Kristan Rowland, CFA is a member of the Global Equity investment team at William Blair covering the financials sector. Prior to joining William Blair in 2011 as a financial advisor working with high net worth individuals, she was a buy-side research analyst at Mesirow Financial where she had primary coverage of the financials sector and supported three institutional value equity strategies. Earlier, Rowland was a generalist equity analyst at Morningstar and published research reports on companies in a variety of industries. She earned a BA from the University of Notre Dame in economics and French and an MBA from the University of Chicago in finance, accounting and economics. Rowland has served as a member of the steering committee for William Blair’s Women’s Alliance, and currently leads William Blair’s internal network of CFA charterholders ambassador group. She holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and is a member of CFA Institute and CFA Society Chicago. Rowland served as co-chair of CFA Society Chicago’s Annual Dinner Committee from 2015-2017 and as Secretary-Treasurer of CFA Society Chicago from 2018-2019.

William Blair | Chicago, IL

Garrett Glawe, CFA is Managing Director, Head of U.S. Equity Indices at S&P Dow Jones Indices (S&P DJI). S&P DJI is the world’s largest resource for index-based innovation, data and research. In this role, he leads a team of four product managers to promote the firm’s U.S. equity indices around the globe, which include the iconic S&P 500® and Dow Jones Industrial Average®. Garrett’s team publishes thought leadership, promotes the benefits of passive investing, coordinates the index launch process, serves as subject matter experts on index methodologies, and builds lasting client relationships. He also establishes product strategies while collaborating across teams to drive S&P DJI’s commercial success.

Garrett was previously a Senior Director on the Asset Owner team at S&P DJI. In that role, he managed relationships with more than 60 clients, who were collectively responsible for over USD 2 trillion in assets. Garrett regularly presented on S&P DJI’s capabilities across asset classes and investment themes.

Prior to joining S&P DJI in 2015, Garrett was a Vice President within the Risk Management Analytics business at MSCI for four years. From 2008-2011, he worked for a boutique asset manager called Ziegler Capital Management. Garrett started his career in the equipment finance industry in 2002.

Garrett earned his MBA from DePaul University and bachelor’s degree in finance and MIS from Miami University. He began volunteering with the Society in 2010, served as the co-chair of the Education Advisory Group from 2015-2017, and has served on the Board since 2018.

S&P Dow Jones Indices | Chicago, IL

William T. Fitzpatrick, CFA, is managing director and portfolio manager at Logan Capital Management. He is responsible for managing the Logan Concentrated Value (LCV) and Logan International ADR equity strategies. Fitzpatrick was formerly a director and senior global equity analyst at Manulife Asset Management and held similar positions at predecessor firms Optique Capital and Johnson Asset Management. He has an MBA from the University of Notre Dame and a BS in Business Administration from Villanova University. Fitzpatrick is a CFA charterholder and previously served as co-chair for the Society’s Professional Development Advisory Group (2017-2018) and served as judge for the local level of CFA Institute’s Research Challenge in 2018. He also serves on the Board of Directors at Maryville Academy.

Logan Capital Management | Chicago, IL

Daniel R. Kastholm, CFA, is a managing director and regional group head of Fitch Ratings’ Latin America corporate finance team. He is responsible for the management and all operating aspects of the group’s activities. Dan chairs Fitch’s Latin American corporate rating committees and directs the group’s credit ratings and research efforts.Prior to managing the Latin America corporate finance group, Kastholm was a group vice president in the global power group at Duff & Phelps Credit Rating (DCR), where he covered the global utility and energy sectors with specialization in the emerging markets. In the global power group, he was instrumental in the expansion of the firm’s Latin American utility and project finance business. He took over responsibility for the Latin American corporate finance business at DCR in 1999 and subsequently Fitch, following its merger in June 2000.

Kastholm has more than 25 years of experience as a financial analyst. He spent several years at LaSalle Business Credit, a subsidiary of ABN Amro, where he served as a vice president in the corporate finance area. His responsibilities included new business development and the evaluation and structuring of acquisition and leveraged finance transactions, primarily for mid-sized industrial companies. Before LaSalle, Kastholm worked at Security Pacific Business Credit as a senior credit analyst, where he was responsible for coordinating due diligence and underwriting activities for specific leveraged and acquisition finance transactions in the corporate finance area. Kastholm holds a BA and an MBA from the University of Illinois, Urbana–Champaign. He was awarded the professional designation of chartered financial analyst in 1992 and is an active member of CFA Society Chicago.

Fitch Ratings | Chicago, IL

Chris Vincent, CFA, joined CFA Society Chicago as chief executive officer in May of 2020. The majority of his investment career was spent as a fixed income portfolio manager in Chicago with two firms, William Blair and Zurich Scudder. He was head of fixed income and a partner at William Blair Investment Management (2002-2019) where he managed bond mutual funds and separate accounts. At Zurich Scudder (the successor firm to Kemper Financial), Vincent was a managing director and senior portfolio manager for institutional clients (1988-2002). His roots in the money management industry are as a corporate plan sponsor with Nestle Purina in St. Louis (1983-1988).

Vincent has been a volunteer for CFA Society Chicago and CFA Institute since 2006. He previously served as chair of the Board of Directors for CFA Society Chicago (2014-2015) and has also volunteered for various CFA Institute groups and committees, notably as a member of the Annual Conference Advisory Committee (2012-2018).

Vincent earned his CFA charter in 1990, received his undergraduate degree in finance from the University of Missouri and holds an M.B.A. from Saint Louis University.

CFA Society Chicago | Chicago, IL

Catherine E. Drake, CFA, is a senior managing director at PPM America, Inc., a US-based institutional asset manager. She is a member of the credit research team responsible for the investment grade utility sector within both public and private debt markets. She is also a member of the private placement credit committee which is responsible for approving investments across a variety of industries globally. At PPM, Drake is a member of the Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Council to the CEO. The Council is responsible for developing and supporting strategic initiatives and developing best practices. Prior to joining PPM, Drake was a group vice president in the global power group at Duff & Phelps Credit Rating where she covered the utility sector and was a member of the utilities rating committee.

Drake has more than 30 years of experience as a financial analyst. Prior to joining Duff & Phelps, Drake spent ten years at Bank of America (previously Continental Bank) where she served as a vice president and team leader in commercial lending. Her responsibilities included lending to large and mid-sized transportation and retail companies as well as syndication of loans to other institutions.

Drake holds a BA in French from Miami University, an MBA with a finance concentration from Washington University in St. Louis, and an MA in international studies from DePaul University. She was awarded the professional designation of chartered financial analyst in 2003 and is an active member of the CFA Society Chicago and CFA Institute.

PPM America, Inc. | Chicago, IL

Richard Excell, CFA, is an Instructor of Finance at the University of Illinois, Gies College of Business. In addition to this role, he is a senior portfolio manager at Wolverine Asset Management in Chicago in which he runs a global equity long/short hedge fund portfolio. In this role, he oversees a portfolio that combines quantitative factor and discretionary macro analysis, with bottom-up fundamental analysis and derivatives trade implementation to create a concentrated long/short portfolio that aims to deliver high risk-adjusted returns for institutional investors.

Before joining WAM, he was the CIO and a partner at Satori Investment Partners. He spent the majority of his career with UBS O’Connor, where he was most recently managing director, senior portfolio manager and co-head of the Fundamental Equity Market Neutral Fund. Prior to this, as head of the European office, Excell was responsible for both the global macro and the equity long/short strategies. Earlier in his career, he built and managed foreign exchange, precious metals, and emerging market cash and derivatives trading businesses around the world while with O’Connor, First Chicago, BZW (Barclays Capital) and Crédit Agricole Indosuez and has lived in Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Switzerland and the UK.

Excell holds a B.S. in finance with a minor in accounting and Japanese studies from the University of Illinois and an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago. He became a CFA charterholder in 1999 while living in Singapore and became a CMT charter holder in 2018. He serves as the co-chair of the Education Advisory Group and is on the Budget Committee of CFA Society Chicago. Outside of work, he is director of the Western Golf Association/Evans Scholars Foundation and a board member of the Bright Promises Foundation in Chicago.

University of Illinois, Gies College of Business | Chicago, IL

Bill Harding is the chief investment officer of Jackson National Asset Management (JNAM), and lead portfolio manager for its series of managed allocation portfolios and Multi-Manager strategies, where he is responsible for asset allocation, security selection, and portfolio construction. In addition, he heads up the investment management team responsible for manager selection, monitoring, and performance evaluation.

Prior to joining JNAM in October 2012, Harding spent 13 years at Morningstar, Inc., rising to be head of manager research of the Investment Management division, and three years as a financial analyst at Leprino Foods Company. Harding earned a bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Colorado, Boulder and a master’s degree in business administration from Loyola University Chicago. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.

Jackson National Life Insurance Company® (Jackson®) is a leading provider of retirement solutions for industry professionals and their clients. The company offers a diverse range of products including variable, fixed and fixed index annuities designed for tax-efficient accumulation and distribution of retirement income for retail customers, and fixed income products for institutional investors. Jackson subsidiaries and affiliates provide specialized asset management and retail brokerage services. Jackson prides itself on product innovation, sound corporate risk management practices and strategic technology initiatives. For more information, visit www.jackson.com.

Jackson National Asset Management, LLC (“JNAM”) is a subsidiary of Jackson that provides investment advisory, transfer agency, fund accounting and administration services for funds and separate accounts that support Jackson’s variable products and employee 401(k) retirement plan.

Jackson National Asset Management | Chicago, IL

Jeremy Heer, CFA, is the senior portfolio manager for the Strategy group at the University of Chicago’s Office of Investments. In this role, he supports the managing director of Strategy in developing and managing the overall investment strategy for the endowment. Heer also helps manage the global macro portion of the University’s hedge fund portfolio. He has previously served as the senior portfolio manager for the University’s investments in private equity limited partnerships. Prior to joining the University in 2010, Heer was a partner at Singer Partners, where he designed and implemented global macro and asset allocation strategies. Previously, he was an asset allocation analyst at UBS Global Investment Management (2004-2009) and Morgan Stanley Investment Management (2003-2004). Heer also has worked in risk management and derivatives-related roles for Morgan Stanley and Cargill Investor Services.

Heer earned an MBA with concentrations in finance and statistics from the Stern School of Business at New York University and a BS in finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is a CFA charterholder, a grader of the exam, and a contributor to the curriculum. He is a member of CFA Society Chicago’s Board of Directors and previously served as the co-chair of the Society’s Distinguished Speaker Series Advisory Group. Heer also holds the CAIA Charter and serves on the CAIA Allocator Advisory Committee.

University of Chicago’s Office of Investments | Chicago, IL

Zach Hillard, CFA, is the chief investment officer at Busey Wealth Management, a firm focused on providing custom, comprehensive wealth and investment management solutions for families and organizations with complex financial needs. Overseeing and working with a team of investment professionals, Hillard is responsible for the investment process and for devising investment strategies to help clients meet their financial goals. He has over 20 years of investment management experience, 12 of which have been at Busey. Hillard has been in the CIO role at Busey since August 2016. Before taking on the CIO position, he was managing director of fixed income where he was responsible for the firm’s fixed income strategies and for managing Busey Bank’s investment portfolio. Prior to Busey, Hillard worked at Brinson Partners/UBS Global Asset Management where he helped in managing portfolios for global institutions, including many Fortune 500 companies.

Hillard received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Masters in Business Administration from the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business at DePaul University. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charterholder and a member of the CFA Society Chicago. Hillard is active in the community and currently serves on the University of Illinois System’s Investment Advisory Council, the Monticello CUSD #25 School Board, and the Champaign County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. In 2016, Hillard was named as one of Champaign County’s Forty under 40 for his achievements, leadership and community involvement.

Busey Wealth Management | Chicago, IL

Michael Holt, CFA, is chief strategy officer, responsible for driving value creation by working with Morningstar’s executive team and board of directors on the firm’s overall strategic positioning, capital allocation, and M&A activities.

Before assuming his current role in 2018, Holt was global head of equity research, leading a team of more than 100 analysts responsible for providing in-depth, fundamental equity research on approximately 1,500 companies around the world. He previously served as director of North American equity research, associate director for the technology equity research team, and senior analyst. He was an associate for Municipal Mortgage & Equity and spent four years in the software industry before joining Morningstar in 2008.

Holt holds a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and bachelor’s degree in business from Indiana University. Holt also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation.

Morningstar, Inc. | Chicago, IL

Michael Miranda, CFA, is national head of investments, BMO Wealth Management – U.S. He is responsible for all aspects of investment management including business and strategic planning, legal review and assessment, management of risk (fiduciary, contractual, statutory, and operational) and leadership and development. Joining BMO in 2018, Michael has over 20 years’ experience running investment businesses, teams and portfolio. In addition to his role as National Head of Investments, Michael is a member of the US Wealth Management Asset Allocation committee. In this capacity he oversees the fixed income strategy and positioning. Previously, he served as senior managing director and CIO at Mesirow Financial and served as a senior portfolio at Calamos Investments and Northern Trust. Michael graduated from Northwestern University with degrees in economics and music performance and earned his MBA with honors from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He is a CFA charterholder and member of CFA Society Chicago and CFA Institute.

BMO | Chicago, IL

Brady O’Connell, CFA, CAIA, is a senior vice president with Callan LLC, one of the largest employee-owned institutional investment consulting firms in the United States. Callan provides discretionary and non-discretionary advice to investors on critical issues such as asset allocation, investment strategy, asset manager selection and oversight, governance, and performance reporting. O’Connell is a shareholder of Callan.

O’Connell has consulted with a variety of institutional investors including corporate and public defined benefit plans, defined contribution plans, endowments, and foundations. O’Connell has 23 years of investment consulting experience. Prior to joining Callan, O’Connell was a partner with Aon where he worked with a broad range of institutional investors. During his 18 years at Ennis, Knupp + Associates and subsequently, Aon, O’Connell held a number of different roles, including leading public market investment manager research, as well as managing a team of consulting professionals.

O’Connell received his MBA in finance and marketing from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. He earned a BBA in finance from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He is a holder of the right to use the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation and is a member of the CFA Society Chicago and CFA Institute. O’Connell has also earned the right to use the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst designation.

Callan | Chicago, IL

With more than 25 years of retained executive search experience and as a trusted advisor in recruitment and human capital management, Schroeder conducts senior level and emerging leadership assignments for private and publicly- held institutional investment management firms, family enterprises / private investment offices, financial institutions, insurance, real estate and private equity firms.

Prior to joining DHR International, Schroeder was a partner in the financial services practice of a leading, global retained executive search firm. In this capacity, he managed the Midwest Asset Management practice serving a variety of long-only and alternative money managers primarily in the US. He began his executive search career in 1990 with a Chicago-based search firm and was recruited to the world’s largest retained search firm as a senior associate in 1995. While there, he worked across multiple industries and functional disciplines recruiting for leadership roles under the managing director.

Schroeder received a B.A. in business and a B.A. in Spanish from Augustana College, Rock Island, IL. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for CFA Society Chicago, the world’s oldest and one of the largest for investment professionals.

For 30 years DHR International has been a leading, privately held provider of executive search solutions with more than 50 wholly-owned offices spanning the globe. DHR’s renowned consultants specialize in all industries and functions in order to provide unparalleled senior-level executive search, management assessment and succession planning services tailored to the unique qualities and specifications of their select client base.

DHR International | Chicago, IL

Dhvani Shah, CFA, joined the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF) as the chief investment officer in December 2011 and oversees a program with approximately $41.1 billion in assets as of April 30, 2020. $9.6 billion or 23.3% of the total Fund is managed by firms owned by minorities, women and persons with disabilities.

Shah’s investment background includes managing an institutional portfolio across domestic equities, international equities, fixed income, private equity, real estate, agriculture, timber and infrastructure. Previously, Shah was the managing director of private equity, an executive staff position, for the New York State Teachers’ Retirement System (NYSTRS) and oversaw a program with more than $13 billion in commitments across 64+ managers and 140+ partnerships. Shah was a member of the Internal Investment Committee at NYSTRS that considers and votes on all investment actions and considers key issues in the asset allocation for the $86 billion Retirement Plan. Prior to joining NYSTRS, Shah spent seven years investing in private equity and real estate funds in the Chicago office of Bank of America, serving as vice president of the bank’s Strategic Investment Group. Shah started her career with five years at Northwestern University’s Investment Office, where she was part of a team that managed the University’s $2.5 billion endowment fund.

Shah serves as a board of director on four organizations. Shah is a member of the Board of Directors of CFA Society Chicago (July 2018, elected for a three year term), a member of the Board of Directors of The Robert Toigo Foundation (December 2013 through Present), treasurer (February 2018 to Present) and a member of the Board of Directors of the PREA Foundation (Pension Real Estate Association) and a member of the Board of Directors of PREA from March 2018 to present.

Shah is an ILPA Education Committee Member (2009 through May 2019) and served as a Board Member of ILPA (Institutional Limited Partners Association from November 2010 through November 2014. She is a member of CFA Institute, CFA Society Chicago, PEWIN (Private Equity Women Investor Network) and the National Association of Securities Professionals (NASP). Shah earned an MBA from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Loyola University, Magna Cum Laude.

Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF) | Chicago, IL

Dave Smith, CFA, is a managing partner at Marquette Associates. He has been with the firm since 2009 and became partner in 2014. He serves as the investment consultant for a variety of institutions including municipal public pension plans and government institutions, corporate defined benefit and defined contribution plans, higher education, 529 college savings plans, and foundations.

He has 21 years of industry experience that spans derivatives trading, asset management, and investment consulting. Prior to joining Marquette, Smith was a vice president at Northern Trust, spending time in both Chicago and Singapore where he served sovereign wealth funds and government institutions. He began his career at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange with a Eurodollar derivatives trading firm.

Smith is a CFA charterholder. He holds a B.S in business administration from the University of Richmond and an MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Smith is co-chair of the Investment Management Alumni Roundtable at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He is a member of CFA Society Chicago, the Economic Club of Chicago, and serves on The Goodman Theater Scenemakers Board.

Marquette Associates | Chicago, IL

Sunitha C. Thomas, CFA, serves as a senior vice president and regional portfolio advisor in the Wealth Management business unit at Northern Trust. Thomas advises clients on optimizing their asset allocation and identifying investment opportunities in the context of their overall balance sheet and unique goals. She also serves in a leadership capacity on Northern Trust’s National Investment Committees (Investment Policy and Investment Selection.) Thomas has a diversified financial services career having previously served as the segment leader of Wealth Advisory Services, where she was responsible for strategic development and execution nationally in the $20-$200 million client wealth segment. Prior to that, she was the associate director of equity research in Northern Trust’s Asset Management business.

Thomas also worked as an analyst at both Putnam and Fidelity Investments covering global investment opportunities in both the equity and debt markets. Along with extensive due diligence travel to Latin America and Asia, she completed an expatriate assignment in Hong Kong following the Asian debt crisis. Thomas currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Harris Theater. Prior to that, she has served as the chair of the Finance and Audit Committee of the Music Institute of Chicago, co-chair of the Distinguished Speakers Series of the CFA Society Chicago, and trustee of the National Kidney Foundation of Chicago. Thomas received a B.A. in economics and B.A. in Latin American studies from the University of Chicago. She also earned a Masters in Business Administration from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, the Chartered Financial Analyst and the Certified Private Wealth Advisor designations.

Northern Trust | Chicago, IL

Katharine Wyatt, CFA is the chief investment officer at Loyola University Chicago. Wyatt has over 18 years of experience in the investment industry and is a well-rounded asset allocator with experience managing large institutional portfolios and investing across public and private asset classes. At Loyola, Wyatt leads the University’s investment office, where she is responsible for investment policy and management of over $1 billion in endowment, operating reserves and defined benefit pension assets. Prior to joining Loyola, she was director of investments for Abbott Laboratories retirement plans which included over $18 billion in Defined Benefit and Defined Contribution assets. At Abbott, she was responsible for oversight of investments, including selection, due diligence and monitoring of external managers and was instrumental in building the alternative investments program.

Wyatt started her career as a research analyst at a multi-family investment office covering hedge fund, private equity and private real asset investments. Wyatt holds both an MS and a BA in finance, investment and banking from the University of Wisconsin – Madison and was part of the Applied Security Analysis Program during her graduate studies. She is a CFA charterholder, and is a member of CFA Institute and CFA Society Chicago. She is a member of the Private Equity Women’s Investor Network, and has been a member and guest speaker for Women Investment Professionals.

Loyola University Chicago |Chicago, IL