The people behind the firm.

Founder & Chief Executive Officer

Craig Eppler

Craig Eppler founded Eppler Capital Funds in March of 2023, and has served as its Chief Executive Officer since its inception. With a decade of investment experience, he brings deep knowledge and understanding of the asset management space.

Craig started his career at Vanguard as a Derivatives Analyst, working on the trading desk with domestic equity futures, cleared swaps, and various other derivative products. He then joined Hoover Financial Advisors (later merged with Wealth Enhancement Group) and was promoted to Senior Portfolio Manager. Craig was a key member of the investment committee and developed strategies for both public and private markets. Stephen and Craig worked closely during this time to expand the firm’s use of private investments.

Craig has been investing in private assets personally as well. Since 2019 his real estate holding company has purchased more than 40 rental properties across south-central Pennsylvania. He has also made numerous direct investments in private companies. Craig is a graduate of the York College of Pennsylvania, where he received his Bachelor of Science in Finance as well as an MBA with a Finance concentration.

Managing Director

Clayton Buescher

Clayton Buescher has experience across annuities, alternative investments, and private markets, working with high-net-worth individuals, family offices, and Registered Investment Advisors (RIAs).

He began his career at Jackson National, partnering with advisors at major wirehouses including Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, UBS, and RBC on annuity-based income strategies. He later joined Cantor Fitzgerald’s Private Markets group, focusing on alternative investments such as 1031 exchanges and non-traded REITs for RIAs and family offices.

Most recently, Clayton served as a Regional Vice President at MassMutual, supporting independent broker-dealers and financial advisors in implementing variable annuity and retirement income strategies. At Eppler Capital Funds, he works with investors and advisors to access private market opportunities focused on consistent income and capital preservation.

Clayton earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Susquehanna University.

Managing Director

Russ Frazier

Russ Frazier has nearly twenty years of real estate development experience with a particular expertise in sourcing debt and equity for various residential, commercial and hospitality related projects in multiple states across the Midwest and West. Prior to his real estate work, Russ’s career focused on the health care industry, including co-founding a company which developed a chain of retail-based medical clinics. Russ has been active in legislative advocacy and public policy work at both the state & federal level. He has served on the Board of Directors of several housing, healthcare and youth focused organizations. A Des Moines, Iowa native, Russ attended Morningside College in Sioux City where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Communications.

Managing Director

Stephen Gibson

Stephen Gibson is a recognized leader in asset management, with a career spanning four decades. In the late 1980s, Stephen led Chicago’s Kemper Financial product group into the top ten for mutual fund managers, variable annuities, and unit investment trusts. In the 90s, he was the number two executive at Putnam Mutual Funds, which, with $100 billion in assets, became the nation’s leading growth fund manager. Based on that success, Stephen became president of Liberty Mutual’s financial division, including more than $60 billion in assets. Colonial Funds, a Liberty subsidiary, won Barron’s “Fund Group of the Year” in 1996.

Stephen became an advisor to the SEC product committee and FINRA in 2000. In 2007, he joined the Registered Investment Advisory business of Gladstone Associates as an investment banker consultant. This led to Stephen joining Affinity Wealth Management as Chairman of the Investment Committee in 2013. In 2020, Stephen joined Hoover Financial Advisors (later merged with Wealth Enhancement Group) as Chief Investment Officer. He joined Eppler Capital Funds in April of 2024.

Stephen has led investment teams that outpaced industry results at five successive firms. He is recognized for innovation in tax-managed funds, high-yield investing, international fixed income, and option strategies for market declines. At Affinity and Wealth Enhancement Group, Stephen expanded the use of private investments. These proved crucial in avoiding the market declines of 2022. Stephen is a graduate of the University of North Carolina and has an MBA in Finance and Banking from Duke University. He is the co-author of Management Science in Banking, a graduate level textbook.

Managing Director

Michael Rattigan

Michael is a finance and fintech professional with deep experience across asset management, direct indexing, and private markets. At J.P. Morgan’s 55ip platform, he managed relationships with top-tier wealth management firms and was responsible for growing the model portfolio and direct indexing strategies. His prior roles include business development and advisory positions at Refinitiv, Columbia Threadneedle, and BlackRock. Michael holds a BA from Saint Anselm College and an MBA from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

Russell Kwinter

Investment Analyst Intern

University of Chicago
Economics & Psychology

Jolie Zhou

Marketing & Analytics Intern

University of Pennsylvania
Cognitive Science & Economics

Raza Zaidi

Business Operations Intern

Stanford University
Economics & Computer Science

Jack deBettencourt

Investment Analyst · Spring–Summer 2026

Georgetown University
Finance

Melinda Huang

Business Development · Spring–Summer 2026

University of Pennsylvania
Economics

Jack O’Neill

Investment Analyst · Summer 2026

Monmouth University
Business Administration

Micayla Fong

Business Operations · Spring 2026

University of Southern California
Computer Science & Business

Olivia Lu

Investor Relations · Spring 2026

New York University
Communications & Media Studies

Mahek Uttamchandani

Social Media Marketing · Fall 2025

Wesleyan University
English, Psychology & Data Analysis

Joanna Wu

Business Operations · Fall 2025

University of Pennsylvania
Economics

Sid Yalavarthi

Investor Relations · Fall 2025

University of Georgia
Finance

Matvey Kolmakov

Investor Relations · Summer 2025

University of Pittsburgh
Finance

Arav Menon

Private Credit Analyst · Summer 2025

University of North Carolina
Economics & Business