Advisory Board

RiskPro is fortunate to have a distinguished group of financial industry experts that provide non-binding strategic advice to our management team. Our Advisory Board Members are:

Alfonso Agnew

PhD, Professor

Mr. Agnew is currently a PhD Professor of Mathematics and Member of the Gravitational Wave and Physics Astronomy Center (GWPAC) at California State University at Fullerton. In addition to teaching a variety of courses in pure and applied mathematics and physics and mentoring dozens of research students, he is also responsible for a significant number of department administrative and management-oriented tasks. His research focuses on mathematical problems arising from curved space quantum field theory, twistor theory, general relativity theory/GWPAC and cosmology.

For many years, Mr. Agnew has consulted for the financial services industry and been published in the mathematics areas of analysis, topology, and differential geometry.

Lawrence E. Davanzo

Executive Board Member

Larry Davanzo served as president of Wilshire Associates and member of the Board of Directors, overseeing the asset management areas of the firm including Wilshire Funds Management and Wilshire Private Markets. Mr. Davanzo, who first joined Wilshire Associates in 1977 and helped to develop the precursor to today’s Wilshire Atlas investment analytics solutions before founding Wilshire Consulting in 1980, rejoined the firm in October 2004 as a senior managing director.

Mr. Davanzo was the original founder of Asset Strategy Consulting. In 2000, Asset Strategy merged to form InvestorForce, an Internet technology platform serving institutional investors. Mr. Davanzo began his career at Endowment Management and Research, the investment arm of Yale University. He earned both his BA and Master of Finance at the University of Wisconsin.

Jennie Devlin

As the President of Cantella, Jennie Devlin oversees the company’s strategic planning initiatives and provides leadership for Cantella’s advisors and employees. She is also responsible for ensuring the continued growth and diversification of the firms business lines and revenue streams.

She began her career at the company in 2000 and has performed almost every function during her tenure here. She joined the Board of Directors in 2008. Most recently, she served as the Chief Operating Officer, and she remains actively involved in day-to-day operations.

Jennie has been effective in rethinking and redefining operations and policies across the firm, from our advisory platform and transition services to risk management and compliance. She also pioneered alternative work arrangements for Cantella employees with children and elderly family members and created an in-house nursery for employees' children. She regularly brings her own children to work with her.

Jennie graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Education from Boston College. She belongs to a number of industry organizations, including the New England Broker/Dealer and Investment Advisor Association, National Association of Plan Advisors, National Society of Compliance Professionals, Boston Women in Finance, the Women in Pensions Network and the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce. She holds FINRA Series 7 and 24 licenses and the AIF® designation. Additionally, Jennie won the 2016 Brava Award for her entrepreneurial spirit and business leadership.

Jennie and her husband live on Boston’s North Shore and have a daughter and twin sons.

J. Michael Fay, PhD, CFP

Michael Fay has been involved in the financial services industry since 1982. He was President and founder of Claremont Financial Group, Inc., a Registered Investment Advisory that specialized in pre-retirement financial planning and investment management. He personally managed assets using Modern Portfolio Theory prior to transitioning his practice to institutional asset managers. He now serves as a Consultant to current management.

Mr. Fay has served on numerous public and private boards of directors, including Associated Services Corp. where he was Chair of the Audit Committee, elected three terms to the Claremont Unified School District Board of Education, and currently serves on several not-for-profit boards. He is also founder and President of the Institute for Training Leaders Foundation, Inc.

Chris Mills

CIMA, President

Chris entered the securities industry in 1998 after serving eight years in the U.S. Navy. He earned a BS in Management from Southern Illinois University and completed his Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA®) designation in 2011. The first five years in the securities industry his focus was as a producing representative. In 2003 Chris joined Kovack Securities. In addition to being a producing representative, he developed the Insurance Department at Kovack Securities and managed the Fee Based Annuity Platform for Kovack Advisors.

In August of 2007 Chris took over the day-to-day operations of Kovack Advisors and in April of 2013 he assumed the day-to-day operations of Kovack Securities. Chris is now President of Kovack Financial, LLC.

Jonathan Stern, CFA, Managing Director

Mr. Stern joined Berkshire Capital in 1998. During his career at the firm, he has completed transactions involving institutional asset management, mutual fund, wealth management, and securities firms. Jon currently co-heads the firm’s institutional and mutual funds practice areas.

Prior to joining Berkshire Capital, Jon had spent his entire career at First Union and a predecessor bank, First Fidelity Bancorporation, beginning in 1984. He has extensive experience in the corporate finance area focusing on M&A and capital planning and was a Senior Vice President responsible for acquisitions and divestitures in the Northern part of First Union’s franchise.

Jon graduated from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania with a BS degree in Economics and received an MBA in Finance from Rutgers University. He is also a CFA charter holder.