Schweser’s Instructors and Faculty

Any educational program is only as good as the people who construct and deliver it. We have assembled the most effective, well-respected, and competent team of professional writers and instructors to create and deliver Kaplan Schweser’s content and instruction.

Prepare with the most experienced team in CFA, CAIA, and FRM exam prep:

  • Learn from a group of experts that includes CFA and CAIA charterholders and FRM experts
  • Get motivation and support from industry professionals who know what it takes to pass
  • Receive guidance to navigate through the toughest curriculum in the finance world
  • Prepare with the most accurate and current content, ensuring wise use of your study time

Adam Stueber, CAIA

Product Manager, Kaplan Schweser

Adam earned his MBA from the University of Wisconsin MBA Consortium and received his Bachelor of Science in Finance and Marketing from the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse. He is also a CAIA charterholder. 
 
Adam joined Kaplan Schweser’s Advanced Designations Content Department in 2003. Since 2007, he has focused on developing training materials for both the Level I and Level II CAIA exams.

Amy Drury, ACA, CFA

Amy is a financial professional with over 20 years of experience. She has trained financial experts across the globe with stops in the United States, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Her students represent all the world’s top 20 banks and numerous top-rated business schools.
Amy is a Chartered Accountant in the UK and started her career with Deloitte, later transitioning into Corporate Finance. Her expertise includes accounting, valuation, credit and financial modeling, and the Level I CFA® Program curriculum.

Connect with Amy on LinkedIn

Dr. Andrew Spieler, CFA, FRM, CAIA

Andrew is currently Associate Professor of Finance at Frank G. Zarb School of Business at Hofstra University and director of the Master’s program in Quantitative Finance. At Hofstra, Andrew was named Teacher of the Year and Researcher of the Year. He has previously taught courses at the State University of New York–Binghamton and Indiana University.

His teaching experience includes graduate, undergraduate and executive courses in finance, economics, and statistics plus 10 years developing and teaching the CFA and FRM curriculum.

Andrew received his BS, MBA, and PhD from SUNY–Binghamton and his MS from Indiana University. He has had over 30 research papers presented at national and international conferences, receiving 2 Best Paper Awards from the American Real Estate Society. Andrew has successfully completed five actuary exams administered jointly by the ASA and CSA. He is frequently interviewed and quoted by the financial media and regularly consults with hedge funds, quantitative mutual funds, and law firms. He is the former research director for the IRAA, a shareholder advocacy group.

Craig Prochaska, CFA

Craig joined Kaplan Schweser in July 2006 as a Content Specialist. He spent 18 years with Bank One Corporation and its predecessor, First Chicago Corporation, in positions including Forecast Economist and editor of capital markets research. Craig holds an MBA in business economics from DePaul University and a bachelor of science in finance from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Dr. Andrew Holmes, CFA

Andrew is a finance faculty member at Brigham Young University. Before returning to academia, he was the former Senior Editor of Kaplan Schweser’s CFA Level II study notes and has worked with the CFA curriculum and CFA candidates for a number of years.
In addition to his instruction with Kaplan Schweser, he has accumulated well over 15 years of full-time teaching experience and has published or presented numerous articles in several areas of finance, including banking, real estate, personal finance, and investments. Andrew brings substantial academic and industry experience as well as excellent teaching credentials. He is a sought-after presenter for CFA Level I and II preparation seminars.

Andrew obtained his doctorate from the University of Houston and has taught at the University of Houston, Sam Houston State University, and Brigham Young University. In addition to being the recipient of several teaching awards, he also has significant experience with executive MBA programs and executive development programs.

Connect with Andrew on LinkedIn.

Dr. Bijesh (B.J.) Tolia, CFA, CA

Level II Manager and Vice President of CFA Program Education, Kaplan Schweser

As Vice President of CFA Education, B.J. is Kaplan Schweser’s Level II CFA Program Professor and is in charge of Schweser’s Chicago weekly program. He has taught CFA Program review courses for more than 10 years in Chicago and around the world. B.J. has also served as the Associate Dean and Department Chair in the College of Business at Chicago State University.
He is a CFA charterholder who earned his MBA and doctorate in finance from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. Apart from academia, B.J. has experience in commercial banking and public accounting, and has published papers in the areas of IPOs, executive compensation, and international finance.

Jeremy Smith, ACA, MCS

Jeremy qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Touche Ross in 1994, having read economics and accounting at Newcastle University. He started his City training career in 1998 with the Financial Markets Division of FTC London, where he taught UK Benchmark exam courses and a range of tailored and public in-house courses.
In 2000, Jeremy left FTC to become a founding member and director of 7city Learning, where he worked for seven years. During this time, Jeremy taught toward the Certificates and IAQ qualifications and acted as the main tutor contact for several clients. In 2010, Jeremy joined Kaplan Financial as Head of UK Benchmark Examinations, where he currently designs, oversees, and delivers Kaplan’s range of UK Benchmark solutions.

Jhan Burger, CFA

Jhan is an expert financial markets lecturer with many years of experience lecturing in the United States, Europe, Asia, and his native South Africa. Jhan teaches toward the CFA® Program and the IMC. He specializes in courses on equity, fixed income, derivatives, accounting, valuation, and pricing on an in-house basis.

Jim Maher, CFA, CFP

Senior Content Specialist, Kaplan Schweser

Jim has over 30 years of experience in the financial planning industry as both an educator and advisor. Before joining the CFA Faculty in 2021, he was a Department Chair and Professor at the College for Financial Planning, a Kaplan Company, overseeing the Department of Financial Planning and Investments. In addition, he worked as a Content Specialist with Kaplan Financial Education, primarily in the areas of investments and insurance planning, and co-authored courses in the CFP® education and exam prep programs.

Prior to his experience with the CFP® team, he was an insurance and securities pre-licensing instructor for Kaplan. As an advisor, Jim operated an independent financial planning and wealth management firm and served as a financial representative for two major insurance carriers.

Jim has an MBA from Purdue Global (formerly Kaplan University) and a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance and Management from Florida International University. In 2021, he obtained a Graduate Certificate in Instructional Design from University of Wisconsin-Stout. He also holds the CLU® and ChFC® designations from the American College and the AAMS® and APMA® designations from the College for Financial Planning.

John Cook, CFA

John qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1980, having read maths and music at the University of Cambridge. John moved to Kaplan in 1982, where he taught all levels of the professional accountancy exam syllabus. John joined the Financial Markets team in 1990 and has developed and delivered a large number of courses in both the exam and non-exam arenas throughout Europe and Asia.

Jonathan Bone, ACA, CFA

Jonathan graduated from University College London with an economics degree. He went on to qualify as a Chartered Accountant (ACA) before moving into corporate finance roles. Jonathan joined the Financial Markets team as a lecturer in 2001. He has gained considerable experience teaching both exam-based training and non-exam-based courses for clients of leading financial markets.
Jonathan is Executive Director of Product Management at Kaplan Schweser, where he oversees the development of CFA® program study materials. He is widely recognized as one of the core instructors in Kaplan Schweser’s online learning programs.

Kurt Schuldes, CFA, CAIA

Project Manager, Kaplan Schweser

Kurt is a Project Manager at Kaplan Schweser, where he works in the content department, primarily at CFA Level III. Kurt earned his MBA with a concentration in economics from the University of Tampa and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse.
Prior to joining Kaplan Schweser in 2000, Kurt worked as a financial advisor for a national broker dealer, managing client accounts for eight years. Kurt received his CFA charter in 2005 and the CAIA designation in 2010.

Randy Nordby, CFA, FSA

Randy Nordby is an experienced financial professional with over 14 years of experience in managing and monitoring investments, investment research, security valuation, economic analysis, preparing customized Investment Policy Statements (IPS), and portfolio implementation. Currently, Randy is the Graduate Director of Finance and Real Estate at American University, where he also taught for 3 years as an adjunct professor.
His courses included CFA Level I Intensive Review, Introduction to Finance, and Managerial Economics.  Randy earned his BA in political science from Virginia Tech, an MA in economics from George Mason University, an MBA in economics and finance from Shenandoah University, an MS in finance from American University, and is currently a doctoral candidate in business administration at Temple University. Randy is a member of CFA Society of Washington, DC, and has served as the Membership & Communications Chair since 2012.

Vishal Awatar, CFA, ACA

Vishal has been teaching finance for over 10 years. Initially specializing in the higher level strategy papers of the ICAEW syllabus, he then progressed to teaching the IMC, CISI, and all levels of the CFA syllabi. Currently, Vishal is head of CFA Level I in London, producing material for Kaplan Schweser’s courses worldwide.

Dr. Greg Filbeck, CFA, FRM, CAIA

Kaplan Schweser Level III Expert

Greg joined the faculty of Penn State University, the Behrend College, as professor of finance in 2006, and holds the Samuel P. Black III Professorship of Finance and Risk Management. He has published more than 100 articles in referenced journals and authored 10 books.

Greg is the recipient of the Penn State 2010 and 2012 Outstanding iMBA faculty member, 2011 Council of Fellows Outstanding Research Award, and 2013 Outstanding Service Award.

His research studies are focused within the investments, portfolio management, and behavioral finance areas. In addition to ten years of experience in academia (Miami University and the University of Toledo), he has seven years of experience as senior vice-president of Schweser, a division of Kaplan, Inc. At Kaplan, Greg headed the content and curriculum areas and started and led the marketing and sales areas. He has trained candidates for the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), Financial Risk Manager (FRM), and Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) designations on a worldwide basis. Greg earned his Doctorate in Finance from the University of Kentucky, his Master’s in Applied Statistics from Penn State University, and a Bachelor of Science in in Engineering Physics from Murray State University.

Connect with Dr. Filbeck on LinkedIn.

Stuart Jackaman, CFA, CAIA, FRM

Stuart’s first role in financial markets was as a trainee actuary before moving into the fund management industry. He has over 10 years of financial markets experience with a focus on portfolio management and equity trading.
In 2007, Stuart moved into professional education and now teaches those looking to earn their CFA, CAIA, and FRM designations. He also designs and delivers bespoke financial markets courses in topics such as quantitative finance, equity valuation, behavioral finance, and equity day trading. Stuart graduated with a degree in mathematics from Oxford University.

Derek Burkett, CFA, FRM, CAIA

Vice President of Advanced Designations, Kaplan Schweser

Derek is the Vice President of Advanced Designations for Kaplan Schweser. His responsibilities include strategic planning, product management, and content development for the CFA, CAIA, and FRM product lines. Derek holds a master's degree in finance from the University of Denver and a bachelor's in economics from Texas A&M University.
Prior to joining Kaplan Schweser in 2004, Derek worked as a business valuation consultant for a national consulting firm, performing various tangible asset and intangible asset valuations and damage analysis for securities litigation. Derek is a CFA charterholder, certified Financial Risk Manager, and CAIA charterholder.

Eric Smith, CFA, FRM, FDP

Director, Advanced Designations, Kaplan Schweser

Eric is a Director of Advanced Designations at Kaplan Schweser. He has over 20 years of financial training experience in the areas of investment analysis, risk management, and data science. Eric holds an MBA from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with specializations in international business and finance.
Eric also holds a BS in finance from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and a graduate certificate in e-learning design and development from Boise State University. Prior to his current role, he managed and developed training materials for the FRM and CFA Level III exams. Eric is a CFA charterholder, certified Financial Risk Manager, and Financial Data Professional charterholder.

Adam Hardi, CFA

Adam currently works as vice president at Moody’s, conducting credit analysis of a portfolio of provinces, municipalities, universities, and government-related issuers in Canada. He has been teaching CFA seminars for Kaplan Schweser since 2008. Adam’s specialties are in the areas of finance, risk management, securities, derivatives, and portfolio management.
Adam holds an MBA in finance from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto. Prior to joining Moody’s, he worked in capital markets credit policy and on the credit side of investment banking at some of the Big 5 Canadian banks. He also spent long hours on the trading desk as an institutional equity and options trader and managed a team of equity and fixed income traders.

Darren Lee, CFA, FRM, CPA, CA

Darren obtained his CPA and CFA designations while working at a Big Four accounting firm and continued to work there for several years as a tax manager. He now operates a tax and finance consulting practice in Toronto that focuses on advising high-net-worth clients and small businesses.

Darren has extensive experience in lecturing and grading activities related to professional finance and accounting programs. He has taught for Kaplan Schweser since 2004 and currently manages and teaches in the Schweser weekly CFA exam preparatory course in Toronto, as well as authoring/editing their CFA and FRM study materials. Darren has also taught business courses for the University of Toronto and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario.

Knowing that success on the CFA exams requires a good work-life balance, Darren continues to apply it in his life. He travels the world as a competitive and award-winning marathon runner who is always in search of the perfect race. Any other spare time is spent with his first love, the piano.

David McMeekin, CFA, CAIA, FRM, PRM, ERP

David is an experienced financial tutor with many years of teaching experience and assists in running the CFA, FRM, and CAIA courses. Originally from a banking background, David later moved into wealth management, advising high-net-worth clients in the areas of investments, pensions, and tax planning.
Since gaining his CFA charter in 2003, David has worked extensively in the field of risk management, teaching toward a variety of qualifications, as well as tailoring risk programs to financial institutions. He has gained the FRM, PRM®, and CAIA designations. Most recently, David has earned the Energy Risk Professional (ERP®) Certification.