People
We believe hiring and retaining high caliber personnel with diverse experience are priorities at successful firms. To this end, our hiring process is unusually thorough, while our employee-retention rates are unusually high. We believe this is one of our core strengths.
Erin Berger
Erin Berger is an internal sales consultant. She joined Equity Investment Corporation in 2022 as an office coordinator. Prior to joining EIC, Erin served as a food and beverage director for Hilton Worldwide in Charleston, South Carolina. She earned a BS from the University of Georgia.
Sam Borland
(FL, PR)
Sam is our senior director for the Florida and Puerto Rico regions. He joined Equity Investment Corporation in 2015. Prior to joining EIC, Sam was a senior vice president at F-Squared Capital, and before that, a regional vice president for Sentinel Investments. He earned a BSBA in Marketing from the University of Denver.
Kris Brooks
Kris is head of trading on our operations team. She joined Equity Investment Corporation in 2005. Prior to joining EIC, Kris was a director of client services and trading at EARNEST Partners. Before that, she was with INVESCO as a trading operations manager in their managed accounts group. Kris received a BBA in Accounting from the University of West Georgia.
Andrew Bruner, CPA, CFA
Andrew is our director of research and a portfolio manager on the investment team. He joined Equity Investment Corporation in 1999. From 1992 to 1999, Andrew held various positions with KPMG LLP, ultimately serving as a senior manager in the firm’s transaction services practice conducting merger and acquisition due diligence. He earned a BA from The University of the South followed by a Master in Professional Accounting from The University of Texas at Austin. Andrew received the Certified Public Accountant designation in 1993 and the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation in 1999.
Kristin Casella
Kristin is a trader. She joined Equity Investment Corporation as an operations analyst in 2023. Prior to joining EIC, Kristin was a data science teaching assistant at the University of Georgia and a finance and analytics tutor at the Terry College of Business. She earned a BBA in Finance from the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia.
Holly Decker
Holly Decker is our office coordinator. She joined Equity Investment Corporation in 2024. Prior to joining EIC, Holly worked in accounting at Smart Ledger Accounting and Miura America Co. She earned a BS from the University of Georgia.
Lauren Eastburn, CFP®, CFA
Lauren manages product marketing and due diligence reporting on our institutional services team. She joined Equity Investment Corporation in 2013. Prior to joining EIC, Lauren was an investment analyst with the US investment advisor subsidiary of Canada Life, and a due diligence officer with Capital Analysts Inc. She began her career with the NASD (now FINRA). Lauren earned a BA in Economics from Wake Forest University and an MBA in Finance from The George Washington University. She received the Certified Financial Planner® designation in 1986 and the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation in 1991.
Mitchell Gentry
Mitchell is a research analyst on the investment team. He joined Equity Investment Corporation in 2023. Before joining EIC, Mitchell was a senior associate with Reagan Consulting, a provider of M&A advisory and valuation services to the insurance distribution industry. Prior to that he was a consumer and retail investment banking analyst at Jefferies. Mitchell graduated from the University of Virginia McIntire School of Commerce with a BS in Commerce. He received the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation in 2024.
Fred Gifford
(IL, IN, IA, KY, MI, MN, MO, NE, ND, OH, SD, WI)
Fred is our senior director for the Midwest region. He joined Equity Investment Corporation in 2011. Prior to joining EIC, Fred was a senior vice president with Optique Capital/Johnson Asset Management, where he served in advisor and institutional sales, as well as key account development. Previous to Optique, he was a senior vice president and national sales/accounts manager for Calamos Asset Management. Fred earned a BB in Accounting from Western Illinois University and an MBA in Finance from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
Josh Golub
Josh is a senior trader on our operations team. He joined Equity Investment Corporation in 2015 as an operations assistant and was later promoted to operations analyst in 2017. Prior to joining EIC, Josh worked for major insurance and banking firms. Josh earned a BBA in Finance from the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia.
Steve Halley, CIMA®
(AK, CA, HI, ID, MT, NV, OR, WA, WY)
Steve is our senior director for the West region. He joined Equity Investment Corporation in 2019. Prior to joining EIC, Steve was a senior vice president of business development with Fiera Capital. He also held various marketing positions at WestEnd Advisors, Roosevelt Investments, and ING Investment Management. Steve earned a BA in Political Science at the University of Montana and an MPA from the University of Nevada. He received the Certified Investment Management Analyst® designation in 2004.
Caroline Howell
Caroline is an operations analyst. She joined Equity Investment Corporation in 2022. Before joining EIC, Caroline was a client service and marketing intern with Financial Consultants Group, a Georgia-based RIA. She earned a BBA in Finance from Kennesaw State University.
Terry Irrgang, CFA
Terry is a portfolio manager on the investment team. He joined Equity Investment Corporation in 2003. Prior to joining EIC, Terry was a global partner and portfolio manager at INVESCO Capital Management. He also worked at Towers Perrin and Mercer Consulting, where he assisted clients with asset allocation, manager selection, and performance monitoring activities. Terry earned a BA from Gettysburg College and an MBA from Temple University. He received the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation in 1999.
Matt Keeter
(AL, GA, MS, NC, SC, TN)
Matt is our senior director for the Southeast region. He joined Equity Investment Corporation in 2017. Prior to joining EIC, Matt was a regional vice president at American Beacon Advisors and before that held regional sales positions with Pacific Life and RS Investments Management. He began his career at AXA Enterprise Funds in 2000. Matt earned a BBA in Finance from East Tennessee State University.
Tom Knapp, CFA
Tom is a portfolio manager on the investment team. He joined Equity Investment Corporation in 2018 as a research analyst. Prior to joining EIC, Tom worked for Eagle Asset Management, where he spent ten years, first as a trader and then as a credit analyst. He earned a BS in Finance from Florida State University and an MBA from Columbia University. Tom received the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation in 2012.
Bo Ladyman, CFA
Bo is a portfolio manager on the investment team. He joined Equity Investment Corporation in 2017 as a research analyst. Prior to joining EIC, Bo worked for Resolution Capital as an analyst for their office, industrial, and data center REIT sectors. Before that, he was a senior equity research associate with Raymond James and a research associate with Morgan Keegan. Bo graduated from Furman University with a BA in Mathematics and Economics. He received the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation in 2013.
Tate Lambeth, CIMA®
(AR, AZ, CO, LA, KS, NM, OK, TX, UT)
Tate is our senior director for the Southwest region. He joined Equity Investment Corporation in 2015. Prior to joining EIC, Tate was a senior vice president at Roosevelt Investment Group. Before that, he was a vice president at Prudential and ING and began in the industry as a financial advisor with UBS PaineWebber. Tate earned a BA from Denison University, and he received the Certified Investment Management Analyst® designation in 2005.
Phillip Lorren, CIPM®
Phillip is our chief compliance officer. He joined Equity Investment Corporation in 2014 as part of our operations team. Prior to joining EIC, Phillip was a production technician at Cellairis. Phillip earned a BS in Mathematics from Georgia Southern University. He received the Certificate in Investment Performance Measurement® designation in 2019.
Clare McGuire
Clare is an operations analyst. She joined Equity Investment Corporation in 2024. Clare is a recent graduate of Kennesaw State University, where she earned a BS in Psychology with a minor in Applied Statistics and Data Analysis.
Dennis McKinney, CIMA®
(CT, MA, ME, NH, NY, RI, VT)
Dennis is our senior director for the Northeast region. He joined Equity Investment Corporation in 2012. Prior to joining EIC, Dennis was a managing director at John Hancock. He earned a BA in Economics from the College of the Holy Cross, and he received the Certified Investment Management Analyst® designation in 2005.
J. Paul Power, CIMA®
Paul is our chief operating officer. He joined Equity Investment Corporation in 2013 as a director of sales and distribution and was named COO in 2017. Prior to joining EIC, Paul was a partner and senior vice president of national accounts at INVESCO. Before that, he held positions as national sales manager and director of third-party distribution. Paul began his career with IBM as a marketing representative. He earned a BBA from the University of Michigan and an MBA in Finance from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Paul received the Certified Investment Management Analyst® designation in 1999.
Will Reynolds
Will is an internal sales consultant for Equity Investment Corporation. He joined EIC in 2018. Prior to joining EIC, Will spent several years at SunTrust as a systems and business analyst and was most recently enterprise technology risk manager. He earned a BA from The University of the South.
Kate Renta
Kate is a senior database manager and marketing associate on our institutional services team. She joined Equity Investment Corporation in 2018 as our office coordinator. Prior to joining EIC, Kate was a front office manager for ATG Learning in Atlanta. She earned a BS from Illinois State University.
Keith Telesca, CIMA®, CFP®
(DE, DC, MD, NJ, PA, VA, WV)
Keith is our senior director for the Mid-Atlantic region. He joined Equity Investment Corporation in 2012. Prior to joining EIC, Keith held director and vice president positions at Multi-Funds, Evergreen Investments, and Prudential Investments. He earned a BBA in Accounting from St. Bonaventure University and an MBA in Finance from Seton Hall University. Keith received the Certified Financial Planner® designation in 2009, and the Certified Investment Management Analyst® designation in 2008.
Allen White, CFA
Allen is a client portfolio manager. He joined Equity Investment Corporation in 2022. Before joining EIC, Allen was a managing director and portfolio specialist at Great Lakes Advisors. Prior to that he was at Raymond James Financial for several years, first as an internal wholesaler at Eagle Asset Management, then as a product specialist and external asset management consultant and finally a director of portfolio specialists. Allen earned a BS in Finance from Florida State University and an MBA from the University of Florida. He received the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation in 2017.
Ian Zabor, CFA
Ian is a portfolio manager on the investment team. He joined Equity Investment Corporation in 2005 as a research analyst and was named portfolio manager in 2010. Prior to joining EIC, Ian held trading, analyst, and portfolio management roles with AG Edwards, the US Small Business Administration, and Wachovia Securities. He received a BA in Economics from Indiana University and an MBA from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business. Ian received the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation in 2004.