Carl Tippit currently serves as President of Clearstead, after heading the Research Department, and being a co-leader of the Private Client Group since the group was formed in 2010. His role at Clearstead now includes growth initiatives. Mr. Tippit’s deep background in investments include equity including individually traded stocks, fixed income, private equity, hedge funds, and direct lending and start-up equity. Mr. Tippit was a formative member of the Clearstead Investment Committee and is a voting member. He also serves on Clearstead’s Board of Directors.

Mr. Tippit’s finance career spans 39 years in many facets of investments. Beginning as a commercial lender and private placement analyst after graduating Williams College, he received an MBA from the University of Chicago and became a Chartered Financial Analyst. He spent about 12 years in M&A and as CEO/CFO for several private domestic and international companies utilizing Private Equity to expand and ultimately sell to other Private Equity investors. Other experience includes several years with an equity long/short hedge fund and about 10 years as a managing partner of a Private Equity Fund of Funds. He has also taught many courses on Option trading.

Mr. Tippit has been a past member of the Arthritis Foundation, Fill this House, and Cleveland Trees. He is currently a board member and the Investment Committee Chairman for University School, serves on the board of the Cleveland Salvation Army and the Benjamin Rose Investment Committee.

Dave Fulton has been in the investment advisory, family office, and trust business for over 30 years.  He currently serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of Clearstead, managing all aspects of client services, marketing, finance, and strategy for the firm.  He also works directly with several large clients.  Mr. Fulton began his career as a portfolio manager with Stein Roe & Farnham, a Chicago based investment counsel and mutual fund firm. In 2003, Mr. Fulton became President of Mellon Wealth Management – Ohio and Vice Chairman, Mellon Private Trust Company, NA.  In 2006, Mr. Fulton joined National City Corporation as Chief Executive Officer of Sterling, Ltd., the trust and wealth advisory arm of the bank.  In 2009, Mr. Fulton made a personal investment in Hartland & Co. (now Clearstead) and assumed the roles of President and Chief Executive Officer. 

Mr. Fulton serves as Trustee of University School, an independent boys’ school in Cleveland, Ohio, and was Chairman of the Board from 2010 to 2013.  He also serves as Trustee of Lake View Cemetery Association, Shaker Lakes Endowment Foundation, Business Volunteers Unlimited, and United Way of Cleveland.  Previously Mr. Fulton was Chairman of the Board of Young Audiences of Greater Cleveland, Senior Warden of St. Paul’s Church of Cleveland Heights, and Trustee of Bluecoats, a police support organization. 

Mr. Fulton lives in Cleveland, Ohio with his wife Claudia.

Greg has been a co-leader of the Private Client Group at Clearstead since the group was formed in 2010. Greg’s areas of expertise include: Wealth Management counseling, estate and income tax planning, and constructing tailored asset allocation policy and strategies for affluent individuals and their families. Greg also is a member of the Management Committee.

After graduating from The College of William & Mary with a BBA in Accounting degree, Greg pursued his interest in personal finance with a career spanning more than thirty-five years with Price Waterhouse, Fairport Asset Management, and Clearstead. At Price Waterhouse, he was the director of their Personal Financial Services practice and was a member of their national team that was the first of the “Big 8” to register with the SEC as an investment advisor. At Fairport, Greg was part of the executive group that successfully integrated several firms into today’s Fairport. Greg served as their Chief Investment Officer. Greg is a CPA, a licensed Certified Financial Planner and has presented to numerous organizations, including the Cleveland Financial Executives Institute, Ohio Society of CPAs, NEO Financial Planning Association, and various financial education seminars for multiple Fortune 500 companies.

Greg was an integral part of the Center for Families and Children, serving as a Board Member from 2003 thru 2015 and Treasurer for most of that period. He was the Center’s Family First Award winner in 2009. He also sits on the planned giving committee of University School (an all-boys day school in Cleveland) and recently served on the Board of SPEA as Treasurer. He currently serves on the Board of Urban Squash Cleveland, the Board of Friends of Breakthrough Schools, and recently was invited to become a member of the Alpha Group, a group of thought leaders from the wealth management industry from across the country.

John P.M. Higgins has broad domestic and international experience as an asset manager of private and public securities, real estate, and oil and gas investments, as well as expertise advising not-for-profit and family organizations. Mr. Higgins is Co-Chairman and Chief Investment Officer at Clearstead Trust where he works closely with Clearstead Trust’s investment committee and clients.

Mr. Higgins was formerly an officer of Citicorp (Santo Domingo), the Lambert Brussels Capital Corporation (New York), and the Banque de Gestion Privée (Paris). For three decades, John served as the President and Chief Investment Officer of Ram Trust Services, a small boutique investment management firm in Portland, Maine which specialized in private investments, the management of generational wealth, and not-for-profit financial affairs. Most recently John was Chairman & CEO of Atlantic Trust, which was folded into Clearstead Trust.

Mr. Higgins is deeply involved in the field of corporate governance and formerly was the chairman of the board of GMI Ratings, an international organization focused on environmental, social, governance and accounting risk in publicly traded companies. John graduated from Harvard and currently sits on a number of non-profit and family boards.

jhiggins@clearsteadtrust.com

Al Bartosic is a serial entrepreneur and angel investor who has over 30 years of experience in several industries including medical software, private equity, accounting, advertising, and social media.  He currently serves as the Executive Director of the Foundry, Fordham University’s hub for innovation and entrepreneurship.

Previously, he was the CEO of Standing Stone, a SaaS software company that specialized in subspecialty clinical decision support that was sold to a Fortune 500 company.

Prior to Standing Stone, he was a partner at Zephyr Management LP, a global private equity firm founded by the former CEO of the Rockefeller Group. While at Zephyr, Mr. Bartosic was the firm’s CFO, a member the Zephyr’s Investment Committee and a Board Member of many of Zephyr’s portfolio companies.  Zephyr invested in private companies across a broad range of industries primarily located in emerging markets such as Africa, Mexico, Korea and India.

Mr. Bartosic lives in New York City with his wife Carol.

Tom Clarke is currently an adjunct professor and mentor to students at Columbia University involved in the Executive Masters Program focusing on technology.

Most recently, Mr. Clarke was the CEO of the Weiss Group. The Weiss Group was a holding company that had businesses in money management, financial publishing and financial ratings. Before joining Weiss, Mr. Clarke was the CEO of TheStreet.com (NASDAQ) from 1999 to 2009 where he provided the strategic direction that caused TheStreet.com to become a leading financial media company and catapulted Jim Cramer to celebrity investor status. For most of his tenure at TheStreet.com, Mr. Clarke also served as Chairman of the Board. Prior to TheStreet.com, he held the position of President of Thomson Financial Investor Relations where he oversaw a business that had had clients in over 40 countries and maintained offices in most major global financial centers.

Clarke also is a business information advisor for Plum Holdings L.P., a venture capital fund based in Philadelphia that focuses on early-stage media companies. He also serves on the University of Albany ‘s executive advisory board of the Center for Comparative Functional Genomics. And he just concluded his directorship with Reis Inc. when Reis was sold to Moody’s Corporation.

Tom lives in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida with his wife Carol.

Bill Hall has more than 30 years of experience in the investment advisory, financial planning, and fiduciary services business. He serves as President & CEO of Clearstead Trust. Mr. Hall oversees all aspects of the trust company’s business and works directly with clients.

Previously, he was President & CEO of Plimsoll Mark Capital, a wealth advisory firm that was folded into Clearstead Trust. While at Plimsoll Mark, he authored The Safe Money Report, the flagship national investment newsletter of the Weiss Publishing Group. Before founding Plimsoll Mark Capital in 2009, he served as Chief Executive and President of WP Stewart & Co., a publicly traded company with operations in New York City, Bermuda, London, and Hong Kong.  Prior to joining WP Stewart, Mr. Hall was Managing Director of HM Payson & Co., a private trust company in Portland, Maine. He is also a founder and the managing principal of Hazzard & Hall, CPAs, PA.

Mr. Hall has been a member of numerous not-for-profits boards including Southern Maine Community College Foundation, Maine Education Services, and Winter Kids where he held the position of Chairman. Bill is an avid sports fan with a keen interest in sports analytics. As such, he is a strategic advisor to Game Point Capital, a firm that, along with Lloyd’s of London and its own captive underwriting capacity, provides risk optimization and specialty finance products to the sports industry. He is also a certified NBA player agent.

Mr. Hall lives in Cape Elizabeth, Maine with his wife Jenny.

bhall@clearsteadtrust.com

Megan Fitton has over 10 years of experience in wealth management and tax planning. As a Senior Trust Officer, Ms. Fitton works directly with clients to manage their investment portfolios, establish investment goals, set portfolio policy, derive asset allocation, and review manager selection. She works closely with the Clearstead Trust team to assure clients receive superior client service.

Prior to Clearstead Trust, she helped grow the Plimsoll Mark Capital business providing portfolio management and planning services for clients. Before joining Plimsoll Mark Capital, Megan served as a senior tax specialist for Berry Dunn, a regional certified public accounting firm based in Portland, Maine, and as a senior accountant for Runyon Kersteen Ouellette, a certified public accounting firm based in Portland.

Megan is a licensed Certified Public Accountant and Certified Financial Planner. She earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maine and an MBA from Southern New Hampshire University. She holds a certificate in Financial Planning from Boston University.

Megan is an avid marathon runner and lives in Portland with her husband, Jason, and their infant son.

mfitton@clearsteadtrust.com

Charlie Willauer has 20+ years of experience in the investment management and fiduciary advisory services business. He works directly with Clearstead Trust clients providing investment management, planning and trust services.

Prior to joining Clearstead Trust, Charlie held positions with Windward and Windhaven Investment Management where he was a principal and key member of private client and institutional teams managing over $20B in client assets, Rockefeller & Co., as Senior Vice President and Client Advisor, and Wellesley Investment Partners, as Senior Managing Director. Most recently Charlie was a Managing Director and client advisor with RINET & Co., a $2.3 billion advisor in Boston.

Throughout his investment career Charlie has worked closely with private clients and their families, business owners, entrepreneurs, institutions & non-profit organizations. Previously, Charlie spent thirteen years in the oceanographic technology industry with several well-known research organizations.

Charlie earned an M.B.A. in Finance and Entrepreneurship from the F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business at Babson College and a B.S. in Engineering from the College of Engineering at Northeastern University. He is Trustee Emeritus for Thompson Island Outward Bound where he serves on the investment committee; former Trustee, and current Overseer for Sea Education Association, serving on Finance and Investment committees; and overseer for the New England Aquarium.

Charlie is an avid sailor and enjoys running, biking, and skiing. Charlie grew up in Maine; and after many years in the Boston area, he and his wife, Gale, now live in Mid-coast Maine.

cwillauer@clearsteadtrust.com

Julie has over 25 years of experience in all aspects of trust operations, client service and compliance. Julie oversees the Client Service and Operations Teams to ensure proper and timely execution of trust company policies and client requests. She is Secretary of the Trust Administration Committee and a member of the IT and Compliance Committees.

Julie earned a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of New England. Prior to Clearstead Trust, Julie held senior positions at Acadia Trust and Atlantic Trust, which was folded into Clearstead Trust in 2021.

Julie is a native of Maine, growing up in Caribou. Julie volunteers with the Girl Scouts of Maine leading a troop and serving as the service unit treasurer for Westbrook, Gorham, and Scarborough. She is a Notary Public and lives in Westbrook with her husband and their two daughters. Julie enjoys international travel.

jwebster@clearsteadtrust.com

JoEllen has over 35 years of experience in the investment and wealth management business. At Clearstead Trust, JoEllen’s direct responsibilities are in frontline client service and coordinating family office services.

She began her career as a securities trader in Boston, and then found her passion working directly with clients. JoEllen returned to Maine in 2001 joining Acadia Trust and then Atlantic Trust in 2013, which was later folded into Clearstead Trust.

JoEllen enjoys building relationships with her clients and their families, sharing in their successes both in their personal and financial lives. She is a native of Maine, growing up in Old Orchard Beach. She earned a degree in Business Administration from the University of Maine.

JoEllen enjoys travel and photography and is a die-hard New England Patriots fan.

jclark@clearsteadtrust.com

Ms. Mangino has over 15 years of experience working with clients in the trust company environment. She currently serves on the Compliance, IT, and Cybersecurity Committees, in addition to coordinating Clearstead Trust’s Board of Director meetings. Karen manages day-to-day office activity including vendor and client service support.

Previously, at Atlantic Trust, she worked closely with clients and assisted with operations. Atlantic Trust was folded into Clearstead Trust in 2021. She brings an abundance of financial management and business expertise from her involvement with family businesses.

Karen earned a B.S. degree in Industrial Technology from the University of Southern Maine and is a licensed Notary Public. Karen has held leadership roles in several non-profit organizations.

A native of Maine and an avid golfer, Ms. Mangino and her husband reside in Yarmouth.

kmangino@clearsteadtrust.com

Anne has five years of project management and non-profit experience. At Clearstead Trust she is part of the operations team where she works closely with colleagues performing daily reconciliation and cashiering. Prior to joining Clearstead Trust, Anne spent several years working on archaeological digs in Jordan, Peru, Canada, and the US. She has also worked with the Girls Foundation of Tanzania.

Anne earned a B.A. in History and Archaeology from Calvin University. She was born and raised in Michigan and spent summers on Peaks Island.

Anne lives in Portland with her husband and two sons and loves knitting, reading, and gardening.

aalbers@clearsteadtrust.com

Steve has worked in the wealth advisory industry since 1998 and was appointed Clearstead’s Chief Compliance Officer in 2011. Steve is responsible for ensuring Clearstead and its employees comply with the various laws and regulatory requirements that govern our profession and internal policies we have adopted. Steve is the chair of the Account Review Committee and Co-Chair of the Cyber Security Committee.

Prior to joining Clearstead in 2004, Steve worked for KeyCorp and Victory Capital, with a primary focus on the investment management process and analytics. Steve holds a MBA with concentrations in Finance and Economics from John Carroll University. He also received his BSBA in Finance from John Carroll University. He also holds the Investment Adviser Certified Compliance Professional® designation.