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Meet our team
Our philosophy is simple — hire a team of diverse, passionate ETF geeks and foster a culture that empowers them to do their best work.
Our philosophy is simple — hire a team of diverse, passionate ETF geeks and foster a culture that empowers them to do their best work.
Trust Board of Trustees
*More information on our team and our broader business are available here.
PATRICK CLEARY
Mr. Cleary is currently ETF Architect’s Chief Executive Officer, overseeing firm operations, compliance, and cybersecurity. Previously, Mr. Cleary served as Director of Strategy and Corporate Development for Algeco Scotsman, a multinational leasing and manufacturing company. Before Algeco Scotsman, he was a Project Leader for the Boston Consulting Group. In that capacity, he advised clients across various US, Europe, and Africa industries. Mr. Cleary also served as a Captain in the United States Marine Corps. He holds an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and a B.S. in Economics from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
SEAN HEGARTY, CPA
Mr. Hegarty serves as the Chief Operating Officer of ETF Architect, where he orchestrates daily operations and SEC reporting for the firm. Previously, Mr. Hegarty served as an Assistant Vice President of Fund Administration at U.S. Bank Global Fund Services after three years as an auditor of investment companies with Cohen & Company. He holds a B.S. in Accounting from Marquette University and is registered as a Certified Public Accountant in Wisconsin. Mr. Hegarty currently lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with his wife and three children.
Jessica Leighty
Ms. Leighty is currently ETF Architect’s Chief Compliance Officer, overseeing the firm’s compliance program. Previously, Ms. Leighty served as the Chief Compliance Officer & Director of Operations for Snow Capital Management, L.P. She holds a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Minnesota and an M.S. in Business Ethics and Compliance from New England College of Business.
Josh Russell
Dr. Russell is a Senior Portfolio Manager for ETF Architect. Previously he was an Equity Portfolio Manager at Carson Group. He managed over $1.7 billion in assets across fourteen thousand accounts in this capacity. Before working in asset management, Josh worked on research grants for the Army, the Air Force, and NASA. Dr. Russell is a CFA charterholder. He earned a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering and a Masters in Economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Brian Massaro
Mr. Massaro serves as the Chief Data Officer of ETF Architect, overseeing technical operations for the firm. Previously, Mr. Massaro served as Assistant Operating Officer of ETF Architect and Fund Administrator at U.S. Bank Global Fund Services. He holds an M.S. in Applied Economics from Marquette University and a B.S./B.A. in Applied Mathematical Economics and Spanish Language, Literature, and Culture from Marquette University. Mr. Massaro currently lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with his wife.
Yan Feng
Ms. Feng serves as a portfolio manager at ETF Architect. In this capacity, Ms. Feng supports portfolio management operations for all funds and strategies, including 1940 Act Exchange Traded Funds, private funds, and separately managed accounts. In addition, Ms. Feng programs and maintains data processes and algorithms in support of the firm’s trading operations. Ms. Feng graduated from the LeBow College of Business at Drexel University in Philadelphia with dual degrees in Finance and Business Analytics. She passed CFA Level I in 2018 and is currently a CFA Level II candidate. Previously, Ms. Feng was a Data Analyst intern for the Alibaba Group.
Rich Shaner
Rich currently serves as a portfolio manager for ETF Architect. Rich Shaner, CFA®, graduated from The University of Colorado in 2001 with a Kinesiology and Applied Physiology degree. Before Alpha Architect, he was a fundamental stock analyst that managed a value portfolio within a family fund and traded equity options as a valuation and hedging strategy. Before this role, he worked on the floor of the Philadelphia Stock Exchange and spent several years as a market maker in equity options.
Megan Lin
As a Junior Portfolio Manager at Alpha Architect, Megan supports daily trading activities for all funds and strategies, programs algorithms, and maintains data system processes supporting quantitative investing operations. Before joining Alpha Architect, Megan worked for iFresh Inc. as a Digital Marketing Analyst. Megan received her Bachelor’s degree in Accounting & Finance and Master’s degree in Business Analytics from Drexel University, and she is currently a CFA Level I Candidate.
Blair Zhang
Ms. Zhang is the Compliance Data Analyst of Alpha Architect, developing and supporting the company’s compliance program and operational infrastructure. In addition, Ms. Zhang provides database programming and process design to support the firm. She received her M.S. in Applied Economics from Lehigh University and a BBA in Finance from the Macau University of Science and Technology.
Alyssa Bernard
Ms. Bernard is ETF Architect’s General Counsel. Prior to joining ETF Architect, Ms. Bernard worked for U.S. Bank Global Fund Services as a 1940 Act attorney and provided regulatory administration services to multiple series trusts and other large fund complexes. Before U.S. Bank, Ms. Bernard served as in-house counsel for an investment adviser. She graduated with a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Kansas and a J.D. from Michigan State University College of Law. After law school, Ms. Bernard earned a graduate-level Investments Certificate from the University of Kansas School of Business. Ms. Bernard is licensed to practice law in Kansas, Missouri, and Wisconsin. She lives in Olathe, Kansas with her husband and two sons.
Catherine Donaldson
Dr. Catherine Donaldson is a Compliance Associate at ETF Architect. She is also an adjunct instructor at Henry Ford College in Dearborn, Michigan and has been a technical writer and editor for multiple companies. She has a PhD in Composition and Rhetoric with an emphasis on Technical Communication and an MA in Creative Writing from Wayne State University, an MA in Medieval Studies from the University of Toronto, and a BA in Written Communications/English Literature from Eastern Michigan University.
Evan Modglin
Mr. Modglin is currently ETF Architect’s Vice President of Compliance Operations, assisting the Chief Compliance Officer with the firm’s compliance program. Previously, Mr. Modglin served as Officer, Mutual Fund Compliance Administrator at U.S. Bank Global Fund Services. He holds a B.S. in Economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Janey Ray
Janey Ray is a Compliance Associate at ETF Architect. She has a Bachelors Degree in Business Management from Slippery Rock University, Slippery Rock Pennsylvania.
Liz Winske
Ms. Winske is currently ETF Architect’s Assistant Operating Officer, where she assists the COO in orchestrating the daily operations and SEC reporting for the firm. Previously, Ms. Winske served as the Vice President, Mutual Fund Compliance Administrator at U.S. Bank Global Fund Services. She holds a B.B.A. in Accounting and B.A. in Spanish from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.
Wen Gao
Ms. Gao is the Financial Analyst at Alpha Architect, where she supports portfolio management operations and data processing for the firm’s investment strategy. She previously worked as an Investment Analyst at F&G Annuity and Life Insurance Company and as a Business Analyst at QVC. Ms. Gao holds dual master’s degrees in Finance and Business Analytics from Drexel University’s LeBow College of Business in Philadelphia.
Cheri Van Eperen
Ms. Van Eperen is the Director of Legal and Regulatory Compliance at ETF Architect where she assists the General Counsel by overseeing the legal and regulatory administration services of the Firm’s ETF sponsors. She has held senior paralegal positions with other investment advisors and service providers. In addition, Ms. Van Eperen has served as a Compliance Analyst for a broker-dealer. She earned a B.S. in Business Administration from Cardinal Stritch University.
Wes Gray
Dr. Gray serves as a strategic advisor to ETF Architect. After serving as a Captain in the United States Marine Corps, Dr. Gray earned an MBA and a Ph.D. in finance from the University of Chicago, where he studied under Nobel Prize Winner Eugene Fama. Next, Wes took an academic job in his wife’s hometown of Philadelphia and worked as a finance professor at Drexel University. Dr. Gray’s interest in bridging the research gap between academia and industry led him to found Alpha Architect, an asset management firm dedicated to an impact mission of empowering investors through education. He contributes to multiple industry publications and regularly speaks to professional investor groups across the country. Wes has published multiple academic papers and four books, including Embedded (Naval Institute Press, 2009), Quantitative Value (Wiley, 2012), DIY Financial Advisor (Wiley, 2015), and Quantitative Momentum (Wiley, 2016).
Mike Pagano
Dr. Pagano is The Robert J. and Mary Ellen Darretta Endowed Chair in Finance at Villanova University, where he has received awards for both teaching excellence and academic scholarship. Prof. Pagano is also involved with various professional organizations, such as FINRA’s Market Regulation Committee and Citadel FCU’s board of directors. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®) designation and has experience both in commercial lending activities at Citibank and in investment valuation analysis at a financial consulting firm, International Capital Markets Corp., as well as Reuters PLC. Professor Pagano has also been interviewed by various media sources such as the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Financial Times, Associated Press, CNBC, Bloomberg.
Daniel Dorn
Daniel Dorn is an Associate Professor of Finance at Drexel University’s LeBow College of Business. His research, which focuses on investments and behavioral finance, has been supported by the BSI Gamma Foundation and the European Central Bank’s Lamfalussy Fellowship program, and published in leading finance journals such as the Journal of Finance and Management Science, and discussed in media outlets such as the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. Before his academic appointment, Daniel worked at J.P. Morgan in London and at the Federal Reserve Board in Washington, D.C. He holds business degrees from WHU Koblenz (Germany) and EM Lyon (France), and earned a Ph.D. in Finance with distinction from Columbia University.
Emeka Oguh
Emeka Oguh is the founder & CEO of PeopleJoy. PeopleJoy is an online student loan repayment platform, designed to help employees receive student loan assistance from their employers. Emeka previously built and successfully exited Apptempo, a mobile app studio that published over 500 apps and was the first business hire at DataMinr, a Fintech startup currently valued at $4.1B. Prior, Emeka was a fund of funds analyst at Merrill Lynch, providing due diligence on $317B in assets. He is a Huffington Post contributor, providing articles related to financial wellness and managing student debt. He holds an MBA from Harvard and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Rutgers.
Evan Modglin
VP – Compliance Operations
Janey Ray
Compliance Associate
At ETF Architect, we work hard and have fun.
Photos from the 2023 Marine Corps Birthday Ball
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