Executive Team
Providing inspiration. Fostering growth. Driving excellence.
 President and Chief Executive Officer David H. Barton earned his Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Irvine in 1988. In June 1992, he earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, passing the California State Bar exam later that same year. David began practicing law in Santa Barbara, California, in 1992 as a trial attorney specializing in commercial and securities civil litigation. He has prosecuted and defended claims successfully in excess of several hundred million dollars. David left private practice in 2000 to serve as General Counsel at Mercer Advisors, a position he held until 2008. As General Counsel, David proved himself adept at business planning and management, assuming increasingly greater responsibilities until his promotion to President in 2008. During his 11-year tenure at Mercer Advisors, David has successfully managed and led nearly every department within the organization. David was promoted to CEO in 2008. As President and CEO of Mercer Advisors, David is responsible for its overall strategic planning, business plan execution, organizational structure and leadership. |  Chief Financial Officer and Human Resources Manager Deb directs the finance, audit, tax, accounting, facilities, human resources and purchasing divisions at Mercer Advisors. Her tenure of more than 11 years has allowed her to contribute significantly to the growth and success of the company. She began her career as an auditor for KPMG Peat Marwick in Denver, Colorado, where her areas of expertise included mutual funds and rural utility companies. Prior to joining the Mercer Advisors Executive Team, she served as Chief Financial Officer for the Info Genesis Software Development Company. |
 Chief Investment Officer Gene began his highly successful financial career as an investment manager in his home state of Louisiana. He became our Chief Investment Officer in 1985 and part-owner of Mercer Advisors Inc. in 1989. He developed our Asset Optimization® strategy in 1991 — Mercer Advisors' first comprehensive, broad-market investment program and has worked continually to improve it steadily ever since. Today, Gene's insight and expertise are helping more than 3,300 Mercer Advisors clients to achieve their financial goals. |  Mercer Global Advisors Division Director Ralph leads the financial advisor and consulting teams, overseeing the daily activity of all Mercer Advisors client interaction. He ensures that our client services continually meet and exceed client expectations through each of our strategic planning, program design, system enhancement and staff development initiatives. Ralph has more than 19 years of experience at Mercer Advisors, serving in four different capacities during his tenure. Prior to joining Mercer Advisors, Ralph worked as a bank examiner with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. |
 Vice President of Sales, Investment Management Will has more than 30 years of professional experience in investment management, financial services and financial reporting systems. Prior to joining Mercer Advisors, he was founder and CEO of 21st Financial, Inc., a commodity trading advisory firm that managed option credit spreads using the S&P 500 futures index. Will also served as a senior vice president and senior portfolio manager with Payden & Rygel, a large, privately owned global investment management firm, with over $50 billion in AUM. Previously, he was a vice president at Union Bank in Los Angeles, with responsibility for asset liability management within the bank's treasury department. Will holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Stanford University. He currently holds the FINRA Series 65 license. |  Mercer Mastery Division Director Bryan manages our consulting, practice planning and valuation and transition services divisions. Bryan has more than 15 years of experience at Mercer Advisors. Prior to joining the Mercer Advisors team, Bryan worked as a Certified Public Accountant, specializing in litigation support and forensic accounting. |
 Vice President of Consulting Product Development Alan oversees the development, training, production launch, quality assurance and compliance activities for OnTrack®, our proprietary practice performance management software. Alan also develops new consulting products and tools for use with our 360° Planning® clients. Alan joined Mercer Advisors in 2005. His prior experience includes dental technology field work at both Patterson Dental and Dentrix. |  Vice President of Business Development Gene has spent her professional career in practice management. She held business coordinator and office manager positions before becoming a practice management consultant in 1993. Gene founded her own company and built it into a successful firm with hundreds of clients nationwide. Gene integrated her company into Mercer Advisors in 2006. She continues to impart her knowledge regarding the creation and maintenance of a thriving dental practice with Mercer Advisors' practice consultants and clients alike. |
 Vice President of Marketing Sara joined Mercer Advisors in 2010, bringing with her more than 24 years of marketing success stories. Previously, she held vice president of marketing positions at Trust Company of America, a specialist asset custodian for independent investment advisors, and at Fujitsu Limited, an international technology company. Sara holds Master in Business Administration and Bachelor of Science in Engineering Management degrees. |  Vice President of Transitions and General Counsel Scott received his law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1997. He worked for seven years as a transactional attorney at some of the largest law firms in the country, including McGuire Woods, LLP and Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison, LLP where he specialized in mergers, acquisitions and venture capital financing. Scott joined Mercer Advisors in 2004. Scott is an Accredited Valuation Analyst with the National Association of Financial Analysts. |
 Vice President of Operations and Information Technology Chris directs the daily operations for Mercer Advisors, including oversight and management of all branch office facilities as well as our corporate headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona. Chris received his law degree from the Santa Barbara College of Law. |
