Advisors
Leo J. Kelly III, Managing Director - Partner
Mr. Kelly joined HighTower in February 2012 as a Managing Director and Partner. Prior to joining HighTower, he was a Wealth Management Advisor and Managing Director of Investments at Merrill Lynch. Mr. Kelly was a member of Merrill Lynch's Circle of Champions, has been named one of Registered Rep's Top 100 Wirehouse Advisors in America, and has been in the Barron's Top 1000 Advisors since inception in 2009.
Leo started his career with Merrill Lynch as the Eastern Divisional Manager for the Financial Planning Group. In this role, he was charged with the task of educating Merrill's Financial Advisors and working with high net worth individuals on critical and complex estate planning, philanthropic planning, investment strategy, and retirement planning. He has extensive knowledge in stock options, concentrated stock positions, and large retirement plan management.
Prior to joining Merrill Lynch, Leo was with Bloomberg L.P., a technological leader in financial reporting systems, employed as a research assistant with the indices and vital statistics group.
Leo received a Bachelor of Science in Finance from The College of New Jersey, where he serves as a Director on the college's foundation board. Leo, his wife Marcy, and their children, Erin, Elizabeth, and Leo IV live in Phoenix, Maryland where he is active in coaching various youth sport programs.
Matthew S. Moore, Managing Director - Partner
Mr. Moore joins HighTower as a Managing Director and Partner.
With over two decades of industry experience, Matt advises affluent families, individual clients, closely-held businesses and non-profit organizations. Through personal consultations, Matt works with each client to set quantifiable goals and helps prioritize his or her financial needs. He then develops and implements a customized strategy using a wide variety of financial instruments.
Matt began his career at Merrill Lynch in Towson, Maryland in 1991. Prior to joining HighTower, Mr. Moore was a Senior Financial Advisor and First Vice-President of Investments at Merrill Lynch, where he received Circle of Excellence recognition.
Matt earned a Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration in Economics from James Madison University. Matt currently serves on the Board of Directors for The House of Ruth Maryland and the Foundation Board of MedStar Good Samaritan Hospital. Matt, his wife Patti, and their children, Emily, Matt, Nina and Carrie live in Timonium, Maryland.
Brian J. Grumbach, CIMA®, CFP®, Executive Director - Partner
Brian joined HighTower in February 2012 as an Executive Director and Partner. Prior to joining HighTower, Brian worked for The Kelly Group at Merrill Lynch. Brian has earned the Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA®) designation, is a CFP® certificant, a designation awarded by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc.
Brian's main responsibilities are managing client relationships and financial planning. Brian engages clients in the financial planning process. Through an extensive discovery process, he prioritizes their concerns, works with clients to establish their goals and objectives, and provides strategies to execute their plan. He then works with clients to monitor their plan over time and educate them on the ever changing financial markets and how they are impacting their strategies.
Brian is a graduate of Towson University with a degree in Business and a concentration in Business Management. Brian, his wife Tracey, and their children, Tyler, Brenna, Natalie, and Zachary live on a small farm in Norrisville, MD.
Thomas J. New, Executive Director
Mr. New joins HighTower as Executive Director for Kelly Wealth Management.
Tom brings more than 15 years of industry experience, as both a financial advisor and branch manager. Through a collaborative, consultative approach, he encourages innovative solutions and business development opportunities. Tom focuses on enhancing the client experience and optimizing business practices.
Prior to joining HighTower, Mr. New was a Senior Vice President and Branch Manager for the Morgan Stanley Hunt Valley office, comprised of approximately 50 advisors. In 2009, Tom assisted in the merger of the Towson Smith Barney office into the Morgan Stanley Hunt Valley office. Previously, he also served as the Complex Manager of the North Baltimore Complex and the Regional Vice President responsible for five area offices including Washington D.C., Bethesda, Potomac and Tyson's Corner. Tom started his career in 1998 as a financial advisor.
While at Morgan Stanley, Mr. New was the recipient of numerous internal awards. Notably, he received the Manager Leadership Award three times. Tom earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Loyola University of Maryland, where he met his wife, Christine. They live in Phoenix, Maryland with their three sons, Trevor, Kieran, and Griffin. Tom is an avid reader and devoted coach for his son's sports teams. He also enjoys adventure races, sprint triathlons, and golf.
Avery A. Prkna, CRPC®, Director - Financial Advisor
Avery joined HighTower in February 2012 as a Director and Financial Advisor. Prior to joining HighTower, Avery was an Assistant Vice President and Financial Advisor with the Kelly/Prkna Group at Merrill Lynch. Avery has earned the Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC®) designation.
Avery has been a member of Kelly Wealth Management for more than 29 years. Avery is the primary relationship manager for many of the group's clients. In this capacity, Avery delivers the team's investment policies in various formats to create a customized strategy for our clients. She continues to work with the team in determining the investment direction of the group's portfolios.
She graduated from Towson University with a degree in Sociology and has supplemented her education with additional courses in Economics and Accounting. Avery, her husband Mike, and their children, Madison and Zachary live in Cockeysville, MD.
Matt Andrulot, Director - Asset Management
We are delighted to announce that Mr. Matthew Andrulot, formerly Regional Director of the Consulting Group for Fortigent, has joined Kelly Wealth Management.
Matt joins our group as the Director of Asset Management. Prior to joining HighTower, Matt served as a Regional Director of the Consulting Group for Fortigent, where he played a key role in developing and executing investment strategies for ultra-high net worth families and institutions, while overseeing $15 billion in assets. While at Fortigent, Matt was responsible for creating and managing investment solutions for family offices, institutions, trust companies and regional broker-dealers. Matt was also vital in performing manager due diligence for fixed income, equity and alternative asset classes. Prior to joining Fortigent, Matt was a Vice President for Fidelity Investments Private Access Group, where he managed $1.2 billion in assets.
Matt earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration and Bachelor of Science in Economics from the University of New Hampshire at Keene State College. He holds a Certified Financial Planning (CFP) designation.
Kevin M. Cuff, CRPC®, Senior Analyst
Kevin joined HighTower in February 2012 as a Senior Analyst. Prior to joining HighTower, Kevin was a Financial Services Associate with the Kelly Group at Merrill Lynch. Kevin has earned the Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC®) designation.
Kevin's primary responsibility for Kelly Wealth Management is trading execution and monitoring of client portfolios. He will conduct portfolio reviews and oversight to ensure appropriate position sizes and risk allocations, and will assist in our equity research and analytics.
Kevin started in the financial services industry in June 1999 and joined Merrill Lynch in January 2000. Kevin joined the Kelly Group in November 2009. Kevin's prior experience as the Compliance/Administrative Manager for the Baltimore Complex gives him a tremendous foundation for his new endeavor with the team. He was responsible for monitoring portfolios for trading activity, appropriate risk, and adequate diversification for all Financial Advisors in the greater Baltimore area. Kevin has held similar positions for the Southeast Texas Region; Beaumont, Texas; Nashville, Tennessee, and Charlotte, North Carolina offices.
Kevin has an undergraduate degree in Business Management from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke and an MBA from Keller Graduate School of Management. Kevin lives with his wife Aislinn and daughter Kadence in Street, MD.
Michael R. Hoffman, CRPC®, Portfolio Analyst
Michael joined HighTower in February 2012 as a Client Associate. Prior to joining HighTower, Michael was a Registered Client Associate with the Kelly Group at Merrill Lynch. Michael has earned the Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC®) designation. Michael recently received a promotion to Portfolio Analyst.
His new responsibilities will include monitoring performance and investment activity, as well as suitability for our client base. He will conduct primary research for Kelly Wealth Management while staying abreast of information to facilitate the selection of funds, managers, and structured products for their clients. He is also in charge of performance reporting and analytics for the portfolios.
Michael joined the team in 2009 from T. Rowe Price where he was an Investment Associate and provided customer support and one on one interaction for the clients of the firm. He also supported mutual fund transactions and 529b account activity. Michael has his Series 6, 7, 63 and 66 licenses.
Michael has a Bachelor of Arts from James Madison University with a major in Political Science and a minor in Political Communication. Michael lives in Baltimore with his wife Amy.
Molly M. Rockafellow, Operations Manager
Molly joined HighTower in February 2012 as an Operations Manager. Prior to joining HighTower, Molly was a Senior Client Associate with the Kelly Group at Merrill Lynch.
Molly is the team's "CAO" (Chief Administrative Officer), whose main responsibility is to manage operations and administrative functions for the team. She is responsible for the oversight and execution of service related issues for our clients. She oversees client account audits and new account opening procedures.
Molly has been in the financial services industry since 1992. She joined the team from Merrill's central Pennsylvania Complex where she served as Business Administrative Manager for four Merrill Lynch offices.
Prior to joining Merrill Lynch in 2005, she was a Vice President with Smith Barney, holding several positions over a 12-year career with the firm. Molly is fully registered, carrying her Series 7, 9, 10, 31, 63, and 65 licenses.
Molly has her Bachelor of Arts degree from University of Delaware. Molly lives in Towson, MD.
Debbie Berlin, Client Services Associate
Debbie joined us from Merrill Lynch in November, 2012 as a Client Services Associate. For over 20 years, Debbie has been working in a client support and service role in the financial services industry. She brings her extensive experience to the team and works with Molly to bring you, our clients, exceptional service.
Debbie is an Ordained Elder in her church, is chairwoman of the Christian Education Committee and teaches Sunday School. She also teaches part time for a children's art program. She resides in Parkville and enjoys gardening and renovating an older home.