South Carolina Leadership

Cliff Hodge, President

As Chief Investment Officer for Cornerstone, Cliff oversees all aspects of investment due diligence for the firm, with a focus on asset allocation research, security analysis, manager due diligence and portfolio construction. Cliff chairs the firm’s investment committee and partners with committee members overseeing the firm’s investment strategy.

Cliff earned his undergraduate degree in Economics from Clemson University, and a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of South Carolina. He has also enriched his investment management expertise obtaining the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and through executive education programs at Harvard Business School. His dedication to fostering global leadership is evident through his participation as Vice President of the South Carolina CFA society, and through his contribution to the board of Capital Group’s National RIA Advisory Board. 

On a personal note, he and his wife Lindsey, take pride in raising three outstanding children; Finn (9), Jack (7) and Addy Rose (4). In his spare time, Cliff enjoys spending time with family and his dogs, watching football, mountain biking, and traveling.

LinkedIn

Greg Goff, Vice President

Greg Goff, CFA, is a Wealth Advisor at Goepper Burkhardt, a Registered Investment Adviser in Greenville, SC. Greg began his financial services career at Prudential in 2016. He later founded his own financial planning and investment management firm, Sound Wealth Management, which merged with Goepper Burkhardt. He has been a contributor for Bloomberg, CBS, and U.S. News.

Greg is a Chartered Financial Analyst® Charterholder, a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® Professional, and an IRS Enrolled Agent. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Financial Management with a minor in Accounting from Clemson University. He completed the Executive Program in Investment Management Theory and Practice at the Yale School of Management and earned a Financial Planning Certificate from the College for Financial Planning.

LinkedIn

Katie Hollenbeck, Secretary

Katie Hollenbeck, CFA, CFP® serves as Chief Investment Officer for Keen Capital, a Registered Investment Advisor in Chapin, South Carolina. Katie focuses on the research, structure and implementation of investment portfolios for Keen Capital. Katie has worked in Wealth Management for over 20 years and has served in planning, investments and operations.

Steve Werber, Treasurer

Steve Werber is Managing Partner at Charleston Harbor Capital, LLC, a GP/LP investing in a highly concentrated portfolio of North American and Western European publicly quoted SMID-cap businesses on a performance-fee-only basis. He works with public-company leadership to improve capital allocation, balance-sheet efficiency, medium-term targets, incentive compensation, and investor disclosure.

His international background includes a year each in Rennes and Vienna and eight years in London, where he used French and German as a banker and equity analyst. He previously founded a global equity long/short hedge fund, growing AUM from $7M to $650M while building the team and infrastructure.

He has raised over $125,000 through long-distance cycling for cancer and Alzheimer’s research and for year-round educational programs for underserved students in Charleston, and is a past Elder and usher at First (Scots) Presbyterian Church.

LinkedIn

Jerry Duan, Research Challenge

Jerry Duan is the Senior Vice President and Director of Credit Risk Models at United Community Bank, where he leads the development of advanced machine learning models that support credit risk assessment, underwriting, and portfolio monitoring. Prior to his current role, Jerry served as Director of Treasury Analytics & Stress Testing, where he led the bank’s Interest Rate Risk Management, Liquidity and Capital Stress Testing. He brings over 16 years of experience in financial risk management across both U.S. and Canadian financial institutions. 

Jerry holds the CFA designation, along with certifications as a CPA (Canada) and Financial Risk Manager (FRM). He also holds a Master of Science in Data Analytics from Georgia Tech and an MBA from York University. 

Beyond his professional career, Jerry serves as the Chairperson of the Analytics Advisory Board for the University of South Carolina Upstate’s MSBA program, where he delivers guest lectures on machine learning and fosters academic-industry collaboration. His passion for data-driven insight, professional ethics, and lifelong learning aligns deeply with the mission of the CFA Society.

LinkedIn

Thomas Ledbetter, Technology

Thomas is a Portfolio Manager at Colonial Trust which he joined in 2022. He previously worked as an Associate Investment Analyst for Wells Fargo Private Bank in Charlotte, NC. Thomas is a graduate of Clemson University with a Bachelor’s in Economics, and was awarded the CFA charter in October 2023. Thomas is originally from Greenville where he now lives with his wife, Ellison. His interests include running with his German Shorthaired Pointer, reading, cooking, and learning about programming.

LinkedIn

Eric Robbins, University Relations

Eric Robbins has spent his entire career in the stock market, retirement planning, and behavioral finance. After graduating from Asbury University in Kentucky in 1998, he joined a family-owned wealth management firm full-time, earning an MBA in 2005 and the CFA charter in 2009 while continuing to work. He later added the CFP® and CFT® designations.

In 2010, Eric began teaching Corporate Finance part-time at Penn State Behrend in Erie, PA, and moved into a full-time teaching position in 2013 to follow his passion for educating others. He is now an Associate Teaching Professor of Investments and Portfolio Analysis, Retirement Planning, and Behavioral Finance, teaching through Penn State Behrend, which hosts the Finance major in Penn State's World Campus online program. His program is verified with the CFP Board, qualifying students to sit for the CFP Exam after graduation, and he also teaches CFA-focused analysis coursework. Beyond the classroom, Eric leads corporate outreach as Associate Director in the Black School of Business, serves as Administrative Director of the MBA program, handles relationship management part-time at the family-owned RIA, and authors exam review material for Kaplan. He reads widely, bikes and kayaks whenever he can, and is active in his local church.

Miguel Cordi, Programming Greenville

Miguel Cordi is an Investment Analyst at Michelin North America, where he covers the defined benefit pension and defined contribution plans for both the United States and Canada. Prior to this role, he worked in asset backed securitization and corporate FP&A.

 Miguel earned a Bachelor of Science in Financial Management from Clemson University in May of 2022, and he became a CFA Charterholder in April of 2026. Through his involvement with the CFA community, Miguel hopes to promote ethical investment practices, lifelong learning, and meaningful connections among finance professionals.

Malone Vingi, Programming Charleston

Malone Vingi, CFA, CFP is a Private Wealth Client Performance Analyst at Roseate Group of Wells Fargo Advisors in Charleston, South Carolina. Malone co-leads the management of Roseate Group’s $2.5B+ discretionary assets under management.

 Prior to joining Roseate Group, Malone was an investment banking analyst in the Consumer & Retail group at Jefferies in Charlotte, North Carolina. 

 Malone earned his CFA charter in April 2025 and his CFP designation in November 2025. Malone graduated from Wake Forest University with a Bachelor of Science in Finance.

 Malone and his wife, Caroline, enjoy spending their free time walking their Golden Retriever and Bernedoodle, playing golf and tennis, and boating around Charleston.

Irina Koch, At Large

Irina Koch, CFA, MBA, is a Senior Vice President and Senior Portfolio Manager at Bank of America Private Bank in Charleston, South Carolina. Prior to joining Bank of America Private Bank, Irina was with Jackson Financial Services for over 10 years, having served in several roles, helping give her experience and insight into the wealth management needs of high-net-worth individuals and families. Previously, she held various roles at Synovus Bank.

Irina graduated, summa cum laude, with honors from the Citadel School of Business earning her Master's of Business Administration.

Irina is a CFA Charterholder and earned her charter in 2016. She has been actively volunteering with CFA Society South Carolina since 2016 and has served on the Board in various roles - Women Initiatives, Treasury, Advocacy Chair, and Secretary. Irina's passion is Financial Literacy and sharing that knowledge to empower others.

LinkedIn

Blain Pearson, At Large

Blain Pearson is an Assistant Professor of Finance at Coastal Carolina University's E. Craig Wall Sr. College of Business Administration, where he also serves as Director of the CFP Board–Registered Financial Planning Certificate program. He teaches investment analysis, retirement and estate planning, and financial planning capstone courses.

Blain earned his Ph.D. from Texas Tech University, MBA and BBA from Campbell University, and holds the CFA, CFP®, and AFC. He has authored more than 40 peer-reviewed publications examining financial decision-making, behavioral finance, and retirement.

Blain lives in Myrtle Beach with his wife, son, and German Shepherd.

Steven Wickline, At Large

To be updated.

Past Presidents