Partner and Portfolio Manager

Brian P. Alderson, CPA, CFA

Brian is a Partner and Portfolio Manager on the investment team at Providence Capital Advisors. In this role he is responsible for individual security analysis across all portfolio strategies.

Prior to joining Providence Capital Advisors, Brian was a manager at Ernst and Young LLP in New York. He provided audit services to public and private clients in the alternative investment space with a focus on the hedge fund industry.

Brian received his undergraduate and graduate degrees in accounting from the Pennsylvania State University in 2010. Brian is a Certified Public Accountant and a CFA^®charterholder and a member of the CFA Society of North Carolina.

Tax Analyst

Julie Baress, CPA, CFP®

Julie is a Tax Analyst at Providence Capital Advisors. She works with the Financial Planning team to evaluate each client’s individual planning needs and specific tax considerations.

Prior to joining Providence Capital Advisors, Julie worked at Elliott Davis where she prepared tax returns for individuals, corporations, and partnerships.  Julie earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a Master of Accounting from North Carolina State University.  Julie is a Certified Public Accountant and is working towards becoming a Certified Financial Planner.

On the weekends, Julie enjoys going for hikes with her husband Corey and their dogs Blaire and Piper.

Chief Operating Officer

Jane E. Bufkin

Jane is the Chief Operating Officer at Providence Capital Advisors. In this role, she oversees the firm’s operations, compliance, human resources, technology, and client service functions. With more than 20 years of experience in financial services, she ensures that Providence Capital Advisors delivers a seamless client experience while maintaining the highest standards of fiduciary and regulatory responsibility. 

Prior to joining Providence Capital Advisors, Jane spent 19 years at Bank of America where she specialized in risk management, compliance, human resources, and operational strategy.  Jane began her financial services career at Bear Stearns in 2003 after receiving her bachelor’s degree in marketing from Fairfield University.

Jane stays active in the community by serving on the board as treasurer and president for the St. Patrick Catholic School PTO.  She and her husband, Mike, also enjoy coaching youth sports for their three children, Joey, Rita, and Lucy.

Client Services Associate

Lauren Hassenzahl

Lauren is a Client Services Associate at Providence Capital Advisors. She provides client-related support to the internal PCA team and assists in supporting the clients of Providence Capital Advisors through customer-service related responsibilities and activities.

Prior to joining Providence Capital Advisors, Lauren worked in employee benefits with Lincoln Financial Group, spending 15 years as a benefit advisor, enrollment manager, and sales specialist. Lauren is a licensed agent in Life & Health insurance benefits.

Lauren received her undergraduate degree in psychology from Meredith College. She and her husband, Drew, reside in Charlotte with their three sons, Bo, Blake, and Benjamin. Lauren spends a great amount of her time outside of work on or in between soccer fields cheering on her sons and their teammates from the sidelines. She and Drew enjoy spending time with friends and family when the sports schedule permits.

Wealth Advisor

Brian Huff, CFP®

Brian is a Wealth Advisor at Providence Capital Advisors.  In his role, he works with new and existing clients across all aspects of financial planning to achieve their unique goals and objectives.  Brian has a wide array of expertise in financial planning, with emphasis in tax planning, cash flow planning, and risk management, especially for small businesses and their owners.

Prior to joining Providence Capital Advisors, Brian worked for 7 years at the entertainment business management firm Flood, Bumstead, McCready & McCarthy (FBMM).  At FBMM, he provided recording artists with a full suite of business management and personal financial services, including accounting, tax planning, risk management, cash flow planning, and strategic business planning.

After Brian studied trombone and graduated from The Juilliard School’s Pre-College program, he earned a Bachelor of Science in Business and Entertainment and a Bachelor of Arts in Music from American University in Washington, DC.  Brian is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professional.

Brian moved to Charlotte in 2021 to be closer to his parents, his two nieces, and his brother, David, who is a fellow advisor at Providence Capital Advisors.  He is a member of Plaza Baptist Church and has a passion for service, especially regarding food insecurity, homelessness, and responding to the disaster in Western North Carolina from Hurricane Helene. Brian enjoys spending free time cooking and being active, especially with tennis, yoga, jiu jitsu, and hiking.

Senior Wealth Advisor

David Huff, CFA®

David is a Senior Wealth Advisor at Providence Capital Advisors.  In his role, David works to fully understand client goals and then offers strategic financial guidance in developing comprehensive and customized plans.  His areas of expertise include portfolio construction, risk management, strategic tax and income tax planning, retirement planning, education and estate planning. 

Prior to joining the firm, David was a Banker with JP Morgan Private Bank for 5 years. There he provided clients with comprehensive wealth management solutions. Before JPM, David worked as a portfolio analytics specialist at FactSet Research Systems. At FactSet, he worked closely with asset managers to better understand the composition and embedded risks in portfolios.

David received his undergraduate degree in finance from the University of Notre Dame in 2011. He received his Masters in Business Administration from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2019 with a concentration in investment management and a family business focus. David is a CFA® Charterholder, and a member of the CFA Society of North Carolina. 

David stays active in the community by volunteering with several local charities.  He is particularly passionate about causes related to financial literacy, pediatric rare disease, and the IDD community.

David is originally from Connecticut and his wife, Meghan, is a native of Charlotte.  They have 2 daughters. David loves spending time with his family, traveling and the outdoors.

Principal and Director of Financial Planning

Brian S. Jones, CFP®

Brian is a co-founder and principal of Providence Capital Advisors, and serves as the Director of Financial Planning. In this role, he offers strategic financial guidance to clients in virtually every area of personal finance. His areas of expertise include asset management, strategic tax and income planning, retirement and social security strategies, banking and lending, insurance, long-term care, education, and estate planning.

Prior to co-founding Providence Capital Advisors, Brian served as the Director of Financial Planning at Willingdon Wealth Management. Brian joined Willingdon in 2009, became a principal of the firm the same year, and played a key role in helping Willingdon quadruple in assets under management during his six year tenure.

Brian began his career in financial services in 2000 with Bank of America after receiving his bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. During his nine years at Bank of America, Brian managed a banking center, was a Client Manager in the Premier Banking and Investments group and a Financial Advisor with the Wealth Management Division. Brian received his CFP^® designation in 2006.

Brian serves on the board and as treasurer for Memory & Movement Charlotte, a non-profit practice specializing in providing care for patients with Alzheimer’s, Dementia and Parkinson’s and support for their caregivers. Brian is also the Trustee of the Nicholas Caspero and Tomiko Vasey Foundation, a private Foundation that primarily supports educational, religious and medical research causes. Both Brian and his wife Lindsay are native Charlotteans. Lindsay is an oil painter and active community volunteer currently serving on the boards of the Sedgefield Middle School PTA and the CMS Foundation. Brian and Lindsay have a daughter, Ella and a son, William.

Client Services Associate

Jackie Joseph

As a Client Services Associate at Providence Capital Advisors, Jackie provides client-related, operational, administrative and executive support to the internal PCA team.  She also assists in supporting the clients of Providence Capital Advisors through customer-service related tasks and responsibilities.

Prior to joining Providence Capital Advisors, Jackie worked in operations and administration management in the real estate and financial services industries, spending 11 years as an office administrator with BDO USA, LLP in Charlotte, NC. Prior to her time with BDO, Jackie worked as an administrative services manager with Cushman & Wakefield in New Jersey.

Jackie resides in the Charlotte-area with her husband Ty. She enjoys Jeopardy, a good suspense novel and traveling as often as time permits.

Director of Investment Operations

Craig Lowder, CPA, CFP®

Craig serves as the Director of Investment Operations at Providence Capital Advisors. In his role, Craig is responsible for executing our trading, reporting, and investment technology functions.

Prior to joining Providence Capital Advisors, Craig led the operations team for another wealth management firm in Charlotte. Craig began his career in public accounting with PwC in Charlotte before working in a variety of roles in Corporate Finance and Risk Management at both Wells Fargo and Bank of America.

Craig earned his Bachelors in Commerce from the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia, with concentrations in Finance and Marketing. He earned his Master of Science in Accounting from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill. Craig is a Certified Public Accountant and holds the CFP® designation.

Client Services Manager

Meredith C. Miner

Meredith is the Client Services Manager at Providence Capital Advisors.  Meredith supports the internal PCA Team with integrating client solutions across the firm’s various platforms while also managing the day-to-day operational tasks and customer-service related responsibilities assigned to the PCA Client Services Team.

Prior to joining Providence Capital Advisors, Meredith spent 10 years working with Experian Information Solutions as a Relationship Manager and Sales Associate for the Strategic Client Program, and she has a strong background in sales and consumer credit data.  She also spent time working with local Charlotte businesses, Myers Park Mortgage and Thermal Techniques. 

Meredith received her undergraduate degree in Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.  On weekends, she spends time riding horses and cheering on her kids from the sidelines of a soccer field.  She, and her husband, Travis, reside in Charlotte with their two children, Finn and Cregan.

Client Services Associate

Carol F. Mitchell

As a Client Services Associate at Providence Capital Advisors, Carol provides client-related, operational, and cross-functional support to the internal PCA team. She also assists in supporting the clients of Providence Capital Advisors through relationship management and customer-service related responsibilities and activities.

Prior to joining Providence Capital Advisors, Carol spent the past 14 years at home raising her two children, Sophia and Ella. Her previous work experience includes 10+ years at Bank of America where she worked in product development and strategic marketing for eCommerce. As a product and marketing manager she developed and implemented growth initiatives to support various lines of business, while managing internal customers relationships within the consumer bank.

Carol is a native Charlottean. She enjoys traveling, camping, and spending time with family and friends.

Principal and Director of Financial Planning

Stephen P. Ratcliffe, CFP®

Stephen is a principal and Director of Financial Planning at Providence Capital Advisors.  In his role, Stephen works to fully understand client goals and objectives and then offers strategic financial guidance in developing comprehensive and customized plans.  His areas of expertise include asset management, insurance, strategic tax and income tax planning, retirement planning, social security strategies, education and estate planning. 

Prior to joining the firm in 2016, Stephen was a Wealth Management Advisor with Northwestern Mutual for 15 years.  Stephen received the CFP® designation in 2004.

Stephen stays active in the community by serving on the advisory board of the Salvation Army and volunteers with several other local charities. Since 2012, Stephen has led an effort to support the Salvation Army Angel Tree program by raising money and purchasing gifts for more than 1,600 families.

Stephen is a native of Charlotte and his wife, Allison, is from High Point.  They have 3 children, Graham, Colin and Kate.  Stephen loves spending time with his family and enjoys playing golf and tennis and coaching youth sports teams.

Principal and Chief Investment Officer

Thomas M. Searson, CFA

Tom is a co-founder and principal of Providence Capital Advisors and serves as the Chief Investment Officer. In this role, he directs the investment process at Providence Capital and is responsible for overseeing security selection within the portfolios.

Prior to co-founding Providence Capital Advisors, Tom served as Managing Director and Portfolio Manager at Willingdon Wealth Management for 10 years.   

Prior to beginning his investment career, Tom worked for Ernst and Young LLP in Chicago providing audit services for public and private clients across all industries.

Tom received his undergraduate degree in accounting from the University of Notre Dame in 1998. He received his Masters in Business Administration from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2004 with a concentration in investment management. Tom is a CFA® charterholder, and a member of the CFA Society of North Carolina.  During his time with Ernst and Young LLP, Tom was a Certified Public Accountant.

Tom’s wife, Stacey, is a Family Practice physician in Charlotte. They have two children, Ellie and Jack.

Research Analyst

Jeff Serbin, CFA®

Jeff is a Research Analyst at Providence Capital Advisors. Jeff works with the investment team and is responsible for individual security analysis across all portfolio strategies.

Prior to joining Providence Capital Advisors, Jeff held roles in HR, Operations, and Supply Chain for Amgen, Honeywell, and Owens Corning. These experiences offered Jeff broad exposure to a number of industries including Aerospace, Bio-technology, Building Materials and Chemicals.

Jeff received his Bachelors in Business Administration from The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business in 2014. He received his Masters in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University in 2020. He also received his Masters in Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business with concentrations in Investments and Corporate Finance in 2021. Jeff is a CFA® charterholder, and a member of the CFA® Society of North Carolina.

On weekends Jeff likes to spend time outdoors with friends and family. In the colder seasons he enjoys watching football, specifically the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Partner and Director of Financial Planning

Melissa S. Wall, CPA, CFP®

Melissa is a Partner and Director of Financial Planning at Providence Capital Advisors.  In this role, she works with new and existing clients in various aspects of financial planning.  Melissa has a broad range of expertise across financial planning topics, with a particularly deep level of expertise in strategic tax planning.

Prior to joining Providence Capital Advisors, Melissa worked on the Executive Advisory Services team at Bank of America, where she provided holistic financial and tax guidance to the corporation’s senior leadership.  Melissa served primarily as the tax advisor for her clients, evaluating and making recommendations on stock concentration planning, tax-efficient charitable planning, education funding strategies, retirement sufficiency, and estate planning.  Prior to joining Bank of America, Melissa began her career in Deloitte’s Private Client Advisors group focusing on tax compliance for partners of the firm, business owners, and multi-generational families.

Melissa completed her undergraduate work in accounting at Wingate University and received her Master of Professional Accountancy from Clemson University. She is a Certified Public Accountant and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional.  Melissa has served as an adjunct professor of accounting, and is currently a member of the Wingate University Business Advisory Council.

Melissa has a passion for servant leadership and has volunteered locally at the Loaves and Fishes pantry and internationally with Habit for Humanity in El Salvador. On Saturdays, you can find her running, coaching youth soccer or cheering on the Clemson Tigers.  Melissa is married to Steve, an administrator at Charlotte Country Day School, and they have two children, Declan and Ellie.