Marc Cardella
About Marc Cardella
Marc Cardella (born 1984) serves as Vice President and Controller (Principal Financial Officer) of Nuveen Core Equity Alpha Fund (JCE), with an indefinite term and length of service since 2024 . He is Senior Managing Director, Head of Public Investment Finance at Nuveen and holds senior finance roles across Teachers Advisors, LLC and TIAA‑CREF Investment Management, reflecting a deep public investments finance background; he also serves as Principal Financial Officer, Principal Accounting Officer and Treasurer for TIAA Separate Account VA‑1 and College Retirement Equities Fund . The fund discloses that officers receive no compensation from the Funds; compensation for the Chief Compliance Officer is paid by the Adviser with partial reimbursement, but officer compensation details (including salary/bonus/equity) are not disclosed at the fund level . Shareholder-level performance metrics (TSR, revenue, EBITDA) are not tied to officer disclosures in this closed-end fund proxy; no Marc-specific performance metrics are reported .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nuveen | Senior Managing Director, Head of Public Investment Finance | Not disclosed (current) | Leads public investment finance across Nuveen’s fund complex; principal finance oversight for registered funds |
| Teachers Advisors, LLC | Senior Managing Director | Not disclosed (current) | Senior finance leadership for affiliated registered investment products |
| TIAA‑CREF Investment Management, LLC | Senior Managing Director | Not disclosed (current) | Senior finance leadership supporting TIAA investment platforms |
| Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America | Managing Director | Not disclosed (current) | Senior finance/oversight role linked to fund operations |
| TIAA SMA Strategies LLC | Managing Director | Not disclosed (current) | Senior finance oversight for SMA strategies |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| TIAA Separate Account VA‑1 | Principal Financial Officer, Principal Accounting Officer, Treasurer | Not disclosed (current) | Principal finance responsibility and controls for VA‑1 |
| College Retirement Equities Fund (CREF) | Principal Financial Officer, Principal Accounting Officer, Treasurer | Not disclosed (current) | Principal finance and reporting leadership for CREF |
Fixed Compensation
- Officers receive no compensation from the Funds; officer compensation (e.g., CCO) is paid by the Adviser, with the Funds reimbursing the Adviser for an allocable portion of the CCO’s incentive compensation; Marc Cardella’s specific salary/bonus/equity are not disclosed at the Fund level .
Performance Compensation
- No disclosure of performance-based metrics (revenue growth, EBITDA, TSR percentiles, ESG goals) or payout structures for officers; incentive frameworks for Marc Cardella are not reported at the Fund level .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| JCE Common Shares Outstanding (record date Feb 18, 2025) | 16,833,768 |
| Beneficial ownership by Board Members and executive officers as a group (JCE, as of Dec 31, 2024) | 0 shares |
| Group-level statement on ownership | Board Members and executive officers as a group beneficially owned less than 1% of the outstanding shares of each Fund (as of Feb 18, 2025) |
- Individual officer holdings (including Marc Cardella’s) are not itemized; no pledging or hedging disclosures for officers are provided in the proxy .
Employment Terms
- Title and capacity: Vice President and Controller (Principal Financial Officer) of JCE .
- Term/tenure: Indefinite term; length of service since 2024 .
- Officer election: Officers are elected annually by the Board to serve until successors are elected and qualified .
- Contracts/Severance/Change-in-control: No employment contract terms, severance multiples, or change‑of‑control provisions are disclosed for officers at the Fund level .
- Non‑compete/Non‑solicit/Garden leave/Consulting: Not disclosed for officers .
Investment Implications
- Pay-for-performance visibility is limited: officer compensation is not paid by the Fund and is undisclosed at the Fund level, constraining assessment of Marc’s cash/equity mix and incentive metrics; watch Adviser-level disclosures for any future clarity .
- Alignment appears minimal at Fund level: group beneficial ownership in JCE is reported at 0 shares as of Dec 31, 2024 and under 1% as of Feb 18, 2025, offering limited direct “skin-in-the-game” signals for officers; no pledging data disclosed .
- Retention risk likely anchored to Adviser roles: Marc holds multiple senior finance roles across Nuveen/TIAA platforms (VA‑1, CREF), suggesting institutional retention drivers more than Fund-specific compensation levers .
- Trading signals: With officer compensation/ownership not driving Fund-level signals, monitor standard closed-end drivers (discount/premium to NAV, distribution policy) and any Section 16 filings; proxy notes compliance with Section 16(a) filing requirements over the last fiscal year .