Meet the Team - PGI Partners, Inc.

Jessica
Berg

Jessica Berg

Jessica is a part-time Content Quality Specialist. She scrutinizes PGI products and client projects at various stages, spotting and eradicating errors in pursuit of perfection. After a career in public education, she joined PGI in 2024. When she isn’t obsessing over the written word, she enjoys backseat video gaming, having fake adventures in tabletop roleplaying games, and trying not to kill plants. She earned her BA in English Literature with minors in Japanese and Linguistics from Ball State University and then returned to pursue a teaching license in secondary English/Language Arts education.

Jordan
Bullock

Jordan Bullock

Jordan is the Marketing Specialist/Sales Support Representative for PGI. He designs and implements marketing strategies while maintaining an active role in our sales department. Outside of work, you can often find him at a skate park. Or reading a book. Or reading a book at the skate park. Jordan graduated from Illinois State University with a degree in Mass Media and a minor in Philosophy.

Marina
Cooper

Marina Cooper

Marina is Editor at PGI. She meticulously examines all projects, correcting and improving where necessary to ensure the best possible version of each product. She joined PGI in 2022 after gaining some experience as a freelance editor. When she grows weary of hunting down and eradicating errors, she enjoys playing with her pets, modeling her amazing thrift-shop finds, and reaching a Zen state through blindfolded origami. She graduated from Boston University with a B.A. in English and obtained a Professional Copyediting, Proofreading, and Fact-Checking certificate from NYU.

Oni Harton, J.D.

Oni is Senior Legal Editor at PGI. She uses her broad legal experience to write, edit, and maintain content for digital and print products. Oni loves the challenge of figuring out how to best communicate technical information to a wide range of audiences. Before joining PGI in 2024, she practiced law for over a decade, primarily in commercial litigation, estate planning, and tax. She also worked as an attorney editor creating AI-assisted legal products and served as a judicial law clerk for the Indiana Supreme Court. Oni’s free time is often spent on fact-finding missions to determine which child did what or planning her next trail-running adventure (as a life-long runner, she was delighted to learn that walking is a key strategy in trail racing). Oni received a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, her law degree from Indiana University McKinney School of Law, magna cum laude, and a M.S. in Taxation from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business. She is a member of the Indiana Bar.

Connor
Jett, J.D.

Connor Jett, J.D.

Connor serves as Legal Editor/Writer for PGI. He writes and reviews technical copy to ensure complete and accurate explanations of various products and strategies. Connor joined PGI in 2021, and when he is not discussing the intricacies of buy-sell agreements or irrevocable life insurance trusts, he enjoys gaming, reading, creative writing, spending time with family, and insisting he likes cats and dogs equally. You’re likely to catch Connor in the kitchen, whipping up Mexican or Italian specialties or experimenting with Cajun cuisine. He received his BS in Psychology from Indiana University and his law degree from the Indiana University Maurer School of Law. He is a member of the Indiana Bar.

Nathaniel
Jett

Nathaniel Jett

Nathaniel serves as Web Developer and Software Coder for PGI. Although he is not living his childhood dream of eating barbecue ribs and building houses, he is putting his tech skills to work while finishing his B.S. in Computer Information Technology at Purdue University. Nathaniel joined PGI early in 2024 and hit the ground running, working primarily on building custom planned giving websites. Outside of work, he enjoys playing with his dog and gaming.

Kassandra Jones

Kassandra is part-time Project Manager at PGI. She applies product updates, tracks metrics, and generally keeps projects organized and on track. She first joined PGI in 2002, took a 10-year hiatus, then made her old colleagues happy by returning in 2024. Kassandra does her best work in the presence of her three dogs and outside of work is well-known as a bartender extraordinaire, dedicated concertgoer, and Wordle aficionado. She is a graduate of Ball State University.

Patricia
Prather

Patricia Prather

Pat is Graphic Designer/Project Manager for PGI. She brings a wealth of design experience and talent to every project, producing strong, creative designs within each client’s specific branding guidelines. Before joining PGI in 2022, Pat worked for a number of magazines and design firms, as well as spending several years doing freelance work. Outside of work, she enjoys gardening, teaching her dog to be a professional doorbell, and entering into debates on the unappealing qualities of boba tea. She graduated with a B.A. in Humanities/Fine Arts from Purdue University.

Amy Rector

Amy is Senior Vice President, Content Strategy. She is dedicated to helping our clients hone their messaging, engage their readers, and find the best version of their own voice. Before starting at PGI in 2009, she taught English in the Peace Corps (Hungary) and then switched gears, spending 15 years working in the financial industry as a writer, editor, proofreader, and project manager. She has experience working on a wide variety of materials, including newsletters, articles, websites, training courses, and books. When she is not carefully crafting and polishing text, she is occasionally spotted in the wild taking nature and travel photographs or sitting by the pool reading The Chicago Manual of Style. She graduated summa cum laude from Augustana College with a double major in English and Art and obtained her Series 6 license.

Amy
Rector

Terry
Sites

Terry Sites

Terry previously worked as Writer and Editor for PGI and continues to apply his vast writing talent to select projects during his retirement. He first joined PGI in 1984, and his writing and publishing experience in financial services education includes newsletters, articles, online documentation, training courses and seminars, and website content. Terry has enjoyed spending increasing amounts of time in retirement, remaining active in his church, traveling to visit children and grandchildren, and occasionally wondering just how hungry Lucy the Lab can really be at 5:30 in the morning. He received a BA from DePauw University in English Composition.

Chris
Sizemore

Chris Sizemore

Chris is Senior Vice President, Marketing and Sales. As a specialist in advanced markets needs, Chris brings over 30 years of experience to helping companies and producers find the tools they need to reach the next level. Chris has worked with numerous insurance and financial services companies, collaborating with them in the design and structure of internal training programs and reference tools as well as client-facing materials. Outside of work, Chris enjoys boating with his family and tirelessly cheering on the Chicago Cubs and the Indiana Hoosiers. He received his B.A. in Political Science from Indiana University.

Kimberly
Staley

Kimberly Staley

Kim is Senior Vice President, Finance and Operations. Lovingly known as “The Bulldog” around the office, she works closely (and gently) with clients, keeping projects on track, managing the company’s daily operations, and maintaining financial oversight with responsibility for all A/R, A/P, and payroll functions. Kim joined PGI in 1980, making her the most senior member of the leadership team. When she’s not at work, she can often be found reading, biking, tackling daunting home improvement projects, and dismantling half-humorous walls of Coke cans. She received her B.S. in Business Management from Indiana University.

Gary
Strader

Gary Strader

Gary is Chief Technologist for PGI. In addition to keeping all employee technology functioning and up to date, he is directly involved in research, product development, and client support. Prior to joining PGI in 2001, he served in a number of management roles in the financial services industry, including vice president of a major regional wholesale bank, and also provided information technology consulting services to financial planning firms. In addition to his breadth of knowledge about technology (new and old, useful and random), Gary is well-known for his keen photographic eye, his wealth of stories and ideas, and his dedication to helping organize the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation’s annual golf tournament. Gary graduated from Tennessee Temple University.

Janet
Strader

Janet Strader

Janet is Project Manager at PGI. She develops, maintains, and updates our web-based products, often applying her knowledge, experience, and persistence to solve tricky technology issues. Janet joined PGI in 1988. In 1995, at a former coworker’s suggestion, she embarked on an office romance of the best kind and has been married to Gary Strader for over 25 years now, with a blended family of seven children and nine grandchildren. When she’s not busy tracking down rogue HTML code and staying on top of technological changes, she prefers to be found in Hawaii—hiking, kayaking, and night snorkeling with the manta rays. She attended Indiana Business School and Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI).

Mark
Whelpley

Mark Whelpley

Mark is Graphic Designer/Project Manager for PGI. He enjoys helping to create new products and bringing custom projects to life in a visually impactful way. Before joining the company in 2005, Mark worked in print production and graphic design for a number of well-known national clients, designing projects including product displays, catalogs, newsletters, posters, and album covers. When not spending quality time with his MacBook Pro or sharing his great sense of humor with his coworkers, Mark can be found hiking, photographing temporary graffiti art or stunning natural landscapes, taste-testing IPAs, and sometimes, even now, mourning the 2019 death of his 12-foot office cactus. Mark graduated with a degree in Film and Television Production from Eastern Michigan University.

Derek
Wininger

Derek Wininger

Derek is Senior Vice President, Technology. He is responsible for the PGI suite of online products, including SalesMaker, Annuity Strategies, Personal Markets Playbook, and the Quick View Tax Guide. Derek joined PGI in 1999, starting in the mailroom and working his way up. With his degree in Anthropology from Indiana University, he enjoys examining the humanity behind technology and how our behavior informs product development. In addition to the design and technical wizardry he employs in creating digital products, Derek’s superpowers include fixing and organizing almost anything, defending his home using nothing but his “scary voice,” and providing entertaining and informative restaurant reviews on demand.

Rebecca
Wood, J.D.

Rebecca Wood, J.D.

Rebecca serves as Legal Writer at PGI, where she applies her extensive experience to various projects, including creating useful, interesting blog posts for this website. Rebecca has a lengthy resume of technical, feature, and creative writing for numerous magazines, digital publications, and books. Rebecca holds a degree in journalism and political science from Indiana University and a law degree from Texas Tech University School of Law. She is a member of the Indiana Bar. She joined PGI in 1999, stepped away for a few years to practice her prodigious arbitration and conflict resolution skills on her four sons while continuing to write on a freelance basis, then eagerly returned to the PGI team in 2022. When she’s not researching and writing, you’re likely to find her reading, baking, traveling, staying involved in her church, spending time with family and friends, or persevering in her impressive quest to run a marathon (half or full) in all 50 states.