Our Team

Edward A. Montag

Chief Executive Officer

As Chief Executive Officer of MONTAG, Ned has overall managerial responsibility for the firm. He joined the firm in 1996, and in 2009 became CEO.

Ned’s managerial expertise, particularly in the family business context, was forged during his years as a member of the staff of the Family Business Forum in the Coles College of Business at Kennesaw State University.

John L. Montag

President, Chief Investment Officer & Portfolio Manager

John joined MONTAG in 1995 and became President and CIO in 2009. He plays key managerial and client advisory roles for the firm.

As Chief Investment Officer, John oversees the firm’s investment operations on a firm-wide basis. He also serves as portfolio manager for a number of clients, employing a comprehensive approach that focuses on investment issues, legal and accounting concerns, lifestyle considerations and philanthropic interests.

Stacey H. Godwin

Senior Administrator

Stacey has responsibilities in the areas of compliance and operations. She also participates in overall firm management and steering matters.

A MONTAG staff member since 1998, Stacey has served in various capacities over the years leading up to her current role. Her experience includes overseeing the firm’s compliance program and managing operations for the firm. She has broad experience in the areas of client reporting, performance analytics, trading and office technology.

Jeff Harari

Chief Operating Officer & Chief Compliance Officer

As Chief Operating Officer, Jeff is responsible for the day-to-day operations and manages the financial and administrative operations at MONTAG. As Chief Compliance Officer, he has primary responsibility for the firm’s compliance program. He also assists with the planning and support of strategic planning initiatives designed for developing and growing the firm.

Prior to joining MONTAG in 2011, Jeff began his career as a CPA at a national public accounting firm in New York City, where he audited hedge funds and other private investment companies. From there, he furthered his investment industry experience with the finance group of a hedge fund-of-funds before relocating to Atlanta.

Amy Carcione, CFA

Fixed Income Manager

Amy is responsible for overseeing all fixed income investments at MONTAG. These responsibilities include research, selection, and trading of individual bonds, mutual funds, ETFs, and other securities designed to meet the income and capital preservation needs of MONTAG clients.

Prior to joining MONTAG in 2020, Amy worked most recently at PNC Capital Advisors, and began her career at Citigroup Asset Management. She has over 12 years of experience managing municipal fixed income assets, including mutual funds, money market funds, and institutional investments utilizing both total return and laddered maturity strategies.

Helen M. Donahue, CFA

Portfolio Manager

Helen Donahue is a portfolio manager. Prior to joining MONTAG in 2020, Ms. Donahue was a Principal at Montag & Caldwell for over 20 years, where she was a member of the Large Cap and Mid Cap Growth investment teams and served as a client portfolio manager for institutional and individual clients. She began her investment career as an Assistant Vice President and Fixed-Income Portfolio Manager at Legg Mason Capital Management, and was the Director of Fixed Income for the Atlanta-based investment manager.

Chris Guinther

Senior Investment Strategist & Portfolio Manager

Chris is Senior Investment Strategist & Portfolio Manager at MONTAG. He leads equity research and market strategy efforts at MONTAG. His expertise includes stocks and bonds, with particular focus on asset allocation and growth investing.

Prior to joining MONTAG in 2018, Chris was President, Chief Investment Officer, and founding partner of an institutional investment firm in Atlanta. For nearly 20 years, he served as a Lead Portfolio Manager, overseeing billions in small and large cap growth equity mutual funds, was a frequent guest on CNBC, and was regularly quoted in the financial news. Chris has been investing in public securities for 30 years professionally. He also has extensive experience investing in real estate, franchises, and small businesses privately. He believes his broad experience helps MONTAG clients whose wealth has been cultivated in similar ways over the years.

Benjamin S. Harris, CFA

Portfolio Manager

Ben manages portfolios for individuals, families and institutions, and conducts equity research. With a long-term investment focus, he employs a blend of fundamental and macroeconomic analysis in selecting securities for client portfolios.

Prior to joining MONTAG in 2013, Ben led a team of specialists for the Southeast Region of Wilmington Trust Investment Management, where he managed investment portfolios for individual and institutional clients. His work there focused on risk mitigation strategies using derivatives and other hedging techniques.

Mary Carol Joy

Head Trader

Mary Carol (MC) Joy handles many different responsibilities for MONTAG. As Head Trader, she is responsible for equity trading which includes stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and mutual funds. She also provides support to the Fixed Income Manager, in addition to participating in other technological and operational initiatives.

Prior to joining MONTAG in 2018, MC worked as the Operations Manager of a financial planning practice in Dunwoody, GA. She began her career as a Sales Assistant on the Institutional Fixed Income desk of Bear Stearns/JP Morgan in Atlanta, where she facilitated fixed income and equity trading in addition to managing accounts for institutional and high net worth clientele.

Jackson Keenan, CFP®

Director of Financial Planning

As Director of Financial Planning, Jackson is responsible for providing comprehensive financial planning services to MONTAG clients. He also supports Portfolio Managers with guidance and education on the topics of retirement strategies, executive compensation, insurance, taxes, and estate planning.

Prior to joining MONTAG in 2022, Jackson began his career as a Financial Analyst in the construction industry before earning his Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) designation amidst a career change to Financial Advisor. As a CFP® with a large national firm, Jackson worked directly with clients, offering both investment management and holistic financial planning services.

Olga Lee, CFA

Portfolio Manager

Olga manages portfolios for individuals and families, and spends a significant amount of her time on investment analysis.

Prior to joining MONTAG in 2006, Olga spent seven years at SunTrust Bank as a portfolio manager and equity research analyst in the value-style discipline.

Randy Loving, CFA

Portfolio Manager

Randy is a Financial Advisor/Portfolio Manager who works with families and institutions. He is experienced in the management of stocks and bonds, and focuses his work on asset allocation and security selection.

Prior to joining MONTAG in 2015, Randy was part of a team managing significant institutional equity mutual funds and strategies for an institutional investment firm in Atlanta that was acquired by private equity, then Virtus. For over 20 years, Randy has overseen investments in public securities for institutional and individual investors. Randy also has extensive personal experience investing in small businesses and commercial real estate. This broad investing experience helps Randy assess opportunities in the public markets and see eye to eye with his high net worth clients.

Christine R. Quillian, CFA, CFP®

Portfolio Manager

Christine manages portfolios for individuals, families and institutions, and devotes much of her time to investment research. She uses macroeconomics and industry-specific analyses to identify strong businesses that are attractively priced.

Prior to joining MONTAG in 2010, Christine regularly contributed to the quantitative analysis and macroeconomic research at a Chicago-based investment firm. She began her career at SunTrust Bank where she co-led a top-down equity specialization practice.

Kent Shaw, CFA

Portfolio Manager

Kent joined the firm in December 2013. In addition to his work as a Portfolio Manager, Kent plays an important role as an equity analyst, employing principles of fundamental “bottom-up” analysis in his work.

Prior to joining MONTAG, Kent was a senior analyst and partner at Buckhead Capital Management in Atlanta. There, he specialized in small- and mid-cap value stock analysis while contributing to portfolio management. He also spent a number of years at Wachovia Bank as a financial advisor and currency trader.

Brendan Wagner

Portfolio Manager

Brendan joined MONTAG in 2017. He manages portfolios for individuals and families, and spends a significant amount of time on equity research. He understands the qualitative aspects of a business’s culture, processes, and end-market stability that enable it to deliver strong returns for shareholders. He is wary of widespread consensus, and looks to own companies that will protect and grow our capital despite unknowable future challenges.

Prior to joining MONTAG, Brendan managed equity and fixed income portfolios for families at Gratus Capital and Spectrum Advisory Services in Atlanta.

Larry Mendel

Vice President of Sales

Larry has principal responsibility for developing the number and quality of relationships to help grow the firm’s client base. His focus is on finding new business opportunities through spending time with current clients, acknowledged prospects, and qualified intermediaries.

Prior to joining MONTAG in 2016, Larry spent five years as Principal and Co-Founder of a local RIA firm, which has since merged with another firm in Texas. In the years before starting his firm, Larry spent 27 years with Davis, Mendel and Regenstein, Inc. — a broker-dealer for Ned Davis Research, Inc. At NDR, Larry served more than 120 institutional firms while becoming a Managing Director. His strong client relationships led him to become one of the top sales representatives in the firm. Coincidentally, Larry was the client representative who covered MONTAG for many years.

Tracy Proell

Vice President of Marketing

As the Vice President of Marketing for MONTAG, Tracy is responsible for the overall marketing for the firm. She is an experienced marketer with a proven track record in traditional and digital marketing.

In her two decades of experience, Tracy has led marketing for Aprio Cloud (a division of Aprio, a top 100 Public Accounting firms in the US) and has consulted on dozens of projects, both simple and complex for traditional firms, technology companies and start-ups. She holds a BSM from Georgia Tech, with minors in Marketing and Computer Science.

Rachel Leary

Marketing Administrator

As Marketing Administrator at MONTAG, Rachel provides administrative support to the VP of Marketing and the Business Development team. Prior to joining the MONTAG team, she earned her B.S in Integrated Marketing & Communications at the University of Mississippi. Most recently, she worked as a Case Manager managing a portfolio of cases in the Atlanta area.

In her spare time, Rachel enjoys playing pickleball, listening to true crime podcasts, and traveling. She especially loves to travel to Oxford, MS to eat the delicious Mississippi food and cheer on the Ole Miss Football team.

Emily Battiato

Client Service Coordinator & Portfolio Administrator

Emily is responsible for client service and portfolio administration. She handles incoming client requests, which include processing account openings, transfers, and distributions.

Prior to joining MONTAG in 2019, Emily started her professional career as a Financial Assistant with a wealth management firm in her hometown of Pittsburgh. Most recently, she worked for Wells Fargo Advisors in Columbus, OH as a Client Associate. Additionally, she was a part of the student-run investment fund that managed a multi-million dollar portion of the Xavier University endowment fund.

Jill L. Bourland

Senior Administrator

Jill has primary responsibility for client service and portfolio administration. She provides comprehensive client support, which includes responding to client requests and processing account openings, transfers, and distributions.

Prior to joining MONTAG in 1998, Jill spent eight years in the investment industry as a client service specialist, serving as a liaison between investment professionals and clients.

Josh Connell

Operations Manager

As Operations Manager, Josh is responsible for overseeing the firm’s technology and supporting the day-to-day operations of the firm. Josh is at the center of new technology adoptions as well as assisting in the strategic operational initiatives for the firm.

Prior to joining MONTAG in 2021, Josh worked as a Senior Operations Associate at a local wealth management firm, where he was responsible for maintaining day-to-day operations. Previously, he worked at the software company Envestnet|Tamarac as an AVP Operations Manager, where he led a team that supported over 100 RIA firms.

Pamela Couch

Senior Administrator

Pamela has been with MONTAG since 1985, giving her solid claim to the longest in tenure among current employees with the firm. She is primarily responsible for managing the office, accounts payable and receivable, and human resources. Pamela also plays a significant role in office operations.

Will Grey

Portfolio Administrator

In his role as a Portfolio Administrator, Will Grey is responsible for client service and portfolio administration. He handles incoming client requests, which include processing account openings, transfers, and distributions.

Prior to joining MONTAG in 2023, Will was a Client Relationship Specialist on the Retirement and Investment Services team of an Atlanta-area community credit union. In that role he supported advisors by managing trades, client services, operations and reporting. Before that, he was a Financial Specialist at Regions Bank.

Jane Morrow

Compliance Manager

Jane is responsible for administering the firm’s compliance program and ensuring that the firm remains in compliance with all applicable rules and regulations. She obtained the Investment Adviser Certified Compliance Professional (IACCP®️️) designation in 2023.

Prior to joining MONTAG in 2021, Jane managed the compliance education program at a broker-dealer and investment advisory firm in Duluth, GA. She also conducted testing in various areas of the firm to ensure compliance with regulations, and oversaw the remediation of any items identified through testing.

Alison Nichols

Reporting Manager

As Reporting Manager, Alison is responsible for leveraging technology solutions to provide accurate portfolio data internally at MONTAG and also to our clients. Alison is also tasked with the regular preparation and distribution of a variety of custom reporting requests.

Prior to joining MONTAG, Alison worked as a Reporting Specialist for a national wealth management firm, where she provided support to advisors, clients, and operations through performance reporting and data integrity. She began her financial industry career as a Sales Assistant, and spent 8 years in client services and relationship management prior to transitioning her focus to reporting and operations.

Penny Rolle

Office Administrator

In her position as Office Administrator, Penny Rolle assists with managing the office and general office operations. She also supports MONTAG executives and leadership team members in their daily activities.

Penny has 17 years of experience in RIA Operations, human resources, change management, and team leadership. Prior to joining MONTAG in 2022, she started her career in the Financial Industry as an Office Manager in Miami, FL, before spending 13 years at an RIA in Marietta, GA.

Kayla Whitaker

Paraplanner & Portfolio Administrator

Kayla Whitaker is responsible for client service and portfolio administration. She supports our Director of Financial Planning in creating comprehensive financial plans and handles incoming client requests, which include processing account openings, transfers, and distributions.

L. Anthony Montag, CFA

Founder, Emeritus

Tony founded MONTAG in 1982. His experience as an investment counselor dates back to 1960, when he became a member of another Atlanta investment firm his father founded in 1945.

Tony is an emeritus member of MONTAG’s investment team. Having formally retired on December 21, 2020, Tony continues to lend his expertise to our firm as needed. During his active years, he conducted equity research, participated in bond portfolio management, and mentored our firm’s investment professionals. His career-long reputation of earning trust, giving effective investment advice, and building and maintaining strong relationships defines MONTAG today. His six decades of unwavering commitment to client service continues to drive the work of everyone in our firm.

Jackie Montag

Emeritus

Prior to her formal retirement at the end of 2020, Jackie managed select business development and client relations activities for MONTAG. She joined the firm on a full-time basis in 1986, and developed several enduring initiatives, including the semi-annual program Facts & Finances for Women. Much of Jackie’s work focused on building relationships with local institutions, key clients, and intermediaries. She continues to be consulted about these matters as needed.

An extraordinary community volunteer, Jackie has been recognized by many community organizations for her commitment, work, and leadership.