Three changes are happening to the board of directors at Virtus Investment Partners [profile].

W. Howard Morris The Prairie & Tireman Group President, Chief Investment Officer

Today George Aylward, president and CEO of Virtus, confirms that former chairman Mark Treanor is retiring from the Hartford, Connecticut-based mutual fund firm's board this spring. Current board member Tim Holt is taking over as chairman, while Howard Morris is joining the board and its audit committee, Holt confirms.

Holt (age 68), who joined Virtus' board in 2009, most recently served as chairman of the board's governance committee. He continues to serve on that committee and on the compensation committee.

Morris (age 62) is the president and chief investment officer of the Prairie & Tireman Group.

Treanor (age 74) has chaired Virtus' board since it spun off from the Phoenix Companies in 2009. Aylward, who also serves on Virtus' board, lauds Treanor for "his invaluable guidance and tireless work on behalf of the company and the board for the past 12 years."

As for Holt, Treanor praises the new chair for his "comprehensive understanding of the company" and "his experience in investment management and as a senior corporate leader." And Holt trumpets Morris' "signficant experience as a portfolio management" and "his wealth of board experience, expertise in investment management, and tenure as a financial executive."

Holt spent more than 40 years with Aetna before retiring in 2008. His roles there included: CIO, chief enterprise risk officer, CFO of retirement services, VP of the portfolio management group, property/casualty PM, and more.

Treanor, an officer veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, founded and led a law firm before joining First Union Corporation in 1998 and staying on with Wachovia until 2008, serving as the bank's general counsel and secretary. He is an alumnus of the U.S. Naval Academy.

Morris founded Prairie & Tireman in 1998 after leading WILMOCO Capital Management and working at in the treasurer's office at Chrysler. He is an alumnus of the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School and of Northwood University. 

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