South Carolina Leadership

Katie Hollenbeck, President

Katie Hollenbeck, CFA, CFP® serves as Chief Investment Officer for Keen Capital, a Registered Investment Advisor in Chapin, South Carolina. Katie focuses on the research, structure and implementation of investment portfolios for Keen Capital. Katie has worked in Wealth Management for over 20 years and has served in planning, investments and operations.

Cliff Hodge, Vice President

As Chief Investment Officer for Cornerstone, Cliff oversees all aspects of investment due diligence for the firm, with a focus on asset allocation research, security analysis, manager due diligence and portfolio construction. Cliff chairs the firm’s investment committee and partners with committee members overseeing the firm’s investment strategy.

Cliff earned his undergraduate degree in Economics from Clemson University, and a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of South Carolina. He has also enriched his investment management expertise obtaining the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and through executive education programs at Harvard Business School. His dedication to fostering global leadership is evident through his participation as Vice President of the South Carolina CFA society, and through his contribution to the board of Capital Group’s National RIA Advisory Board. 

On a personal note, he and his wife Lindsey, take pride in raising three outstanding children; Finn (9), Jack (7) and Addy Rose (4). In his spare time, Cliff enjoys spending time with family and his dogs, watching football, mountain biking, and traveling.

LinkedIn

Irina Koch, Secretary

Irina Koch, CFA, MBA, is a Senior Vice President and Senior Portfolio Manager at Bank of America Private Bank in Charleston, South Carolina. Prior to joining Bank of America Private Bank, Irina was with Jackson Financial Services for over 10 years, having served in several roles, helping give her experience and insight into the wealth management needs of high-net-worth individuals and families. Previously, she held various roles at Synovus Bank.

Irina graduated, summa cum laude, with honors from the Citadel School of Business earning her Master's of Business Administration.

Irina is a CFA Charterholder and earned her charter in 2016. She has been actively volunteering with CFA Society South Carolina since 2016 and has served on the Board in various roles - Women Initiatives, Treasury, Advocacy Chair, and Secretary. Irina's passion is Financial Literacy and sharing that knowledge to empower others.

LinkedIn

Steve Werber, Treasurer

Steve Werber is Managing Partner at Charleston Harbor Capital, LLC, a GP/LP investing in a highly concentrated portfolio of North American and Western European publicly quoted SMID-cap businesses on a performance-fee-only basis. He works with public-company leadership to improve capital allocation, balance-sheet efficiency, medium-term targets, incentive compensation, and investor disclosure.

His international background includes a year each in Rennes and Vienna and eight years in London, where he used French and German as a banker and equity analyst. He previously founded a global equity long/short hedge fund, growing AUM from $7M to $650M while building the team and infrastructure.

He has raised over $125,000 through long-distance cycling for cancer and Alzheimer’s research and for year-round educational programs for underserved students in Charleston, and is a past Elder and usher at First (Scots) Presbyterian Church.

LinkedIn

Paul Meeks, Programming Charleston

Paul Meeks, CFA, CAIA is the Managing Director - Head of Technology Research at Freedom Capital Markets in New York. He also assists the provost at The Citadel in Charleston, SC. He has been an equity analyst, portfolio manager, research director, or chief investment officer at buy-side firms since 1987.

LinkedIn

Michael Andreason, Programming Columbia

John Decker, Programming Greenville

Bobby Killins, University Relations

Greg Goff, Technology

Greg Goff, CFA, is a Wealth Advisor at Goepper Burkhardt, a Registered Investment Adviser in Greenville, SC. Greg began his financial services career at Prudential in 2016. He later founded his own financial planning and investment management firm, Sound Wealth Management, which merged with Goepper Burkhardt. He has been a contributor for Bloomberg, CBS, and U.S. News.

Greg is a Chartered Financial Analyst® Charterholder, a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® Professional, and an IRS Enrolled Agent. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Financial Management with a minor in Accounting from Clemson University. He completed the Executive Program in Investment Management Theory and Practice at the Yale School of Management and earned a Financial Planning Certificate from the College for Financial Planning.

LinkedIn

Jerry Duan, Member At Large

Jerry Duan is the Senior Vice President and Director of Credit Risk Models at United Community Bank, where he leads the development of advanced machine learning models that support credit risk assessment, underwriting, and portfolio monitoring. Prior to his current role, Jerry served as Director of Treasury Analytics & Stress Testing, where he led the bank’s Interest Rate Risk Management, Liquidity and Capital Stress Testing. He brings over 16 years of experience in financial risk management across both U.S. and Canadian financial institutions. 

Jerry holds the CFA designation, along with certifications as a CPA (Canada) and Financial Risk Manager (FRM). He also holds a Master of Science in Data Analytics from Georgia Tech and an MBA from York University. 

Beyond his professional career, Jerry serves as the Chairperson of the Analytics Advisory Board for the University of South Carolina Upstate’s MSBA program, where he delivers guest lectures on machine learning and fosters academic-industry collaboration. His passion for data-driven insight, professional ethics, and lifelong learning aligns deeply with the mission of the CFA Society.

LinkedIn

Thomas Ledbetter, Member At Large

Thomas is a Portfolio Manager at Colonial Trust which he joined in 2022. He previously worked as an Associate Investment Analyst for Wells Fargo Private Bank in Charlotte, NC. Thomas is a graduate of Clemson University with a Bachelor’s in Economics, and was awarded the CFA charter in October 2023. Thomas is originally from Greenville where he now lives with his wife, Ellison. His interests include running with his German Shorthaired Pointer, reading, cooking, and learning about programming.

LinkedIn

Past Presidents