James Fletcher

Over 17 years of investing in Emerging Markets with a strong history of alpha generation and fund performance. Founder of Ethos Investment Management and Young Investors Society. Previously Director and Senior Portfolio Manager of the $1billion EM Small and Mid-cap fund at APG Asset Management.

James earned a B.S. in Finance from Brigham Young University, where he graduated summa cum laude and with University Honors. He is a CFA charterholder.

I started Young Investors Society because of a letter that I received from a young man named Edgar. After visiting his school in inner-city Los Angeles, and leading the class in an engaging discussion about the stock market and how investors pick companies to invest in, he wrote me the following:

“It’s awesome to have someone give their time to teach us, adults don’t really do that anymore, especially for teenagers. You may think this is a joke, but your 45-minute presentation has changed my goals for my life. It has given me something to strive for.”

That letter burned into my soul. Edgar’s statement that “adults don’t really do that anymore” became a personal challenge for me that led me to start Young Investors Society.

Vielcka Mansukhani

Steve Barrus

Steve Barrus is an Arizona State University graduate with a degree in Business Administration. While attending ASU, he became passionate around the markets due to a professor who taught “Introduction to the Stock Market.” He is currently employed at Advisory Group for Life as a financial consultant, Steve assists individuals and families with their Wealth Planning needs to ensure their financial stability up to and throughout their retirement. He began his career with Merrill Lynch in 2009.

Steve currently resides in Thousand Oaks with his wife, Stephanie, and their three children. Steve has spent the past decade volunteering his time with youth aged groups such as the Boy Scouts of America, Thousand Oaks Little League, and Conejo Youth Basketball Association. As a youth he achieved the rank of Eagle within the Boy Scout organization. Steve and his family continue to volunteer their time within the local community.

I was introduced to to YIS when I was asked to volunteer as a judge at the annual stock pitch competition, ever since I have been all in. YIS gave me the opportunity to combine my passion to help young adults feel confident and empowered in life with my passion around the markets and helping my clients find financial freedom. I am grateful to offer my talents to such an amazing organization.

Oliver Daley

Oliver Daley is a Regional Sales Manager for Bloomberg’s Investment Managers business in the Americas. He has more than a decade of experience consulting with financial services firms focused on investment management globally. His primary responsibility includes overseeing all aspects of Sales and Relationship Management for clients, which also includes alignment of product and sales strategies. His business coverage spans a number of verticals including asset owners, investment managers, hedge funds, wealth managers, universities, and private investors. Oliver graduated from the University of the West Indies in Jamaica, with a bachelor’s degree in economics and statistics. In addition, he successfully earned two post-graduate degrees in investment management and real estate investment and finance at Henley Business School, which is part of the University of Reading. He is a proud military veteran who credits the British Army for honing his excellent leadership skills. Throughout his military career, he developed a strong understanding of how to inspire and guide teams, as well as the importance of fostering a clear vision that motivates others to succeed. Of equal importance, he gained a deep appreciation of the transformative power of strategic support in enhancing the lives of people. Outside of his core professional responsibilities at Bloomberg, he serves as Co-Lead of Bloomberg’s Americas Enterprise Sales’ Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Taskforce. He is also incredibly passionate about financial literacy and is committed to positively influencing the growth and development of young people to help them to achieve their full potential. Oliver enjoys watching and playing sports, going to the gym, reading and listening to a variety of podcasts.

Christine Tobin

Christine Tobin has an extensive background in Education and Non-Profit Administration. She has a B.A. Degree from Cal State University, Northridge in Child Development and a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential (K-6^th) and a Master of Science Degree in Management & Leadership. She was a former Reading Intervention Teacher and At-Risk Program Administrator with the Hueneme School District in Port Hueneme, CA. Christine went on to pursue a career in non-profit administration and was the Director of Girl Scouting for several years and most recently, Director of Special Projects at Project HEAL.

As Chief Operating Officer for Young Investors Society, Christine oversees the administration of various financial literacy programs for high school students across 43 states and 22 countries. She is an avid runner having recently completed her first full marathon who enjoys the outdoors and is currently working on her Master Diver Scuba Certification.

Maria Miles

Maria Miles has a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a law degree from the J. Reuben Clark Law School. Based in the Boston area, she has been a dedicated community organizer with a history of adding value to a variety of community organizations. She loves working with youth and organizing events that bring people together to serve the greater good. She grew up in Colorado, which gave her a love of the mountains, and has lived on the East Coast for over 17 years, which has given her a love of the ocean.

Diana Myers

Diana Myers has decades of experience in both the financial services industry and education fields. She has held multiple investment licenses in roles as a Manager and Client Advisor with Fidelity Investments. She substitute teaches in the Conejo Valley School district and is an active volunteer in the community. Born and raised in Texas, she graduated from Baylor University with a degree in Child Development . Sic ‘em Bears! In her free time, she enjoys traveling, spending time with her family and hiking the nearby trails with their dog.

Patricia Ball

Lee Mackay

Lee Mackay is currently an attorney and shareholder at Nevers, Palazzo, Packard, Wildermuth & Wynner, PC in Westlake Village, California where he represents institutional and private clients in a broad range of commercial real estate, financing and development and investment matters. His practice specializes in all aspects of commercial leasing, property management and commercial and residential dispositions and acquisitions. Before joining Nevers Palazzo Lee was an associate at Snell & Wilmer L.L.P. in Orange County, California. Lee received his J.D. degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, and he received his B.A. degree from the University of California, Los Angeles, majoring in Economics and minoring in Political Science and History. As a volunteer, Lee has spent considerable time mentoring teens in church youth groups and volunteering as a Scoutmaster with Boy Scouts of America, where he received the Scoutmaster Key Award and the Scoutmaster Service Award. He also donates his time as a guest lecturer at Pepperdine University’s Graziadio School of Business and Management, where he lectures on commercial leasing.  Lee is an avid waterman and enjoys surfing, freediving, SCUBA diving, spearfishing and hunting lobsters by hand. He is also a voracious reader, backpacks with his family and friends annually and practices Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Lee Mackay is married to Jennifer and has four children, Hannah, Rachel, Emma, and Aaron.

“I was attracted to YIS because it is the exact program I wish I would have had when I was in high school– a fun and engaging approach to teaching high-school age kids sound investment fundamentals that can lead to a life of freedom and opportunity. I am so excited for my own children to learn the important principals taught in the YIS curriculum and I volunteer my time in any way I can to help spread the same opportunity to others.”

Liz Su

Liz is the lead portfolio manager of Boston Common’s Emerging Markets (EM) strategies. In this capacity, she works with analysts to create sustainability-focused EM portfolios, helps grow the firm’s EM research capabilities, oversees overall portfolio positioning, and communicates with clients and prospects. She also has research responsibilities focusing on the global consumer staples sector. With over 21 years of investment experience spanning EM and Global equities, fixed income, and quantitative research, Liz is passionate about investing in EM companies that can enable the transition to a more inclusive and sustainable future. Prior to joining Boston Common, Liz was an analyst and portfolio manager at Batterymarch Financial Management, where she most recently served as the head of Asia ex-Japan on the Emerging Market Equities team. She played an instrumental role in launching an Asia ex-Japan long-short fund and a Global Equity fund. She also gained asset allocation experience with Standish Mellon Asset Management. She began her career in economic and strategy consulting in 2000. Liz earned a BA in International Finance from Wuhan University (China), an MA in Economics from Tufts University, and an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management. She is a CFA charterholder and a member of the Boston Security Analyst Society. Outside of investing, she volunteers as a Girl Scout troop leader and enjoys tennis, yoga, and traditional Chinese dance.

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John Bowman

John serves as Executive Vice President for the CAIA Association, overseeing the industry leading CAIA charter, thought leadership, and CAIA’s Asia Pacific growth aspirations.

John has devoted 25 years to the asset management industry to recover the narrative of the value that the investment profession brings to society. He is a staunch public advocate for market integrity, long-termism, investor outcomes, diversity, human dignity and educational standards, as necessary ingredients to building a sustainable and healthy profession. John is a prolific writer and commentator, frequently appearing in industry and business publications such as the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Pension and Investments, Financial Advisor, Barron’s, The Independent, Wealthmanagement.com and CNBC.  Bowman earned a BS in Business Administration from Mary Washington College and is a CFA charterholder.  John and his wife have six children and live in Salt Lake City.

Morgaine Conway-Grim

Rowe Michels

Rowe Michels, CFA serves as Managing Director, Equity Analyst, Portfolio Manager, and Director of Research at Nuveen Investment Trust – Nuveen Tradewinds Value Opportunities Fund and Tradewinds Global Investors, LLC.

Equity Management Executive with more than twenty years of experience as Portfolio Manager, Analyst, and Director of Research. Broad experience in developed and emerging markets; long-only and hedge funds; private and public equities, and multiple sectors with particular expertise in natural resources, utilities and ESG/SRI-related investments. Sector expertise includes the nexus of water, energy, and agribusiness sectors. Extensive international business experience (eight million miles to 48 countries); fluent in Spanish and conversational in Portuguese.

• Ranked #1 for Global Utilities stock picking in 2004 and 2006, #3 in 2007 by the Wall Street Journal.
• Eleven consecutive #1 rankings for Electric/Water Utilities Research by Institutional Investor.
• Built and managed various research teams and processes with proven success and strong team cultures.

Rowe Michels is a C.F.A. charter holder. He earned an M.B.A. from Kellogg Graduate School of Business.

Susan Kempler

Christine Tobin

Christine Tobin has an extensive background in Education and Non-Profit Administration. She has a B.A. Degree from Cal State University, Northridge in Child Development and a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential (K-6^th) as well as a Master of Science Degree in Management & Leadership. She was a former Reading Intervention Teacher and At-Risk Program Administrator with the Hueneme School District in Port Hueneme, CA. Christine went on to pursue a career in non-profit administration and was the Director of Girl Scouting for several years and most recently, Director of Special Projects at Project HEAL.

Christine lives in beautiful Dos Vientos Ranch in Newbury Park with her husband of 19 years and their son. She enjoys DIY home projects, interior design, hiking, traveling, zip-lining, scuba diving, and has just completed her first full marathon.

Bryan Jack

Bryan Jack graduated from Brigham Young University with a Bachelor’s and Masters’s degree in Accountancy from the Marriott School of Business and has been licensed as a CPA in Utah since September 2010. Bryan is currently employed at First National Bank of Layton as Controller. Previously, he was a financial statement auditor at Tanner LLC, which is the largest locally-owned CPA firm in Salt Lake City. His industry experience ranges from non-profit, software/technology, banking, manufacturing, oil/gas, housing, and construction. Bryan currently resides in Syracuse, Utah with his wife, Lydia, and their four children. Bryan has spent time volunteering in the Boy Scouts of America, of which he belonged and received the rank of Eagle Scout. He has also been involved with sponsoring local fun runs, 5Ks, and sports programs. He loves spending time in the outdoors with his family, playing board games, and making anything he can think of on his smoker/grill. Bryan was engaged by YIS to assist with the organization’s accounting solution and quickly became passionate about YIS’ goal. The Board offered Bryan a position as a member in January 2017 and he has been serving since and volunteering his time as the organization’s accountant. When talking about YIS, Bryan mentioned, “I wish YIS was available when I was in high school. It is such a great program that not only teaches students the importance of being financially responsible but also provides them a framework through which all decisions can be made. I’m grateful to the Board for having allowed me to be a part of the organization and look forward to where YIS goes in the future.”

Laura Geritz

Laura Geritz is a chartered financial analyst operating out of Salt Lake City, Utah, who has been in the industry for 14 years. Geritz is an advisor for Rondure Global Advisors, LLC. Throughout their career, they have worked at Wasatch Advisors, Inc and Rondure Global Advisors, LLC. Geritz maintains a Series 63 license, which qualifies them as a securities broker, and can serve investors in Utah.

Mark Van Cott

Mark Van Cott has been an active investor for thirty years and is committed to passing on financial literacy skills and sound investing habits to a new generation of young leaders.  He has been involved in the financial markets as an advisor, trader and investor and now enjoys the opportunity to teach what he has learned.

Mark served as a Managing Director in a global investment bank.  His career in banking took him from New York in the mid-1990s to Hong Kong, where he worked in the rapidly expanding Asian financial markets within the Firm’s Mergers and Acquisitions, Private Equity and Equities Divisions.  In his various banking and management roles, Mark has worked in all of the major Asian markets.

In addition to pursuing his interests in investing and spending time with his wife and children, Mark currently serves in a number of volunteer and service-related organizations.

Mark graduated from Yale University with a B.A. in Economics and a minor in International Studies.

Manny Sanoja, MBA

Manny Sanoja holds an M.B.A. from Pepperdine Graziadio Business School & a Certificate in Business from Harvard Business School (HBX). He started his career at the young age of 16 as an entrepreneur by working in the family’s restaurant business. It’s here that he honed his skills and learned the fundamentals of business, entrepreneurship, leadership, and management in a real-world environment. For nearly a decade, his experience as a business operations manager and business owner, prepared him for working with companies in multiple capacities, such as Universal Music Group, Showtime Networks, Ivener & Fullmer, LLP, and currently, Prudential Financial – where he oversees the financial operations of one of Prudential’s largest and most valuable relationships: a $36+ billion Taft – Hartley Defined Benefit Pension Trust.

Manny’s passion for giving back to the community led to his relationship with James Fletcher and the Young Investor’s Society, where he serves as a member of the West Coast Advisory Board.  As a first-generation college graduate, Manny is cognizant of the harsh reality young people in the millennial generation face today. Most notably, in regard to obtaining proper education on how to manage their finances and how to invest intelligently. His role in the Young Investor’s Society has been one of the most fulfilling to date, as it helps to fill this void in financial literacy by offering mentorship and education in a simple and effective format that many great educational institutions still do not fully provide.

Manny’s other passions and hobbies include music, singing opera as a classically trained musician, writing inspirational books and poetry, weightlifting and spending time with his two children, Marin and Leo.

Megan McVey

Megan describes herself as a bonafide problem-solving empath, with a penchant for using data to create compelling and useful digital experiences. For over ten years she has used her dual background in research and design to help clients uncover user needs and develop effective user-centered design experiences.

She has spent her entire life listening and learning about the people around her in order to figure out how to help them. This natural curiosity for how the world works and a keen interest in problem-solving has compelled her to pursue a career where she can create and improve digital experiences for users.

Her specialties include: UX design (Sketch, Balsamiq, InVision, Omnigraffle, Photoshop, Axure), UX research (user interviews, usability testing, competitor and market analysis), website usability and development (Drupal, WordPress, Joomla, Sitecore, Wix, HTML), experience strategy, interaction design, digital marketing, social media management and strategy, search engine optimization, and project management.

Ben Carlson

Director of Institutional Asset Management at Ritholtz Wealth Management. They create detailed investment plans and manage portfolios for institutions and individuals to help them achieve their goals.

Ben Carlson been managing institutional portfolios for his entire career. He started out with an institutional investment consulting firm developing portfolio strategies and creating investment plans for various foundations, endowments, pensions, hospitals, insurance companies and high net worth individuals. More recently, he was part of the portfolio management team for an investment office that managed a large endowment fund for a charitable organization.

He is the author of the following books A Wealth of Common Sense: Why Simplicity Trumps Complexity in Any Investment Plan and Organizational Alpha: How to Add Value in Institutional Asset Management.

In 2017, he was named to the Investment News 40 Under 40 list of top financial advisors. He is also a columnist for Bloomberg.

Derek Westra

Derek Westra lives near Salt Lake City with his wife Danielle and their daughters Aniston, Layla and Noelle. Derek received his undergraduate degree from Brigham Young University in Public Relations and Business, and his Master’s Degree from the University of Hawaii in Marketing.

Derek’s career in marketing has helped to launch major recognizable campaigns. Derek was on the 7-person startup team of now billion-dollar survey software leader Qualtrics – literally working to market the young, growing company from the owner’s basement. Since returning to the mainland from Hawaii, Derek has helped to lead the digital awareness efforts for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Derek led the team that produced and executed the international, multi-year “I’m a Mormon” campaign and oversaw creative development for exhibits and content in the Church’s worldwide Visitors’ Centers. Derek spent several years leading a team responsible for a major update, re-architecture, and redesign of LDS.org (the largest and most visited religious website in the world) and helped to create and manage the Church’s first social channels (including the social pages of Church leaders).

Currently, as Director of Communications for the Church’s humanitarian organizations – Derek oversees awareness for several multi-million dollar nonprofits whose purpose is to care for the poor and the needy and teach self-reliance. Away from work, Derek loves spending time with family pursuing creative ventures. He and his wife paint together and sell fine artwork online. They have also co-authored rhyming children’s books, and love to participate in cooking competitions together. Derek plays guitar and piano and speaks Portuguese and Spanish.

Melissa Dunn

Melissa attended Utah State University and Brigham Young University where she graduated with a degree in Communications.Melissa has served as a media director at KennedyC and is currently the Social and Digital Marketing Specialist at Dynactive Software.

Andrew Davis

Andrew Davis is married to Mary Ellen and has three children, Ellen, Drew and Caroline. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Marketing from the Grand Canyon University school of business. Andrew is currently an Independent Financial Advisor with WealthSource Partners, LLC. As an independent Registered Investment Advisor, Andrew works with a select group of individuals and families that understand the value of building a financial plan, goals that are easily defined and a portfolio designed with structure free from emotion. He holds a Series 63 and 65 registrations. Prior to WealthSource Partners, Andrew spent ten years with two Chicago based Investment Managers, most recently Advisory Research, a Global Value Manager.

As a financial advisor, I see first hand the benefit of planning for retirement early. Unfortunately, I see the challenges ahead for those who failed to plan effectively. Prior to the launch of Young Investors Society, I felt there was very little I could do to change the reality that some of my clients will achieve their goals and others will not. After joining the board of directors at Young Investors Society I have never been more optimistic that everyone will have the knowledge required to achieve their financial goals. Getting involved at the school level has been extremely rewarding. The Young Investors Society team has put together an after-school program that can change the financial trajectory of so many. It will take years before we understand the impact of our efforts today but I know we are part of something special.

Lucy Chuah

Lucy Chuah has 20 years of experience in the stockbroking industry.   She is a member of the Asian Equities desk at CLSA, where she has worked for the last 8 years.  Lucy received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Washington.  She also has a Master of Philosophy from Cambridge University where she was a Cambridge Commonwealth Trust scholar.

Claudio Brocado

Claudio Brocado was born and raised in Mexico and came to the US on a Fulbright scholarship to Washington State University, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude with a double major in Business Administration and Foreign Languages and Literatures. He later obtained his Masters in Business Administration from the University of California, Irvine.

Following a successful eight-year career in the restaurant industry, with most of it in financial planning and analysis, Claudio entered the financial services industry. He had a rewarding long career as an emerging markets equity portfolio manager. To spend more time with his family – his, wife and teenage daughter, as well as his son and his young family (including a beautiful granddaughter) — Claudio retired from full-time corporate work.

Thus, after managing Latin American and emerging market equity funds at Putnam, Fidelity and Legg Mason’s Batterymarch in Boston, Claudio is managing his own family’s modest holdings as if they were a very small global fund. To stay sharp as an investor, Claudio reads and studies extensively, and publishes his thoughts on LinkedIn and Seeking Alpha. He is also writing a short book for Young Investors Society (YIS) on his strong belief in the importance of corporate culture.