Chief Executive Officer

Ron is President of Lara, Shull & May, LLC. A seasoned and experienced professional, Ron founded Lara, Shull & May, Ltd. in 1981 based on his focus and determination to help clients create and implement a plan to achieve their lifetime goals. Specializing in tax efficient strategies to maximize wealth, his client base extends across the country as well as multi-generations of families.

Striving to supply the tools required to help individuals reach their goals, Ron has co-created two powerful investment strategy tools: The Lifetime Success Solution® and The Retirement Success Solution®. These financial planning programs help clients realize their goals and work from these to form a base plan to achieve them. In 2006, Ron authored the book The Retirement Success Solution® which details the steps necessary to achieve ones retirement goals and offers expertise based on his over 35 years of investment management experience.

In addition to his work helping clients reach their lifetime goals, Ron also manages the U.S. Treasury Bond Management Program as a co-founder of The Lara Group, Ltd. This program is based upon a mathematical model developed by Ron between 1985 and 1986. The Lara Group, Ltd. was formed in 1991 and continues to utilize a proprietary model to provide their clients with a systematic strategy for purchasing U.S. Treasury Bonds.

Ron is a 1968 graduate of the University of Maryland with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering. Following his graduation, he served as Assistant District Engineer for Humble Oil and Refining Company until April 1969. He then served in the United States Army from 1969 until April 1971. Following his military service, Ron began his career in the financial services field with a local Washington, DC firm. In 1977, Ron proudly became one of the first designated Certified Financial Planners (CFP) in the Washington, DC area. He used his investment skills and knowledge to establish Lara, Shull & May, Ltd. in 1981. Due to the firm’s success and strong reputation Lara, Shull & May partnered with Focus Financial Partners, LLC in October of 2007 to form Lara, Shull & May, LLC. Focus Financial Partners, LLC, is the leading partnership of independent fiduciary wealth management firms.

Ron’s numerous charitable affiliations include memberships on the Board of Directors for the Fairfax Library Foundation, and Joe Gibbs' Youth for Tomorrow organization.

A native of the Washington, DC metropolitan area, Ron is married with five children and five grandchildren. Among his hobbies, Ron enjoys skiing, flying, tennis and attempting golf.

Partner

Frank accepted a partnership at LSM in 1999, when the firm’s founder, E. Ronald Lara, selected him to join and eventually succeed him. Over the past decade, he has maintained a strong focus on building LSM’s outstanding team of client-centric, sophisticated and forward-thinking independent financial advisors.

A successful and trusted wealth management advisor in the Washington area for more than 15 years, Frank understands the importance of building solid, long-term relationships with clients and providing them with exceptional financial guidance and service. His broad knowledge of current markets and the very unique challenges presented to wealthy individuals have been key in managing his clients’ assets and preserving their way of life after retirement.

Prior to joining LSM, Frank spent three years as an insurance and investment advisor for New England Securities where he consistently qualified for the firm’s prestigious President’s Club. In 1994, Frank was recruited by the Holleman Companies of Bethesda Maryland and spent four years under the mentorship of Vernon Holleman, Sr. In 1997, Frank was awarded the Dalbar Seal for Financial Professionals. He was named a Fidelity Advisory Council Member in 1999.

After joining LSM, Frank was named one of America’s Best Financial Planners for 2005-2006 by the Consumer Research Council of America. The following year, he was honored to become a Member of the Morningstar Advisory Board. In 2009, Frank was approved as an NFLPA Registered Player Financial Advisor.

A 1991 graduate of the University of Maryland, Frank believes in giving back to his community. He currently serves as a member of the Finance Committee for Our Lady of Mercy Church in Bethesda, MD and is also on the Board of Directors for The Primary Day School in Bethesda. He is an avid Terp Fan and dedicated member of the University of Maryland Terrapin Club. He is also a member of Columbia Country Club in Chevy Chase, MD.

Frank is married and has two children. He enjoys hunting, fishing, skiing, live music and spending time at the beach with his family.

Chief Operating Officer, Managing Partner

With nearly 30 years of experience in the financial services industry, Robert Walterman enhances the LSM management team with an outstanding track record in business development, administration and operations. Having held key positions with a number of top financial services firms over the course of his career, Robert is uniquely qualified to lead the firm’s expansion initiative.

As Chief Operating Officer, Robert’s focus is largely on constructing the essential framework needed to support rapid growth while maintaining the key characteristics that have made the firm a success thus far. “Joining LSM is a logical step for me,” explains Walterman. “I have always believed strongly in the independent model advocated by the firm and I look forward to building and shaping a team that continues to demonstrate an unwavering commitment to putting its clients best interest first.”

Robert attended the University of North Carolina where he earned his B.S. in Economics and Business in 1972. He became a Certified Financial Planner in 1986 and obtained Advanced Training at the Wharton School of Business in 1989. His employers have included Prudential Securities, Inc., Smith Barney, Cowen & Co/SG Cowen, Lehman Brothers and Oppenheimer & Co.

A Registered Investment Advisor since 2003, Robert is experienced in managing capital for individuals, corporations, retirement plans and family offices. He founded Walterman Financial Management, LLC in 2004 to provide clients with independent financial planning services including retirement, education, estate, investment and charitable giving.

Administrative Officer

A 1994 graduate of the University of Rhode Island with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing, Jennifer specialized in product development and marketing in manufacturing.

In 2000, Jennifer joined Lara, Shull & May bringing years of product development and marketing experience. She manages corporate operations, human resources, and assists in compliance operations.

Jennifer enjoys spending time with her family and creative projects.

Chief Financial Officer

Scott Walker joined LSM in August 2009 to oversee corporate tax and accounting activities, insurance appointments, contracts and vendor relations. Prior to working for LSM, Scott was employed by Ernst & Young where he worked in financial services as an auditor.

A graduate of Wake Forest University, Scott holds a MA in Finance and MS in Accountancy. His interests include cooking, golf, basketball and spending time with friends and family.

Operations Manager Colorado Office

In 1997, after graduating with an Associates degree in accounting, Sharon moved from Wisconsin to Colorado. She then started her career in the securities business while working as an administrative assistant to a Certified Financial Planner. She found herself taking on more education by completing the Registered Paraplanner designation, the series 6 exam, the life and health license and the series 7 exam.

Sharon started with the Lara, Shull & May in 2005. She is currently the office manager of the Frisco, Colorado branch.

Wealth Management Advisor

Curtis Congdon is a comprehensive advisor who considers his level of responsibility to his clients as that of a "personal CFO." He joins Lara, Shull & May after four years experience at Ameriprise Financial's Washington DC/Baltimore market group, where he was a top advisor, advisor coach, career development conference qualifier and Mercury award winner.

Working with successful individuals and families who seek personalized financial advice, clients consider Curtis a "trusted resource" and appreciate his disciplined approach to providing customized solutions to meet their unique needs.

Curtis believes strongly that a team approach is crucial to achieving proper wealth management. Leveraging the broad expertise and resources at LSM, he strives to ensure that he consistently provides sound guidance in financial, retirement, college education, business and investment planning.

A graduate of James Madison University with a B.B.A. Business and concentration in finance, Curtis currently holds the Series 7, Series 66, Life and Health Insurance licenses and is a Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor ("CRPC").

Curtis is a native of Great Barrington, Massachusetts with strong ties to the Berkshires and greater Washington DC area. Curtis lives with his wife Jennifer and their Beagle, Kylie, in Centreville, VA. He enjoys golfing, skiing, volunteering and staying active in church and community.

Senior Vice President, Investments

Paul Corley comes to LSM following 8.5 years working as a portfolio manager and financial planning specialist at Smith Barney, and over eleven years in the industry managing client portfolios. He has in-depth experience in portfolio management and asset allocation with a specialization in corporate benefits and retirement planning.

Prior to entering the wealth management arena, Paul spent 16 years in human resource management in the public and private sectors working directly with a variety of corporate and public retirement plans.

"My interest in planning and investing began while working as a human resources manager in the early 80's. I discovered that the overwhelming majority of retirement plan participants had little or no experience identifying their goals, managing their investment plans or designing investment strategies that fit their goals. Realizing this, my staff and I began addressing this by selecting a new custodian and advisor that would be available to consult with employees and their families. I couldn't believe how our employees flocked to this service. The end result was a higher participation rate, greater understanding of the program benefits, investment selections targeted to retirement goals, and an increase in goodwill for the employer."

In working with LSM, Paul says, "The firm's proprietary financial tools and vast resources provide just what I need to help illustrate for clients a clear and measurable path to reaching their goals. It is a big incentive when you can have a clear picture of where you are going."

Following the attacks of September 11, Paul was instrumental in organizing a support group to provide assistance to the victims and families affected by the attack of the U.S. Pentagon. He cites this as one of the most significant and personally moving experiences of his life.

Paul, his wife Denise, currently a US Army Colonel assigned to the Pentagon, and 6-year-old twins Cole and Megan reside in Springfield, VA. Their older son, Brent is a senior political science major at the University of Oklahoma. Paul most enjoys coaching, golfing, fishing, hunting and attending family events.

Wealth Management Advisor, Protected Tomorrows™ Advocate

A 1996 graduate of Virginia's own Hampden-Sydney College with a degree in Political Science, T.J. joined Lara, Shull & May in August of 2000. TJ has dedicated his career to helping his clients accumulate their wealth, as well as, preserving their wealth in retirement. His focus, discipline and dedication to his clients are what have helped him build a successful practice and become one of Northern Virginia’s top financial planners.

In his first year with Lara, Shull & May, T.J. was named an Elite Advisor for his outstanding achievements as a leader in the financial services profession by Alliance Capital and subsequently in 2001, 2002, and 2003. In 2003, T.J. was named to the All-American Team, in recognition of his financial expertise and his dedication to the principles of sound investing, by American Funds. In 2008, TJ was recognized in New York by Reuters as a TOP ADVISER 2008. This award as a TOP ADVISER 2008 is based on a rigorous quantitative analysis of factors including growth of assets under management and growth of average assets per client relative to his peers. TJ was featured in 2007 in REP. Magazine (a financial advisor trade magazine) as high net worth individual’s adviser of choice. He has also been featured in several magazines for his work with families who have Special Needs children.

T.J. addresses his client's fears, goals and aspirations to help them build a successful plan toward reaching their goals. He is a firm believer that, “Clients don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.” This practice has lead to a loyal clientele and referrals. For his clients with a minimum investment of $250,000 TJ sends a quarterly goal sheet to clients showing their current investments compared with their stated retirement goals. The goal sheet measures the client's returns on a quarterly, annual, and cumulative basis. In June 2005 T.J. was selected as the Washington D.C. area’s first Protected Tomorrows™ Advocate and joins the Protected Tomorrows™ international network of elite independent advisors helping families plan for their special needs children’s future. Since 2005, TJ has been an exhibitor at the Mclean Bible Church ACCESSIBILITY SUMMIT. He has also been an exhibitor at the ARC Conference each year. TJ was chosen to give a workshop at the 2008 ACCESSIBLITY SUMMIT titled, “Creating the future care plan for your family member with a Special Need.” TJ has long worked in the special needs arena volunteering for different organizations for the past 15 years. A native of McLean, VA, T.J. attended Langley High School and did his prep year at Blair Academy in N.J. He has a passion for travel, music and sports. He has traveled extensively through Europe, the Middle East and parts of Africa and spent 1 year living in Greece. In his free time, he is a volunteer assistant coach for the Langley high school boy’s lacrosse team. TJ has been a member of his church since 1991 and regularly attends a men’s bible study.

Wealth Management Advisor

Rick Gow comes to LSM from Morgan Stanley’s Global Wealth Management Group where he focused on providing clients with wealth building and retirement strategies that incorporate both income generation and principal protection. His areas of expertise include comprehensive financial planning, trust, estate & wealth transfer planning, retirement income planning, college planning, credit & lending, business finance and life, long-term care & disability insurance services.

Working with affluent individuals across the country, Rick established relationships with his firm’s Investment Banking and Private Equity Divisions to offer clients opportunities to invest in projects such as hotel construction, stadium financing and business expansion both domestically and internationally.

In making the move to LSM, Rick expresses a great deal of enthusiasm about the firm’s independent model.

“By joining LSM I feel I have found a firm that matches my client’s beliefs in that they fully understand that there is much more to personal wealth management than just managing a portfolio of investments.”

As a native Virginian, Rick attended Northern Virginia Community College studying Architecture and then George Mason University studying Government and Politics. He spent much of his early career in the technology industry before entering the wealth management arena. He is a licensed insurance agent (Life, Health, LTC, Disability & Annuities) and holds his FINRA Series 7, 31 and 66 licenses.

Rick has been involved in a wide variety of community service and professional associations throughout his career. Presently, he is active as: President of Northern Virginia Professional Associates, Special Events Coordinator for The Virginia Gold Cup Association, President of Bannockburn HOA and Chairman of Architectural Review Board, Secretary/Treasurer of Business Networking International Falls Church Chapter, Member of Manchester’s Who Who. Red Cross Blood Drives, USO, DC Creative Writing Workshop, Falls Church Education Foundation and Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

Formerly, he served as Director on the Northern Virginia Community College Educational Foundation Board of Directors. He was also a member of the Nominations, Finance and Programs Committees.

As a student, Rick was a Recipient of the Outstanding Service Award by President, Dr. Richard Ernst of NVCC. He was President and Treasurer of the NVCC Alumni Federation and Member-at-large of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. While attending George Mason he was a recipient of the Service Recognition Award from the Dept. of Public Affairs and President and Vice-President of Pi Sigma Alpha Honor Society, GMU Chapter.

In service to his country, Rick was a Sergeant as an Antitank Section Leader and Urban Warfare Special Operations in the Virginia Army National Guard, ‘84-‘90.

Wealth Management Advisor

A 1999 graduate of the College of William and Mary with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance, Ryan joined Lara, Shull & May in November 2004. Ryan is now the Branch Manager for the Frisco, CO office.

After graduating from William and Mary, Ryan attended the University of Virginia where he received a Masters of Accounting at the McIntire School of Business in 2000. Ryan spent five years at Ernst & Young, LLP ("E&Y"). At E&Y, Ryan worked in the firm's Transaction Advisory Services (TAS) group, where he advised private equity firms on multi-billion dollar acquisitions. As a member of the TAS group, Ryan performed financial, operational and accounting due diligence across a number of industries including telecommunication and technology, media, professional services and consumer products.

Ryan actively participates in a number of charities, including The Leukemia Lymphoma Society and Hoops for the Homeless in Washington DC. His hobbies include snowboarding, wakeboarding, golfing and just about anything outdoors.

Senior Vice President, Investments

Beth Levine accepted a position at LSM following almost 15-years of tenure at Smith Barney. She currently manages over $100 million in assets, and has developed a solid base of individual clients as well as a unique specialization in working with condominium and homeowners associations in MD, DC and VA.

Concentrating in fixed income markets including FDIC certificates of deposit, tax-free bonds, treasury bills and notes, Beth takes great pride in her proactive approach and overall responsiveness to clients.

Beth began her career in 1994 as a technical analyst for Smith Barney. On the institutional side, she gained in-depth knowledge working with pension plans, analyzing and preparing quarterly monitors for local institutional clients. She then transitioned into working on the retail side where she began to develop long-term relationships with individuals, local institutions and business owners – Many of whom remain satisfied clients today.

In 1997, Beth began managing reserve accounts for property management business owners and employees. Recognizing the growing need for common interest property reserve fund management, Beth focused her efforts on cultivating relationships within the Community Association industry and building her extensive knowledge base of its unique requirements.

Today, Beth manages more than 150 common interest property reserve accounts. New accounts range in size from $500,000 plus. She works directly with both board members and property managers, consolidating holdings and advising them in strategies to effectively leverage their investments and maximize yield according to each associations' by-laws.

Beth is a graduate of Towson State University. She is a member of the Community Association Institute and held the position of Member Services Council Chair in 2004. She has earned Series 7, Series 63, Series 65 –Investment Advisory Agent, Insurance & Annuity Agent and Long Term Care Agent licenses.

In her free time, Beth enjoys playing with her two children, jogging and playing golf and tennis.

Wealth Management Advisor

Greg joined Lara, Shull & May in January of 2008, and is a graduate of the University of Virginia, where he was an Echols Scholar and graduated with a Bachelor of the Arts in Economics. He previously worked as a financial advisor at both Ameriprise and Merrill Lynch & Co., and holds Series 7 and 66 licenses. Greg holds a Certificate in Financial Planning from Georgetown University, and is currently studying for his CFP.

Greg joined Frank Shull & Mark McKaig as the third member of their team. Greg is well versed in all areas of financial planning, however, his main focus is on retirement and tax planning and helping to guide clients through the retirement process.

A Northern Virginia native, Greg attended high school at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, and currently resides in the Woodley Park area of Washington D.C. He enjoys biking, traveling, reading and skiing.

Senior Vice President, Investments

A graduate of Duke University with a Bachelor of Science degree, Jack entered the financial planning business in 1979. He received his Certified Financial Planner (CFP) designation in 1982. Jack taught the CFP course at George Washington University for 10 years and has been on the adjunct faculty of both G.W. University and the College for Financial Planning. He is past chairman of the Northern Virginia Society of the Institute of Certified Financial Planners (NVICFP) and of the Greater Merrifield Business Association.

Jack is a member of the faculty of the School of RV Parks & Campground Management and currently contributes to the Association's Outdoor Hospitality magazine. He is currently a principal with Lara, Shull & May.

Wealth Management Advisor

Mark McKaig joined Lara, Shull & May in 2002 and is a key member of Frank Shull’s wealth management team. A graduate of the University of Hartford with a BA in Political Science and History, Mark currently holds his Series 7 and 66 securities licenses as well as a General Securities Principal’s license (Series 24.)

Working with individuals, families and small business owners, Mark takes his commitment to his clients very seriously. He cites honesty, top-level service and open communication as his highest priorities.

“I enjoy being part of a highly experienced team that is willing to work with clients to discover their lifetime goals and aspirations,” Mark explains. “By helping to identify financial threats and understanding each individual’s risk tolerance, we are able to help our clients develop short and long term financial strategies that are realistic and consistent with their long-term goals.”

Prior to entering the financial services field, Mark worked on legislative and regulatory issues for a number of organizations including the United States Senate and a national law firm. Born and raised in the Washington, DC area, Mark resides in Bethesda, Maryland with his wife and four children. He is actively involved in youth athletics, coaches several teams and enjoys reading, outdoor activities and participating in triathlons.

Broker Agent

Doug McPherson joined LSM as a Broker Agent in 2009 and continues to operate as president of McPHERSON ENTERPRISES, LLC, an affiliate that provides financial guidance exclusively to construction and aggregate company owners.

Doug has over forty years of experience in financial counseling and, as a recognized estate and tax planning authority in the construction consulting field, he has spoken at local, regional and national construction and surety conferences, as well as private corporate seminars.

Doug has written extensively relative to creative capital structuring and continuity planning, and is the creator of THE McPHERSON SM CRITICAL PATH PROCESS, a structured process to define and achieve personal vision. The four components of the program are directly focused on the needs of construction and aggregate company owners with major emphasis on the development of their management and equity succession processes. He is on the advisory board of Thomson Reuters JOURNAL OF CONSTRUCTION ACCOUNTING AND TAXATION.

He is also a contributing author to CONSTRUCTION INSURANCE, BONDING, & RISK MANAGEMENT, The McGraw-Hill CONSTRUCTION BUSINESS HANDBOOK, Second Edition, and numerous construction industry publications and newsletters.

Operations Manager Virginia Office

Wealth Management Advisor

A member of Ron Lara’s wealth management team, Sterling Neblett plays a key role in managing over $250 million in assets. In 2007, Sterling earned an Executive Certificate in Financial Planning after completing a rigorous 9-month continuing education study at Georgetown University. He is a Certified Financial Planner® and currently holds his Series 7, Series 63, Series 66, Life and Health licenses.

Sterling is a member of LSM’s Investment Committee and is responsible for investment analysis and selection for his team. This includes investment research and recommendations, portfolio construction, client communication and solution analysis.

In addition to working with Ron Lara’s team, Sterling manages his own growing client base, specializing in retirement and estate planning as well as investments and insurance. He is most enthusiastic about opportunities for professional growth at LSM. “At Lara, Shull & May, we truly differentiate ourselves by integrating the tax planning with the investment planning and provide unique creative solutions to assist our clients in reaching their goals.”

A 2005 graduate of James Madison University with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance and International Business, Sterling joined Lara, Shull & May in January 2007. Prior to joining LSM, Sterling worked as a Financial Advisor with NYLIFE Securities, Inc. where he achieved Executive Council in his first year of employment.

Sterling currently resides in Falls Church with his wife. He enjoys travel, playing tennis, snowboarding and improving his golf game. He is also Vice President of the non-profit Consignments for Cancer.

Senior Vice President, Wealth Management

Following a long and successful tenure as First Vice President at Smith Barney, Steve O’Brien joins LSM with more than 27 years of experience in wealth management. Steve’s comprehensive knowledge of the financial markets, strong ties to his clients and community, and outstanding leadership abilities make him a wonderful addition to our team.

Prior to entering the wealth management arena, Steve worked as an environmental planner. Close to completing his first decade in that profession, he started to wonder if he would be more satisfied following in his grandfather’s footsteps. Steve’s grandfather had started a brokerage firm in the 1920’s. Years later, his grandson was drawn to the idea of building a career that allowed him to work with people and help them reach their financial and lifetime goals.

Today, Steve’s client base includes families, individuals, corporations and non-profit organizations. He specializes in retirement planning, income generation in retirement and wealth transfer planning for business owners, senior executives and other professionals.

“Working as a wealth management advisor has allowed me to build on my strengths. I very much enjoy taking the time to listen and learn about my clients’ unique situations so I am more fully equipped to provide customized strategies that address their financial and personal concerns.”

In making the move to LSM, Steve points to the firm’s “strong financial planning tools, access to a wide variety of world-class investment managers and solutions, and a culture that values clients who are not yet considered ‘wealthy’ in the realm of the large wirehouses.” In addition, he says, “I am proud to join partners of the highest integrity who are committed to serving God and the community.”

Steve’s strong connections to his family and community are evident. One of his greatest passions is supporting people in the poorest nations through microfinance lending. For his church, he has worked on homebuilding and repairs for the poor and has served as a deacon, trustee and member of the Endowment and Facilities Planning Committees. In addition, he enjoys raising money for needy causes such as the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Medical Care for Children Partnership.

Steve grew up in New York and attended Notre Dame and the University of Michigan. He has been married 33 for years and has two grown children. He most enjoys golf, travel and biking.

Wealth Management Advisor

A member of Ron Lara’s Wealth Management Team, Wendy Payne plays a key role in managing over $250 million in assets. Wendy joined Lara, Shull & May, LLC in January 2007. With over 11 years of experience in the securities industry, clients appreciate Wendy’s being attuned to their individual needs as well as providing continuous stellar service. Wendy holds her Series 6, Series 7, Series 63, Series 65 and Life & Health insurance licenses.

Wendy is also a Certified Senior Advisor (CSA)*. She understands how to build and maintain effective relationships with seniors because of her broad-based knowledge of the health, social and financial issues that are important to seniors, and the dynamics of how these factors work together in seniors’ lives.

Wendy also manages her own growing client base, specializing in working with widows, divorcees, and other women who suddenly find themselves responsible for financial decisions for the first time in their lives. She has developed a thorough process that guides individuals through their individual life stage transition. Wendy provides holistic, customized wealth management solutions to her clients. Her passion is to help her clients gain financial empowerment through the insight and education offered by Wendy. Wendy’s clients find her empathy and personal care both comforting and valuable.

“I believe that the key to success for my client’s financial and lifetime goals is dependent upon truly getting to know my clients. This enables me to act in unison with their other advisors and to better anticipate upcoming needs and act accordingly in their best interest. My clients appreciate my pro-active approach in the client-advisor relationship.”

Wendy is enthusiastic about the opportunities for professional growth at Lara, Shull & May, LLC. “We truly set ourselves apart from others in the industry by integrating tax planning with investment planning and providing holistic planning with unique and creative solutions to assist our clients in reaching their goals.”

Wendy resides in Lovettsville, Virginia with her husband, children and three dogs. She is actively involved and volunteers within her community. Wendy also volunteers as an instructor for investment-related courses for the Fairfax County Adult Community and Education. She enjoys spending time with her family, scrapbooking, card making, dancing, music, writing, traveling, and improving her gardening skills.

*CSA designation is issued by the Society of Certified Senior Advisors. For more information visit www.csa-csa.com.

Wealth Management Advisor

John joined Lara, Shull & May in 2008 after a long and successful trust and investment management career with his own firm, Sabal Trust Company, headquartered in the Tampa Bay area of Florida, which he founded in 1983. He was also associated with Citibank’s trust business in New York City and later honed his trust and investment management skills at Tampa’s leading bank/trust institution, which is now part of Bank of America.

He has extensive experience in defining appropriate investment objectives for his clients and designing successful strategic investment asset allocation and investment management strategies to achieve those objectives. Over the past 42 years, he and his clients successfully weathered many challenging market conditions.

John is a 1965 graduate of Princeton University and a 1966 graduate of Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business Administration, focusing on Finance. He is a graduate of the Stonier School of Banking and a Chartered Financial Analyst, having earning his CFA designation in 1976. He has volunteered with the CFA Institute and helped established his profession’s self-regulatory efforts to assure that members live up to the highest standards of ethics and professional conduct. Most recently, John served as the Chairman of the CFA Institute’s Disciplinary Review Committee, which oversees and enforces these rules. He was instrumental in internationalizing the CFA Institute’s self-regulatory efforts as the profession and the CFA educational program evolved into serving investment professionals throughout the world. John was a founder of the CFA Tampa Bay Society of Financial Analysts, an early President of that organization and recipient of the organization’s President’s Award for Outstanding Professional Achievement and Service. He is also a Fellow in the Society of International Business Fellows.

John serves on a number of foundation boards in the Tampa Bay area, including the investment committee of the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay, The Christian Legacy Foundation, the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) Endowment, and the Tampa Museum of Art. He is active as a Board member of the Abe Brown Ministries, a prison ministry devoted to helping incarcerated individuals and their families and providing exit-alternatives for released inmates in order to ease their successful transition back into society. John is an active member of his church, Palma Ceia Presbyterian. He is an Elder and member of the church choir.

John and his wife, Mart. spend summers in beautiful Cordillera, Colorado, where they both enjoy visits by their two grown children and three grandsons. They love to golf, hike, play bridge, and John particularly likes to practice and teach digital photography.