Management Team

William D. Cvengros joined National Retirement Partners in an advisory capacity in March, 2005, and has served as Chairman since December, 2005, with responsibility for overall strategic direction and corporate strategy.

Mr. Cvengros was formerly Chief Executive Officer of PIMCO Advisors L.P., a publicly-traded asset management firm with over $300 billion of assets under management.  He was a leader in the development of multiple investment firms, and overall strategy from its formation in November, 1994, through the sale to Allianz AG in May, 2000.

Prior to joining PIMCO Advisors, Mr. Cvengros was Vice Chairman and Chief Investment Officer of Pacific Life Insurance Company. While at Pacific Life, he held various positions in investment operations dating back to 1972.  He became Chief Investment Officer in 1987, with responsibility for Pacific Life’s investment operations and asset management subsidiaries, the most noteworthy of which was Pacific Investment Management Company.  From 1990 until PIMCO Advisor’s IPO in late 1994, he served as Vice Chairman with expanded responsibilities that included Pacific Life’s Pension Investment operations.

In addition to his experience in the financial services industry, Mr. Cvengros has significant experience in the venture capital and private equity community.  He initiated Pacific Life’s venture program, investing in top firms such as Menlo Ventures, Enterprise Partners, Summit, Walden and Brentwood.  He was an active investor and Chairman of PacketVideo Corporation, a software provider for wireless telecommunications from it’s inception in 1998 until its sale in 2005.  He was also affiliated with The Edgewater Funds as a venture partner and advisory board member from July, 2002, until December, 2004.

Mr. Cvengros currently serves as a Director of ACG Corporation and HK Enterprise Group.  He received a B.A. in Economics (1970) from the University of Notre Dame (where he is on the Advisory Council for the Mendoza School of Business), and an M.B.A. from Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management (1972).  Mr. Cvengros is also a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).

William R. Chetney is the founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer of National Retirement Partners and 401(K) Research Group, LLC (NRP’s predecessor entity). Mr. Chetney’s 20-year record of success and commitment to the retirement plan business provides a strong foundation for the Company. With a reputation as an innovator and strong leader, Mr. Chetney is responsible for the strategic supervision of NRP's Member Firms network and acquisitions, Member Firm relationships, and product development.

Born and raised in Southern California, Mr. Chetney studied under Peter Drucker at Claremont Graduate University where he received his MBA. He received his B.A. at Pitzer College, also located in Claremont, California. As a partner and National Sales Manager with Michael K. Farrell & Associates, he was instrumental in the development of a proprietary 401(k) product for Reliastar Financial Corporation, which was later sold to ING Group. In 1989, after transferring from Mutual Benefit Financial Services, Mr. Chetney managed operations in the Western United States as Senior Regional Vice President for Mutual Benefit Pension Corporation.

Mr. Chetney currently lives in San Juan Capistrano, California, with his wife and four children, where he is actively involved in his community. Among his many contributions, he is currently on the Board of Regents for the Boys & Girls Club of Capistrano Valley.

Robert L. Francis is the Chief Operating Officer of National Retirement Partners, Inc. As Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Francis is responsible for overseeing NRP's legal, HR, IT, Investment Due Diligence, Public Relations and development of all tools and services used on behalf of all NRP Member Firms. In addition, Mr. Francis is the Chairperson of the NRP Operating Committee which oversees the management and reporting of the annual plan and strategy development. Mr. Francis joined National Retirement Partners in January, 2006, to lead the effort to maximize national relationships with retirement product providers and contribute to the strategic development of the Member Firm acquisition model.

Mr. Francis began his career in the retirement services industry after graduating from Eckerd College in 1980 with a B.A. degree in American Studies. He joined Aetna Retirement Services in 1980 as a Pension and Financial Services Account Executive. He was appointed Managing Director of Aetna Capital Management in 1993 and Senior Vice President, National Sales of Aetna Retirement Services in November 1997. Two years later Mr. Francis was promoted to President, Corporate Markets of Aetna Retirement Services responsible for financial management, product development, marketing, sales and client relationship management. He continued in this position after the sale of Aetna Retirement Services to ING. In 2002, Mr. Francis was promoted to President of Institutional Distribution and Client Relationship Management for all of ING’s worksite markets including employee benefits, corporate, government and nonprofit retirement markets. In addition, he assumed overall responsibility for ING Financial Advisors, LLC, a broker/dealer with over 2300 registered representatives.

Mr. Francis is an NASD Registered Principal with NASD series 6, 7, 26 and 63 licenses.

L. Craig Smith joined National Retirement Partners in March 2008. Mr. Smith's responsibilities include financial, accounting and capital markets activities as well as acquisition analysis and negotiation. Mr. Smith was formerly the Chief Financial Officer Executive Vice President of Wyle Laboratories, an El Segundo, California based technology engineering services firm. Prior that Mr. Smith was Vice President Planning and Control at The Disney Channel. Mr. Smith was formerly an auditor with KPMG.

Mr. Smith received his Bachelors in Economics from UCLA and an MBA from the Anderson School of Business, UCLA.

E. Clifford Oberlin is the CEO of NRP Financial and a member of the Board of Directors of National Retirement Partners. A third-generation member of the Oberlin family to lead a broker/dealer, Cliff Oberlin is President and CEO of NRP Financial, Inc., a broker/dealer and registered investment adviser founded in 2000. Oberlin Financial Corp. was acquired by the Company in March 2007. Mr. Oberlin has 30 years of experience in broker/dealer management. Mr. Oberlin formerly served as President and CEO of MFI Investments, the family’s first broker-dealer. MFI was named an Inc. 500 company for three successive years and grew to 90 offices and 275 registered representatives prior to being purchased by a multi-billion dollar bank holding company in 1995 and renamed Sky Investments.

Mr. Oberlin is a Certified Public Accountant, Personal Financial Specialist and Certified Financial Planner. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance from Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, and graduated from the Owner/President Management Program at the Graduate School of Business Administration at Harvard University.

He is currently serving as Vice-Chairman of The Securities Industry/Regulatory Council on Continuing Education and was the 2007 Chairman of the Firm Element Committee. Mr. Oberlin has served on the NASD District 8 Business Conduct Committee and was Chairman of the NASD District 8 Business Conduct Nominating Committee. He was also a past Chairman of the International Association for Financial Planning (now FSI) Broker/Dealer Division. He has earned Million Dollar Round Table, Court of the Table and Top of the Table Honors and is currently a member of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO) International Forum Committee.

Cliff Oberlin is co-author of Building a High-End Financial Services Practice.  © Bloomberg Press 2004.

Brian C. Carlson is directly responsible for numerous corporate operational functions, including consulting firm acquisition analysis, Member Firm affiliations, and the development and implementation of policies and procedures designed to enhance NRP's internal controls. As an Executive Vice President of 401(k) Research Group, LLC (NRP's predecessor entity), Mr. Carlson was instrumental in providing business development services, coordinating marketing efforts, and developing strategic alliances with product manufacturing and mutual fund companies.

Mr. Carlson has been in the financial services industry since 1997, focusing on the retirement plan marketplace. Mr. Carlson worked for ING ReliaStar Financial Corporation as a Regional Pension Consultant and Regional Vice President from 1997-2001. In 2001, he joined State Street Research & Management (SSRM), also as a Regional Vice President. While at SSRM, Mr. Carlson was responsible for wholesale distribution in 10 Western states.

Mr. Carlson received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Southern California (1994) and his Juris Doctor from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law (1997), and earned the Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) designation from the American College (1999). Mr. Carlson is an NASD Registered Principal and Investment Adviser Representative with Series 7, 24, 63 and 66 licenses, and is also a Member of the State Bar of California.

Richard Darian is Chief Marketing Officer for National Retirement Partners. Mr. Darian joined the management team of NRP in October of 2006 and focuses on the Company's marketing, sales and advisor recruitment strategies.

Prior to joining NRP, Mr. Darian held numerous senior management positions with two retirement plan providers. He was the Director of Retirement Plan Services and National Sales Manager for MFS Investment Management from 2000 until 2005. Prior to joining MFS Investment Management, he was the National Sales Manager for Reliastar Financial Corporation, where he held numerous management positions beginning in 1995.

Mr. Darian began his career as an employee benefit consultant, focusing on institutional retirement plan consulting. He was a national practice leader and partner for a New York based employee benefit consulting firm from 1986 until 1995. After the sale of the firm to ADP, he led the development of an institutional retirement plan operation for ADP.

Mr. Darian is a graduate of the University of Arizona with a BS in Economics (1981) and holds numerous NASD licenses and retirement industry accreditations.

Timothy J. O'Brien joined National Retirement Partners in October 2006 to develop and execute the firm's acquisition strategy. In addition Mr. O'Brien is responsible for the Company's Practice Management function to assist acquired firms in maximizing their growth and earnings contributions.

After working in New York's City Hall for a year Mr. O'Brien began his career in financial services at Prudential-Bache Securities in 1983 in their Management Training Program and stayed at Prudential until April of 1998. In 1986 Mr. O'Brien became the CFO and COO of Prudential Bache Australia and in 1987 added the responsibilities of Managing Director of Prudential-Bache Japan before returning to Prudential Bache Securities in America in 1988. Mr. O'Brien became a Senior Vice President of Operations in 1990 and became Chairman and CEO of Prudential Mutual Fund Services in 1994, responsible for the Transfer Agency, Fund Administration and all aspects of Retirement Services. In 1995, Mr. O'Brien added the responsibilities of President and CEO of Prudential Mutual Fund Distributors. In 1996, Prudential merged all of their asset management businesses and Mr. O'Brien became a Senior Vice President at Prudential Investments, responsible for Distribution of Retirement Products. In 1998, Mr. O'Brien joined Deloitte and Touche Consulting as a National Director responsible for Sales, Marketing and Service. He simultaneously served as Managing Partner of Benefit Funding Services, an independent Retirement Services Advisory practice. In December of 1998 these two businesses were acquired by EPS Solutions, a business services roll-up of 39 companies, where Mr. O'Brien served as Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing. In 2000, Mr. O'Brien became the CEO of OnPlan, a start-up company in the on-line financial planning business. In 2002 Mr. O'Brien became the CEO of ExpertPlan, Inc an outsourced record-keeper in the micro and small plan 401k markets. From 2002 thru 2006, Mr. O'Brien grew ExpertPlan's assets from $17 Million to $1.7 Billion and raised 3 successful rounds of funding to get the firm to profitability. Mr. O'Brien is a graduate from Brown University in 1982 with a B.A. in Economics.

Geoffrey R. White has been with 401(k) Research Group, LLC (NRP's predecessor entity) since January, 2005. Mr. White is responsible for new Member Firm recruitment and infrastructure development, initiating strategic relationships with vendor companies, and coordinating communication of strategic initiatives to Member Firms.

Mr. White began his 10 year career at State Street Research & Management and became head of the broker-dealer operation department and manager of the adviser call center. He was one of the leaders in developing SSRM's adviser-distributed 401(k) product. In 1999, he was promoted to Regional Vice President, responsible for the distribution of SSRM's retail portfolio of products, and became the firm's top salesperson in 2000.

Born and raised in Boston, Mr. White graduated from Providence College with a B.S. in Accounting.