Meet your dedicated crew.

Brent Wertz is the Managing Partner at Deep Blue Investment Advisors. Brent provides strategic leadership for the company and is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the firm’s investment process. He heads implementation of the firm’s investment strategies and portfolio risk management. He serves on the firm’s investment and credit committees.

Brent started Deep Blue based on his experience serving as a consultant to special taxing districts throughout the State of Florida assisting these districts in bond offerings, assessment allocation, and collections as well as assisting District Managers with treasury management.

Brent is a graduate of Virginia Military Institute with a Bachelor of Arts in economics. Brent received his master’s degree in business administration from the University of Tampa.

David Jang is a Managing Partner at Deep Blue Investment Advisors responsible for directing the firm’s marketing, business development and client advisory services. His strategic vision and long-time relationships have resulted in the firm’s meteoric rise in assets under management/advisement from less than $1 billion in 2015 to $10 billion in 2022. He serves on the firm’s executive, investment, and credit committees. David’s investment advisory experience, coupled with his client-focused approach, enables him to work with each entity’s investment team and tailor advice to meet their unique investment goals, objectives and adherence to all applicable state investment statutes. His ability to understand and assess the multi-layered components affecting local governments enables him to provide valuable insight to the firm’s treasury management, investment management and consulting clients. David routinely speaks at Florida’s government associations, chapters, annual conferences and various CPE seminars, customizing his discussions to locale, current economic conditions and the challenges that face Florida’s entities.

Prior to joining Deep Blue Investment Advisors, David spent 12 years working with Florida local government clients and 32 years overall in investment advisory services.

David earned his bachelor’s degree in economics from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. He earned the Association of Financial Professionals (AFP) designation of Certified Treasury Professional (CTP). David is a Registered Investment Advisor with the Florida Office of Financial Regulation.

Ken Couch is the Director of Texas Business Development and Client Advisory Services for Deep Blue Investment Advisors. In 2019, Ken joined the firm and was tasked with launching and growing the firm’s Texas practice. His knowledge of local governments allowed Ken to grow assets from $0 to over $2.2 billion in less than 3 years.

His focus is on client service and business development. Ken services Florida and Texas local governments with fixed income investing of operating funds, reserve funds and bond proceeds and strategizes with clients to identify short- and long-term investment options.

Prior to joining Deep Blue Investment Advisors, Ken spent more than 26 years working with various governmental entities encompassing counties, cities, school districts, universities and colleges, and special districts.

Ken earned his bachelor’s degree in applied arts and sciences from Texas State University and holds FINRA Series 6 and Series 63 licenses. Ken also provides investment training sessions and seminars for his clients, as well as the various associations and organizations throughout Florida and Texas. He is a member of the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA), Government Finance Officers Association of Texas (GFOAT), Government Treasurers’ Organization of Texas (GTOT) and Texas Association of Business Officials (TASBO).

George Yao is the Director of Business Development for the Florida market. In this role, George identifies and develops new business opportunities while forging enduring relationships with our clients. George has spent more than 40 years working with various government entities — including counties, cities, school districts, universities, hospitals, and special districts.

Prior to joining Deep Blue, George was a Senior Vice President at UBS, where he partnered with a full spectrum of over 100 institutional accounts with a concentration in credit unions, smaller banks, and government entities. George was previously a Senior Vice President at Morgan Stanley.

George earned his Bachelor of Business Administration degree in finance from the University of Miami. He currently holds FINRA Series 6, 7, 63 and 65 licenses.

Dominick Cristofaro is a Director of Client Advisory Services. He is responsible for developing and servicing client relationships, including cities, counties, special districts, and other public entities.

Prior to joining Deep Blue Investment Advisors, Dominick spent 8 years with the District School Board of Pasco County where he served as Treasurer and Director of Finances Services. Prior to Pasco County, he has a wide array of investment experience including financial advising, managing institutional portfolios, and
trading.

Dominick received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Connecticut and his Masters in Business Administration from the University of Hartford.

He currently holds a FINRA Series 65 license.

John Scott is a Client Advisory Associate at Deep Blue Investment Advisors. John plays a key role in supporting the Client Advisory team, specializing in cultivating new and existing client investment relationships with an emphasis on separately managed accounts and Florida Fixed Income Trust (FL-FIT) investment pools.

Before joining Deep Blue, John dedicated fourteen years to teaching mathematics. He transitioned into the wealth management sector as an Operations Analyst at Members Trust Company, where he honed his account management and client service acumen. His background in education paired with these skills makes him a valuable and dynamic asset to our team.

John holds a Bachelor of Science degree in secondary mathematics education from St. Petersburg College.

Jeff Harvey is the Director of RIA Operations. In this role, he is responsible for the oversight of middle- and back-office operations and reporting, as well as interdepartmental processes, procedures, and protocols. Jeff is instrumental in supporting the Deep Blue leadership team with strategic planning, improving operational efficiency to maximize our client, vendor, and employee experience.

Jeff brings with him 30 years of experience in wealth management operations. Prior to joining DBIA, Jeff spent 10 years in FinTech in various capacities — including business development, project management, and portfolio accounting software design as a solutions architect. Preceding his tenure in FinTech, he served for over 20 years as a leader in various operational positions for RIAs, hedge funds, outsourcing service providers, and large sell-side institutions.

Jeff earned a Bachelor of Science degree in economics and finance from Fairleigh Dickinson University and a Master of Business Administration degree in investment finance.

Grant Presson is a Client Service Associate. He provides customer service to investors in everyday functions, such as onboarding and new client administration, as well as supports the client advisory team. He also serves as a client advocate by providing a “high touch, high value” experience, to address client needs.

Prior to joining Deep Blue Investment Advisors, Grant worked for 3 years at Psychological Assessment Resources, where he honed his customer service and product marketing skills.

Grant graduated from the University of South Florida with a Bachelor of Science in finance.

Benjamin Streed is the CFA Director of Fixed Income. In this role, he works with investment professionals to deliver comprehensive, custom, diversified portfolio management strategies for separately managed accounts, consulting clients and the U.S. Fixed Income Trust local government investment pools. Benjamin directs the Portfolio Management team and serves on the firm’s investment and credit committees. In his role, Benjamin also serves as an investment thought leader by providing insight and interpretation of the economy and financial markets at client events and through written guidance to the field.

Prior to joining Deep Blue, Benjamin served as a fixed income portfolio strategist and was a member of that firm’s investment strategy committee and both the strategic and tactical asset allocation sub-committees. He has also served as an investment analyst and portfolio manager where he focused on providing unique investment solutions for high-net-worth families.

Benjamin earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration with a focus on finance from Emory University and a Master of Science in finance (MSF) from Georgetown University where he graduated as class valedictorian. He is a CFA® charterholder and frequently volunteers his time with the CFA curriculum advisory committee and the Georgetown MSF alumni council.

Dan Marro is a Portfolio Manager. In this role he conducts market research, devises and implements strategies, and executes trades for separately managed accounts and US Fixed Income Trust local government investment pools, constructing portfolios that fit client needs. Dan was previously a fixed-income trader for Raymond James, where he oversaw trading flow for foreign debt — managing both a proprietary book as well as order flow for high-net-worth individuals and institutional accounts. This role also saw him discuss market strategy with fellow advisors, helping them formulate portfolios for their clients. Dan graduated from Stetson University with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance with a minor in statistics. He has been a CFA® charter holder since 2015.

Tim is responsible for analyzing business processes, identifying opportunities for improvement, and ensuring regulatory compliance. The position’s responsibilities may include gathering and documenting requirements, conducting feasibility studies, and collaborating with stakeholders to define project scope. This position will also assist in technology implementations, solutions architecting, and data analysis and provide insights to enhance overall business efficiency and effectiveness within the regulatory framework of the RIA industry.

After completing his education, Tim worked for 2 years at Bryn Mawr Trust, where he worked in the Deposit Operations department.

Tim is a graduate of the University of South Carolina, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in economics and political science.

Vito is responsible for analyzing market trends, economic indicators, and interest rate movements to formulate investment strategies with the portfolio management team within fixed income securities. This role involves assessing risk and providing recommendations to optimize returns while considering factors like credit quality and duration.

Additionally, this role will be responsible for communicating insights to clients, the business development team, client advisors, the management team, and stakeholders in portfolios and staying abreast of market conditions to adapt strategies accordingly.

Before joining Deep Blue Investment Advisors, Vito worked at Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan, and Berkshire Bank specializing in investment analysis, performance tracking and forecasting, and market research.

Vito graduated from the University of Albany with a Bachelor of Science in business administration and accounting. Vito currently holds FINRA Series 65 and SIE licenses.

Suanne Lee is the Director of Administration and Finance and is responsible for day-to-day office operations and administrative functions including contract administration, finance, payroll, human resources, information technology and records management.

Suanne brings a diverse finance and operations background to Deep Blue Investment Advisors having worked in several different industries, both public and private, with expertise managing areas such as accounting, payroll, purchasing, capital assets, contract administration, records management, logistics, and warehouse operations and logistics.

Prior to coming to Deep Blue Investment Advisors, Suanne spent the last 10 years as the Director of Internal Services with Monroe County School District.

Suanne received a Bachelor of Science in business administration and management from Saint Leo University.  Suanne also holds CPPO, CPPB, and FCRM industry certifications.

Liz Gonzalez serves as the Director of Reporting. She oversees client reporting including vendor relationships, production of marketing materials, and communication between departments. She manages delivery of all reports to clients and is responsible for onboarding accounts with the firm’s vendors and establishing data feeds to the appropriate custodians.

Prior to joining Deep Blue Investment Advisors, Liz spent 24 years with a financial firm performing several roles throughout her career spending the most time working with Investment Advisory Services. Most recently, Liz led a research team of high performing and skilled individuals whose primary focus was on data analysis, process improvement, and creating alignment across teams and departments.

Liz graduated from National Louis University with a Bachelor of Science in management. She is a certified trainer: Train the Trainer – Langevin Learning Services.

Courtney Hislop is the Senior Reporting Analyst for Deep Blue. She is responsible for developing and providing reporting for separately managed accounts, consulting clients and both the Florida Fixed Income Trust (FL-FIT) and Texas Fixed Income Trust (TX-FIT) local government investment pools.

Before joining Deep Blue, Courtney served with Charles Schwab where her role as research specialist provided opportunities to advance and streamline many of the processes the team performs.

Courtney studied at the University of Florida and currently holds a FINRA 63 license.