Leadership

Jay Carter serves as President and CEO of SA Stone Wealth Management and joined the firm in 1998 (under Sterne Agee). He began his career as a Registered Representative for a national financial planning firm in 1993. Prior to joining SA Stone, he served as Vice President of Business Development for a national brokerage firm that focused on investment programs in financial institutions. He also served four years in the U. S. Army as a Russian Linguist. Mr. Carter earned a BA with a double major in Managerial Finance and Banking and Finance from the University of Mississippi, graduating cum laude.

Marcus Richardson has more than 18 years of experience in the financial services industry. He currently serves as Chief Operating Officer of SA Stone Wealth Management and joined the firm (under Sterne Agee) in June 2006. Prior to joining SA Stone, Mr. Richardson held various positions such as financial analyst, trader, and securities principal. Mr. Richardson graduated from Samford University with a BS in Business Administration and a minor in Computer Science. He resides in Birmingham with his wife and two children.

John Calvano serves as Chief Compliance Officer of SA Stone Investment Advisors Inc., an SEC registered investment advisor affiliated with SA Stone Wealth Management. He joined SA Stone in 2006 (under Sterne Agee) and served as the Chief Operating Officer of Sterne Agee’s trust company. Mr. Calvano began his financial services career in 1984 working with Bear Sterns in New York. He later worked with a regional bank as brokerage operations manager and mutual fund products manager. In the 1990’s Mr. Calvano has worked as a marketing director and product manager for several mutual fund companies. In 1999 he began work with a regional bank leading their proprietary mutual fund complex and serving as president and CEO of the fund family. John lives in Birmingham with his wife of 29 years, four children and two grandchildren. He currently holds Series 7, 24, 63 licenses.

Michael Lytle joined SA Stone in 2022 as Chief Investment Officer. Michael leads the portfolio management process including managed portfolios of mutual funds and ETFs and individual security portfolios of stocks and bonds.  The team is also responsible for market commentary, advisor support on investment-related topics, and due diligence covering third-party managers. Prior to joining SA Stone, he led the advisory team for an institutional consulting firm helping design and implement multi-asset class portfolios. He started his career in the asset management department of a large regional bank managing fixed income portfolios. Mr. Lytle earned a BS from Berry College and the CFA Designation in 2002.

Maribeth Williams joined SA Stone in 2001 (under Stene Agee) as an employee in the Operations department. Now, as SVP of Client Services for SA Stone, Maribeth is responsible for ensuring the effective delivery of all administrative and operational services within the department. She also manages the on-boarding and transition of qualified financial advisors to SA Stone. She attended the University of Alabama in Birmingham and received her B.S. Degree in Financial Management.

Mark Hugo serves as Chief Supervision Officer for SA Stone Wealth Management and joined SA Stone as part of Sterne Agee’s acquisition of WRP Investments in 2014. Prior to SA Stone he was Director of Business Development for WRP Investments, Inc. Mark has been in the financial services industry since 1990 during which time he served as Executive Vice President, Chief Compliance Officer and FINOP. Mark’s extensive and diverse background in operations, compliance, business retention and recruiting, give him a unique ability to support and guide financial advisors in this ever-changing industry. Mark holds a Series 7, 24, 27, 53, 63, 65, and insurance licenses.

Matt Kelley serves as Head of Business Development for SA Wealth Management and joined SA Stone as part of Sterne Agee’s acquisition of WRP Investments in 2014. Matt leads the firms’ growth strategy and national recruiting team. He has served in similar roles within both large and mid-sized brokerage organizations, most recently with Cetera and Ameriprise. He resides in greater Cincinnati, OH, earned his BA in Business Administration from Thomas More and holds his Series 7, 24, 52 and 65 licenses

Stephen O’Neill serves as SA Stone Wealth Management’s Director of Business Development. Steve joined SA Stone in 2009 and brings more than 25 years of successful marketing and recruiting expertise to the firm. Previously, he served as Senior Sales Manager for TD Ameritrade Institutional, responsible for sales strategy and recruiting efforts of “break away brokers”. Prior to TD Ameritrade, Mr. O’Neill served as Senior Vice President of Cambridge Investment Research, responsible for overall recruiting efforts of the firm. He is originally from New Orleans, Louisiana and graduated from Southeastern Louisiana University with a degree in business.

Stephanie serves as SVP of Administration for SA Stone Wealth Management and joined SA Stone as part of Sterne Agee’s acquisition of WRP Investments in 2014. Stephanie began working for WRP Investments in 1996 and was the firm’s Director of Operations. She was responsible for commissions, registrations, accounting and was Head of HR. Stephanie’s current role of SVP of Administration includes overseeing the firms Registration Department, New Advisor Onboarding and Transition team, and is the HR Liaison for SAFS. Stephanie has her FINRA Operations Professional exam, Series 99.

Michael Lytle joined SA Stone in 2022 as Chief Investment Officer. Michael leads the portfolio management process including managed portfolios of mutual funds and ETFs and individual security portfolios of stocks and bonds.  The team is also responsible for market commentary, advisor support on investment-related topics, and due diligence covering third-party managers. Prior to joining SA Stone, he lead the advisory team for an institutional consulting firm helping design and implement multi-asset class portfolios. He started his career in the asset management department of a large regional bank managing fixed income portfolios. Mr. Lytle earned a BS from Berry College and the CFA Designation in 2002.

Chase Woodruff joined the SA Stone Investment Team in 2022. Chase assists in the portfolio management process including managed portfolios of mutual funds and ETFs and individual security portfolios of stocks and bonds.  The team is also responsible for market commentary, advisor support on investment-related topics, and due diligence covering third-party managers. After graduating from the University of Alabama Birmingham with a degree in Financial Management, Chase started his career with the international clearing division of StoneX. He is also a CFA level two candidate.

Sarah Nilsen joined the SA Stone Investment Team in 2022. Sarah assists in the portfolio management process including managed portfolios of mutual funds and ETFs and individual security portfolios of stocks and bonds.  The team is also responsible for market commentary, advisor support on investment-related topics, and due diligence covering third-party managers. Sarah graduated from Samford University’s Brock School of Business with a BSBA in Finance and Management.

Marcus currently serves as the Investment Consultant for StoneX Wealth Management.

He brings a wealth of platform expertise to his financial advisors, making their success in meeting their clients’ financial goals his ultimate priority. He is the primary administrator of the firm’s wealth management platform (Envestnet) and other platform solutions. The team is also responsible for advisor support on investment-related topics, market commentary, and Third Party Manager Due Diligence.

Marcus graduated with a BS in Finance from the University of South Alabama and a MBA from Auburn University. In the community, he volunteers his time with Better Basics and the Dannon Project, non-profit organizations, and is an active member of the Rotaract Club of Birmingham.

Mayo Woodward joined SA Stone in 2019 as Investment Products Manager. He brings more than 25 years of experience in the financial services industry to the role. Mayo uses previous experience as a Financial Advisor and Regional Sales Director to help SA Stone advisors grow their businesses through best practices in financial planning and product support. Prior to joining SA Stone, Mayo held leadership positions with three other regional firms and wirehouses. He attended Emory University in Atlanta and received a BS in Sociology and a minor in History. Mayo holds FINRA licenses 7, 63, 65, 24, 9, 10, and Life-Health and Property-Casualty licenses.

David Giegel serves as Private Client Director for the SA Stone Private Client Group. David joined SA Stone Wealth Management in 2021. Previously, David held a Regional Sales Director role in the financial services industry since 2018. Prior to entering the financial services industry David had a 20+ year career as a sr. regional executive with a large telecommunications company. David holds a B.S. degree from the University of South Florida and Executive MBA from Auburn University. He resides in Birmingham, AL and holds his Series 7, 66, and Alabama Life and Health License.

Jeff Riley serves as a Financial Advisor for the SA Stone Private Client Group. Jeff has held the role of Financial Advisor the past 23 years and works directly with clients to assist in their financial planning needs including investment planning, money management, life insurance, annuities, long term care, and small business employee benefits.  Jeff received a BBA majoring in Finance from the University of Georgia and holds a Series 7, 63, and Life/Health/Annuities Licenses.

Tyler H. Lankford currently serves as a Financial Advisor for the SA Stone Private Client Group. Tyler is focused on servicing clients, building relationships, and creating customized financial plans for members of the ten branches he managed. After college, Tyler spent two years working at America’s First Financial where he started as an Associate Financial Advisor while he studied and passed the Series 7 and 66 securities licenses. Ultimately, he transitioned into a formal Financial Advisor role within a year. In May of 2022, Tyler H. Lankford joined SA Stone Wealth Management to help expand the private client group and to offer top-notch service to clients. Tyler graduated from The University of Alabama at Birmingham in May of 2020 with a B.S. Degree in Finance. Tyler was born and raised in Huntsville, Alabama, and enjoys playing golf, traveling, and spending time with friends and family when away from the office.

Zachary Lee joined the SA Stone Private Client Group in May of 2022 to help expand the private client group and to offer top-notch service to clients. He has been working for SA Stone for over two years, previously working in an Advisor Support role. Zach is Series 65 licensed and his goal is to continue to build his financial knowledge and sit for the CFP exam. Zach is focused on servicing clients and building relationships. Zachary was born and raised in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. He graduated from The University of Alabama in May of 2019 with a B.S. Degree in Finance. Shortly following graduation, Zach pursued a master’s degree in financial planning from the University of Alabama and graduated from the program in August of 2021. Zach enjoys coaching basketball at Brookwood High School, traveling, and spending time with friends and family when he is away from the office.