Meet Our People
Our staff is the heart of our company—they bring deep expertise and commitment to every client relationship. Many have worked for nonprofit organizations, are active volunteers and board members, and serve in leadership roles within the gift planning community.
Our Senior Management Team
Each member of the senior management team brings more than 15 years of leadership in a variety of fields, including gift planning, investments, financial services, and technology.
Ali Iqbal
President
Ali is responsible for developing and overseeing the execution of TIAA Kaspick’s strategy. He has served in several management roles at TIAA, including leading product management and strategy for education savings, health savings, and life insurance. Ali joined TIAA in 2015 as head of finance for the office of business effectiveness before being named head of finance for the TIAA financial services product organization. Prior to joining TIAA, Ali held a variety of roles with UBS Financial Services in both London and New Jersey. He received a B.Sc. in Economics and Accountancy from City University, London, and is an Associate Chartered Management Accountant.
Vic Amato
Chief Business Development Officer
Vic oversees the business development function at TIAA Kaspick. Prior to joining the firm in 2009, Vic served as Vice President of New Business Development at TIAA Trust Company, FSB. He has over 20 years of experience in planned giving and endowment sales. Vic earned his MBA and BS in Business Administration from St. Louis University.
Akadius Berry
Chief Marketing Officer
Akadius oversees TIAA Kaspick's marketing, analytics, and client communications teams. Before joining TIAA Kaspick in 2023, he was Head of Global Demand Marketing at General Electric Digital. Akadius' experience includes marketing roles with Charter Communications, Corning, Inc., Time Warner Cable, Toshiba, IBM, JPMorgan Chase & Company, and FedEx. He received his MBA from Tennessee State University and BBA from Howard University. Akadius has served as board chair and trustee for several nonprofits and organizations, including serving as a commissioner for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission.
Joseph Gerharz
Chief Financial Officer
Joey oversees our financial operations to ensure that TIAA Kaspick is financially positioned to serve our clients’ needs. Prior to joining TIAA Kaspick in 2009, Joey worked as a finance partner with sales, customer service, and human relations in a variety of business planning and analysis roles in the nonprofit, social service, automotive, pharmaceutical and medical device, telecommunications, and financial services industries. They have an AB in Sociology from the University of Chicago, an MS in Accounting from the University of Illinois-Chicago, and they earned a CPA and CGMA. Joey has served as an active volunteer for various Volunteer Income Tax Associations (VITAs) and community development corporations, and Wordnik, a nonprofit organization that maintains one of the world’s largest dictionary data sets.
Bill Knox, JD, LLM
Senior Director, Technical Consulting & Strategic Innovation Projects
Bill advises clients on all aspects surrounding planned gifts, including legal, tax, and administration issues. He joined TIAA Kaspick in 2012 after serving for more than seven years as vice president of legal services at Crescendo Interactive, Inc. Bill has presented on a variety of planned giving topics at both regional and national events. He has a BA from the California State University, Chico, JD from the Columbus School of Law at the Catholic University of America, and LLM in tax from Loyola Law School.
Mark Ladendorf
Chief Client Relationship Officer
Mark oversees our relationship management and new client transition teams. Prior to joining TIAA Kaspick in 2008, he was President and CEO of The Lutheran Hour Ministries Foundation and Director of Advancement for Lutheran Hour Ministries in St. Louis. Mark has served on the national board of the Association of Lutheran Development Executives and as co-chair of the 2007 International Educational Conference. He received a BA in Economics and International Studies from American University and an MA from Washington University.
Robert Spivey
Chief Operations Officer
Robert oversees application development, networking and infrastructure support, trading and custodial operations, and the production of investment performance, accounting, donor/beneficiary, and program oversight reports. He joined TIAA Kaspick in 1998 following the completion of his MBA from Indiana University. Prior to assuming his current role in 2020, Robert served as a reporting analyst, project manager/business analyst, and director of reporting. He holds a BS in Finance from Indiana University and spent three years working in management information systems for the U.S. Olympic Committee.
Damon Whelchel
Chief Investment Officer
Damon oversees the team of eight investment professionals that is responsible for setting our investment strategy, establishing portfolio asset allocations, selecting and monitoring managers, and consulting with clients. Prior to joining TIAA Kaspick in 1997, Damon worked as an economic and financial markets analyst at Wells Fargo Capital Management, and as a Treasury market analyst at MMS International/Standard and Poor’s. He holds a BA in Economics from Gustavus Adolphus College and an MS in Economics from Purdue University. Damon was awarded the CFA charter in 1997 by the CFA Institute and the CAIA charter for alternative investments in 2010 by the CAIA Association.