Mari Kooi

Trustee




Mari Kooi was the CEO and founder (retired) of Wolf Asset Management International LLC, the principal company of the Wolf Group of Alternative Investment Companies. Wolf International managed over a billion in assets for institutional clients around the world. Products included fund of hedge funds and direct hedge funds. Ms. Kooi gained experience in all alternative markets during her 18 years at Cargill Incorporated. She held positions as a trader, trading manager, and President of Cargill Asset Management. Specifically she has operating experience in commodities, transportation, money market derivatives, currencies, fixed income derivatives, equity derivatives, emerging country markets, distressed credit markets, distressed real estate, mortgage securities, and tax advantaged securities. Ms. Kooi’s career began in physical commodity trading. Beginning in 1984 Ms. Kooi was one of the founding investment managers of Cargill’s in house hedge fund. This was later spun out as the Black River Fund. While at Cargill, Ms. Kooi also served on the committee responsible for financial risk management of Cargill’s proprietary hedge fund. In addition to her investment responsibilities, Ms Kooi developed a number of innovative investment products during her tenure as President of Cargill Asset Management. Ms. Kooi founded and presides over the New Mexico Financial Services Task Force, a not-for-profit group, dedicated to improving New Mexico State's Financial Services Industry. She participated on the University of Minnesota Asset Management and Debt Advisory Committee. Several art organizations have benefited from Ms. Kooi’s governance including the Minnesota Museum of American Art, which twice named her Trustee of the Year. She is also active in the local Santa Fe Community through Site Santa Fe and The Santa Fe Institute. Ms. Kooi is also known as the author of the “Sopa Piranha” a market commentary, which reaches thousands of people quarterly in the hedge fund industry. Ms. Kooi holds a Masters Degree in Finance from the University of Minnesota and has published widely on hedge fund investing.