About Vail Capital

As CIO, Chris leads Vail Capital Management’s investment team and is responsible for all investment and asset allocation advice provided to the firm’s clients.

Chris has over three decades of experience in the financial services industry and has held various senior positions in the institutional equity divisions and private wealth management divisions of several large global financial institutions, including Citigroup, J.P. Morgan and Morgan Stanley.

Prior to his investment career, Chris spent a decade in commercial real estate, where he specialized in tenant representation as a broker for Cushman & Wakefield before launching his own Atlanta-based firm, Shepard & Graham, Inc.

Chris was born and raised in Connecticut and currently resides in Dallas, Texas. He has two sons, Lucas and Nicholas, who attend The University of Arkansas. Chris lives and works in Dallas and represents clients throughout the U.S. When he’s not busy analyzing the markets he enjoys time with his family, flying, traveling and outdoor recreation.

As Assistant Portfolio Manager, Luke plays a key role in supporting the delivery of thoughtful, disciplined investment strategies supporting portfolio construction and ongoing rebalancing, monitoring performance and identifying opportunities for improvement and conducting market research and investment analysis. Working closely with senior portfolio managers, Luke helps ensure portfolios are actively monitored and aligned with evolving market conditions.

Nick assists with financial analysis to help drive Vail Capital’s investment decisions with an emphasis on fundamental market research and data analysis. Nick is a graduate of the University of Arkansas – Walton College of Business. Away from the office, Nick enjoys travel, golf, working out and playing guitar.

Christopher leads the coaching and financial planning teams for Mariner Independent. His teams focus on creating complex financial plans, delivering advice and insight to independent advisors and assisting them as they serve their clients.

Prior to joining Mariner, Christopher was an advisor at a large wirehouse and then at an independent RIA. He left the advisory world to become a professor at Texas A&M University, where he developed and taught curriculum for their CFP^® Board Registered Program. Most recently, he was the director of training and development at a registered investment adviser.

Christopher holds a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics from Texas A&M University and an MBA from East Texas A&M University-Commerce.

Away from the office, Christopher enjoys the outdoors, spending time with his three daughters and attending college sporting events. He also teaches part-time as an adjunct professor at the Texas A&M School of Law and serves as a supply corps officer in the US Navy Reserves.

Rachel is a senior wealth strategist at Mariner. She provides financial planning and business development support to Mariner advisors through her work on the financial planning team. Additionally, she is dedicated to advisor growth and development as a member of the advisor coaching team. She cohosts the monthly webinar series, the Advisor Development Program, which provides best practices and guidance for maintaining and growing advisors’ business. She also engages with advisors via advisor study groups and individual coaching calls.

Prior to joining Mariner, Rachel worked at Northern Trust as a senior investment associate. She serviced ultra-high-net-worth clients as part of the portfolio management team. In this role, she was responsible for presenting economic outlook and portfolio performance reports to clients while supporting three senior portfolio managers’ book of business.

Rachel has a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University. She is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER^® professional and earned a graduate certificate in financial planning from New York University.

Away from the office, Rachel loves to kayak and jet ski year-round in South Florida, where she resides.

Alfred Cantilina is a wealth strategist supporting the firm’s financial planning efforts. He works closely with advisors and their clients to deliver comprehensive, technology-driven planning that aligns financial strategies with long-term goals and life priorities.

With a background in tax planning, Alfred brings experience as a former tax firm owner and operations manager, along with prior work supporting Fortune 1000 executives on complex financial planning and tax matters.

Alfred holds a degree in financial planning from William Paterson University and is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER^® professional.

Outside of his professional role, Alfred enjoys fitness and nutrition, outdoor activities and spending time with his son, especially during the summer months at beaches and lakes.

Ruth is an associate wealth strategist on the practice management team at Mariner. She works closely with advisors to create financial plans for clients and investment proposals for prospective clients. She also assists advisors with inquiries pertaining to a wide array of financial planning matters. She is passionate about growing her knowledge in financial planning and creating a lasting impact at Mariner.

Prior to Mariner, Ruth was an advisor with McAdam Financial, where she evaluated clients’ assets in preparation for retirement. She helped analyze client portfolios to develop strategies designed to help improve tax efficiency, emphasizing employee benefit analyses and spend-down strategies.

Ruth graduated from Georgia State University with a bachelor of business administration degree in finance. She made the dean’s list during her junior year and is a lifetime learner. She is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER^® professional.

Ruth considers herself creative and adores all things pertaining to art. While she loves socializing with friends and meeting new people, she also enjoys time alone to bask in nature, create small rugs, cook new recipes and care for her 40 plants. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia.

Ryan is the director of tax planning and preparation at Mariner. He assists in the preparation and review of client tax returns. He also provides tax planning and projections based on clients’ specific needs. He coordinates training for new staff on tax processes and software. 

Prior to joining Mariner, Ryan was a senior tax accountant at Commerce Bank with a focus in income tax compliance. Prior to that, he was a senior tax associate with McGladrey, where he was responsible for working with a diverse client base on their tax-related needs with a focus on S-Corporation and individual tax preparation and planning services.  

Ryan holds a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in accounting from the University of Kansas. He is a Certified Public Accountant. 

Away from the office, Ryan is involved in his church through many leadership roles. 

Ozzy is a portfolio manager at Mariner, where he leads the Portfolio Management & Consulting team and partners closely with independent advisors on portfolio construction, implementation, and ongoing management. His work bridges investment strategy and real-world client outcomes across public and private markets, with a focus on tax-aware trading and portfolio implementation.

Before joining Mariner, he was an investment analyst at a San Francisco–based firm specializing in customized portfolio management and hedging strategies for ultra-high-net-worth clients.

Ozzy is based in Los Angeles, where he spends time with his family, enjoys the beach, and stays close to the markets.

Marn serves as a consultant supporting independent advisors with portfolio construction and tailored investment strategies. By providing deep research and strategic guidance, he helps advisors navigate the markets and deliver personalized investment plans to their clients.

Prior to joining Mariner, he was an investment analyst for multiple RIAs, where he oversaw model management, manager due diligence, and trading/rebalancing. He also played a key role in developing market review processes, delivering high-level analysis on the economy and valuations to drive informed investment decisions.

Marn graduated summa cum laude with a degree in Finance from Samford University. He is a CFA Charterholder and an active member of the CFA Society of Alabama.

Marn lives in Birmingham, AL with his wife, daughter, and dog. He is involved with his church, enjoys cooking, trying out new restaurants, learning new skills, and traveling.

Michael leads the private investments efforts at Mariner and is responsible for manager research, selection, oversight of the private investments platform and advisor and client communications related to alternatives. He serves on the Investment Committee and the Private Investment Committee.

Prior to joining Mariner, Michael was a vice president at Comvest Partners, a West Palm Beach, Florida-based private investment firm. He began his career at Blackstone in the firm’s private equity investor relations and business development group and worked as a management consultant at Marakon, a boutique strategy consultancy. Additionally, he served as an economics associate in the White House under President Obama.

Michael has a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and political science from the University of Pennsylvania, graduating cum laude. He also has an MBA from the Columbia Business School, where he graduated with Dean’s Honors.

Away from the office, Michael enjoys spending time with his family, playing golf, personal investing, following current events and politics and college football.

J.P. is one of the professionals involved in the management of Mariner’s individual equity strategies. J.P. also serves as the equity team’s product specialist and is a liaison between the equity team, wealth teams and their clients. He has over eight years of experience in the financial services industry.

Prior to joining Mariner, J.P. held a regional sales specialist position at Touchstone Investments where he consulted financial advisors on institutional manager selection for their clients’ investment portfolios. He worked with managers like Rockefeller Capital Management, Sands Capital Management, Copper Rock Capital Partners, Longfellow Investment Management, Barrow Hanley, Miller/Howard Investments, ClearArc Capital, and several others.

J.P. holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from the University of Kentucky.

Away from the office, J.P. is a member of the CFA Institute and CFA Society of Cincinnati.

Tony is an Independent Portfolio Management & Consulting Analyst at Mariner, where he supports advisors through portfolio management, trading and ongoing portfolio oversight. He is passionate about building thoughtful investment solutions and providing advisors with the tools and support they need to help clients achieve their long-term financial goals.

Tony brings more than a decade of investment industry experience. He spent the first 10 years of his career on the institutional side, primarily at MFS Investment Management, where he partnered closely with portfolio managers and trading teams to deliver investment analytics, performance reporting and portfolio insights. More recently, Tony spent three years in the RIA space, where he focused on portfolio management and investment research.

Outside of work, Tony enjoys spending time with his wife Suzanne and their Mini Bernedoodle, Annie. You’ll often find him on the golf course, relaxing at the beach or checking out local car shows.

Nolan serves as an Analyst within the Portfolio Management Group for advisors utilizing Mariner’s independent channel. He assists advisors and their clients with proposals, new portfolio implementation, trading / portfolio rebalancing and individual client cash needs.

Prior to joining Mariner, Nolan spent many years in both front-office and back-office roles at a variety of firms, first getting his start at Morgan Stanley in firm-wide brokerage operations specializing in retirement plans. He then later moved to Boca Raton, FL to work with one of the largest front-office teams in the state who specialized in IPO capital markets syndicate allocations for Morgan Stanley’s hedge fund clients. After this role, he moved to Credit Suisse Private Bank in Palm Beach, FL where he served as an Associate in Private Wealth Management.  Following that role, he moved to J.P. Morgan in Columbus, OH, first working as a ‘Series 24 registered’ Principal approving new brokerage accounts & then later to J.P Morgan’s SMA/UMA managed accounts trading desk.  Then most recently at Assetmark Financial, headquartered around the San Francisco Bay area, where he also traded SMA & UMA managed accounts

Nolan has a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics & political science from Bowling Green State University in northwestern Ohio.

Based in Columbus, Ohio, Nolan is a fan of The Ohio State Buckeyes, enjoys lacrosse, college football, playing golf, following capital markets, and spending time with family and friends.

Piper is an Investment Analyst for Mariner’s Investment Strategy Group, focused on delivering investment solutions for complex client needs and providing advisors with comprehensive investment guidance. In this role, she partners with advisors and clients on portfolio construction, asset allocation and investment strategy. Prior to joining the Investment Strategy Group, she worked on the Private Investments Team at Mariner.

Piper has a Bachelor of Science degree in finance from the University of Kansas and graduated with honors and distinction.

Away from the office, Piper enjoys traveling and spending time with her friends and family.