Who We Are
"It is the mission of the Nebraska Investment Council to prudently manage the funds entrusted to us by the people of the State of Nebraska. We deliver investment management services to provide direct financial benefit exclusively to the owners of these funds. We are committed to thorough, sound, and informed analysis in order to achieve superior returns while maintaining prudent levels of risk."
The Nebraska Investment Council is an independent state agency consisting of:
- A seven-member governing body including five private citizens appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the State Legislature, and two ex-officio members: the State Treasurer and the Director of the Public Employees' Retirement Systems.
- A nine-member Investment Team.
Most importantly, the Investment Council is the sixteen of us working together for the citizens of Nebraska.
What We Do
The Nebraska Investment Council manages $45.5 billion across 32 investment programs:
- $22.6 billion in 5 defined benefit pension plans
- $5.0 billion in 6 other retirement plans
- $2.0 billion in 12 public endowments
- $7.9 billion in the Operating Investment Pool, the State's checkbook, managed internally
- $72 million in 3 state trusts
- $7.8 billion in 4 college savings plans
- $60 million in the Nebraska Enable plan
Information as of December 31, 2025.
Council Members
Gail Werner-Robertson, Council Chairwoman
President
GWR Wealth Management, LLC
Omaha, NE
Term: 2024 - 2028
Dr. Richard A. DeFusco, Ph.D., CFA, Council Member
Retired
Lincoln, NE
Term: 2022 - 2026
Thomas Henning, CFA, Council Member
Non-Executive Chair
Assurity Group Inc.
Lincoln, NE
Term: 2023 - 2027
Dr. Keith A. Olson, DBA, CFA, Council Member
Professor of Economics & Finance
Creighton University - Heider
Omaha, NE
Term: 2026 - 2030
Brian Christensen, MBA, Council Member
OneNebraska Federal Credit Union
Columbus, NE
Term: 2025 - 2029
Joey Spellerberg, Ex-Officio Member
Nebraska State Treasurer
Lincoln, NE
Ex-Officio (non-voting)
No photo available
Tag Herbek, Ex-Officio Member
NPERS – Interim Director
Lincoln, NE
Ex-Officio (non-voting)
Investment Team
Ellen Hung, CFA
State Investment Officer
JoLynn Winkler, CFA
Senior Portfolio Manager
Jeremiah Garber, CFA
Senior Portfolio Manager
Joe Spitznagel
Portfolio Manager
Chris Sanders
Portfolio Manager
Anthony Jakimowicz
Investment Analyst
Arthur Liu, CAIA
Investment Analyst
Aathi Rasiah
Internal Auditor
Maryam Sultani
Investment Accountant
Organizational Chart
The Council’s organizational chart is shown above and reflects the structure as of April 6, 2026.
