Reliance Trust Company | Principal Bios

Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Principal, Reliance Financial Corporation

Kenneth J. Phelps is chairman and managing principal of Reliance Financial Corporation and serves as chief executive officer, chairing the board of directors and its executive committee. Having over 30 years of broad based management experience in banking and financial services, he is the former chairman and CEO of C&S/Sovran Trust Company, Inc. (now part of Bank of America), a multi-state, multi-bank holding company with $90 billion in assets and offices in nine states. His background and career assignments include banking and securities, legal matters, investor relations, finance, investments and business line management. He has served as director/trustee of a number of community, charitable and philanthropic organizations and has chaired several Atlanta organizations.

Ken received his undergraduate and legal education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Additionally, he received a J.D. from John Marshall Law School, Chicago, Ill., and is a graduate of the Harvard Business School, Cambridge/Boston, Mass.

President, Reliance Financial Corporation
Chief Operating Officer, Vice-Chairman and Managing Principal, Reliance Trust Company

Jim Maxwell is president of Reliance Financial Corporation and chief operating officer, vice-chairman and managing principal for Reliance Trust Company, serving on the board of directors as chair of the asset/liability committee. Jim is responsible for the day-today operations of Reliance’s insurance agency subsidiary, Reliance Integrated Solutions LLC (Reliance’s outsourcing group which combines accounting systems, back-office support and custodial services to create a seamless, turn-key support system for financial services firms), Reliance Securities (Reliance’s broker dealer) and the operations of Reliance’s Private Bank. He has more than 39 years of experience in management and administration in the financial services industry. Prior to Reliance, Jim was executive vice president and trust operations executive with C&S/Sovran Trust Company, Inc., and its successor corporation, Bank of America, where he was responsible for the service delivery of all trust related operations and corporate trust activities nationwide, the fifth largest such unit in the United States.

Jim is a director of The Sabal Company of Florida, which provides investment management and trust services to individuals, corporations and not-for-profit organizations. He also serves as a board member of TTC Holdings Inc., a holding company for The Trust Company in San Antonio, a state bank specializing in wealth management and fiduciary services.

Jim has a degree in accounting from Goldey Beacom College in Wilmington, Del., and completed the Tuck Executive Program at The Tuck School, Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H. His professional designations include Chartered Bank Auditor and Certified Systems Professional.

Tony Guthrie is managing principal and president of Reliance Trust Company, responsible for all of Reliance’s fiduciary operations including: Reliance Operations Services LLC, which is responsible for securities processing, trust accounting, fund accounting, mutual funds, reports and statements. In addition, Tony manages Reliance’s Non-Profit Organization Services, Wealth Management, Institutional Financial Services and Personal Financial Services. With more than 35 years of experience in banking and finance, his career includes executive vice president at C&S/Sovran Trust Company, Inc., now Bank of America, where he had responsibility for the national institutional trust services, corporate trust and sales divisions. Additionally, he held the position of executive vice president of Bank of America, working as division executive for corporate trust services and sales.

Tony is a member of the board of directors at Reliance, and also serves on the board of the Association of Independent Trust Companies. He previously served as a member of the CUSIP Board of Trustees, the American Banker Association’s corporate trust committee, the Securities Transfer Association’s government and industry committee, and as an advisory board member of the Institute of Certified Bankers. Tony is a graduate of Goldey Beacom College.

Dan Davis is a managing principal for Reliance and is responsible for asset management services, product development and sales. He has more than 30 years of experience in the financial services industry with special focus on asset management, retirement plan design, plan administration and marketing Prior to joining Reliance he was with C&S/Sovran Trust Company, Inc., and its successor corporation, Bank of America, where he served as senior vice president and director of the National Accounts Division. In addition, Dan has significant experience as a senior banking and financial services consultant.

Dan has a bachelor of business administration and finance from the University of Georgia and holds the professional designation of Certified Employee Benefit Specialist.

Billy Cave is a managing principal for Reliance and serves as a liaison for strategic alliances. With more than 40 years of financial services experience, his background includes managing director of Chase Investment Bank, as well as senior investment banking positions at Lehman Brothers and Warburg Paribas Becker. He was also a senior consultant with Earnings Performance Group and U. S. Banking Alliance.

Billy attended Furman University and is a graduate of the University of South Carolina. Additionally, he studied at Dartmouth and Harvard and graduated from the South Carolina School of Banking.

EXECUTIVE OFFICES

Executive Vice-President, Finance and Administration and Chief Financial Officer
Reliance Financial Corporation and Reliance Trust Company

Jerry Dawson is executive vice-president, finance and administration and chief financial officer for Reliance. He manages finance, human resources and marketing activities at Reliance and serves as assistant secretary to the Reliance board of directors participating in internal management and fiduciary committees.

Jerry retired after 32 years of services from NationsBank, now Bank of America, as executive vice president with the bank and its prior organizations—NCNB and C&S National Bank. While there he had the nationwide responsibility of the trust division's professional development programs, administrative and strategic planning activities, marketing, quality assurance, finance, human resources and shareholder relations. Currently he serves as director of the Bell Family YMCA in Hartwell, GA, and was past chair of the planning commission in Cobb County, GA. He also participates with the American Society of Corporate Secretaries and the Southeastern Corporate Fiduciary and Securities Transfer Association.

Jerry has a degree in business management from Guilford College, Greensboro, N.C.

Tony Greene joined the management team in 2006. One of his primary roles is working on the continuing strategic development of Reliance’s existing wealth management approach for its retail and wholesale channels, as well as a multi-family office program. Additionally, he serves as director of corporate communications, a new position at Reliance. He is responsible for helping create a strategic national communications program and assists in developing other planned initiatives.

Tony brings more than 18 years of marketing and public relations consulting experience to Reliance. He spent the last three years as part of a start-up team at StillPoint Advisors, Inc., a multi-family office firm headquartered in Atlanta. Prior to that, he served as the managing director of a public relations firm in Washington, D.C.

Tony is a graduate of Tulane University in New Orleans and received a master’s from the Boston University School of Journalism.

Executive Vice-President, Legal and Regulatory Affairs, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, Reliance Financial Corporation and Reliance Trust Company

Ronald Stallings is executive vice-president, legal and regulatory affairs, general counsel and corporate secretary for Reliance Financial Corporation, Reliance Trust Company and its affiliated companies.

Ron joined Reliance in January 2001, prior to this he practiced law for more than 30 years with Powell, Goldstein, LLP in Atlanta, GA, where he was a partner in the financial products group. He has extensive experience in a broad array of business and financial transactions for financial institutions, investment banking firms, institutional investors and other participants in the financial services industry.

Ron received a bachelor of industrial engineering from Georgia Tech, Atlanta, GA, and graduated from the University Of Virginia School Of Law. He is a member of the Atlanta and American Bar Associations, the State Bar of Georgia and the National Association of Bond Lawyers.

Tony Watson is senior vice president and general auditor for Reliance. Prior to joining Reliance in 1997, Tony was with NationsBank for five years as senior vice president and audit director for Florida and Georgia. At NationsBank he managed 70 professionals, directed nationwide audits of the transaction services functions of the general bank, and managed the audit committee relationships.

Tony has also served as senior vice president and senior audit director for C&S/Sovran Corporation, where he managed 60 professionals, the audit committee relationships, the banking/operations audit functions for Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, and was a member of the audit executive planning committee. Prior to the formation of C&S/Sovran, Tony served as senior vice president and general auditor of the Citizens & Southern Florida Corporation, where he was a member of the management committee and directed a staff of 40 professionals.

Tony graduated from the University of Georgia and The School for Bank Administration at the University of Wisconsin. He is a certified internal auditor.

BUSINESS LINE MANAGERS

Kerrie Bernardo is Reliance’s manager of Church and Non-Profit services, providing financing services support to churches, schools, and synagogues. She has been with Reliance since 1980, holding several positions within the company.

Kerrie has a bachelor of business administration from the University of Dayton in Dayton, OH. She completed a three year trust program at the Southern Trust School, completed the three year Corporate trust program at the Cannon Financial Institute and has been designated a Certified Corporate Trust Specialist from the Institute of Certified Bankers. Additionally, she attended the Tuck Gateway to Business Management Program at Dartmouth.

Eric Seibert manages the information technology group at Reliance. He joined the company in 1994 and prior to that, worked for NationsBank (now Bank of America) managing the corporate trust systems from 1988 to 1994, and National Computer Systems, where he was a senior installations consultant.

Eric has a bachelor of business administration from Millersville University, Millersville, Penn.

Bill Harlow is manager of Institutional and Wealth Services for Reliance and holds the officer title of executive vice president. With more than 30 years in the financial services, employee benefit and retirement industry, his career includes management and business development and sales assignments with NationsBank (now Bank of America), Humana Health Plans and the Pension Division of the Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company. Prior to his financial services career Bill spent six years in the United States Marine Corp.

Bill attended the University of North Texas and has completed advanced studies at Columbia University and the University of Chicago in financial services management and investments.

Mark Teichner is chief investment officer for Reliance. He oversees equity and fixed income strategy, portfolio management and product development, while also managing numerous separate account relationships. He joined Reliance in 1997.

Mark has more than 20 years of investment experience. Prior to Reliance, he worked for Regions Financial Corp. as a portfolio manager and research analyst, managing trust, employee benefit and charitable accounts. He also worked for AmSouth Bancorporation as an equity research and M&A analyst. He has extensive experience as a personal investment advisor and registered representative having held various securities licenses.

Mark has a bachelor’s in finance from the University of Florida, with a concentration in investments and a
master’s in corporate finance from Georgia State University. He also worked at the Economic Forecasting Center with noted economist Donald Ratajczak.

Dick Thayer is director of investment management at Reliance and chairman of the investment policy committee. His career includes working with First Union as regional sales manager for trust and investment management sales in Georgia and also served as director of sales planning for the Personal Trust Group. Additionally, he was with the Citizens & Southern National Bank, from 1980 to 1992, managing the Capital Markets Group and serving as president/CEO of C&S/Sovran Securities. He is a past chairman of the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board and served on the boards of the former Bank Capital Markets Association and the Funds Management Committee of the American Bankers Association.

Dick is a graduate of Ohio Dominican College, Columbus, Ohio, and the University of Michigan Institute of Public Finance.

Ed Linsley joined Reliance in 1996 and manages Reliance’s personal trust division. Prior to Reliance, he worked for Bank South Corporation for 12 years, managing its corporate trust division, trust operations and the employee benefits division. He also served as an officer of First National Bank of Atlanta
(now Wachovia Bank of Georgia) and was responsible for trust administration. Additionally, he was a national trust examiner for the office of the Comptroller of the Currency for seven years.

Ed has a bachelor of business administration from Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA. He is also a graduate of the National Graduate Trust School at Northwestern University.

Andy Crane is the wealth strategist for Reliance’s Advisory Services program. Most recently he was founding president and chief executive officer of Trust Company of the South located in Greenville, S.C. Prior to Reliance he was associated with Mountain Bank, Bank of America and Citizens and Southern Bank of South Carolina. Some of his previous responsibilities included leadership roles in private, national, corporate, correspondent and retail bank supervision.

Andy graduated from Wofford College and received an advanced certificate from the Stonier Graduate School of Banking at Rutgers University.

SUBSIDIARY MANAGERS

RELIANCE INSURANCE/THE HOLMES-SHAW AGENCY

President, CLU, ChFC, Reliance Insurance/The Holmes-Shaw Agency
(Subsidiary of Reliance Financial Corporation)

Bruce Shaw is president of Reliance Insurance/The Holmes-Shaw Agency and is a CLU, ChFC. He has almost 30 years of experience in the insurance industry joining the Marion Holmes’ Agency in 1983 and became a partner in 1984.

In January, 1991, when Marion Holmes retired, Bruce became president of The Holmes-Shaw Agency. He is president of the Atlanta chapter of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA), Life Leaders of Georgia and Life Member of the Million Dollar Round Table. He is also a past committee chair for Georgia State Association of NAIFA.

RELIANCE SECURITIES, LLC

President, Reliance Securities, LLC
(Subsidiary of Reliance Financial Corporation)

Ted Bowden has been president of Reliance Securities, LLC since 2005. With more than 26 years of banking and financial services experience, he handles the day-to-day management of Reliance Securities as well as all compliance related initiatives required of an NASD broker/dealer and a SEC registered investment advisor. Additionally, he manages all sales and marketing including development of new partner relationships, broker and advisor recruiting and all product development and offerings.

Ted was the senior vice president and director of products and services for Banc of America Investment Services, Inc. His career includes management, banking and securities, financial planning, investment services and sales and trading with Bank of America.

Ted has a bachelor’s and a master of business administration from the University of Florida. He also has his Series 4, 7, 24, 53, 63 and 65 licenses.