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Meet the Commonwealth Funds Board of Trustees

The Commonwealth International Series Trust Board of Trustees oversees the operation of the Commonwealth Funds and ensures that corporate policies are followed. The Board of Trustees has been elected to represent the interests of shareholders of the Commonwealth Funds.

The Board of Trustees is majorly composed of independent directors, which allows them to provide an objective check on management. Three of the four Trustees are independent or not interested persons‚ meaning they have no significant relationship with the Commonwealth Funds advisor or underwriter.

John Akard Jr.

John is an Attorney-C.P.A. who is a shareholder of Coplen & Banks, P.C. He is both a CPA and lawyer admitted to practice by the State Bar of Texas, United States District Court for the Southern and Eastern Districts of Texas and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

After receiving his B.B.A. in Accounting from Texas A & M University in 1988, John worked as a senior staff auditor with Arthur Andersen & Co. While there, his clients included SEC regulated, publicly traded companies and small start-up businesses primarily in the telecommunications, regulated utilities and high-tech industries. He subsequently received his J.D., magna cum laude, from Texas Tech University.

John is a member of the State Bar of Texas and its Bankruptcy and Real Estate, Probate & Trust Sections, the Houston Bar Association (“HBA”), and its Estate Planning and Probate and Bankruptcy Sections, the American Academy of Attorney-Certified Public Accountants (“AAA-CPA”), and the Houston Estate and Financial Forum. He is a Past-President of AAA-CPA and currently is Sr. Warden and adult formation ministry leader for St. Mary’s Episcopal Church Cypress, Texas.

 

Caroline Montalbano

Caroline Montalbano. Ms. Montalbano is a Certified Public Accountant and has over 15 years of experience in Finance, Accounting and Human Resources. She earned a Bachelor of Business Administration and Masters in Professional Accounting from the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin. She possesses a strong understanding of the regulatory framework under which the Funds operate.

 

Anothony Box, Jr.

Anthony “Tony” Box, Jr. Mr. Box is an Attorney and Certified Public Accountant with over 25 years’ experience with extensive background in federal law enforcement, state and federal government investigations and tax audits. He possesses a strong fundamental understanding of the business and regulatory environment under which the Funds operate.

 

Robert W. Scharar

Robert is the Senior Portfolio Manager of Commonwealth’s Australia/New Zealand, Japan, Global and Real Estate Securities Funds. Mr. Scharar is President and Director of FCA Corp, based in Houston, Texas, and has primarily worked in this capacity during the past several years.

Robert earned a Masters of Business Administration and a Juris Doctorate from Northeastern University, a LLM (masters of law) in Taxation from Boston University, and a Bachelor of Science Business Administration in Accounting from the University of Florida. Previously, he has served as an accounting professor at Bentley and Nichols Colleges.

Robert is a member of the Florida and Massachusetts Bars; and is a Certified Public Accountant (Florida). He is a Director and past President of the American Association of Attorney-CPAs. He is also an officer, director and/or manager of the following companies: Blantyre Hotels, Ltd. (Malawi), NICO Holdings, Ltd. (Malawi), NICO Capital (Malawi), Africap, LLC, First Commonwealth Holdings Corporation, First Commonwealth Mortgage Trust, Holly Mortgage Trust, subsidiary companies at some of the above, and other closely held entities.

 

Christina Doherty

Christina Doherty. Mrs. Doherty is an Attorney and Certified Public Accountant with over 12 years of experience in tax and wealth management. Mrs. Doherty holds a Juris Doctorate degree (magna cum laude) from Michigan State University College of Law. She is the current President of the American Academy of Attorney-CPAs and has served on the Board of Directors since 2017. Mrs. Doherty is also Vice President of the Advisor. She possesses a strong understanding of the business and regulatory environment under which the Funds operate.