Market Commentary

Neomal Abeysekera, QKA

Chief Compliance Officer, BSA/AML Officer and ERISA Compliance Officer

Neomal Abeysekera serves as the Chief Compliance Officer, BSA/AML Officer and ERISA Compliance Officer of American Trust Company. Mr. Abeysekera’s career at American Trust (previously First Mercantile) began in 1991, and during his tenure at American Trust he has served in multiple roles in the organization and has extensive experience in Plan Administration/Compliance, Recordkeeping/Operations and Fund Operations. He has served in his current role as a Compliance Officer since 2012. Mr. Abeysekera and his team are also responsible for the compliance functions at Mid Atlantic Trust Company, an affiliate of American Trust.

Mr. Abeysekera earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Christian Brothers University and his MBA with a concentration in Accounting from the University of Memphis. He holds the Qualified 401(k) Administrator (QKA) designation from ASPPA.

James Pratt

Chief Risk Officer

As President of First Mercantile, James serves the Company’s broad governance issues, including fiduciary, financial, regulatory, and risk management.

James joined First Mercantile Trust in 2003 as the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer, and moved into the President role in 2011.

James’s prior experience included serving as chief financial officer for start-up companies, securities industry financial and operational principal, and public accounting.

Gregory Kasten

Member of the Board and CEO/Founder, Unified Trust

Dr. Gregory W. Kasten is the Founder and CEO of Unified Trust and a Member of the Board at American Trust. Following graduation from Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in 1980, he completed an internal medicine internship and anesthesiology residency at the University of Kentucky Medical Center and is a board-certified anesthesiologist. He received a Master of Business Administration degree with an emphasis on finance and investment management from the University of Kentucky College of Business Graduate School. Dr. Kasten was awarded the Accredited Investment Fiduciary Analyst™ designation by the Center for Fiduciary Studies, the Certified Financial Planner™ designation by The Denver College of Financial Planning, and the Certified Pension Consultant designation by the American Society of Pension Actuaries.

He has published over 100 papers on financial planning and investment-related topics in various financial and business journals; written two editions of the book Retirement Success; and in 2005 he co-authored the first place winning paper entitled: “Post Modern Portfolio Theory” and presented the paper at the Financial Planning Association national meeting. Dr. Kasten has given dozens of lectures on fiduciary best practices to pension professionals and Federal banking regulators. In 2007-2009, Medical Economics listed Dr. Kasten as one of “The 150 Best Financial Advisers for Doctors” in the country. Dr. Kasten was inducted into the Advisor Hall of Fame by Research Magazine in 2011 and in 2013 was named Retirement Plan Adviser of the Year by Employee Benefit Adviser Magazine. He has more than 30 years of investment experience and has been with the company since he founded it in 1985.

Howard Insley

Chief Operating Officer

Howard Insley is Senior Vice President of EdgeCo Holdings, responsible for the migration and consolidation activities for acquired entities. He also oversees American Trust operations and administration, onboarding and participant servicing activities as Chief Operating Officer of American Trust.

Prior to his current roles, Mr. Insley led retirement strategy and M&A integration activities for Ascensus, as well as that company’s national TPA, trust company and broker dealer. He also gained experience leading Wachovia’s (now Wells Fargo) retirement operations and service teams.

Mr. Insley earned his BA in Business from Randolph Macon College and his MBA in Finance from Wake Forest University. He holds Series 6, 26 and 63 licenses.

Kevin Freehardt

Chief Investment Officer

Kevin Freehardt is the Chief Investment Officer of First Mercantile Trust Company (First Mercantile). He oversees investment manager due diligence and asset allocation services the company provides. Prior to joining First Mercantile in 2010, he worked as a research analyst at Consulting Services Group and as a financial analyst with First Tennessee Bank’s Wealth Management division.

Mr. Freehardt received a Master of Science degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance and a BBA in Finance, both from the University of Memphis.

Micah DiSalvo

Chief Revenue Officer

Micah DiSalvo is the Chief Revenue Officer of EdgeCo Holdings, Inc. In this role, he leads the retirement plan sales and client service organization for all portfolio companies of EdgeCo Holdings, a private equity-backed organization focused on delivering innovative retirement solutions to American employers.

With 20 years of experience in the financial services industry, Micah has a history of success in business development and organizational leadership. He is an active member of NAPA (National Association of Plan Advisors) and through this work has met with members of Congress on Capitol Hill to advocate on behalf of American workers for their single largest savings vehicle.

Prior to joining EdgeCo Holdings, Inc. Micah held similar senior leadership roles at Newport Group, BMO Retirement Services and CUNA Mutual Group.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in finance from Edgewood College in Madison, WI. He also holds FINRA Series 7 and 63 securities registrations along with the State of Wisconsin Life License.

John Moody

Chief Executive Officer

John Moody is Chief Executive Officer of EdgeCo Holdings. Under his leadership, EdgeCo is evolving a new national model to service retirement plan clients built on an expert organization leveraging best available technologies. The goal is greater personal service combined with cost-efficient processes that help people achieve better retirement outcomes.

Prior to launching EdgeCo, John co-founded and was president of Matrix Financial Solutions, a leading custodian and mutual fund trading provider. He is considered a pioneer in the “open architecture” movement within the 401(k) industry and has long championed the need to create more flexibility and transparency in the system.

In his more than 30 years in industry, John has served on the boards of CiKR (Council of Independent Record Keepers) and SPARK (Society of Pension Administrators and Record Keepers) and has used these platforms to champion industry initiatives.

Chris Broussard

Chief Marketing Officer

Chris Broussard is the Chief Marketing Officer of EdgeCo Holdings, Inc. overseeing all of the marketing initiatives for American Trust as well as for other EdgeCo-owned companies. For much of his career, Chris has held senior-level positions within the financial services sector, including financial publishers, financial services corporations, and providing marketing support and consulting services to financial institutions and independent financial advisors.

Before joining EdgeCo, Chris was a Founder and Chief Marketing Officer of Tematica Research, a thematic-based institutional research firm and provider of custom indices. He also has also served the Vice President of Marketing for Morgan Stanley Online and the Vice President of Marketing for FOLIOfn. He has also worked closely in a consulting role with top executives at firms such as AOL, AARP, Abbott Nutrition, Cricket Media, Mid Atlantic Capital Group, Sylvan Learning Centers, TwinLab and Verizon Wireless. Chris earned his bachelor’s degree in Marketing from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA.

Marty Lautner

Chief Financial Officer

Marty Lautner graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting from Western Kentucky University in 1985 and is the Chief Financial Officer at American Trust, possessing nearly 30 years of experience in administration and finance. Mr. Lautner is responsible for the company’s financial and risk management operations including the development of financial and operational strategies, the establishment of metrics tied to these critical strategies and the oversight of audits.