William Schaff, CFA, is Founder and CEO of Phocas Financial Corporation. For the last twenty-five years, Bill has managed institutional equity portfolios and mutual funds at Phocas Financial, Bay Isle Financial, Janus Capital Group, Berger Funds, and the Undiscovered Managers organization. Over this time, he developed attractive track records investing in US value equities and REITs (real estate investment trusts) in separate accounts as well as mutual funds. He was formerly the lead manager of the Berger Small Cap Value Fund, the Morningstar 5-star rated Undiscovered Managers REIT Fund (1998-2003), the Janus US REIT Fund for non-US investors, and Bay Isle’s Large Cap Value Equity institutional product. He is still managing accounts for very large and smaller defined benefit pension plans, including those of state and local entities, corporate plans, and foundation and endowments.

Bill earned his Masters degree in Engineering from the University of California, Davis. He also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation, and is a member of the Security Analysts of San Francisco. Bill served as a multi-term Trustee and Chairperson of the Investment committee of Alameda County Employees' Retirement Association ("ACERA"), a $5 billion public pension plan.