Investor Advisory Committee Members Full Biographies
Officers
Brian L. Schorr, Chair
Partner and Chief Legal Officer
Trian Fund Management, LP
Brian L. Schorr is a Partner and has been Chief Legal Officer and a member of the investment team of Trian Fund Management, L.P. (“Trian Partners”) since November 2005. Schorr oversees Trian Partners’ legal matters. Trian Partners is an investment management firm based in New York City. Trian Partners manages capital for institutional investors, including pension plans, endowments/foundations, sovereign wealth funds, funds of funds and family offices.
Trian seeks to invest in high quality but undervalued and underperforming public companies and to work collaboratively with management teams and boards of those companies to execute operational and strategic initiatives designed to drive long-term sustainable earnings growth for the benefit of all stakeholders. Trian’s Legal Department has been named by The Legal 500 (GC Powerlist) as one of the most influential and innovative in-house legal teams in the United States (2015). From June 1994 through June 2007, Schorr served as Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Triarc Companies, Inc. (now known as The Wendy’s Company), a NYSE listed company with multiple operating businesses. Prior to joining Triarc, Schorr was a partner of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, which he joined in 1982, specializing in mergers and acquisitions, securities regulation and corporate finance.
Schorr received a J.D. from the New York University School of Law and a B.A., magna cum laude, with honors and an M.A. from Wesleyan University. Schorr is a Life Trustee of the New York University School of Law, a Trustee Emeritus of Wesleyan University, a Director of Lawyers for Children, Inc., a member of the Council of Institutional Investors (CII) Corporate Governance Advisory Council and the former Chair of the Corporation Law Committee of The Association of the Bar of the City of New York. Schorr was the Co-Chair of the Joint Bar Association Drafting Committee of the New York Limited Liability Company Law and is the author of Schorr on New York Limited Liability Companies & Partnerships. In addition, Schorr served on the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) Blue Ribbon Commission on Strategy Development (2014).
Colleen Honigsberg, Secretary
Professor of Law and Associate Dean of Curriculum
Stanford Law School
Colleen Honigsberg is a Professor of Law and Associate Dean of Curriculum at Stanford Law School, where her research is focused on the empirical study of corporate and securities law. Her recent papers have examined gaps in the regulatory environment for financial advisors, the effect of usury laws on credit availability, and the incentive structure for auditors. Her research has been featured in major mainstream publications such as the Economist, the Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times, and her scholarship has been published in leading academic journals such as the Journal of Financial Economics, the Journal of Law & Economics, and the Journal of Accounting Research.
Prior to joining the faculty in 2016, Professor Honigsberg received her Ph.D. from Columbia Business School and her J.D. from Columbia Law School. She has expertise in accounting and previously worked as a Certified Public Accountant for PricewaterhouseCoopers Advisory Services and for Compass Lexecon. In addition, she previously served as a Senior Economic Research Fellow with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board.
Brian A. Hellmer, CFA, CIPM, Assistant Secretary
Chief Investment Officer, Mendota Financial Group
Brian A. Hellmer, CFA, CIPM is the Chief Investment Officer at Mendota Financial Group, where he oversees the development and implementation of the firm’s client portfolio solutions, target allocations and risk management.
From 2016-2022, Mr. Hellmer served as the Managing Director of Global Public Market Strategies at SWIB. In that role, Mr. Hellmer oversaw the agency’s internal public market strategy teams that collectively run over $60 billion. Mr. Hellmer was also a member of SWIB’s asset review group, which helped monitor the pension plan’s asset allocation and risk exposure as market conditions evolve. His prior role at SWIB was as Managing Director of Public Equities, which he held from 2016-2019. Mr. Hellmer participates in roundtables or as a keynote speaker at industry conferences, including recent appearances at the World Pension Summit and the Pacific Pension Institute Roundtable.
Prior to his role at SWIB, Mr. Hellmer was the Director of the Hawk Center for Applied Security Analysis at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s School of Business. As part of that role, Mr. Hellmer taught the capstone class for future professional investors where MBA students manage over $50 million. He also oversaw all of the Center’s operations, including admissions, fund-raising, curriculum development and the rest of the center’s teaching staff.
From 1996 to 2009, Mr. Hellmer was a Senior Portfolio Manager and Director of Research at Northern Capital Management, an employee owned high-net worth and institutional investment manager located in Madison, Wisconsin. During his tenure, Mr. Hellmer was co-portfolio manager of a growth fund that was named the Lipper’s “Growth Fund of the Year” in 2000. Prior to his work at Northern Capital, Mr. Hellmer worked for Bank of America’s investment subsidiary in Boston and Hartford as both an analyst and investment strategist. During his time at Bank of America, Mr. Hellmer covered various industries such as Retail, Media & Entertainment, Restaurants, Medical Devices and Financial Services.
Mr. Hellmer is a Chartered Financial Analyst and holds a Certificate in Investment Performance Measurement from CFA Institute. He serves on the Board of CFA Society of Madison and is a past President. In addition to his work for the CFA Society, Mr. Hellmer has served on numerous nonprofit boards and has been active in promoting increased financial literacy. As part of those efforts, he served as the financial consultant to the animated children’s series “Secret Millionaire’s Club” featuring Warren Buffett.
Mr. Hellmer has both a Bachelor of Business Administration and Master of Science degree in finance from University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Wisconsin School of Business and is an alumnus of the school’s Applied Security Analysis Program.
Members
Cambria Allen-Ratzlaff
Chief RI Ecosystems Officer
Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI)
Cambria Allen-Ratzlaff is Chief RI Ecosystems Officer for the Americas and APAC, where she is responsible for leading the PRI’s responsible investment ecosystems teams in these markets. The RI ecosystems teams are responsible for supporting signatories as they progress their responsible investment activities, building communities of responsible investment practice, and supporting productive regulatory efforts to ensure capital markets are fair, transparent and efficient for the protection of investor signatories and their beneficiaries and clients.
Prior to joining PRI, Cambria was Managing Director and Head of Investor Strategies at JUST Capital, overseeing the independent nonprofit’s work in the pensions, investments, and finance industries. From 2011-2022, Cambria was Corporate Governance Director at the UAW Retiree Medical Benefits Trust, where she led the Trust’s liquid markets corporate governance program and oversaw the Trust’s global proxy voting program. Cambria also served in various corporate governance roles in the Office of Connecticut State Treasurer Denise L. Nappier and at the Council of Institutional Investors.
Cambria is Chair Emerita of the Human Capital Management Coalition and sits on the board of the International Foundation for Valuing Impacts. She previously served on the Council of Institutional Investors board. Cambria received her A.B. in Political Science from Bryn Mawr College in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania and her M.A. in Public Policy from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut.
James Andrus
Vice President Public Policy
Franklin Templeton
James leads the Global Sustainability Strategy Team at Franklin Templeton. The team focuses on stewardship, data and research, communications, innovation and impact in product development, and financial policy engagement. James received the 2022 Excellence in Corporate Governance Award from the International Corporate Governance Network (ICGN). He is a member of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board’s Investor Advisory Group, and the IFRS Advisory Council. He also serves as Co-Chair of the Financial Capital Committee of ICGN. James formerly served as a member of the Financial Accounting Standards Advisory Committee. Prior to joining Franklin Templeton, he served as an Interim Managing Investment Director of Sustainable Investing at CalPERS. Before CalPERS, he was a Corporate Partner at the law firm K&L Gates. James is a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law and the United States Military Academy at West Point.
Cristina Martin Firvida
Investor Advocate | U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
Cristina Martin Firvida was appointed as the Investor Advocate and Director of the Office of the Investor Advocate at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in January of 2023.
As the Investor Advocate, Ms. Martin Firvida leads an office that advocates for investors, assists retail investors in interactions with the Commission and with self-regulatory organizations (SROs), analyzing the impact on investors of proposed rules and regulations, identifying problems that investors have with financial service providers and investment products, and proposing legislative or regulatory changes to promote the interests of investors.
Prior to her appointment at the SEC, Ms. Martin Firvida was the Vice President for Financial Security and Livable Communities at AARP, where she oversaw federal and state advocacy on Social Security, pensions, retirement savings, financial services and other aspects of retirement financial security, as well as the federal budget, taxes, labor, housing, telecommunications, utilities, transportation and fraud. She was previously AARP’s Director of Financial Security and Consumer Affairs from 2008 to 2018 after starting as its Senior Legislative Representative in early 2008.
Prior to joining AARP, Ms. Martin Firvida was Director of Government Relations and Senior Counsel at the National Women’s Law Center, a leading research and advocacy organization for women’s equality and economic independence. She also worked at the Children’s Defense Fund as a Women’s Law and Public Policy Fellow at Georgetown University Law Center.
Ms. Martin Firvida earned a J.D. from Cornell Law School and a B.A. from Yale University, is a Member of the District of Columbia Bar, and is bilingual in Spanish.
Ms. Martin Firvida has dedicated her life to advancing the financial security of Americans.
Gina-Gail S. Fletcher
Professor of Law | Duke University School of Law
Gina-Gail S. Fletcher, a scholar of complex financial instruments and market regulation, is a Professor of Law at Duke University School of Law. Professor Fletcher is nationally recognized for her research on financial regulation and market manipulation. Her recent scholarship focuses on the interplay between public regulation and private ordering in balancing financial innovation against market stability and integrity. Her recent scholarship has been published in Yale Law Journal, New York University Law Review, and Vanderbilt Law Review. Professor Fletcher has testified before the U.S. Senate on financial market structure, investor protection, and market integrity.
Professor Fletcher has served as a member of FINRA’s Investor Issues Committee and on the Executive Committee for the American Association of Law Schools Section on Business Associations, Securities Regulation, and Financial Institutions. She was recently a member of the Regenerative Crisis Response Committee, which sought to identify and recommend changes in fiscal, monetary, and financial regulatory policy to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
Prior to joining Duke Law, Professor Fletcher was an Associate Professor at Indiana University Maurer School of Law and a Visiting Assistant Professor at Cornell Law School. Before entering academia, she was an associate at Gibson Dunn & Crutcher in Washington, D.C., where she specialized in securities regulation, mergers and acquisitions, banking, and corporate governance. She received her B.A. magna cum laude from Mount Holyoke College and her J.D. cum laude from Cornell Law School.
Christine Lazaro
Professor of Clinical Legal Education, St. John’s University School of Law
Of Counsel, Law Offices of Brent A. Burns, LLC
Christine Lazaro is a Professor of Clinical Legal Education and Director of the Law School’s Securities Arbitration Clinic. She came to St. John’s in 2007 as the Clinic's Supervising Attorney. She is also a faculty advisor for the Corporate and Securities Law Society. Lazaro holds a B.A. from New York University and a J.D. from Fordham Law School.
After graduating from law school and prior to joining the Securities Arbitration Clinic, Lazaro was an associate at the boutique law firm of Davidson & Grannum, LLP. At the firm, she represented broker-dealers and individual brokers in disputes with clients in both arbitration and mediation. She also handled employment law cases and debt collection cases. Lazaro was the primary attorney in the area of the firm’s practice that dealt with advising broker-dealers regarding investment contracts they had with various municipalities and government entities. Lazaro is also of Counsel to the Law Offices of Brent A. Burns, LLC, where she consults on securities arbitration and regulatory matters.
Lazaro is admitted to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, the United States District Courts for the Southern District of New York, the Eastern District of New York, and the District of New Jersey and the New York and New Jersey State Bars. Lazaro is a member of the New York State and the American Bar Associations, and the Public Investors Advocate Bar Association (“PIABA”). Lazaro is a past President of PIABA and is a member of the Board of Directors. She is also a co-chair of PIABA’s Fiduciary Standards Committee, and is a member of the Executive, Legislation, Securities Law Seminar, and SRO Committees. Lazaro is also the co-chair of the Securities Disputes Committee in the Dispute Resolution Section of the New York State Bar Association. Lazaro serves on the FINRA Investor Issues Advisory Committee and the CFP Board’s Standards Resource Commission. She is also a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of the Securities Arbitration Alert, and occasionally contributes to its newsletter.
Nancy LeaMond
Executive Vice President
Chief Advocacy and Engagement Officer Community, State and National Affairs | AARP
Nancy LeaMond is a nationally recognized leader on health, retirement security and other issues important to older Americans. Her career spans nearly 40 years in the government and nonprofit sectors and as AARP’s chief advocacy and engagement officer, she is responsible for driving the organization’s social mission on behalf of Americans 50-plus and their families.
Ms. LeaMond leads government affairs and legislative campaigns for AARP – widely seen as one of the most powerful advocacy organizations – and oversees AARP’s public education and outreach initiatives designed to help Americans take charge of their health and better plan, work, and save for retirement. Notably, in addition to leading efforts to update Social Security and advocating for other retirement savings initiatives on Capitol Hill and in state legislatures across the country, Nancy’s team of 700 staff and 18,0000 volunteers produce and deliver unbiased tools and information to help people make effective financial decisions.
Ms. LeaMond has been named by The Hill as one of the “Top Lobbyists” every year since 2011. In 2020, Nancy received the first ever Lifetime Achievement award from the Women in Government Relations. The National Institute for Lobbying & Ethics also recently named Nancy one of its 2020 Top Lobbyists. In 2016, she received the What’s Next Boomer Business Innovation Award for Vision, Leadership and Integrity, and she was named one of Next Avenue’s 2017 Influencers in Aging.
Prior to AARP, she served as the chief of staff and assistant U.S. trade representative for congressional affairs at the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR). In this role, she oversaw operations and management of the 200-person agency. She coordinated public affairs, private sector outreach, policy development and legislative strategy for the enactment of landmark trade legislation. She successfully managed legislative efforts that helped secure passage of major presidential legislative initiatives, including the North American Free Trade Agreement, the Uruguay Round (GATT) and China MFN. She worked extensively on health care and pension issues before entering the trade field, beginning her career in the Public Health Service, the Medicaid program and the Department of Commerce. She served in the Office of Management and Budget, the Department of Education and later on Capitol Hill as chief of staff to a senior member of Congress in the Democratic leadership. In addition, she served for five years as president of the Congressional Economic Leadership Institute, a nonprofit and nonpartisan forum for education and dialogue with members of Congress on economic competitiveness and trade issues.
Ms. LeaMond holds a bachelor's degree from Smith College and a master's degree in public policy and city planning from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. She is a former trustee of Smith College and currently serves as a member of the KB Home National Advisory Board on home and community development and as a member of the United States Conference of Mayors Business Council Steering Committee.
Andrew Park
Senior Policy Analyst
Americans for Financial Reform
Andrew Park is a Senior Policy Analyst at Americans for Financial Reform where he leads the organization's work around non-bank financial institutions such as hedge funds and private equity firms. He also leads the work around many of the various debt and equity instruments that are issued in conjunction with non-bank financial institutions. Park was previously a financial journalist for seven years covering a range of areas such as corporate debt, leveraged finance, securitization, collateralized loan obligations (CLOs), and residential mortgage backed securities. Park began his career at a major investment management firm.
Park has testified in front of the House Financial Services Committee on Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) and has been quoted in several publications on a number of issues related to both financial policy and investor protection. Park received his Bachelor's in Science degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from George Washington University.
Sandra J. Peters, CPA, CFA
Senior Head, Global Financial Reporting Policy | CFA Institute
Sandra Peters leads the Financial Reporting Policy Group at CFA Institute where she oversees a team responsible for tracking all financial reporting issues of interest to investors. She serves as spokesperson for CFA Institute to financial reporting standard setters and regulators including the IASB, FASB, and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and conducts outreach to other professional organizations and the media to discuss and promote financial reporting policies.
Ms. Peter’s has an extensive and well-balanced background as a user advocate, preparer, and auditor. Most recently, Sandy served as Vice President and Corporate Controller at MetLife Inc. Prior to joining MetLife, she was a partner at KPMG LLP providing audit services primarily for insurance and financial services companies.
She is currently a member of the IFRS Interpretation’s Committee (IFRS IC), the PCAOB’s Standing Advisory Group, and the SEC’s Investor Advisory Committee.
Sandy is a CPA licensed in New York, Texas, and Nebraska. She earned the CFA designation in 1998 and is a member of the CFA Society of New York. She holds a Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Arts in Accounting from the University of Nebraska and an Master of Business Administration in Finance from Indiana University.
Dr. David Rhoiney, D.O.
Staff Surgeon, U.S. Navy
United States Naval Academy graduate, former two-sport NCAA Division 1 athlete, applied mathematician, cryptologist, cyber security specialist, and robotic general surgeon all before the age of 35, Dr. David Rhoiney arose from poverty and homelessness as a child to create a type of success that serves as a blueprint for others to follow. Dr. David is a passionate advocate for the voiceless who uses his life experience and talents to help others navigate the complexities of life and achieve their dreams. His life’s mission is to leave a lasting legacy that helps decrease the wealth gap and ease the barriers to a successful life that exists in the United States.
Paul F. Roye
Retired, Former Senior Vice President and Senior Counsel, Fund Business Management Group
Capital Research and Management Company
In January 2022, Paul retired from Capital Research and Management Company (“Capital”), headquartered in Los Angeles, CA. Capital is one of the largest asset managers in the world with over $3.6 trillion under management. Until his retirement, Paul served as a member of the firm’s Executive Committee and Board of Directors. In these roles, he was involved in key strategic, policy- making and governance matters for a company that is a market leader in the competitive and rapidly changing investment management industry. He also served as Chief Legal Officer for the American Family of Mutual Funds – one of the largest mutual fund complexes in the United States. In this role, his responsibilities included all federal securities law matters and reporting. As a member of legal management, he coordinated legal support of all business units as well as risk management, compliance, government relations and regulatory matters for the firm. He also served as a Board Member and Principal Executive Officer of various American Funds, coordinating oversight and management of services to the funds. As Senior Vice President in the Fund Business Management Group, he oversaw mutual fund administrative operations and the fund board governance process. In addition to serving on various firm committees, he was co-founder of the Capital Associates of African Decent, an employee/business resource group which has been instrumental in advancing Capital’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.
Prior to joining Capital, Paul served as the Director of the Division of Investment Management at the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). He was the first African American to head a major division of the SEC. During his over six years as a Director at the SEC, he worked for three SEC Chairmen (Levitt, Pitt and Donaldson). In this role, he was among the most senior financial service regulators in the United States with principal oversight for the Investment Management Industry. He lead numerous initiatives to strengthen and enhance the investment management regulatory regime at a critical time in the history of the industry. These initiatives included: strengthening the corporate governance regime for mutual funds; enhancing ethical standards for mutual funds and investment advisers; requiring that funds and advisers adopt comprehensive compliance policies and procedures and designate a chief compliance officer; improving disclosure of fund fees and expenses, conflicts, portfolio holdings, investment results and proxy voting policies. He also represented the Agency in hearings conducted by Congressional committees. As a result of his outstanding service, Paul received the SEC Chairman’s Award of Excellence, the highest honor that can be bestowed upon an SEC staff member.
Prior to joining the SEC as Investment Management Division Director, Paul was a partner with the global law firm, Dechert LLP, based in Washington, D.C. He was a member of the firm’s financial services, investment management and corporate securities practice groups. His practice involved providing advice and assistance to a wide variety of domestic and foreign investment companies, as well as investment advisers, investment company directors, fund administrators, broker-dealers, banks, trust companies and insurance companies.
After graduating from the University of Michigan Law School, Paul began his legal career as an attorney in the Investment Management Division of the SEC. Paul obtained his undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College where he majored in Government.
Paul is a recognized expert in investment management and securities law, an author of numerous articles and publications and has been a frequent speaker and panelists at industry events and conferences. He co-chaired the annual Investment Management Institute program sponsored by the Practising Law Institute from 2005 – 2020. He was appointed to serve a 4-year term on the SEC’s Investor Advisory Committee mandated by Congress. He currently serves on the Investor Issues Committee of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. His non-profit activities include serving on the Board of Directors of the FINRA Investor Education Foundation, the Securities and Exchange Commission Alumni Association, Friends of the Legal Resources Centre of South Africa (a public interest law firm) and working with the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the University of Michigan.
Paul Sommerstad
Partner | Cerity Partners
Paul Sommerstad is a Partner in the Cerity Partner’s Retirement Plan Services Group. He has more than 15 years of experience in the retirement plan industry and specializes in helping organizations understand how plan design can improve their employees’ ability to successfully retire and how proper governance can limit personal fiduciary liability. Paul has worked with a variety of public, private and nonprofit organizations providing them with proven strategies that have resulted in improved outcomes for thousands of retirement plan participants. He is an ardent researcher of behavioral economics and prides himself in using plain language to help plan committees and participants accomplish their goals and objectives.
Prior to joining Cerity Partners, Paul was a Senior ERISA Consultant with Blue Prairie Group where his expertise in vendor negotiations resulted in lower total plan and administrative costs and improved service levels for institutional clients of all sizes. Paul earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Financial Management from the University of St. Thomas – Opus School of Business. He also holds the Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF®), Certified Behavioral Finance Analyst (CBFA) and Qualified Plan Financial Consultant (QPFC) designations.
Leslie Van Buskirk
Administrator | Division of Securities, State of Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions
Leslie Van Buskirk was appointed the Administrator of the Division of Securities at the State of Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) in 2016. She joined the Division of Securities’ Enforcement Bureau as an attorney in 2002, and was promoted to attorney supervisor in 2008. Before joining DFI, Van Buskirk was in private practice for more than twelve years at a Milwaukee civil litigation law firm. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and her law degree from Marquette University.
Joanne Yoo
Partner | Development Partners International
Joanne Yoo is a Partner at Development Partners International (DPI), a leading venture capital and private equity investment firm with over $3 billion under management targeting high growth, impact-driven and innovation-led companies in emerging markets. Ms. Yoo serves on various Advisory Boards and Investment Committees, including the endowment of the Executive Leadership Council. In 2020, Ms. Yoo was appointed by the Chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to the Investor Advisory Committee. Ms. Yoo is serving on the Executive Committee and Board of Directors of PEWIN (Private Equity Women Investor Network), representing over $3 trillion in assets under management. In 2023, Ms. Yoo was recognised with the inaugural Pensions & Investments Influential Women in Institutional Investing award. Ms. Yoo received a B.S. in Commerce with concentrations in Finance and International Business from the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia; a Masters in Public Administration from the Kennedy School at Harvard University, where she currently serves on the Dean’s Council; and an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School, where she was awarded a Morgan Stanley Fellowship.”
Last Reviewed or Updated: June 27, 2024