Kelli O’Connell is a Managing Director within the Asset Management business at ORIX Corporation USA, responsible for strategic asset management initiatives. She is based in Chicago and prior to her current role with ORIX USA, she had a long-standing tenure with NXT Capital, an established middle-market direct lender and a subsidiary of ORIX Corporation USA, dating back to 2010.
Ms. O’Connell headed the Investor Solutions team at NXT Capital where she led the development, implementation, and ongoing program management of private debt funds and separate accounts. She has over 25 years of experience in middle-market commercial finance, most notably asset management.
Before joining NXT Capital, she served as Managing Director of 250 Capital, a wholly owned subsidiary of Merrill Lynch & Co. Subsequently, Ms. O’Connell was a senior member at Merrill Lynch Capital where she was responsible for new loan origination, as well as structuring, underwriting, closing and ongoing portfolio management of both middle-market and broadly syndicated loans. Before joining Merrill Lynch Capital in 2002, Ms. O’Connell spent ten years at GE Capital/Heller Financial, Inc. She began her career with various consulting roles including at Arthur Andersen & Co. and TSC, Inc.
Ms. O’Connell earned a BS in Applied Computer Science from Illinois State University and an MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
