11th Annual · October 16, 2026
Featured Speakers
The Gaillard Center · Charleston, South Carolina
2026 Lineup
Voices Shaping the Future of Finance
The Strategic Investment Symposium brings together distinguished practitioners and thought leaders from across the investment landscape. Our 2026 speaker lineup will be announced in the coming months — register now to be the first to receive speaker announcements.
Featured Voices
Dr. David Kelly
Chief Global Strategist and Head of the Global Market Insights Strategy Team for J.P. Morgan Asset Management at JP Morgan Asset Mgmt
Session:Global Markets Outlook
Dr. David Kelly is the Chief Global Strategist and Head of the Global Market Insights Strategy Team for J.P. Morgan Asset Management. With over 25 years of experience, David provides valuable insight and perspective on the economy and markets to the institutional investor and financial advisor global communities. David’s research focuses on investment implications of an evolving economic environment. He has written extensively on all aspects of the U.S. economy and his proprietary U.S. economic forecasting model helps shape his views on both the economic landscape and prospective asset class returns. He currently sits on JP Morgan Fund’s operating committee. Throughout his career, David has developed a unique ability to explain complex economic and market issues in a language that financial professionals can use to communicate to their clients. He is a keynote speaker at many national investment conferences and a frequent guest on CNBC, Bloomberg, and other financial media outlets. Prior to joining J.P. Morgan Asset Management, David served as Economic Advisor to Putnam Investments. He has also served as a senior strategist/economist at SPP Investment Management, Primark Decision Economics, Lehman Brothers and DRI/McGraw-Hill. David is a CFA® charterholder. He also has a Ph.D and M.A. in Economics from Michigan State University and a B.A. in Economics from University College Dublin in the Republic of Ireland
Seema Shah
Chief Global Strategist at Principal Asset Management
Session:Global Markets Outlook
Seema Shah is Chief Global Strategist at Principal Asset Management. Based in London, she oversees global market strategy, providing valuable insight and perspective on the global economy and markets to institutional and retail clients around the world. She is responsible for the creation of global economic macro and secular event research, in particular, global central bank policy and its impact on capital markets. Seema is a regular speaker at industry conferences and forums. She appears regularly on CNBC and Bloomberg TV and is frequently quoted by the financial news media. She has a weekly column in the United Kingdom Sunday Times newspaper, discussing economic, market and political issues. Seema joined the firm in 2010, previously working as a strategist within Principal Fixed Income. Prior to joining Principal, Seema served as an economist at Capital Economics where she focused on macroeconomic analysis of the UK and the European economies. She also worked with the macro consulting group at PricewaterhouseCoopers, and as an economist at HM Treasury & Inland Revenue Service. Seema received a master's degree and bachelor's degree with honors in economics from the London School of Economics.
Cameron Dawson
Chief Investment Officer at NewEdge Wealth
Session:Investment Strategy
As Chief Investment Officer, Cameron spearheads the development of NewEdge Wealth’s investment themes, strategies, and market views while collaborating with the firm’s advisors and clients. Before joining NewEdge Wealth, Cameron served as Chief Market Strategist at Fieldpoint Private Securities and as a Senior Equity Analyst at Bank of America. With a robust background in macroeconomics, she has honed her skills in crafting forward-thinking investment themes and asset allocation strategies. She is renowned for her insightful and distinctive financial commentary and frequently appears on Bloomberg, CNBC, Fox Business and other media outlets. Cameron is a Chartered Financial Analyst®(CFA®) and a former board member of the CFA Society® of Orlando. Cameron has been recognized with numerous industry awards, including Institutional Investor RIA Intel CIO of the Year for 2024. A Florida native, Cameron earned her bachelor’s degree from Rollins College, where she graduated as Valedictorian, and her MBA from the Crummer Graduate School of Business at Rollins College.
Timothy Holland
Chief Investment Officer at Orion Wealth Mgmt
Session:Investment Strategies
Tim Holland is the Chief Investment Officer at Orion, where he leads the Investments team for Orion Wealth Management, including Brinker Capital, Orion OCIO and Orion Portfolio Solutions. Previously, Tim served as Chief Investment Officer – OCIO, where he consulted with Orion’s largest customers growing their firms through Orion’s OCIO services. Tim joined Brinker Capital in 2017 as Global Investment Strategist and was named Chief Investment Officer following Orion’s merger with Brinker in 2020. In the CIO role, Tim had responsibility for the investment management and strategies for Orion Portfolio Solutions and Brinker Capital Investments. He has over 24 years of investment experience. Prior to joining Brinker Capital, Tim was a Portfolio Manager at TAMRO Capital Partners, where he directed overall portfolio construction on two long-only, US equity strategies based on fundamental company and industry analysis and understanding the potential impact of economic, industry, and political trends on portfolio holdings. Prior to TAMRO, Tim was employed as an Equity Analyst at Manley Asset Management, a long/short hedge fund firm. Additionally, he was a Partner at Towers Group, a boutique corporate communications firm providing media and public relations counsel to capital markets companies. Tim earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Drew University. He holds the FINRA Series 65 designation and is a CFA® charterholder. Tim’s insights on the markets and investments are frequently featured in top-tier business media, including CNBC, Fox Business, Bloomberg TV, Bloomberg Radio, The Wall Street Journal, Investor’s Business Daily, and Financial Times.
Panelists
Panel Discussion Speakers
Jud Mackrill
CEO & Cofounder at Milemarker
Agentic AI
Jud Mackrill is the co-founder of Milemarker and a General Partner at alternatives and fund technology platform, Mammoth. He is passionate about connecting the future of financial advice through design, software integration and investing in tomorrow's leading companies. As a multi award-winning marketer and designer, Jud's work has contributed to the success of today's leading financial services and advisory firms. Jud was previously the CMO of Orion, co-founder of Mineral (which he sold to Carson in 2018) and the CMO of Carson. Jud and his wife Kim reside in Charleston and have four school-aged children. He enjoys spending time with his family, biking, walking, spicy food and Nebraska Football.
David Braun
Portfolio Manager at Pimco
The Fed, the Debt and the Political Effect
Mr. Braun is a managing director and generalist portfolio manager in the New York office. He leads the U.S. financial institutions group (FIG) and stable value portfolio management teams. He is also a senior member of both the liability-driven investment and the U.S. core portfolio management teams. He oversees management of fixed income investment portfolios for institutional and retail clients. Prior to joining PIMCO in 2009, Mr. Braun was chief risk officer of a large investment company. He has 33 years of investment and financial services experience and holds an undergraduate degree in mathematics from the University of Connecticut. He is also a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries and a certified Financial Risk Manager.
Moderators
Panel Moderators
Dustin Barr
Founding Partner, Senior Adviser at Verum Partners
Agentic AI
Dustin is a Founding Partner of Verum and serves as a Senior Adviser, Managing Partner, and Investment Committee Chair. He became interested in capital markets at a young age, managing a small paper portfolio of stocks with his dad. This interest led him into asset management and eventually wealth management. Dustin enjoys working with clients who are financially savvy professionals (investment, finance, legal, accounting, and real estate professionals) and families with complex financial needs. He works to better understand their full picture and enjoys helping them get financially organized and intelligently invested. In his role as Investment Committee Chair, Dustin oversees the investment program at Verum. This includes managing the investment team, developing Verum’s strategic and tactical asset allocation, and conducting investment product and manager due diligence. Dustin’s role as Managing Partner involves setting the vision for the firm, ensuring the team is living the Verum values, and staying in sync with Verum’s Integrator and COO, Holly Skipper, who ensures the firm’s strategic vision is implemented. Previously, Dustin served as Director of Investment Product Management at Nuveen (formerly TIAA-CREF Asset Management) where he launched multiple investment products and was heavily involved in TIAA’s corporate development efforts. During his time at Nuveen, Dustin obtained the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation and is a member of the CFA® Institute and the CFA® Society North Carolina. More recently, Dustin served as Carolinas Investment Consulting’s Director of Research where he oversaw the firm’s investment committee and acted as an Investment Consultant working with families and institutional clients. Outside of work, Dustin enjoys spending time with his wife and three children. A former competitive golfer, he continues to enjoy his time on the course. Dustin also stays involved with the College of Charleston’s School of Business Investment Program, volunteers at Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, and works with the GreenLight Fund of Charlotte. He previously served on the United Way of Central Carolinas Young Leaders Council where he chaired the Impact & Membership Committee.
Dr. Mark K. Pyles
Director of Multi-Asset Strategies at Greenwood Capital
Global Markets Outlook + Investment Strategy
Pyles is Director of Multi-Asset Strategies at Greenwood Capital, having joined the firm as a member of the Investment Committee in 2022 before transitioning to the current role in 2023. Pyles oversees several investment strategies while providing analysis on macro-economic trends, asset selection and allocation, performance measurement, and risk management. Prior to joining Greenwood Capital, Pyles had an 18-year career in academics at the College of Charleston, where his primary teaching roles included corporate finance, investments and financial modeling at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. He founded and served as Director of the School of Business Investment Program, which he continues to do today. Pyles published over 40 articles in peer-reviewed journals and authored two editions of a textbook, Applied Corporate Finance. Pyles obtained a B.B.A in Finance from Eastern Kentucky University, an M.S. in Economics, and a Ph.D. in Finance from the University of Kentucky. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®) designation, along with the Certificate in Performance Measurement (CIPM®) and the Certificate in ESG Investing from the CFA Institute.
Andrew Hendricks
Senior Vice President + Wealth Advisor at Osprey Financial at Farther
Breaking In: Building A Career In Investment Management in the Age of AI
Drew Hendricks, CFP®, is a financial advisor dedicated to helping individuals and families navigate life’s most important financial decisions with clarity and confidence. His passion for financial planning was shaped by personal experience after losing his father to cancer in 2002, an event that showed him firsthand the value of thoughtful preparation and trusted guidance during challenging times. Drew earned his B.S. in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from the College of Charleston in 2008 and began his career in wealth management that same year. Since then, he has worked closely with clients to develop personalized financial strategies focused on investment, tax, and estate planning. In addition to his work with clients, Drew is actively involved in mentoring students and young professionals, particularly through his ongoing relationship with the College of Charleston, where he enjoys helping students explore careers in financial services and investment management. Originally from Long Island, Drew grew up outside of Charlotte and moved to Charleston in 2004 for college, proudly calling the Lowcountry home ever since. Outside the office, Drew and his wife are avid travelers, and he enjoys golfing, live music, and exploring Charleston.
Mark J. Buono, Ph.D.
Director at College of Charleston - Carter Real Estate Center
Blurring the Lines: Are Real Estate and Infrastructure becoming One Asset Class?
Mark Joseph Buono is currently a Professor of Practice of Real Estate and Director of the Carter Real Estate Center at the College of Charleston. Mark is also a Managing Director at SEDA Experts. Before his retirement, Mark was a Managing Director and Commercial Real Estate Portfolio Manager at Global Atlantic Financial Group, a life insurance and annuity company. Mark was a Managing Director at Goldman Sachs, where he held various roles in the commercial real estate business for 20 years before joining Global Atlantic. Before joining Goldman, Mark was in research and trading at Freddie Mac and was an academic at Rutgers University and Temple University. Mark earned a Ph.D. in economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1986 and a B.S. in economics from the College of Charleston. He lives in Charleston, SC, with his wife, Judith.
Walter B. Todd, III
President and Chief Investment Officer at Greenwood Capital
The Fed, the Debt, and the Political Effect
Walter B. Todd, III is President and Chief Investment Officer of Greenwood Capital, one of the largest independent registered investment advisory firms headquartered in South Carolina, with more than $1.7 billion in assets under management. Mr. Todd oversees Greenwood Capital’s disciplined top-down macro-economic investment philosophy and its highly experienced Investment Team, delivering a diverse offering of objective-based ETF Asset Allocation Strategies, as well as traditional Equity and Fixed Income Investment portfolios. Mr. Todd has 30 years of experience in the financial industry and joined Greenwood Capital in 2002. Prior to joining Greenwood Capital, he served as an Investment Banking Associate at Lehman Brothers Global Real Estate Group in New York. He has also worked as an analyst for First Union Capital Markets Group in Charlotte, NC. Mr. Todd received his undergraduate degree in Business Administration from Washington & Lee University, where, upon graduation, he was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship. Mr. Todd earned his M.B.A. in Finance from The Wharton School – University of Pennsylvania where he graduated as a Palmer Scholar in May 1999. Mr. Todd is regularly featured on Bloomberg, Bloomberg Radio, CNBC, and BBC, as well as quoted through Reuters, the Associated Press, Bloomberg and other national and international print, radio and television outlets. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the Business Partnership Foundation for the University of South Carolina’s Darla Moore School of Business.
Program Contact
Mark K. Pyles
Director of Investment Program
College of Charleston School of Business
W. Walt Green
Chairman, CofC Investment Advisory Board
Don't Miss Out
Secure Your Seat Today
Speaker announcements are coming soon. Register now to be the first to receive updates and secure your place at the Symposium.