Team

Mr. Manowitz is a Partner and the Chief Operating Officer of Blue Torch. Mr. Manowitz is responsible for all of Blue Torch’s operations, including finance, investor relations, and administration functions. Prior to joining Blue Torch, Mr. Manowitz was the Chief Accounting Officer for the Credit Platform at H.I.G. Capital. Prior to that, Mr. Manowitz worked at Cerberus Capital Management, L.P. as Controller of the Credit Platform of Cerberus Business Finance and Ableco Finance LLC. Earlier in his career, Mr. Manowitz worked at Merrill Lynch and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Mr. Manowitz graduated from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business with an MBA and a BS in Accounting.

Mr. Djunic is a Partner of Blue Torch and is responsible for all aspects of a credit investment process. Prior to joining Blue Torch, Mr. Djunic was a Senior Credit Analyst at Sounion Capital, where he focused on high yield and distressed credit. Prior to that, Mr. Djunic worked at Caxton Associates in the High Yield Group. Earlier in his career, Mr. Djunic worked at Moore Capital and J.P. Morgan. Mr. Djunic graduated from Harvard Business School with an MBA and Brown University with a BA in Economics.

Mr. Gosselin is a Senior Managing Director of Blue Torch and is responsible for all aspects of a credit investment process. Prior to joining Blue Torch, Mr. Gosselin was a Portfolio Manager at Sector Financial. Prior to Sector, he was a Managing Director / Portfolio Manager at Centre Lane Partners, and prior to that founded Fort Hill Investment Partners, a firm focused on stressed and distressed credit investing. Earlier in his career Mr. Gosselin worked at Goldman Sachs & Co. Mr. Gosselin earned an MBA with honors from Fordham University and a BS in Finance and Economics from Syracuse University.

Mr. Bernstein is a Managing Director of Blue Torch and is responsible for the portfolio management and monitoring process. Prior to joining Blue Torch, Mr. Bernstein was a Principal at Jupiter Peak Capital where he focused on providing capital solutions to asset managers and owners of illiquid assets trapped in restrictive investment vehicles. Prior to that, Mr. Bernstein worked at Crestline Investors. Earlier in his career, Mr. Bernstein worked at Berkshire Global Advisors and Milestone Advisors. Mr. Bernstein graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with an MPA in Accounting and Washington University in St. Louis with a BSBA in Finance and Accounting.

Ms. Kavak is a Managing Director of Blue Torch and is responsible for all aspects of a credit investment process. Prior to joining Blue Torch, Ms. Kavak was a Vice President at St. Cloud Capital where she focused on sourcing, underwriting, executing and monitoring debt and non-control equity investments. Prior to that, Ms. Kavak worked in the Sponsor Finance group at City National Bank. Earlier in her career, Ms. Kavak worked at UnionBanCal Equities, FocalPoint Partners and CIT Healthcare. Ms. Kavak graduated from the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business with a BS in Business Administration.

Mr. O’Donnell is a Managing Director of Blue Torch and is responsible for all aspects of a credit investment process. Prior to joining Blue Torch, Mr. O’Donnell was an Associate at Guggenheim Securities in the Restructuring Group where he advised companies and creditors in connection with in- and out-of-court balance sheet restructurings. Prior to that, Mr. O’Donnell was an Associate at Davidson Kempner Capital Management in the Distressed Group. Prior to that, Mr. O’Donnell was an Analyst at Miller Buckfire. Mr. O’Donnell graduated from Georgetown University with a BS in Business Administration.

Mr. Lindo is a Principal at Blue Torch and is responsible for all aspects of a credit investment process. Prior to joining Blue Torch, Mr. Lindo was an Associate at Jefferies Group LLC where he was responsible for the underwriting, execution, and monitoring of leveraged finance transactions. Prior to that, Mr. Lindo was an Assistant Vice President at Amalgamated Bank. Mr. Lindo graduated from Baruch College with a BBA in Finance and Investments.

Mr. Rackear is a Principal at Blue Torch and is responsible for all aspects of a credit investment process. Prior to joining Blue Torch, Mr. Rackear was a Senior Associate at Ivy Hill Asset Management, a wholly owned portfolio company of Ares Capital Corporation, where he evaluated, underwrote and monitored private credit transactions. Prior to that, Mr. Rackear was a Leveraged Finance Senior Analyst at CIT Group on the Healthcare Team. Mr. Rackear graduated from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School with concentrations in Finance and Strategy & Management Consulting.

Mr. Samuel is a Principal at Blue Torch with a focus on all transactional and legal aspects of the credit investment process. Prior to joining Blue Torch, Mr. Samuel was a senior associate within the Private Credit group at Proskauer LLP where he represented private credit funds, specialty finance companies and other alternative lenders in connection with complex financing matters, including leveraged buyouts, restructurings and opportunistic lending across a wide range of industries.  Prior to that Mr. Samuel was an associate in the leveraged finance group at Paul Hastings LLP and Reed Smith LLP. Prior to law school Mr. Samuel was an analyst in the Equities group at UBS.  Mr. Samuel graduated from University of Notre Dame Law School with a J.D. and the University of Miami with a B.A. in Finance.

Mr. Aleem is a Vice President of Blue Torch and is responsible for all aspects of a credit investment process. Prior to joining Blue Torch, Mr. Aleem was an Associate at PGIM Private Capital where he was responsible for evaluating, underwriting, and monitoring private debt and equity investments. Mr. Aleem graduated from Baruch College with a BBA in Finance & Investments.

Mr. Bower is a Vice President of Blue Torch and is responsible for all aspects of the credit investment process. Prior to joining Blue Torch, Mr. Bower was a Senior Associate at Golub Capital in the Credit Opportunities Group where he was responsible for evaluating, underwriting, and monitoring special situations credit investments. Prior to that, Mr. Bower was an Investment Banking Associate at BNP Paribas in the Leveraged Finance Group. Mr. Bower graduated from Stevens Institute of Technology with a BS in Quantitative Finance.

Mr. Dieckhaus is a Vice President of Blue Torch and is responsible for all aspects of the credit investment process. Prior to joining Blue Torch, Mr. Dieckhaus was an Investment Banking Associate at J.P. Morgan in the Restructuring Group where he was responsible for the origination and execution of capital raise transactions for distressed companies. Prior to that, Mr. Dieckhaus was an analyst in J.P. Morgan’s Special Credits Group. Mr. Dieckhaus graduated from the University of Miami with a BBA in Finance and Legal Studies.

Mr. Fisher is a Vice President of Blue Torch and is responsible for all aspects of a credit investment process. Prior to joining Blue Torch, Mr. Fisher was a Vice President at Bank of America where he was responsible for the origination, underwriting, and execution of asset-based financings in combination with leveraged finance transactions. Mr. Fisher graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business with a BS in Business Administration.

Mr. McAlpine is a Vice President of Blue Torch and is responsible for all aspects of a credit investment process. Prior to joining Blue Torch, Mr. McAlpine was an Investment Banking Associate at Houlihan Lokey in the Financial Institutions Group where he advised on a variety of M&A and capital raise transactions. Prior to that, Mr. McAlpine was an Investment Banking Analyst at Sandler O’Neill & Partners. Mr. McAlpine graduated from the University at Albany, State University of New York with a BS in Business Administration and Accounting, and with a BA in Economics.

Mr. Sitzer is a Vice President of Blue Torch and is responsible for all aspects of a credit investment process. Prior to joining Blue Torch, Mr. Sitzer was an Associate at Cion Investment Management where he was responsible for evaluating, underwriting, and monitoring private credit transactions. Mr. Sitzer graduated from Tulane University with a BS in Finance and Minor in Accounting.

Ms. Szymczak is a Vice President of Blue Torch and is responsible for all aspects of a credit investment process. Prior to joining Blue Torch, Ms. Szymczak was a Vice President at Onex Falcon where she evaluated, underwrote, and monitored private credit investments. Prior to that, Ms. Szymczak was an Associate at Stifel on the Healthcare team. Ms. Szymczak graduated Cum Laude from Washington and Lee University with a BS in Business Administration and Chinese.

Mr. Bramwit is an Associate of Blue Torch and is responsible for all aspects of the credit investment process. Prior to joining Blue Torch, Mr. Bramwit was an Analyst at Goldman Sachs in the Workout & Restructuring group. Mr. Bramwit graduated from Cornell University with a BA in Statistical Science.

Mr. Fisher is an Associate of Blue Torch and is responsible for all aspects of the credit investment process. Prior to joining Blue Torch, Mr. Fisher was an Associate in the Private Credit Group at Goldman Sachs where he was responsible for underwriting and structuring investments. Mr. Fisher graduated from Cornell University with a BS in Applied Economics and Management.

Ms. Gao is an Associate at Blue Torch and is responsible for all aspects of the credit investment process. Prior to joining Blue Torch, Ms. Gao worked in the Credit Opportunities Team at Aquiline Capital Partners where she originated, structured, and underwrote private and public credit investments. Prior to that, Ms. Gao was an Associate in Citigroup’s Distressed Credit and Restructuring Team. Ms. Gao graduated from New York University, Stern School of Business with concentrations in Finance and Statistics and a minor in Psychology.

Mr. O’Keane is an Associate at Blue Torch and is responsible for all aspects of the credit investment process. Prior to joining Blue Torch, Mr. O’Keane worked in the Direct Lending group at Blue Owl Capital where he focused on underwriting and monitoring private credit investments. Mr. O’Keane began his career at Blackstone Credit where he focused on underwriting syndicated term loan and high yield bond opportunities. Mr. O’Keane graduated from University College Dublin with a Bachelor of Commerce.

Mr. Palmiotto is an Associate at Blue Torch and is responsible for all aspects of the credit investment process. Prior to joining Blue Torch, Mr. Palmiotto worked in the Leveraged Finance Group at J.P. Morgan where he focused on structuring and executing leveraged buyouts, mergers and acquisitions, recapitalizations, and other debt financings. Prior to that, Mr. Palmiotto worked in J.P. Morgan’s Financial Planning & Analysis Group. Mr. Palmiotto graduated from The Ohio State University with a BS in Business Administration.

Mr. Yost is an Associate at Blue Torch and is responsible for all aspects of the credit investment process. Prior to joining Blue Torch, Mr. Yost was a Senior Associate at NLG Capital, where he evaluated, underwrote and monitored private credit transactions. Prior to that, Mr. Yost was an Associate on Nomura’s Private Debt Solutions team. Mr. Yost graduated from the Villanova School of Business with concentrations in Finance and International Business.

Mr. O’Flanagan is a Managing Director of Blue Torch and is responsible for all aspects of Restructuring. Prior to joining Blue Torch, Mr. O’Flanagan was a Director within the restructuring group at Lazard where he focused on advising stressed and distressed businesses and their stakeholders on strategic alternatives, including in and out-of-court restructurings, financings, liability management solutions and mergers & acquisitions. While at Lazard, Mr. O’Flanagan led transactions across a range of industries including business services, consumer products, industrial products, oil field services and retail. Mr. O’Flanagan graduated from Georgetown University with a BS in Finance.

Mr. Chernov is a Principal at Blue Torch and is responsible for all aspects of Restructuring. Prior to joining Blue Torch, Mr. Chernov was a Director within the Turnaround and Restructuring group at AlixPartners where he focused on in-court and out-of-court restructurings, liquidity management, business planning, interim management, and M&A transaction services across a wide range of industries. Prior to that Mr. Chernov was an Investment Director at PPF Group. Mr. Chernov graduated from Columbia Business School and London Business School with an MBA and Erasmus University Rotterdam with an MS in Economics.

Mr. Felice is a Principal at Blue Torch and is responsible for all aspects of Restructuring. Prior to joining Blue Torch, Mr. Felice was a Managing Director within the Corporate Finance and Restructuring group at FTI Consulting, where he focused on in-court and out-of-court restructurings, liquidity management, business planning, operational improvement, and transaction services across various industries. Mr. Felice graduated from Boston College’s Carroll School of Management with concentrations in Finance and Accounting.

Mr. Gross is a Principal at Blue Torch and is responsible for all aspects of Restructuring. Prior to joining Blue Torch, Mr. Gross was a Director at Redesign Health focused on corporate development and strategic initiatives. Prior to that, Mr. Gross was a Vice President at Centre Lane Partners where he was responsible for evaluating and executing private credit and private equity investments. Earlier in his career, Mr. Gross was an analyst at FTI Consulting and Imperial Capital. Mr. Gross graduated from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School with a concentration in Finance.

Mr. Berry is an Associate of Blue Torch and is responsible for all aspects of Restructuring. Prior to joining Blue Torch, Mr. Berry was a Senior Associate at Centre Lane Partners where he was responsible for evaluating, underwriting, and monitoring private credit investments. Prior to that, Mr. Berry was an Associate at Truist Securities in the Acquisition, Finance, Execution, and Structuring Group. Mr. Berry graduated from Clemson University with a BS in Finance and a minor in Accounting.

Mr. Wiedman is a Managing Director and lead Operating Partner at Blue Torch. For portfolio companies where Blue Torch has equity control, Mr. Wiedman partners with management teams on the development and execution of their strategic plans. Prior to joining Blue Torch, Mr. Wiedman was a Director and Strategy Team leader at American Securities, where he worked with portfolio company management teams to develop and execute their overall strategy and conducted due diligence on potential acquisitions.  Earlier in his career, Mr. Wiedman worked at McKinsey & Co.  Mr. Wiedman graduated from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business with a Bachelor in Business Administration and earned an MBA and Masters in Engineering Management from Northwestern University.

Mr. Sell is the Chief Financial Officer of Blue Torch. Mr. Sell is responsible for Blue Torch’s fund operations, treasury, finance, and fund accounting functions, as well as fund finance structuring. Prior to joining Blue Torch, Mr. Sell was the Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Secretary for Full Circle Capital Corporation, and its merger successor Great Elm Capital Corp. Prior to that, Mr. Sell worked at Agile Group, LLC and Sky Bell Asset Management, LLC focusing on investments in the private credit industry. Previously, Mr. Sell worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Mr. Sell graduated from Miami University’s Richard T Farmer School of Business with a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Accountancy and a Masters of Accountancy.

Mr. Leo is the General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer of Blue Torch and is responsible for the legal and compliance operations of the firm.  Prior to joining Blue Torch, Mr. Leo held the role of Senior Compliance Officer at Capstone Investment Advisors and before that was the Director of Legal and Compliance at Aravt Global.  Prior to joining the asset management industry, Mr. Leo was an officer in the U.S. Army, serving as a military prosecutor and command legal advisor in a variety of assignments.  Mr. Leo received his Juris Doctor from the Fordham University School of Law and his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Bucknell University.

Ms. Foley is responsible for Investor Relations at Blue Torch. Prior to joining Blue Torch, Ms. Foley was Head of Investor Relations at Athanor Capital. Prior to that, Ms. Foley was Head of Investor Relations at DW Partners, an alternative credit firm that spun out of Brevan Howard, where Ms. Foley worked prior to joining DW Partners. Earlier in her career, Ms. Foley worked at QVT Financial, Ralph Lauren, and Bloomberg. Ms. Foley graduated with honors from Union College with a BA in Art History.

Ms. Muscarello is the Director, Human Capital of Blue Torch Capital.  Prior to joining Blue Torch, Ms. Muscarello held roles as the Director, Human Capital at Brightwood Capital Advisors, LLC, Head of Human Resources, Americas for CVC Advisors (U.S.) Inc., and Director of Human Resources at both MatlinPatterson Global Advisers LLC and Ciena Capital, LLC.  Earlier in her career, Ms. Muscarello held human resources roles at Arthur Andersen, UBS, and Lehman Brothers.  Ms. Muscarello graduated from Columbia University, Teachers College with a MA in Organizational Psychology and from the University of Scranton with a BS in Economics/Finance.

Mr. Crawford is a Senior Vice President of Corporate Development, leading the corporate development efforts for Blue Torch Capital. Prior to joining Blue Torch, Mr. Crawford was a Director at Edison Group Inc., managing Capital Introduction and Investor Relations for the firm’s client portfolio of 400+ US and European public and private companies. Earlier in his career, Michael led the Global Equity Sales division at Axiom Capital Management and held Managing Director roles at PCG Advisory Group and IRG. Mr. Crawford graduated from Binghamton University with a BA in English Studies and is licensed Series 7 and 63.

Mr. Goldshtein is a Senior Vice President of Technology and Data Services at Blue Torch Capital. Prior to joining Blue Torch, he was SVP of AI Engineering at JPMorgan Chase, where he designed and deployed AI-driven applications for the Asset and Wealth Management Division. Before that, Mr. Goldshtein served as a Lead Machine Learning Engineer at DataRobot, where he worked in partnership with the White House on COVID-19 response initiatives, and also held positions at Real Capital Analytics and Rose Associates. He graduated from the Academic College of Tel-Aviv-Yafo with a BA in Economics and New York University’s Courant School of Mathematics with an MS in Computer Science.

Ms. Brennan is a Vice President of Investor Relations at Blue Torch. Prior to joining Blue Torch, Ms. Brennan worked in Investor Relations for Blackstone’s Growth Equity strategy. Prior to that, she worked in FP&A for Blackstone’s Credit business. Earlier in her career, Ms. Brennan was part of Ernst & Young’s Advisory business. Ms. Brennan graduated summa cum laude from Auburn University with a BS in Finance.

Ms. Curtis is a Vice President of Investor Relations at Blue Torch. Prior to joining Blue Torch, Ms. Curtis was a Client Service Associate at RTW Investments, LP, a biotech investment firm. Prior to that, Ms. Curtis worked in Investor Relations and Operations at TIG Advisors, LLC. Ms. Curtis graduated from College of Charleston with a BS in Finance.

Mr. Rivera is the Vice President of Accounting & Finance for Blue Torch. Mr. Rivera is responsible for assisting in Blue Torch’s day-to-day fund operations, treasury, and fund accounting functions. Prior to joining Blue Torch, Mr. Rivera was an accounting manager at H.I.G. Capital. Previously, Mr. Rivera worked at Deloitte and BDO. Mr. Rivera graduated from Universidad de Puerto Rico with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting.

Mr. Abrahimzadeh is a Vice President of Finance at Blue Torch. Mr. Abrahimzadeh is responsible for Blue Torch’s day-to-day fund operations, treasury, and finance functions. Prior to joining Blue Torch, Mr. Abrahimzadeh was a Vice President at HPS Investment Partners, LLC in their Fund Finance group. Prior to that, he worked at Mizuho Bank focusing on OTC Collateral Management. Mr. Abrahimzadeh graduated from Seton Hall University with a BS in Finance and Rutgers University with an MBA in Finance and Real Estate.

Mr. Green is the Assistant Controller of Blue Torch. Mr. Green is responsible for assisting in Blue Torch’s day-to-day fund operations, treasury, and fund accounting functions. Prior to joining Blue Torch, Mr. Green was a Senior Manager at KPMG. Mr. Green graduated from Ramapo College of New Jersey with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Ms. Gonzales-Gray is an Associate Vice President of Finance at Blue Torch. Ms. Gonzales-Gray is responsible for Blue Torch’s day-to-day fund operations, treasury, and finance functions. Prior to joining Blue Torch, Ms. Gonzales-Gray was an Associate at Apollo Global Management in the Insurance Structured Opportunistic Credit Middle Office Group, where she focused on liquidity and transaction management. Prior to that, she worked at Nuveen as a Broadly Syndicated Credit Closer. Ms. Gonzales-Gray graduated from the University of San Francisco with a BS in Finance.

Ms. Bonner is a Senior Accountant at Blue Torch Capital. Ms. Bonner is responsible for assisting in Blue Torch’s day-to-day fund operations, treasury, and fund accounting functions. Prior to joining Blue Torch, Ms. Bonner was a Senior Associate at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in their Audit Practice servicing asset and wealth management clients.  Ms. Bonner graduated from Saint Joseph’s University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a major in accounting and a minor in art.

Mr. Tecce is a Senior Accountant at Blue Torch. Mr. Tecce is responsible for assisting in Blue Torch’s day-to-day fund operations, treasury, and fund accounting functions. Prior to joining Blue Torch, Mr. Tecce was an Investment Associate at Neuberger Berman in their Private Credit group. Mr. Tecce graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a Master of Accountancy and a Bachelor of Science in Finance.

Mr. Verlaque is a Senior Accountant at Blue Torch. Mr. Verlaque is responsible for assisting in Blue Torch’s day-to-day fund operations, treasury, and fund accounting functions. Prior to joining Blue Torch, Mr. Verlaque was a Manager at Deloitte & Touche. Mr. Verlaque graduated from the University of Delaware with a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Accounting and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Ms. Coughlan serves as the Corporate Controller at Blue Torch, where she oversees the day-to-day accounting of the management company. Prior to joining Blue Torch, she was a Controller at RedBird Capital Partners. Earlier in her career, she held accounting and finance roles at Greystone & Co. Ms. Coughlan earned a B.A. in Accounting from Atlantic Technological University in Ireland and a Master of Science in Finance from Technological University Dublin, Ireland.

Mr. Wohlfarth is a Compliance Associate at Blue Torch. Prior to joining Blue Torch, Mr. Wohlfarth was a Compliance Analyst at Madison International Realty, a real estate private equity firm. Prior to that, Mr. Wohlfarth worked as a Senior Compliance Analyst with ACA Group. Mr. Wohlfarth graduated from the University of Pittsburg with a BS in Finance and Business Information Science.