Portfolio Investment Team

Our dedicated Portfolio Managers ensure your investments are managed with care. Busey Wealth Management skilled professionals actively monitor portfolios for individuals, families and corporations. With advanced credentials like CFA® and CPA, we're committed to your success.

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Investment Portfolio Team

Executive Vice President, Chief Investment Officer

Executive Vice President,
Investment Portfolio Manager

Senior Vice President, Investment Portfolio Manager

Senior Vice President, Director of Fixed Income and Portfolio Management

Senior Vice President,

Investment Portfolio Manager

Senior Vice President,
Investment Portfolio Manager

Assistant Vice President
Associate Portfolio Manager, Fixed Income

Senior Vice President,
Director of Investment Research and Strategy

Associate Portfolio Manager II

Vice President,
Portfolio Implementation Manager

Assistant Vice President,
Associate Portfolio Manager, Fixed Income

Senior Vice President, Investment Portfolio Manager

Zachary E. Hillard, CFA, MBA

Executive Vice President, Chief Investment Officer | 217.351.6639

Zach is Busey Wealth Management’s Chief Investment Officer, focused on providing custom, comprehensive wealth and investment management solutions for families and organizations with complex financial needs. Working with a team of investment professionals, Zach is responsible for the investment process and for devising investment strategies to help clients meet their financial goals. He has over 24 years of investment management experience, 17 of which have been at Busey. Zach has been in the CIO role at Busey since August 2016. Prior to Busey, Zach worked at Brinson Partners/UBS Global Asset Management where he helped in managing portfolios for global institutions, including many Fortune 500 companies.

Zach received his Bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Masters in Business Administration from the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business at DePaul University. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charterholder and a member of the CFA Society Chicago. He is also a licensed Municipal Advisor Representative and Municipal Advisor Principal. Zach is active in the community and currently serves on the University of Illinois System’s Investment Advisory Council and as President of the Monticello CUSD #25 School Board. He has held past board positions with the CFA Society Chicago, the Crisis Nursery, the Champaign County Chamber of Commerce and Monticello Area Education Foundation.

Email:
zachary.hillard@busey.com

Kevin Pfleger

Executive Vice President, Investment Portfolio Manager | 239.790.8025

A lifelong Florida resident, Kevin focuses on providing portfolio management services to local Busey Wealth Management clients in the Fort Myers area. From establishing asset allocations and portfolio construction to ongoing maintenance and more, his goal is to be a client’s trusted “CFO” when it comes to investments and planning.

Backed by over 30 years of experience, Kevin is someone clients have come to rely on as he has candid and truthful conversations that lead to sound financial planning decisions. He previously served as the Managing Director of Investments at Investors’ Security Trust Company—now Busey Bank—and was a Registered Broker at Duncan Williams, Inc., selling fixed income securities to institutional clients.

Kevin earned his Bachelor of Science in Business, majoring in Business Finance, from the University of Florida, and is a graduate of the CBA School of Retail Bank Management School in Charlottesville, VA. He has also served as Board member with the YMCA and Bishop Verot High School.

Email:
Kevin.Pfleger@Busey.com

Michael Bartochowski

Senior Vice President, Investment Portfolio Manager | 847.832.0962

As a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and Chartered Retirement Planning CounselorSM - CRPC®, Mike brings an extensive level of expertise to his clients. Combined with 35 years of experience, he works hard to help his clients achieve their financial goals—now and for years to come.

Mike joined Glenview State Bank—now Busey Bank—in 2000, performing equity and sector analysis, as well as research for client portfolios. A Chicago native and father of two, he earned his Bachelor of Science and MBA in Finance from DePaul University. In his spare time, Mike enjoys spending time swimming, biking and running.

Email:
Michael.Bartochowski@Busey.com

Senior Vice President, Director of Fixed Income and Portfolio Management | 314.317.4757

As the leader of Busey Wealth’s Management Fixed Income Team, Mike knows it is critical to understand a client’s goals, investment horizon, current and future needs, and intergenerational wealth management intentions. With a solid understanding of these critical aspirations, it deepens the relationship with the client and leads to more productive outcomes.

Mike is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER^TM practitioner, Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®) and Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) with over two decades in the industry. He has extensive experience in the investment arena and, prior to joining Busey in 2023, he served in high-performing roles such as Sector Portfolio Manager and Investment Research Leader with Fidelity Investments and Senior Portfolio Manager and Risk Team Leader with Edward Jones.

Mike earned a Master of Science in Finance from Boston College and a Bachelor of Science with Concentrations in Finance and Chinese from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He also holds a Certificate in Python Programming from Carnegie Mellon and a CFA® Institute Certificate in ESG Investing. In his spare time, he is involved with the Special Olympics and the United Way in various endeavors.

Email:
Mike.Elvin@Busey.com

Senior Vice President, Investment Portfolio Manager | 630.328.8504

Grant focuses on equity portfolio management and security analysis. His experience enables him to construct equity portfolios that will help clients achieve their financial goals.

Prior to joining Busey Wealth Management in 2018, Grant gained nearly 25 years of investment management experience as an analyst and portfolio manager with Columbia Wanger Asset Management, Federated Investors, and Invesco. Grant earned his Bachelor of Science Degree magna cum laude at North Central College and his Master of Business Administration degree with a concentration in Finance at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Grant earned the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and is a member of the CFA Society Chicago and the CFA Institute.

Grant enjoys spending time with his family, cycling, and participating in other outdoor activities. He serves as a board member and treasurer of Literacy DuPage and is a longtime resident of the Chicago area.

Email:
Grant.McKay@busey.com

Aaron Sutton, CFA

Senior Vice President, Investment Portfolio Manager | 217.365.4813

Aaron joined Busey Wealth Management in 2004 as an Investment Analyst. His primary duties include trading and equity research, reviewing current and potential security holdings, and investment performance reporting. He also assists the retirement plan group by reviewing current and prospective clients' 401k investments. Aaron achieved the Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®) designation - one of the most respected and recognized investment credentials-through the CFA Institute.

Aaron received his Bachelor's Degree in Finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Email:
Aaron.Sutton@busey.com

Assistant Vice President, Associate Portfolio Manager, Fixed Income | 217.351.6608

As a fixed income associate portfolio manager, Patrick implements our Busey Core Fixed Income Strategy for client accounts. He purchases investment grade corporate bonds, agency bonds, U.S. Treasury Bills and Notes, as well as brokered CDs for client accounts. His role also involves analyzing credit markets to determine relative value and investment opportunities, along with providing aid in planning and designing customized portfolios that align with investor’s needs.

Prior to joining Busey Wealth Management in 2021, Patrick was a financial analyst engaged in the preparation of cost segregation studies at a consulting firm. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Patrick is a Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®) and a member of the CFA Society of Chicago.

Email:
Patrick.Jones@Busey.com

Senior Vice President, Director of Investment Research and Strategy | 217.365.4222

Derek is responsible for determining the asset allocation of, and the non-Busey investment managers used in, the model portfolios used by our Advisors to invest client accounts. His role includes developing and evolving long-term capital market assumptions for use in strategic asset allocation, authoring models and analysis to guide active asset allocation, and evaluating and choosing external managers in public and private markets.

Committed to helping people of all income and wealth levels, Derek recognizes that successful investing is the result of a strong partnership between clients and those managing their money. Along with making the best possible investment decisions on their behalf, he and the Investment Team educate and inform clients, so they understand the progress in achieving their goals and the reasoning behind the processes.

Prior to joining Busey Wealth Management in 2022, Derek was a Strategist, Portfolio Manager or leader on asset allocation or multi-asset teams at six investment management companies, including Ibbotson Associates (now Morningstar), ING Investments (now Voya) and BMO Asset Management.

In addition to his three decades of industry experience, he holds an MBA in Analytic Finance from the University of Chicago and a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is also a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charterholder and a member of the Chicago CFA Society. In his spare time, he is a tutor and mentor at By the Hand Club for Kids and a volunteer at Nourishing Hope, both in Chicago.

Associate Portfolio Manager II | 217.365.4477

In his role, Michael is responsible for the buying, selling and rebalancing of assets in client portfolios, as well as providing proposals for the modification of client portfolios. Currently working toward his Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®) designation, he joined Busey in 2022.

For Michael, understanding each client’s goals is a top priority. Knowing why they are making a particular decision or seeking financial assistance helps him better understand the most effective and efficient way to achieve their goals through strategic investing.

Michael holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Email:
Michael.Bugos@Busey.com

Vice President, Portfolio Implementation Manager | 217.425.8231

Luke oversees the portfolio management system, trading and execution team for Busey Wealth Management, which provides direct support to our wealth advisors. The trading team focuses on the execution of the strategic, tactical and dynamic asset allocations within model portfolios defined by the Investment Management Team. Additionally, the team provides trading data analysis for recommendations on rebalancing, tax loss harvesting, asset location and concentrated position management opportunities.

Prior to joining Busey in 2023, Luke earned his MBA in Business Data Analytics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and his bachelor’s degree in finance from Illinois State University.

Email:

Luke.Allison@Busey.com

Assistance Vice President, Associate Portfolio Manager, Fixed Income | 217.365.4009

As an associate portfolio manager, Michael assists the Busey Wealth Management team in conducting all trades. Since joining the organization in 2022, he has worked directly with our advisors to provide peace of mind to clients when guiding them on their financial journey.

With a client-centric focus, Michael helps create proposals that are designed for each individual financial situation using Busey’s holistic approach. A graduate of the University of Toledo, he earned his bachelor’s degree in Finance and Marketing.

Email:
Michael.Braker@Busey.com

Senior Vice President, Investment Portfolio Manager | 314.317.4861

With more than 15 years of experience in finance, Sean brings extensive knowledge and understanding of the investment industry to clients.

Prior to joining Busey Wealth Management in 2022, Sean was a Senior Portfolio Manager with U.S. Bank Private Wealth Management and U.S. Trust Private Wealth Management, as well as a Financial Analyst at Health Capital Consultants. Currently, he is a Certified Level III Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®) Candidate.

Sean earned his MBA with a Finance emphasis from Saint Louis University, and also holds a B.S.B.A. in Corporate Finance and B.S.B.A. in Marketing, both from Drake University.