Advisors
Paul A. Pagnato
Managing Director, Partner
Paul is the Founder of the Pagnato-Karp Group and has created the systems and processes used by our 65 families. He is annually recognized by Barron's as one of the top advisors in the Metro DC area. Paul was honored as a top advisor by Washingtonian Magazine and has recently appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Fortune, The Washington Post, Yahoo! Finance, Reuters, On Wall Street, Investment News and other financial publications.
During last two decades Paul has advised over 60 Families through their business liquidity event, with a focus of providing cash flow strategies and protecting their capital. Paul spent 19 years with Merrill Lynch where he founded the Washington, D.C. Private Banking & Investment office. He consults to advisors nationally on practice & asset management strategies. A graduate of Florida Atlantic University. He and his wife Angela reside in Vienna, Virginia with their three children.
David W. Karp
Managing Director, Partner
David began his financial services career in 1990 as an equity research analyst at Oppenheimer & Company. His work experience includes tenures at Jeffries & Company, where he was an investment banking associate, Morgan Stanley, where he was a private portfolio manager and 15 years with Merrill Lynch, where he served as a Senior Vice President and Private Wealth Advisor for the Pagnato-Karp Group. David joins HighTower Advisors as Managing Director, Partner of the Pagnato-Karp group and acts as the primary point of contact for the families and organizations served by the Group. A graduate of American University, he was recognized by Barron’s as one of the top advisors in Washington, D.C. in 2011 and 2010.2 David lives in Vienna, Virginia with his wife, Holly, and their two daughters.
Charles S. Holt
Managing Director, Partner
Prior to joining HighTower, Charles Holt was a Senior Vice President of Investments in the Global Wealth Management Group at Merrill Lynch, bringing 23 years of experience to the financial services industry. He received a B.A. in Finance from Michigan State University and in 1998 completed the Merrill Lynch Financial Consultants Program at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.
Mr. Holt specializes in developing and implementing advanced planning and investment strategies for high-net-worth families. He concentrates on clients’ primary concerns: preservation of capital, tax minimization and lifetime cash flow needs.
He lives in Alexandria, Virginia with his wife Christina and 3 daughters; Emma, Sophie & Greta.
Jason Stoneman, CFA®
Director of Investments Strategies
Jason joins HighTower Advisors as Director of Investment Strategies for the Pagnato-Karp Group. Prior to joining HighTower Advisors, Jason spent six years at Merrill Lynch as a financial analyst. He holds a B.S. in Economics from the United States Military Academy and an M.B.A. in Finance from Johns Hopkins University. Jason is a Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA). Within the Pagnato-Karp Group, he focuses on investment strategy, municipal bond portfolios and investment manager due diligence. Jason and his wife, Shelly, live in Arlington, Virginia with their son.
Diana Grimsley
Financial Analyst
Diana joined HighTower after spending five years at Merrill Lynch in the Reston, Virginia office. She began her career as a client associate after receiving her B.S. in Finance from George Mason University. Within the Pagnato-Karp Group, she focuses on analyzing portfolio performance and asset allocation in addition to assisting in the client reporting process. Diana and her husband, John, live in Fairfax, Virginia.
Thomas Fitzhugh
Analyst
Tom manages the client reporting process for the Pagnato-Karp Group, facilitating the quarterly generation of client reports on portfolio performance and asset allocation. In addition, Tom collects and analyzes manager performance data, and oversees the team’s information technology platforms. He received his B.S. in Marketing and International Business from the University of Tennessee. Tom lives in downtown Washington, D.C.
Margaret Esquivel-Damato
Director of Private Wealth Services
Margaret’s twenty-five years of financial services experience includes positions in investment banking, portfolio administration and financial advisory services at Rockefeller & Company, Furman Selz in New York and Merrill Lynch. Within the Pagnato-Karp Group, she focuses on executing client investment programs and serving as a private banker to ultra high-net-worth clients. Margaret lives in Silver Spring, Maryland with her husband, John Paul, and their two children.
Maggie Shriver
Director of Private Wealth Services
Maggie joins HighTower Advisors as Director of Private Wealth Services for the Pagnato-Karp Group. Maggie’s experience includes over three decades at Merrill Lynch, serving high-net-worth clients. Within the Pagnato-Karp Group, she provides private banking services and focuses on the execution of client investment programs. A graduate of Sweet Briar College with a B.A. in Economics, Maggie resides in Alexandria, Virginia.
Katie Scott
Senior Private Wealth Specialist
Katie began her financial services career in the Private Banking and Investment Group at Merrill Lynch in Chicago, where she worked for nine years. Within the Pagnato-Karp Group, she focuses on client service, administration, execution of customized investment programs for high-net-worth clients, and private banking services. She received a B.S. in Psychology from Denison University and an M.Ed. from Boston College. An active volunteer on the distance running and triathlon circuit, Katie lives in Great Falls, Virginia with her husband, Mark.
Steve Wathen
Senior Private Wealth Specialist
Steve has extensive financial services experience, having worked in the industry for nearly two decades. Prior to joining HighTower Advisors, Stephen held management positions at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, Kidder Peabody, Prudential Securities and served as a client associate at Merrill Lynch. Within the Pagnato-Karp Group, he focuses on client relations, administrative support, private banking services, and investment program execution. Steve lives in Silver Spring, Maryland, with his two children.
Annie McCann
Senior Private Wealth Associate
Annie joins HighTower Advisors as a Senior Private Wealth Associate. Her work experience includes over two decades at Merrill Lynch, servicing high-net-worth families. Annie focuses on client service, execution of client investment programs, administration and banking services. Annie is a graduate of Marymount University and resides in Northern Virginia with her husband, and their two children.
A.J. Hawrylak
Concierge
A.J. joined HighTower Advisors after five seasons with the Washington Redskins, providing client service to suite owners, Touchdown Club members and Executive Entertainment Experience clients, while also assisting the President of Business Operations with business development initiatives. Within the Pagnato-Karp Group, he focuses on providing clients with concierge-level customer service. He received his B.S. in Marketing from George Mason University. A.J. resides in Alexandria, Virginia.
Shauna Smith
Concierge
Shauna joined HighTower as a Concierge after working in the sports industry where she focused on sponsorship consulting and client service. Within the Pagnato-Karp Group, she focuses on providing concierge-level customer service to their high-net-worth clients. Shauna received her B.B.A. from George Washington University and resides in Arlington, Virginia.
1In its February 22, 2011, February 19, 2010 and February 9, 2009, issues, Barron's magazine published its Top 1,000 advisors list, which includes the top financial advisors in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Financial advisors considered for Barron's "America's Top 1,000 Advisors: State-by-State" ranking have a minimum of seven years financial services experience and have been employed at their current firm for at least one year. Quantitative and qualitative measures used to determine the financial advisor rankings include: client assets, return on assets, client satisfaction/retention, compliance records, and community involvement, among others.
2In its February 22, 2011 and February 19, 2010 issue, Barron's magazine published its Top 1,000 advisors list, which includes the top financial advisors in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Financial advisors considered for Barron's "America's Top 1,000 Advisors: State-by-State" ranking have a minimum of seven years financial services experience and have been employed at their current firm for at least one year. Quantitative and qualitative measures used to determine the financial advisor rankings include: client assets, return on assets, client satisfaction/retention, compliance records, and community involvement, among others.