Leadership Team

David Royal

President, Thrivent Mutual Funds
Chief Investment Officer, Thrivent Asset Management

Mark Simenstad

Chief Investment Strategist, Thrivent Asset Management

Stephen Lowe

Head of Fixed Income, Thrivent Asset Management

Darren Bagwell

Chief Equity Strategist, Thrivent Asset Management

Matthew Finn

Head of Equity Mutual Funds, Thrivent Asset Management

Gerald Vaillancourt

Treasurer and Principal Accounting Officer, Thrivent Mutual Funds

Ted S. Dryden

Chief Compliance Officer, Thrivent Mutual Funds

Kathryn Stelter

Vice President, Thrivent Mutual Funds

Troy Beaver

Vice President, Thrivent Mutual Funds

Michael Kremenak

Secretary and Chief Legal Officer, Thrivent Mutual Funds

Jill Forte

Assistant Secretary, Thrivent Mutual Funds

Sarah Bergstrom

Assistant Treasurer, Thrivent Mutual Funds

John D. Jackson

Assistant Secretary, Thrivent Mutual Funds

Janice B. Case

Ms. Case has served as a Trustee on the Board of the Fund Complex since 2011 and as Chair of the Governance and Nominating Committee since 2012. She has nearly 40 years of experience in the electric utilities industry, including ten years as an executive officer of a Florida-based electric utility and holding company.

Since leaving full-time corporate employment, Ms. Case gained mutual fund industry experience as a former director on the board of another fund complex. While a director on that board, she served on board committees, including as chair of the compensation and proxy voting committees, and as a member of the governance/nominating, contract review and audit committees. Ms. Case has also served as a director on several public corporate and non-profit boards.

Robert J. Chersi

Mr. Chersi has served as a Trustee on the Board of the Fund Complex and as Chair of the Audit Committee since 2017. He also has been determined by the Board to be an Audit Committee financial expert. Mr. Chersi has over 30 years of experience in the financial services industry, including four years as the former Chief Financial Officer of Fidelity Investments Financial Services where he led the finance, compliance, risk management, business consulting and strategic new business development functional organizations. He has also been a certified public accountant and a FINRA Series 27 license holder.

Mr. Chersi is currently the Executive Director of the Center for Global Governance, Reporting and Regulation of the Lubin School of Business at Pace University. Through his extensive experience, Mr. Chersi has gained deep knowledge of corporate governance, financial reporting and regulatory compliance practices.

Marc S. Joseph

Mr. Joseph has served as a Trustee on the Board of the Fund Complex since 2011 and as Chair of the Ethics and Compliance Committee since 2012. He has more than 20 years of experience in the investment industry, including over five years as a portfolio manager for mutual funds and institutional accounts and three years as a chief investment officer. Mr. Joseph is the co-founder of a consulting and advisory firm registered with the Financial Conduct Authority, the regulator of financial service providers in the United Kingdom. As the founder and Managing Director of another private investing and consulting company, he has provided services as a mediator or arbitrator for cases involving disputes with broker-dealers.

Paul R. Laubscher

Mr. Laubscher has served as a Trustee on the Board of the Fund Complex since 2009, as Chair of the Board since 2019 and as Chair of the Investment Committee from 2010 through 2018. He is a holder of the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and has over 25 years of experience as a portfolio manager. Mr. Laubscher has served as a senior investment manager of the retirement fund of a large public technology company since 1997.

James A. Nussle

Mr. Nussle has served as a Trustee on the Board of the Fund Complex since 2011. He has more than 20 years of public service experience, including serving as a Representative from Iowa in the House of Representatives from 1991 through 2007 and as Director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget. Mr. Nussle is a founding member, president and chief executive officer of the Nussle Group, a public affairs media and strategic consulting firm, and he also serves as an executive officer of a trade association of credit unions. Mr. Nussle has gained experience as a director on the advisory board of a private equity firm and on the board of several non-profit organizations.

David S. Royal

Mr. Royal has 18 years of experience advising and working for mutual fund complexes. He is currently the President of the Fund Complex and Chief Investment Officer of Thrivent Asset Management. Prior to his current position, Mr. Royal was Deputy General Counsel for Thrivent Financial and the Secretary and Chief Legal Officer of the Fund Complex. Before joining Thrivent, Mr. Royal was a partner at an international law firm based in Chicago. Mr. Royal teaches a course at a law school about the investment management industry. He also serves on the board of directors of a non-profit organization and is currently the Vice Chair.

Verne O. Sedlacek

Mr. Sedlacek has served as a Trustee on the Board of the Fund Complex since 2017 and as Chair of the Investment Committee since 2019. Mr. Sedlacek has over 35 years of experience in the financial services industry, including eleven years as the former chief executive officer of the Commonfund, an institutional investment firm that provides solutions for strategic investors within the nonprofit and pension investment communities. He has experience as a member on the board of several not-for-profit and for-profit boards, including the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. He also was a certified public accountant.

Constance L. Souders

Ms. Souders has served as a Trustee on the Board of the Fund Complex since 2007 and as Chair of the Contracts Committee since 2010. She also serves as the Audit Committee financial expert. Ms. Souders has over 20 years of experience in the mutual fund industry, including eight years as the former Treasurer of a mutual fund complex and registered investment adviser and the Financial and Operations General Securities Principal of a mutual fund distributor.

Russell W. Swansen

Mr. Swansen has served as a Trustee on the Board of the Fund Complex since 2009. He has over 25 years of experience as a portfolio manager and has served as a Senior Vice President and Chief Investment Officer of Thrivent Financial from 2003 to 2017. Mr. Swansen has executive and business experience as a former managing director of an investment bank and as a former president of another registered investment advisor. He has gained experience as a director on the board of several companies (both public and private) and a non-profit organization that supports medical research for thetreatment and cure of childhood cancers. Mr. Swansen was formerly a director on the board of a mining equipment manufacturer and has been a board member of several private companies.

Contact our Board of Trustees

To contact the Thrivent Mutual Funds' Board of Trustees, send a letter addressed to:

Thrivent Mutual Funds
Board of Trustees (or name a specific trustee)
Secretary of Thrivent Mutual Funds
625 Fourth Ave. S.
Minneapolis, MN 55415

The secretary will collect the letters and, if appropriate, will forward them to the chair of the board or to a specific director if named. Communications may also be referred to other departments within Thrivent Financial or its affiliates if applicable. The secretary generally will not forward to the Board any communication that is primarily commercial in nature, that relates to an improper or irrelevant topic, or that requests general information about the Thrivent Mutual Funds or Thrivent Financial.