About Us» Our Team
Management
J. Franklin Cable
J. Franklin Cable joined Obsidian in April 2007 as Managing Director. Prior to leaving the practice of law and joining Obsidian he was a partner in Miller Nash LLP where he began practicing in 1967. His law practice primarily focused on corporate matters and mergers and acquisitions in a variety of industries.
Major transactions in which Mr. Cable acted as counsel included roll-up transactions, leveraged buyouts, tender offers, mergers, acquisitions of foreign enterprises, acquisitions of domestic enterprises by foreign enterprises, and acquisitions of retail stores, radio stations, newspapers, vineyards and transportation companies. He also served as general counsel for Willamette Industries, Inc., a New York Stock Exchange listed Fortune 500 company, until its takeover by Weyerhaeuser Company, and has extensive experience in the forest products industry. While practicing law he was included in Best Lawyers in America, Chambers USA, Super Lawyers, Who’s Who in American Law and Who’s Who in America.
Mr. Cable earned his bachelor’s degree, with distinction, in the honors program in economics at Stanford University and his law degree at Harvard Law School.
Office: 503-542-8874
Todd Gregory
Todd Gregory is an Assistant Vice President - Tax and has been with Obsidian since March 2008. He specializes in tax minimization strategies and tax credits and incentives. In this capacity, Mr. Gregory works closely with other members of the Obsidian team on structuring and tax efficiency. He is actively involved in Obsidian’s tax credit service line. Mr. Gregory is also responsible for the day-to-day tax function within Obsidian.
Prior to joining Obsidian, Mr. Gregory was a tax senior manager with Ernst & Young, from 2005 to 2008. He has considerable experience managing state tax restructuring, negotiated incentives, indirect state tax review, tax credit recovery and state tax controversy projects. Prior to Ernst & Young, Mr. Gregory was a state and local tax manager with Deloitte & Touche from 1999 to 2005. He earned a B.S. in economics with honors from Willamette University, a J.D. from Syracuse University, and an LL.M. in taxation from the University of Denver, Graduate Tax Program. Mr. Gregory is a member of the Colorado Bar and the American Bar Association.
Office: 503-542-8872
Hilary K. Murphy
Hilary K. Murphy is an Assistant Vice President and has been with Obsidian since September 2003. She has assisted with the liquidation of the DVI Liquidating Trust and Obsidian's purchase of the remaining assets. In this capacity, Ms. Murphy has performed valuation analyses and managed sales processes of whole loan portfolios both domestically and abroad. She has been responsible for liquidating both individual assets and entire companies and managed litigation and settlement
strategies in the Asia-Pacific region and Europe. Ms. Murphy is also responsible for environmental diligence on various Obsidian projects in coordination with counsel, consultants and business partners.
Prior to joining Obsidian, Ms. Murphy was a contract attorney at Miller Nash LLP and assisted in the liquidation of distressed home equity loan portfolios resulting from the ContiFinancial Corporation bankruptcy. She graduated from the University of Oregon School of Law in 2002, with an emphasis in environmental and natural resources law. She is currently an active member of the Oregon State Bar. In addition to her J.D., Ms. Murphy holds a B.S. in environmental studies, also from the University of Oregon.
Office: 503-542-8864
F. Michael Nugent
F. Michael Nugent joined Obsidian in April 2007 as Managing Director. Prior to Joining Obsidian, he was a Vice President with Pacific Realty Associates, LP (PacTrust) for ten years, and was responsible for the development of almost two million square feet of suburban office and industrial projects in Austin, Chicago and Dallas. He has developed an industrial park and apartment project for his own account and served as the President and CEO of the largest neighborhood shopping center developer in the Pacific Northwest.
Mr. Nugent earned his bachelor's degree in economics from Stanford University, while also completing the requirements for a degree in psychology. He is a member of the Small Scale Development Council of the Urban Land Institute, serves on the Board of Directors for Waverley Country Club and the Providence Portland Medical Foundation, the Finance Committee for the Society of Jesus, Oregon Province, and the President's Advisory Board and Building Committee at Jesuit High School in Portland, Oregon.
Office: 503-542-8876
Ewan W. Rose
Ewan W. Rose, an Assistant Vice President, has been with Obsidian since 2004. He currently manages Obsidian’s real estate portfolio and domestic and Latin American medical equipment lease assets. He is also responsible for financial analysis and diligence in relation to transactions, particularly in respect of mortgage-backed security, whole loan portfolio, securitization residual, IO strip, alternative energy, natural resource, and aviation related opportunities.
Mr. Rose graduated from Duke University School of Law in 2001. In addition, he received a B.A. in economics with a minor in spanish, also from Duke University. Following law school, he was an associate with Miller Nash LLP, where his practice focused on the management and liquidation of distressed financial assets, including interests in REMIC Trusts and home equity loan portfolios.
Office: 503-542-8867
Dann G. Wheeler
Dann G. Wheeler, a C.P.A., is the Vice President of Finance and
has been with Obsidian since June 2004. He is responsible for the overall financial management of the company, its financial reporting, and multiple corporate functions including investment financing activities, treasury, and human resources. Mr. Wheeler is also responsible for financial analysis and accounting due diligence related to potential acquisitions in various industries, including forest products, aviation, and consumer products. He also has significant operational involvement with new investments, such as assisting management with the development of necessary forecasting and working capital management capabilities to support rapid growth.
Prior to joining Obsidian, Mr. Wheeler was a manager with KPMG, where he was employed from 1998 to mid-2004. In addition to working with the audit department in Portland, Oregon, Mr. Wheeler was a manager in the Transaction Services group of KPMG in Zurich, Switzerland from 2001 to 2003. During this time, he worked on various U.S. GAAP conversions and due diligence projects, including the sale of a subsidiary of a major Swiss airline. Mr. Wheeler graduated with an M.B.A. and B.A. in accounting with honors from Westminster College and a B.A. in political science from the University of Utah.
Office: 503-542-8868
Patricia L. Whittington
Patricia L. Whittington, a C.P.A., joined Obsidian as a Vice President in October 2003. She has overall responsibility for Obsidian's business and operations. Ms. Whittington also coordinates and leads diligence teams in the acquisition of investments. She is an active member of the strategy, planning, structuring and capital raising team for investment opportunities. While at Obsidian, Ms. Whittington has been responsible for the successful liquidation of the Latin American assets of a major U.S. medical equipment leasing company in bankruptcy. She managed the operation and sale of portfolio financial assets and foreign companies in nine different Latin American countries. She has also been responsible for managing complex litigation related to the liquidating assets in both the U.S. and foreign jurisdictions.
Prior to joining Obsidian, Ms. Whittington was Tax Director of Pope & Talbot, Inc., an international forest products company. From 1991 to 1998, Ms. Whittington was Senior Vice President, Director of Taxation for U.S. Bancorp. Prior to U.S. Bancorp, Ms. Whittington was a tax manager for Deloitte & Touche LLP.
Ms. Whittington has considerable experience in mergers and acquisitions, complex corporate tax planning, and audit and tax litigation in both the banking and forest products industries. Ms. Whittington graduated with a B.S. in accounting from Oregon State University and completed the Executive Development Program of the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. She is a member of the Portland Chapter of the Tax Executives Institute.
Office: 503-542-8878