About Us

Born into a very successful enterprising family, Kirby learned family wealth basics the way most affluent offspring do (or don’t). . . in real time, around the board or dining room table. Humbled by her upbringing, today Kirby is a recognized teacher, advisor, author, and speaker in the family wealth industry. She is the founder of Tamarind Partners, Inc., a research, advisory, and consultancy firm where she and her team work with families, operators, advisors, and institutions connected to the family office landscape. Kirby provides leading edge insights, knowledge, and family education that is curated, practical, and hands-on. Kirby is Dean of Family Office at the Purposeful Planning Institute, board member of the Family Office Real Estate Institute, and a Fellow and former Family Governance Faculty of the Family Firm Institute (FFI). She is also co-trustee of the Harbeck Family Foundation, and on the advisory board of Merton Venture Philanthropy. She speaks and consults internationally on her research, books, and experiences with wealth and enterprising families.

Dr. Jaffe, a member of Wise Counsel Research, is a San Francisco-based advisor to families about family business, governance, wealth and philanthropy. He is author of Borrowed from Your Grandchildren: The Evolution of 100-Year Family Enterprises; Cross Cultures: How Global Families Negotiate Change Across Generations; Stewardship in your Family Enterprise: Developing Responsible Family Leadership Across Generations, and Working With the Ones You Love. His global insights have led to teaching or consulting engagements in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America. The Family Firm Institute awarded him the 2017 International Award for service, and in 2005 he received the Beckhard Award for service to the field. In 2020 he was awarded a special commendation as an individual thought leader in the field of wealth management by the Family Wealth Report. He has a BA degree in Philosophy, MA in Management, and Ph.D. in sociology, all from Yale University, and professor emeritus of organizational systems and psychology at Saybrook University in San Francisco.

Marvin is an attorney and CPA based in Fort Worth, Texas. He is Board Certified in Estate Planning and Probate Law and is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel.

Mr. Blum founded The Blum Firm, P.C., over 45 years ago. The firm specializes in estate and tax planning and the related specialties of asset protection, business planning, business succession planning, charitable planning, family legacy planning, fiduciary litigation, and guardianship. The Blum Firm has grown to be one of the premier estate planning firms in the nation, known for creating customized, cutting-edge estate plans for high-net worth individuals.
Mr. Blum serves on the Editorial Advisory Committee for Trusts & Estates magazine, as Treasurer for the Texas Cultural Trust, and on the national TIGER 21 Board.

Mr. Blum earned his BBA (Highest Honors) in Accounting from The University of Texas and received his law degree (High Honors) from The University of Texas School of Law.

Blum's Blog

Mr. Blum Intro Video

www.theblumfirm.com
THE BLUM FIRM, P.C.
777 Main Street, Suite 550
Fort Worth, Texas 76102

Dr. Barbera is an Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship and Strategy at The Ted Rogers School of Management at Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada. His teaching and research interests encompass a wide range of topics related to family business entrepreneurship, strategic management, leadership development, and education. In 2014, he received his Ph.D. from Bond University while working at the Australian Centre for Family Business. Francesco is an award-winning author and educator and regularly presents at international conferences and workshops. His research has been published in journals such as the Journal of Business Ethics, Family Business Review, Long Range Planning, Small Business Economics, and the Academy of Management Learning and Education journal. Francesco’s expertise in the family business field includes designing and delivering various family business curricula in Australia, Canada, and the USA, directing the Family Business centers at both the University of Adelaide as well as Stetson University, as well as leading various industry and academic-based research projects all over the world. He is a long-serving member on the Editorial Board of the Family Business Review, provides online training for family business advisors on behalf of the Family Firm Institute and Family Business Australia, as well as regularly coaches at the annual global Family Enterprise Case Competition in Vermont.

Dr. Victoria Vysotina is the Chief Investment Officer of a single-family office located in New York. As their CIO, Dr. Vysotina is responsible for all aspects of managing a diverse portfolio of assets including venture capital, private equity, and marketable securities, both funds, and direct investments. Dr. Vysotina has nearly 20 years of experience in capital markets and investment management.  She began her career working in the fixed income divisions of Merrill Lynch and Credit Suisse.  During her tenure on Wall Street she gained an in-depth knowledge of fixed income markets and managed a number of high-profile distressed restructurings, both sovereign and corporate globally.

Dr. Vysotina moved to asset management in 2003 and later became a member of the Investment Committee with HSBC’s Alternative Investment Group that oversaw over $40bn in hedge fund investments.  In 2007 she joined the Rockefeller Foundation as a Portfolio Manager for the $1bn hedge fund and distressed portfolios and a co-Manager for the fixed income, portable alpha and long-only equity portfolios.  Dr. Vysotina founded a consulting firm V V Strategic Group in 2011 which provides a range of services to family offices from a full outsourced CIO capability to custom portfolio diagnostic engagements with focus on asset allocation, risk management and manager selection across traditional public (equity and fixed income) and alternative asset classes. Dr. Vysotina received her Ph.D. in Mathematics from Emory University.  She continues to be a passionate supporter of the education field and is a member of the Advisory Board for the Museum of Mathematics (MoMath) in New York.

Torri is the Chief Learning Officer (USA) with a decade of experience working with enterprising families. Having experienced the variety of joys and challenges of being part of a family business herself, Torri is passionate about helping next-generation members build their confidence and credibility through empowerment and learning. Torri loves to candidly share her experience as a next-gen and business owning woman and has had the opportunity to speak at various conferences and industry events including Family Office Exchange's Forum, Family Business' Transitions Conference, and Purposeful Planning Institute's Rendezvous. 

Torri lives with her husband and her dog Murray in New Jersey. She holds an undergrad degree in family enterprise, credentials as a certified family business and wealth advisor, and a master's degree in strategic human resources.

Cindy helps families understand and navigate the complexities and opportunities that come with wealth drawing on over 30 years of legal, fiduciary, trust, and governance experience.  She provides an objective perspective of how complex family, business, and ownership structures impact family dynamics and family wealth continuity.

Cindy believes that education is crucial to successful cross-generational family wealth stewardship with specific emphasis on the unique challenges and opportunities inherent in family trusts.    

After obtaining her Chartered Accountant designation in 1986,  Cindy was the Controller at a pre-eminent Canadian law firm.  In this environment, Cindy discovered an interest in law and went on to obtain her LL.B and LL.M degrees and practiced tax and trusts law with national and boutique law firms as well as national financial institutions, including a multi-family office.  She also was the CEO of a private trust company. 

Throughout her career, Cindy has been a very active speaker, author, committee, and board member for a variety of professional organizations, including TEC Canada / Vistage International, the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners, the Chartered Professional Accountants of Alberta, and the Canadian Tax Foundation. She currently serves as Chair of the STEP Worldwide Business Families Global Steering Committee. In 2018 Cindy was awarded the prestigious global STEP Private Client Awards – People’s Choice Trusted Advisor of the Year.  Cindy completed the Family Enterprise Advisor designation in 2016, is a Leaders Council Member in the UHNW Institute, and is an active member of the Purposeful Planning Institute.

Cindy’s charitable causes are focused on individual and community mental health. She is a former board member for both the Canadian Mental Health Association – Calgary and Alberta. Cindy is also proud to be an alumnus of Outward Bound Canada summiting Kilimanjaro in 2012 in support of OBC’s Women of Courage program.        

John manages the operations at Tamarind Learning. He is an experienced business leader, visionary, and entrepreneur with a commitment to improvement, who has facilitated teams and organizations to achieve breakthrough successes. John’s career and experience are multi-faceted. He is experienced in real estate, finance, operations, accounting, tax, IT, project management, conflict resolution, legal, and marketing. John’s early career started with a third-generation family business where he worked for more than a decade. He worked in project management for Florida Power and Light and Northwestern Mutual, and he is an experienced business owner. John successfully launched an antique furniture import business which was sold in 2013, co-founded a family office direct investment business in 2016, and has grown Tamarind Partners into the success it is today. John earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee and earned his MBA in Finance from Florida Atlantic University. He holds a real estate license in the State of Florida and served in the United States Marine Corps Infantry. In his free time, John takes his two talented daughters to their events and he also enjoys traveling, golf, tennis, and hockey.

For over 25 years Todd worked on various education projects related to Learning & Development, Test Prep, eLearning, mLearning, and Consumer Education.  Todd has developed his expertise in conceptualizing, developing, and launching ed-tech projects on time and on budget. Todd began his career as an educator and then moved into the ed-tech space, so he understands how to solve problems for Tamarind Learning from multiple lenses and uses this unique vantage point to foster best practices and innovative education solutions for Tamarind Learning.

Hannah comes to Tamarind with a strong background in the multi-family office space, financial education, and client experience. Throughout her career, Hannah has managed complex projects, helped facilitate various family governance sessions, crafted tailored communication strategies, and provided white-glove client service. Hannah is passionate about fostering collaboration and delivering impactful results alongside the Tamarind team. 

She is a proud graduate of Utah State University with degrees in Finance and Economics, and a former Huntsman Scholar. In her free time, Hannah is an avid reader, hiker, traveler and lifelong fan of Taylor Swift and the Kansas City Chiefs. When not diving into projects, you’ll likely find her enjoying Utah’s stunning outdoors with friends and family.