Executive Officers

Stephen C. Smith, 60
Chief Executive Officer & Chairman 

Mr. Smith founded Seaport Global Asset Management LLC, an SEC registered investment advisor and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Seaport Global Holdings LLC, in August 2017. Mr. Smith currently serves as SGAM’s Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of its Investment Committee and oversees all of SGAM’s investing and business activities. In April 2001, Mr. Smith co-founded The Seaport Group LLC (currently known as SGH), which is a full-service, mid-sized independent investment bank that offers capital markets advisory, sales, trading and research services. Prior to that, from December 1999 to March 2001, Mr. Smith was a managing director at Amroc Securities, LLC, a financial service firm, where he focused on distressed sales and trading. In June 1991, he co-founded a distressed debt broker-dealer, Libra Investments, Inc., which was acquired by U.S. Bancorp in January 1999. Mr. Smith began his career at Merrill Lynch in 1982 and from 1984 to 1988 he ran the taxable fixed income trading desk for its unit trust department. In addition, Mr. Smith worked as a salesperson at S.N. Phelps & Co., a financial management firm, from 1988 to 1989 and Jefferies & Company, a financial services company, from 1989 to 1991. Mr. Smith received a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from Indiana University.

Michael Ring, 44
Chief Financial Officer

Mr. Ring has been serving as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Compliance Officer at SGAM since February 2018 and Chief Financial Officer of Seaport Specialty Lending LLC, a specialty finance company, since August 2019. Prior to joining SGAM, he served as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Compliance Officer at Alta Fundamental Advisers, LLC, an SEC registered investment adviser, from May 2013 to February 2018, where he was responsible for managing all finance, compliance, and operational functions, including financial reporting, treasury & cash management, corporate finance, regulatory compliance matters and investor relations. Prior to that, Mr. Ring worked as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Compliance Officer for Eastwind Global Partners, an asset manager company, from March 2012 to June 2013. From May 2004 to June 2012, he worked as controller, operations manager and Chief Compliance Officer at Restoration Capital Management LLC, an SEC registered investment adviser. Prior to Restoration Capital Management, Mr. Ring worked for State Street Bank and Sumitomo Trust and Banking in their securities lending departments, and at Scudder Kemper Investments as a fund accountant in 1999. Mr. Ring received a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth and received a Master of Science in Accounting from St. John’s University.

Board of Directors

Jay Burnham, 57
Director 

Mr. Burnham is the Managing Member of Sunset Way LLC, an asset management company. Mr. Burnham previously served as a Portfolio Manager and Managing Member of Armory Advisors, LLC, a special situations and distressed debt asset management firm that is affiliated with SGAM. Prior to joining Armory Advisors, LLC, Mr. Burnham was a portfolio manager at Cypress Management, LLC, an investment management firm, from May 2003 to June 2004. From November 2001 to May 2003, Mr. Burnham was an Investment Manager at Rocker Management, LLC, an investment management company, where he was responsible for distressed debt and equity investments in companies in a variety of industries and participated as a major creditor in the restructuring of XM Satellite Radio. From April 1999 to November 2001, he was a founder and an investment manager at Reprise Capital Partners, LLC, a distressed debt investment firm. From March 1996 to March 1999, Mr. Burnham was an Investment Manager at DDJ Capital Management, LLC, an investment management company. From January 1995 to February 1996, he was an investment analyst at Libra Investments, Inc., a distressed debt broker-dealer founded by our Chairman. From June 1990 to November 1994, he was an investment manager at Paul D. Sonz Partners, an investment management company. Mr. Burnham has acted as a director of a number of public and private companies in turnaround situations, including acting as a director of Live Entertainment, Inc. (Nasdaq: LVE), a film distribution company that was acquired by Bain Capital in 1997 and became Artisan Entertainment, Inc., Bally’s Grand, Inc. (Nasdaq: BGLV), a gaming and entertainment company that was acquired by Bally’s Entertainment Corp., and New Millennium Homes, LLC, a California based homebuilding company. Mr. Burnham received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Economics from University of California Santa Barbara and an M.B.A. degree from Pepperdine University.

Shelley Greenhaus, 67
Director

Mr. Greenhaus is the founder and President of Whippoorwill Associates, Inc., which manages investments in corporate reorganizations, liquidations and other related activities and was founded in December 1990. Prior to that, from 1983 to 1990, he worked as a portfolio manager at Oppenheimer & Co. Inc., a full-service brokerage firm and investment bank, with responsibility for distressed investments.  From 1981 to 1983, Mr. Greenhaus became a financial analyst and portfolio manager for the William Rosenwald Family, a family office, where he was primarily involved in analyzing and managing investments involving corporate reorganizations, liquidations and related special situations.  He began his business career in 1978, working as a financial analyst at Loeb, Rhoades, Hornblower & Co., a brokerage company, where he was primarily involved in analyzing risk arbitrage opportunities and distressed securities.  From January 1999 to October 2003, Mr. Greenhaus served on the board of directors of Barneys New York, Inc. (Nasdaq: BNNY), a fashion retailer; from October 1998 to December 2004, he served on the board of director of Marvel Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE: MVL), a content entertainment company; and from November 1996 to December 2004, he served on the board of directors of GWI Holding, Inc. (Garden Way), a privately held power equipment company.  In October 2017, he joined the board of directors of Commercial Furniture Group, Inc., a commercial furnishings company. Mr. Greenhaus received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from York College (City University of New York) and an M.B.A. degree from New York University Stern School of Business.

Jeremy Hedberg, 48
Director 

Mr. Hedberg has worked as a Partner, Co-Chief Investment Officer and Co-Head of Corporate and Traded Credit at Värde Partners, Inc. (“Värde”), a global alternative investment advisor currently managing $14 billion that has invested over $70 billion since inception. He joined Värde in November 1997 and has managed Värde’s liquid investing activities globally and led Värde’s significant investments in the residential mortgage sector in the U.S. He has served on a number of boards of portfolio companies owned by the Värde funds. He has also served on many official creditors’ committees and a number of adhoc committees to restructure companies in bankruptcy, including, but not limited to, Capmark Financial Group, Inc. a commercial finance company, Chiquita Brands International, Inc., a global fruit and food company, and Flag Telecom Holdings Ltd, a provider of international wholesale network services. Prior to joining Värde, Jeremy worked for Goldner Hawn Johnson & Morrison, a private equity fund specializing in middle-market leveraged buyouts, from June 1996 to October 1997. He also previously worked for Wessels, Arnold & Henderson, a full-service investment bank specializing in high-growth companies, from May 1994 to June 1996. Mr. Hedberg receive a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Business Administration from University of St. Thomas.

Charles Yamarone, 61
Director 

Mr. Yamarone has served as the Chief Corporate Governance and Compliance Officer of Houlihan Lokey (NYSE: HLI), a global investment bank, since January 2016, where he advises senior management on all aspects of Houlihan Lokey’s corporate governance, compliance and internal audit, including Houlihan Lokey’s initial public offering in August 2015. From January 2014 to May 2015, he was a Managing Director in Houlihan Lokey’s capital markets group, where he had been a senior investment banker since November 2009.  Between 1991 and 2009, Mr. Yamarone was a senior officer of Libra Securities, an institutional broker dealer, and he was involved in all areas of Libra Securities’ business, including capital markets, corporate finance, sales and trading, research, legal, compliance, and operations.  From January 1996 to July 2020, Mr. Yamarone was a director of the El Paso Electric Company (NYSE: EE), where he served as chairman of the audit committee, compensation committee and a member of the energy and resource committee. He was the Chairman of the Board of El Paso Electric from February 2015 until July 2020. From October 2010 to June 2016, Mr. Yamarone served as a member of the board of directors, chair of the compensation committee, a member of the executive committee and audit committee of United Continental Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: UAL).  From February 1995 to October 2010, Mr. Yamarone served as a member of the board of directors of Continental Airlines, Inc. (NYSE: CAL), where he was chairman of the human resources committee and a member of the corporate governance committee.  He previously served as a director of other companies, including Bally’s Grand, Inc., (Nasdaq: BGLV), a gaming and entertainment company that was acquired by Bally’s Entertainment Corp., LIVE Entertainment, Inc. (Nasdaq: LVE), a film distribution company that was acquired by Bain Capital in 1997 and became Artisan Entertainment, Inc., Merry-Go-Round Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE: MGRE), a national clothing retail chain, and Vagabond Inn Corporation, a hotel chain. Mr. Yamarone holds a B.A. in Economics and a J.D. from University of California, Berkeley.