Our People

Timothy P. Ford
Partner
President and Chief Executive Officer

Tim Ford is the President and CEO of Foundry Partners LLC. After leading Fifth Third Asset Management’s (FTAM) distribution team for 9 years, Tim formed a group of partners to purchase assets from FTAM (now known as ClearArc Capital Management) and created Foundry Partners. During his tenure at FTAM, Tim sat on multiple committees including FTAM’s Board of Directors, Executive Committee, and Investment Committee.

Tim started in the industry in 1992 and brings a wealth of experience to his position as the President and CEO of Foundry Partners. In addition to his time spent leading the distribution team at FTAM, he was previously a Principal with Paladin Investment Associates. He also spent a number of years as Vice President at Mellon Equity Associates, LLP, a subsidiary of what is now Bank of New York Mellon, where he successfully focused on the Taft-Hartley and Corporate markets. Mr. Ford earned his B.A. in Marketing from Geneva College in Beaver Falls, PA and went on to earn his MBA from Point Park University.

Mary Jane Matts, CFA
Partner
Portfolio Manager & Investment Analyst

Mary Jane Matts is the Lead Portfolio Manager of the Large Cap Value Strategies team for Foundry Partners. Mary started in the industry in 1987 and has been with Foundry Partners since the company’s transition from ClearArc Capital, formerly Fifth Third Asset Management (FTAM). She was with FTAM from 2005-Jan 31, 2013 in a similar capacity. Prior to her time with FTAM, she served in various investment management capacities at National City beginning in 1995, including leading the Value Equity Team for National City’s institutional asset management group and serving as Director of Research for National City Wealth Management. Prior to that, she was the Director of Research at Society Asset Management Inc. (now known as Victory Capital Management).

Ms. Matts earned a B.A. in Economics, conferred with Honors with Distinction, from Kenyon College, and earned her MBA from Case Western Reserve University. She is a CFA charterholder and member of the CFA Society of Cleveland.

Eric J. Holmes, CFA
Partner
Portfolio Manager & Investment Analyst

Eric J. Holmes is a Lead Portfolio Manager on the Small and Micro Cap Value Strategies team for Foundry Partners. Eric started in the industry in 1994 and has been with Foundry Partners since the company’s transition from ClearArc Capital, formerly Fifth Third Asset Management (FTAM). He was with FTAM from 2003-Jan 31, 2013 in a similar capacity. Prior to his time at FTAM, he was a Director for Victory Capital Management on the Large Cap Value product, covering the Insurance and miscellaneous Consumer Cyclicals industries. He also spent 5 years with Manning & Napier Advisors as a Research Analyst for the Small Cap Value and Large Cap Value products.

Mr. Holmes graduated summa cum laude from the State University of New York at Geneseo with a B.A. in Economics, and earned a MBA in Finance from the Rochester Institute of Technology. He is a CFA charterholder and member of the CFA Society of Cleveland.

Mark Roach
Partner
Portfolio Manager & Investment Analyst

Mark Roach is a Lead Portfolio Manager on the Small and Micro Cap Value Strategies team for Foundry Partners. Mark started in the industry in 1995 and has been with Foundry Partners since the company’s transaction with Dreman Value Management (DVM) in June of 2016. He was with DVM from late 2006-June 20, 2016 in a similar capacity. Prior to joining DVM, Mr. Roach was a Portfolio Manager at Vaughan Nelson Investment Management, managing a small cap product from 2002 through 2006. Mr. Roach has significant experience in working with institutions, pensions and endowments and is well known in the consulting and high net worth community. Mr. Roach served as a security analyst from 1994 to 2001 for various institutions including Fifth Third Bank, Lynch, Jones & Ryan and USAA.

Mr. Roach graduated from Baldwin Wallace College with a B.A. in Business, and earned a MBA from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. In addition, Mr. Roach is a former board member on the Rice University Wright Fund.

Seamus Murphy
Partner
Marketing and Client Service

Seamus Murphy started within the industry in 1999 and is a Partner at Foundry Partners LLC where he leads the Marketing and Client Service department. Seamus and a group of partners formed Foundry Partners by successfully negotiating the purchase of assets from ClearArc Capital, formerly Fifth Third Asset Management (FTAM). During his tenure at FTAM, he managed the Taft Hartley and Public Funds Distribution Team and was responsible for distributing FTAM’s institutional strategies within this space. Under his direction, the team grew FTAM’s presence in both scope and reach.

Prior to his time at FTAM, he was a Vice President at National City’s Institutional Services Group where he called on the Taft Hartley Retirement Plans for investment management and custodial services. Mr. Murphy earned his B.A. in Marketing and Communications from North Carolina State University.

Jason B. Thon
Marketing and Products Manager

Jason Thon is the Marketing and Products Manager for Foundry Partners LLC. Jason started in the industry in 1999 and has been with Foundry Partners since inception in 2013.  Prior to joining Foundry Partners, Mr. Thon did creative consulting and oversaw marketing and vendor relations for Staja Studios.  Jason began his career as part of a small discretionary management group within Everen Securities.  After two years as an analyst with a family owned practice, he joined regional consulting firm, Defined Contribution Advisors as an analyst, where he was later promoted to lead the performance reporting functions for DCA while continuing to conduct manager research.

Jason earned a B.S. in Finance from the University of Wisconsin, LaCrosse in 1998.

Sara Saunders
Partner
Chief Financial/Operations Officer

Sara Saunders is the Chief Financial and Operations Officer of Foundry Partners LLC. She got her start in 1996, specializing in the mutual fund and asset management industry. Her experience includes leadership in Securities Valuation, Audit and Board Reporting, Investment Tax, Budget & Expense Management, and Mutual Fund Accounting. Prior to joining Foundry Partners in 2013, Sara served as an Assistant Vice President of Securities Valuation for two years with Nuveen Investments. Before joining Nuveen in 2010, Sara served as a Manager for five years in the Treasury Department with FAF Advisors. From 2000-2006 Sara served as a Tax Accountant with Ameriprise Financial and also served State Street Bank as a Mutual Fund Accountant. Her wide level of experience has allowed her to gain a broad understanding of the asset management operations from both an industry and client perspective.

Sara earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from The University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Masters of Finance from Saint Thomas University of Saint Paul, Minnesota. Additionally, she has served as President and Board Member of The University of Wisconsin Alumni Club-Twin Cities Chapter.

Jerry Xu
Operations Investment Analyst

Jerry Xu is an Operations Investment Analyst with Foundry Partners LLC. He started in the industry in 2020 and joined Foundry Partners in 2022. Prior to Foundry, Mr. Xu worked with the mutual fund accounting team within Citigroup. His experience includes fund accounting for institutional fund clients. He was able to gain valuable experience with the corporate actions, restrictions, and security pricing. Jerry also interned with Stepstone Group, a private markets company. While at Stepstone, he worked on recon and statement sheets.

Jerry graduated from Ohio State’s Fisher College of Business with a B.A. in Business Administration and a specialization in Finance.