Speakers and Panelists

Marcia founded MPowered Capital and serves as CEO. She believes the time is now to commit resources to women and other underrepresented investing talent in a more structured and disciplined way. 

Marcia is one of a handful of women founders of a global alternative investment firm (Värde Partners) with a successful 30-year track record and a history of investing in market dislocation.

As CO-Founder of Värde Partners, Marcia oversaw the $14 billion global alternative investment firm's growth ranging from raising and investing capital in dislocates opportunities, identifying talent and building investment teams across geographies, and portfolio company board representation. She served as Värde's Co-CEO and Co-CIO until 2016 and currently serves as the firm's Co-Executive Chair.

Prior to founding Värde , Marcia serves as Vice President of EBF & Associates, an alternative investment firm where she managed Merced Partners, an investment partnership. Prior to EBF & Associates, she traded distressed and high-yield bonds and managed fixed-income portfolios at Cargill.

Marcia graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College, Minnesota with a B.A. in Economics, and received an M.B.A. from the University of Minnesota. Marcia is active on external boards and investment committees, including serving as the chair of the Gustavus Adolphus Board of Trustees. She is a member of the Constellation Fund Board. 

Dr. Ramírez Fernández currently holds the position of Vice President for Equity and Diversity at the University of Minnesota, bringing with her wealth of experience spanning more than two decades in higher education administration. She is widely acknowledged for her leadership in equity, diversity, accessibility, and campus climate at esteemed institutions such as the University of Rochester, Virginia Tech, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She holds a Higher Education Management doctoral degree from the University of Pennsylvania, a master's degree in Counseling and Human Development from the University of Iowa, and a bachelor's degree in Psychology with a concentration in post-colonial Spanish literature from the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez campus.