YOUR GOALS.
OUR EXPERTISE.

Nicole Dragoo is the Chief Executive Officer at Chandler Asset Management. Nicole joined the firm in December 2001 in an operations role. Over her tenure, she has been a core driver in cultivating the culture that makes Chandler unique and has led the expansion of the operations, compliance, legal and administrative functions as the firm has grown. From 2008 to 2021, she served in the roles of Chief Operating and Chief Compliance Officer and as President from 2021-2022.

As CEO, she leads the Executive committee, provides oversight of all aspects of the firm and is responsible for the firm’s strategy, culture and administration of resources. She is passionate about cultivating a culture of shared success by building a diverse and talented team of people dedicated to being stewards of the assets and communities entrusted to us.

Nicole started her investment career with Merrill Lynch on the institutional fixed income sales desk. Nicole earned her B.B.A. from the University of San Diego in business economics and her J.D. from the University of San Diego School of Law. She is a member of the State Bar of California. Nicole held the designation of Investment Adviser Certified Compliance Professional (IACCP) from 12/2010 through 12/2022.

Martin Cassell is the Chief Financial Officer at Chandler Asset Management and is a principal of the firm. After being CEO for 15 years Martin has changed his role to usher in the next generation of leadership. He will remain part of Chandler’s executive team as CFO, corporate advisor, a member of the firm’s Executive Committee as well as Chair of the Board.

As CFO, Martin is responsible for the firm’s finances and manages the Employee Stock Ownership Plan. He is focused on building and sustaining the financial health of the firm and providing thought leadership and mentoring to the Executive Team. Martin designed the proprietary quantitative models that drive our investment process, establishing duration, structure, and asset allocation throughout client portfolios and continues working with our Chief Investment Officers to continually improve client portfolio outcomes.

Martin joined Chandler in 1991 from the City of San Diego where he managed a $1 billion fixed income portfolio. He began his investment career in 1987 managing portfolios at World Savings and Loan. Martin received his B.S. in Finance from California State University, Hayward. He is a member of the CFA Society of San Diego and holds the designation of Chartered Financial Analyst.

William Dennehy is a Co-Chief Investment Officer at Chandler Asset Management and maintains multiple leadership responsibilities at the firm, including being a member of the Executive Leadership Team since 2016, focused on setting the overall strategic direction of the firm. Specific to the investment team, William co-chairs both the Economic and Market Analysis Committee as well as the Credit Committee and is also a voting member of the firm’s Multi-Asset Class Committee. In addition to his responsibilities in helping to lead the investment team, he is also actively involved with specific client relationships to implement portfolio strategies and securities trading. Of particular emphasis during his time at Chandler, which began in 2011, has been collaborating with clients to expand their investment mandates in an effort to identify more creative and robust investment strategy solutions to meet client goals.

Prior to joining Chandler, William spent 10 years working for Northern Trust Global Investments in Chicago, IL, most recently as a Senior Portfolio Manager and Vice President, with a wide range of responsibilities in asset allocation, quantitative and qualitative analysis, and trading in client accounts. William began his investment career in New York City, working for several financial institutions, including Kidder Peabody, Swiss Bank, and UBS, primarily trading short term interest rate products to support the overall capital market operations of the respective institutions.

William earned his B.S. in Business Administration with an option in Finance from California State University at Chico. He is a member of the CFA Institute and the CFA Society of San Diego and holds the designation of Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).

Scott Prickett is a Co-Chief Investment Officer. He is responsible for managing the Portfolio Strategist Team as well as building and maintaining client relationships with a focus upon developing and enhancing client investment programs. Scott actively participates in the portfolio management process and meets with clients on a regular basis to review their accounts, portfolio activity, portfolio strategy and financial markets.  Scott started his investment industry career in 1987, with a focus largely on managing short-term fixed income strategies for governmental and institutional non-profit clients.

Prior to joining Chandler, Scott was Managing Director and Portfolio Manager at Davidson Fixed Income Management. Scott was directly responsible for managing over $750 million in client assets and had management responsibilities over multiple business units with combined total assets of over $5 billion. These included taxable and tax-exempt SMA programs, a Local Government Investment Pool (LGIP) and SeaCap Investment Advisors. At ALPS Mutual Fund Services, Scott played a key role in developing two SEC registered mutual funds. Scott also spent two years at Pacific Investment Management Company (PIMCO) as a fixed income Portfolio Specialist for over $1.4 billion in assets.

Scott is a graduate of the University of Northern Colorado with a degree in business administration with an emphasis in finance. Scott has earned the Association of Financial Professionals designation as a Certified Treasury Professional (CTP) and is a frequent speaker for various local and national organizations.

Jayson Schmitt is a Co-Chief Investment Officer at Chandler Asset Management. In addition to his duties as a Co-CIO, he oversees daily trading. He has been instrumental in the development and integration of quantitative analytic tools for the portfolio management process.

Prior to joining Chandler in 1995, Mr. Schmitt was employed as a Financial Analyst with USA Federal Credit Union in San Diego, managing a $100 million liquidity book. His responsibilities there also included asset/liability management.

Mr. Schmitt earned his B.A. in economics from San Diego State University. He is a member of the CFA Society of San Diego and holds the designation of Chartered Financial Analyst.

Ryan joined Chandler Asset Management as Managing Director of Business Development in 2020 and was promoted to Chief Operating Officer in 2024. As COO, Ryan is responsible for leveraging new technology, building efficient processes, leading high-performing teams, and spearheading new initiatives that drive business growth and deliver exceptional client experiences. He oversees the Marketing, Client Service, Relationship Management and Operations departments. 

Prior to joining Chandler, Ryan worked in business development, strategy and risk management roles for multiple prominent financial institutions, including Morgan Stanley, Bank of America, and Union Bank. He earned his M.B.A. from Pepperdine University and his undergraduate degree in Finance from the University of Southern California.

Adriana Haefner joined Chandler as Human Resources Director and oversees core HR functions including payroll, benefits, performance management, employee relations, and safety. In her role, Adriana also works to enhance Chandler’s workplace culture through training, development, and recruiting efforts, as well as spearheads the planning, implementation, and evaluation of employee policies, programs, and practices.

Adriana has over fifteen years’ experience in Human Resources. Before her role with Chandler, she served as the HR Director for Keller Interiors. Prior positions include HR Manager for the San Diego Convention Center and HR Director for Westcore Properties. Adriana has also served as the HR Manager for El Super Grocery Stores and Target Corporation. Her positions at Target also included Assets Protection Investigator, Logistics Manager, and Operations Manager.

Adriana holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Southern California and has her SHRM Senior Certified Professional designation.

Michael Rasmussen joined Chandler Asset Management in March of 2023 as the firm’s Chief Compliance Officer and General Counsel. He leads the compliance team, provides day-to-day guidance and compliance monitoring of the firm’s regulatory environment and the legal framework governing SEC-registered investment advisors. Michael also assists the firm’s CEO with the oversight functions within the firm and administering all aspects of the compliance program.

Michael began his career in the securities industry as a regulator with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and since that time has provided legal and compliance consulting services to hundreds of investment advisers, private fund managers, and broker-dealers. Michael has also served as Chief Compliance Officer and General Counsel for several established investment advisory firms. Michael graduated from Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad College of Law and is a licensed attorney in Florida and a registered solicitor in the United Kingdom. He has passed the FINRA Series 7, 14, 24, 51, 63, and 65 examinations and has taught several courses on investment adviser compliance. In addition, he sits on the Education Committee for the National Society of Compliance Professionals.