Speakers
Eric Garrett
Founder & CEO, The Garrett Companies
As Founder and CEO of The Garrett Companies, Eric Garrett directs the strategic planning and operations of the Company. Eric began his career in multifamily brokerage and quickly moved to the development side of the business. Since 1999, Eric has owned, developed, and delivered numerous projects in 17 states totaling over 17,000 units and in excess of $3.5 billion in valuation. The Garrett Companies is repeatedly recognized as a Best Place to Work in the USA for its culture, benefits, and people-centric mindset (e.g., Fortune, Inc.). The Garrett Companies also continues to rank as one of the fastest-growing privately held companies in America and is a leader in the real estate development industry in terms of projects under development, construction, and revenues. Eric earned his degree from Indiana State University and is on the Board of Directors of the National Multi Housing Council as well as The Garrett Family Foundation.
Thomas Walstrum
Principal Business Economist, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
Thomas Walstrum is a principal business economist in the economic research department at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. His responsibilities include the Seventh District's contribution to the Beige Book, the Chicago Fed Survey of Economic Conditions, and briefings for the Chicago Fed president on Seventh District economic conditions. He also is a contributing author to the Bank's Chicago Fed Insights article series.
Walstrum holds a B.A. in economics from Wheaton College, Illinois, and a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Illinois at Chicago, with concentrations in labor and urban and regional economics.
Lauren G. Henderson
Sr. Economist, Director • Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated
Lauren Henderson is a Sr. Economist for Stifel Financial. She focuses on the research and analysis of economic trends and activity, world economies, financial markets, and monetary and fiscal policies. She has been with the Stifel Economics Department for nine years and provides commentary and interpretative analysis on economic data, as well as supportive insights for economic forecasting. Her reports provide support across all business lines at Stifel Financial. Additionally, she has also been quoted in the business press.
Henderson is a member of the National Association for Business Economics (NABE). She holds two degrees from Loyola University Chicago in marketing and economics, and earned her MBA with a focus in economics from Loyola University Chicago. She is based in Stifel’s downtown Chicago office.
Rob Martinson
President of The Garrett Companies
Rob Martinson serves as the President of The Garrett Companies, leading the organization’s strategic growth, investment vision, and operational excellence. With over 25 years of real estate and construction experience, Rob has held diverse roles in investment oversight, construction, financial analysis, and development. Under his leadership, The Garrett Companies continues to expand its national presence while maintaining a culture of innovation and excellence.
Rob Langrick, CFA, CIPM
Chief Product Advocate, CFA Institute
Rob Langrick, CFA, CIPM, is Chief Product Advocate of the CFA Program based out of the New York office. He was previously Head of Practice Analysis, overseeing annual curriculum updates to the CFA Program. Before joining CFA Institute, he lead Bloomberg’s finance education division where he built and launched Bloomberg’s certification product. He began his career as a sell-side equity research analyst in London and after earning his MBA from Dartmouth worked in the private equity diligence unit of Bain & Company in New York.
Buff Dormeier, CMT
Partner and Chief Technical Analyst, Kingsview Partners
Buff Dormeier, CMT® provides four important roles to our clientele that of a financial advisor, consultant, analyst, and a portfolio manager. Armed with proprietary indicators and investment programs, Buff dynamically advises affluent and institutional clientele on strategies to help meet their specific investment objectives in what are often uncertain investment climates. As an advisor, Buff has been named a “Best in State Wealth Advisor” by Forbes*. As an analyst in 2007, Buff’s technical research was awarded the Charles H. Dow Award**, distinguishing him as the only financial advisor to thus far win the Award. The Charles H. Dow Award is considered one of the most important recognitions in the field of technical analysis. As an accomplished portfolio manager applying advanced technical/quant analysis, some simply refer to Buff as “the geek”. However, Buff considers himself to be an evangelist of sorts. He enjoys sharing his investment theories as a foremost expert on volume analysis presenting at international conferences such as TradeStation’s World Conference, Latin America’s Portfolio Manager’s Conference, and the World Money Show.
An award-winning author (2012’s Technical Analyst Book of the Year / Trader Planet’s Top Book Resource 2011), Buff literally wrote the book on “Investing with Volume Analysis” partnering with the Financial Times Press, Pearson Publishing and the Wharton School. Buff’s research has been further featured with press partners including Barron’s, Stock’s & Commodities, Futures and Active Trader magazines, The Financial Times, C-NBC, Market Watch as well as a variety of technical journals. Buff is featured in “Technical Analysis and Behavior Finance in Fund Management” – a European book comprised of interviews with 21 esteemed portfolio managers.
Buff is a former Fort Wayne / Indiana Marathon champion. Although his competitive distance training is on hold, Buff still enjoys a good long run on occasion. Buff is a member of the Chartered Market Technicians Association and Emmanuel Community Church. He is married to his beloved bride Kathy, father of two adored children Hadassah and Kaleo, and best friend to his Rhodesian Ridgeback Dutch.
Tom Bruni, CMT, CPA
Director, Community & Content, CMT Association
Tom Bruni, CMT, CPA, serves as Director, Community & Content at CMT Association, where he leads the execution, engagement, and amplification of the community across the Americas. With a unique dual-certification (CMT/CPA) and a professional background spanning investment research and financial media, Tom specializes in bridging the gap between complex financial topics and investor engagement. He has a proven track record of scaling content operations, building community ecosystems, and driving multi-channel growth. Outside of his institutional work, Tom remains deeply immersed in the markets by managing his own capital and regularly publishing the blog, The Honest Speculator. His insights are regularly featured in major financial media outlets, including The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg.
Chris Hentschel
Senior Director of Investments, The Garrett Companies
Chris Hentschel works with various departments within The Garrett Companies to identify investment opportunities, manage risk effectively, and develop financial strategies that maximize returns, are strategically aligned with the long-term financial health of the company, and enhance our investment portfolio. He plays a pivotal role in optimizing financial assets and is focused on financial strategies that align with the company’s financial objectives and growth targets.
Nathan Branaman
Capital Markets Analyst, the Garrett Companies
Nathan Branaman supports the design, development, and implementation of financial strategies through effective capital management and asset optimization. He works closely with a variety of departments to identify investment opportunities, build scalable methods of financial analysis and initiatives to improve portfolio performance, risk management, and return on investment.
Blake Shaffer, CFA
Director, Corporate Capital Markets
Blake is a Director in JLL’s Corporate Capital Markets and Net Lease practice, advising clients—from Fortune 10 corporations to private equity portfolio companies—on capital strategies to optimize and monetize real estate portfolios. His expertise spans capital structuring, financial analysis, and transactions including sale-leasebacks, net lease sales, build-to-suits, and structured financings such as synthetic and credit tenant leases. He has extensive experience across industrial, office, retail, and data center assets nationwide.
Previously, Blake was a commercial credit analyst at MB Financial Bank (now Fifth Third), underwriting $100M+ in commercial real estate loans. He holds a B.B.A. in Finance and a Certificate in Leadership Studies from the University of Iowa, earned his CFA charter in 2019, and is a licensed Illinois real estate broker. Blake is an active member of the CFA Society Chicago and its Member Engagement Advisory Group.
Josiah Hood, CFA
Vice President and Portfolio Manager, Northern Trust, Chicago
Josiah is a Vice President and Portfolio Manager at Northern Trust in Chicago. He has been in the industry since 2013. Prior to Northern Trust, he worked as a Portfolio Manager at Covenant Trust. He previously worked at BMO Global Asset Management as a Relationship Manager and BMO Private Bank as a Portfolio Manager. His experience also includes a tenure as an Equity Research Analyst at Seafarer Capital Partners. In his capacity as a Portfolio Manager, Josiah
works closely with high-net worth individuals and families – designing and implementing tailored investment solutions that reflect their unique circumstances. Josiah specializes in providing comprehensive investment advice around global asset allocation, alternative investments, and tax and liquidity management.
Josiah earned his B.S. in Finance from University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Josiah also earned his M.B.A. with concentrations in Finance, Entrepreneurship, and Strategic Management from University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. Josiah holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and is an active member of CFA Society Chicago.
Grant Podolski, CFA
Managing Director & Head of Institutional Relationship Management, Janus Henderson Investors
Grant Podolski is a Managing Director & Head of Institutional Relationship Management at Janus Henderson Investors, where he is responsible for leading the North America Institutional Client Relationship Management team and delivering investment strategies that are aligned with our institutional clients’ needs and goals. He has held this role since joining the firm in 2025. Before this, he was a client strategist at Legal & General Investment Management America starting in 2020. Grant began his career in 2013 with NISA Investment Advisors, building and implementing customized investment strategies for large institutional clients and held various positions within the firm. Grant has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in finance from Saint Louis University. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and is a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA). He has 13 years of financial industry.
Eric Compton, CFA
Director of Technology Equity Research at Morningstar.
Eric Compton, CFA, is director of equity research, technology, for Morningstar. He covers a variety of hardware- and software-related technology names across several industries while overseeing the technology team.
Before joining Morningstar in 2015, Compton was a business analyst for ESIS, a global provider of risk management products and a subsidiary of Ace Group. Before becoming technology sector director in late 2023, he was an equities strategist and covered the US and Canadian banking sectors. Compton joined Morningstar in 2015 as an associate on the financials team, covering banks for eight years before transitioning to the technology team.
Compton holds a bachelor's degree in applied health science from Wheaton College and a master’s degree in business administration, with high honors, from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. He also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.
Caleb J. Callahan, CFP
President and Chief Operation Officer, Valmark Financial Group
Caleb J. Callahan is a principal and the President of Valmark Financial Group, the parent company of the Valmark family of companies, which offers full-service financial solutions within the broker-dealer, investment advisory, and insurance industries. He is also Chairman of the Valmark Global Gift Fund™, the charitable arm of Valmark that serves organizations in need throughout the U.S. and around the world. Caleb is an author, speaker, and thought leader in the financial services industry. His contributions include providing expert testimony to the U.S. Congress, the Department of Labor (DOL) and National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), and his speaking engagements include the American Bar Association (ABA), the Association for Advanced Life Underwriting (AALU), the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA), and the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT), among others. Caleb earned his B.S. degree in Finance from The University of Akron, is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) , and has completed executive management and leadership programs from Harvard Business School and MIT.
Bob Girton
Managing Partner, August Grace Advisory
Bob is Managing Partner of August Grace Advisory, a Cleveland-based advisory house built for industries that build what comes next. The firm researches forward-looking industrial sectors and advises founders, management teams, and investors on strategy, growth, and transactions in specialty chemicals, advanced materials, life sciences, and industrial components. Before founding August Grace, Bob spent more than fifteen years in private equity with a sector-focused firm, rising from Associate to Managing Partner. Over that time, he led roughly 25 transactions, including nine corporate carve-outs, and served on more than a dozen boards, chairing eight of them through to exits with strategic and financial buyers. He began his career in restructuring investment banking, working on distressed sales, capitalization, and carve-outs. Bob holds an MBA and an M.S. in Positive Organization Development from Case Western Reserve University's Weatherhead School of Management and a B.S. in Corporate Finance Management from the University of Akron.
Terry Daugherty
Dean, College of Business, University of Akron
Terry Daugherty is the Dean of the College of Business at The University of Akron and responsible for the strategic management of an AACSB International accredited business school ranked among the Top 1% worldwide. He has served on the faculties of Vanderbilt University, the University of Texas at Austin, and The University of Akron before moving to Indiana State University in 2020 as Dean of the Scott College of Business. As a scholar, Terry is an expert in consumer psychology and persuasion with his research examining how individual characteristics influence the cognitive processing of media. According to ResearchGate, he is recognized among the top 1% of marketing researchers and the top 1% of advertising researchers according to ScholarGPS, which classifies 30 million scientists across 120,000 institutions. Prior to academia, Terry worked in the media industry completing his BA from Western Kentucky University, MA from the University of Alabama, and PhD from Michigan State University.
Matt Lang
Full Teaching Professor, UC Santa Barbara, Lecturer, Stanford University, Co-Founder, Sifter Founder
Matt Lang is a Full Teaching Professor at UC Santa Barbara and is spending the 2026-2027 academic year as a lecturer at the Initiative for Financial Decision-Making at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He has spent more than sixteen years teaching economics to undergraduate and MBA students at Stanford University, UC Santa Barbara, UC Riverside, and Xavier University. In 2025, he became the faculty advisor for the UC Santa Barbara Student Investment Fund. He co-created the gamified learning platform Virtual Econ, authored an interactive Introduction to Macroeconomics textbook, developed AI-based discussion activities for the classroom, and created UC Riverside's Economics of Financial Investments course. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from UC Santa Barbara and a master's from the London School of Economics.
Bree Lang
Full Teaching Professor, UC Santa Barbara, Co-Founder, Sifter
Bree Lang is a Teaching Professor in the Department of Economics at UC Santa Barbara. She earned a Ph.D. in Economics from UCSB and previously held positions at Xavier University and UC Riverside. Her research background spans urban economics and public finance, with work on subsidized housing and taxation. Bree is driven to make economics learning more engaging, using technology to turn abstract concepts into practical skills. Most recently, she co-created Sifter, a student investment platform that gives student-managed funds real-time portfolio tools, extending a career-long effort to bring meaningful experience into economics education.
Haley Burton
Associate Professor of Finance, Lubbock Christian University
Dr. Haley Burton is an Associate Professor of Finance at Lubbock Christian University, where she teaches courses in investments, corporate finance, financial statement analysis, and personal financial planning. She also serves as faculty advisor for LCU’s Student Investment Group, which provides students with hands-on experience in investment research, security analysis, and portfolio management.
Brad Taylor, CFA
Finance Faculty & Michigan Finance Scholars Magnusson Director
Dr. Brad Taylor is a CFA, CPA and CMA. He has been at Central Michigan University for the past 11 years. Prior to that, he was a Chief Financial Officer for various building products and mining groups and has worked in North America, Europe, several Asian countries and in Africa. He currently is the Director of the Magnusson Michigan Finance Scholars and the Campbell Endowed Professor of Finance. He is the Faculty Advisor on the $4.7 million student managed investment funds.
Doug Nielsen
Associate Professor, McGraw School of Business, Olivet Nazarene University
Professor Nielsen joined Olivet’s full-time faculty in 2016, teaching courses in finance, accounting and statistics. His area of specialty is finance, specifically financial markets and related research. His professional experience includes business management in the restaurant industry.
B. Paul Choi, Ph.D., CPCU
Professor, Department of Finance and Accounting, Howard University School of Business
B. Paul Choi, Ph.D., is a professor in the Department of Finance and Accounting at the Howard University School of Business, where he has served since 2002. A former department chair, he currently serves as Director of the Center for Insurance Education and Howard’s Project ACCLAIM. He has published more than 20 peer-reviewed articles in leading journals, including The Journal of Risk and Insurance and the Journal of Banking & Finance. Dr. Choi has received multiple research awards and grants and serves on the Board of Directors of the Academy of Finance and the editorial boards of Risks and the Journal of Finance Issues. He earned his Ph.D. from Temple University.
Darin Weatherhead
Howard University Student
Darin Weatherhead is originally from Bridgetown, Barbados, and came to the United States to pursue his undergraduate education at Howard University. During his time at Howard, he has been actively involved in several organizations, including the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA), where he currently serves as Chapter President, as well as AltFinance and the HPS Center for Financial Excellence.
Darin has gained experience across accounting, private equity, institutional investing, and investment banking through internships with Deloitte, Pritzker Private Capital, the Howard University Endowment Office, and BMO Capital Markets. Most recently, he interned with BMO Capital Markets as an Investment Banking Summer Analyst on the Debt Capital Markets team, where he received and accepted a full-time offer to return following graduation.
Roderick Batiste
Adjunct Professor, Morehouse College, Project ACCLAIM SIF Faculty
Roderick Batiste is a seasoned financial executive, entrepreneur, and mentor with over 30 years of experience in corporate banking, investment management, and healthcare innovation. He currently serves as Co-Founder and Chief Financial Officer of Shotel Medical, Inc., an orthopedic medical device start-up committed to redefining surgical recovery through innovative implants. In this role, he leads the company’s financial strategy, venture fundraising efforts, and clinical research development.
Prior to co-founding Shotel Medical, Rod spent more than two decades managing institutional investments for the State of Georgia Pension Funds, a $130 billion investment fund, where he oversaw approximately $8 billion in assets, specializing in healthcare and industrial sectors. He has also held senior roles at PINNACLE Investment Advisors and Bank of America, contributing to rapid asset growth, portfolio alpha, and commercial banking success.
Kael Cotton
Senior Investment Analyst, Project ACCLAIM, Morehouse College
Kael Wilhelm Cotton is a senior at Morehouse College pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting. Expected to graduate in May 2027, he maintains a 3.72 GPA and has been recognized as a Howard Thurman Honors Scholar and a Martin Luther King Legacy Scholar. His academic preparation includes financial statement analysis, corporate finance, intermediate accounting, and asset management. Kael has also strengthened his investment research and valuation skills through the Morehouse Finance Academy and the Wellington Management HBCU Stock Pitch Competition, where he helped develop and present an investment thesis on Zoom Video Communications. During the summer of 2026, Kael served as a Summer Investment Analyst with Income Research + Management (IR+M) in Boston. In this role, he supported credit research on corporate and municipal bonds, evaluated portfolio positions, and contributed to investment reports and presentations. His prior experience includes internships with Ernst & Young, Deloitte, and Project Destined, providing exposure to audit, forensics, tax, consulting, financial modeling, and real estate investment analysis. For the 2026-2027 academic year, Kael will serve as a Senior Analyst for the Morehouse College Project ACCLAIM Student Managed Investment Fund.
Jeanean J. Davis-Street
Dean, Ricciardi College of Business, Bridgewater State University
Dr. Jeanean J. Davis-Street serves as the Dean of the Ricciardi College of Business at Bridgewater State University (BSU), where she leads a college with more than 2,000 students, 40 faculty and staff members, and 15 undergraduate and graduate degree and certificate programs. The college includes the Departments of Accounting & Finance, Aviation Science, and Management & Marketing. During her tenure as Dean, Dr. Davis-Street has initiated several innovative programs, including the BSU Student-Managed Investment Fund (SMIF), which manages a portfolio valued at more than $200,000.
Dr. Davis-Street earned dual bachelor’s degrees in Finance and Multinational Business from Florida State University and a Ph.D. in Finance from the University of South Florida. Her research interests include corporate downsizing, employee stock ownership, principal-agent relationships, and socially responsible investing.
She is also actively engaged in community service, with a focus on financial literacy, investment strategies, and nonprofit organizations. She currently serves as treasurer for several nonprofit organizations and provides financial support, investment management, and business mentoring to community and youth organizations.
Peter R. Crabb
Professor of Finance and Economics, Northwest Nazarene University
Dr. Peter R. Crabb is a Professor of Finance and Economics at Northwest Nazarene University (NNU). He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Oregon and an MBA in Finance from the University of Colorado. His research on finance and economics is published in several journals and his opinion pieces have been published around the country. Pete currently serves as NNU’s NCAA Faculty Athletics Representative and advisor to the Student Managed Fund.
Tarek Zaher
SMIFC Managing Director & Co-founder, Professor of Finance, Scott College of Business, Indiana State University
Dr. Zaher is the Managing Director & Co-founder of SMIFC, and president of SMIFC South Corporation. Dr. Zaher has held a number of academic and professional positions with the industry. He is currently Professor of Finance at Scott College of Business, Indiana State University. He also provided consulting services to a number of international institutions including the World Bank, the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan, and the Academy for Educational Development in the United States and the Ministry of Work in Dubai. He has also offered a number of seminars in investment and international financial management at a number of institutions around the world.
Dr. Zaher is Advisor of the Investment Club at Indiana State University. He also manages and supervises other international portfolios for individuals and institutions. Dr. Zaher’s research has been published in numerous prestigious professional and scholarly journals, including the Journal of Financial Research and Journal of Banking and Finance. Dr. Zaher received three research awards from professional conferences and one research certificate of excellence. He was also recognized by the Scott College of Business as the winner of the faculty research award in 2002 and the winner of the exemplary service award in 2004, and received "Under the Buttonwood" award in 2018 for my role in growing the SMIF consortium.