Our executive management team averages more than 30 years of experience in the financial services industry and provides senior level management to every aspect of our business. Our executive management is supported by a core team of professionals who also have significant experience in the financial services industry. Their collective experience has resulted in a large network of both leaders of corporations and institutions and affluent investors with whom our executive management has developed extensive relationships.

• George L. Ball is Chairman of the Board and Co-Chief Executive Officer of The Edelman Financial Group and Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Sanders Morris Harris Inc. He is a Director of SMH Capital Advisors Inc.,The Edelman Financial Center, LLC, and Leonetti & Associates, LLC, all SEC-registered investment advisers. He was a director of Sanders Morris Mundy Inc. and was its non-executive Chairman of the Board from May 1992 to July 1997. Mr. Ball is a former governor of the American Stock Exchange and the Chicago Board Options Exchange, and served on the Executive Committee of the Securities Industry Association. Mr. Ball received a BA from Brown University in 1960.
• Ric Edelman is President & Co-Chief Executive Officer of The Edelman Financial Group, and Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Edelman Financial Services LLC, Edelman Financial’s largest holding. Mr. Edelman was elected to Sanders Morris Harris Inc.’s Board of Directors in May 2009. Twice ranked by Barron’s as the #1 independent financial advisor in the nation, Mr. Edelman is also a #1 New York Times best-selling author and host of a popular, nationally syndicated radio show and the weekly public television series, The Truth About Money. He is a Certified Fund Specialist, Chartered Mutual Fund Counselor, Registered Financial Consultant, Qualified Financial Planner, and Certified Retirement Counselor®, and is Board Certified in Mutual Funds. Mr. Edelman received a BA in Communications from Glassboro State College (now Rowan University), Glassboro, NJ, in 1980 and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Rowan in 1999. Mr. Edelman also taught personal finance at Georgetown University for nine years.
• Ed Moore is Executive Vice President of Wealth Management for The Edelman Financial Group and President of Edelman Financial Services LLC. Mr. Moore has worked with Ric Edelman for more than 20 years as a financial advisor and in developing the firm’s top ranked financial planning practice. He played a key role in developing the Edelman Managed Asset Program (EMAP) and has been instrumental in its success. Mr. Moore is also a Registered Investment Adviser Representative and principal with Sanders Morris Harris Inc. Prior to joining Edelman Financial, Mr. Moore was branch manager of a national brokerage firm. He is a Certified Financial Planner™ and is licensed to sell securities, life and health insurance and variable annuities. He received a B.S. in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research from Virginia Tech in 1983.
• Joe Bottazzi, II is Chief Communications Officer for The Edelman Financial Group and Executive Vice President of Business Development at Edelman Financial Services LLC, where his responsibilities include overseeing the Client Education and Communications department and the firm’s Information Technology strategy and organization. Prior to joining Edelman Financial, Mr. Bottazzi was an executive with Hewlett-Packard for 31 years, serving most recently as the Senior Vice President of its Americas Technology Services business. Mr. Bottazzi received his BS in Marketing from Rowan University in 1980 and a MBA in Finance from Fordham University in 1990.
• Rick Berry is Chief Financial Officer of The Edelman Financial Group and is also Senior Vice President of Sanders Morris Harris Inc., a position he has held since June 2000. He has served as Vice President and Secretary of SMH Capital Advisors Inc. since 2000. From April 1998 to April 2000, Mr. Berry was Chief Financial Officer of Petrocon Engineering, Inc., a provider of engineering services principally to the international petroleum industry. He was Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Treasurer of TEI, Inc. from December 1991 to March 1998, and Secretary from January 1997 to March 1998. From August 1989 until October 1996, Mr. Berry was Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Tanknology Corporation International, which later became TEI, Inc. Mr. Berry is a Certified Public Accountant and was employed by Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co. after graduating from the University of Texas with a BBA.
• Bruce R. McMaken was elected Executive Vice President-Corporate in March 2008. Mr. McMaken joined Sanders Morris Harris Inc. in 1992 and prior to his election was a Senior Vice President. He serves as a manager for the SMH Private Equity Group Funds I and II and for The M.D. Anderson Proton Therapy Center, a for-profit venture between The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, the Company, and private investors who developed and operate a cancer treatment facility in Houston. He currently serves on the boards of Tantalus Systems Corp., which provides advanced, wireless metering systems for utilities, and of Compact Power, Inc., a manufacturer and distributor of compact labor-saving power equipment. Mr. McMaken received his B.A. degree from Cornell University in 1981.
• Bill Coquelin is Chief Information Officer (CIO) of The Edelman Financial Group. Previously, he was a principal at a technology consulting company, providing IT oversight and solutions to firms in the pharmaceutical and defense contracting markets. For the past 20 years, he has served in CIO and other technical/operations senior leadership roles with financial industry firms in the Greater Washington, D.C. Region, as well as a multinational financial services firm. Mr. Coquelin received a BS in Management from George Mason University in 1988.
• Eraine J. Parker is Chief Compliance Officer for The Edelman Financial Group and Edelman Financial Services LLC. Ms. Parker has more than 25 years of compliance and accounting experience in the financial industry, including five years with FINRA. Prior to joining EFS in 2007, Ms. Parker served in a bank-affiliated broker-dealer and registered investment advisor; during her 23-year tenure, she served as CCO. She received her BA in business administration from Georgia State University in 1988.
• Lesley V. Roberts is Chief of Staff for The Edelman Financial Group and Edelman Financial Services LLC. Ms. Roberts joined Edelman Financial Services in 1998 as the Director of Human Resources. In her corporate career of more than 20 years, she has also held human resources management roles in the airline and major retail industries. Her areas of responsibility cover human resources, office administration, facilities and real estate.