Our Management Team
At Retirement Plan Advisors, our people are experienced and highly skilled with a genuine passion for what they do. We are dedicated to a few age-old business values: patience, hard work, and the customer’s satisfaction.
Meet our leadership team:
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Ghian Foreman, President
Ghian Foreman is President and Managing Principal of Retirement Plan Advisors (RPA) and is responsible for firm-wide management and strategic planning. He is Chief Marketing Officer, holds a seat on the Investment Committee, and leads RPA’s Institutional Marketing Group.
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Ghian brings 15 years of executive business leadership and marketing experience with several Fortune 500 companies. After a successful term as Vice President of Business Development at HSBC (USA) where he oversaw corporate partnership development, Ghian founded Maktub Development, LLC. Maktub Development is an urban real estate development company focused on neighborhood revitalization and commercial projects. With a goal of bringing jobs and inspiring others to invest to support and strengthen the community, Ghian has orchestrated over $20 million in acquisition, development, management and disposition of real estate transactions.
A lifelong resident of Chicago’s historic Hyde Park-Kenwood neighborhood, Ghian earned a Masters of Business Administration in Strategy and Entrepreneurship from the University of Chicago's Graduate School of Business, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Florida A & M University's School of Business and Industry.
Ghian is active politically and in his community, and has become an important and locally recognized voice on community development and education. Ghian’s community, non-profit and educational work includes serving on the Board of Trustees for the South Side YMCA, the Ancona School, the Neighborhood Writing Alliance, the Kenwood Brotherhood and Elliot Donnelly Chicago Youth Center.
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Christopher J. McGrath, Principal
Christopher J. McGrath is a founding principal of Retirement Plan Advisors (RPA).
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Chris began his career serving public sector retirement plans in 1983, working directly with plan participants as a financial advisor/enroller with one of the nation’s leading public sector retirement plan providers, and later as an enroller with the City of Chicago deferred compensation plan.
A few years later Chris was promoted to Regional Director and, in due course, Regional Vice President. Chris was responsible for the operations and management for a number of large public sector defined benefit retirement plans including the City of Chicago and Cook County (IL). He also oversaw RFP processes, plan design, investment menu selection, staffing and compliance issues.
In 2000, with two long-term colleagues, Chris co-founded Retirement Plan Advisors with the goal of offering public sector employers and employees the option of working with an independent registered investment advisor to better address their retirement benefit needs.
Chris has been licensed as a registered representative with FINRA (formerly the NASD) since 1983 and a registered principal since 1985. He is also affiliated with a Registered Investment Advisor and holds FINRA Series 6, 7, 24, 26, 63, and 65 registrations and is licensed to offer life, accident and health insurance and variable contracts. He graduated from Northern Illinois University with a B.S. Ed. and holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, Chicago.
On a personal note, Chris is married with two daughters.
James T. O'Connor, Principal and Chief Financial Officer
James T. O’Connor is a founding principal and Chief Financial Officer of Retirement Plan Advisors. He is also the firm’s Financial Operations Principal.
Jim is responsible for planning and managing the company's financial activities in order to help the company evolve and expand its business; he leads the organization’s fiscal strategic planning, accounting, tax, risk management, compliance and internal audit procedures. His responsibilities include the oversight and management of the firm’s comptroller, compliance officer, business processing unit, commissions and licensing areas.
In 1982, Jim began his public sector career in Chicago as a field enroller and financial educator with one of the nation’s leading public sector retirement plan providers. Jim served in several key capacities within the firm, including Managing Director, State President, and ultimately Regional Vice President. As Regional Vice President, Jim was responsible for the day-to-day operations of the State of Missouri Deferred Compensation Plan. He gained extensive experience with public sector plan design, contract negotiations, branch office operations, client acquisition and retention, monitoring and overseeing the management of field representatives, office personnel and internal back-office operations.
In 2000, Jim co-founded Retirement Plan Advisors with the goal of offering public sector employers and employees the option of working with an independent registered investment advisor to better address their retirement benefit needs.
All three founding principals started their careers as plan enrollers and ultimately ran both very small and very large public sector defined contribution plans.
Jim has been licensed as a registered representative with FINRA (formerly the NASD) since 1982 and a registered principal since 1988. He is affiliated with a Registered Investment Advisor and holds the Certified Retirement Counselor® (CRC) designation. Jim also holds FINRA Series 6, 7, 24, 26, 28, 63, and 65 registrations and is licensed to offer life, accident and health insurance and variable contracts.
Jim is actively involved with a variety of political, civic and charitable institutions. A long time resident of Jefferson City, MO, Jim is married with three adult children and four grandchildren.
Joshua F. Schwartz, Principal and Chief Operating & Investment Officer
Joshua F. Schwartz is a founding principal and Chief Operating & Investment Officer of Retirement Plan Advisors (RPA).
As the firm's Chief Operations and Investment Officer, Joshua chairs the investment committee. His responsibilities include the oversight and management of the firm's investment processes and programs including investment menu analysis and design, fund manager due diligence, and RPA's PortfolioPlus program - the firm's proprietary managed account platform designed specifically for public sector employees. Additionally, Joshua is responsible for design of the firm's 457, 401(a), 403(b) and retirement healthcare funding plan services and offerings.
Joshua began a long history of serving public sector employees and their families after graduating from The University of Chicago in 1987. He began his public sector career as a field enroller and financial educator with one of the nation's leading public sector retirement plan providers. As an enroller with the City of Chicago deferred compensation plan, Joshua worked directly with plan participants helping them meet their retirement goals.
He held a number of roles within the firm, including Managing Director and ultimately Regional Director. As Regional Director, Joshua was responsible for the day-to-day operations of over 175 public sector retirement plans including the City of Chicago and Cook County (IL). He gained extensive experience monitoring and overseeing the management of field representatives, office personnel and internal back-office operations. He also oversaw RFP processes, plan design, investment menu selection and compliance issues.
In 2000, Joshua co-founded Retirement Plan Advisors with the goal of offering public sector employers and employees the option of working with an independent registered investment advisor to better address their retirement benefit needs. All three founding principals started their careers as plan enrollers and ultimately ran both very small and very large public sector defined contribution plans. That experience has allowed Joshua (and RPA) to address the key question in plan design: How will this proposed change affect the plan sponsor and the participants?
Today, RPA is among the fastest growing service providers in the public sector with nearly 600 governmental clients.
Within the industry, Joshua has become a recognized voice on financial literacy and investor education, with frequent speaking engagements with public sector, finance and business officer associations on topics including plan design, benefit maximization and retiree healthcare funding issues.
Joshua has been licensed as a registered representative with FINRA (formerly the NASD) since 1987 and a registered principal since 1998. He is also affiliated with a Registered Investment Advisor. Joshua holds the FINRA Series 6, 26, 63, and 65 registrations and is licensed to offer life, accident and health insurance and variable contracts.
Joshua is actively involved with a variety of political, civic and charitable institutions and serves as President of the Board of Trustees for The Ancona School (Chicago).
Zachary J. Karas is an accomplished retirement services executive with extensive experience in the development, design, distribution and management of products and administrative services in the defined contribution marketplace. A seasoned institutional plan/client relationship manager, he has effectively managed all aspects of group retirement plans for over 25 years.
Possessing expert knowledge of the government, not-for-profit and tax-exempt sectors, Zach has specialized in working closely with public sector plan sponsors, consultants and record keepers on plan design, implementation and regulatory items.
Zach began his career with one of the leading public sector plan providers in 1984 and spent over 24 years in their retirement plans practice. He began as an account representative, conducting field enrollment and administering 457, 401(a), 403(b), and 401(k) plans throughout New England and New York. Transitioning to senior account representative, he marketed group retirement plans and managed staff representatives and independent brokers and worked extensively with plan sponsors on the design and ongoing administration of their defined contribution plans.
Zach advanced to regional manager and expanded the firm's market presence throughout the Midwest. He also managed and grew the group retirement plan markets throughout New England and New York while supervising the internal staff and field personnel.
Promoted to regional vice president, Zach led the sales, management and distribution of defined contribution plans in the governmental, not-for-profit and tax-exempt marketplace. Recognized as an industry leader, he was named vice president, national director of government sales in 2006; he provided leadership and direction for the distribution of defined contribution plans in the government marketplace, where he developed strategic plans for the business line. He managed an internal distribution team as well as the broker/advisor distribution of governmental defined contribution plans countrywide.
A graduate of Connecticut College (CT), he earned a bachelor of arts in economics. He holds FINRA Series 6, 63, 65 (Investment Advisor Representative) and 26 (Registered Principal) registrations, and is licensed to offer life, health and accident, and variable contracts insurance.
Mark Delfs has served in the investment industry since 1987 managing investment portfolios for private clients, corporations, endowments, and foundations. He currently holds the position of Senior Portfolio Manager at Retirement Plan Advisors, where he is responsible for managing plan participant assets and model portfolio construction.
Formerly, he served as the founder and principal of Delfs Investments, LLC, where he provided customized portfolio management and investment consulting to private clients and independent investment advisors. Mark has served as the Director of the Private Client Group at Calamos Investments, where he was responsible for managing individual investors' assets totaling in excess of $150 million. He was also responsible for the firm's business development, strategic planning and product development in the private client market. Mark has managed investment portfolios for private clients at Smith Barney, Lehman Brothers, and Merrill Lynch, and he has served as the Director of Marketing at Lodestar Investment Counsel.
Mark received a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry from the University of Illinois and a Masters of Business Administration from Northern Illinois University. He holds the professional designation of Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).