Mr. Appen was previously a senior vice president at the D. E. Shaw group, a New York-based investment firm focusing on quantitative trading and technology venture capital activities. During his seven-year tenure, he co-founded and managed the firm’s fund of funds business. In this role, he oversaw the evaluation of investment strategies, manager selection, and quantitative research.

 Mr. Appen has been invited to speak about hedge funds as a guest lecturer at Columbia University and New York University. He is the vice chair of the board of directors of Neighborhood Trust Financial Partners, a non-profit organization focused on financial literacy and economic empowerment in communities that are underserved by traditional institutions. Mr. Appen is also on the board of directors for Innovations for Poverty Action, which administers rigorous evaluations of development work around the world. He is a trustee of the Citizens Budget Commission.

 In 1992, Mr. Appen graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in political science from Columbia University.