Barbara Bennett, President - Chief Compliance Officer
Barbara obtained her law degree from Creighton University in 1978 and is a member of the Iowa Bar. She has been active in the securities business since 1981 when she joined R.G. Dickinson & Co. She served as in-house counsel with Dickinson & Co. and Donald & Co. Securities. Barbara joined Ruan Securities in December 2004 as V.P. Compliance and Legal.

Dan Smith CPA, Controller
Dan started with Ruan Securities in 1997 as the firm's Controller. He is responsible for the financial and auditing functions of the firm as well as the Operations Department. Dan was previously an auditor with Ruan Companies. Dan attended Iowa State University and graduated with a BA degree in accounting.

Nancy Ridout, Operations Manager
Nancy started with Ruan Securities in 1989 and is responsible for operational efforts of the firm's business, including trading and client account maintenance. Nancy attended Iowa State University and graduated with a BS Degree.

Tom Mehl, Chairman of the Board
Tom is an investment banker and municipal financial advisor. He has supervised over 2,500 municipal security offerings. He began his career in 1969 and has previously been associated with R.G. Dickinson & Co. and Robert E. Schweser Company. Tom has a BS degree in Economics from Simpson College and served as CEO of the firm from 1995 through 2007. He has been Chairman of the Board since 1995.

Gregory Tucker, Vice President
Greg is experienced in municipal bond marketing and trading and leads the firm's secondary market activity. He began his career in 1971 and has previously been associated with Bankers Trust Company of Des Moines, and A.F. Stepp Investments, Inc.

Arnie Ripperger, Vice President
Arnie is experienced in general security investments and municipal bond marketing and is the firm's manager of municipal bond public sale underwriting. He began his career in 1972 and has previously been associated with Bankers Trust Company of Des Moines. Arnie has an MBA from the University of Iowa.

Tom Kimball, Vice President
Tom is experienced in all phases of bond and equity sales on both institutional and retail levels. He began his career in 1983. Tom is a graduate of the University of Northern Iowa and was previously associated with Dain Bosworth.

Mike Trafton, Institutional Sales Representative
Mike is an experienced institutional securities salesman with in-depth knowledge of the U.S. Government and Corporate fixed income markets. He is a graduate of Drake University and began his career in 1975. He has previously been associated with Norwest Corporation and U.S. Bank Corporation.

Clifton "Chip" Schultz, Vice President
Chip is head of the Public Finance Group and is responsible for the overall daily management of this division. His primary experience is in municipal financial advisory services and investment banking through the development of cash flow and feasibility models which analyze the financial impact of alternative revenue, expense and debt conditions on client cash flow. He also has worked extensively with clients to structure advance refundings, pooled financings, and multiple funding source bond issues. Chip has completed significant MBA coursework at the University of Iowa, has a B.A. degree from Luther College and was previously associated with Public Financial Management, Inc.

John Geist, Vice President
John entered the consulting engineering business in 1972. He became a principal owner of Mer Engineering of Fort Dodge, Iowa, in 1984. He began his investment banking career in 1990 with Ruan Securities Corporation. He lives in Fort Dodge and provides financial consulting and investment banking services to clients in the western half of Iowa.

Gary Bauer, Vice President
Gary began his career in 1981. He has experience as a bond lawyer and once served as the Executive Director of the North Dakota Municipal Bond Bank. His law degree is from the University of North Dakota and he has previously been associated with Kirkpatrick Pettis and Daugherty Dawkins. Gary has experience in several investment banking areas. He specialized in area college financings and rural economic development projects.

Jeff Heil, Vice President
Jeff works with city clients throughout eastern Iowa and counties across the state. He has experience from both the public and private sector. Jeff has an MBA Degree from Drake University and an Accounting Degree from Buena Vista University. He served as Marshall County Auditor for seven years and worked as a Financial Consultant for A.G. Edwards and Sons.