Michael Cooney is a Managing Partner and Founder of Blue Sand Securities. He spends the majority of his time marketing the firm's clients to prospective investors. Additionally, he is primarily responsible for sourcing and researching new managers. After completing due diligence, Mr. Cooney works closely with the managers to develop a focused investment story that highlights the manager's experience and edge, and which addresses questions likely to be asked during an institutional investor’s due diligence process. Mr. Cooney is based in the firm’s Maui Office, and travels extensively.

Mr. Cooney was the Senior Research Analyst for Citigroup's Alternative Investment Strategies Group. He has interviewed over 1000 hedge fund managers. During his tenure, Fund of Fund assets under management at Citigroup grew from $100 Million to over $2.5 Billion. Mr. Cooney performed investment analysis, due diligence, and played a leading role investing and rebalancing the portfolios. He also represented Citigroup at major hedge fund conferences and traveled throughout the world raising assets and launching new investment funds. Prior to joining Citi's hedge fund group, Mr. Cooney spent several years with the Global Financial Derivatives Group where he structured and marketed complex financial solutions for large corporations. Mr. Cooney left Citigroup in October 1999 to serve as Director of Strategic Planning for Visitalk.com, a 130 person, private Internet infrastructure company. The Board of Directors named Mr. Cooney President in July 2000. Mr. Cooney played a vital role setting the strategy for the company, outlining key operational initiatives for the business, and working with numerous third parties to help raise money for the firm. The company raised $45 million and was banked by Goldman Sachs and Wit Capital. Prior to establishing Blue Sand Securities, Mr. Cooney worked to launch a start-up investment company to provide diversification products to holders of private equity. Mr. Cooney earned his M.B.A. from The Wharton School and holds a B.A. in Philosophy from Reed College. He holds the Series 7, 24, and 66 Securities Licenses.

Patrick Horsman is a Managing Partner and Founder of Blue Sand Securities. His primary focus is on raising assets from U.S. & European institutional investors, including Foundations, Fund of Funds, Family Offices, and University Endowments. His responsibilities also include meeting with and screening potential new managers to decide if Blue Sand should proceed with more extensive due diligence. He works closely with each of Blue Sand's existing clients to develop marketing strategy, by defining what makes a manager unique, and determining how to most effectively convey this to investors. Mr. Horsman is based in the firm’s New York Office.

Prior to founding Blue Sand Securities, Mr. Horsman headed Ethernet Express, a network consulting firm that he founded as a Sophomore while attending the University of Arizona. The firm had 5 employees and provided Ethernet Networking development and support to business and individuals in and around the state. Mr. Horsman also worked for Visitalk.com, an internet startup which raised $45 million of equity capital to focus on VOIP technologies, and in the Corporate Finance Group at United Airlines Chicago World Headquarters. Mr. Horsman graduated Magna Cum Laude with a B.S. in Finance, Accounting, and Entrepreneurship from the University of Arizona's Eller School of Business. Mr. Horsman is a member of the New York Society of Securities Analysts, a member of the CFA Institute, and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation. He also holds the Series 7, 24, and 66 Securities Licenses.

Nelson Cooney is a Managing Director at Blue Sand Securities. He is responsible for raising assets for the firm's hedge fund clients from large institutional investors, including Pension Funds, Endowments, Foundations, and the Consultant community. Mr. Cooney is based in the firm's Washington D.C. Office.

Mr. Cooney was most recently the founder of the VentureGov Group, a strategic business development firm that supported leading venture-backed technology companies in selling products to the federal government. Prior to launching VentureGov, Mr. Cooney was co-founder and Managing Partner of Milestone Equity Partners, a national network of technology incubators. Mr. Cooney has also worked with a leading lobbying firm in Washington, D.C., the American Continental Group (ACG). Mr. Cooney began his career in politics, first working as a presidential appointee for the administration of George Bush, Sr. He served under Drug Czar William Bennett, then as a staff member of the President's Drug Advisory Council. He left politics to serve as the President of Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA), the largest national association in the drug prevention arena. During his tenure at CADCA he worked closely with many private foundations to raise money for CADCA. Mr. Cooney holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of South Carolina. He also earned a Masters degree in Public Policy from Georgetown University after being selected for the prestigious Bryce Harlow scholarship. He holds the Series 7, 24, and 63 Securities Licenses. 

Darren Schroeder is a Managing Director at Blue Sand Securities where his primary focus is on raising assets from West Coast based institutional investors including Foundations, Fund of Funds, Family Offices, and University Endowments. His responsibilities also include screening potential new managers. Mr. Schroeder is based in the firm’s San Francisco Office.

Mr. Schroeder was a founding Principal of Pharo Management LLC, a $2 Billion emerging markets focused hedge fund launched in December 2000. At Pharo, he was responsible for all non-portfolio management functions, including risk management, investor relations, marketing, and operations. He had been involved in the emerging markets for the previous nine years at Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley. As a trader at Merrill Lynch from 1993 until 1998, he played a leading role in the emerging market group's growth, setting up and trading the Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Venezuela, Colombia, Peru and Ecuador foreign exchange, interest rate, and derivative books. He also structured several complex derivative strategies and tax arbitrage deals, and was responsible for managing the internal and external business issues that confronted the group as it expanded into new products and regions. Mr. Schroeder moved to Morgan Stanley as a Principal in 1998 where he was tasked with building a joint venture that encompassed the derivative, sovereign debt, and foreign exchange trading groups. He continued to actively focus on Latin American currency and interest rate trading and also gained experience in trading the Non-Japan Asian markets. He holds an M.B.A. in Finance from The Wharton School and a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Stanford University. He holds the Series 7, 24, and 63 Securities Licenses.

Katherine Horsman is an Associate at Blue Sand Securities. She is responsible for raising assets for the firm's hedge fund clients from institutional investors, including Fund of Funds, Family Offices, Endowments, and Foundations. Her other responsibilities include updating marketing materials for clients, and maintaining the firm’s proprietary Investor Database. Ms. Horsman is based in the New York Office. 

Prior to joining Blue Sand Ms. Horsman worked for Pharo Management LLC, a $2 Billion Emerging Markets hedge fund with offices in New York and London. At Pharo Ms. Horsman worked in Investor Relations and the Middle Office. She was responsible for corresponding with investors, sending weekly and monthly updates for the funds, updating online databases, and worked with the CFO to track and organize investment activity. In the Middle Office Ms. Horsman booked trades executed by the 7 portfolio managers, including FX, bonds, futures, swaps and other derivatives. She also helped reconcile the portfolio on a daily basis, and worked with the firm’s Prime Brokers to manage trade settlement and margin accounts. Ms. Horsman graduated from Dalhousie University with a B.A. in Finance. She is a member of 100 Women in Hedge Funds. She holds the Series 7 and 63 Securities Licenses.

Shannon Crotty is the Chief Compliance Officer at Blue Sand Securities. She is responsible for all compliance related functions of the Broker Dealer. Mrs. Crotty is continually working to improve the firm’s policies and procedures in accordance with industry best practices to comply with FINRA requirements. She is responsible for building and maintaining the firm’s investor files, and anti-money laundering compliance for new investments. Additionally, she is responsible for the majority of the financial management aspects of the firm and works closely with the firm’s FINOP and accountant to produce the firm’s financial statements and yearly audit reports. Mrs. Crotty is based in the firm’s Washington D.C. Office.

Prior to joining Blue Sand, Mrs. Crotty was the Vice President of Operations at Stonehaven, LLC, a FINRA registered Broker Dealer focused on raising assets for hedge funds. In that role, she was responsible for implementing and maintaining the firm’s operation and compliance infrastructures including Customer Identification, Anti-Money Laundering and Branch Office Audit programs. Mrs. Crotty was also responsible for working closely with the firm’s FINOP and accountants to create and maintain the firm’s financial statements and yearly audit reports. Prior to Stonehaven, Mrs. Crotty worked at UNX, Inc. directly under Matthew Michelson, Vice President of the Board at UNX and co-founder of Stonehaven. Prior to working for UNX, Mrs. Crotty was a Public Relations Account Representative at Mentus, a Marketing and Public Relations firm focused on the Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Industries. Mrs. Crotty is currently a member of 100 Women in Hedge Funds. She earned her B.S. in Biology from Bucknell University, and holds the Series 7 and 24 Securities Licenses.

Jeffrey Heller serves as Blue Sand Securities Financial and Operational Principal (FINOP). Mr. Heller worked as a Senior Accountant for Arthur Young & Co (now Ernst & Young) 1980-1983. Today he is a Partner/Sole Practitioner CPA at his own firm, which has been operating since 1988. He is an accountant and FINOP for several clients, including Broker Dealers registered with the FINRA. Mr. Heller graduated from Rutgers College with a B.A. in Economics. He also received an M.B.A. in Accounting from Rutgers Graduate School. Mr. Heller holds his Series 27 Securities License.