Name: DSTA / OCC / Women in ETF's – Innovation in Derivative-based ETF's
Start: 2026-09-09T12:00:00-0500
End: 2026-09-09T15:00:00-0500

Welcome to the Dallas-Ft Worth Metroplex!

DSTA / OCC / Women in ETF's – Innovation in Derivative-based ETF's

Wednesday September 9, 2026 12:00pm - 3:00pm CDT

Options Clearing Corp

Opening Comments and Updates: Mike Hansen, OCC, Steve Capurso, President, DSTA,Old Mission
Program Host: Laura Delaney, Vice President, DSTA, Virtu Financial
Charity: Hope’s Door New Beginning Center: Megan Valdez, CEO
OCC Regulatory Update: Sheila Zak, OCC
OCC Learning Initiative Presentation: Mark Benzaquen, OCC
Moderator: Sara Levin, WallachBeth

Speakers

Steve Capurso

President of the DSTA and Head of ETF Issuer Relationships, Old Mission

Steve Capurso is the current President of the DSTA and Head of ETF Issuer Relationships at Old Mission. In this role, he focuses on the firm’s lead market-making business, advising both new and existing ETF issuers on securing lead market-making services and obtaining seed capital... Read More →

Mike Hansen

Chief Clearing and Settlement Services Officer, OCC

Mike Hansen is Chief Clearing and Settlement Services Officer and Dallas Site Leader at OCC, the world’s largest equity derivatives clearing organization.In this role, Mike is responsible for OCC’s day-to-day clearance and settlement functions and oversees the Member Services... Read More →

Laura Delaney

Global POSIT Alert Sales, Virtu

Laura Delaney is a securities industry professional with 26 years of experience across trading, sales, and institutional trading solutions. She began her career at Knight Securities, advanced to global equity trading, and joined Virtu Financial (formerly ITG) in 2007. Her work focuses... Read More →

Mark Benzaquen

Principal, Investor Education, OCC

Mark is the Principal, Investor Education, OCC | OIC Instructor at the OCC. With nearly three decades of hands-on experience in options, Mark Benzaquen has established himself as one of the industry’s most trusted educators and communicators. His rare ability to distill complex... Read More →

Sladja Carton

Senior Vice President, Alternatives Institutional Portfolio Manager, Fidelity Investments

Sladja Carton is a senior vice president, Alternatives in the Institutional Portfolio Management Team division at Fidelity Investments. Fidelity Investments is a leading provider of investment management, retirement planning, portfolio guidance, brokerage, benefits outsourcing, and... Read More →

Brittany Christensen

Head of Business Development, Tidal Financial Group

Brittany Christensen is Head of Business Development at Tidal Financial Group. Tidal is a leading ETF platform facilitating the creation, operation, and growth of ETFs.Brittany has driven Tidal’s Business Development efforts through remarkable year-over-year growth, positioning... Read More →

Tom Generazio

Senior Trader, Advisor Wealth Services Block Desk, Charles Schwab

Tom Generazio, is a senior trader on Schwab’s Advisor Services Block Desk, specializing in high-touch Equity and ETF execution for RIAs. With over 30 years of experience, Tom helps improve client outcomes by offering insights into market structure, best execution practices and execution... Read More →

Sara Levin

Managing Director, ETF & Derivative Trading, WallachBeth Capital

Sara Levin is a Managing Director at WallachBeth, where she sits on the ETF and Derivative Trading Solutions teams. She advises institutional clients on navigating the increasingly complex exchange-listed landscape, with a focus on market structure, ’40 Act fund construction, and... Read More →

Erica Marquez Avitia

COO, Old Mission

Erica Marquez Avitia is the Chief Operating Officer of Old Mission Holdings LLC, a premier global quantitative market making firm and one of the largest liquidity providers in the ETF ecosystem. In this role, she works with the Managing Partners to advance the organization’s vision... Read More →

Megan Valdez

Chief Executive Officer, Hope’s Door New Beginning Center

Megan Valdez is the Chief Executive Officer of Hope’s Door New Beginning Center, a comprehensive domestic violence agency serving survivors and families across North Texas. With nearly 20 years of experience in the domestic violence and victim services field, Megan has worked across... Read More →

Vanessa Yang, CFA

Vice President and Portfolio Manager, Global X ETFs

Vanessa Yang, CFA is Vice President and Portfolio Manager at Global X ETFs, an asset management firm founded in 2008 that manages more than US$94 billion in assets and offers over 100 innovative ETFs. Global X is a member of Mirae Asset Financial Group, a global leader in financial... Read More →

Sheila Zak

Managing Director, Member Services and Participant Solutions, OCC

Sheila Zak is Managing Director of Member Services and Participant Solutions at OCC, the foundation for secure markets and the only company that clears and settles every listed-options trade in the United States. Sheila leads the team responsible for ensuring OCC’s member firms... Read More →

Wednesday September 9, 2026 12:00pm - 3:00pm CDT
Options Clearing Corp 9111 Cypress Waters Blvd, Coppell, TX 75019

Panel

Texas Traders Conference 2026