Patrick Sporl serves as a Senior Portfolio Manager for intermediate and short-term bond portfolios. Mr. Sporl joined American Beacon in February 1996. Prior to American Beacon, Mr. Sporl worked in the Controller’s Department of American Airlines and as a Staff Auditor for Deloitte & Touche in San Francisco. He has a BS in Business Administration from the University of the Pacific and received his MBA in Finance from the University of Texas at Arlington in 1997. Mr. Sporl is an inactive CPA and is a CFA charterholder.

Cynthia Thatcher joined American Beacon Advisors, Inc. in December 1999 and serves as Portfolio Manager, Asset Management. Ms. Thatcher is responsible for Trust Department activities associated with AMR’s $uper $aver 401(k) plan, several American Beacon Funds and securities lending for both the AMR pension plans and the American Beacon Funds. Ms. Thatcher's professional experience includes eight years as a financial consultant and more recently, sales planning at Sabre, Inc. Ms. Thatcher has a BA in Mathematics from Indiana University and an MBA with Honors in Finance from the University of Dallas.

Jon Vacko joined CALAMOS ADVISORS in 2000 and has been a Co-Portfolio Manager, Co-Head of Research since August 2013. Previously, he was a Co-Head of Research and Investments from July 2010 to August 2013. Prior thereto he was a senior strategy analyst between July 2002 and July 2010. Jon Vacko is a Senior Vice President and Co-Portfolio Manager on the Calamos Growth/Fixed Income Team. He is currently responsible for portfolio management and research. He is also a member of the Investment Committee. Prior to joining Calamos, Mr. Vacko was a credit analyst with Duff & Phelps Credit Rating (now part of Fitch Ratings) in the Financial Institutions Group. Previously, he served as an Examiner with the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. Mr. Vacko is also a CFA charterholder and a member of the CFA Institute.

John Hillenbrand is a Senior Vice President and Co-Portfolio Manager on the Growth/Fixed Income Team and is a member of the Investment Committee. He is one of the Investment Team leaders responsible for analysis and research. Prior to joining Calamos, Mr. Hillenbrand served as an equity research analyst at Credit Suisse First Boston. Previously, he worked as an analyst at ABN AMRO. Mr. Hillenbrand is also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).

Ms. Higginbotham has served as Portfolio Manager since February 2011. She has responsibility for credit and relative value analysis of corporate bonds. Ms. Higginbotham managed enhanced cash and money market portfolios at American Beacon Advisors and has been a Portfolio Manager since April 2003.

Mr. Needles has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of American Beacon Advisors, Inc. since April 2009 and has served on the portfolio management team since May 2011. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Needles was President of Touchstone Investments from 2008 to 2009, President of AIM Distributors from 2003 to 2007 and CEO of AIM Distributors from 2004 to 2007.

Nick Niziolek joined Calamos in March 2005 and has been a Co-Portfolio Manager, Co-Head of Research since August 2013. Between March 2013 and August 2013 he was a Co-Portfolio Manager. Between March 2005 and March 2013 he was a senior strategy analyst. Mr. Niziolek is a CFA charterholder and a member of the CFA Institute.

Eli Pars is a Senior Vice President and Co-Portfolio Manager on the Growth/Fixed Income Team, focused on Global Convertibles. He has extensive research and portfolio management experience in convertible securities and convertible arbitrage strategies. Prior to returning to Calamos, Mr. Pars was a Portfolio Manager at Chicago Fundamental Investment Partners, where he co-managed a convertible arbitrage portfolio. Previously, he held senior roles at Mulligan Partners LLC, Ritchie Capital and SAM Investments/The Hampshire Company. Earlier in his career, Mr. Pars was a Vice President and Assistant Portfolio Manager at Calamos. Mr. Pars is a CFA charterholder and a member of the CFA Institute.

Samuel Silver oversees the team responsible for the portfolio management of the American Beacon Short-Term Bond Fund and a portion of the fixed-income assets of the American Beacon Balanced Fund, American Beacon Retirement Income and Appreciation Fund, and American Beacon Intermediate Bond Fund. Mr. Silver has been with the Manager since September 1999 and has served as Vice President, Fixed Income Investments since October 2011. Prior to October 2011, Mr. Silver was a Senior Portfolio Manager, Fixed Income Investments. The team responsible for the day-to-day portfolio management of the American Beacon Balanced Fund, American Beacon Retirement Income and Appreciation Fund, American Beacon Intermediate Bond Fund and American Beacon Short-Term Bond Fund includes Patrick A. Sporl and Erin Higginbotham.

John P. Calamos is the founder of CALAMOS ASSET MANAGEMENT, INC., the 16th largest money manager in Chicagoland. The firm offers institutional and individual investors a breadth of strategies through both individually managed portfolios and mutual funds. Mr. Calamos received his undergraduate degree in Economics and MBA in Finance from the Illinois Institute of Technology. Joining the United States Air Force after graduation, he served as a combat pilot during the Vietnam War and ultimately earned the rank of Major. Following his military service, John devoted his entire professional career to investment management and research, establishing his own firm in 1977. Mr. Calamos is a member of the Investment Analysts Society of Chicago and has taught graduate level courses on finance and investments. Mr. Calamos has written two books: Investing in Convertible Securities: Your Complete Guide to the Risks and Rewards, and Convertible Securities: the Latest Instruments, Portfolio Strategies, and Valuation Analysis, along with numerous articles in various financial journals. He is often quoted in the press, including The Wall Street Journal, Investor’s Business Daily, Barron’s, Fortune, BusinessWeek and Pensions & Investments. He has appeared on CNBC, CNNfn, Louis Rukeyser's Wall Street and Nightly Business Report.