Professionals
Investment team members average over 20 years of investment experience and over 12 years of commitment to WSA.
Investment Team
PAUL J. ARIANO, CFA – Senior Vice President, Portfolio Manager
Mr. Ariano has over 20 years of investment experience and has been a member of the investment management team for 16 years, specializing in the coverage of Healthcare, Consumer Discretionary, Energy and Transportation stocks. Prior to joining WSA, Mr. Ariano worked for two years at Wilshire Associates as an analyst in their Pension Consulting division. Education: BA - Business Administration, University of San Diego; MS - Finance, San Diego State University. Mr. Ariano is a member of the CFA Institute as well as the CFA Society of San Diego.
WILLIAM W. GASTIL – Senior Vice President, Head Trader
Mr. Gastil is responsible for overseeing trading of the firm's assets, with over 30 years experience trading small and mid cap equities. Since joining WSA in 1992, he has served as Head Trader in charge of all trading functions, bringing proven expertise in large block trading with emphasis on minimizing transaction costs. Mr. Gastil previously worked 13 years at Trust Company of the West, where he served as Assistant Vice President of Equity Trading. Preceding his 10 years on the TCW Equity Desk, he served as a Fixed Income Trader and member of the Fixed Income Policy Committee. Education: BA - Economics from the University of California at Los Angeles.
JOHN J. HUBER, CFA – Senior Vice President, Portfolio Manager
Mr. Huber is responsible for research and portfolio management of WSA’s Global Environmental Efficiency Portfolio as well as WSA’s Large Cap Growth strategy. He has researched energy efficiency in transportation and power for most of the last 10 years. Mr. Huber joined WSA in 2011 and has 11 years of investment experience, including five years with Transamerica Investment Management (TIM) as a Principal, Portfolio Manager for Mid and Large Cap Growth strategies. He joined TIM in 2005 when the firm purchased Westcap Investors LLC. Prior to his time at Westcap, Mr. Huber was with Wilshire Associates as a Senior Associate and with Arthur Andersen as an Information Technology Consultant. Education: B.A. – Columbia University; M.B.A. - University of California at Los Angeles. Mr. Huber is a member of the CFA Institute.
LUKE A. JACOBSON, CFA – Investment Analyst
Mr. Jacobson is responsible for the fundamental analysis of individual securities and industry trends within various sectors. Previously, Mr. Jacobson worked at Seneca Capital Management as a Marketing Analyst, beginning his career in 2001 with Thomas Weisel Partners in Product Management for Institutional Sales. Education: BS - Finance, University of Missouri. Mr. Jacobson is a member of the CFA Institute and the CFA Society of San Diego.
WILLIAM JEFFERY, III – President, Chief Investment Officer
Mr. Jeffery oversees the investment function and all business activities. Mr. Jeffery's areas of sector specialization are Healthcare, Consumer Discretionary, and Energy. His 43-year career in smaller growth stocks spans 3 full market cycles and qualifies him uniquely as a member of the firm's investment team. His previous career assignments include President and Portfolio Manager of California First Capital Management, and Vice President, Manager of Trust Investments at California First Bank where he supervised the investment of a billion dollar trust portfolio. Education: BBA and MBA, University of Michigan.
PAUL K. LECOQ – Senior Vice President, Portfolio Manager
Mr. LeCoq is an industry generalist and also has responsibility for the firm's 3c-1 Hedge Fund (La Jolla Partners, LP). Prior to joining WSA, Mr. LeCoq worked for approximately 5 years at CIBC World Markets as an Executive Director of Institutional Equity Sales and 9 years at Ragen MacKenzie Group where he held a similar position. Education: BA - Economics, Pacific Lutheran University (Magna Cum); MBA - Finance, University of Chicago.
KENNETH F. MCCAIN – Executive Vice President, Portfolio Manager
Mr. McCain specializes in Technology stocks. Over the course of Mr. McCain's 39-year investment career, he has specialized in smaller capitalization growth companies with particular emphasis on leading-edge technologies and innovative consumer companies. Mr. McCain's previous career positions include, Vice President, Portfolio Manager, California First Capital Management, and Vice President, Trust Investment Officer, California First Bank. In this capacity he received national recognition for the superior returns generated during his 7-year tenure as manager of the bank's small-cap special equity portfolios. Education: BA and MBA, San Diego State University.
TED C. SMITH, CFA, CIC – Senior Vice President, COO, CCO
Mr. Smith is directly responsible for the research, risk management, and quantitative tools which assist the entire Investment Team in its review of strategy. Mr. Smith also serves as the firm's Chief Operating Officer, directly responsible for all administrative functions including operations, marketing, and client service. As Chief Compliance Officer, Mr. Smith is charged with the responsibility of monitoring the firm's compliance with all federal and state securities laws and regulations. Prior to joining WSA, he worked for four years at Nicholas-Applegate Capital Management. Education: B.S. - Marine Engineering, Maine Maritime Academy; MBA - Finance and New Venture Management, University of San Diego. He is a member of the CFA Institute, the Financial Analysts Society of San Diego, and the Investment Adviser Association (IAA).
ALEXIS WAADT – Vice President, Investment Analyst
Ms. Waadt is responsible for the fundamental analysis of individual securities and industry trends in the Technology sector, working closely with Portfolio Manager Ken McCain. She has over eight years experience on the brokerage side, primarily in the institutional arena. Prior to joining WSA, she worked for four years at Hambrecht and Quist, in the institutional sales group, and four years as an analyst at Foresters Equity Services, Inc. Education: BA - Economics, University of California, San Diego; MBA - Finance, San Diego State University.
Marketing, Client Service & Operations
DEB HOLDEN - Vice President, Operations
Ms. Holden brings over 30 years of experience in managing and coordinating the operations department which oversees trade settlement issues, portfolio management systems and interfaces with the trading desk and portfolio management team. Additional responsibilities include: commission reporting, portfolio reconciliations and facilitating client's operational requests. Ms. Holden's career with Wall Street Associates began with its inception in 1987. Previously, Ms. Holden was employed by the founding principals at California First Capital Management and California First Bank (currently Union Bank) in a similar capacity. Ms. Holden attended St. Cloud State.
ROB R. KNOWLES - Senior Vice President - Director of Marketing
Mr. Knowles is responsible for marketing the firm's investment management services. He also supports the firm's client service efforts. Prior to joining WSA in 2010, he was Director Institutional Markets at Transamerica Investment Management and VP at Westcap Investors. He also worked as a Senior Associate with the pension consulting division of Wilshire Associates. Education: BA, Economics, San Diego State University; MBA, Loyola Marymount University.
KIMBERLY A. TAYLOR - Senior Vice President, Client Service
Ms. Taylor is responsible for the firm's client service activities. She also supports the firm's marketing efforts. Prior to joining WSA in 1993, she worked for seven years in the pension consulting division at Wilshire Associates where her responsibilities included client servicing for large corporate pension funds and equity manager research. Education: BA, UCLA, Economics with an emphasis in Finance.