Margaret Hoffmaster Connelly

Scott Vallar is the principal advisor at Guard Hill Advisors LLC in Charlottesville, VA, holding Series 63 and Series 65 designations with 10 years of industry experience. He has led Guard Hill Advisors since its founding in 2016. Guard Hill Advisors provides discretionary investment management to individuals, high-net-worth clients, corporations, charitable organizations, and trusts, focusing on tax-efficient, low-turnover portfolios constructed through fundamental analysis. The firm applies a credit-focused approach to fixed income selection, leveraging the principal’s background in leveraged finance, and manages concentrated portfolios with explicit position size limits.

David Lewis is a Series 65-licensed financial advisor with over four years of industry experience. He has worked at firms including Kuleana Capital Management LLC and 910 Fund LLC and previously spent 12 years at S&P Global. Lewis has been leading High Top Growth Partners since 2015. High Top Growth Partners serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, and institutions by providing financial planning, investment advisory, and real estate consulting. The firm focuses on long-term, diversified allocations across multiple asset classes and works as a disclosed solicitor for third-party managers, recommending strategies while managing proprietary capital alongside clients.

Thomas Sheehan is the founder of Round Oak Capital LLC in Charlottesville, VA, where he has provided investment advisory services since 2010. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 13 years of industry experience. His work history is solely with Round Oak Capital. Round Oak Capital is a small independent investment office offering discretionary portfolio management and wealth management services to individuals, families, trusts, and businesses. The firm provides customized portfolios using fundamental analysis across various asset classes and offers family-office style services, real estate advisory, and introductions to alternative investments.

Stephen Aust is a Series 65-registered financial advisor with MarketCycle Wealth Management, LLC, where he has worked since 2010. He has 15 years of industry experience and operates as the sole advisor at his independent firm based in Free Union, VA. MarketCycle Wealth Management provides ongoing investment supervisory and portfolio management services to individual and corporate clients. The firm employs a broad investment approach, including mutual funds, equities, bonds, ETFs, real estate, hedge funds, private placements, and insurance products, utilizing a mix of charting, technical, fundamental, and cyclical analysis.

David Van Roijen is a CFA® charterholder with 13 years of industry experience. He is the sole advisor at Split Creek LLC, doing business as Split Creek Capital LLC, where he has worked since 2022. Prior to founding Split Creek, he spent ten years at Goldman Sachs. Split Creek Capital provides portfolio management and financial planning primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients, managing approximately $108.7 million. The firm emphasizes tailored portfolios based on client objectives and risk tolerance, employing a combination of modern portfolio theory, fundamental and quantitative analysis, and a range of investment strategies including options and private placements.

Melissa Harrison is the principal advisor at Harrison Capital Management in Keswick, VA, with 29 years of industry experience. She has held securities registrations including Series 63 and Series 65 and has operated her independent advisory firm since 2004. Harrison also has a long tenure at Linsco/Private Ledger Corp., where she has been active since 1995. Harrison Capital Management provides investment advisory services to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and corporations. The firm employs both fundamental and technical analysis to tailor portfolios to clients' risk tolerance and suitability, offers educational seminars and workshops, and manages accounts with continuous monitoring and semi-annual formal reviews.