01-22-2026 CFALA 22nd Annual Economic and Investments Forecast Dinner

PANELISTS

Jeffrey Cleveland | Jeffrey Cleveland is a Managing Director and the Chief Economist at Payden & Rygel. He is responsible for developing views on the US and global economy. His research areas include macroeconomics, central banks, money markets, money supply, credit cycles, housing, state and local governments, and regional economics. Jeffrey is a frequent speaker at industry forums and is often quoted in the financial media on the economy and investing topics. In addition, he frequently appears on CNBC, Bloomberg Television, Fox Business News, Bloomberg Radio, and National Public Radio to discuss financial markets and the economy. Before joining Payden & Rygel, Jeffrey was a Senior Associate at David Taussig & Associates in Newport Beach, California. He helped manage the firm’s fiscal and economic impact studies and consulting services. Jeffrey is a member of the National Association for Business Economics (NABE). Jeffrey earned a MA in International Political Economy with an emphasis in international money and finance from Claremont Graduate University and a BA in Economics/Global Political Economy from Whittier College through the Whittier Scholars Program. As an avid open-water swimmer, Jeffrey swam across the English Channel in September 2008, across the Catalina Channel in 2009, and around Manhattan in 2010. In doing so, Cleveland became the 36th swimmer in history to complete the “triple crown” of open water swimming. Back To Top ^^

Marta Norton, CFA | Marta Norton is Chief Investment Strategist for Empower, a financial services company. Marta collaborates with Empower’s investment teams to formulate Empower’s market perspective and economic outlook. She provides regular commentary on market developments and generates thought leadership on critical trends facing investors. Marta shares her investment insights with Empower clients and is a frequent contributor to financial media. Marta joined Empower in 2024. She has nearly two decades of investment research and portfolio management experience, managing a wide range of multi-asset model portfolios and both equity and fixed-income mutual funds. She has written extensively on valuations across global asset classes, prevailing economic conditions, and associated portfolio construction considerations. Before joining Empower, Marta was CIO for the Americas with Morningstar Investment Management and regularly appeared on broadcast networks including CNBC, Bloomberg, Yahoo Finance, and Schwab Network. Before joining Morningstar in 2005, Marta worked for economic consulting firm LECG, LLC and was an economist for the Bureau of Labor Statistics in D.C. Marta holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Wheaton College in Illinois. She is a CFA charterholder and is a member of CFA Society Chicago. Back To Top ^^

Tony Rodriguez | Tony oversees fixed income strategy for Nuveen’s global fixed income team and is responsible for co-chairing the Investment Committee, which establishes investment policy for all global fixed income products, and communicating the team’s positioning. Prior to his current role, Tony was the co-head of fixed income. Before joining the firm in 2002, he was director and head of global corporate bonds at Credit Suisse Asset Management in New York. Previously, he was managing director and head of corporate bonds for Prudential Global Asset Management. Tony also worked as a portfolio manager for General Electric Investment Corporation and in various financial management capacities for General Electric. Tony graduated with a B.A. in Economics from Lafayette College and an M.B.A. in Finance from New York University.  Back To Top ^^



MODERATOR

Will McKenna | Will McKenna is a content director at Capital Group, home of American Funds, focusing on advisory, retirement and institutional markets. He has 28 years of industry experience and has been with Capital Group for 23 years. Prior to joining Capital, Will was an associate at Mercer Management Consulting in New York, where he focused on marketing consulting for financial services clients. He holds a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from Princeton University, graduating summa cum laude. Will is based in Los Angeles. Back To Top ^^