GW Investment Institute's Timeline

Rodney Lake

Mr. Lake teaches graduate and undergraduate finance courses primarily associated with and developed by the GW Investment Institute. Students enrolled in these courses manage university endowment capital through the GW Investment Institute’s student investment funds, consisting of multiple funds across different asset classes and with more than $7 million of assets under management (AUM) as of January 2021.

Mr. Lake serves as the director of the GW Investment Institute where in addition to teaching courses associated with student investment funds he oversees the portfolios; connects with alumni and industry practitioners; leads the GW Investment Institute Live Show and other events; and oversees GW Investment Institute’s day-to-day operations, including staff and budget.

Additionally, Mr. Lake serves as vice dean for undergraduate programs, working towards achieving GW’s mission of excellence. Prior to this leadership position, he served as a co-chair for the Department of Finance at GWSB for several years.

Mr. Lake serves as GW Faculty Member in Residence. The program is a partnership between Academic Affairs and the Center for Student Engagement. It provides faculty members with unique opportunities to connect with students in a residential setting. The faculty facilitate educational and cultural development activities in their community, such as: programs, events, and informal interactions with GW residential students.

Mr. Lake serves as a member of GW’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Leadership Council and for several years served as a mentor-in-residence for the GW Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. He continues to provide guidance, coaching, support, and connections to students interested in entrepreneurship and finance overall.

Mr. Lake serves in some opportunistic roles such as, co-host for George Talks Business, a team coach for student competitions, as a mentor for student teams in GW’s New Venture Competition, as a judge for George Hacks, hackathons that facilitate the application of classroom knowledge to real-world medical issues, and as an advisory committee member for the GWU Credit Union Initiative, which seeks to start a chartered student-run credit union at GW.

Honors and Awards

• GW School of Business, 2021 Dean’s Teaching Awards - Teaching Award for Specialized Faculty Recipient
• GW School of Business, 2020 Dean’s Awards for Excellence - Faculty Service Award Recipient
• GW School of Business, 2020 Faculty Awards - Outstanding Global Master of Business Administration Faculty Award Recipient
• GW Student Life Awards - Nominated in 2019 for the The Honey Nashman Spark A Life Award for Faculty Member of the Year

Prior to Mr. Lake’s current appointment in the GWSB Department of Finance and the GW Investment Institute, Mr. Lake worked as a senior investment officer in the George Washington University Investment Office. The GW Investment Office was responsible for managing the university’s then $1.5 billion endowment fund.

Prior to the GW Investment Office, he was a senior financial analyst in the Executive Vice President and Treasurer’s Office at GW, where he served as an internal consultant for projects ranging from financial and optimization modeling to developing spin-out strategies and valuations for internal businesses. Prior to joining GW, he was a financial analyst in portfolio management at a mortgage banking subsidiary of California Federal Bank (now part of Citi).

Mr. Lake graduated cum laude from West Virginia Wesleyan College with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration. He received his MBA from the George Washington University.

Christine Song

Ms. Song is a Portfolio Manager at the New Century Advisors. Christine founded Songbird Asset Management, LLC, in January 2011, where she managed a U.S. SMid-Cap strategy. She developed her love for small company investing while in business school and followed her passion by working as a small-cap equity analyst on the Small Cap Value team at Chartwell Investment Partners located outside of Philadelphia. She then joined Daruma Capital Management as a small-cap equity analyst in New York City. Prior to business school, she worked at Morgan Stanley Investment Management.

She earned a B.A. in Government and M.B.A. from Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. She holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation, is a member of the C.F.A. Institute and serves on the board of the C.F.A. Society of Washington, D.C., where she founded the Women’s Investment Network (WIN). She was also the former President and current board member of the Washington Association of Money Managers (WAMM).

Bill Collier

As Director of Investment Business Development, Bill is focused on sourcing opportunities for the Venture and Seed Funds. His unique business development background includes all areas of the customer lifecycle, from inside sales to marketing, account management, customer success, and partnerships.

The Venture Funds are an early-stage, evergreen venture capital firm dedicated to growing the next generation of exceptional businesses in Maryland. With $110M in assets under management, the Venture Fund partners with entrepreneurs to build high-growth technology companies that last.

As a lifelong resident of the Washington, D.C. metro area, Bill is passionate about bringing the region’s innovative concepts to market. Prior to joining the Venture Fund, Bill worked at GE Digital in the Accelerated Leadership Program (XLP), GE’s premiere leadership development and training program. In his most recent role, he helped build the processes and technology stack for the global customer success organization. He currently serves as an Advisory Board Member for Maryland based startup Grey Matter USA and previously worked at Chevy Chase, MD-based startup WeddingWire.

Bill earned both his MBA, focusing on Strategic Marketing and Finance, and his BA in Environmental Studies and Geography from the George Washington University.

Bojana Jankovic

Ms. Jankovic is a program manager at the GW Investment Institute. Prior to joining GW, she worked in management consulting and nonprofit organizations.

Ms. Jankovic received her Master of Business Administration from the George Washington University School of Business (GWSB). She holds a graduate certificates in Business Foundations and Financial Management from GWSB and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Sciences from the University of Belgrade.

Kathleen Hinman

Ms. Hinman is the program associate of the GW Investment Institute. She previously worked as a treasurer at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and I.A.T.S.E. Local 868.

Prior to moving to DC, she worked at Walt Disney World and Universal Studios Orlando. Born and raised in Alabama, she was valedictorian of Daphne High School class of ‘09.

She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from The University of Alabama. She graduated Summa Cum Laude with a double major in Telecommunications and Theatre.

John Simmons

John Simmons is a manager and senior research analyst for the Department of Homeland Security. He has held many analytic and management positions over the past 25 years in government service. Additionally, John is a Teaching Assistant for the George Washington Ramsey Student Investment Fund and has been a member of the Investment Institute since August 2019.

Trevor Haen

Trevor Haen is a graduate of the George Washington School of Business (GWSB) from Lisle, Illinois. He holds a B.S. in Finance with a minor in Economics. Prior to becoming a Teaching Assistant for the GW Investment Institute, he took the Applied Financial Securities Analysis: Real Estate, Applied Financial Securities Analysis, and Quantitative Trading courses. Additionally, he was a 2021-2022 GW Ramsey Scholar.

Previously, he worked as a US Equity Products Summer Analyst at JP Morgan Asset Management. He has also interned in private wealth management at Morgan Stanley and Seventy2 Capital. Following graduation, he plans to return to JP Morgan Asset Management in New York City. Through both his role at the GW Investment Institute and his post-graduation plans, he seeks to continue developing his passion for finance and investing.

Bio coming soon!

Will Ahrens

Will Ahrens is a sophomore at the George Washington School of Business (GWSB) from Alameda, California, pursuing a double B.S. in Finance and Accounting, with a minor in Economics. Prior to joining the Investment Institute, Will took the GW Philips Student Investment Fund course in addition to being a Venture Capital Fellow in the Venture Capital Internship Program. As a fellow, he worked as an intern at inCitu, a social venture startup democratizing urban development.      

Will is passionate about all things alternative assets, including venture capital and private credit. Post-graduation he aims to work in the industry and bring capital to innovative business ideas.