Our Board

Jim Gray

James Gray is Co-founder and Chairman of optionsXpress Holdings, Inc., the online options, futures and stock brokerage. Since taking its first customer in January 2001, optionsXpress has fundamentally changed how retail investors use exchange-traded derivatives for investing and strategic portfolio management.

Gray, with 20 years in the options industry, is also President of G-Bar L.P., one of the nation’s largest independent options trading firms.

Gray is active in many civic and professional organizations, serving on the boards of the Shedd Aquarium, Children’s Memorial and the Chicago Museum of Science & Industry. He is also a member of the Young Presidents Organization, the Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center, the Executives Club and the Economic Club of Chicago.

Through the Avrum Gray Family Fund and the G-Bar Foundation, Gray is also a supporter of the Chicago Botanic Gardens, Chicago Symphony, Jewish United Fund, Lyric Opera House, Gene Siskel Film Center, the Ravinia Festival and the “Chicago 2016” effort to bring the Olympics to Chicago.

Gray holds a B.S. in Finance and Economics from the University of Iowa.

Brett Tolman

Brett graduated with honors from Stanford University with an undergraduate degree in economics. He has worked as a trader in the options industry for 17 years. Brett started his career with Group One in 1994, moved to PEAK6 in 1999, and joined G-Bar in 2002.

Rod Levy

Rod graduated from Cornell University with undergraduate and Master’s degrees in engineering. He has worked as a trader in the options industry for 17 years. Rod started his career with Hull Trading in 1994 and joined G-Bar in 1996. He earned his MBA from the University of Chicago in 1999.