no
Tom Dundon is the chief executive officer, owner and governor of the Carolina Hurricanes. Dundon is also the Chairman and Managing Partner of Dundon Capital Partners, a Dallas-based private investment firm. His investment activities have spanned the entertainment, healthcare, real estate and hospitality, technology, automotive and financial services sectors.
Dundon acquired a majority stake in the Carolina Hurricanes on Jan. 12, 2018, and in his first full season as owner, helped guide the Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in 10 years. Carolina has reached the postseason in each of Dundon’s seven seasons as owner (2018-25).
Born in New York and raised in Dallas, Dundon attended Southern Methodist University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in economics in 1993 and served as president of Phi Gamma Delta. Then, with a number of partners, he cofounded a business focused primarily on automobile financing, which over the next 10 years and through a series of transactions, became Santander Consumer USA (“SCUSA”), a large U.S. consumer finance company majority held by Banco Santander. Dundon served in various capacities for the company, and ultimately became chairman and chief executive officer.
In the summer of 2015, Dundon stepped aside as CEO of Dallas-based SCUSA to focus on his entrepreneurial investments via Dundon Capital Partners. Dundon and the firm actively pursue investments across industries. He is the majority owner of Employer Direct, a growth-stage healthcare services company, and was a large investor and director of Topgolf, a premier global sports entertainment business headquartered in Dallas that incorporates technology, golf and entertainment. Dundon also serves as a director for OTO Development, a hotel development and management company headquartered in South Carolina, and for Redpoint Capital, an alternative credit manager. He has also made significant investments in real estate in Dallas and Aspen, Colo., highlighted by his 2015 purchase of 2100 Ross Avenue, a landmark 33-story office building in downtown Dallas, where Dundon Capital Partners and Employer Direct Healthcare currently operate.
Dundon is a consistent supporter of Dallas charities, with a focus on academic and sports-community focused initiatives. Of note is his support of the Salesmanship Club of Dallas, which hosts the PGA’s annual AT&T Byron Nelson, one of the largest fundraisers for the Momentous Institute, a leading provider of therapeutic and education services that impacts 6,000 kids and family members each year. To help support the Salesmanship Club, Dundon funded the construction and development of Trinity Forest Golf Club, a premier, non-profit, 18-hole championship golf course and 9-hole short course that has served as the home of the Byron Nelson. Opened in 2017, Trinity Forest features a private golf facility built for Southern Methodist University’s men’s and women’s golf teams, and provides support for the First Tee of Dallas, a non-profit organization that leverages golf to develop character building amongst the youth. Dundon formed the Dundon Family Charitable Fund, which will support various qualified non-profit initiatives, with a focus on supporting academic and athletic initiatives at top universities in the U.S.
Brett Jefferson is the Founder, President and Co-Chief Investment Officer of Hildene Capital Management, an asset management firm specializing in structured finance investments. With over 30 years of combined experience in structured finance and option arbitrage, Brett oversees all investment decisions and strategic direction for the firm. Brett has been instrumental in leading Hildene’s development and industry presence, including the launch of Hildene Re, a Class B(iii) insurance company providing reinsurance solutions to the global insurance market. In December 2025, Hildene entered into a definitive agreement with Jefferies Financial Group to form Hildene Holding Company, LLC, the parent entity of Hildene Capital Management. The transaction is expected to close in Q3 2026 and coincides with Hildene’s acquisition of SILAC Insurance Company. A national champion lacrosse player at Syracuse University in 1988, Brett remains actively involved in philanthropy and athletics as a minority investor in the Oshawa FireWolves of the National Lacrosse League and a supporter of organizations such as The Tewaaraton Foundation, Team IMPACT and the Catherine Jefferson Foundation. Brett is a Hurricanes Season Ticket Member and lives in Durham with his wife, Cathy, and their three children.
Marc Grandisson is a retired Canadian executive in reinsurance and insurance industry, best known for his long tenure at Arch Capital Group Ltd. (ACGL), where he served as Chief Executive Officer (and in various senior roles including President, COO, and head of reinsurance operations) from March 2018 until his retirement in October 2024. Born and raised in Chicoutimi, Que., he earned an undergraduate degree in Actuarial Science from Université Laval in 1990 and an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 2000. He is also a Fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society and a member of the American Academy of Actuaries. Prior to his tenure at ACGL, he worked for top firms Towers Watson, Berkshire Hathaway and F&G Re. His wife of 25 years, Martine, and him have three grown daughters.
Bobby Farnham is a former professional hockey player who appeared in 67 career NHL games with the Pittsburgh Penguins, New Jersey Devils, Montreal Canadiens and more than 400 AHL games. Raised in North Andover, MA, he attended Brown University, graduating in 2012 with a degree in Commerce, Organizations & Entrepreneurship. Following his playing career, Farnham graduated from Harvard Business School and later co-founded Fourth Line Capital, a private investment platform focused on real estate and direct investments. Farnham is also a member of the family ownership group of Market Basket, a New England-based supermarket chain. Farnham lives in Boston, MA with his wife, Brittany, and their son, Bo.
Fork enters his second season as the CEO of Hurricanes Holdings, LLC. In his role he supervises all business units of Hurricanes Holdings, LLC, including the Hurricanes, Lenovo Center, the mixed-use real estate development district surrounding Lenovo Center and other business interests of the company.
Fork joined the organization in July of 2024. He previously spent the better part of six years with the North Carolina General Assembly, serving as Chief of Staff to NC Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger from December 2020 to July 2024, following two years as Senate General Counsel. Fork is a member of the five-member NC Economic Investment Committee, which approves state economic incentive grants. Prior to joining the legislature, Fork was a Raleigh-based partner at two law firms, K&L Gates, LLP and Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey and Leonard, LLP. His 13 years of private law practice focused on commercial restructuring and bankruptcy, real estate and business disputes, and commercial litigation. He is a graduate of Davidson College, where he was a member of the football team, and the UNC School of Law. Before attending law school, he worked as an assistant football coach at Davidson, coaching running backs and wide receivers. Fork was named to Triangle Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 in 2015.
Tom Embrey is entering his fifth season with the Hurricanes’ organization. In his role, Embrey oversees the daily operations and functions held at Lenovo Center, including contracting, scheduling and coordinating all logistical and technical aspects of events happening in the building.
Shaun Nicholson is entering his 13th season with the Hurricanes’ organization and his fourth as the team’s chief financial officer. As CFO, Nicholson oversees the accounting, finance and payroll functions for the Hurricanes and Lenovo Center. He also serves as treasurer for the Carolina Hurricanes Foundation.
Since joining the Hurricanes’ organization in 2013, Nicholson has served as accounting manager, director of finance and controller. He began his career in audit and advisory services with KPMG in Washington, D.C., and after relocating to Raleigh, he held financial management roles with a Raleigh-based equipment financing company and later a Chapel Hill-based alternative investment advisor.
Nicholson earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting from James Madison University in 2005 and is a certified public accountant.
Nigel Wheeler is entering his sixth season as the Hurricanes’ general counsel. Wheeler primarily handles the drafting, review and analysis of contracts and assists the hockey operations department with contract negotiations. He also provides input on various business decisions.
Wheeler began his career as a news reporter in various markets throughout the U.S. and later worked several odd jobs while a member of a touring rock band. Prior to joining the Hurricanes’ organization, he worked at a Texas-based law firm. Wheeler earned a bachelor’s degree in mass communications and Spanish from the University of California, Berkeley, and attended law school at Washington and Lee University.
