It is a hallmark of Symphonic to have highly qualified professionals. Our financial-advisory and investment professionals are appropriately experienced and educated. They typically have achieved one or more professional designations, such as Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), Certified Financial Planner (CFP®), Certified Public Accountant (CPA), or Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF®).

Our corporate culture promotes shared knowledge to ensure Symphonic advisors and CPAs remain at the forefront of industry best practices to serve our clients' evolving wealth management needs. To learn more about our professionals, click on their names below.

Executives
Carl Acebes - Founder, Chairman, & Co-Chief Investment Officer
Garrett R. D’Alessandro, CFA, CAIA, AIF® - Chief Executive Officer, President & Co-Chief Investment Officer
Kurt Hawkesworth, Esq. - Chief Operating Officer & General Counsel
Dean T. Russell, CFP®, AIF® - Executive Vice President, Advisors Practice Development
Patrick J. Vignone, CPA - Vice President – CPA Business Development

Finance
William O’Donnell, CPA, CFA - Chief Financial Officer

Business Development
Shelly A. Hall, AIF® - Director, New Business Development

Operations
Gregg Giaquinto, Esq. - Executive Vice President – Operations & Compliance &
Chief Compliance Officer, Symphonic Securities LLC

Client Services
Russ Launer, CFP® - Vice President – Client Service

Compliance
Barbara Matin Hawkesworth, Esq. - Deputy General Counsel

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Carl Acebes

Founder, Chairman, & Co-Chief Investment Officer

Mr. Acebes’ investment career encompasses some of the financial industry’s first attempts, beginning in 1969, to apply computerization to the analysis and management of institutional portfolios through the application of Modern Portfolio Theory. In the early 1970s, Mr. Acebes developed the foundation for the investment disciplines which today are central to Symphonic Financial Advisor’s capabilities.

Mr. Acebes has successfully managed money since 1974. As Chief Investment Officer and majority shareholder of Symphonic Financial Advisors, Mr. Acebes co-leads the team of investment professionals at Symphonic and is intricately involved in the firm’s day-to-day investment management and research work.

In addition to Mr. Acebes’ investment success, he is the founder of several companies, including Rochdale Investment Management, Rochdale Securities, and Rochdale Corporation; and serves as Chairman and Trustee of Rochdale Investment Trust. Mr. Acebes studied engineering at Cornell University and economics at Columbia University.

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Garrett R. D’Alessandro, CFA, CAIA, AIF®
Chief Executive Officer, President & Co-Chief Investment Officer

Mr. D’Alessandro is Chief Executive Officer, President, and Co-Chief Investment Officer of Symphonic Financial Advisors. In addition to setting the strategic direction of Symphonic, he leads the firm’s portfolio management and investment research functions. In this capacity he determines the macroeconomic outlook and strategic asset allocations for the firm’s strategies.

Prior to joining Symphonic in 1986, Mr. D’Alessandro was a Certified Public Accountant and an Audit Manager with KPMG Peat Marwick. Mr. D’Alessandro received his M.B.A. in finance from the Stern School of Business at New York University. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and is a member of the New York Society of Security Analysts and the CFA Institute. He also is an Accredited Investment Fiduciary. Mr. D’Alessandro makes presentations on current investment issues to financial professionals throughout the country and has been featured in various media including CNBC, The Financial Network, Practical Accountant, CPA Wealth Provider, and New Jersey CPA. Mr. D’Alessandro is an Ironman tri-athlete and participated in the world championship in Hawaii. He is also a supporter of numerous charitable and civic organizations.

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Dean T. Russell, CFP®, AIF®
Executive Vice President, Advisors Practice Management

Mr. Russell is responsible for ensuring that Symphonic’s Advisors maintain the highest standards of investment fiduciary practices. Additionally, as a member of Symphonic’s Investment Committee, he develops the criteria used to identify appropriate investments for client portfolios.

Mr. Russell has 26 years of experience in the financial services industry, including 24 years in financial advisor practice management. He joins Symphonic following a successful career at Waddell & Reed, where he held progressively senior positions from financial advisor to division manager and also served as President of the Leadership Council.

Mr. Russell earned his B.S. in education from Illinois College and his M.S. in education from the University of Kansas. He is a Certified Financial Planner, an Accredited Investment Fiduciary, and a member of the Financial Planning Association.

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Patrick J. Vignone, CPA
Vice President – CPA Business Development

Mr. Vignone is responsible for business development and relationship management with CPA practices involved in financial advisory roles. Mr. Vignone has 20 years of experience in business development in various industries. Prior to joining Symphonic Financial Advisors in 2007, Mr. Vignone was Managing Partner at The Alex Paige Group. Previously held positions include Vice President - Assistant Treasurer at BBDO, Inc., fixed income sales for institutional and high net worth investors with High Yield Management, and Senior Auditor with the "Big 5" accounting firm Arthur Andersen & Co.

Mr. Vignone received a B.A. in economics and an M.B.A. in accounting from Rutgers University. He earned his CPA license from the State of New Jersey.

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William O’Donnell, CPA, CFA
Chief Financial Officer

Mr. O’Donnell joined Symphonic Financial Advisors in 2011 as Chief Financial Officer for Symphonic Financial Advisors and its affiliated broker/dealer, Symphonic Securities LLC. He is responsible for the oversight and administration of the accounting and financial functions throughout the organization. Mr. O’Donnell has 25 years of financial industry experience in the U.S., and was previously employed with former global investment advisor Clay Finlay LLC. At Clay Finlay, Mr. O’Donnell was responsible for the financial management and operations of the New York based parent company, as well as its subsidiaries located in Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, and the United Kingdom. Prior to joining Clay Finlay, Mr. O’Donnell was with Deloitte & Touche (NYC) in their financial services practice for 4 years.

Mr. O’Donnell earned his B.S. in Accounting from Fairfield University in Connecticut. He is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of New York and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.

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Shelly A. Hall, AIF®
Director, New Business Development

Ms. Hall is a Financial Advisor and the Director of New Business Development at Symphonic. Her responsibilities include recruitment of CPAs and Advisors to partner with Symphonic, as well as the development and implementation of training programs for the company. She leverages her experience in marketing, coaching, financial planning, and investment management with the team of dedicated professionals at Symphonic in order to deliver personal support to the advisor and CPA teams.

Prior to joining Symphonic, Ms. Hall gained experience in financial services, small business management, and charitable foundation directorship. She earned her B.S. in Business Administration with a minor in Political Science from Rockhurst University, graduating summa cum laude. She is an Accredited Investment Fiduciary, a member of Rotary International, and serves on the board for the Child Abuse Prevention Association (CAPA).

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Gregg Giaquinto, Esq.
Executive Vice President - Operations & Compliance Chief Compliance Officer - Symphonic Securities, LLC

Mr. Giaquinto joined Symphonic Financial Advisors in 2007. Mr. Giaquinto is responsible for supervising the operations of Symphonic Financial Advisors as well as compliance matters related to Symphonic Securities LLC. Mr. Giaquinto works directly with senior management of the entities to ensure efficiency and compliance.

Prior to joining Symphonic, Mr. Giaquinto owned and operated an Allstate insurance and financial planning agency in Raleigh, North Carolina. Prior to that, Mr. Giaquinto was Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel with Electronic Trading Group, LLC, and its affiliates, Hedge Fund Capital Partners, LLC, and ETG Proprietary Trading, LLC, registered broker/dealers.

Mr. Giaquinto received his B.S. in business management from the State University of New York at Old Westbury and his J.D. from Brooklyn Law School. He is a member of the New York State Bar.

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Russ Launer, CFP®
Vice President – Client Service

Mr. Launer joined Symphonic Financial Advisors in 2004. He is Vice President of the Client Service department of Symphonic Financial Advisors and its affiliated broker/dealer, Symphonic Securities LLC. Mr. Launer is responsible for the oversight and administration of a variety of back office, client service, and logistical functions within the organization. Prior to joining Symphonic, Mr. Launer was a Proprietary Trader Services Manager for Electronic Trading Group, LLC, and its affiliates, Hedge Fund Capital Partners, LLC, and ETG Proprietary Trading, LLC. Mr. Launer was also a Professional Field Consultant for Davis Vision, a leading national vision care provider.

Mr. Launer earned his B.A. in communications from the University of Maryland at College Park and is pursuing his Master of Science Degree in Financial Planning at the College for Financial Planning. He is a Certified Financial Planner professional.

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Kurt Hawkesworth, Esq.
Chief Operating Officer & General Counsel

Mr. Hawkesworth joined Symphonic Financial Advisors in 2003. He is responsible for oversight and administration of the operations, trading, client service, compliance, legal, accounting, technical support, systems development, and administrative departments within the organization. Mr. Hawkesworth serves as Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel for Symphonic Financial Advisors and its affiliated broker/dealer, Symphonic Securities LLC. Previously, Mr. Hawkesworth also served as Chief Compliance Officer of Symphonic Financial Advisors and Symphonic Securities LLC. Prior to joining Symphonic, Mr. Hawkesworth was Director of Compliance and Assistant General Counsel for Electronic Trading Group, LLC, and its affiliates, ETG Proprietary Trading, LLC, and Hedge Fund Capital Partners, LLC, registered broker/dealers.

Mr. Hawkesworth earned his B.A. from New York State University at Stony Brook and his J.D. from Hofstra School of Law. He is a member of the New York State Bar.

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Barbara Matin Hawkesworth, Esq.
Executive Vice President
Deputy General Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer

Mrs. Hawkesworth joined Symphonic Financial Advisors in 2005. She is the Deputy General Counsel for Symphonic Financial Advisors and its affiliated broker/dealer, Symphonic Securities LLC, and the Chief Compliance Officer of Symphonic Financial Advisors. She works directly with the Chief Executive Officer and General Counsel of the firm and is responsible for overseeing the enforcement of all applicable legal, compliance, and ethical rules and procedures of Symphonic and the various regulatory agencies. Mrs. Hawkesworth comes to Symphonic from Mellon Financial Corporation, where she was employed in the Legal and Compliance department for Investor Solutions and Mellon Securities LLC, Mellon's registered broker dealer. Mrs. Hawkesworth also worked as a Manager and Attorney of Investor Solutions and Mellon Human Resources.

Mrs. Hawkesworth earned her B.A. at Ramapo College of New Jersey and her J.D. from New York Law School. She is a member of the New York State Bar and the New Jersey State Bar.
 

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