OUR TEAMTHE EMERALD TEAMis made up of seasoned professionals with many years of combined experience in the research and management of investment portfolios. Scot Hunter - CEO, Principal Michael N. Kahn - Technical Analyst Keith Stoloff - Research Analyst Medon A. Michaelides - Managing Partner, Emerald Allocation Strategies, LLC Scot Hunter - CEO, PrincipalScot Hunter received his degree in Business Administration from the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, graduating in 1982 as an "Academic All American". In 1984, after two years as a tennis professional, Scot was recruited by a major insurance company to market their products. His determination, coupled with his business acumen, paved the way for the formation of The Emerald Planning Group (an insurance advisory firm) and Emerald Asset Advisors. Scot holds the designation of Chartered Financial Consultant. He has been a resident of South Florida since 1970. Robert Isbitts, CFS - Chief Investment Officer, PrincipalRob co-founded Emerald Asset Advisors in 1998 and chairs the firm's Investment Committee. He is the creator of Emerald's proprietary Hybrid investment approach as well as the firm's other internally-managed portfolio styles. His research efforts in this area date back to the mid-1990's, long before Hybrid and hedged investment styles were fashionable for individual investors and their advisors. Mr. Isbitts is a 20+ year veteran of the investment business, holding a variety of portfolio management positions across major institutions such as Fuji Bank & Trust, Morgan Stanley and DLJ. Rob takes great pride in his efforts to clarify what he believes is an increasingly confusing climate for investors. He has written The Emerald Educator newsletter since 1998 and more recently, Green Thought$. Rob has published over 60 investment articles and commentaries and his work has been highlighted in several national media outlets including CNBC, Bloomberg, Business Week, Wealth Manager, Registered Rep and Investment News, among others. In 2006, Rob's years of research and commentary culminated in the writing of his first book, "Wall Street's Bull and How to Bear It. He has been selected as one of the Top 100 Wealth Advisors in the United States by Worth Magazine forthe past three years (2005, 2006, and 2007). Rob is a graduate of the State University of New York at Albany, where he earned a degree in Business Administration in 1986. He earned an MBA in Finance from Rutgers University in 1994 and is a Certified Fund Specialist (CFS) designation holder. This advanced training in the analysis and application of mutual funds has served as a strong background for his creation and ongoing management of Hybrid investment portfolios as well as Emerald's other investment strategies. Allan M. Budelman - Managing Partner, PrincipalAllan is a Managing Partner and Principal of Emerald. He joined the firm shortly after its formation in 1998 and has over 15 years experience in the investment industry, serving the investment needs of both high net worth individuals and large institutions. Prior to joining Emerald, Allan served as an Associate in JP Morgan's Private Bank for two years, working with the portfolio management team for ultra high net worth individuals. From 1996 to 1997, he was an Assistant Treasurer with Bankers Trust Company, New York, where he served as a relationship manager for institutional banking clients. Previously, from 1994 to 1996, Allan worked with Chase Manhattan Bank in New York, serving as an Administrator in the foreign exchange and global securities settlement department. Allan is a graduate of the University of Maryland at College Park, where he earned a B.A. in Economics in 1992. He also earned an MBA in International Business from the University of Miami in 2000. Matthew J. MacEachern - Portfolio ManagerMatt is a Portfolio Manager at Emerald. He joined the firm in 2004 and has over 15 years experience working in the financial services industry. Prior to joining Emerald, Matt worked as a Senior Financial Advisor with Fidelity's Private Client Group for six years. During this time he was an advisor with Strategic Advisors, a wholly owned subsidiary of Fidelity Investments which managed over $27 billion for discretionary accounts. From 1995 to 1998, Matt worked as a retail/institutional broker with Leerink Swann & Co./ Inc. in Boston, MA, primarily dealing with hedge fund managers and high net worth individuals. Previously, from 1992 to 1995, he worked for the investment banking firm of Fechtor Detwiler Inc. in Boston, MA, where he served as a full service retail broker. Mr. MacEachern attended Suffolk University in Boston, MA, where he studied international finance. Michael N. Kahn - Technical AnalystMichael is a Technical Analyst at Emerald. He joined the team in early 2008 and specializes in the technical analysis of mutual funds and ETFs evaluated for the firm's investment portfolios. Michael has been working with charts and technical analysis since 1986. He currently writes twice-weekly "Getting Technical" column for Barron's Online and edits the daily Quick Takes Pro market letter. Michael was formerly the Chief Technical Analyst for BridgeNews and a regular spokesman on financial programs such as PBS' Nightly Business Report, Yahoo Finance Vision and WebFN. He has written three books on technical analysis, most recently The Beginner's Guide to Charting Financial Markets. He has also appeared frequently as an instructor for online schools such as www.BloombergUniversity.com and live seminars such as The Money Show and Traders Expo. Michael is active in the Market Technicians Association, having served as Director and chairing both the newsletter and marketing committees. Michael earned a B.A. in Physics and Economics from Brandeis University in 1980 and an MBA in Finance from The Stern School of Business at New York University in 1984. Michael has also earned the designation of Chartered Market Technician (CMT). Keith Stoloff - Research AnalystKeith is a Research Analyst at Emerald. He joined the team in 2007 and has over 19 years experience working in the financial services industry. Keith also operates his own investment advisory business (Stoloff Investment Advisory Services) for wealthy families and high net worth individuals. In this capacity, he designs customized investment strategies and holistic wealth management solutions for selected clients. Prior to forming his own investment advisory business, Keith held numerous portfolio management and financial consulting roles at several institutions including Raymond James Associates, Great Western Financial Securities and Citicorp Investments. He also holds an extensive array of professional designations, including: Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA), Certified Investment Management Consultant (CIMC), Accredited Wealth Management Advisor (AWMA), Accredited Asset Management Specialist (AAMS), Chartered Mutual Fund Counselor (CMFC) and Chartered Retirement Plan Counselor (CRPC). Keith is a graduate of the University of South Florida, where he earned a degree in Finance in 1987. Medon A. Michaelides - Managing Partner, Emerald Allocation Strategies, LLCMedon joined the Emerald team in 2007 and manages the business development effort for Emerald Allocation Strategies, LLC ("EAS"). EAS is the wholesale marketing arm of Emerald Asset Advisors and promotes the firm's investment strategies to other investment advisors, broker-dealers and financial intermediaries. Medon began his career in the investment management field with Chase Asset Management, a former division of The Chase Manhattan Bank which served as the sub-advisor to the VISTA family of mutual funds. Since that time, Medon worked in various institutional sales/marketing and fundraising roles across the alternative investment space, including private equity placements at JP Morgan Securities, Inc. in New York and hedge fund-of funds sales at two independent investment firms. Medon earned a B.S. in Psychology and Political Science from Union College in 1992 and an International MBA from the Darla Moore School of Business at University of South Carolina/Vienna Economics and Business University in 1998. Suzie Dean - Director of Trading and OperationsSuzie is Director of Trading and Operations. She joined Emerald in 2004 and is responsible for directing and supervising trading for the firm's investment strategies. Suzie has been in the brokerage industry since 1989 and has held various trading/operational roles at major institutions including Barnett Bank, Prudential Securities and Smith Barney. Suzie earned an associates degree from St. Augustine Community College in St. Augustine, FL in 1986. Donna Naitove - Chief Compliance OfficerDonna is Chief Compliance Officer at Emerald. She joined the team in 2003 and is responsible for ensuring that the firm complies with all SEC regulations as well as those of other regulatory authorities. Donna has been in the investment advisory and brokerage industry since 1982 and has held various roles at major institutions including UBS Financial Services, Oppenheimer Securities, Prudential Securities and Bear Stearns. Donna earned an undergraduate degree in Finance from Georgia State University in 1999. Pamela Palmer - Client Services CoordinatorPam is responsible for the successful initiation and maintenance of client accounts. She provides operations support and responds to clients' administrative requests. Pam joined Emerald in 2006 after working with Charles Schwab in their Transfer of Accounts area. |