Summer 2021 Newsletter

Society news & updates

Summer 2021 | Volume 1 | Issue 2

Thank You to Former Members of the Board

On behalf of the Society and the rest of the Board, we would like to thank three members of our current Board of Directors who will be rolling off in the coming term. These individuals are Doug Muenzenmay, Frank Smith, and Heath Jordan (shown below from left to right). Each of these individuals have served at least a decade on the board and given their time and resources on countless occasions. Through their dedication and contributions, these individuals now leave the board better than they found it.

Pictured above from left to right: Doug Muenzenmay, Frank Smith, and Heath Jordan.

Welcome Our New Board of Directors

Term starting July 1, 2021 - June 30, 2023

We want to welcome our new Board of Directors for CFA Society Mississippi!

Thank you, all, for serving this Society in the coming term.

Ryder Taff, CFA

Tony Edwards, CFA

Walter P. Neely, CFA

Thomas Arthur, CFA

Zach Farmer, CFA

Paula Nielsen, CFA

Steven Langley, CFA

Davis Bourne, CFA

Andrew Hoeniges, CFA

Jonathan Pace, CFA

CFA Mississippi Member Spotlight

Paula Nielsen, CFA

Portfolio Manager,

Southern Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance Co.

Paula Nielsen is our CFA Society Mississippi Member Spotlight for June 2021. She manages her company’s equity portfolios, provides input to the Investment Committee regarding investment strategy and current market environment, and helps evaluate external managers for the company’s pension fund among other responsibilities. Paula is a native of Guatemala and currently resides in Clinton with her husband, Charles, and son, Michael.

Learn more about Paula by clicking the link below, including her biggest influencer, why she decided to pursue a CFA charter, and the best advice she's ever received.

Meet Our Newest Society Members

Brain Farr, CFA

Vice President of Finance

Kerioth Corporation

Brian grew up in Jackson and graduated from Baylor University with an undergraduate degree in Accounting and Masters in Taxation. Brian started his career at Price Waterhouse and then worked abroad as as a business volunteer in the Peace Corps (Romania) and later for a private equity firm in Macedonia. He has spent the last 20 years working in private equity and real estate private equity in Controller, CFO and acquisition roles. He moved back to Jackson last year to join Kerioth Corporation as Vice President of Finance. He is married and has three children.

Greg Ray, CFA

Senior Executive Vice President, Chief Risk Officer

Bankplus

Greg Ray joined BankPlus in 2015, where he currently serves as Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Risk Officer. Prior to joining BankPlus, he was Chief Banking Officer at BancorpSouth, where he previously held several other positions in funds management and branch administration. He has over 30 years of experience in the banking industry, including 17 years in fixed income portfolio management, and earned the Chartered Financial Analyst designation in 1997. He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Banking & Finance from Mississippi State University, is a graduate of the ABA Stonier Graduate School of Banking, and holds a Wharton Leadership Certificate from the University of Pennsylvania. Ray and his wife, Shannon, have two grown children and live in Madison, Mississippi.

David Watson, CFA

Principal,

Montag & Caldwell, LLC

Mr. Watson joined Montag & Caldwell in 1999. David is a member of the firm’s Investment Policy Group and serves as a portfolio manager. Effective October 31, 2020, he is also Director of Fixed Income Portfolio Management. Montag & Caldwell is one of the oldest investment management companies in the Southeast and manages approximately $1.7 billion for clients in its high-quality large-cap, mid-cap, and thematic growth equity products and core fixed income product. David’s past affiliations include membership on the Educational Content Committee of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), the Professional Qualifications Committee of the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB) and the Mississippi State University Foundation Board of Directors. Mr. Watson received his Bachelor’s degree in Finance from Mississippi State University and his M.B.A. from the Goizueta Business School at Emory University. David and his wife, Bess, reside in Ridgeland, Mississippi.

Miscellaneous News and Updates

Bylaws Receive Unanimous Approval

The proposed bylaws were unanimously approved in the recent vote by our membership. Thank you for your time and participation!

Pictured above from left to right: Davis Bourne, CFA, and Thomas Arthur, CFA, Board President

Congratulations to Our Recent CFA Charterholders

Congratulations to our newest CFA Charterholders, Davis Bourne (pictured at left), Oren Michael Welborn, and Spencer Pipitone. These three individuals join the more than 165,000 charterholders around the world building a better world for investing.

Well done on this outstanding achievement and your hard-earned success!