George A. Boyan

Kansas Public Employees Retirement System (KPERS) administers three statewide defined-benefit retirement plans for state and local public employees: Kansas Public Employees Retirement System; Kansas Police and Firemen's Retirement System; and Kansas Retirement System for Judges. The system also oversees the State's Deferred Compensation Plan, Tandem 457, a voluntary 457(b) savings plan. KPERS is headquartered in Topeka, Kansas.

Avondale Partners LLC is an independent broker/dealer headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee with additional offices across the US. The firm was founded by Robert Shepherd and Philip Krebs in 2001. Avondale Partners provides financial advisory services as well as equity and fixed income underwriting and private placement services to public and private companies throughout the US, Canada and Europe. They focus on middle-market companies in the healthcare sector.

Equitable Advisors LLC is a SEC-registered investment adviser and wealth management firm headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 1999 and is a subsidiary of Equitable Distribution Holding Corp., ultimately held by Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: EQH). Equitable Advisors provides investment advisory services to individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, banks or thrift institutions, corporations and other business entities, and pension and profit-sharing plans.

Founded in 1988 by Richard Messina, the Benchmark Co. LLC is a full-service broker/dealer headquartered in New York City. The firm provides equity research, sales and trading services for institutional and private clients. They focus on the media, energy, enterprise software, infrastructure software, biotechnology, specialty pharmaceuticals, REITs, Internet and communications sectors. The Benchmark Co.'s clearing agent is JP Morgan Clearing Corp.

Avicena Group, Inc. develops pharmaceuticals and skin care products. It focuses on developing products based on its proprietary understanding of the regulation of cellular energy processes. The company's core technologies have broad applications in both pharmaceuticals and dermaceuticals. Avicena Group was founded by Rima Kaddurah-Daouk and M. Flint Beal in 1989 and is headquartered in Palo Alto, CA.

Pure Minerals, Inc. is an exploration stage company, which engages in exportation and development of mineral properties. The company was founded on September 24, 2004 and is headquartered in Quebec, Canada.

Secure Energy, Inc. provides coal conversion technologies. The firm develops, finances, and constructs coal to natural gas plants. The company was founded by Jack Kenny and Lars Scott on June 5, 2006 and is headquartered in St. Louis, MO.

Duke University is an academic university that offers undergraduate, graduate and professional programs. It also has publications and research services. The university was founded in 1838 and is headquartered in Durham, NC.

Moody's Investors Service, Inc. is a credit rating and investment research firm headquartered in New York City. They are a subsidiary of Moody's Corp. (NYSE: MCO). The firm performs international financial research and analysis on commercial and government entities and provides a variety of analytic tools for assessing credit risk. Their clients include creditors, investment banks and commercial banks.

Founded in 1962, Raymond James Financial, Inc. (NYSE: RJF) is a diversified holding company headquartered in St. Petersburg, Florida. The firm provides services to individuals, corporations and municipalities through their wholly-owned subsidiaries: Raymond James & Associates, Raymond James Financial Services and Raymond James Ltd. Raymond James operates through eight segments: Private Client Group (PCG); Capital Markets; Asset Management; Raymond James Bank (RJ Bank); Emerging Markets; Securities Lending; Proprietary Capital; and Other. The Private Client Group segment provides securities transaction and financial planning services to client accounts through the branch office systems of the company's subsidiaries. The Capital Markets segment's activities consist primarily of equity and fixed income products and services. The Asset Management segment provides asset management services for individual investment portfolios and mutual funds. The RJ Bank segment provides corporate, residential and consumer loans, as well as Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. insured deposit accounts, to clients of the company's broker-dealer subsidiaries and to the general public. The Emerging Markets segment operates securities brokerage, investment banking, asset management and equity research businesses. The Securities Lending segment conducts its business through the borrowing and lending of securities from and to other broker-dealers, financial institutions and other counterparties. The Proprietary Capital segment consists of the company's principal capital and private equity activities, including various direct and third-party private equity and merchant banking investments. Raymond James' capital markets reach within the financial institutions segment focuses on community and regional banks and thrifts including equity research, sales, trading and investment banking resources and services. Raymond James is one of the largest research organizations in the brokerage industry and serves institutional investors domestically and abroad. The firm's capital markets activities are based on insightful, timely and comprehensive equity research. They publish research on over 1,000 companies in their core industries. Raymond James seeks attractive niches within broader industries and then covers these sectors deeply to develop differentiated sector expertise and relationships. Although their focus is mid- and small-cap companies, their coverage includes large, medium and small companies across each sector. Raymond James' Institutional Trading division is organized into 3 specialty departments: Sales Trading, Principal trading and Agency Trading. Their Sales Trading division covers over 800 domestic and 1,300 international financial institutions throughout North America and Europe. The firm's Principal Trading division consists of industry-focused teams and their OTC Principal Trading department makes markets in over 680 domestic stocks, 85% of which are covered by Raymond James Institutional Research department. Their Agency Trading department services the trading needs of over 5,500 financial advisors located in 2,500 retail offices across the US.

Part of American International Group, Inc., American General Investment Management LP is a company based in Houston, TX.

Hodgson Russ LLP provides legal services. Its practice areas include bankruptcy and restructuring, environmental, employee benefits, immigration, litigation, real estate and tax. The company was founded by Asa Rice in 1817 and is headquartered in Albany, NY.

Founded in 1898, Northeastern University is a private research university located in the heart of Boston. Northeastern teaches worldwide experiential learning, urban engagement, and interdisciplinary research that meets global and societal needs. The University offers a range of undergraduate and graduate programs leading to degrees through the doctorate in nine colleges and schools.

RBC Capital Markets LLC is a full-service brokerage and financial services firm headquartered in New York City. They are a direct subsidiary of RBC USA Holdco Corp. and a wholly-owned indirect subsidiary of Royal Bank of Canada (TSE, NYSE: RY). Founded in 2010, the firm is comprised of 3 major business lines: the Private Client Group, the Fixed-Income Group and the Clearing and Execution Services Group. The Private Client Group serves individual investors, while the Fixed-Income Group provides services to institutions, municipalities and non-profit organizations. The Clearing and Execution Services Group is a provider of clearing and execution services to independent brokers/dealers throughout the US. RBC Capital Markets focuses on the following sectors: communications, media, consumer/retail, diversified industries, energy, financial institutions, forest products, healthcare, infrastructure finance, mining & metals, real estate, social infrastructure, technology and the US municipal markets.

Fox Rothschild LLP engages in the provision of legal services. Its practice areas include animal law, automotive, construction, business, corporate, drone law, employee benefits and compensation, entertainment and sports law, environmental, family law, fashion law, financial services industry, health law, insurance, international, immigration, media and defamation, nonprofit organizations, privacy and security, public companies, real estate, securities industry, taxation and wealth planning, technology, transportation and logistics, valuation law, and others. The company was founded by Edwin Fox and Jerome Rothschild in 1907 and is headquartered in Philadelphia, PA.

Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC provides legal services. The firm offers services in the areas of commercial litigation, taxation, government relations, family law, labor and employment law, European law and intellectual property. The company was founded in 1850 and is headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA.

Founded in 1999 by the late Thomas Watson, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC (JMS) is a full-service financial services firm and registered broker/dealer headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The firm is a subsidiary of Independence Square Properties LLC, itself a subsidiary of Penn Mutual Insurance Co. Their ultimate parent is Harleysville Mutual Insurance Co. JMS is a member of the NYSE, the SIPC and FINRA. The firm provides comprehensive financial advice and services to individual, corporate and institutional investors. Their primary coverage verticals include the consumer, technology, financials and infrastructure sectors.

Founded in 2001, Macquarie Capital (USA), Inc. is a registered broker/dealer located in New York City. The firm is a subsidiary of Macquarie Bank Ltd. (ASX: MBL). They provide coverage of the following industries: resources, healthcare, security/defense, transportation, financial services, retail/consumer products, TMET (telecommunications, media, entertainment and technology), oil & gas, diversified manufacturing/distribution and infrastructure/utilities. Macquarie Capital (USA), Inc. is a member of FINRA.