Investment Team

Our Investment Team is solely focused on navigating the financial markets and determining the optimal investments to meet your goals, and our dedicated Portfolio Managers help oversee management of investment portfolios. Our highly skilled and motivated investment professionals are committed to actively monitoring your portfolio—managing assets for families, endowments, foundations and corporations. Many of our team members hold advanced designations, including Chartered Financial Analyst® charterholders, CPAs, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ practitioners and MBAs.

Investment Portfolio Team

Executive Vice President, Chief Investment Officer

Executive Vice President, Executive Managing Director, Wealth Advisor

Executive Vice President,
Investment Portfolio Manager

Senior Vice President, Investment Portfolio Manager

Senior Vice President, Director of Fixed Income

Senior Vice President,

Investment Portfolio Manager

Senior Vice President,
Investment Portfolio Manager

Assistant Vice President
Associate Portfolio Manager, Fixed Income

Assistant Vice President
Associate Portfolio Manager, Trading II

Officer, Associate Portfolio Manager, Trading

Investment products and services through Busey Wealth Management are not FDIC insured, may lose value, and have no bank guarantee.

Zachary E. Hillard, CFA, MBA

Executive Vice President, Chief Investment Officer | 217.351.6639

Zach is directly responsible for the investment process and performance of clients' fixed income portfolios. Zach has 20 years of investment experience, over half of which have been at Busey. Prior to Busey, Zach worked at Brinson Partners/UBS Global Asset Management where he helped in managing portfolios for Fortune 500 companies.

Zach received his Bachelor's Degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Masters in Business Administration from the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business at DePaul University in Chicago. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charterholder and a member of the CFA Society Chicago.

Zach also serves on the CFA Society Chicago Board of Directors for 2020-2021. He is active in the community, serving on various boards including the Monticello CUSD #25 Board of Education, the University of Illinois System’s Investment Advisory Council and the Champaign County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.

Email:
zachary.hillard@busey.com

Robert J. Ballsrud, CPA, CFA

Executive Vice President, Executive Managing Director, Wealth Advisor | Work 217.351.2707 | Mobile 217.377.8026

Bob is a Certified Public Accountant and a Chartered Financial Analyst® charterholder who has more than 25 years of experience in investment management, over 20 of which have been at Busey. He works with high net-worth individuals, families and organizations through complex financial planning and investment management issues.

Bob leads the Busey Wealth Management advisory team where he strongly believes clients deserve better. He previously led the Busey Wealth Management 8-member Investment Team. He believes integrating clients' tax and financial planning objectives with a robust portfolio construction process in a highly customized and personal manner gives them the best opportunity for long-term financial success. Bob's experience gives him confidence that this can only be done well by building a team of experts around a client to ensure all aspects of their financial affairs are planned and accounted for properly.

Bob is a graduate of the University of Illinois with a B.S. in Finance, as well as a member of the Investment Analyst Society of Chicago, the CFA Institute and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and is a Personal Financial Specialist.

He believes strongly in supporting our local communities as exhibited by his involvement with numerous local not-for-profits through the years including the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, The University of Illinois Japan House, the Crisis Nursery, Champaign Parks Foundation, Developmental Services Center, Rotary International and the Carle Foundation to name a few.

Email:
Robert.Ballsrud@busey.com

Kevin Pfleger

Executive Vice President, Investment Portfolio Manager | 239.790.8025

A lifelong Florida resident, Kevin focuses on providing portfolio management services to local Busey Wealth Management clients in the Fort Myers area. From establishing asset allocations and portfolio construction to ongoing maintenance and more, his goal is to be a client’s trusted “CFO” when it comes to investments and planning.

Backed by over 30 years of experience, Kevin is someone clients have come to rely on as he has candid and truthful conversations that lead to sound financial planning decisions. He previously served as the Managing Director of Investments at Investors’ Security Trust Company—now Busey Bank—and was a Registered Broker at Duncan Williams, Inc., selling fixed income securities to institutional clients.

Kevin earned his Bachelor of Science in Business, majoring in Business Finance, from the University of Florida, and is a graduate of the CBA School of Retail Bank Management School in Charlottesville, VA. He has also served as Board member with the YMCA and Bishop Verot High School.

Email:
Kevin.Pfleger@Busey.com

Michael Bartochowski

Senior Vice President, Investment Portfolio Manager | 847.832.0962

As a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and Chartered Retirement Planning CounselorSM - CRPC®, Mike brings an extensive level of expertise to his clients. Combined with 35 years of experience, he works hard to help his clients achieve their financial goals—now and for years to come.

Mike joined Glenview State Bank—now Busey Bank—in 2000, performing equity and sector analysis, as well as research for client portfolios. A Chicago native and father of two, he earned his Bachelor of Science and MBA in Finance from DePaul University. In his spare time, Mike enjoys spending time swimming, biking and running.

Email:
Michael.Bartochowski@Busey.com

Senior Vice President, Director of Fixed Income | 314.317.4757

As the leader of Busey Wealth’s Management Fixed Income Team, Mike knows it is critical to understand a client’s goals, investment horizon, current and future needs, and intergenerational wealth management intentions. With a solid understanding of these critical aspirations, it deepens the relationship with the client and leads to more productive outcomes.

Mike is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER^TM practitioner, Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®) and Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) with over two decades in the industry. He has extensive experience in the investment arena and, prior to joining Busey in 2023, he served in high-performing roles such as Sector Portfolio Manager and Investment Research Leader with Fidelity Investments and Senior Portfolio Manager and Risk Team Leader with Edward Jones.

Mike earned a Master of Science in Finance from Boston College and a Bachelor of Science with Concentrations in Finance and Chinese from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He also holds a Certificate in Python Programming from Carnegie Mellon and a CFA® Institute Certificate in ESG Investing. In his spare time, he is involved with the Special Olympics and the United Way in various endeavors.

Email:
Mike.Elvin@Busey.com

Senior Vice President, Investment Portfolio Manager | 630.328.8504

Grant focuses on equity portfolio management and security analysis. His experience enables him to construct equity portfolios that will help clients achieve their financial goals.

Prior to joining Busey Wealth Management in 2018, Grant gained nearly 25 years of investment management experience as an analyst and portfolio manager with Columbia Wanger Asset Management, Federated Investors, and Invesco. Grant earned his Bachelor of Science Degree magna cum laude at North Central College and his Master of Business Administration degree with a concentration in Finance at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Grant earned the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and is a member of the CFA Society Chicago and the CFA Institute.

Grant enjoys spending time with his family, cycling, and participating in other outdoor activities. He serves as a board member and treasurer of Literacy DuPage and is a longtime resident of the Chicago area.

Email:
Grant.McKay@busey.com

Aaron Sutton, CFA

Senior Vice President, Investment Portfolio Manager | 217.365.4813

Aaron joined Busey Wealth Management in 2004 as an Investment Analyst. His primary duties include trading and equity research, reviewing current and potential security holdings, and investment performance reporting. He also assists the retirement plan group by reviewing current and prospective clients' 401k investments. Aaron achieved the Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®) designation - one of the most respected and recognized investment credentials-through the CFA Institute.

Aaron received his Bachelor's Degree in Finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Email:
Aaron.Sutton@busey.com

Assistant Vice President, Associate Portfolio Manager, Fixed Income | 217.351.6608

As a fixed income associate portfolio manager, Patrick implements our Busey Core Fixed Income Strategy for client accounts. He purchases investment grade corporate bonds, agency bonds, U.S. Treasury Bills and Notes, as well as brokered CDs for client accounts. His role also involves analyzing credit markets to determine relative value and investment opportunities, along with providing aid in planning and designing customized portfolios that align with investor’s needs.

Prior to joining Busey Wealth Management in 2021, Patrick was a financial analyst engaged in the preparation of cost segregation studies at a consulting firm. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Patrick is a Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®) and a member of the CFA Society of Chicago.

Email:
Patrick.Jones@Busey.com

Assistant Vice President, Associate Portfolio Manager, Trading II | 217.365.4806

In his role, Mustafa works directly with Busey Wealth Management advisors to generate and execute customized proposals for each client’s unique situations by incorporating legacy holdings, tax minimization and asset location across multiple accounts.

Using a client-centered approach, he understands each situation is unique and brings its own set of circumstances, needs and goals. With his multi-faceted role and holistic perspective, Mustafa monitors the financial markets to ensure the client’s best interests are served in the appropriate market venue.

Before moving into his current role, Mustafa was as a Financing Planning Specialist with Busey. Working in partnership with Wealth Advisors, he helped develop personalized plans of action for clients, which included investing strategies, asset allocation, saving and spending goals, insurance and tax planning.

A graduate of Eastern Illinois University, Mustafa earned his Bachelor of Science in Business – Finance. In addition to being an avid Chicago Bears fan, he enjoys camping, woodworking and boxing in his spare time.

Email:
Mustafa.Odeh@Busey.com

Officer, Associate Portfolio Manager, Trading | 217.365.4009

As an associate portfolio manager, Michael assists the Busey Wealth Management team in conducting all trades. Since joining the organization in 2022, he has worked directly with our advisors to provide peace of mind to clients when guiding them on their financial journey.

With a client-centric focus, Michael helps create proposals that are designed for each individual financial situation using Busey’s holistic approach. A graduate of the University of Toledo, he earned his bachelor’s degree in Finance and Marketing.

Email:
Michael.Braker@Busey.com