Valerie is the lead portfolio manager for the TIAA-CREF Growth & Income Fund (Ticker: TIGRX) and a managing director within Nuveen's active equity group. Previously, Valerie served as a senior portfolio manager at AllianceBernstein, overseeing Responsible U.S. Equities, an ESG-focused large-cap U.S. equity portfolio. At AllianceBernstein, she served on the firm's proxy voting and governance committee and held roles of increasing responsibility as a buy-side analyst and portfolio manager. Prior to that, she worked in corporate development at Bristol-Myers Squibb. Valerie is a trustee of Morehouse College, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a member of the Harvard Business School Alumni Board. She provides market commentary on CNBC, Bloomberg News, and other media outlets. Valerie graduated with a B.S in Economics degree, with a concentration in finance, from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, and an M.B.A. with high distinction from Harvard Business School. She also served as a Rotary International Ambassadorial Scholar at the University of Zimbabwe.