Leadership | Society Board of Directors 2019-2021

Thomas H. Arthur, CFA

President, CFA Society Mississippi Board

Vice President of Investments, Southern Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance Company 

Thomas is responsible for guiding the tactical and strategic investment decisions for Southern Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance and its affiliates. He currently manages over $3 billion in discretionary fixed income assets and oversees equity investment operations. Thomas has 20 years of combined experience in various capacities within the investment industry. He has a B.S. in Accounting from Mississippi State University and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation. Thomas lives in Brandon, Mississippi, with his wife, Jackie, and two young sons.

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 Walter P. Neely, CFA, PhD

Candidate Preparation/Scholarship Chair, CFA Society Mississippi Board

Emeritus Professor of Finance, Millsaps College (Else School of Management)

Walter Neely is Emeritus Professor of Finance at Millsaps College's Else School of Management. He received his bachelor's and master's degrees in business administration from Mississippi State University, and his doctorate in finance from the University of Georgia. In addition to his role in prepping candidates and serving as Scholarship Chair for CFA Society Mississippi, Walter also serves as president of the board of directors for the Mississippi Museum of Art Foundation, Inc. He is also chair of the Bower Foundation's Finance Committee, and serves on the Junior League of Jackson's Keystone Investment Committee. Walter has been active in community organizations, serving as chair of Midtown Finance Committee, chairman of Mississippi Food Network, and treasurer of St. Andrew's Episcopal School.  He and his wife, Frances Jean, reside in Jackson, Mississippi, and are the parents to three children and grandparents to six grandchildren. 

Tony Edwards, CFA, CPA

Treasurer, CFA Society Mississippi Board

Senior Vice President/Wealth Strategies Manager, BankPlus Wealth Mgmt. Group

As a graduate of Harding University with a degree in accounting and economics, Tony brings more than 30 years of investment account management experience to his position at BankPlus Wealth Management Group. He is a CFA charterholder and serves on CFA Society Mississippi's board as treasurer and a former president of the board. Tony is also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a member of the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) and Mississippi Society of CPAs. Through the AICPA, Tony has earned the designation of Personal Financial Specialist.

 Douglas P. Muenzenmay, CFA, CFP® 

Public Awareness Chair, CFA Society Mississippi Board

Senior Advisor and Principal, Medley Brown Investment Advisors 

As an investment advisor at Medley Brown Investment Advisors, Doug helps his clients define their objectives and builds investment portfolios that allow them to achieve their goals. He began his investment career in 1991 shortly after graduating from the University of Iowa. He earned his Master of Business Administration from Mississippi College in 2007. Doug is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®). He and his wife, Sharon, live in Brandon, Mississippi, with their two children, Maggie and Dawson.

 Ryder Taff, CFA, CIPM

Program Chair, CFA Society Mississippi Board

Advisor and Owner, New Perspectives Inc.

Ryder Taff is an advisor and owner at New Perspectives Inc. where he has worked since 2011. He graduated from the University of Bristol with a B.S. in Mathematics and Philosophy. He became a CFA charterholder in January 2015 and completed the Certificate of Investment Performance Measurement (CIPM) Program in December 2015. Along with his advisory partner, Nancy Anderson, PhD., CFA, Ryder hosts Mississippi Public Broadcast's Money Talks radio program. In addition to his role with the CFA Society Mississippi Board, he is also a board member for the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science and the Madison-Ridgeland Rotary Club. Ryder lives with his wife, Blair, in his hometown of Jackson, Mississippi.

 Steven Langley, CFA

Society Board Member, CFA Society Mississippi Board

Senior Vice President/Portfolio Manager, Regions Asset Management 

As senior vice president and a portfolio manager at Regions Asset Management, Steven is responsible for developing individualized investment strategy and management investment portfolios on behalf of private clients. He is also responsible for overseeing a team of portfolio managers operating out of Mississippi and Alabama. He has served in formal advisory roles pertaining to firm portfolio tax optimization strategy as well as portfolio construction processes. Steven received a Bachelor of Business Administration in Risk Management from Mississippi State University in 2005 and a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from Millsaps College in 2006. He lives in Brandon, Mississippi, with his wife and young son.

 Zach Farmer, CFA

Technology and Membership Chair, CFA Society Mississippi Board

Director of Securities Management, Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Co.

Zach is primarily responsible for management of the bond portfolio at Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company (SFBLI). He and his team manage approximately $10 billion dollars of assets internally – predominantly corporate, municipal, and mortgage-backed bonds. Zach began his career at SFBLI a decade ago and has experience in external manager selection and monitoring, credit and capital structure analysis, and asset allocation decisions. He received a bachelor's degree in Risk Management and an MBA from Mississippi State University and has been a charterholder since 2015. Zach lives in Madison, Mississippi, with his wife, Casey, and two children, James and Alice.

 Frank Smith, CFA 

Advocacy Chair, CFA Society Mississippi Board 

Investment Manager for Institutional Portfolios, Smith Shellnut Wilson, LLC 

Frank serves as the investment manager for institutional portfolios at Smith Shellnut Wilson. In this capacity, he is responsible for fixed-income analysis, strategy and trading. Further, he is responsible for developing investment plans and recommendations in response to clients' individual needs. Frank serves on the Investment Committee considering both equity and fixed- income strategies for the company. Prior to joining Smith Shellnut Wilson in 2005, Frank worked as a Wealth Management Portfolio Analyst for BankPlus in Ridgeland, Mississippi. He received his undergraduate degree from Delta State University and an M.B.A. from Millsaps College with a concentration in Finance and Marketing. In 2012, Frank earned his CFA designation.

Paula Nielsen, CFA 

Forecast Dinner & Ethics Chair, CFA Society Mississippi Board 

Portfolio Manager, Southern Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance Company

Paula Nielsen, CFA, is a Portfolio Manager at Southern Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance Company. In this role, Paula manages the 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. Prior to her current position, Paula was the Chief Investment Officer at the Office of the State Treasurer, where she managed the state’s General Fund, and she also worked as a Portfolio Manager at the Public Employees’ Retirement System of Mississippi (PERS), overseeing the domestic and more recently international equity managers that made up the state’s pension fund. Paula holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance and a Master in Business Administration with a focus in finance, both from Mississippi College. She has also earned the CFA designation and currently volunteers as the Forecast Dinner and Ethics Chair as part of the board for the CFA Society of Mississippi. Paula is a Guatemala native, relocated to the US more than 10 years ago, and currently resides in Clinton, Mississippi, with her husband, Charles, and son, Michael.

 Heath R. Jordan, CFA, SVP 

Board Member, CFA Society Mississippi Board 

President and Chief Investment Officer, Trustmark Investment Advisors, Inc. 

Investment Advisor, Securities and Exchange Commission

Heath is the President and Chief Investment Officer of Trustmark Investment Advisors, Inc. (TIAI) and a registered investment advisor with the Securities and Exchange Commission. TIAI is a wholly owned subsidiary of Trustmark National Bank and is focused on delivering investment solutions for Governments, Institutions , Foundations, and high net-worth individuals. Heath joined Trustmark in 2001 and has 22 years of experience in the investment industry including securities analysis, asset allocation, quantitative modeling, and mutual fund management. He is a graduate of Belhaven University, earned the right to use the Chartered Financial Analyst designation, and is continually fascinated by the intersect of human behavior and the financial world. Heath is a past president and current board member for the CFA Society of Mississippi.

Mary Margaret Pritchard

Society Administrator, CFA Society Mississippi

In her role as society administrator for CFA Society Mississippi, Mary Margaret works closely with the Society board to coordinate regular events, serve as board administrator, and help to guide the board through CFA Institute reporting and growth requirements. She also handles and maintains email correspondence on behalf of the Society, all Society social media channels, the Society's website, and event management for the Society. These communications generally relate to society membership and renewal, luncheons, networking events, and the Annual Forecast Dinner and registrations. In addition to this role, Mary Margaret also works as a Communications Specialist for the Public Employees' Retirement System of Mississippi. She lives in Brandon, Mississippi, with her husband, Hal, and daughter, Abigail.

For general questions about CFA Society Mississippi, feel free to reach out to Mary Margaret or any of the above-listed board members via email to info@mississippi.cfasociety.org.