assets. I look forward to joining the board to further DCALTA’s mission to bring broader investment diversification to defined contribution savers. At Principal, we believe alternative assets can play an important role in achieving favorable participant outcomes through the differentiated risk/return characteristics private assets offer to traditional public assets which dominate participant portfolios.”
Jani Venter - Head of Defined Contribution Real Estate Solutions at J.P. Morgan Asset Management
“It has been an honor to collaborate with DCALTA since 2022, and I am excited to join the board to support their efforts. At J.P. Morgan, our experience has shown that incorporating private alternatives in target date portfolios can help strengthen retirement outcomes. With 20 years as a fiduciary in implementing private real estate into defined contribution multi-asset portfolios, we support the value proposition offered by thoughtfully allocating across a broader set of private alternatives.”
Adam Farrell - Managing Director of Corporate Strategy at CAIS
"CAIS is honored to support DCALTA in its mission to advance education, innovation, and responsible access across alternative investments,” said Adam Farrell, Managing Director of Corporate Strategy at CAIS. “We are witnessing a meaningful convergence between the wealth and retirement spaces. This shift creates the opportunity for more modern infrastructure, institutional diligence, and scalable education. By working with organizations like DCALTA, we aim to empower the broader wealth and retirement ecosystem to deliver alternative investment solutions that are aligned with goals across both channels."
Also accepting evolving roles on the DCALTA board of directors are Michelle Rappa of Neuberger Berman serving as Board Chair, Alain Michnick of FTSE Russell as Vice President, Chris Yau of StepStone as Treasurer and Hayden Gallary of Cambridge Associates as Corporate Secretary.
About DCALTA
Founded in 2015, DCALTA serves as the collective voice of alts firms, plan sponsors, asset managers, asset servicers, and many stakeholders dedicated to improving retirement outcomes for defined contribution savers through education, research, and advocacy on the benefits of utilizing alternative investments in DC plans. The organization is focused on overcoming market biases and operational challenges that hinder the adoption of alternative investments within DC plans.
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For more information about DCALTA, please visit www.dcalta.org.
Jonathan R Epstein
DCALTA - Defined Contribution Alternatives Association
+1 312-399-1058
[email protected]
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