Melissa Houston, CPA

Mobile 917-***-**** ad0vod@r.postjobfree.com

EXPERIENCE

Post Road Group LLC, Stamford, CT

Director of Finance May 2018 – July 2022

Consultant August – Dec 2022

Manage all accounting, tax, reporting, and administrative aspects for four distinct investment strategies: special opportunity lending, real estate asset-backed lending, multifamily equity investments and real estate development

Responsible for all back office operations, including technology, human resources, employee training

Source and hire professional service vendors such as fund administrator, loan agent, technology and software service providers, auditors, etc.

Conduct operational due diligence meetings with existing and prospective investors

Liaise with fund counsel to prepare fund formation documents, including LPA, PPM and side letters

On-board new investors, including AML/KYC requirements, legal documentation, and establishing all special reporting workstreams

Serve as deputy chief compliance officer: review all regulatory filings, analyze all new structures for compliance reporting, vendor diligence, trade monitoring, employee outside business activities and drafting compliance manual and policy changes

Voting member of Valuation Committee

Management Company: Provide timely reports and status updates to Managing Partners and Strategic Partner, including fund and firm performance metrics, budget to actual analysis, projected returns, deal by deal allocation metrics, and all ad hoc requests

Meet weekly with the three partners to review ongoing initiatives (no CFO)

Supervise three accounting staff and office manager

Serve as chair for the Environmental Social and Governance Committee (ESG) Paulson & Co., Inc., New York, NY

Controller – Real Estate & Private Equity Sept 2014 – April 2018

Responsible for two real estate funds ($1bil AUM), proprietary real estate portfolio in Puerto Rico

($1bil) and several separately managed private equity accounts ($150m)

Supervise fund administrators, property managers, and joint venture accounting teams to produce fund and group consolidated financial statements and all related tax, compliance, and investor reporting

Calculate complex investment-level and fund-level waterfalls and allocation schedules

Extensive cross-border deal structuring and foreign tax matters, including offshore funds

Establish new service provider relationships, including sourcing a full suite of vendors for the Puerto Rico portfolio, and negotiating engagement scope and fees

Design and produce investor reporting templates encompassing investment-level asset management reports, fund status and returns, and respond to ad-hoc requests Colbeck Capital Management LLC, New York, NY

Controller April 2012 – August 2014

Lead all accounting and reporting for management company and investment companies for the Colbeck group, a private merchant banking company, seeded by the Yucaipa Companies, specializing in origination and syndication of special opportunity loans, with AUM of $500 million

Report directly to Operations Partner (no CFO)

Compile historical track record for multiple lines of business, including underwriting, lender economics and loan administration

Lead implementation of Advent Geneva portfolio management software Fortress Investment Group LLC, New York, NY

Senior Fund Accountant, Drawbridge Special Opportunities July 2008 – March 2012

Perform monthly closing and prepare financial statements for Long Dated Value Funds, six private equity style funds and over fifty SPV’s focused on undervalued assets with long dated cash flows with over $600 million in committed capital

Review investment models monthly for over 30 investments in commercial and residential real estate, pharmaceuticals, publishing, shipping lines, energy, corporate and municipal bonds

Coordinate origination of interest rate swaps and foreign currency hedges with treasury team; review prime broker valuation, respond to margin calls and prepare compliance reporting for debt covenants

Collaborate with internal and external tax advisors to prepare tax returns for funds and SPV’s, ensure timely, correct issuance of investor K-1s and calculate FAS 109 tax liability accrual

Supervise two fund accountants and three operations staff KPMG

Senior Associate, Transaction Services, New York, NY May 2007 – June 2008

Perform financial analysis and due diligence on target companies

Provide SEC reporting assistance on IFRS and US-GAAP conversions to clients for IPOs, mergers and acquisitions, and quarterly and annual filings, primarily for clients acquired by a private equity sponsor

Prepare and implement post-merger financial integrations and compose white papers on technical accounting topics

Audit Senior, US-GAAP/IFRS Advisory Group, Duesseldorf, Germany Jan 2004 – April 2007

Perform financial statement audits for audit engagements under US-GAAP, German GAAP (HGB), and IFRS

EDUCATION & ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

2011 New York University, Leonard N. Stern School of Business, New York, NY Masters of Business Administration, Langone Part-Time Program, Concentration in Finance 2003 University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany DSH German Language Competency Exam and graduate level accounting and business courses 2001 Murray State University, Murray, KY

Bachelor of Arts in Accounting, Cum Laude, Presidential Scholar (full academic scholarship) Professional Qualifications: Certified Public Accountant, AICPA Member

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