Ed Modla
Executive Director, Investor Education
Professional Background:
- Leads strategy and execution for OCC’s options education initiatives
- 20+ years of experience in financial services, including 13 years as a trader
- Futures trading background in energy & metals
- Skilled in derivatives trading, portfolio management, financial risk, public speaking and sales
Fast Facts:
- Former CBOE market maker in AMZN trading pit
- Named Best Options Educator in 2022 by TradersWorld
Education:
- Bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
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Lindsay Burke
Director, Investor Education Marketing & Operations
Professional Background:
- Leads marketing and operations strategy
- 10+ years of experience in financial services, education, digital marketing and market research industries
- Skilled in project management, email marketing, marketing automation, lead generation, analytics, social media and customer relationship management
Fast Facts:
- Certified Pardot Specialist, Salesforce
- Learned to scuba dive in the Kankakee Quarry
Education:
- Bachelor’s degree in international relations and affairs from University of Colorado Boulder
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Mark Benzaquen
Principal, Investor Education
Professional Background:
- OIC Instructor; leads strategy and execution of options-related digital education content
- Nearly 30 years of experience in financial services industry, including 15+ years in brokerage operations and execution
- Skilled in proprietary trading, options, electronic trading, and ETF trading
Fast Facts:
- Was the lead broker for his firm in the NDX/RUT trading pit for more than a decade
Education:
- Bachelor’s degree in economics from Illinois State University
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Ken Keating
Principal, Investor Education
Professional Background:
- OIC Instructor
- Nearly 30 years of experience in financial services, including 25+ years in trading and equity derivatives analysis
- Skilled in proprietary trading, volatility arbitrage, equity derivatives, market making, and trading systems
Fast Facts:
- Series 56 certified
- Traded as a self-backed sole proprietor for nearly two years, making markets in 100 different issues as a remote market maker on the CBOE
- Worked for a SaaS start-up for 3 years tracking and analyzing derivative and equity flows for publicly traded companies
Education:
- Bachelor’s degree in economics from Golden Gate University
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Mathew Cashman
Principal, Investor Education
Professional Background:
- OIC Instructor; manages options education resources
- 20+ years of experience in financial services and derivatives trading
- Skilled in electronic trading, equity derivatives, trading strategies, and trading systems
Fast Facts:
- Helped launch the London trading desk of DRW, a Chicago-based options trading firm, and was instrumental in building DRW’s presence in London
- Former partner at Toro Trading and helped build the Chicago market-making firm over the course of a decade
Education:
- Bachelor’s degree in music/philosophy from Northwestern University
- Master’s degree in music from University of Houston
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Tricia Perl
Principal, Investor Education
Professional Background:
- Manages planning and execution of meetings and events, including annual Options Industry Conference
- 25+ years of experience in financial services industry
- Skilled in corporate meetings and events, strategic planning, and project management
Fast Facts:
- Certified Meeting Professional (CMP)
- Current board member for Women in Listed Derivatives (WILD)
Education:
- Pursued bachelor’s degree in finance from DePaul University
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Roma Colwell
Associate Principal, Investor Education
Professional Background:
- OIC Instructor
- 25+ years of experience in the securities industry, including 18 years as a floor broker, market maker, and risk manager
- Skilled in proprietary trading, derivatives, volatility, trading strategies, and market making
Fast Facts:
- Started her career on the Pacific Stock Exchange in San Francisco before moving to Chicago to trade on the CBOE
- Was an educator at Group One LP teaching new traders about market making
Education:
- Bachelor’s degree in math-economics from UC Santa Barbara
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Chris Nichols
Associate Principal, Investor Education
Professional Background:
- Manages development backlog for theocc.com and MyOCC℠, reports website analytics and creates content
- 25+ years of writing, editing and content creation experience in the financial services and business news industries
- Skilled in editorial content development, agile methodologies, publishing, website analytics, and copy editing
Fast Facts:
- Certified Scrum Product Owner® (CSPO®)
- Has written and edited content for Dow Jones Newswires, The Street, Bloomberg, and Yahoo Finance
Education:
- Bachelor’s degree in journalism from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Master’s degree in business administration from University of Texas at Tyler
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Giang Ngo
Associate Principal, Investor Education
Professional Background:
- Executes marketing and operations strategy
- 9+ years of experience in the advertising, consumer goods, gaming, and financial services industries
- Skilled in marketing communications and strategy, market research, strategic planning, and branding
Fast Facts:
- Was a professional life skill coach and conducted nearly 600 hours of training
- Has visited Petra, Jordan, founded in 312 B.C and one of the oldest cities in the world
Education:
- Bachelor’s degree in international business from Foreign Trade University Vietnam
- Master’s degree in integrated marketing communication from Loyola University Chicago
- Master’s degree in business administration from Loyola University Chicago
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Jamie Kolar
Senior Associate, Investor Education
Professional Background:
- Executes digital media and events strategy
- 5+ years of experience in healthcare, education, real estate, and financial services industries
- Skilled in content writing, customer relationship management, social media, and marketing
Fast Facts:
- Formerly a competitive swimmer for many years, starting from age 10, and was a 2016 Olympic Trial Qualifier
- Was an assistant property manager for two years
Education:
- Bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary health sciences from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- Master’s degree in marketing from University of Cincinnati
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