Touchstone Asset Allocation Committee

Crit Thomas is the Global Market Strategist for Touchstone Investments and team leader for the Touchstone Asset Allocation Committee, which provides thought leadership on capital markets and portfolio construction. In his role as Global Market Strategist, Mr. Thomas is responsible for developing investment strategies based on current market conditions in order to meet varying investment goals and objectives. Additionally, Mr. Thomas serves as Touchstone’s spokesperson regarding investment themes and strategies. Mr. Thomas began his career over 30 years ago as an economist for the State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio, later moving on to positions in equity research while serving as Director of Research, Portfolio Management and Director of Equity Growth for various investment firms in the Midwest. Mr. Thomas earned a BS in Business Administration in Finance from The Ohio State University. He is a CFA Chartholder and a member of the CFA Institute, a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst Chartholder and a member of the CAIA Association, and holds the Certificate in Performance Measurement^™ designation.

Erik Aarts is Vice President and Senior Fixed Income Strategist for Touchstone Investments. In this role he is responsible for advocating for the firm’s bond solutions and supporting financial professional’s fixed income needs. Additionally, Mr. Aarts is a member of the Touchstone Asset Allocation Committee which provides thought leadership on capital markets and portfolio construction. Prior to joining Touchstone Investments, he was a senior executive at PIMCO focused on delivering fixed income expertise and solutions to a broad array of wealth management clients and Allianz Global Investors where he was head of product management. He has more than 25 years of financial services experience and holds both an MBA and a bachelor’s degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Mr. Aarts is a Certified Investment Management Analyst^® professional.

Brian Cheyne is Senior Investment Strategy Specialist for Touchstone Investments and has experience in the financial services industry since 1997. He is a member of the Touchstone Asset Allocation Committee which provides thought leadership on capital markets and portfolio construction. Brian works closely with Touchstone’s sales team to effectively represent Touchstone’s investment solutions to financial advisers. Most recently, Brian served for five years as a Research Analyst for Touchstone Investments before moving to his current role. Prior to joining Touchstone in 2008, Brian was employed at Wachovia Securities and UBS Financial Services as a Retirement Plan Consultant. At both organizations, he was a member of a team of financial advisers with an emphasis on consulting to retirement plans covered by ERISA. His primary roles were consulting on plan design and investments and mutual fund/manager due diligence. Brian earned a BS in Finance from Xavier University and is a CFA charterholder, member of the CFA Institute and CFA Society of Cincinnati, a member of the Investment Management Consultants Association (IMCA) and holds the Certified Investment Management Analyst^® designation.