Leadership

Mr. van Eck joined the Firm in 1991 and its Executive Management Team in 1998. He serves as the President, Chief Executive Officer and an owner of Van Eck Associates Corporation. Additionally, he is the President and CEO of Van Eck Securities Corporation. Furthermore, Mr. van Eck is a Trustee, the President and Chief Executive Officer of VanEck ETF Trust, VanEck Funds and VanEck VIP Trust.

Furthering VanEck’s mission to anticipate asset classes and trends, Mr. van Eck has created strategic beta, tactical allocation, emerging markets, and commodity-related investment strategies in mutual fund, ETF, and institutional formats. Mr. van Eck founded the Firm’s ETF business in 2006. One of the world’s largest ETF sponsors, the Firm offers ETFs, branded VanEck, globally across equity and fixed income asset classes.

Mr. van Eck holds a JD from Stanford University and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Williams College with a major in Economics. He has registrations with the National Futures Association and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. Mr. van Eck is a Director of the National Committee on United States-China Relations. He routinely appears in the media, including CNBC and Bloomberg Television.  Mr. van Eck was a 2013 Finalist for Institutional Investor's Fund Leader of the Year and was a finalist for ETF.com’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019 and 2022.

Mr. Crimmins joined VanEck in 2009 as Vice President of Portfolio Administration. He is primarily responsible for overseeing portfolio accounting and administration. He also serves as Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer to the VanEck Funds, VanEck VIP Trust and VanEck ETF Trust. Prior to joining VanEck, Mr. Crimmins was the Chief Financial, Operating and Compliance Officer for Kern Capital Management LLC from 1997 to 2009 and the Vice President and Director of Mutual Fund Administration for Evergreen Investment Services from 1987 to 1997. Previously, Mr. Crimmins acted as Vice President and Controller for Pilgrim Group for three years and was in public accounting for six years. Mr. Crimmins is a Certified Public Accountant and received a BS in Accounting from St. John’s University.

Mr. Gozzillo joined VanEck in 2018. He serves as Chief Compliance Officer for Van Eck Associates Corporation, Van Eck Absolute Return Advisers Corporation, Van Eck Securities Corporation, VanEck ETF Trust, VanEck Funds and VanEck VIP Trust. Prior to joining VanEck, Mr. Gozzillo served as Chief Compliance Officer for City National Bank’s investment advisor, City National Rochdale, LLC as well as City National Rochdale Funds from 2012 until 2018. From 2008 to 2012, Mr. Gozzillo was employed with TIAA-CREF, serving as the Director and Compliance Officer for the mutual funds and Chief Compliance Officer of the Life Insurance Company Separate Accounts. Prior to 2008, he was the Chief Compliance Officer at Managers Investment Group LLC and held managerial positions at AMT Capital Services, Delaware Investments and The Vanguard Group. Mr. Gozzillo holds a BS in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix.

Mr. Krenzer joined VanEck in 1994 and is currently Head of Active Trading. In 2022, Greg was also named Co-Chief Operating Officer for the Firm’s active business, helping oversee daily operations. He serves as Portfolio Manager for VanEck Bitcoin Strategy ETF and Deputy Portfolio Manager for the VanEck CM Commodity Index Strategy and VanEck Morningstar Wide Moat Fund. Mr. Krenzer oversees trading for the VanEck Emerging Markets Equity Strategy, VanEck Global Resources Strategy, VanEck Environmental Sustainability Strategy and VanEck Gold Strategy, specializing in trade construction and execution. Mr. Krenzer has over 25 years of experience investing in commodities, natural resource equities and global fixed income. Mr. Krenzer is a CFA Charterholder and a member of the CFA Society New York. He earned a BS in Finance with a minor in Economics (Beta Gamma Sigma) from Syracuse University.

Mr. Phillips joined VanEck in 2006. In 2012, he assumed the role of Chief Operating Officer for the Firm’s ETF business. Mr. Phillips is responsible for corporate development and strategy, daily operations and relationships with key business contacts, including stock exchanges, regulators and industry groups. Prior to joining VanEck, Mr. Phillips was founder and managing member of LB Trading, LLC, a proprietary ETF trading firm on the American Stock Exchange. He also served as junior general partner and management committee member of Orbit II Partners, L.P., a proprietary trading firm specializing in equity options, index options and ETF market making. Mr. Phillips was member of the American Stock Exchange from 1996 through 2006, and was an American Stock Exchange Floor Official from 2001 to 2003. From 2020 to 2022, he served as Chairperson of the Investment Company Institute (ICI) ETF Committee.  Mr. Phillips earned a BA in Economics and a BA in American Civilization from Lafayette College.

Mr. Potocki joined VanEck in 2012 and oversees financial adviser and institutional sales across all product lines. Prior to joining VanEck, Mr. Potocki served as Director, National Sales Manager and Head of National Accounts at Russell ETFs. He also served on Russell's ETFs Operating Committee and Distribution Leadership Team. His previous experience includes roles as Managing Director and Partner at J. & W. Seligman where he served as National Sales Manager, Head of National Accounts, Member of Board of Directors of the Global Horizon and Spectrum Funds, and Head of Marketing. Mr. Potocki was responsible for the expansion of the Seligman brand overseas and opened offices in London, Buenos Aires and Hong Kong. Mr. Potocki holds a BA from Duke University.

Mr. Rappaport joined VanEck in 2012. He serves as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Van Eck Associates Corporation and its subsidiaries after previously serving as the Controller. Mr. Rappaport also serves as Van Eck Securities Corporation’s Financial and Operations Principal. Prior to joining VanEck, Mr. Rappaport was a manager at KPMG LLP. He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). Mr. Rappaport holds a FINRA Series 27 license and received a BS in Accounting from University of Maryland, College Park.

Ms. Rapple joined VanEck in 2015. She serves as Global Head of Human Resources for Van Eck Associates Corporation and is responsible for all aspects of Human Resources, including recruitment, employee relations, training, benefits and payroll. Prior to joining VanEck, Ms. Rapple was Assistant Vice President and Senior HR Generalist at Jennison from 2012 to 2015 and held various HR-related roles at Legg Mason from 2007 to 2012. Ms. Rapple earned a BS in Business Economics from the State University of New York at Cortland.

Mr. Simon joined VanEck in 2006. He serves as Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary for Van Eck Associates Corporation, Van Eck Securities Corporation and Van Eck Absolute Return Advisers Corporation. Prior to joining VanEck, he worked as corporate associate at Sidley Austin LLP, Carter Ledyard & Milburn LLP and Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP. Mr. Simon is a member of the New York State Bar. He holds a JD from Fordham University School of Law and earned a BS from Cornell University.

Mr. Wolfe joined VanEck in 2011. He serves as the Chief Administrative Officer and is primarily responsible for the complete cycle of the Firm’s information technology projects, performs portfolio risk reviews, and evaluates automated solutions for investment risk reporting. Mr. Wolfe served as an adviser to the Firm on a variety of projects including business infrastructure, product design and marketing issues, while working as a specialty consultant at his own firm for over 10 years. Prior to consulting, Mr. Wolfe worked at Deutsche Bank as Director of the Managed Funds Group from 1998 to 1999 and at Merrill Lynch for 21 years in a variety of roles including in Global Fixed Income, Commodities, Derivatives, Foreign Exchange, and Global Equities. Mr. Wolfe holds a BA in Liberal Arts from Lawrence University, Appleton, Wisconsin.