The continuum of indexing to active: Decisions, not debates

BEN JOHNSON, CFA
Director, Global ETF and Passive Strategies Research
Morningstar

Ben Johnson, CFA, is director of global ETF and passive strategies research. Before assuming his current role, he was director of ETF research for Europe and Asia. He also previously served as a senior equity analyst, covering the agriculture and chemicals industries. Before joining Morningstar in 2006, he worked as a financial advisor for Morgan Stanley. Johnson holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Wisconsin. He also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation.

CRAIG J. LAZZARA, CFA
Managing Director – Core Product Management Group
S&P Dow Jones

Craig Lazzara is a Managing Director in the Core Product Management group at S&P Dow Jones Indices. His responsibilities focus on providing thought leadership and educational outreach for S&P DJI’s core, alternative beta, and style indices. Before assuming his current role, Craig founded the S&P DJI Index Investment Strategy team and served as product manager for S&P DJI’s U.S. equity and real estate indices. Prior to joining S&P Indices in 2009, Craig directed marketing and client service for ETF Advisors and Salomon Smith Barney’s Global Equity Index Group, as well as for the Equity Portfolio Analysis group at Salomon Brothers.

JAMES J. ROWLEY JR., CFA
Global Head of Investor Research
Vanguard

James J. Rowley, Jr., is Vanguard’s global head of investor research and a member of the senior leadership team of Vanguard’s Investment Strategy Group. Among his areas of expertise are investment strategies, including indexing, active, and factor, as well as investment products, including mutual funds and exchange-traded funds. A CFA charterholder, Jim is a past president of the CFA Society of Philadelphia and is an advisory board member of the Journal of Index Investing. Jim earned a B.S. degree from Villanova University and an M.B.A. degree from New York University.

BRIAN BRUCE
CEO & Chief Investment Officer, Hillcrest Asset Management
Editor, The Journal of Beta Investment Strategies, The Journal of Impact & ESG Investing and The Journal of Investing

Brian Bruce is the CEO of Hillcrest Asset Management. Under Brian, Hillcrest won numerous awards for outstanding investment performance. Before founding Hillcrest, Brian was Chief Investment Officer at PanAgora Asset Management, a subsidiary of Putnam Investments. Previously, Brian held senior investment roles at State Street Global Advisors and the Northern Trust and was Director of the Finance Institute and Founding Director of the Alternative Asset Management Center at the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University. Brian has published numerous scholarly articles and books including Analysts, Lies, and Statistics.

He co-authored the only textbook for student managed portfolios, Student-Managed Investment Funds. He is the Editor of Journal of Investing, the Journal of Beta Investment Strategies and the Journal of Impact & ESG Investing. Brian received his M.B.A. from the University of Chicago, M.S. from DePaul University, and B.S. from Illinois State University. He is a member of the Illinois State University College of Business Hall of Fame, a recipient of the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business CEO Award, and was awarded the SMU Cox School of Business Media Expert of the Year Award.