Mike has 20 years of financial industry experience spanning multiple disciplines. Prior to founding ETF Action, Mike served as SVP, Head of ETFs at ALPS Advisors where he oversaw all aspects of the $15 billion ALPS ETF Trust. Throughout his career Mike held various management level positions in Product Development, Research & Data Analytics, Risk Management, Compliance, Audit and Operations at ALPS, UMB and State Street. Mike holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration from Briar Cliff University, is an Honor Graduate from the Fiduciary Risk Management School at the Cannon Financial Institute, and Received a NICSA Award for Emerging Leaders in the Asset Management Industry in 2017.
Brian has over 10 years of financial industry experience and over 5 years of experience focusing on financial software development. Prior to founding ETF Action, Brian led the ETF Research team at ALPS which entailed oversight of all fund research as well as building and/or maintaining data platforms, trading/research systems and proprietary technology. Brian holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from Boston College and is a CFA charterholder.
Alex has over five years of financial industry experience across multiple ETF disciplines including factor, thematic, and alternative investment strategies. Prior to founding ETF Action, Alex served as Senior Analyst for ALPS Advisors. His responsibilities involved portfolio analysis, macro-economic research, and product development in addition to helping clients understand the dynamic ways ETFs can be used in the portfolio construction process. Alex holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business, concentration: Finance & Economics from the Carlson School of Management - University of Minnesota and is a CFA charterholder.
Lara Crigger is the Director of Research and Editor-In-Chief of ETF Action. She creates, manages, and executes content strategy across ETF Action and its various subscriber publications. Prior to joining ETF Action, Crigger worked as a financial journalist for more than fifteen years, most recently at ETF.com. Her insights on ETFs and the financial industry are sought out by media, investors, advisors, and industry insiders alike. She also served as Managing Editor for Hard Assets Investor, a website dedicated to commodities investing, and founded her own copywriting business.
Rowland has over 25 years of experience in the financial services industry split equally between trading and sales/marketing roles. Prior to joining ETF Action, Rowland led the sales and marketing efforts at Reaves Asset Management and was responsible for creating the first actively managed utility sector ETF. Rowland earned a BA of Economics, Phi Beta Kappa, from Rutgers College and is a former member of the U.S. Navy’s Nuclear Power Program.