Brian Wrubel

Marquette’s CEO, Brian has been with the firm for over 35 years and serves as the chairman of the firm’s board of directors and executive committee.

Brian Wrubel is the chief executive officer for Marquette Associates and serves as the chairman of the firm’s board of directors and executive committee. An owner of the firm, Brian has been with the company since 1989 and has 37 years of investment consulting experience. As the CEO, he is responsible for ongoing management, including managing the overall operations and resources of the firm and setting the strategy and direction of Marquette. In addition to his management responsibilities, Brian serves as the primary investment consultant on several of the firm’s key relationships. He has been a featured speaker at various industry conferences.

Brian holds a B.A. from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and is a graduate of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business CMI program.

Brian is currently on the board of directors of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Chicago where he serves as board chair. He is also on board of the Francis W. Parker School Investment Committee and the Purple Heart Foundation. Brian is a member of the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans and the Economic Club of Chicago.

Miguel Zarate

Miguel serves on Marquette’s executive committee and leads the firm’s Taft-Hartley practice area.

Miguel Zarate is a managing director for Marquette Associates and serves on the firm’s executive committee. An owner of the firm, Miguel has been with the company since 2011 and has 24 years of investment experience. Miguel leads the Taft-Hartley practice area at Marquette and serves as the primary investment consultant on several of the firm’s relationships.

Miguel joined the firm from Marco Consulting Group, where he served as a senior vice president and senior consultant. At Marco, he was also a member of their management and research committees. Prior to Marco, Miguel worked for a management consulting firm.

He holds a B.A. in economics and business from Cornell College and an M.B.A. in finance from Loyola University Chicago’s Quinlan School of Business.

Brett Christenson, CFA, CFP®

Brett Christenson is a managing director for Marquette Associates. An owner of the firm, Brett has been with the company since 2000 and has 29 years of investment experience. He serves as the lead investment consultant on several of the firm’s relationships, with a focus on public fundTaft-Hartley, and healthcare clients.

Prior to joining Marquette, Brett worked for American Financial Resources, where he provided financial advisory services and quantitative research for clients.

Brett holds a B.A. in agricultural economics from the University of Wisconsin– Madison. He is a CFA® charterholder, a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® practitioner, and a member of the CFA Society of Chicago. Brett serves as president of the board of directors at Second Sense.

 

James R. Wesner, CFA

Jamie is a managing director for Marquette and has over 25 years of investment experience.

James R. Wesner is a managing director for Marquette Associates. An owner of the firm, Jamie has been with the company since 2007 and has 25 years of investment experience. He is a member of the firm’s diversity, equity, and inclusion committee, OCIO committee, and nonprofit services group. Jamie serves as the primary investment consultant on several client relationships.

Prior to joining Marquette, Jamie worked in the debt capital markets division at Banc of America Securities. Prior to Banc of America, he held positions with Nuveen Investments and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Jamie holds a B.B.A. in finance from the University of Notre Dame and an M.B.A. with distinction in finance and international business from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. Jamie is a CFA® charterholder, a member of the CFA Society of Chicago, and a board member for the One Acre Fund.

Dave Smith, CFA

Dave is a managing director at Marquette and leads the firm’s healthcare practice area.

Dave Smith is a managing director for Marquette Associates and serves on the firm’s executive committee. An owner of the firm, Dave has been with the company since 2009 and has 28 years of investment experience. He leads the healthcare practice area at Marquette and is a member of the nonprofit services group. Dave serves as the lead investment consultant on several key client relationships.

Prior to joining Marquette, Dave was a vice president of investor relations at Northern Trust Asset Management where he was responsible for servicing large institutional investors. He began his career at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange with a Eurodollar derivatives trading firm.

Dave holds a B.S. in business administration from the University of Richmond and an M.B.A. in finance from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business.

Dave is a CFA® charterholder and previously served on the board of directors of CFA Society Chicago. He is a member of the Economic Club of Chicago.

Kweku Obed, CFA, CAIA

Kweku chairs the firm’s defined contribution services committee and serves on Marquette’s board of directors.

Kweku Obed is a managing director for Marquette Associates and serves on the firm’s board of directors. An owner of the firm, Kweku has been with the company since 2014 and has 26 years of investment experience. Kweku chairs the firm’s defined contribution services committee and serves as the primary consultant on several client relationships.

Kweku joined the firm from Mercer Investment Consulting, where he served as a principal and senior investment consultant in their Chicago office. His responsibilities included working with defined benefit and defined contribution clients on asset allocation, performance measurement and analysis, investment manager search, and investment policy development. Prior to Mercer, Kweku worked at Merrill Lynch Investment Managers (now part of BlackRock) as an assistant vice president in their tax-exempt fixed income research group.

Kweku holds a B.S. with honors in economics from Queen Mary College, University of London, and an M.S. in development economics from SOAS, University of London. He is a recipient of the Bernard Corry Prize in Economics. Kweku is a CFA® charterholder and a member and former director of CFA Society Chicago. He also holds the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst designation and contributed to the official CAIA textbook, CAIA Level I: An Introduction to Core Topics in Alternative Investments, Second Edition. He is the author of The Stranded Fish: Decision-Making Through the Lens of a Fiduciary, as well as the children’s books Talking About the ABCs of Financial Literacy and Talking About the ABCs of Financial Responsibility. He has contributed two chapters on asset allocation and defined contribution plans to the IFEBP’s Trustee Handbook and he is a frequent speaker at industry conferences.

Kweku is a member of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation Advisory Committee as appointed by the President of the United States. He currently serves on the board of the National Association of Securities Professionals (NASP) and the board of directors for Working in the Schools (“WITS”). He is a member of the Economic Club of Chicago.

 

 

 

Lee H. Martin, Ph.D.

Lee H. Martin is a managing director for Marquette Associates with over 20 years of investment experience and serves on the firm’s board of directors. An owner of the firm, Lee joined the company in 2017 through the merger of Peirce Park Group, where he started working in 2000. He serves as the primary investment consultant on several of the firm’s relationships, with a focus on Taft-Hartley and public funds. Lee is a member of the OCIO committee and works from our Philadelphia office.

Lee’s background in science and engineering provides him a unique perspective and approach to his work with the firm’s investment committee and in his work helping design portfolios to meet client needs. He earned a B.S. in applied chemistry at Swansea University and was awarded his Ph.D. in applied polymer engineering from Loughborough University in the United Kingdom. Lee authored 10 patent applications, which were granted. He is a member of the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans (IFEBP) and serves as president of West Chester United and Penn Fusion Soccer Academy.

Brian Goding

Brian Goding is a managing partner for Marquette Associates and has 38 years of investment experience. An owner of the firm, Brian joined the company in 2013 through the merger with Fiduciary Consultants, Inc., which he joined when it was founded in 1988.  He serves as the primary investment consultant on several client relationships.

Prior to joining Fiduciary Consultants, Brian was in the consulting services division of a major international investment firm, where he worked closely with the trustees of institutional investors such as public employee and jointly-trusteed Taft-Hartley funds. He is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and to professional organizations, presenting on the fundamentals of investment management and fiduciary responsibilities.

Brian earned a B.S. in business administration from the University of Missouri, Columbia. He is a member of the Missouri Association of Public Employee Retirement Systems and the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans (IFEBP).

Doug Oest, CAIA

Doug Oest is a managing partner for Marquette Associates and serves on the firm’s executive committee. An owner of the firm, Doug has been with the company since 2003 and has 23 years of investment experience. He leads the corporate practice area at Marquette and serves as the primary investment consultant on several client relationships. Doug is a member of the firm’s operations committee, IT committee, and nonprofit services group.

Doug earned a B.B.A. in management and finance from the University of Iowa, Iowa City. He holds the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst designation and is a member of the CAIA Association®.

Mike Piotrowski, CAIA

Mike Piotrowski is a managing partner for Marquette Associates. An owner of the firm, Mike has been with the company since 2005 and has 21 years of investment experience. He serves as the primary investment consultant on several of the firm’s client relationships, with a focus on non-profit organizations including health systems, foundations, and endowments. Mike is a co-lead of the firm’s nonprofit services group and a member of the operations committee and OCIO committee.

Prior to joining Marquette, Mike was a financial advisor at Morgan Stanley. He holds a B.A. from Indiana University. Mike holds the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst designation and is a member of the CAIA Association®.