The Board and Investment Committee
TFE is managed by a Board consisting of 11 members; 6 elected by Convention (2 each year to staggered 3-year terms), 3 appointed by the Board (1 each year to staggered 3-year terms), and the Bishop and Treasurer of the diocese as ex-officio members with voice and vote. The Board meets quarterly to oversee the operations of TFE and to make decisions about investments and allocations, ensuring that the Combined Fund is performing according to policies and expectations. An Investment Committee, made up of members of the Board, also meets quarterly to review the quarterly investment report and to consider any recommendations from our investment consultant. The Investment Committee then advises the Board on any actions that should be taken regarding the investment portfolio.
Executive Director
Under supervision of the TFE Board, TFE’s Executive Director is responsible for the daily administration of the Combined Fund, assisting investors in setting up endowment and other investment funds and helping parishes make use of gifts of stock. Currently, TFE’s Executive Director is Jim Wenzler.
Investment Consultant: John Mellinger of Mariner Institutional (AndCo Consulting)
John Mellinger is a Senior Institutional Advisor at Mariner Institutional, and was formerly a Senior Consultant at AndCo Consulting, which Mariner acquired. He attended Marquette University and, prior to joining AndCo, was a Senior Consultant at Alpha Investment Consulting Group, located in Milwaukee. John has been a steady, knowledgeable, and extremely helpful advisor to TFE’s Investment Committee. He attends quarterly meetings with the Investment Committee, and presents on the market as a whole, each investment pool in the Combined Fund, and investments within each pool.
Custodian: Argent Institutional Trust Company (formerly TMI Trust Company)
Argent Institutional Trust Company is the custodian for the Combined Fund. A custodian is a financial institution that holds customers’ securities for safekeeping. It has a vital role in a fund—not only keeping assets safe, but also processing transactions and making sure recordkeeping and reporting are correct and clear. Argent is headquartered in Florida and has an office in Milwaukee, is a provider of highly specialized trust solutions with more than 60 years of experience with personal, corporate, and financial institution clients. As custodian, Argent is responsible for the record-keeping and reporting of The Combined Fund, and provides the Client Portal through which Combined Fund investors may obtain monthly reports and statements. You can learn more about Argent here.