Client Board for Student-Run Fund
Corey Schieler '97, CFA® – Client Board member since: 1997
Corey Schieler, CFA®, is a private investor and former director of venture capital investments at State Farm Insurance Companies in Bloomington, Illinois.
Corey joined State Farm in 1997 in the equity unit of the State Farm Department as a Stock Investment Analyst. In 2007, he moved to the Mutual Funds Department and was responsible for product development, product management, and oversight of the retail mutual fund offerings and the company's internal and external investment managers and also managed the Investment Research area. In 2019, he was part of the Fixed Income unit and had analytical coverage across a diverse range of industries in the Private Placement group. He served as director of State Farm Ventures LLC and a board member of several venture investments from 2020-2024.
A native of central Illinois, Corey received a B.A. in Risk Management & Economics from IWU in 1997. In 2002, Corey earned the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®) designation. In 2003, he completed his MBA at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business with a concentration in Accounting & Finance. Corey also serves as a wish granter for the Illinois Chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation since 2010.
Blake Mier '96, CFP® – Client Board member since: 2007
Managing Principal
Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network, LLC
Blake has worked as a financial advisor for Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network, LLC and its predecessors since 1998. He works with individuals, businesses, trusts, and foundations to develop and implement investment strategies that are consistent with their goals. He graduated from Illinois Wesleyan in 1996 with a degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance. He enjoys being a part of the client board for Portfolio Management because he took the class in 1995 and feels that it led him directly to a successful and fulfilling career.
As a Client Board member for Illinois Wesleyan University's Portfolio Management course, I act in a completely separate role from my position as a Financial Advisor at Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network, LLC. Investment products and services are offered through Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network, LLC (WFAFN), Member SIPC, a registered broker-dealer and non-bank affiliate of Wells Fargo & Company. WFAFN uses the trade name Wells Fargo Advisors.
Bryan Crabtree '97, CFP® – Client Board member since: 2007
Financial Advisor, Crabtree Financial
Bryan is a financial advisor with Crabtree Financial Services, LLC. He helps clients develop a comprehensive plan to achieve their financial goals. He holds his Certified Financial Planner certification and graduated from Illinois Wesleyan where he majored in business administration with a minor in risk management and financial services. After graduation, Bryan played professional basketball in Europe for seven years. Upon returning, he started his career as an investment representative with Edward Jones. He remained there for five years before leaving to start Crabtree Financial Services in 2009. Bryan resides in Normal with his wife and three daughters. His hobbies include playing basketball, golf, and spending time with his family.
Christine Dierker '01, – Client Board member since: 2014
South Central Team Lead – Real Estate, State Farm Insurance
Christine Dierker is the South Central Team Leader in the State Farm Real Estate and Mortgage area of the State Farm Investment Department. After graduating Illinois Wesleyan University in 2001 with a Risk Management major, Christine began her career as an Equity Analyst in the State Farm Investment Department focused on retail companies. In 2003, she moved to Real Estate and focused on commercial lending across the United States. Additionally, she handles intern and full time recruiting in her division of the Investment Department. Christine completed her MBA at Illinois State University in 2008 and the Chartered Financial Consultant designation in 2011. A central Illinois native, Christine is married with three small children and is a member of the Board of Directors at McLean County Dance Association.
Jon Wilson, CFA® '01, – Client Board member since: 2017
Investment Professional – Equities, State Farm Insurance
Jon Wilson, CFA®, is an Investment Professional in the Public Equity area of State Farm Insurance's Investment Department based in Dallas, Texas. Jon focuses on researching and investing in healthcare, oil & gas, chemical, agriculture, and industrial companies. He graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University in 2001 with a double major in Biology and Business Administration. Following graduation, Jon joined State Farm as an equity analyst and has spent nearly 25 years in the company’s Public Equity area. Jon earned the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®) designation in 2004 and completed his MBA at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business in 2005.
Robert Shepard '15 – Client Board member since: 2017
Robert “R.T.” Shepard is Vice President of Shepard Asset Management, a family-owned investment firm based in Bloomington, Illinois. He began his career in 2014 by co-founding Wisconsin Northern White Sands (WNWS), a frac sand company serving the oil services sector, alongside his father.
R.T. earned a B.A. in International Business from Illinois Wesleyan University in 2015. He continued his work at WNWS as a Senior Research Analyst, where he focused on analyzing oil sector leading indicators to forecast demand for frac sand.
In 2022, R.T. completed his MBA through the University of Wisconsin’s Applied Security Analysis Program. During this time, he was a member of CastleArk Management’s $5 billion Large Cap Growth team, covering the consumer discretionary and energy sectors. He also briefly worked as a Research Analyst at B. Riley Financial, Inc., a diversified financial services firm in Los Angeles, where he covered the Medtech sector.
In addition to his current role at Shepard Asset Management, R.T. serves on the board of directors for Revmatics AI, a marketing technology company specializing in AI-driven conversion rate optimization.
He credits his broad investment perspective to the Portfolio Management course he took at Illinois Wesleyan in 2014. Today, R.T. remains engaged with the university through his service on the class’s client advisory board, where he enjoys giving back to the IWU community.
Mike Musselman ‘04
Mike Musselman is the Director of Regional Portfolio Management for the Chicago/Illinois region of Fifth Third Private Bank. He has been with the organization for over 18 years, serving in various investment research, portfolio management, and leadership roles over that time. Mike has deep experience in client relationship management, portfolio management, securities analysis, manager due diligence, team building, and the authoring of economic and financial market publications.
In addition to working directly with many of the bank’s high net worth clients, Mike leads a team of local portfolio managers with over $5 billion in client assets under management. He also sits on the leadership team for Fifth Third Private Bank in Chicago. In addition, Mike works with Fifth Third Bank’s Investment Strategy Team, helping to form the firm’s view of the economy and markets and how that translates to investment decision making and implementation in client portfolios. In this role, Mike speaks on behalf of the bank both locally in Chicago as well as nationally on various economic and financial market topics.
Mike has a BA in finance from Illinois Wesleyan University and an MBA in finance from DePaul University’s Kellstadt Graduate School of Business. He is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and a Certified Investment Management Analyst®.
Jake Ocker '24
Jake Ocker graduated Illinois Wesleyan University in 2024 and that July started as a Portfolio Manager Associate Commerce Bank Trust Department in Bloomington. He works on the team that was previously led by former Client Board member, Chris Haag.