Rainford M. Knight, Ph.D.
has over 15 years practical experience in financial analysis including: mortgage analytics, mergers and acquisitions, strategic planning, budgeting and forecasting and venture capital. Dr. Knight has held M&A positions performing valuations on a range of companies including banks, mortgage companies, hospitality companies and real estate technology companies. He has been a valuation consultant to the venture capital industry working with individual start-ups, as well as an incubator/accelerator. Dr. Knight is currently a mentor to the Enterprise Development Corp. (EDC) – an organization that provides strategic business development assistance to science and technology-based companies in South Florida.
Dr. Knight has advised CEOs of small to mid-sized companies on a range of financial issues and has had papers published and accepted in academic and industry journals. He has co-founded/acquired or has been a partner in several companies in industries as diverse as software development, real estate distressed debt, hospitality and educational training.
Internationally, Dr. Knight spent 6 months as part of a consulting team advising a government on the restructuring of its financial sector after a financial crisis – failure of the banking and insurance sectors. He helped to manage the sale of a $1 billion non-performing loan portfolio. To date, this is the largest loan sale transacted in the Caribbean. Dr. Knight has also made presentations regarding financial sector restructuring to central banks and state owned banks in Latin America and the Caribbean including world organizations such as the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB).
Dr. Knight is an adjunct professor of finance at Florida Atlantic University and the University of Miami, where he teaches at both the undergraduate and graduate (MBA/Executive) level including: Corporate Finance, Case Studies in Finance, Investment Analysis, Investment Management and Portfolio Construction. Dr. Knight holds a Ph.D. in Finance from Florida Atlantic University with a doctoral thesis in the area of initial public offerings (IPOs).
Dr. Knight has been chosen to be included in the Who’s Who in Finance and Industry; he is a member of the Financial Management Association International and a member of the Society of Quantitative Analysts.
Joel M. DiCicco, Ph.D., CPA
has over 20 years of practitioner experience in the areas of finance, taxation and accounting. He earned his PhD at Florida Atlantic University with a concentration in public finance and a special emphasis on tax policy and structured financial products. He holds a Master of Business Administration in Finance from Manhattan College and a Master of Science in Taxation from Florida International University. Dr. DiCicco is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the states of Florida and New York. He has previously worked at the National Futures Association, Republic National Bank and Security Pacific Merchant Bank.
Dr. DiCicco has extensive experience in the valuation of sophisticated financial products and their applicable tax treatment as a result of his work for the U.S. Treasury. He has conducted seminars on financial topics, including monetizations, financial synthetics, hedge funds and fair value accounting. Dr. DiCicco was twice invited to speak before Senate Finance Committee staffers on hedge funds and other emerging financial product issues.
