Board of Directors

Jay joined Abacus Life in 2016. His strategic business development and creation of innovative new processes and efficiencies has propelled the company forward and, under his direction, Abacus has taken over as the industry’s leader in payouts to clients. As President & CEO, Jay has built multiple cutting-edge origination and investment platforms and launched a direct underwriting and purchase process to dramatically reduce the time a client has to wait for payment. Jay is an industry thought leader relating to longevity and senior finances; he co-authored the book “Pursuing Wealthspan”, he frequently presents to universities and has been interviewed by major publications on the subject matter including the NY Times. Jay also serves as a current member of the Orlando Mayors Committee on Livability and Healthy Aging and serves as an Executive Board Member for the Senior Resource Alliance an agency of the Florida Department of Elder Affairs. Jay began his career at Franklin Templeton Investments, where he served as vice president for more than a decade. Prior to joining Abacus, Jay co-founded and managed the Fayerweather Street Life Fund as well as the Cambridge Life Management origination platform for FDO Partners, a $3 billion quant investment firm founded by Harvard Business School professor Ken Froot.

Mr. McNealy has been a leader in the life settlements industry for over 16 years with extensive industry experience in marketing and capital markets. Along with the other two Managers, he co-founded Abacus Life Settlements, LLC, in 2004, a leading life settlement provider that transacted over $10 billion in face value. Mr. McNealy has written many articles about the life settlement industry that have been published in various trade magazines, and has presented to many large insurance broker consortiums, producer groups and key national accounts. In 1991, he graduated from the University of Central Florida with a B.S. in Marketing.

Mr. Gusky currently serves as our Chief Investment Officer. Mr. Gusky has served as the Chief Investment Officer of East Management Services, an affiliate of our sponsor since the inception of East Management Services in 2010. At East Resources, Inc., Mr. Gusky was responsible for all financial due diligence for acquisitions, and he was in charge of the reserve-based lending facility. He also developed and implemented the corporate hedging strategy. Mr. Gusky currently serves on the Board of Directors of Rand Capital Corporation, a publicly traded business development company, where East Asset Management made a control investment. Mr. Gusky received his B.A. in History and his MBA from Duke University.

In more than two decades of public service, Karla Radka has been a tireless advocate, leader, and agent for positive change in Central Florida. Since taking the helm of Senior Resource Alliance (Non profit Agency for the Florida Department of Elder Affairs – DOEA) in 2019, she has also been instrumental in expanding access to senior services that support for dignity, wellness, and independence throughout life.

Competitive, driven and goal-oriented, Karla previously held leadership roles at Goodwill Industries of Central Florida, Florida Family Care, and Community Based Care of Central Florida, a child welfare nonprofit. She also founded Public Allies Central Florida, a nationally recognized program, and served as its executive director until 2014.

With over 25 years of experience in business development, nonprofit management, health and social issues, and community impact, Karla has a wide skillset and a track record of outstanding results. She has continued to build on that expertise by earning a master’s degree in counseling and later receiving a mini-MBA at Rollins College Crummer Graduate School of Business.

Mr. Corbett has been the principal member of Corbett Consulting, LLC since 2015 and, from 2011 to 2015, served as the Governor of Pennsylvania. He has also served as the state’s Attorney General and as the US Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania. Mr. Corbett received a B.A. in political science from Lebanon Valley College and a Juris Doctor from St. Mary’s University Law School. He was a member of the board of directors for Composites Consolidation Company LLC from 2015 to 2016 and was a member of the board for Animal Friends of Pittsburgh until 2019. He currently serves on the board of the Variety Club, The Children’s Charity Pittsburgh. Mr. Corbett is well-qualified to serve on our Board due to his extensive leadership and risk management experience, as well as his service on other public company boards.

Michiel van Katwijk is the former CFO, Treasurer, Director & EVP at Transamerica Life Insurance Co. (Iowa) and Treasurer & Senior Vice President at Transamerica Advisors Life Insurance Company of New York. He also served on the board of Transamerica Advisors Life Insurance Co. He previously held the position of Group Treasurer at Aegon NV and Chief Financial Officer at AEGON USA LLC (a subsidiary of Aegon NV). Mr. Van Katwijk received an MBA from the University of Rochester and an undergraduate degree from Nyenrode Business Universiteit.

As a CFO with Attivo Partners, Beth specializes in helping start-ups and early-stage businesses gain a deeper understanding of her client’s current and projected financial condition and constructively applies those insights to their strategic planning. With over 30 years of accounting and CFO experience working for Big 4 accounting firms including EY and KPMG, she has experience providing high-level accounting and financial strategy. As VP, Finance/CFO of a national publicly traded healthcare services company, she developed and implemented strategic initiatives that impacted a growing business base through collaborative leadership across business functions. She has directed strategic financial efforts for companies in industries including technology, e-commerce, real estate, construction, manufacturing, health care and financial services.

Education & Certifications

• Series 65 License, National Association of Securities Dealers
• Certified Public Accountant (CPA), State of Missouri
• M.B.A., Finance, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO
• B.S., Accounting, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO

Professional Organizations

• Missouri Society of Certified Public Accountants (MO CPA)
• American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA)

Community Leadership

• Cure8 Ventures Advisor (2019-Present)
• Capital Innovators Board Member, Advisor and Mentor (2014-Present)
• Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business, Saint Louis University Executive Advisory Board Member (2015-Present)
• Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business, Saint Louis University Corporate Entrepreneurship Adjunct Professor (2014-Present)
• Cultivation Capital Investment Committee Board Member, Tech Fund 1 (2012-Present)