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STEVEN KENNY
Senior Manager, Investment Portfolio Management
AXIUS FINANCIAL
Steven joined the AXIUS Financial team in 2016 as a Senior Investment Analyst and has grown in the company to a Senior Manager. He has been involved in the financial industry since 1982, with over 35 years of experience. As a Senior Manager, Steven works with the Investment Committee to design Client Portfolios. In addition, he performs construction analysis, attribution analysis, investment research, handles all trade executions, meets with clients and writes the morning research call.
Prior to Axius, Steven was a Portfolio Manager for PNC Investments, Waddell & Reed and Wells Fargo Advisors, where he was co-manager of $100 million book of assets.
He was also the Vice President/Senior Equity Strategist for Thomson Reuters/Bridge Trading, where he provided market analysis and commentary daily via written research and Squawk Box to clients around the world to demonstrate value proposition and deepen client relationships. He was a former CNBC guest commentator and provided on-demand commentary for Bertha Combs.
Steven graduated from Maryville University with a degree in Marketing and Business Management. While at school he discovered his passion for the financial industry. He has continued his education and has attained FINRA Series 3, 4, 7, 15, 16, 63 and 66 licenses to best care for his clients, as well as CFA level 2 candidate.
He is a member of the CFA Society St. Louis and serves as the Society’s Communications Committee Chair.
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RYAN TOMLINSON, CFA
Senior Portfolio Manager
U. S. BANK
As a Senior Portfolio Manager, Ryan delivers investment services to help clients work toward their goals. Ryan uses his experience to establish an integrated investment approach, offering asset allocation strategies and recommendations based on short- and long-term financial objectives, financial status and risk profiles. Ryan began his career in the banking and financial services industry in 2006. Prior to joining U.S. Bank Private Wealth Management, Ryan worked as a Portfolio Manager at Wells Fargo Investment Institute – Global Portfolio Management. In addition to portfolio management, his professional background includes working as a financial advisor and an investment research analyst. Ryan is an active member of the community and has served as a tutor through the St. Louis Public Schools, serving under-privileged students. He has also volunteered with Big Brothers and Sisters of Eastern Missouri to help mentor at-risk children. Ryan resides in Brentwood, Missouri with his wife and two children. When he is not at work, he enjoys rock climbing and fishing.
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TIMOTHY WESTRICH, CFA
Principal & Senior Investment Consultant – St. Louis
MERCER INVESTMENTS
Timothy advises numerous endowment and foundation clients with assets ranging from $100 million to $2.7 billion in the areas of asset allocation and manager selection.
Prior to joining Mercer, Timothy served as a Consultant at Hammond Associates also advising not-for-profit clients. He has also worked as an Analyst in the Investment Banking department at A.G. Edwards focusing on public and private real estate transactions and as an Analyst in the Public Finance department at Edward Jones.
Timothy holds a Bachelor’s degree in Finance/Banking and Real Estate from the University of Missouri and a Series 3 National Commodity Futures License.
He has earned the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and is a member of the CFA Institute. He also serves as Treasurer of the CFA Society St. Louis.
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SI CHEN, CFA
Principal Data Scientist
FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF ST. LOUIS
Si Chen leads and manages a team of data scientists that identifies and develops advanced analytics solutions for clients to improve various business outcome indicators.
Before joining the Federal Reserve Bank, she was a tenured Associate Professor at Murray State University in Kentucky.
Si holds a Ph.D. degree in Operations Research from University of Maryland’s R.H. Smith Business School, where she currently holds an Adjunct Professor position in their MBA program.
Si is also a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Charterholder and serves as Secretary on the board of CFA Society St. Louis.
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Board Bios
KATHLEEN (KAT) MCGRATH, CFA
Senior Lead Investment Analyst
GLOBAL MANAGER RESEARCH (GMR)
Kathleen “Kat” McGrath is a senior lead investment analyst for Global Manager Research (GMR), a division of Wells Fargo Investment Institute. The GMR team conducts due diligence and provides research on the third-party money managers used throughout Wells Fargo’s brokerage, private banking, family wealth, and retirement businesses.
In her role, Kat covers Emerging Markets and Asia equity managers as well as leads ESG initiatives within GMR. Prior to joining Wells Fargo in 2022, Kat worked at Asset Consulting Group (ACG) as a vice president on the global equity manager research team, focused on US Small-to-Mid Cap equity managers, and spearheaded the firm’s ESG efforts. Prior to ACG, Kat worked at WallachBeth Capital, Leerink Swann, Susquehanna Investment Group, and Stifel Nicolaus as a sell-side analyst covering the Medical Device and Equipment industries.
Kat earned a BS in Business Economics and Finance with a minor in Mathematics from Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville. She holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and the CFA Institute Certificate in ESG Investing. She has held the positions of Vice President (2020-2021) and President (2021-2023) with the CFA Society of St. Louis.
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MEGAN ST JOHN, CFA
Director – Analytics Consulting
EDWARD JONES
Megan focuses on partnering with senior leaders across the firm to leverage the full power of data and analytics for the benefit of our clients, branch teams, and firm.
Megan began her career at Edward Jones in the summer of 2005 as in intern in the Equity Trading department. Upon graduating, she was hired as an equity trader for the firm. In 2008, she became the Best Execution Analyst for the firm, and in 2010, she became a member of the Mutual Fund Research department. Megan held various roles within Mutual Fund Research including helping to create Bridge
Builder funds, manage Advisory Solutions models, create portfolio construction guidance, and lead the firm's ETF Research Advice and Guidance in both the U.S. and Canada. In 2018, she became the Senior Manager of the People Analytics team within Firm Analytics.
Megan graduated Summa Cum Laude from St. Louis University in 2005 with dual Bachelor’s degrees in
finance and economics. In addition, she holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and is a member of the CFA Institute. She currently sits on the CFA Society St. Louis board of directors and is a CFA Liaison to Women In Investment Management.
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C. KEVIN MOORE
Consultant
ASSET CONSULTING GROUP
Kevin works closely with both institutional and private investor clients. His primary responsibilities include asset allocation analysis, portfolio construction, investment policy development and review, investment manager searches and due diligence, portfolio analysis, implementation and rebalancing, and performance evaluation.
Prior to this role, he was part of the ACG's Research Team. Kevin worked as a summer intern at ACG before joining them full-time.
He graduated from the University of Dayton with a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance.
Kevin is a holder of the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and a member of the CFA Institute. He is also a member of and the Education/University Relations Committee Chair of the CFA Society St. Louis.
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BLAKE EMERSON, CFA
Head of Investments & Advice – Missouri
Executive Director
J. P. MORGAN PRIVATE BANK
In his role, Blake works with high net-worth individuals and families to dvelop and deliver customized, long-term investment strategies. He also serves in a leadership capacity within the St. Louis office, partnering closely with the Office Team Lead to grow the firm’s presence throughout a five-state region.
Blake joined the St. Louis team in march 2015 after spending five years working with families in the firm’s New York City office. He has been heavily involved within the firm on a national level, having served recently as a member of the U.S. Private Bank Advisory Council.
Blake is actively involved in the St. Louis community, serving as a member of the University of Michigan alumni association and serves on CFA Society St. Louis board of directors.
He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business. He earned his CFA designation in 2015 and also holds Series 7, 9, 10 and 63 FINRA licenses.
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GAURANGO BANERJEE, PH.D., CFA
Professor of Finance,
Plaster School of Business & Entrepreneurship
LINDENWOOD UNIVERSITY
Dr. Banerjee is originally from India, and received a Bachelor’s of Engineering and Economics in the dual degree program at BITS Pilani, India. Subsequently, he completed a Master’s and Doctorate program in the Finance and Economics Department at the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa. After completing his Doctoral program, he taught at the University of Texas at Brownsville for 14 years before joining Lindenwood University in St. Louis in 2013. During his tenure at the University of Texas, he completed the requirements for the Chartered Financial Analyst program, and received the CFA designation. He has served as a Faculty Advisor for the CFA Research Challenge student team at Lindenwood University since 2016. In July 2021, Dr. Banerjee was appointed to the Board of Directors at the CFA Society St. Louis.
He has published his research in over 15 peer-reviewed journals in his field, and his current research interests lie in Risk Management and Corporate Governance issues. He has taught a wide variety of finance courses, including Corporate Finance, Investments, and seminars in Finance, Derivatives and Fixed Income Securities at the undergraduate and graduate level.
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JOAN HECKER
Executive Director
CFA Society St. Louis (CFA STL)
As Executive Director, Joan Hecker handles the administration of CFA Institute policies and procedures at the local level to serve CFA STL’s Greater St. Louis Area membership. She is the staff liaison to the CFA STL board as well as its many committees. Joan manages all of the Society’s office tasks including planning and implementing all CFA STL industry and public events; member acquisition and renewals; accounts payable and receivable; and the Society’s internal and external communications.
Joan is the President of Association Business Services, LLC, which provides association management services to a variety of small trade and community associations around the region. She has more than 14 years of experience in Association Management and is a member of the American Society of Association Executives. She serves on task forces and committees for a variety of association management organizations.
A life-long St. Louis resident, Joan also lends her time and support to several local community organizations, including Rotary Club of St. Louis, German American Heritage Society and Humane Society of Missouri.
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