The folks at Boca Raton, Florida-based Polen Capital, an independent investment manager, recently gained two senior executives: formerICMA-RC chief financial officer, Mike Guarasci, as Polen's chief operating officer (a newly created position) as of May 18, and former CastleArk Partners CEO Kevin Dolsen as Polen's head of distribution, as of June 1.

Michael Ernest "Mike" Guarasci, Sr. Polen Capital Chief Operating Officer

Guarasci did not immediately return a call for comment. Alex Hannah, chief marketing officer at ICMA-RC, did not immediately return a call for comment.

Jerry Castellini, president and chief investment officer at CastleArk, confirms that Dolsen left the firm on May 29.

"As CEO, Kevin lead the build-out of our non-investment functions. He worked closely with senior professionals on our Operations, Client Service and Distribution teams to best serve existing clients, and further position the firm and its investment capabilities within the institutional community," Castellini tells MFWire via email. "Kevin's responsibilities will be absorbed by senior management in the near term. We wish Kevin nothing but the best in his future endeavors."

"In times like these, there are great opportunities to add exceptional talent to the Polen Capital team," stated Stan Moss, CEO of Polen. (Both Dolsen and Guarasci will report to Moss.) "Mike and Kevin bring deep industry experience and expertise that will strengthen our organization and benefit our clients immensely."

In his new role, Guarasci will lead business intelligence and utilize analytics, data, and reporting to develop the firm's decision making process and efficiency. Guarasci will serve on Polen Capital’s strategic planning and operating committees.

Meanwhile, Dolsen will lead and manage Polen Capital's global distribution team across institutional and intermediary channels. Further, he will assist in innovation and product development, and, along with Guarasci, will serve on the strategic planning and operating committees.

Prior to Dolsen, Jennifer Pedigo most recently served as head of distribution at Polen Capital, before leaving about six months ago.

A University of Dayton alumnus, Dolsen most recently served at CastleArk Partners for more than six years as CEO. Prior to that, Dolsen served at Callan Associates for 15 years as a senior vice president.

A Rochester Institute of Technology alumnus, Michael Guarasci most recently served at ICMA-RC for more than four years as CFO. Prior to that, Guarasci served at InfraReDx for nearly three years as chief financial officer. Before that, he worked at Indus Capital Partners for more than five years as senior partner and chief operating officer. Guarasci also served at Bear Stearns and Co. for seven years in a variety of capacities including head of institutional asset management business.  

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