Meet Our Founder
Troy Prince, CEO
A Bronx native, graduate of the Bronx High School of Science and NYU Stern School of Business (BS '92). Troy is a 20 year+ wall street veteran with extensive buy & Sell side trading experience at premier US & International firms and near 5 years as an angel investor in Vietnam.
-
Noting the persistent lack of diversity in the front offices of wall street and the abundance of hungry and available diverse talent, he has had the idea for Wall Street Bound for over 15 years.
Troy has spent significant time abroad having lived and worked in 5 countries, speaks 4 languages and brings the full breadth of his experience home with him in his mission to connect typically overlooked diverse talent with the capital markets and investment opportunity.
Our Team
Gigs Taylor Stephenson
Chief Learning Officer
Gigs Taylor-Stephenson is the National Director of Academic Staff at Kaplan Professional. She manages over 100 instructors nationwide, who facilitate classroom instruction for the insurance continuing education, insurance licensing, and securities industry product lines. After nearly 16 years with Morgan Stanley Gigs left to pursue a career in financial services education and was hired as an instructor by Dearborn, now Kaplan.
-
In order to remain a practitioner in the financial services industry, Gigs assists a small boutique investment firm, RedTail Capital Markets, serving as its Chief Compliance officer. She is also an Adjunct Professor of Finance and holds a BA in Economics, an MBA in Finance, a Masters Certificate in Industrial / Organizational Psychology as well as the FINRA Securities Industry Essentials (SIE), Compliance Officer, Series 7, 24 and 63 registrations.
Walter Gabino Rendon
Executive Director
Walter began his career at Credit Suisse First Boston, supporting global equity research operations, M&A integration, and talent development. He holds a Master’s degree from NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development and completed professional development through Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Project Zero.
-
He brings over 20 years of leadership experience across education and workforce development, including founding Educational Achievement, LLC, advising institutions on strategy and growth, and serving in senior roles at The STEM Alliance and the NYC Department of Education.
Walter serves on the Board of School in the Square and as Finance and Trustee Chair for Neighborhood Charter School of Harlem and the Bronx, aligning governance, financial discipline, and talent development.
Nena Ugwuomo
Program Director
Nena has worked at the intersection of technology, education, and finance for over a decade. Her career began with internships at The United States Department of the Treasury and The United States Department of Commerce during the financial crisis in the early 2000’s.
-
These opportunities, in addition to her merit based scholarship at Howard University exposed her to the importance of personal finance and entrepreneurship education – which she pursued through sales roles at high-growth technology companies, including General Assembly and Greenhouse Software.
In 2013 Nena leveraged her leadership and sales skills to found and lead Student Dream, a financial education nonprofit that trains black and brown youth to build wealth.
Chris Riggs
Program Coordinator
Chris is a 10-year Wall Street veteran who began his career as a Sales Trader at Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BAML), before moving into Equity Capital Markets where he worked with corporate issuers and institutional investors, gaining experience in capital raising, valuation, and deal execution.
-
He then spent five years at Citadel as an Equity Research Analyst in a multi-billion-dollar event-driven strategy, investing in IPOs, merger arbitrage, follow-on offerings, and block trades. After Citadel, Chris joined Flow State Investments, a hedge fund focused on event-driven strategies, where he co-managed a $500 million book.
Chris is deeply committed to mentorship and is passionate about passing on the knowledge and lessons he gained to the next generation of finance professionals. Chris holds an MBA from the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management, and a B.S. in Finance from the University of Maryland, College Park. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife, enjoys traveling, and is an avid finance writer and athlete who enjoys basketball and tennis.
Monica Ramos
Administrative Assistant
She’s a dynamic Virtual Assistant with a talent for tackling diverse challenges head-on. With years of experience in customer service, Email management, data analysis, and administrative support, she’s known for her adaptability, strong communication, and sharp attention to detail.
-
Skilled in making use of different tools and social media platforms, she’s the go-to for keeping tasks organized and clients satisfied. Monica brings top-notch professionalism and a drive to exceed expectations—making her a valuable asset to any team.
Board of Directors
Ravi Jain
Chairman, Board of Directors
Ravi Jain is the Chief Risk Officer at Velocity Clearing and has over 35 years of experience in options trading, risk management, and technology development. Early in his career he was global head of options trading at Republic National Bank and has been in risk management at HSBC and BNY Mellon. He was a fintech entrepreneur having Co-Founded IVolatility.com and a trading/risk system company, founded an options market-making firm in India and helped run an FX HFT firm.
-
More recently he was CRO of Lightspeed Financial and Chief Product Officer at Sterling Trading Tech where he architected the Sterling Risk system used by several clearing firms including Velocity. He has a B.Tech in EE from IIT, Delhi, a M.S. in OR from Baruch, and a graduate certificate in Philosophy from Harvard.
Troy Prince, CAIA
Founder, CEO & Vice Chair, Board of Directors
Wayne Wright
Member, Board of Directors
Wayne Wright is the Head of Communications, Media & Technology (CMT) Corporate Banking Coverage at TD Securities. Wayne was formerly a Managing Director of the Technology Media and Telecom (TMT) team at Mizuho Securities USA, LLC, a major global financial institution with headquarters in Japan. Over the last 10 years, Wayne spearheaded Mizuho’s buildout of its telco practice, building strategic partnerships with telcos in the US, Central and Latin America, and Europe.
-
Wayne helped cement Mizuho as one of the preeminent global financial partners in the telco space where Mizuho annually ranks in the top 5. A native of Jamaica, he was introduced to banking after winning a competitive internship at Salomon Brothers as a rising high school senior.
Wayne has the following industry licenses: Series 4, 7 & 24.
William “Bill” Capuzzi
Member, Board of Directors & Treasurer
Bill Capuzzi is the CEO of Apex Fintech Solutions, where he leads the company’s strategy and growth initiatives. He frequently speaks at key industry events like Future Proof and the Tiburon CEO Summit. Bill’s leadership has earned him numerous accolades, including EY Entrepreneur of the Year: Southwest in 2021 and Benzinga Global Fintech Award for Most Impactful Fintech Executive in 2022 and 2023.
-
Before his role at Apex, Bill held leadership positions at Convergex Group, where he was Chief of Staff and managed various business units, including options, prime services, and global clearing. He also served as Director at Pershing LLC, overseeing institutional products and global re-engineering efforts. Bill holds a Bachelor of Arts from Wesleyan University and an MBA in Strategic Management from Rutgers University, along with several industry certifications, including Series 3, 7, 24, and 63 registrations.
Alex Ehrlich
Member, Board of Directors
Alex is the CEO of Percapita Group, a national financial services company dedicated to equitably serving Americans of all income levels.
-
Prior to founding Percapita, Alex spent forty years on Wall Street, where he served as a Managing Director of Goldman Sachs, UBS, and Morgan Stanley. He led or co-headed numerous large and successful operating and financing businesses at those firms, and served on the Equities Operating Committee at both Morgan Stanley and UBS.
At Morgan Stanley, Alex chaired the Diversity Council for the Investment Bank, leading work identifying and addressing the root causes of equity and inclusion challenges.
Alex serves on the boards of iMentor, The University of Mount Saint Vincent, and Wall Street Bound, and is a Director of Sharegain LLC (UK).
Jonathan Kellner
Member, Board of Directors
Jonathan Kellner is the CEO of MEMX, a technology driven exchange operator providing its members and the global investment community with a simpler, less costly, and more transparent way to access liquidity.
-
The firm currently owns and operates two exchanges trading U.S. equities and U.S. options. MEMX also provides market technology solutions to a range of clients across the exchange and ATS trading landscape. Founded in 2019 by a diverse group of financial firms, MEMX’s mission is to create healthy competition and advocate for market structure reform that results in more efficient and sensible trading experiences for all investors.
Prior to accepting the role as MEMX CEO, Kellner spent 11 years at Instinet Incorporated — an institutional agency-only broker and independent equity trading arm of its parent company, Nomura Holdings, Inc. — having served as CEO. He began his career in the financial services industry working in a variety of technology and equity trading roles at global financial services firms, including Charles Schwab and Morgan Stanley. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan.
Founder’s Circle
The Founder’s Circle is a small community of Wall Street Bound’s most distinguished supporters, who are committed to the idea and principle of providing pathways to the financial services industry for diverse and talented college and university students nationwide
Leon Cooperman
FOUNDING MEMBER
At the end of 1991, Lee retired from his positions as a General Partner of Goldman Sachs & Co. and as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Goldman Sachs Asset Management to organize and launch an investment-management business, Omega Advisors, Inc., which he ran for 27 years before converting it to a family office at the end of 2018. At its height, Omega Advisors managed more than $10 billion of client funds.
-
A designated Chartered Financial Analyst, Lee is a senior member and past President of the New York Society of Security Analysts; Chairman Emeritus of the Saint Barnabas Development Foundation; a member of the Board of Overseers of the Columbia University Graduate School of Business; a member of the Board of Directors of the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation; a member of the Investment Committee of the New Jersey Performing Arts Center; and Board Chairman of Green Spaces, a committee organized to rebuild 13 parks in Newark, NJ.
Damon Clark
Founder & Lead, Talent Optimizers
Strategic Advisor - Talent
Originally from the United Kingdom, Damon has led cross-functional teams for global technology organizations including Fujitsu Siemens, Acer, EMC, and HubSpot. His career has spanned senior roles across the UK, Italy, the UAE, and the United States, giving him a truly global perspective on leadership, talent, and organizational performance.
-
In 2009, Damon left the corporate environment to found Amphibia, a successful training and development consultancy delivering programs across the UK. Following the sale of the business, he relocated to the United States in 2015.
Since moving to the U.S., Damon spent two years working full-time at The Predictive Index, gaining deep expertise in behavioral science and workforce analytics, before transitioning into independent consulting. Today, he partners with organizations ranging from high-growth startups to Fortune 100 companies, helping leaders retain and develop talent, build high-performing teams, and align people strategy with business objectives. He continues to consult closely with The Predictive Index alongside other organizations.
Damon holds multiple professional certifications, including The Predictive Index, Everything DiSC, and The Five Behaviors, and is known for translating complex people data into practical, business-ready insights.
Bruce Eckfeldt
Strategic Coach, Eckfeldt & Associates
Strategic Advisor - Executive Leadership
Bruce brings over two decades of entrepreneurial and executive experience to Wall Street Bound. Trained as an architect at McGill University, he transitioned into digital product strategy, working with companies including Motorola, WebMD, and Prada before founding his own Lean/Agile software development agency in 2003.
-
Under his leadership, the company made the Inc. 500 list for five consecutive years before he successfully exited via acquisition in 2013. Today, Bruce advises founder-CEOs of high-growth companies on scaling their businesses and preparing for successful exits. He holds certifications as a Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA), ScalingUp Coach, and Metronomics/3HAG Coach, and is a regular contributor to Inc. Magazine. As a longtime New Yorker, Bruce is committed to expanding access to professional opportunities and investing in the next generation of diverse talent entering the business world.
Aalok Mody
Co-Founder, Pillars of Wall Street
Aalok Mody is an experienced financial instructor who has led financial training courses for tens of thousands of students, interns, analysts, associates, VPs, and senior professionals in investment banking, equity research, sales and trading, private equity, consulting, restructuring and business development throughout the United States, Europe, Middle East and Asia.
-
Aalok obtained his financial skill set as an investment banker while at Jefferies and Thomas Weisel Partners. As a Senior Associate within the M&A group at Jefferies, he executed numerous buy-side and sell-side mandates across the healthcare, industrials, technology and consumer industry verticals and frequently provided fairness opinions in connection therewith. Prior to Jefferies, Aalok was a technology investment banker with Thomas Weisel Partners where he provided financing and M&A advisory services to his clients. Earlier in his career, Aalok was a Sales Associate with Forex Capital Markets, where he was responsible for selling the spot FX market to retail and institutional clients.
Aalok brings unparalleled enthusiasm, dedication and real-world experience to the classroom having worked both as an investment banking analyst and associate prior to his teaching career.