The Best and Brightest - Their Job is to Serve You

Ed is responsible for FNI's overall corporate strategy and implementation. He enjoys talking with current and potential clients about how FNI can best meet their needs. Prior to founding FNI, Ed was a Registered Investment Advisor with Bailard, Biehl & Kaiser, a California investment management firm where he advised a range of high-net-worth clients. He started his career as a CPA with KPMG in New York City serving clients in the financial services, real estate, and entertainment industries. Ed received a B.S. from Davidson College and an MBA (with Distinction) from New York University; he was a licensed CPA in New York State. He also completed post-graduate work in finance and information technology at the University of Chicago and the AEA / Stanford University Executive Management program for high-technology executives.

Ed is a founding member of the Board of Directors of Silicon Valley Association of Startup Entrepreneurs (SVASE) and currently serves on the Board of Advisors. He is a frequent speaker at local universities on the subject of entrepreneurship.

John directs all product development and programming operations for FNI. He has more than 25 years of programming and project management experience. He has extensive experience with investment management and accounting systems development. Prior to co-founding FNI, John was a captain in the U.S. Air Force and worked in manufacturing. John graduated from North Carolina State University with a M.S. in Operations Research and a B.S. in Computer Science. John enjoys international travel in support of the missionary work sponsored by his church.

George manages the technical services and product development group at FNI. His primary focus is identifying the needs of customers and developing solutions through technology and services. Additionally, he provides consulting in the use of Navigator for complex financial situations. George joined the team after completing his bachelor’s degree in Management of Information Systems at San Jose State University.

Dennis oversees the company’s sales and marketing departments, as well as the firm’s strategic relationships. Prior to his current position, Dennis held positions at FNI as a Business Development Manager and Client Relations Manager. Before joining FNI, Dennis held positions in marketing communications and as a venture analyst at several start-up companies. He graduated from San Jose State University with a B.S. in Marketing where he was the founder of the university’s Entrepreneurial Society. He is an active member of SVASE (Silicon Valley Association of Startup Entrepreneurs) and the American Marketing Association.

James R. (Jim) Powell, CPA, has been a consultant to FNI users since the 1980s and currently works from both Florida and Connecticut. He is a tax and accounting services consultant with various family office, individual, partnership, trust, not-for-profit, and corporate clients. He has used the Financial Navigator® software for over 20 years. Starting in 1998, he became extensively involved in the ongoing software development, implementation, use, and training. He has taught a number of classes at FNI’s Annual Users Conference, spoken at family office conferences, co-authored a number of manuals, and continues to assist FNI in the testing of its base software and add-on modules. He received a CPA certificate in Florida in 1969 and subsequent certificates in the states of Illinois, New York, and Missouri. In 1996, Jim also became a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE). He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE).

Fernando manages Navigator One View Services division, which provides multi-client investment tracking, asset allocation, custom consolidated reports, accounting, and data aggregation outsourcing. He has over 12 years of extensive experience in corporate accounting, individual and corporate income tax research, and consulting. Fernando graduated from San Jose State University with a B.S. in Accounting and is a registered tax preparer in the State of California. Fernando is founder of Diaz Pro Accounting Services, a tax preparation and accounting firm.

Nancie advises the company in all areas of human resource management. This includes recruiting, training, team building and career path planning. She comes to FNI with extensive experience in human resource management at San Jose State University. She has a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago and a M.A. from Columbia University.