Faculty Sponsors

  • A middle-aged woman with short gray hair and glasses, wearing a navy blue coat, standing outdoors in front of a stone wall and some greenery.

    Cara Spicer, Faculty Co-Sponsor

    Cara Spicer is currently a  Professor of Practice in the Pamplin College of Business at Virginia Tech as well as the Faculty Lead for the FinTech and Big Data Analytics major. Cara has been teaching full-time in Pamplin since 2015, and as an adjunct from 2012 to 2015.

    Prior to teaching at Virginia Tech, Cara was a Senior Financial Portfolio Manager at large U.S. Utilities such as Duke Energy and Utilicorp United. Cara’s expertise is in energy commodities, portfolio management, market-making, proprietary trading and risk management.

    Since arriving at Virginia Tech, Cara has taught Derivatives, developed, and taught the Financial Modeling Course, and co-developed the FinTech and Big Data Analytics major with Dr. Singal and Dr. Kadlec. She has won numerous teaching awards during her tenure at Virginia Tech including the Herakovich Teaching Award, the Virginia Tech University Teaching Award, and the Finance Department Teaching Award. Cara holds both undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Virginia but considers herself a loyal and dedicated Hokie.

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  • Harry Vadalkar, Faculty Co-Sponsor

    Harry Vadalkar is an Assistant Professor of Practice in the Department of Finance at the Pamplin College of Business, teaching across Financial Planning, Finance, and Financial Technology. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and holds the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER (CFP®) certification.

    He began his career at ICICI Securities, where he led investor education programs reaching over 200,000 investors, and later worked as an AI researcher and as Head of Research at Phoenix DeFi Investments. As an entrepreneur, he co-founded BitBox, an early Bitcoin trading and mining company, along with financial education platforms that have reached over 35,000 learners worldwide.

    Before joining Virginia Tech, Professor Vadalkar spent nearly a decade teaching in Canada, where he designed and launched Canada's first bachelor's-level FinTech and Innovation degree at SAIT. He is currently completing his Ph.D. at Texas Tech University, researching the intersection of artificial intelligence, financial advice, and behavioral finance.

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Executive Board

  • A young man with dark hair and brown skin wearing a black suit, white shirt, and blue plaid tie, looking directly at the camera against a plain gray background.

    Varun Budati

    Co-President

    Varun is a Senior studying Computer Science with minors in Finance and Math. He is a Quantitative Researcher at the Dataism Lab for Quantitative Finance and enjoys doing research. Outside of academics, he enjoys playing the guitar, poker, golf, and traveling.

  • Young woman smiling, with wavy blonde hair, wearing a dark blazer, standing in front of a stone wall.

    Mary Kate Ross

    Co-President

    Mary Kate is a Junior studying Finance and will be interning at Harbor Group International doing investment accounting this summer. Along with the FinTech Club, Mary Kate is a Junior Analyst in BASIS’s Industrials sector. Outside of academics, she plays piano, sews, and attends many concerts.

  • Luke Haddad

    Treasurer

    Luke is a junior majoring in FinTech & Big Data Analytics. He is also a Financial Peer Educator for Hokie Wellness, helping other students with budgeting, credit, and financial planning. He is interested in risk management and capital markets. Outside of academics, he enjoys soccer, basketball, geography, and poker.

  • Marc Clemenceau

    Vice President of Operations

    Marc is a sophomore studying FinTech and Big Data Analytics. This summer, he is interning at an early-stage AI startup, where he supports partnerships and operations. He is interested in consulting, strategy, and solving business problems. Outside of academics, he enjoys hiking, tennis, poker, chess, and traveling.

  • Richard Xiong

    Vice President of Intro Pods

    Richard is a Junior majoring in FinTech and minoring in Computer Science and Mathematics.  He is an undergrad researcher studying the effects of SAFEs on startup companies and is the Director of Professional Development in Phi Gamma Nu. Outside of academics, he enjoys F1, table tennis, poker, mahjong, and cooking.

  • Shea Givens

    Vice President of Market Pods

    Shea Givens is a Junior studying Computational Modeling and Data Analytics with minors in Math and Economics.

  • Arnav Koparkar

    Secretary

    Arnav is a sophomore studying FinTech and Big Data Analytics. He is an Analyst in the Consulting Group at Virginia Tech and a Lead Researcher in the FinTech Club, where he leads his own research group analyzing institutional real estate debt and capital structures using Python and SEC data. He is interested in consulting, capital markets, and data-driven strategy. Outside of academics, he enjoys poker, F1, and golf.

  • A young woman with long dark hair, smiling, wearing a black blazer over a light blue blouse, standing outdoors in front of a beige stone wall with engraved text.

    Harita Kondragunta

    Secretary of General Body

    Harita is a senior studying Fintech and Big Data Analytics. She is interested in data analysis, creating dashboards and visualizations, and expanding her knowledge within the finance sector. Outside of academics, she enjoys dancing, cooking, and spending time with friends and family.

  • Young man in a suit and tie standing in front of a large window with a city skyline and waterfront view behind him.

    Shlok Rajeev

    Advisor

    Shlok is a senior studying FinTech and Finance. He is the Energy Division Head at Virginia Tech's COINS. Over the summer, Shlok interned at Amerex Brokers LLC in Houston, Texas, as a Rotational Energy Broker Intern. Outside of academics, he enjoys golf, travel, poker, and spending time with family and friends.

  • A young man with dark curly hair in a blue suit and light blue tie, standing on a staircase indoors, smiling at the camera.

    Keyan Mikaili

    Advisor

    Keyan is studying Computer Science and Financial Technology. He is a Junior Analyst at COINS, where he's mainly involved in oil and gas trades. He also works as a Quantitative Researcher at The Dataism Lab, working on network analysis applied for portfolio optimization. Outside of academics, he enjoys Formula 1, poker, skiing, and pickleball.