New Hire Roundup: Morningstar Names HelloWallet Founder Head of Innovation

This week in personnel announcements and new hires, Lincoln Financial appointed Nicole Spinelli director of the WISE Group; Merrill Lynch welcomed Michael Calvin and Guy Clayton; the Gemini Fund added Hugh Herndon; Brian Lee joined the Private Client Reserve; Charles Steele went to Davis Polk; and Celeste Barone was named chief financial officer at Commonfund Capital.

Also, Calvert Investments brought in Vicki Benjamin; GW&K Investment Management added Aaron Clark; Benjamin Mizer was appointed at the Department of Justice; Jane Swan went to Veris Wealth Partners; and Morningstar named Matt Fellowes chief innovation officer.

Morningstar Names HelloWallet Founder Its Innovation Chief

Morningstar has announced that it has named Matt Fellowes chief innovation officer. Fellowes will also continue to lead HelloWallet, a provider of personalized financial guidance that Morningstar acquired last year.

Before founding HelloWallet in 2009, Fellowes was a fellow at the Brookings Institution.

Spinelli to Head WISE Group

Lincoln Financial Network, the retail wealth management affiliate of Lincoln Financial Group, has announced that Nicole Spinelli has been named director of the WISE Group (Women Inspiring, Supporting and Educating), an enterprise-wide initiative designed to better support the unique needs of female financial advisors and clients. She will report to John DiMonda, senior vice president and head of Lincoln Financial Advisors Corp., and will work in close partnership with Chris Flint, SVP and head of Lincoln Financial Securities Corp.

Spinelli joined from Raymond James Financial, St. Petersburg, Florida, where she held various roles with the Network for Women Advisors beginning in 2001. From 2010 to 2015, she was vice president and director for the Network of Women Advisors.

Merrill Lynch Adds Calvin, Clayton

Merrill Lynch announced that the team of Michael Calvin and Guy Clayton has joined the Lakeway, Texas, office.

Calvin and Clayton were formerly at UBS Financial Services.

Gemini Fund Welcomes Herndon

The Gemini Cos. have announced that Hugh Herndon has joined the Gemini Fund as assistant vice president of business development.

Herndon was previously SVP of fund services at U.S. Bank.

Lee Joins Private Client Reserve

U.S. Bank has announced that Brian Lee has been hired as a portfolio manager for the Private Client Reserve in New York.

Prior to joining, Lee worked as a financial advisor associate for Joel Isaacson & Co. in New York.

Davis Polk Adds Steele

Davis Polk has announced that Charles Steele has joined as counsel in the financial institutions group. He is based in Washington, D.C.

Since 2013, Steele was a managing director in KPMG LLP's forensic advisory services practice. From 2011 to 2013, he was associate director of the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) at the U.S. Department of the Treasury and led OFAC's Office of Enforcement. From 2009 to 2011, he served as deputy director of the Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). He has also held a number of positions in the U.S. Department of Justice. Barone Named CFO at Commonfund Capital

Commonfund has announced that Celeste Barone has been named CFO at its subsidiary Commonfund Capital Inc. Barone replaces Linda Costa, who is retiring but will remain with the firm as treasurer through early summer to assure a smooth transition of accounting and finance functions. In July, Barone will hold both CFO and treasurer titles.

Before joining, Barone was managing director of finance and chief compliance officer for Pomona Capital. Earlier, she held financial management positions within investment management divisions of LyonRoss Capital, Dillon, Read & Co. and Drexel Burnham.

Calvert Investments Welcomes Benjamin

Calvert Investments has announced the addition of Vicki Benjamin as CFO.

With over 20 years' experience across both public and private companies in the financial services and fund management industries, Benjamin previously served as senior partner and director at KPMG in Boston. Prior to that, she served as chief accounting officer/controller at Columbia Management (formerly Liberty Financial), also in Boston.

GW&K Investment Management Adds Clark

GW&K Investment Management has announced that Aaron Clark has joined as a portfolio manager.

With over 20 years of investment experience, including portfolio management and research, Clark was formerly a principal and portfolio manager at Tetrem Capital Management in Boston. Prior to that, he held portfolio management positions at Pioneer Investments in Boston, and Morgan Stanley Investment Management in New York.

DOJ Appoints Mizer

The Department of Justice has appointed Benjamin Mizer principal deputy assistant attorney general and acting assistant attorney general for the Civil Division. He replaces Joyce Branda, who will return to her permanent role as the deputy assistant attorney general for the Commercial Litigation Branch.

Mizer previously served as a senior advisor to Attorney General Eric Holder. He also served as deputy assistant attorney general in the Office of Legal Counsel. Earlier, he was solicitor general of Ohio. He also previously worked as an associate at WilmerHale and as an associate legal officer at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in the Hague. Mizer clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens and D.C. Circuit Judge Judith Rogers.

Swan Joins Veris

Veris Wealth Partners has announced that Jane Swan has joined as senior wealth manager.

Swan previously worked as portfolio manager and vice president for Northern Trust, where she spent 15 years.

— Check out Tough Market for Hiring Investment Execs in 2015 on ThinkAdvisor.