Churchill Asset Management LLC, an investment-specialist affiliate of Nuveen providing customized financing solutions to private equity firms and their portfolio companies, has hired Kelli Marti as Managing Director and CLO Portfolio Manager, effective October 1, 2020.

In this newly created role, Ms. Marti will be responsible for the management and growth of Churchill’s middle market CLO platform, including day-to-day vehicle oversight, assisting in the sourcing of assets and trading strategy development, as well as participating in fundraising initiatives. Based in the firm’s Chicago office, she will report directly to Mathew Linett, Head of Underwriting & Portfolio Management, Senior Lending.

“We are thrilled to welcome Kelli to the team and believe her wealth of knowledge and expertise will be integral in building upon Churchill’s established middle market CLO business,” said Ken Kencel, President and Chief Executive Officer of Churchill. “With a longstanding history of managing U.S. middle market CLOs since 2006, Churchill currently manages three CLO vehicles and looks forward to issuing new transactions on an ongoing basis – particularly in light of today’s attractive investing environment.”

Ms. Marti brings over 20 years of experience in the leveraged loan industry with particular expertise in CLO management. Before joining Churchill, Ms. Marti spent eighteen years at Crestline Denali Capital, most recently serving as Chief Credit Officer, where she was responsible for overseeing the firm’s credit underwriting, research and portfolio management activities on behalf of the firm’s CLO portfolio. Prior to that, she served in a loan underwriting capacity at Heller Financial and First Source Financial.

Ms. Marti received her BS in Accounting from the University of Notre Dame and her MBA from Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management. Additionally, she previously earned her Certified Public Accountant (CPA) certification.