Meet the hardworking team members who are here to support you and your people
Nick Gialamas is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Forest Capital Management, LLC a registered investment advisory firm (RIA) focused on retirement investment services for institutional clients. Forest Capital Management, LLC has been operating since 2014.
Nick is also the Area President of HUB International, a global insurance brokerage firm headquartered in Chicago, IL. Before joining HUB, Gialamas served as Chief Executive Officer of Forest Financial Group, Inc., an employee benefits consulting firm he founded in 1998. During his tenure, Gialamas led the company through a period of transformation and sustainable growth. Forest Financial Group, Inc. was acquired by HUB International in December of 2015.
Nick earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Business and Marketing from Northern Illinois University (NIU). He is loyal to his alma mater and stays personally involved with the University, including guest speaking engagements at the College of Business. The NIU College of Business Department of Marketing has recognized Nick’s contributions by presenting him with the Alumni of the Year Award.
Nick serves on the NIU Executive Club Board of Advisors, the NIU College of Business Board of Advisors, ACS Athens Board of Trustees, as well as the Board of Advisors for the Retirement Savings Foundation in Washington D.C.
Nick is also the Area President of HUB International, a global insurance brokerage firm headquartered in Chicago, IL. Before joining HUB, Gialamas served as Chief Executive Officer of Forest Financial Group, Inc., an employee benefits consulting firm he founded in 1998. During his tenure, Gialamas led the company through a period of transformation and sustainable growth. Forest Financial Group, Inc. was acquired by HUB International in December of 2015.
Nick earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Business and Marketing from Northern Illinois University (NIU). He is loyal to his alma mater and stays personally involved with the University, including guest speaking engagements at the College of Business. The NIU College of Business Department of Marketing has recognized Nick’s contributions by presenting him with the Alumni of the Year Award.
Nick serves on the NIU Executive Club Board of Advisors, the NIU College of Business Board of Advisors, ACS Athens Board of Trustees, as well as the Board of Advisors for the Retirement Savings Foundation in Washington D.C.
Brian Jessen joined Forest Capital Management in 2015 aspiring to introduce a refreshing, unbiased perspective into retirement benefits consulting. Through his career at Forest Capital Management, Brian has grown to become a Managing Director whereby he helps oversee all aspects of client service and business growth. He strives to ensure all retirement plans that Forest Capital Management oversees feel modern, transparent, accessible to employees, and best in class. Prior to Forest Capital Management, Brian’s professional career began in corporate tax consulting at True Partners Consulting. Brian’s broad experience enabled him to become a multi-faceted tax consultant with the ability to appreciate tax strategies from planning through to execution.
Brian most recently graduated from Loyola University Chicago’s joint JD/MBA program in 2009, focusing his law degree on taxation and his MBA in Finance. For his undergraduate degree, Brian attended Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina from 2002-2006 where he majored in Communications and minored in French. He is an attorney and holds the Series 65 Licensure. Brian, alongside Nicholas Gialamas, serves on the Board of Advisors for the Retirement Savings Foundation in Washington D.C. Outside the office, Brian enjoys spending time with his college sweetheart and wife, along with his three boys.
Brian most recently graduated from Loyola University Chicago’s joint JD/MBA program in 2009, focusing his law degree on taxation and his MBA in Finance. For his undergraduate degree, Brian attended Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina from 2002-2006 where he majored in Communications and minored in French. He is an attorney and holds the Series 65 Licensure. Brian, alongside Nicholas Gialamas, serves on the Board of Advisors for the Retirement Savings Foundation in Washington D.C. Outside the office, Brian enjoys spending time with his college sweetheart and wife, along with his three boys.
Ivy Walker is Co-Founder/CEO of Helios Digital Learning, a firm that creates award-winning content used by ethics and compliance programs at Fortune 500 companies and CEO of Purpose Workforce Solutions, a staffing and training firm that specializes in connecting the aspirations of disconnected youth to job opportunities.
She is an award-winning director and executive producer of documentary films. Her projects include serving as Executive Producer of “All the Queen’s Horses”, a film that held the top spots on Amazon, iTunes and Google Play for multiple weeks, and “Blind Spots”, a short-form documentary for which she won three Telly Awards, including the People’s Choice Telly.
Ivy’s background includes Fortune 500 and entrepreneurial experiences in both for-profit and not-for-profit/social venture settings. Prior to Helios Digital, her professional roles included serving as President of a venture-backed health gamification start-up, CEO of a social venture that brought diagnostic medical imaging technology to low-resource countries, and Managing Director at a boutique private equity firm.
Ivy holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a B.S. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She received Kellogg’s Alumni Entrepreneur Supporter of the Year Award and the Anti-Defamation League’s Rising Star Award in 2011 and 2009, respectively.
She is currently an adjunct faculty member in the Executive Education program at Kellogg where she lectures on risk management and an adjunct faculty member in Northwestern University’s Business Institutions Program where she teaches an ethics course. She is also a regular contributor to Forbes.com where she writes about the topic of risk management for small to mid-sized organizations.
Her civic and professional activities include serving on the board of Gateway Foundation, Bottom Line and the Chicago Public Library. She is also a member of the Economic Club of Chicago.
She is an award-winning director and executive producer of documentary films. Her projects include serving as Executive Producer of “All the Queen’s Horses”, a film that held the top spots on Amazon, iTunes and Google Play for multiple weeks, and “Blind Spots”, a short-form documentary for which she won three Telly Awards, including the People’s Choice Telly.
Ivy’s background includes Fortune 500 and entrepreneurial experiences in both for-profit and not-for-profit/social venture settings. Prior to Helios Digital, her professional roles included serving as President of a venture-backed health gamification start-up, CEO of a social venture that brought diagnostic medical imaging technology to low-resource countries, and Managing Director at a boutique private equity firm.
Ivy holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a B.S. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She received Kellogg’s Alumni Entrepreneur Supporter of the Year Award and the Anti-Defamation League’s Rising Star Award in 2011 and 2009, respectively.
She is currently an adjunct faculty member in the Executive Education program at Kellogg where she lectures on risk management and an adjunct faculty member in Northwestern University’s Business Institutions Program where she teaches an ethics course. She is also a regular contributor to Forbes.com where she writes about the topic of risk management for small to mid-sized organizations.
Her civic and professional activities include serving on the board of Gateway Foundation, Bottom Line and the Chicago Public Library. She is also a member of the Economic Club of Chicago.
Suk Shah is the Chief Financial Officer of Guaranteed Rate, one of the largest and fastest growing mortgage origination platforms in the United States. Headquartered in Chicago, the Company has more than 7,000 employees in nearly 350 offices across the U.S.
Previously, he was the CFO of Fintech start-up, Avant, where he helped build and grow the leading consumer lending platform to ‘Unicorn’ status, helping raise over $5B in debt and equity capital to fuel the growth of its personal loan and credit card products. Prior to Avant, Suk spent over a decade in various leadership roles at General Electric and HSBC Bank.
Suk is also a Board member and Chair of the Finance Committee for the non-for-profit, Ounce of Prevention, which provides early childhood education and care services for underprivileged children from birth to 5 years of age. Suk also advises start-up founders and early-stage venture funds across several tech enabled verticals including furniture rental, college admissions, crypto lending and deposits, and e-giving/donation platforms.
Suk lives in Hinsdale, IL with his wife and 2 daughters, aged 11 and 8.
Previously, he was the CFO of Fintech start-up, Avant, where he helped build and grow the leading consumer lending platform to ‘Unicorn’ status, helping raise over $5B in debt and equity capital to fuel the growth of its personal loan and credit card products. Prior to Avant, Suk spent over a decade in various leadership roles at General Electric and HSBC Bank.
Suk is also a Board member and Chair of the Finance Committee for the non-for-profit, Ounce of Prevention, which provides early childhood education and care services for underprivileged children from birth to 5 years of age. Suk also advises start-up founders and early-stage venture funds across several tech enabled verticals including furniture rental, college admissions, crypto lending and deposits, and e-giving/donation platforms.
Suk lives in Hinsdale, IL with his wife and 2 daughters, aged 11 and 8.
Prior to joining Forest Capital Management Mr. Dearborn served as Chief Operating Officer of ICM Partners. Prior to ICM Partners, Mr. Dearborn was the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Tribune Publishing. Mr. Dearborn was also the Chief Executive Officer and a director of Merge Healthcare Incorporated, a publicly-traded company until its acquisition by IBM. Mr. Dearborn has been an executive officer of three publicly traded companies spanning a period of 22 years. Mr. Dearborn holds a B.S. in Accounting from Illinois State University and a J.D. from DePaul University and currently resides in Los Angeles, CA.
John has 30 years of corporate finance experience working in senior level leadership roles across multiple finance and accounting organizations. Prior to joining Forest Capital Management, John spent 22 years at Motorola working in multiple divisions, holding various controllership and director level positions of increasing responsibility. He is uniquely qualified and experienced in all aspects of financial planning, accounting and internal controls.
John graduated from Northern Illinois University with a degree in Finance and has a Masters of Business Administration from Benedictine University.
John graduated from Northern Illinois University with a degree in Finance and has a Masters of Business Administration from Benedictine University.
Mallory Grove is Forest Capital Management’s Senior Vice President of Client Services. A Certified Public Accountant by background and has worked in the consulting and advisory business previously, Mallory brings with her an analytical mind and a tailored approach to each individual client.
Prior to joining Forest Capital Management, Mallory was a manager at True Partners Consulting in Chicago. During her 6-year tenure with the company, Mallory assisted businesses in negotiating and implementing credits and incentives in addition to federal and state partnership and corporate compliance and consulting for a portfolio of private equity, financial and professional services, and manufacturing clients. She was also charged with running the firm’s internship and recruiting programs.
Outside of the office, Mallory is Volunteer Chair of the Chicago Youth Program (CYP) Junior Executive Board. Founded in 1984, CYP’s mission is to improve the health and life opportunities of at-risk youth using a comprehensive approach aimed at developing their capabilities. Mallory coordinates volunteer outings with the board and youth to provide community service in areas of need while mentoring and having fun with the kids.
Mallory earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Accountancy and a Master’s in Accounting Science from the University of Illinois. She holds a Certified Public Accountant License.
Prior to joining Forest Capital Management, Mallory was a manager at True Partners Consulting in Chicago. During her 6-year tenure with the company, Mallory assisted businesses in negotiating and implementing credits and incentives in addition to federal and state partnership and corporate compliance and consulting for a portfolio of private equity, financial and professional services, and manufacturing clients. She was also charged with running the firm’s internship and recruiting programs.
Outside of the office, Mallory is Volunteer Chair of the Chicago Youth Program (CYP) Junior Executive Board. Founded in 1984, CYP’s mission is to improve the health and life opportunities of at-risk youth using a comprehensive approach aimed at developing their capabilities. Mallory coordinates volunteer outings with the board and youth to provide community service in areas of need while mentoring and having fun with the kids.
Mallory earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Accountancy and a Master’s in Accounting Science from the University of Illinois. She holds a Certified Public Accountant License.
Andrew Steiner joined Forest Capital Management in 2014 after a distinguished career in public accounting which ultimately led him to become the administrator of Motorola’s Defined Benefit and Defined Contribution Plans.
Andy started his career with Coopers & Lybrand, an international public accounting firm. He then spent several years in various auditing, accounting and finance functions at Household International. In 1987, he was appointed Household’s pension officer. Andy has considerable experience advising on defined benefit pension plans and defined contribution plans. In 1992, he became Assistant Treasurer – Investments at Motorola Solutions, where he was responsible for administering $11 billion in U.S. and U.K. retirement plan assets. In 2011, Andy was a finalist for the CIO Pension Plan Corporate Plan Innovator Award for corporate plans under $5 billion and followed that by being named runner up in 2012.
Andy holds Bachelors and Masters degrees in Accounting from Illinois State University and is a CFA and CPA. He is a member of the Investment Analysts Society of Chicago, CFA Institute, and the AICPA. Andy has served on the endowment investment committee of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
Andy started his career with Coopers & Lybrand, an international public accounting firm. He then spent several years in various auditing, accounting and finance functions at Household International. In 1987, he was appointed Household’s pension officer. Andy has considerable experience advising on defined benefit pension plans and defined contribution plans. In 1992, he became Assistant Treasurer – Investments at Motorola Solutions, where he was responsible for administering $11 billion in U.S. and U.K. retirement plan assets. In 2011, Andy was a finalist for the CIO Pension Plan Corporate Plan Innovator Award for corporate plans under $5 billion and followed that by being named runner up in 2012.
Andy holds Bachelors and Masters degrees in Accounting from Illinois State University and is a CFA and CPA. He is a member of the Investment Analysts Society of Chicago, CFA Institute, and the AICPA. Andy has served on the endowment investment committee of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
Margaret Clegg joined the Forest Capital Management team in 2018 as the Director of Marketing. Margaret is responsible for all marketing and promotional material produced by FCM, as well as educational content creation for clients.
Prior to joining FCM, Margaret owned her own portrait and event photography business, Blue Hour Photography. Her creative passions naturally extended beyond the camera lens and into the corporate marketing realm. She brings enthusiasm, fortitude, and a fresh perspective to the team.
Margaret graduated from the University of Mary Washington in 2017 with a Bachelors degree in English.
Scott Danes serves as Senior Client Advisor supporting Forest Capital Management in providing high quality and tailored retirement advice to its many plan sponsors and plan participants. Scott brings a level of client service that he has fostered over the years of working in the consulting industry. Prior to joining Forest Capital Management in April 2020, Scott worked at the large multinational financial services firm, Duff & Phelps, LLC. There he consulted numerous Fortune 500 and 1000 companies through the rigors of abandoned unclaimed property and sales and use tax examinations. Before working at Duff & Phelps, LLC, Scott’s professional career began at True Partners Consulting, LLC where he worked in a similar capacity as Duff & Phelps, LLC. Through his time at Duff & Phelps, LLC and True Partners Consulting, LLC, Scott developed a broad knowledge base of various industries with expertise in retail, manufacturing, healthcare and life insurance.
Scott is also a member of the Big Shoulders Fund as a volunteer in their Stock Market Program. At the Big Shoulders Fund, Scott spends time with middle school-aged students educating them on all aspects of the stock market and the essentials to sound financial planning. Outside of the office, Scott enjoys fishing, hiking and improving his cooking skills in the kitchen with his fiancé.
Scott graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, and Bachelor of Arts in Communication. He is in pursuit of the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation and is currently a 2020 CFA Level II Exam Candidate.
Scott is also a member of the Big Shoulders Fund as a volunteer in their Stock Market Program. At the Big Shoulders Fund, Scott spends time with middle school-aged students educating them on all aspects of the stock market and the essentials to sound financial planning. Outside of the office, Scott enjoys fishing, hiking and improving his cooking skills in the kitchen with his fiancé.
Scott graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, and Bachelor of Arts in Communication. He is in pursuit of the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation and is currently a 2020 CFA Level II Exam Candidate.
Alex is a Client Advisor at Forest Capital Management, LLC. Alex has been with the firm for two years and supports our client services team in managing our existing clients.
Prior to joining Forest Capital Management, Alex worked at HUB International Northwest in their commercial aviation department. While there, Alex personally managed a book of business worth half a million dollars in premium while servicing HUB's high-net-worth client portfolio. Alex also created and led HUB International Northwest’s UAV/UAS program, assisting clients nationwide with their drone insurance needs.
Outside of the office, Alex is an avid lover and player of rugby and is heavily involved in the rugby community nationwide. Additionally, Alex holds positions on the University of Mary Washington's Young Alumni Council and Mother's Rugby Alumni Board.
Alex holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Digital Studies, as well as Economics from the University of Mary Washington, and a Masters of Business Communication from the University of Washington. Alex holds the Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor (CPFA) designation. Alex lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife Maggie, and their dog Rooney.
