Winona Chere Ward

Salim Nathani is a CFP®-designated financial advisor at Benzer Capital with 25 years of industry experience. He is also president of The Little Village School, an early childhood education organization. Nathani serves on several boards, including Bright Offerings, a nonprofit supporting early childhood education, and participates in advisory roles for startup and e-commerce ventures. Benzer Capital provides portfolio management, financial planning, and advisory consulting primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients, along with pension consulting for employee benefit plans. The firm employs a tailored investment approach that includes model portfolios, fundamental analysis, trading strategies, and private pooled investment vehicles.

Wesley Bales is the sole advisor at Wesley Owen Bales Investment Advisory Service in Sugar Land, TX, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials with 22 years of industry experience. He has operated his independent advisory firm since 2000. Wesley Owen Bales Investment Advisory Services Inc. provides fee-only portfolio management and advisory services primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients, offering both discretionary and non-discretionary strategies without a firmwide account minimum. The firm employs a blend of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis, implementing long- and short-term strategies including margin transactions and option writing, with an emphasis on concentrated equity positions for aggressive accounts and bond allocations for conservative accounts.

James Crawford Jr. is a financial advisor at JHM Asset Management, LLC with 19 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 designations and worked previously at Fruth Investment Management for seven years before joining JHM Asset Management in 2018. JHM Asset Management is an independent registered investment adviser that offers discretionary investment management and consulting services primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients, as well as corporate plan participant accounts. The firm creates tailored, long-term investment plans using fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis and is notable for actively servicing corporate accounts through an outsourced platform.

Chanell Carter is a financial advisor with Principal Financial Services in Rosenberg, TX, holding a Series 66 designation and 23 years of industry experience. Her career includes roles at Principal Funds Distributor, Principal Securities, Principal Life Insurance, SunAmerica Capital Services, and VALIC Financial Advisors. Outside of her advisory work, she is a partner in an LLC involved in managing rental properties and related services. Principal Securities offers brokerage and registered investment advisory services to a diverse client base, including individual investors, retirement plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations, and active-duty U.S. military personnel overseas. The firm’s advisory services include direct advisory programs, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and access to third-party money manager solutions through various advisory and promoter arrangements.

Liliana Barajas is a financial advisor with PNC Wealth Management in Missouri City, TX, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and having three years of industry experience. Before joining PNC, she worked at Wells Fargo Clearing Services and Wells Fargo Bank from 2018 to 2026. She also has experience in the food service and community sectors through roles at Craft Cuisine Ocala and Latinos Y Mas. PNC Wealth Management provides retail brokerage and advisory services through model-based programs, including an invitation-only digital portfolio management offering for employees that uses algorithm-driven risk assessment and invests in mutual funds and ETFs.

Damian Kimmons is a financial advisor at J.P. Morgan Securities with five years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at several firms including Bank of America, Merrill, Edward Jones, and JPMorgan Chase Bank. Outside of finance, Damian is involved in martial arts instruction through his roles at Be Like Water BJJ/MMA and Houston Karate Academy. J.P. Morgan Securities provides investment consulting and advisory services primarily to institutional clients and retirement plan sponsors, combining quantitative asset-allocation modeling with centralized due diligence and applying an ESG eligibility framework in its recommendations.