Board of Directors: Biographies

Rob Sparling, Dow Inc. 

Chair: Mr. Rob Sparling

Chief Investment Officer, Dow Inc.

In his role as Chief Investment Officer since late 2015, Rob Sparling and his team are responsible for assets of approximately $40B, which includes assets for defined benefit plans, defined contribution plans, other employee benefit plans, and captive insurance companies. 

The Dow Portfolio Investments Team manages pension assets in several countries, including the US, Canada, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, and Belgium, and works collaboratively by sharing best practices and strategies to source top quartile performance.  The Dow Team employs active and passive strategies, including in-house asset management and derivative overlays for tactical asset allocation, and various strategies to manage to duration targets

Mr. Sparling serves on several Dow committees including the Investment Committee for the DB plans in the US, the Canadian Finance Committee, the UK Trustee Board, the 401(k) Savings Plan Committee. As a director of Liana, Dow’s captive insurance subsidiary, Mr. Sparling chairs the Liana Finance Committee.

Mr. Sparling joined Dow Inc. in 1995 after earning his MBA degree in Finance at Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business, and a BSE in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from The University of Michigan in 1989.  He earned the Chartered Financial Analyst designation in 2000.

Mr. Sparling stays active in his community and serves as an adjunct professor and has taught various finance classes to graduate and undergraduate students at local state and private universities.  Mr. Sparling also serves on the Board of the Midland Center for the Arts and has been a member of the investment committee for the MidMichigan Health System since 2017.

Neil Roache, Johnson & Johnson

Vice Chair: Mr. Neil Roache

Assistant Treasurer and Chief Investment Officer of Johnson and Johnson Pension Trust

Neil Roache joined the Johnson & Johnson benefit investments team in April of 2016 as Assistant Treasurer and Chief Investment Officer of the Johnson and Johnson Pension Trust.  Neil and his team of professionals are responsible for managing all investment related activities for Johnson and Johnson’s defined benefit plans globally as well as the US defined contribution investments, which together total $55 billion.  His team is also responsible for 401k administration, share buyback programs, and administration of the company’s long term incentive programs.  He is a member of the Johnson and Johnson Benefit Investment Committee.

Prior to joining Johnson and Johnson Neil was Vice President of Private Markets and Investment Strategy at Exelon Corporation in Chicago.  Neil and his team of three were responsible for private equity, real estate, and private credit mandates as well as strategy across $35 billion of trust assets.   He previously served on the investment teams at United Parcel Service and Telcom Ventures (a family office in Washington DC).

Neil received his undergraduate degree in Finance and Accounting from Bowling Green State University and his MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.  He also spent 6 years in the US Marine Corps Reserves and is a licensed CPA.  Neil lives in Green Brook New Jersey with his wife and two sons.

Angela Buk, DTE Energy 

Treasurer: Ms. Angela Buk

VP, Benefit Funds Investment, 3M Company

Ms. Buk is the VP, Benefit Funds Investment for 3M. In her role, Ms. Buk leads the strategic investment and oversight of 3M’s $35 billion of benefit plan assets. Prior to joining 3M in 2021, she was the Chief Investment Officer for DTE Energy Company (“DTE”), where she led the investment and management of DTE’s benefit plan, nuclear decommissioning and foundation assets.  Prior to joining DTE in 2016, she headed alternative investments at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, where she was responsible for a multi-billion dollar portfolio of alternative investments including hedge funds, real estate, private equity and opportunistic credit investments.  She also served as a senior auditor with Deloitte LLP , where she performed audits of pension plans, financial institutions and real estate firms, servicing Fortune 500 clients. She has a comprehensive background in alternative investments, defined contribution plan design, investment operations, compliance and risk management.

Ms. Buk received her bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Michigan, Ross School of Business. She holds a CPA and is a Level II candidate in the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst program. In addition to her role as Treasurer on the CIEBA Board of Directors, she currently serves as a board member in a charitable capacity for both the Hudson Webber Foundation Finance Committee and the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan Investment Committee. 

Ruth Bosco, Xerox Corporation

Director, Trust Investments, at Xerox Corporation

Ms. Bosco is the Director, Trust Investments, at Xerox Corporation where she oversees all aspects of portfolio management for the $7.5 billion U.S. pension and savings plans and the $1 billion Canadian pension and savings plans.  In addition to her investment responsibilities, she provides funding analysis and support to Xerox management.  She is secretary to Xerox’ U.S. Retirement Investment Committee and is a member of Xerox’ Canadian Pension Board.

Ms. Bosco holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration with concentrations in accounting and information systems from Boston College and is a Certified Public Accountant.  

Doug Brown, Exelon Corporation

Senior Vice President and Chief Investment Officer, Exelon

Douglas J. Brown joined Exelon Corporation as Senior Vice President and Chief Investment Officer in November 2009.  As Chief Investment Officer, Doug leads a team of professionals responsible for managing all investment activities including pension funds, nuclear decommissioning trusts, defined contribution plans and other employee benefit trusts totaling $45 billion.  He is a member of Exelon’s Corporate Investment Committee and the Exelon Foundation Board of Directors.

In 2012, Doug was named Large Corporate Pension Manager of the Year by Institutional Investor.  The award recognizes institutional investors whose innovative strategies and fiduciary savvy have resulted in impressive returns.  From 2013 through 2019, he was named to Chief Investment Officer Magazine’s Power 100 list of most influential asset owners.

Prior to joining Exelon, Doug was Chief Investment Officer at Chrysler LLC with responsibility for all asset management activities globally, including pension funds, defined contribution plans and other employee benefit trusts totaling $30 billion.  Chrysler’s $20 billion U.S. pension fund has been consistently among the top performing funds.

Doug’s career with Chrysler and its affiliates began in 1983.  He was advanced to positions of increasing responsibility, including Treasurer for DaimlerChrysler Canada and Director, Corporate Finance and Capital Markets for DaimlerChrysler Corporation.  He was a member of the Chrysler LLC Investment Committee and previously served on the DaimlerChrysler Investment Committees in the United States, Germany and Canada and on the Board of Directors and Investment Committee for the DaimlerChrysler Insurance Company. 

Doug is a member of the Economic Club of Chicago and is on the Board of the Committee on Investment of Employee Benefit Assets (CIEBA) in Washington, DC.  From 2018 to 2020, he served as Chairman of the CIEBA Board of Directors.  Doug also serves on the Board of Trustees of the Goodman Theatre in Chicago and on the Board of Directors of the William G. McGowan Charitable Fund.  From 2013 to 2015, Doug served on the Board of the CFA Society of Chicago.

Doug was born in Paterson, New Jersey and holds a B.A. in economics from Albion College and an MBA from the University of Detroit Mercy. 

Ernie Caballero, United Parcel Service

Ernie is the Chief Investment Officer for UPS.  Ernie has the fiduciary responsibility for all aspects of the investment portfolios for UPS’ Single Employer Defined Benefit Plans.  Assets under management are in excess of $50 billion.  Prior to this he was domiciled in Europe, between Brussels & London, overseeing various aspects of the UPS businesses.  While in Belgium, he held the roles of CFO for UPS Europe & Emerging Markets Strategy Coordinator for Europe, the Middle East, India and Africa.  While living in London, he was responsible for Treasury Operations, Risk Management, and Mergers Acquisitions within the Europe, Middle East and Africa Asia Pacific Regions.  He has held many other Audit, Finance, & Treasury leadership positions throughout his career.

Caballero is a current board member of CIEBA and Chair of the CIEBA Defined Benefit Committee.  He is a Certified Internal Auditor and a Certified Investments and Derivatives Auditor.  He also holds an MBA in Finance from Kennesaw State University, GA, an MBA in Total Quality Management from Dowling College, NY, and a BS in Electrical Engineering/Industrial Technology from SUNY Farmingdale.

Paul Cavazos, American Beacon Advisors

Chair: Mr. Paul Cavazos

Senior Vice President and Chief Investment Officer, American Beacon Advisors

Paul Cavazos joined America Beacon Advisors as chief investment officer and senior vice president in June 2016. Mr. Cavazos is responsible for overseeing corporate pension plan investments and the investment sub-advisors to the American Beacon Funds. His comprehensive background includes leading defined benefit and defined contribution plans, conducting investment manager searches, due diligence and risk-control oversight.

Before joining American Beacon, Mr. Cavazos served as chief investment officer and assistant treasurer at DTE Energy Company in Detroit. He was responsible for the development of asset allocation strategies, as well as fiduciary oversight for DTE’s $10 billion in retirement trust assets. In 2014, Mr. Cavazos received the prestigious CIO Industry Innovation Award of the Year from Chief Investment Officer magazine. Previously, Mr. Cavazos served as chief investment officer at Navistar, where he was responsible for all investment aspects of the company’s $5 billion in retirement trust assets. His experience also includes investment and finance roles at The Boeing Company and Chrysler Corporation.

Mr. Cavazos earned a B.S. in Finance from Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. He also holds an MBA in Finance from The University of Texas at Austin.

Robin Diamonte, United Technologies Corporation

Diamonte joined United Technologies Corp. as Chief Investment Officer in December 2004. She is responsible for overseeing UTC’s $69B in global retirement assets. This includes $31B in domestic pension plans, $9B in foreign pension plans and $29B in the defined contribution plan. Diamonte serves on UTC’s Finance Council and is an executive sponsor for UTC’s Finance Inclusion Forum. Robin will be the CIO for Raytheon Technologies after the merger in 2Q 2020 responsible for over $100B in global assets.

Prior to joining UTC, she spent thirteen years with Verizon Investment Management. She served as Managing Director of Global Investments, responsible for asset allocation and management for their $40B pension plan.

In 2013, Robin was appointed by President Obama and served as a member and chair of the Advisory Committee for the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation for six years. Ms. Diamonte has been an Independent Director of Morningstar, Inc. since December 2015. She also serves on the board for the Committee on Investment of Employee Benefit Assets (CIEBA), representing more than 100 of the country’s largest private sector retirement funds on fiduciary and investment issues in Washington. Robin is also a current member of the investment committee for Miss Porters School. Diamonte earned a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering and her MBA in finance from the University of New Haven.

Alayne Gatti, Comcast NBCUniversal Sky

Alayne Gatti, Executive Director, Comcast NBCUniversal Sky

Alayne joined Comcast NBCUniversal Sky in 2015.  Alayne works with Comcast and NBCUniversal leadership on the fiduciary oversight of all global benefit plans ($18B in assets), Corporate Owned Life Insurance (COLI) and financing/risk mitigation of benefits (self-insuring, captive).  Prior to joining Comcast NBCUniversal Sky, Alayne worked with Avaya Inc. and Telcordia Technologies (now Ericcson).  In these roles, Alayne worked with senior management in managing the company’s global Pension, Savings, Voluntary Employee Benefit Association (“VEBA”), and Rabbi (executive) Trusts and associated Plans; Alayne guided management on the long-term strategy, asset allocation, investment management and risk appetite.  

Alayne attended Lehigh University for undergraduate and received a B.S. in Business Administration and Economics.  She subsequently attended St. John’s University for an M.B.A in Accounting.   Alayne is a Certified Public Accountant (New Jersey).

Jon Glidden, Delta Air Lines

 Managing Director - Pension Investments 

Jon is responsible for Delta Air Lines’ defined benefit and defined contribution pension plans.  In this role he oversees all aspects of the plans including asset allocation, alpha generation, and plan level risk management. 

Prior to joining Delta in 2011, Jon was Director of Manager Research at Wilmington Trust.  There he constructed and provided oversight of multi-manager portfolios across both traditional and alternative asset classes.  Jon was also a member of Wilmington’s Investment Strategy Team which set strategic and tactical asset allocation for Wilmington’s clients.  Prior to joining Wilmington Trust in 2007, Jon spent six years with Emory University’s Endowment Fund, most recently as the Director of Investment Analysis.  In this position, Jon sourced and conducted due diligence on global equity managers, global fixed income managers, and hedge funds.

Jon holds a master’s degree in Financial Mathematics from the University of Chicago, an MBA from Emory University, and a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.  He served as an officer in the US Navy as the Tomahawk Missile Officer on USS Stout (DDG-55) and the Weapons and Boarding Officer on USS Firebolt (PC-10). 

Robert Hunkeler, International Paper Company

Bob joined International Paper in 1997 as Vice President – Investments. In this position, he is responsible for the investment direction of IP’s $16 billion in pension, savings and other plan assets.

Prior to joining International Paper, he was Associate Director – Funds Management and Financing at Sandoz Corporation where he was responsible for pensions, cash management and other finance activities. Before that he held numerous finance positions at Ciba-Geigy Corporation. He began his career as a chemical lab technician at Ciba-Geigy’s central research facility in Basel, Switzerland.

Bob holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and an MBA from the University of Maryland. He is a past Chairman, and current board member, of the Committee on Investment of Employee Benefit Assets (CIEBA), a former trustee of the Greenwich Roundtable and former member of the NYSE Pension Managers Advisory Committee. He also is a past recipient of Institutional Investor’s Corporate Plan Sponsor of the Year and Small Corporate Plan Hedge Fund Investor of the Year awards.

Susan Ridlen, Eli Lilly & Company

Susan Ridlen is an Assistant Treasurer at Eli Lilly and Company, and since 2005 has operated as the Chief Investment Officer for Lilly’s $20+ billion U.S. retirement plan portfolios. Prior to this role, Susan held various financial leadership positions in Lilly Treasury, Manufacturing and the Endocrine Business Unit from 1991-2005. Ms. Ridlen received an MBA in Corporate Finance and a B.S. in Accountancy from the University of Illinois and she holds a CPA. Susan is a current board member of CIEBA and Chair of the CIEBA Investment Committee; she is also a board member and the Chair of the Investment Committee of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra Foundation; she is the Chair of an Indianapolis real estate partnership; and a member of the MFA IIAC.

*MFA IIAC: Managed Futures Association, Institutional Investor Advisory Council

Carol Tusch, International Paper Company

Carol Tusch is the Director of Trust Investments for International Paper’s pension and savings plans valued at over $16 billion. She is responsible for the investment oversight of all asset classes as well as asset allocation. She also serves as the Treasurer for IP’s Foundation, Employee Relief Fund and Quarter Century Society.

Prior to joining International Paper in 1999, Ms. Tusch spent 16 years at Verizon were she worked in the pension area and was responsible for investments in various asset classes including stocks, bonds, private equity, real estate and timber. She was also responsible for the oversight of the savings plan investment options as well as management of the Canadian pension plan.

Carol received her MBA from University of Connecticut and has a BS in finance from Fairfield University.

Carol lives in Stamford, CT with her husband, Paul and has three children. She is currently a member of the Parish Financial Accountability Committee for the Diocese of Bridgeport and sings in the church choir at St Leo Parish in Stamford.

Jay Vivian

Jay Vivian is Secretary of CIEBA, a member of the Board of Directors, and does on-site 'real-time' surveys at CIEBA meetings. He has been a member of CIEBA since 1995, joined the Executive Committee in 2000, founded and chaired the Investment Committee in 2002, and became Vice Chair of CIEBA in 2006.  

He retired 9 days before the market peak in 2007 as head of the $135 billion IBM Retirement Funds system.  He led the Funds' successful weathering of 2001-2002's 'perfect storm' and a number of benefit redesigns, oversaw implementation of major programs in DB asset diversification and LDI, and continued development of IBM's award-winning 401(k) plan.

He holds an AB in math from Bowdoin, an MBA from Harvard Business School, and is a CFA charterholder.  He was vice chair of CIEBA and remains active.  He has served on a number of non-profit boards, and is now on advisory boards for Rebalance and Club Vita.

Plan Sponsor gave him their Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010, and he has been featured in articles and interviews in NYTimes, WSJ, USA Today, MSN Money, P&I, Institutional Investor, and aiCIO.