From the heroes dedicated to public service who we serve and support, to our employees new and tenured, our people make us who we are. By the numbers, women and people of color make up 75% of our executive team, 69% of our employees, and 60% of our board of directors. But we’re not just about numbers.
Our executive leaders come from an array of financial services backgrounds — more than 275 years of combined industry knowledge. Their diverse experience and shared focus on serving the retirement planning needs of public employees help make MissionSquare unique. A nonprofit founded by and for the public sector, MissionSquare is about people — on every level, at every life stage.
Lynne Ford
Chief Executive Officer
& President
30 years
in financial services
view bio
Lynne Ford
Chief Executive Officer
& President
Lynne’s career spans more than 30 years of ensuring retirement security and wealth protection for Americans of all income levels. She’s an experienced leader in every aspect of retirement services, including asset management, advice and delivery, and platform and operations.
Before joining MissionSquare Retirement, she served as an Executive Vice President and Division Executive for SunTrust’s Private Wealth Division where she led a team that delivered wealth management and retirement products and solutions to clients. Prior to SunTrust, she was an Executive Vice President at Calvert Investments where she led the preeminent socially responsible investment firm’s institutional retail distribution efforts.
She also served as Executive Vice President and CEO of Individual Retirement at Voya Financial, and she served for 20 years at Wells Fargo Corporation and Evergreen Investments in leadership roles focused on retirement at the client and participant levels.
Having grown up in a family of public servants, Lynne is deeply committed to the financial challenges public employees face, and she’s passionate about helping them achieve peace of mind when it comes to retirement security.
Actively involved in community and industry activities throughout her career, she currently serves on the Board of Junior Achievement Greater Washington and the Women’s Initiative for a Secure Retirement. She is a past Director of the Maryland Chamber of Commerce and Junior Achievement USA. She served as Director of the Insured Retirement Institute for 10 years, serving in her last year as Chair.
Lynne has a bachelor’s degree from Davidson College and a master’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Orlando Cruz
Senior Vice President
Chief Growth Officer
Orlando is responsible for executing our mission of serving more plan sponsors and participants in public service — including government, education, health care, and nonprofit — through a broad range of retirement and financial wellness solutions that help them to and through retirement. He oversees MissionSquare Retirement’s investment and retirement plans sales, consultant relations, relationship management, planning, advice, retail retirement, and field sales teams.
His career comprises 25 years in the public finance, banking, insurance, and investment sectors, with a strong focus on retirement security, financial planning, and wealth protection for his clients. His diverse retirement services leadership experience includes asset management, participant advice, distribution, institutional sales, products, and operations.
Before joining MissionSquare, he was a Senior Vice President and Market Executive for PNC Investments where he led a team that delivered wealth management and retirement products and solutions. Prior to PNC, he was President and CEO of MetLife’s broker-dealer organization, MetLife Securities, Inc., one of the largest independent broker-dealers in the country. He has served as President of the Retail Investor Channel at Voya Financial (formerly ING) where his team offered investment and advisory solutions to 401(k) and 403(b) plan participants and plan sponsors. He also worked for 18 years at Wells Fargo Corporation in leadership roles focused on retirement at the plan sponsor and participant levels, as well as international pension funds.
Orlando’s passion for helping public employees achieve retirement security is based on his own family members who have embraced public sector employment as teachers, school administrators, police officers, and county employees. His industry association involvement includes the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA), the Insured Retirement Institute (IRI), the Local Government Hispanic Network (LGHN), the National Forum for Black Public Administrators (NFPBA), the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA), the National League of Cities (NLC), and the National Association of Government Defined Contribution Administrators (NAGDCA).
He has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Miami; is a FINRA Series 4, 7, 9, 24, 63, and 65 registered representative; and holds life and health insurance licenses.
Orlando Cruz
Senior Vice President
Chief Growth Officer
25 years
in financial services
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Sheri Gilchrist
Senior Vice President
Chief Marketing Officer
30 years
in financial services
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Sheri Gilchrist
Senior Vice President
Chief Marketing Officer
Sheri heads Marketing for our company, most recently leading our rebranding from ICMA-RC to MissionSquare Retirement. She has oversight of Brand and Digital, Channel Marketing, Marketing Operations, and Marketing Communications. She is recognized for modernizing the marketing organization for well-known financial services brands across the private and public sector.
Prior to joining MissionSquare, Sheri served as the first Global Chief Marketing Officer at PGIM Investments, the investment management business of Prudential, a top-10 investment management firm with over $1.6 trillion in assets under management. In her role, she oversaw global teams in marketing, product, PR, research, and digital operations with emphasis on using digital to improve the client experience and transform the business.
Before Prudential, Sheri served as the Executive Vice President, Managing Director of Marketing at BNY Mellon Investment Management and has held executive leadership roles at Eaton Vance (now Morgan Stanley Asset Management), Epsilon Data Management (a strategic partner to Facebook), and American Express.
Throughout her career, she has advised the C-suite and boards on trends in digital, analytics, and transformation. She is a long-time supporter of financial literacy and has provided counsel to the Social Security Administration and the National Bureau of Economic Research to foster a greater understanding of financial management and retirement planning in the workforce. This includes best practices for communications to the aging population as well as younger audiences. She is passionate about driving progress for diversity in the workplace and is an advocate for retirement-related public policy.
Sheri is a sought-after speaker on digital transformation and modern marketing and has been featured in Barron's, Bloomberg, Forbes, Ignites, Financial Times, 401kWire, Plan Sponsor, and FundFire.
She has a bachelor’s degree in International Relations and Economics from the University of Melbourne, a master’s degree in Finance from Boston University, and recently completed the Executive Development program in Communications at The Wharton School, Aresty Institute of Education.
Rhonda Mims
Senior Vice President
Chief Legal & External Affairs Officer
20 years
in financial services
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Sonya Sbar
Senior Vice President
Chief Product & Strategy Officer
25 years
in financial services
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Dai Shi
Senior Vice President
Chief Financial Officer
25 years
in financial services
view bio
Lynne Smith
Senior Vice President, Chief Client Experience & Technology Officer
25 years
in financial services
view bio
Rhonda Mims
Senior Vice President
Chief Legal & External
Affairs Officer
Rhonda is responsible for leading MissionSquare Retirement’s legal, risk, and compliance activities, as well as expanding the company’s government affairs, corporate communications, advocacy, and corporate social responsibility strategies. She serves as Corporate Secretary for the company’s Board of Directors.
Before joining MissionSquare, she served as Executive Vice President, Chief Public Affairs Officer, and President of the WellCare Community Foundation; was Managing Director of Corporate Social Responsibility at Paul Hastings, LLP; and spent almost 15 years at ING Americas in different roles, the last as Senior Vice President of Corporate Responsibility, and Chief Diversity Officer and President of the ING U.S./Voya Foundation.
Rhonda’s extensive legal career includes roles with the U.S. Department of Justice, the National District Attorney Association’s American Prosecutor’s Research Institute, and the South Carolina Office of the Attorney General.
A dedicated volunteer, she is Chair of the Thirty Percent Coalition Board of Directors, former Chair of the Executive Leadership Council, and a Board Member for the JED Foundation.
Rhonda is a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors; and previously served on the Boards of the Citizens Committee for Children in New York, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, America’s Promise, YWCA USA, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, the Association of Corporate Contributions Professionals, the UC Berkeley HAAS Center for Responsible Business, and the Woodruff Arts Center.
She has been acknowledged with numerous awards, including CSR Executive of the Year, Top 100 Blacks in Corporate America, and Woman of the Year by multiple organizations. Rhonda has a bachelor’s degree and a juris doctor degree from the University of South Carolina.
Sonya Sbar
Senior Vice President
Chief Product & Strategy Officer
Sonya leads MissionSquare Retirement’s Product and Strategy Department, which is responsible for the development and delivery of corporate strategy as well as management and governance of investment fund products and retirement solutions products.
Her career spans more than 25 years in financial services with asset management, private credit, and management consulting firms. Her leadership experience includes strategy development, product management, industry analysis, business expansion, and relationship building.
Sonya is committed to creating community impact through investments as well as socially responsible investing. Before joining MissionSquare, she was the Managing Director for Business Development at MicroVest Capital Management and Chief Strategy Officer at Solomon Hess Capital Management — firms that focus on international and domestic community impact investing. She was also Vice President for Product Positioning and Client Support at Calvert Investments, a leader in socially responsible investing.
Sonya has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration in International Business from The George Washington University, and a master’s degree in Business Administration in Strategic Management and Finance from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.
Dai Shi
Senior Vice President
Chief Financial Officer
Dai focuses on driving growth while maintaining sustainable profit margins for MissionSquare Retirement. She believes the financial services industry is the first responder to everyone’s financial health — an extraordinary responsibility to society.
She previously worked as business line Chief Financial Officer for Equitable Holdings and served on the core team for the 2018 IPO. She also assumed senior leadership roles with global companies such as AXA, Prudential, and CITI Group in the United States and emerging markets, supporting business through organic expansion and strategic acquisitions.
Dai serves on the Board of Trustees for The Well in New York City. She supports fundraising for several charities, including Hopes for New York, Restore NYC, and Autism Speaks.
She has a master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Illinois, and she holds certificates in Sustainability Development and International Organization Management from Columbia University and the University of Geneva.
Lynne Smith
Senior Vice President
Chief Client Experience & Technology Officer
Lynne is responsible for aligning technology offerings and building best-in-class client experiences that support MissionSquare Retirement’s customers and the communities they serve.
Her extensive background includes leading nonprofit health care and education plan administration focused on participant and plan sponsor experiences by market segment, as well as building participant financial wellness and retirement readiness programs.
Lynne joined MissionSquare from OneAmerica where she served as Head of Business Development and Strategy. She has also served as Chief Operating Officer for Bank of Montreal and has held leadership roles with VOYA and CitiStreet.
She has a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Cornell University, and a master’s degree in Business Administration from the Frank G. Zarb School of Business at Hofstra University. She is a FINRA Series 7, 24, and 63 registered representative.
Regina Wharton
Senior Vice President
Chief Human Resources Officer
18 years
in financial services
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Wayne Wicker
Senior Vice President
Chief Investment Officer
39 years
in financial services
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Regina Wharton
Senior Vice President
Chief Human Resources Officer
Regina is responsible for developing and implementing best practices in human capital strategy within MissionSquare Retirement’s overall business objectives and great workplace strategies. She has an extensive background in diversity, equity, and inclusion, and a passion for attracting and developing world-class talent. She brings more than 25 years of experience in human resource management and organizational effectiveness to the company.
She joined MissionSquare from Fifth Third Bank in Charlotte where she served as Senior Vice President, Regional HR Executive, and HR Southeast Regional Lead for Commercial, Business Banking, Treasury and Wealth & Asset Management. Regina was instrumental in developing the region’s employee engagement strategy that resulted in multiple, consecutive years’ Great Workplace awards.
Prior to Fifth Third Bank, she was with Wells Fargo Corporation as Vice President, Senior Human Resources Consultant where she was responsible for developing and executing HR priorities for the business, including culture change integration and engagement. In addition, Regina held executive HR positions with Corning Inc. and Cornell University. At Cornell, she was the first Director, HR Strategy.
Regina cares about the community and has served on several boards. She is currently Chair of the Board of Directors of Goodwill, Southern Piedmont; Chair of the Advisory Council of the Women’s Intercultural Exchange (WIE); and Past President of Women Executives of Charlotte.
She has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from State University of New York at Empire, and a Master of Professional Studies degree in Industrial and Labor Relations/Organizational Behavior from Cornell University.
Wayne Wicker
Senior Vice President
Chief Investment Officer, MissionSquare Retirement and MissionSquare Investments
Wayne leads MissionSquare Retirement’s Investments Department, which is responsible for the investment management, due diligence, and contract negotiations of 30+ investment funds.
He has more than 39 years of investment industry experience with equities, fixed income, and alternative investment portfolios. He has successfully managed institutional separate accounts and mutual fund products and has built investment platforms using external money managers.
Prior to joining MissionSquare in 2004, he served as Chief Investment Officer with The Colony Group in Boston. Previously, he served as Managing Director and Senior Portfolio Manager with Cadence Capital Management, an institutional money manager in Boston. As a Partner with Cadence Capital, he managed a $2.1 billion large-cap growth equity fund. Wayne has also held senior positions at Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Target Corporation, and IDS Financial Services.
He has undergraduate degrees in Business Administration and in Communications and Journalism. He has a master’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance. Wayne earned the Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA) designation and is a member of the CFA Society of Washington.
Steve Summers
Managing Vice President
Chief Internal Auditor
25 years
in financial services
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Steve Summers
Managing Vice President
Chief Internal Auditor
Steve focuses on ensuring that MissionSquare Retirement complies with all relevant legal and regulatory requirements, and that the company’s board and management are aware of any material control weaknesses or potential risks. He also coordinates with external auditors and internal control and monitoring functions, such as Risk Management, Compliance, Information Security, and Legal, to evaluate the audit and oversight coverage of MissionSquare and its critical vendors.
A Certified Information Systems Auditor, he has more than 25 years of experience in financial services and over 20 years of experience as an auditor. Steve came to MissionSquare in 2008 from Vanguard where he managed integrated technology and operational audits in portfolio management, securities lending, compliance, mutual fund accounting, and pricing (and the technology used to support each), in addition to managing reviews of mutual fund subadvisors.
Prior to Vanguard, Steve was an Audit Manager at KPMG, LLP where he managed audits, performed data mining and analysis, and executed consulting engagements for banking institutions, mutual fund companies, REITs, and the Department of Defense. He has also worked with T. Rowe Price in various roles, including Mutual Fund Accountant, Pricing Analyst, and Business Systems Analyst.
Steve has a bachelor’s degree in Finance from The Pennsylvania State University and completed Harvard Business School’s Executive Education Program for Audit Committees in a New Era of Governance.
Lynne Smith
Senior Vice President, Chief Client Experience
& Technology Officer
Steve Summers is the Managing Vice President of Internal Audit and Chief Internal Auditor at MissionSquare Retirement. He reports directly to the Audit Committee Chair of the MissionSquare Retirement Board of Directors with respect to the substance of work performed, and indirectly to MissionSquare Retirement’s Chief Financial Officer with regards to administrative matters. In his role as Chief Internal Auditor, he endeavors to ensure that MissionSquare Retirement is in compliance with all relevant legal and regulatory requirements, and that the Board and Management are aware of any material control weaknesses or potential risks to the corporation or its clients. In addition, Steve coordinates with MissionSquare Retirement’s external auditors and other internal control and monitoring functions (e.g. Risk Management, Compliance, Information Security, and the Legal division) to evaluate the completeness of audit and oversight coverage of the corporation as well as its critical vendors.
Steve came to MissionSquare Retirement in February 2008, from Vanguard where he managed integrated technology and operational audits of areas such as portfolio management, securities lending, compliance, mutual fund accounting, pricing, and the technology used to support each, in addition to reviews of the mutual fund subadvisors. Prior to going to work at Vanguard, Steve was an Audit Manager at KPMG, LLP where he managed audits, performed data mining and analysis in support thereof and executed consulting engagements for banking institutions, mutual fund companies, REITs, and the Department of Defense. Prior to joining KPMG, Steve was employed by T. Rowe Price in various roles, including: Mutual Fund Accountant, Pricing Analyst, and finally as a Business Systems Analyst.
Steve is a Certified Information Systems Auditor with more than 25 years of experience working in financial services and over 20 years of experience as an auditor.
Steve has a bachelor’s degree in Finance from The Pennsylvania State University and completed Harvard Business School’s Executive Education Program for Audit Committees in a New Era of Governance.
Executive Leadership
Executive Leadership
Katherine Schulze
Senior Vice President
Chief Legal & Corporate Affairs Officer
26 years
in financial services
view bio
Katherine Schulze
Senior Vice President
Chief Legal &
Corporate Affairs Officer
A seasoned executive regarded for her legal and public policy expertise in the financial services industry, Kate is responsible for directing the MissionSquare Retirement legal, compliance, risk, and government affairs strategy.
Her background includes a distinguished 26-year career with Transamerica where she served as Senior Vice President, Chief Ethics Officer and Associate General Counsel. Prior, she served as Assistant General Counsel for the U.S. Department of Justice and as Senior Counsel in the Division of Enforcement at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
At MissionSquare, Kate leverages her experience to help the company navigate the complex legal and public policy landscape that impacts retirement planning. In doing so, she focuses on delivering exceptional retirement security outcomes for public service workers across the country.
Passionate about community stewardship, Kate serves on the Board of Trustees of the Baltimore Museum of Art where she chairs the Audit Committee, serves on the Governance Committee, and volunteers her time to the Legal Services Committee. She also serves as Secretary and on the Board of Directors of Executive Alliance, an organization dedicated to expanding the impact and influence of women in the board room, the community, and in the leadership of business, civic organizations, and government.
Kate holds a Juris Doctor from Wayne State University Law School and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business.
Dai Shi
Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer
A seasoned executive regarded for her legal and public policy expertise in the financial services industry, Kate is responsible for directing the MissionSquare Retirement legal, compliance, risk, and government affairs strategy.
Her background includes a distinguished 26-year career with Transamerica where she served as Senior Vice President, Chief Ethics Officer and Associate General Counsel. Prior, she served as Assistant General Counsel for the U.S. Department of Justice and as Senior Counsel in the Division of Enforcement at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
At MissionSquare, Kate leverages her experience to help the company navigate the complex legal and public policy landscape that impacts retirement planning. In doing so, she focuses on delivering exceptional retirement security outcomes for public service workers across the country.
Passionate about community stewardship, Kate serves on the Board of Trustees of the Baltimore Museum of Art where she chairs the Audit Committee, serves on the Governance Committee, and volunteers her time to the Legal Services Committee. She also serves as Secretary and on the Board of Directors of Executive Alliance, an organization dedicated to expanding the impact and influence of women in the board room, the community, and in the leadership of business, civic organizations, and government.
Kate holds a Juris Doctor from Wayne State University Law School and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business.