J. Kevin Gao
About J. Kevin Gao
Born 1967, J. Kevin Gao serves as Secretary and Chief Legal Officer of NYLI MacKay DefinedTerm Muni Opportunities Fund (MMD) with an indefinite term since 2011; he is also Managing Director and Associate General Counsel at New York Life Investment Management LLC (NYLIM) since 2010 . Officers are elected annually by the Board and are considered “interested persons” due to their affiliation with New York Life Insurance Company and/or NYLIM . The proxy does not disclose executive performance metrics (TSR, revenue, EBITDA) for officers; officer listings provide positions and principal occupations, not performance outcomes .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York Life Investment Management LLC | Managing Director & Associate General Counsel | Since 2010 | Not disclosed |
| NYLI MacKay DefinedTerm Muni Opportunities Fund (MMD) | Secretary & Chief Legal Officer | Indefinite term; since 2011 | Not disclosed |
| NYLI CBRE Global Infrastructure Megatrends Term Fund | Secretary & Chief Legal Officer | Since 2021 | Not disclosed |
| NYLI MacKay Muni Income Opportunities Fund | Secretary & Chief Legal Officer | Since 2024 | Not disclosed |
| New York Life Investments Funds Trust; New York Life Investments Funds; New York Life Investments VP Funds Trust | Officer (Secretary & Chief Legal Officer) | Since 2010 | Not disclosed |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other NYLI/NYLIM registrants (fund complexes) | Officer across fund complexes | Since 2010–2024 | As listed in Exhibit C of proxy; no external public company directorships disclosed |
Fixed Compensation
Not disclosed in the proxy for fund officers. The proxy details trustee compensation, but officer sections list positions and occupations without salary/bonus/equity details .
Performance Compensation
Not disclosed in the proxy for fund officers; no metrics, targets, or payout structures for officers are provided .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
- Trustees and officers of the Fund as a group owned less than 1% of beneficial interests of the Fund as of the proxy date .
- Individual officer holdings (including Gao), equity guidelines, pledging/hedging, and vested/unvested breakdowns are not disclosed .
Employment Terms
| Item | Disclosure |
|---|---|
| Position & Tenure | Secretary & Chief Legal Officer; indefinite term since 2011 |
| Election | Officers are elected annually by the Board |
| Employer Affiliation | Officers are “interested persons” due to affiliation with NYLIC and/or NYLIM |
| Severance / Change-of-Control | Not disclosed |
| Clawbacks / Gross-ups | Not disclosed |
| Non-compete / Non-solicit / Garden leave | Not disclosed |
| Post-termination consulting | Not disclosed |
| Communications Role | Serves as Secretary for Board communications; shareholder correspondence addressed to Gao at 51 Madison Ave, NY, NY 10010 |
Investment Implications
- Compensation visibility is limited: the proxy includes trustee pay tables but provides no officer compensation detail, constraining pay‑for‑performance analysis for Gao .
- Alignment appears modest at fund level: trustees and officers collectively own <1% of shares, indicating limited direct equity exposure by insiders; individual officer ownership is not broken out .
- Tenure stability: Gao’s long service (Secretary & CLO since 2011; NYLIM legal leadership since 2010) suggests continuity in legal/governance processes, reducing immediate retention risk signals from disclosures .
- Trading signals limited: the proxy confirms Section 16(a) reporting compliance but does not present individual Form 4 activity, vesting schedules, or pledging data for Gao, limiting insights on near‑term selling pressure .