ALPHA ARCHITECT - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Vice President - Marketing
- VP - Marketing
Alex serves as Vice President - Marketing for Alpha Architect. He consults with Alpha Architect's clients to develop strategic solutions that align with their investment philosophy to drive deeper client relationships. His prior experience includes leading content marketing strategy for a large independent broker-dealer, a mid-market private equity real estate firm, and a boutique alternative investment fund. He's produced content on a range of topics, including direct indexing, opportunity zone strategies, private debt/direct lending strategies, and trend-following.
In his free time, Alex is building out a gym in his garage under the delusion that will get him to work out again. When he's not thinking about working out, Alex practices his cooking skills where he excels at using three pans when one would suffice. Alex obtained a BA in English Literature from Arizona State University. He and his wife live in a suburb of Phoenix, AZ with their son, daughter, and two dogs.
Mr. Pugliese manages the firm's 1042 ESOP solutions practice. In this role, Doug implements equity indexed Qualified Replacement Property rollovers for clients. Previously, he was at SEI Investments and at Marshall & Stevens, a financial consultancy. Before SEI, Mr. Pugliese was a Managing Director in the Investment Banking Division at Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc. During his twelve years' tenure there he developed and executed strategic merger & acquisition and financing transactions worth more than $12 billion and was based in the Firm's New York and London offices. Prior to that, Mr. Pugliese served as an officer and pilot in the United States Navy. Mr. Pugliese received his B.A. in Economics and Spanish Literature (with honors) from the University of Pennsylvania and his MBA from the Stern School of Business at New York University, where he was a Dean's Scholar and a Stern Scholar.
Dr. Elisabetta Basilico is a seasoned investment professional with an expertise in "turning academic insights into investment strategies." Research is her life's work and by combining her scientific grounding in quantitative investment management with a pragmatic approach to business challenges, she's helped several institutional investors achieve stable returns from their global wealth portfolios. Her expertise spans from asset allocation to active quantitative investment strategies. Holder of the Charter Financial Analyst since 2007 and a PhD from the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland, she has experience in teaching and research at various international universities and co-author of articles published in peer-reviewed journals. She and co-author Tommi Johnsen are currently writing a book on research-backed investment ideas. You can find additional information at Academic Insights on Investing.
Dr. Tommi Johnsen, until retirement in 2017, was the Director of the Reiman School of Finance and a tenured faculty at the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver.She has worked extensively as a consultant and investment advisor in the areas of quantitative methods and portfolio construction. She taught at the graduate and undergraduate level and published research in several areas including: capital markets, portfolio management and performance analysis, financial applications of econometrics and the analysis of equity securities. Her publications have appeared in numerous peer-reviewed journals. See our consulting page for more information.
Job Titles:
- Director of Portfolio Services
Erik Chavez is the Director of Portfolio Services. He has over 20 years as a corporate financial professional both on Wall Street and working within industry. For the several years, he has provided fractional CFO services to clients across lower middle-market. Prior to his current role, Mr. Chavez served as the Director of Finance - Capital at Caesars Entertainment where he oversaw more than $1 billion in annual global capex for the business. Prior to Caesars Entertainment Mr. Chavez worked on Wall Street as an investment banker where he focused on M&A and capital raising. Prior to earning his MBA, Mr. Chavez worked for 13 years in the grocery industry working in operations and corporate finance. Mr. Chavez holds undergraduate degrees in Economics and Sociology from UCLA and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth Graduate School of Business where he focused on Finance, Accounting, and Economics.
Dr. Vogel conducts research in empirical asset pricing and behavioral finance. Dr. Vogel is a co-author of DIY FINANCIAL ADVISOR: A Simple Solution to Build and Protect Your Wealth and QUANTITATIVE MOMENTUM: A Practitioner's Guide to Building a Momentum-Based Stock Selection System. His academic background includes experience as an instructor and research assistant at Drexel University in both the Finance and Mathematics departments, as well as a Finance instructor at Villanova University. He has a Ph.D. in Finance and an MS in Mathematics from Drexel University. Dr. Vogel graduated summa cum laude with a BS in Mathematics and Education from The University of Scranton.
Jess is driven to create a win-win partnership culture for financial advisors in which they can grow efficient practices to scale and build relationship-focused client service models. Her respect for overall portfolio alpha derived through comprehensive financial planning serves as catalyst for her passion to help RIAs identify opportunistic areas in which they can deliver value for their investors.
Her background in CrossFit, Olympic Weightlifting, and Nutrition coaching provides a framework for teaching and supporting the long-term effects of a methodical, evidence-based, disciplined approach. Jess has a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Berry College, holds a CrossFit-L1 certification, and has Series 7, 65 & 63 licenses. She is a Retirement Income Certified Professional(RICP®) and is currently a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) candidate.
Currently residing in Augusta, GA, Jess and her husband are raising two strong little ladies. When she's not out looking for adventures and opportunities to make memories with her people, you'll most likely find her in the gym lifting something heavy.
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Financial Education
- VP - Financial Education, Portfolio Services
Jose serves as the Vice President of Financial Education at Alpha Architect, where he directs video marketing initiatives to advance the company's mission of empowering investors through education. Currently a CFA® Level III candidate, Jose pursued his undergraduate studies at Biola University, earning a B.A. in Cinema & Media Studies with a minor in Biblical Studies. Post-graduation, he founded Wish Creative, a video production company catering to clients in South Florida. Jose also played key roles in several independent feature films both as a producer and creative. Notably, his directorial debut premiered at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival.
Mr. Baxter is currently the VP of Portfolio Services at Alpha Architect, where he assists with operations, compliance, and accounting. He graduated with an MS in Finance from Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College in NYC and a BS in Chemistry from the University of Maryland. In addition, Mr. Baxter is a CFA® charterholder. He previously served as Assistant Director of Operations for Baxter Properties, a family real estate business, managing several commercial and residential buildings.
Ryan Patrick Kirlin is the President of Alpha Architect. He works with financial advisors to analyze and create affordable, tax-efficient, investment portfolios in partnership with Alpha Architect and our investment strategies. And, once portfolio decisions are made, assists them in executing fair ETF trades. His previous roles in the New York Stock Exchange's ETF Group (where he was part of launching about 650 ETFs) and at RevenueShares ETFs help give him a well-rounded view on ETF structure and the opportunities for investors within the industry. When RevenueShares was acquired by the mutual fund behemoth Oppenheimer Funds, Ryan received an inside look at the challenges faced by legacy asset managers in adapting to the future of asset management.
Ryan attended Fordham University for his undergraduate degree. He was a member of the US Rowing Team in 2011 and competed at the Pan American Games. He stills rows and his backtested performance results look great. He's not as confident in his forward expected returns due to new unaccounted transaction costs in his life (family, age, and golf).
After serving as a Captain in the United States Marine Corps, Dr. Gray earned an MBA and a PhD 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 is a contributor 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 Momentu m (Wiley, 2016). Dr. Gray currently resides in Palmas Del Mar Puerto Rico with his wife and three children.