Featured speakers

Eric Balchunas is an analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence focused on exchange-traded funds.

Mr. Biegeleisen is a member of the investment committee. He served with Steve Cucchiaro on the investment committees for both Windward and Windhaven Investment Management, Inc. His research effort is focused on discovering and exploring the interconnectedness of the global capital markets through quantitative and qualitative analyses, including utilizing machine learning algorithms. He is experienced in investment modeling, implementing efficient trading practices and has significant ETF industry experience. Prior to joining 3EDGE, Mr. Biegeleisen was the Director of Quantitative Research and Portfolio Manager at Beaumont Capital Management. He was the Chief Investment Officer and Portfolio Manager of Broadmeadow Capital, LLC an investment firm which he co-founded in 2014. Prior to this, he worked for Windhaven Investment Management as a Senior Investment Analyst and then Director of Research, leading the firm’s quantitative modeling, product due diligence and portfolio structuring. Before joining the investment industry, Mr. Biegeleisen was an engineer for General Dynamics and Textron, working to develop next-generation communications and defense solutions. Mr. Biegeleisen has a BS in electrical engineering from Trinity College in Hartford, CT, an MS in electrical engineering from the University of Southern California, and an MBA from Boston University’s Questrom School of Business. He became a CFA® charterholder in 2011 and is an active member of the CFA Society Boston.

Allison Bonds Mazza is a Senior Managing Director of State Street Investment Management, the fourth largest asset manager in the world, and Head of US Wealth. In this role, Allison is responsible for defining and leading State Street Investment Management's distribution strategy, including management of the external, internal and hybrid sales teams, as well as the national accounts, home office research, model portfolio and defined contribution teams, across all intermediary and direct retail channels. In addition, she serves as President of State Street Global Advisors Funds Distributors, LLC, and is a member of State Street Investment Management's Executive Management Group and State Street's Operating Group. Prior to her current role, Allison was Head of Private Wealth Management and Independent Wealth Management, leading the sales and national accounts teams across the wirehouse, regional broker dealer, independent broker dealer, private bank and RIA channels. Previously, she served in a succession of increasingly senior leadership roles, beginning with Private Wealth Regional Director, Western Divisional Director for the Independent Wealth Management Channel and finally Head of the Private Wealth Management Channel. She joined State Street Investment Management in 2008 as a Regional Consultant in Southern California. Before joining State Street Investment Management, Allison spent eight years with Prudential Investments where she held a number of client-facing positions, most recently Senior Vice President and Western Divisional Sales Manager for PGIM mutual funds and separately managed accounts (SMAs). Allison is a graduate of Cornell University, where she received a B.S. in marketing. She has earned the Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA®) designation as well as the Certified Private Wealth Advisor (CPWA®) designation. Allison is a founding member of the Southern California Chapter of Women in ETFs and maintains her FINRA Series 7, 66, 9, 10 and 24 licenses.

J. Keith Buchanan, CFA, joined GLOBALT in March 2019 and started in the investment management industry in 2005. Prior to joining GLOBALT, Mr. Buchanan held the role of Chief Investment Officer and Principal of Invictus Capital Investors. Mr. Buchanan has also served as Portfolio Manager for Value strategies at Herndon Capital Management and Portfolio Manager at The Retirement Systems of Alabama.   Mr. Buchanan earned his BS in Investment Management Finance from the University of Alabama and an MBA from Auburn University Montgomery. He is a member of the CFA Institute, the Atlanta Society of Finance and Investment Professionals, and the Culverhouse College of Business Board of Visitors at the University of Alabama.

As Chief Marketing Officer, David Buzo leads all marketing strategy, branding, and execution efforts for Independent Advisor Alliance. His primary mission has been two-fold: strengthening the IAA brand to support recruiting efforts and partnering with advisors to leverage IAA's services and grow their individual practices. David brings extensive leadership experience from firms including LPL Financial, MetLife, and MassMutual. He earned his B.S. in Marketing from the University of Toledo and his MBA from the University of Arizona.

Kirsten Chang is a Senior Industry Analyst at VettaFi. She previously worked at CNBC for over ten years as a Markets Producer on the New York Stock Exchange. In that role, she collaborated with Bob Pisani on market coverage and helped launch CNBC's "ETF Edge" show, podcast, and newsletter. Before that, she worked on CNBC's "Squawk Box," where she booked and pre-interviewed various financial leaders.

Marguerita (Rita) Cheng helps educate the public, policy makers, and media about the benefits of competent, ethical financial planning. As a Certified Financial Planner® professional Rita helps people meet their life goals through the proper management of financial resources. She is passionate about helping them navigate some of life’s most difficult issues—divorce, death, career changes, caring for aging relatives—so they can feel confident and in control of their finances. Rita is a regular columnist for Kiplinger and MarketWatch, and a past spokesperson for the AARP Financial Freedom Campaign. Rita volunteers her time as a SoleMate, or charity runner for Girls on the Run, raising money for scholarships for girls.

John Davi has over 25 years of experience spanning across Macro ETF Strategy, Quantitative Research & Portfolio Construction. Before starting Astoria, he was the head of Morgan Stanley’s Institutional ETF Content and advised many of the world’s largest hedge funds and asset managers on ETF portfolio construction. John published hundreds of reports in his research career across a variety of topics from ETFs, indices, futures, and structured products. John’s research has been recognized and featured in ETF.com, ETFTrends.com, Institutional Investor Magazine and he is a regular contributor to CNBC, Bloomberg, and other media outlets.

Aakash is Global Head of Gold for the SPDR ETF business. He manages strategists in North America and APAC and is responsible for the investment outlook, thematic research, and go-to-market product strategy for the SSIM gold ETF suite. He interacts daily with clients, sales leadership, distribution channels, marketing, and fund sponsors. In addition, he collaborates extensively across the investments franchise in the macro, commodities, and alternatives space to provide thought leadership, client insights, and market updates. Prior to joining State Street Investment Management, Aakash spent over 13 years in the institutional sell-side research division at Citigroup, most recently as Head of Commodities Strategy for the Americas. He previously worked in credit derivatives trading at UBS Investment Bank, Asset Management Sales at Alliance-Bernstein, and began his career on the Short-Term Interest Rates Trading desk at GMAC. Aakash holds a Masters in Energy Economics, with distinction, from Columbia University.

Nate is President of NovaDius Wealth Management, an ETF-focused registered investment advisor providing comprehensive wealth management. He also hosts the weekly podcasts “ETF Prime” and “Crypto Prime”, is Co-Founder of The ETF Institute, and offers ETF perspectives at The ETF Educator blog. Nate regularly contributes to major financial media outlets including Bloomberg, CNBC, Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Barron’s.

Chris is a portfolio manager and strategist at Simplify. He has spent his entire 25-plus-year career focused on Emerging Markets (EM). Starting with Fidelity Investments in the mid-1990s, he helped to design and build the firm’s risk management and analytical tools, enabling clients to harness the return potential of what was then a poorly understood and niche fixed income market. He was also the primary analyst responsible for fundamental coverage of myriad EM countries.  Subsequently, he joined Pacific Investment Management Co. (PIMCO) as an Emerging Markets Strategist where he spearheaded the building of the world’s largest Emerging Markets Debt (EMD) franchise. During his time there, he was responsible for engaging clients over a wide range of geographies and industries to help them understand the potential benefits of EMD in their portfolios, launching new products, and leading a revamp of the firm’s EM investment process amid persistently weak performance. Most recently, he was a Director on Lazard Asset Management’s EMD team.  Chris holds an MBA from the Carroll School of Management at Boston College and a degree in History from Canisius College (now University). He is also a CFA charter holder. In his spare time, he enjoys playing guitar poorly.

Roxanna Islam, CFA, CAIA, is the Head of Sector and Industry Research at VettaFi and an author at ETF Trends. She has over 12 years of experience in the investment industry with in-depth knowledge of macro trends, transportation, logistics, and electric vehicle industries. In her role at VettaFi, she is responsible for research on the ETF market, focusing on sector, industry, and thematic ETFs. Her commentary has been featured in various publications.

Elisabeth Kashner, CFA, serves as Director of Global Funds Research at FactSet. Elisabeth manages FactSet’s Funds Analytics, providing classifications, ratings, and analytical data. Elisabeth’s though leadership covers industry microstructure and investor behavior. Elisabeth holds a BA from Brown University and a Masters in Financial Analysis from the University of San Francisco. Elisabeth is proud of her work with Women in ETFs, where she currently serves as a board member and as US co-secretary, and previously served as the founding co-head of the Speakers’ Bureau and San Francisco chapter.

Dodd Kittsley is National Director at Davis Advisors, an independent, employee‐owned investment management firm founded in 1969. His responsibilities include managing the firm’s relationship team with advisors as well as leading the ETF business. Dodd was previously Head of ETF Strategy for DWS, Global Head of ETP Research for BlackRock and Head of Due Diligence for iShares. At BGI, he was responsible for providing thought leadership on ETF product and industry related insights. Mr. Kittsley has also held research and fund due diligence positions at State Street Global Advisors and Morgan Stanley, where he helped build one of the first independent ETF research teams in the industry. He has published extensively and is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and in the media. Mr. Kittsley earned a B.A. degree from Hamilton College and a Master’s degree from University of Houston. He holds various U.S. securities licenses, serves on FINRA’s continuing education committee and is on the editorial board for the Journal of Beta Investment Strategies. He received the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®) designation and is a member of CFA® Institute.

Todd Mathias is the Head of U.S. ETF Product Strategy & Development and is responsible for the overall vision of Franklin Templeton’s U.S. ETF platform. Todd’s team is responsible for product design, range management, and influencing product communications. With more than 18 years of industry experience, Todd partners with clients in understanding technical aspects across our ETF offerings, competitive positioning, and portfolio implementation considerations. Todd is also responsible for providing industry thought leadership and is a regular speaker at conferences and events. Prior to joining Franklin Templeton in 2016, Todd spent 6 years at BlackRock as an ETF Product Strategist based in both San Francisco and London. He partnered with distribution teams to differentiate more technical products, inclusive of the global smart beta suite.

Zeno Mercer is the Lead Research Analyst at ROBO Global, which is now part of TMX Group. He leads a team that focuses on high-impact research in innovative equities and emerging technologies. He has over a decade of experience in research, due diligence, growth strategy, and partnership development across enterprise SaaS, healthcare, artificial intelligence, and robotics.