Marquette Announces Retirement of Nichole Roman-Bhatty

December 31, 2023

Effective December 31, 2023, Marquette is proud to announce the retirement of one of our longest-tenured and most-beloved consultants, Nichole Roman-Bhatty, CIMA^®. Nichole joined Marquette in 1998 and has spent over 25 years growing with the firm, from an analyst to a managing director and member of the firm’s board of directors.

Nichole started her career as a credit manager at Norwest Financial, which was merged into Wells Fargo in 1998. She became Marquette’s 10^th investment professional on staff when she was hired, at a time when the role of analyst overlapped performance analysis, client service, research, and manager search.  When Nichole started at Marquette the firm had just 60 clients with $11 billion in assets under advisement. She was promoted to senior analyst in 2001 and to consultant in 2002, and she became an owner of the firm in 2008. During her time here, she also earned an M.B.A. with honors from the University of Notre Dame and the Certified Investment Management Analyst^® certification. Her impact on our client service offerings is nearly impossible to capture but includes founding the firm’s Defined Contribution Services Group and leading our approach to sustainable investing and ultimately founding the Sustainable Investing Group in 2013.  Nichole also provided the original idea and impetus for Marquette’s client symposium, first held in 2013, and oversaw the religious services practice area, now helmed by Aimee O’Connor. Nichole’s leadership truly embodies our firm’s cultural commitment to proactive service, attentiveness, and honest and transparent communication.

Outside of our walls, Nichole has been an active voice in the industry and in our community. She is known for her involvement with Chicago’s Julia Center, an immigrant outreach center in the West Town neighborhood, and currently serves as its vice president. She is also a longtime board member of the Defined Contribution Institutional Investment Association (DCIIA), a member of the National Association of Securities Professionals (NASP), and a member of the Chicago Finance Exchange. She was formerly the president of Women Investment Professionals, Chicago and has spoken at countless conferences and events. Nichole has been a mentor to many of our analysts and consultants over the years, as well as a role model to women in the investment industry at large.

We are so grateful for her contributions to Marquette over her 25-year career with us and wish her all the best in this next chapter. Thank you, Nichole — well done, and well-deserved.

Contact:
Melissa Gyurcsik, Managing Partner, Director of Marketing