James C. Perkins, Jr.
Founder, CEO and Portfolio Manager
James is the Founder, CEO and Portfolio Manager of Thrasher Funds. He is also a contributing writer for TheStreet.com. James was an analyst for ZBI Equities (Ziff Brother's Investments), a private firm that manages money for a wealthy family, covering the Industrial, Transportation, Aerospace and Defense sectors. Before working with ZBI, James worked for the CEO and CFO of Alliance Capital (now Alliance Bernstein) where he conducted competitor, equity market and mutual fund performance analyses, in addition to examining investor sentiment and investor communications. He also worked for Morgan Stanley’s Equity Research Group.

He co-founded Prism Investment Equity Partnership (PIEP), an investment partnership aimed at motivating Manhattan young professionals to participate in the equity markets. He also sits on the Junior Board of Directors for the East Harlem Tutorial Program.

James received a B.A. in chemistry from Yale University. While at Yale, James founded Next Investors, an investment partnership aimed at educating minority-represented communities (including youth and women) on the benefits of participating in the financial markets.

Contact James: jp@thrasherfunds.com

Khalid Reede Jones
COO & General Counsel
Khalid is the Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel for Thrasher Funds. Khalid started his career as an Associate with White & Case, LLP in New York. Just prior to joining Thrasher Funds in December 2006, Khalid practiced Securities law in the Washington, DC office of Mayer Brown, LLP. During his time in practice, Khalid defended clients in securities related investigations conducted by the Securities and Exchange Commission, U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Department of Commerce, and the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.

He co-founded Prism Investment Equity Partnership (PIEP) with Thrasher Funds Founder, James Perkins, and served as Campaign Director for the Jesse Mason for Mayor Campaign in Little Rock, Arkansas in 2006.  Khalid received a B.A. in politics from Wake Forest University where he also minored in Japanese Studies. 

Khalid received his J.D. from Stanford Law School where he was Senior Editor of the Stanford Law and Policy Review.  Khalid is admitted to practice law in the State of New York.

Contact Khalid: krj@thrasherfunds.com

Megumi K. Yamamoto
AVP, Investor Relations
Megumi manages investor relations, marketing, and operations for Thrasher Funds. Megumi worked as a analyst in Corporate Finance at Daiwa Securities SMBC where she was actively involved in her clients' investor relations programs. Megumi also has investor relations consultancy experience and worked on both the sell-side and buy-side. Megumi was a Japanese Writing Scholar at Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan.

Contact Megumi at: mky@thrasherfunds.com


Brian Hodge
Creative Director
Brian received a B.A. in Art from Yale University and brings over ten years experience to Thrasher. As a senior designer in the marketing communications department at OppenheimerFunds, he was instrumental in the rebranding of all fund and retirement marketing materials. He has taught design and typography courses at Pratt Institute and Boston University and has mentored students at the Art and Design High School in Manhattan through the AIGA.

Contact Brian at: bhodge@thrasherfunds.com

Leonardo Aponte
VP Multimedia
Leonardo is an emerging director and editor, who brings his unique creative and visual style to all Thrasher Multimedia projects including ThrasherTV. Prior to joining Thrasher, Leonardo edited the documentaries "Our Story" and "Children of the Street," which was directed by Eva Aridjis and nominated for two Ariel Academy Awards. Leonardo also worked on productions for MTV, Lion TV, VH1, trollback & co and D&D Productions and campaigns for HBO, TNT, RES, Bertolli and Nike. Leonardo was graduated from the film program at the School of Visual Arts.

Contact Leonardo at: la@thrasherfunds.com

Maya Contreras
Culture Correspondent & Analyst
Maya, a music industry veteran, joins Thrasher Funds as Culture Correspondent and Analyst covering music and culture. Look for her celebrity interviews on ThrasherTV where she examines the business, culture, and lifestyle of music. Also, look for frequent updates in her blog, Grand which contains more videos and pics from events around NYC.

Contact Maya at: maya@thrasherfunds.com


Johnathan Wood
Investment Analyst
John was a floor broker with Kellogg Capital Group trading equities, options, and exchange traded funds (ETFs) on the American Stock Exchange (AMEX). He previously worked in commercial and retail banking at Bank of America researching and prospecting small business. John received a B.A. in American Studies from Williams College.

Contact John at: jmw@thrasherfunds.com


Lora Edward
Associate
Lora conducts research and participates in Thrasher multi-media. Lora was an associate at Brencourt Advisors, LLC where she was responsible for the settlement of Distressed trading. Prior to Brencourt, Lora was a research assistant with Think Equity Partners covering the Media and Semiconductors space. Lora received a B.S. in International Business from Pepperdine University.

Contact Lora at: lora@thrasherfunds.com