Kent J. White is the co-chief investment officer at National Investment Services. He also serves on the board of directors and is a member of the management, fixed income investment and asset pricing committees. An owner of the firm, Kent has been with the company since 1994. As co-CIO, Kent is responsible for working in conjunction with Jason C. Berrie to develop the firm’s investment strategies and oversee implementation of final portfolio decisions across all strategies. He has substantial experience in all market sectors and provides regular input on MBS sectors including residential and commercial, as well as consumer and esoteric ABS sectors. Kent also is lead portfolio manager for the total absolute return strategy. Before being appointed CIO, he held the role of CFIO. Prior to joining NIS, Kent served as a portfolio manager at Business Men’s Assurance. He began his career at the Peoples Heritage Federal Savings & Loan. Kent holds a B.S. in pharmacy from the University of Kansas and an M.B.A. in finance from Duke University. He is a CFA charterholder. Kent is a volunteer for the Central American Lutheran Missionary Society.

Mark R. Anderson is the chief strategy officer at National Investment Services. He also serves as a member of the fixed income investment, management and equity investment committees. An owner of the firm, Mark has been with the company since 2000. Mark is charged with leading dynamic fixed income allocation discussions, monitoring implementation and ensuring that client expectations are being met. He is also the co-portfolio manager of the preferred stock fund, portfolio manager for taxable municipal bonds, and is responsible for the firm’s economic and market outlooks. He is a frequent speaker at both client and industry conferences. Prior to joining NIS, Mark was security analyst and portfolio manager at Associated Trust Company. He holds a B.S. in business administration from the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point. Mark is a CFA charterholder.

Lesly is an Asset Backed Securities portfolio manager and is our lead Treasury trader. She is also the pricing coordinator.

James S. Kaplan is a lead portfolio manager at National Investment Services. He also serves as a member of the fixed income investment and asset pricing committees. An owner of the firm, Jim has been with the company since 2009 and has 36 years of investment experience. He is responsible for the management of all mortgage products including residential and commercial, consumer ABS sectors, and esoteric ABS sectors. Prior to joining National Investment Services, Jim was a lead portfolio manager of structured products at William Blair & Company. Jim was also the co-manager on two taxable bond funds and one money-market fund. He began his career at First Union National Bank. Jim holds a B.A. in economics and political science from Washington and Lee University. Jim serves on the board of the Daniel Murphy Scholarship Fund. He is a CFA charterholder.

Ms. Schalla, an owner of National Investment Services of America, LLC, has been with NIS since 1993 and has over 30 years of investment experience. Ms. Schalla is responsible for co-managing the corporate bond portfolio and oversees investment policy guidelines at NIS. Ms. Schalla holds a B.B.A. in finance from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee and is a CFA charterholder.

Jason C. Berrie is the co-chief investment officer at National Investment Services. He also serves on the board of directors, and is a member of the fixed income investment and management committees. An owner of the firm, Jason has been with the company since 2003. As co-CIO, Jason is responsible for working in conjunction with Kent J. White to develop investment strategies and oversee final portfolio decisions. He is the lead portfolio manager for the corporate bond team and is also charged with determining high yield allocations within the core plus, intermediate plus, and dynamic fixed income investment strategies. Jason is also lead portfolio manager for the short duration high yield strategy. Prior to joining NIS, Jason served as a portfolio manager at both the Guggenheim Group and Midland Advisors Company. Jason holds a B.B.A. in business administration from the University of Iowa. He is a CFA charterholder.

"Vince is a fixed income portfolio manager with a focus on Corporates. With 18 years of investment management experience, he has an extensive background as an analyst and manager for all sectors within the credit market. - National Investment Services, Inc., 2014 - BMO Asset Management North America, (2002 – 2013) - Clarica Life Insurance Company, 1998 – 2002 - University of Wisconsin – Whitewater – BBA, 1990 - University of Wisconsin – Whitewater – MBA, 1996 - 2 year with the firm - 18 years of investment experience "

Stephen J. Smitley Aware – Head of Structured Products Mr. Smitley is responsible for evaluating opportunities, assessing risk and the overall portfolio management of Structured Credit investments for Aware Asset Management, Inc. Prior to joining the Aware organization in 2017, Mr. Smitley was with Carval Investors as a member of the Structured Products Investment team from 2009 to 2017. Earlier in his career, Mr. Smitley held roles in structured finance and loan servicing at Black River Asset Management, GMAC-RFC and IndyMac. Mr. Smitley earned a bachelor’s degree from the California State University-Northridge.