Client Board for Student-Run Fund

Corey Schieler '97, CFA® – Client Board member since: 1997

Corey Schieler, CFA®, is a director of venture capital investments at State Farm Insurance Companies in Bloomington, Illinois.

Corey joined State Farm in 1997 in the equity unit of the State Farm Department as a Stock Investment Analyst. In 2007, he moved to the Mutual Funds Department and was responsible for product development, product management, and oversight of the retail mutual fund offerings and the company's internal and external investment managers and also managed the Investment Research area. In 2019, he was part of the Fixed Income unit and had analytical coverage across a diverse range of industries in the Private Placement group. He joined State Farm Ventures in 2020.

A native of central Illinois, Corey received a B.A. in Risk Management & Economics from IWU in 1997. In 2002, Corey earned the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®) designation. In 2003, he completed his MBA at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business with a concentration in Accounting & Finance. Corey also serves as a wish granter for the Illinois Chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation since 2010.

Blake Mier '96, CFP® – Client Board member since: 2007

Managing Principal
Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network, LLC

Blake has worked as a financial advisor for Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network, LLC and its predecessors since 1998. He works with individuals, businesses, trusts, and foundations to develop and implement investment strategies that are consistent with their goals. He graduated from Illinois Wesleyan in 1996 with a degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance. He enjoys being a part of the client board for Portfolio Management because he took the class in 1995 and feels that it led him directly to a successful and fulfilling career.

As a Client Board member for Illinois Wesleyan University's Portfolio Management course, I act in a completely separate role from my position as a Financial Advisor at Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network, LLC. Investment products and services are offered through Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network, LLC (WFAFN), Member SIPC, a registered broker-dealer and non-bank affiliate of Wells Fargo & Company. WFAFN uses the trade name Wells Fargo Advisors.

Bryan Crabtree '97, CFP® – Client Board member since: 2007

Financial Advisor, Crabtree Financial

Bryan is a financial advisor with Crabtree Financial Services, LLC. He helps clients develop a comprehensive plan to achieve their financial goals. He holds his Certified Financial Planner certification and graduated from Illinois Wesleyan where he majored in business administration with a minor in risk management and financial services. After graduation, Bryan played professional basketball in Europe for seven years. Upon returning, he started his career as an investment representative with Edward Jones. He remained there for five years before leaving to start Crabtree Financial Services in 2009. Bryan resides in Normal with his wife and three daughters. His hobbies include playing basketball, golf, and spending time with his family.

Chris Haag, CFA® – Client Board member since: 2011

Vice President, Portfolio manager, The Commerce Trust Company

Chris Haag, CFA®, is a portfolio manager with The Commerce Trust Company, providing investment advice and portfolio management services in the Bloomington and Peoria markets. Prior to joining Commerce Bank in 2004, he managed Bardin Financial Services, a large investment advisory firm that catered to high-net-worth individuals. Chris was also employed by Harris Trust & Savings Bank from 1991-1996 as a securities lending trader, assisting in the loaning of domestic equities, corporate debt, and international securities. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree (Computer Science) in 1985 and his Master of Business Administration in 1987 from Bradley University.

Christine Dierker '01, – Client Board member since: 2014

South Central Team Lead – Real Estate, State Farm Insurance

Christine Dierker is the South Central Team Leader in the State Farm Real Estate and Mortgage area of the State Farm Investment Department. After graduating Illinois Wesleyan University in 2001 with a Risk Management major, Christine began her career as an Equity Analyst in the State Farm Investment Department focused on retail companies. In 2003, she moved to Real Estate and focused on commercial lending across the United States. Additionally, she handles intern and full time recruiting in her division of the Investment Department. Christine completed her MBA at Illinois State University in 2008 and the Chartered Financial Consultant designation in 2011. A central Illinois native, Christine is married with three small children and is a member of the Board of Directors at McLean County Dance Association.

Jon Wilson, CFA® '01, – Client Board member since: 2017

Investment Professional – Equities, State Farm Insurance

Jon Wilson, CFA®, is an Investment Professional in the Equity area of State Farm Insurance's Investment Department. Jon focuses on researching and investing in healthcare, chemical, and industrial companies. He graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University in 2001 with a double major in Biology and Business Administration. Following graduation, Jon joined State Farm as an equity analyst. Jon earned the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®) designation in 2004 and completed his MBA at the University Of Chicago Graduate School Of Business in 2005.

Jennifer Armstrong '95, – Client Board member since: 2017

Jennifer Armstrong is a Certified Public Accountant licensed to practice in the State of Illinois. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Illinois Wesleyan University, and a Master's Degree from Illinois State University. Her professional career includes income tax planning and reporting at a public firm and a variety of accounting staff and leadership positions at Caterpillar, including two years of full-time 6 Sigma Black Belt experience. Jennifer is currently employed by State Farm. Over her tenure with the Company, she has held positions in Internal Auditing, Financial Operations, Enterprise Compliance & Ethics, Administrative Services and Life/Health/Investment Planning Services. She is currently serving in P&C Claims Vendor Management Strategy Office. Over the course of her time with State Farm, Jennifer has earned the following designations:

Certified Compliance & Ethics Professional - CCEP
Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter - CPCU
Fellow, Life Management Institute - FLMI
Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control - CRISC
Certified Information Privacy Professional/US – CIPP/US
Chartered Life Underwriter – CLU

Robert Shepard '15 – Client Board member since: 2017

Research Analyst, CastleArk Management LLC

In 2014, Robert “R.T.” Shepard and his father established the frac sand company Wisconsin Northern White Sands (WNWS) in the oil service sector. In 2015, R.T. earned a bachelor's degree in international business from Illinois Wesleyan. After graduating, R.T. remained with WNWS as a senior research analyst. In this role, he gathered oil sector leading indicators, enabling him to better project demand for frac sand. In 2022, R.T. earned an MBA from the Applied Security Analysis Program at the University of Wisconsin. Currently, he works on the Large Cap Growth team at CastleArk Management and covers consumer discretionary and energy sectors. R.T. attributes his willingness to consider a multitude of sectors to the Portfolio Management class at Wesleyan, which he took in 2014. Now, R.T. looks forward to giving back to this class and the IWU community through his involvement on the client board.

Mike Musselman ‘04

Mike Musselman is the Director of Regional Portfolio Management for the Chicago/Illinois region of Fifth Third Private Bank. He has been with the organization for over 18 years, serving in various investment research, portfolio management, and leadership roles over that time. Mike has deep experience in client relationship management, portfolio management, securities analysis, manager due diligence, team building, and the authoring of economic and financial market publications.

In addition to working directly with many of the bank’s high net worth clients, Mike leads a team of local portfolio managers with over $5 billion in client assets under management. He also sits on the leadership team for Fifth Third Private Bank in Chicago. In addition, Mike works with Fifth Third Bank’s Investment Strategy Team, helping to form the firm’s view of the economy and markets and how that translates to investment decision making and implementation in client portfolios. In this role, Mike speaks on behalf of the bank both locally in Chicago as well as nationally on various economic and financial market topics.

Mike has a BA in finance from Illinois Wesleyan University and an MBA in finance from DePaul University’s Kellstadt Graduate School of Business. He is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and a Certified Investment Management Analyst®.

David P. Myron

David P. Myron, CPA, is the Interim Vice President for Business and Finance at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, Illinois. David joined IWU in June 2022 after serving as the Vice President of Finance (CFO) at two universities in Western Pennsylvania for the last nine years.

David has extensive public accounting and non-profit financial and administrative leadership experience in audits, finance, risk management, treasury, strategic planning, construction, budgets, investments, human resources, facilities, operations, and administration. David developed an extensive and well-balanced financial, operating, administrative, and strategic planning knowledge base from nine years with a “Big Four” firm and 22 years with a unique economic and real estate development organization and nine years in higher education.

A native of western Pennsylvania, David received a B.S. in Accounting from Saint Francis University in Pennsylvania. David has served on several nonprofit boards, especially for economic development efforts and environmental preservation.

Jake Emery, Controller, Illinois Wesleyan University

Currently the Controller at Illinois Wesleyan. Jake worked at Illinois State University the past 13 years. He spent the previous six years working as the Director of Accounting for University Advancement at Illinois State and was primarily responsible for managing the university’s endowment. He earned degrees in Business Administration and Accounting from Monmouth College in 2005. He earned his MBA from Illinois State in 2012.