Chris Thornburg is a founding principal of Beacon Economics and one of California’s leading economic forecasters. An expert in the economic forecasting, regional development, real estate dynamics, and labor markets, he was one of the earliest predictors of the housing market crash and of the economic recession that has followed. In 2008 he became the chief economist for California State Controller John Chiang and was appointed Chair of the Controller’s Council of Economic Advisors. He also serves on the advisory board of Paulson & Co. Inc., one of Wall Street’s most successful hedge funds. Originally from upstate New York, Dr. Thornberg holds a Ph.D in Business Economics from The Anderson School at UCLA, and a B.S. in Business Administration from the State University of New York at Buffalo.

Thomas Lee, a Managing Director at JPMorgan, is the Chief US Equity Strategist since 2007. Recently, he was ranked Runner-up in the 2009 Institutional Investor All-America Research Poll. Prior to that Mr. Lee was the Small/Mid Cap Equity Strategist (2004 to 2007) and Wireless Services Analyst (1993 to 2007. During that time, he received professional recognition consistently ranking every year in the Institutional Investor All-Star Poll. Mr. Lee has been with JPMorgan since late 1999, with previous roles at Salomon Smith Barney and Kidder, Peabody as well as Price Waterhouse. David Goerz, Senior Vice President, Chief Investment Officer, joined HighMark Capital in 2003. As CIO, Mr. Goerz provides leadership to all of HighMark's investment activities. He chairs the firm's Investment Policy Committee and Asset Allocation Committee, as well as being a member of the Executive Committee and Board of Directors of HighMark Capital Management.

Mr. Goerz has more than 20 years of investment management experience. Prior to joining HighMark, he was Chief Investment Officer of mPower Advisors and Morningstar Associates, subsequent to acquisition. Previously, he was Director of Global Asset Allocation Research and Portfolio Manager, as well as serving as Chairman of the Asset Allocation Strategy Group for Wellington Management Company. He also held portfolio management and senior investment research positions with TSA Capital Management and ARCO Investment Management.