For nearly 30 years, Spero-Smith Investment Advisers has been guided by an external Advisory Board of accomplished business executives who advise us on business growth and client service. Among our advisors are:

Karen Spero, the founder of our firm, is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ who has been frequently quoted in national and local financial media, including The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Smart Money. Worth Magazine named her one of the 250 Best Financial Planners in the nation several years in a row. In 2009, the Financial Planning Association (Northeast Ohio Chapter) presented Karen with its Lifetime Achievement Award. The award is presented to an individual with more than 25 years of experience who exemplifies the financial planning profession.

Karen received the Accredited Investment Fiduciary Analyst (AIFA®) designation in 2001. An AIFA® is trained to perform fiduciary audits on retirement plans. Currently, Karen serves on the Board of the College for Financial Planning.

Karen has held many leadership positions in the financial services industry, including serving on:

• National Board of Trustees for the Institute of Certified Financial Planners (now FPA);
• President of the Northeast Ohio chapter of the International Association for Financial Planners (now FPA);
• The Charles Schwab Institutional Advisory Board;
• The Raymond James Financial Advisory Board;
• The Editorial Advisory Board for the Journal of Financial Planning.

Karen earned her B.S. degree in Business Administration from Lake Erie College, where she served as Vice Chair of the Lake Erie College Board of Trustees and is now an Emeritus member of the Board. In 2002, Karen was inducted into the Hall of Excellence of the Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges, Inc.

Tom Willis is President of Matco Tools in Stow, Ohio, as well as having responsibility for Hennessy Industries in LaVergne, Tennessee. Both companies are subsidiaries of Danaher Corporation, a FORTUNE 500® company headquartered in Washington, DC. Tom spent 20 years with G.E. Corporation in their Plastics and Lighting divisions, where his last role was President of G.E. Lighting-China. He has been with Danaher since 1996.

Tom has been active on nonprofit boards, serving as Chairman of Make-A-Wish Foundation of Ohio and Chairman of the Wish Legacy Foundation, an endowment for Make-A-Wish. He also was a member of the Youth Opportunities Unlimited board from 2000 to 2003, serving as co-chair of the Development Committee. In addition to his serving on the advisory board for Spero-Smith Investment Advisers, Tom is on the board for Kirtland Capital Partners.

Tom Meacham is President of TLM Consulting in Pittsburgh. Tom’s 45-year career in business includes experience in finance, treasury functions, operations, acquisitions, business consulting, sales, and marketing.

Tom served in treasury positions at Conoco, Inc. (now ConocoPhillips) and as Treasurer of Consolidation Coal Company (now Consol Energy, Inc.), a Conoco subsidiary. He then became Vice President of Fairmount Supply Company, a Consol Energy subsidiary, where he directed acquisitions. He later served as Vice President of Western Operations, Vice President of Eastern and Western Operations, and Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Fairmount Supply.

Tom holds a B.A. in Business Administration and Finance degree from Texas Christian University. His graduate education includes the School of Credit and Financial Management at Stanford University.

In addition to his participation on the Spero-Smith Advisory Board, Tom works on consulting projects with Riordan Consulting Groups of Pittsburgh.