KEY PROFESSIONALS
Alexander B. Miles
Managing Partner
Mr. Miles is a Co-Founding Partner of Kingfisher Capital, an independent money management and family office services firm with a global vision. Mr. Miles directs firm strategy and serves as Chief Investment Officer, overseeing the firm’s Investment Committee. Since 2003, Mr. Miles has also served as Portfolio Manager for the firm’s flagship investment strategies and alternative investment funds.
As a thought and practice leader, Mr. Miles has developed Kingfisher’s unique family office approach to integrate the best available resources to help both family and corporate clients formulate and achieve security, lifestyle and legacy goals. He also oversees the delivery of the firm’s global investment solutions to high net worth individuals, retirement plans, foundations and bank and brokerage advisory platforms.
Prior to founding Kingfisher, Mr. Miles’ investment career spanned WealthTrust Advisors, the Myers Limited Partnerships, and Lehman Brothers in New York. After graduating from The Hotchkiss School in 1991, Mr. Miles attended Colgate University where he played Varsity baseball. He earned an English degree from Emory University in 1996 before spending three years working for the PGA Tour. Mr. Miles received his Master of Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Mr. Miles has been a frequent contributor to financial news organizations including Reuters, Fox Business, The Business Journal, Financial Advisor Magazine, The Wall Street Transcript and The Charlotte Observer. He has also been a presenter and guest at industry leading conferences including the Milken Institute Summit in London, the Global Water Intelligence Conference in Rome, The Shell Innovation Forum in Houston and many others. Mr. Miles is committed to supporting civic and cultural venues in our community and has served as Board Officer, Coach, Volunteer, at many organizations including The Charlotte Latin School, Dilworth Little League, the Rosedale Foundation, and Envision Charlotte, a unique public-private collaboration that provides a global model of environmental sustainability for measurable economic results. Mr. Miles lives in Charlotte with his wife Ulrike, who serves on the Boards of Directors for The Charlotte Symphony Orchestra and The McColl Museum for Art and Innovation.
H.K. Hallett
Managing Partner
H.K. Hallett is Co-Founding Partner of Kingfisher Capital, an independent money management and family office services firm with a global vision. Mr. Hallett is Chief Operating Officer and Chief Compliance Officer, responsible for the management of Kingfisher’s Operations, Client Service, Compliance, and Administrative functions. In addition, H.K. has served many of the firm’s key family clients for now three generations.
Kingfisher Capital provides clients a comprehensive wealth management solution supported by a specific expertise in money management and our integrated family office platform. Mr. Hallett serves as a member of the firm’s investment committee and oversees certain portfolios for wealthy individuals, families, and foundations.
In 1989, Mr. Hallett co-founded Kingfisher Capital’s legacy firm, James M. Myers Research, Inc., an independent, registered investment advisory, where he served as President for fifteen years. During that time, Mr. Hallett also managed operations for its affiliated Broker-Dealer. He worked for Trust Company Bank of Georgia and Peoples Bank of North Carolina before joining Carolina Securities Corporation, where he co-managed the Charlotte office.
H.K. received his Master of Business Administration with a concentration in finance from Georgia State University. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Woodberry Forest School. He is active in the Charlotte community and has served on the Board of Historic Rosedale, The UNC Chapel Hill Board of Visitors, Executive Board of Mecklenburg County Council Boy Scouts of America, and The Investment Committee for the YMCA of Greater Charlotte.
Nicole Brandon
Director of Wealth Services
Nicole leads Kingfisher's internal team of client resources and manages our institutional service partners to ensure each client receives an integrated and comprehensive wealth management solution that fits their unique needs. Leveraging decades of thought leadership and personal and professional relationships cultivated over three generations, Kingfisher serves as clients’ central point of contact. Ms. Brandon delivers on a key tenant of Kingfisher's philosophy -- that providing comprehensive, best-in-class solutions for clients involves the integration of vetted advice from trusted experts across the investment, research, estate planning, independent trust services, tax strategy, and asset protection spectrum.
Since moving to Charlotte from New York in 2007, Nicole has over 15 years of experience in the investment industry working with wealthy families, business owners and foundations. Prior to joining Kingfisher, Nicole served as Director of Operations for two Independent Investment Advisory firms, Capital Wealth Advisors and Byron Financial where she worked directly with many of the firm’s key clients to provide a personalized hands-on touch. She has also played a critical role in developing and implementing best practices, including introducing new and emerging technologies to support portfolio administration and client services.
A native of Manhattan, Nicole grew up in the city before attending boarding school in Connecticut at Rumsey Hall and Choate Rosemary Hall. Nicole attended both George Washington University and the State University of New York, where she received her undergraduate degree. In New York, Nicole worked in Operations for Kendall Tarrant Worldwide and Aon Consulting before moving to Charlotte.
Nicole is active in our community and is an avid CMS volunteer for Selwyn Elementary, AG Middle School and Northwest School of the Arts. She is also an advocate in improving public education in the Charlotte community. A long-time yoga practitioner, Nicole continues to support the Veterans Yoga Project, providing fundraising efforts and coordination to provide teacher training for those in the military to bring the practice to bases for troops serving overseas. She lives in Charlotte with her husband and two children.
Virginia M. Starnes
Director of Operations
Ms. Starnes serves as Director of Operations for Kingfisher, providing operational leadership in several business areas including portfolio administration, compliance, client service, and trading.
Ms. Starnes has extensive experience serving high net worth clients and has worked in the wealth and investment management industry for more than 20 years. Ginny has been an invaluable member of the Kingfisher team for the last fifteen years, providing operational structure and continuity to our organization and the families we serve.
Ms. Starnes graduated from Methodist University with a BS in Math & Physics.
E. Brian Smyth
Director of Research and Trading
Mr. Smyth serves as Director of Research and Trading, supporting the firm’s investment research and portfolio construction and supervising its trading desk. Mr. Smyth serves on the Investment Committee and is responsible for conducting fundamental analysis on the firm’s investments. Since 1995, he has worked as an analyst and partner at several hedge funds and investment banks in Charlotte, including Hubbert Peak Partners, where he was founder, Williamson Investors LP and Myers Limited Partnerships.
Mr. Smyth received his Master of Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Prior to graduate school, he served four years as an officer in the US Navy, stationed aboard a guided missile cruiser in Charleston, SC. He earned his B.A. from the University of Oklahoma. He is the President of the Carolina Investment Club, and serves as Chair of the Deacons at Park Road Church. He is a member and Past President of the Charlotte SouthPark Rotary Club and is an Assistant Scoutmaster at Boy Scout Troop 116 in Charlotte, where he lives with his wife and two boys.
Ulrike W. Miles
Strategic Philanthropy Lead
Mrs. Miles leads Kingfisher's community outreach and strategic philanthropy initiatives designed to support the firm’s mission to maximize value across all areas of our clients’ personal and professional lives. Ulrike possesses a steadfast commitment to supporting the arts, while building education programs for underserved communities through public – private – corporate partnerships. These initiatives enable innovation, creativity, inclusion and a strong worth-ethic to promote access, upward economic mobility, and a lifelong love for learning.
Since 2013, Ulrike has served on the Boards of Directors of both the McColl Center for Art + Innovation and the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, including as the Development Chair of the Executive Committee for the past three years. Along with her husband Alex, Ulrike served as Chair of the 2019 Symphony Gala featuring Itzhak Perlman and was the lead architect of the 2021 Charlotte Symphony Re-Opening Celebration featuring Branford Marsalis.
In 2019, Mrs. Miles became a Charter Member of the Executive Board of Directors for Arts at Queens and the Sarah Belk Gambrell Center for the Arts and Civic Engagement. Ulrike and Alex also serve the Board of Visitors at Queens University of Charlotte.
Prior to Kingfisher, Mrs. Miles created and ran the student retention department at Queens University, where she served as President of the Staff Council and was awarded university Staff Person of the Year. She also worked at State Street Bank in Boston. Mrs. Miles was raised in Austria and is fluent in English, German and Spanish. She studied at both the University of Vienna and Queens University of Charlotte and is also a graduate of Leadership Charlotte XXXI and the Arts and Science Council Leadership Training Program. An accomplished presenter and moderator, Ulrike's work has been published in academic journals and trade conferences.
Worth William Calfee
Senior Director
Bill Calfee serves as Senior Director for Kingfisher Capital joining the firm in 2017 after a 25 year career with the PGA Tour, Inc. Mr. Calfee develops and services key Kingfisher clients including corporate executives, professional athletes, business owners and entrepreneurs. Bill also works closely with small to mid-sized businesses to optimize their retirement benefits platform leveraging Kingfisher Retirement Plans solutions.
Mr. Calfee served on Commissioner Tim Finchem’s Executive Team at the PGA Tour, Inc. for the majority of his career. Calfee served as President of The PGA Tour’s WEB.COM Tour from 2006 to 2017 where he established his organization as the primary path for players to qualify for membership with The PGA Tour. Prior to heading the WEB.COM Tour and NIKE Tour, Bill was in charge of Tournament Competitions for the entire PGA Tour, Inc.
A 1971 economics graduate of the University of Maryland, Mr. Calfee was a two time All America on the golf team and the University’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year as a senior. Bill is also a former professional athlete, competing as a player on The PGA Tour from 1976 to 1985 and earning the longest average drive on tour in 1982. Following a successful career as a professional golfer, Mr. Calfee started his own financial planning and investment consulting business in Florida before being hired by Finchem in 1991 as The PGA Tour’s Director of Player Benefits and Services. He currently lives in Ponte Vedra, Florida with his wife Heather and has two sons.
Hanna Yesuf
Senior Wealth Services Manager
Hanna serves as our Senior Wealth Services Manager and is an integral part of our Wealth Services team. Ms. Yesuf works with key clients to provide integrated and comprehensive wealth management solutions that fit their unique needs. With more than 15 years of experience in the investment management industry, Hanna serves as an experienced client advocate, helping families and business owners identify and address key priorities.
Prior to joining Kingfisher, Hanna served as a Vice President for Philanthropic and Family Office Solutions at Bank of America Private Bank in New York City where she worked with ultra-high-net-worth Clients ($50 Million+) totaling $1.6Bn in assets. Prior to her tenure at the Private Bank, Hanna served for 5 years as a Registered Client Associate at Merrill Lynch in South Bend, Indiana. At Merrill Lynch, Hanna was the primary point of contact for 250 clients. During that period, Hanna also earned her MBA from Indiana University in South Bend.
Hanna has a strong history as a self-starter and consistently sought areas for both personal and professional improvement wherever she has been. She has completed certificate programs in Design Thinking and Entrepreneurship from MIT Sloan School of Management and Cornell University, respectively.
Ms. Yesuf was raised in Ethiopia before relocating from New York City to Charlotte with her husband. She continues to serve on the Boards of a youth development organization in Washington D.C. and the Ethiopian Community Mutual Assistance Association in NYC.
Catherine Chandler, C.P.A.
Accounting and Bookkeeping Services
Ms. Chandler provides accounting and bookkeeping services to Kingfisher and its clients. After becoming a CPA in 1983, Catherine opened a small accounting firm providing tax and accounting services for a wide variety of small businesses and individuals.
Catherine earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Accounting from College of the Holy Cross. In addition to working as an accounting consultant, Ms. Chandler has worked as a controller for real estate development and construction companies.
Catherine is a Pro Advisor for QuickBooks Online.
Robin Shaw
Manager of Office Administration
Robin serves as the Manager of Office Administration. In her role, Mrs. Shaw supports our Client and Wealth Services teams, while managing day to day office functions for the firm. She regularly collaborates with firm Principals and executes communications campaigns to keep clients informed and support firm growth.
Prior to joining Kingfisher, Robin worked as a non-profit campaign specialist & manager with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Pennies for Patients campaign for 15 years, cultivating service learning partnerships with 500+ schools in 40 western NC counties. She spent two years as a teacher assistant at Providence Spring Elementary after 12 years as a full-time mom. Her early career included manufacturing support at Corning Glass in Wilmington, NC; paralegal at Harbert International Inc, Birmingham, AL; trainer at Total System Services Inc, Columbus, GA, and customer service with Peoples Bank in Kitty Hawk, NC.
Robin holds a BA in English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Paralegal Certification from the National Center for Paralegal Training (NCPT) in Atlanta. She lives in Charlotte with husband Ron.
ADDITIONAL STAFF & RESOURCES
Debra B. Lynch
Compliance Adviser
Ms. Lynch advises our Chief Compliance Officer, providing regulatory compliance and consulting services to Kingfisher Capital. As a Senior Director at ACA Group, Ms. Lynch and the ACA team provide comprehensive compliance support to independent wealth managers, institutional investment advisers, hedge fund and mutual fund managers, and pension consultants. Prior to ACA, Debbie spent close to 18 years in a similar capacity with Barge Consulting. Earlier in her career, she also spent seven years at a wealth management firm in Atlanta as an integral part of the team where she was involved in all aspects of the firm’s advisory business including compliance, trading, operations, client service, financial planning, portfolio management and technology.
Chuck Tomlinson
Information Technology & Data Security Adviser
Chuck Tomlinson serves as Kingfisher’s primary IT and Data Security Manager. Mr. Tomlinson owns Spectrumwise, an independent IT Management and Consulting firm and, along with his experienced technology team, has served Kingfisher for more than a decade.
Founded in 2001, Spectrumwise began with the vision to help businesses achieve greater success with their technology and focuses its strengths in: Managed IT for Network and Computers, VOIP Telephone Systems, Cloud Computing, Disaster Recovery Backup, Offsite Data Storage, Network Security, Server Virtualization, VPN Remote Access, IT Help-desk and Equipment Procurement.
Prior to Spectrumwise, Chuck worked in banking as a branch manager followed by serving eight years in the United States Air Force as an F-15 Fighter Jet Electronics Technician and also IT Manager for his Squadron and base Lockheed Martin division.
Chuck has earned an Associate Degree in Avionics Technology from the Community College of the Air Force and holds multiple IT industry accreditations.
