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. In fact, in October 2008, Mr. Chetney was named one of the retirement industry’s 15 Legends by PLANSPONSOR Magazine. With a reputation as an innovator and strong leader, Mr. Chetney is responsible for the strategic supervision of NRP's Member Firms network, 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.

Leads NRP’s investment research, analysis and due diligence efforts. Jamie has an extensive background and significant expertise in developing proprietary scoring systems used to evaluate investment managers and products. He is responsible for creating, maintaining and enhancing NRP’s extensive 25,000+ page research library. A keynote speaker at several institutional investment analysis industry conferences, Mr. Kitchens has over 20 years experience as an investment professional. 

Prior to joining NRP, Mr. Kitchens was Vice President of Investments at Net Asset Management where he served on the Investment Policy Committee. His previous role was Director of Research for RunMoney Corp., where he developed subadvisory relationships and created the firm’s recommended portfolios and investment strategies. Mr. Kitchens also has tactical investment experience gained while working as Senior Analyst for a hedge fund.

Mr. Kitchens has successfully passed NASD Series 4, 7, 8, 63 and 65 examinations. Jamie is a member of the Dow Jones Target Date Advisory Board. He has earned the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and is a member of the CFA Institute and the CFA Society of San Diego.

Geoff White began his tenure with National Retirement Partners (NRP), formerly 401k Advisors USA, in December of 2004. While working with the firm in its infancy stages, Mr. White has been instrumental in transforming the company from an idea and a concept to one of the country’s most recognized retirement plan consulting firms. In his current role as National Sales Manager, Geoff manages an internal sales team responsible for recruiting new practices to NRP while enhancing the relationships with current Member Firms. In helping take NRP from a basic concept to 155 Member Firms representing more than $50B in assets, Mr. White has been involved in every facet of the company throughout the years. These responsibilities have included developing a Member Firm service model, marketing and branding a national firm, initiating strategic relationships with high quality providers, development of tools and services designed for top caliber consultants, and facilitating cross selling opportunities within the NRP network.

Prior to NRP, Mr. White was a Vice President at State Street Research & Management (SSRM). He was primarily responsible for mutual fund, retirement plan, investment only, and sub advised sales in Southern California. Over the 10 years spent at SSRM, he took on numerous roles including managing a call center, head of broker dealer operations, and leading internal sales operations. He was vital in developing and distributing an advisor driven bundled 401k product. Geoff was the firm’s top salesman in 2000 and again in 2003.

Born and raised in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Mr. White graduated from Providence College with a BS in Accounting. He and his family moved to California in August of 2000. His wife Jody and three children, Kallie(7), Curt(5), and Natalie(2), enjoy spending time at the beaches of Southern California and Cape Cod with friends and family.

As Executive Vice President of National Retirement Partners, Corby is director of provider relations and relationship manager for strategic alliances.

Corby was one of the four original members to join NRP and has 19 years of professional wholesale and retail sales experience in the retirement plans, deferred compensation, and general insurance products marketplaces.

As Regional Vice President for ING Financial Advisors for more than 13 years, Corby was responsible for creating a seven-state region. He was also instrumental in establishing Reliastar Retirement Plans in the Southwestern United States, building an extremely successful franchise.

Prior to his wholesaling career, Corby owned an independent brokerage agency, which marketed mutual funds, retirement plans, and various insurance products. Corby is a graduate of the University of Utah with a B.S. in Business Administration, and completed the Strategic Sales and Marketing Program at Rocky Mountain Business College.

Corby and his wife Karen reside in Salt Lake City, and have been married for over 20 years. They are very proud of their three boys and spend free time boating, fishing, and playing tennis and golf. Karen and Corby serve their community in the Addiction Recovery Program for the LDS church.

Cliff Oberlin is President and CEO of NRP Financial, Inc., a registered broker/dealer, and NRP Advisors, Inc., a Registered Investment Adviser. Cliff has over 30 years of experience in the industry and holds FINRA Series 4, 27, 40, 63 and 65 licenses.

Mr. Oberlin is a Certified Public Accountant CPA, Personal Financial Specialist PFS and Certified Financial Planner CFP®. He earned a BS in Accounting and Finance from Miami University ( Ohio) and graduated from the Owner/President Management Program at the Graduate School of Business Administration, Harvard University.