Sound returns
Alum makes a name for himself with a top-performing fund
Interview by Mary Reed
Jay Devine, BBA '98, is a third-generation Bobcat and co-manager of the Touchstone Institutional and Retail Money Market Funds, named Crane Data's No. 1 Top Performing funds nationally. An excerpt from this interview appeared in the Fall/Winter 2008 issue of Ohio Today. The full interview is published here.
 Your great-uncle Cliff Houk was an Ohio University professor, your parents met here -- was it a given that you would attend the university?
It was a given. Uncle Cliff used to tell me when I was younger that he bled green, before I was old enough to understand what that meant. Now, to this day, I can say that I bleed green as well.
You met your wife, Krista Shell Devine, BSED '98, at Ohio. How did you meet?
We met in Nelson cafeteria. I worked as the card checker. I worked breakfast because I'm an early riser -- Jay's Breakfast Club.
Do you remember your favorite professor?
(Associate Professor of Finance) Natalie Chieffe. She incorporated academia with the real world, especially with portfolio management and everything else in finance. It wasn't just about learning out of a book, which was very exciting and intriguing.
Now you're a member of the College of Business Society of Alumni and Friends, helping network students with employers.
Ray Schilderink, BBA '72, and I participated in two recruiting events in Cincinnati. … We had several companies recruit students. The events were very successful. We're looking to hold another one in January, and we've outgrown our current venue. The employers here in Cincinnati are pleased with the talent Ohio University has to offer.
What sets Ohio students apart?
In the College of Business, it's their curriculum. There's a lot of group work. It's not all just book work. They have the Global Competitiveness Program, in which students travel abroad in a group setting and they deal with different personalities, different cultures. Unless you have a job that has no interaction with others, you need to be able to communicate well with people.
These are big companies, aren't they?
There are 10 Fortune 500 companies in Cincinnati. Most didn't recruit from Ohio University -- well, they do now because they're getting to know the Ohio University brand. I'm thankful for the education that Ohio University gave me, which has allowed me to become who I am today. No matter what other institutions I go up against professionally -- the Wharton School, Ivy League schools or other top business schools -- although we may not have the name recognition of these schools, I'm not afraid to go up against them in any type of business setting.
Your money market funds are a success by any measure. What's your secret?
We do it as a team. We hired another OU grad, Rick Ellensohn, BBA '97. And we are a smaller fund family. Our funds range from $25 to $450 million. (We're not a $50 billion fund.) This enables us to manage the funds with a different investment philosophy. We leave no stone unturned when we're looking for bonds to invest for our clients.
I hear you're training for an Ironman. How do you have time?
I make time; I get up at a quarter 'til four every morning. My wife is a saint. I call her Saint Krista.
Yet you also make time to give back to your alma mater.
It's important to always remember where you received your education and the people who helped you along the way by giving your time, talent and treasure back. You're shaping the life of today's Bobcats. We did mock interviews for a SAF board meeting. A student came in and said, "I'll probably never get out of here. I'm just a good Athens country boy." I said, "Quit -- believe in yourself." … He had an interview for his first job, and he e-mailed me that he got the job.
Do your three boys bleed green yet?
Oh yes. All three of them wear their OU clothing around. My middle son already says, "I'm a Bobcat."
Mary Reed, BSJ '90 and MA '93, is the editor of getoutzine.com.
Posted 12-02-2008
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