Professionals
Investment Banking
wealth management
John Dyett
Co-Founder and Managing Director
Mr. Dyett is a Founder of Salem Partners and Salem Partners Wealth Management. Mr. Dyett heads the firm's efforts in the Life Sciences. He has raised in excess of $500 million of equity and completed multiple merger and acquisition assignments for Salem Partners' clients. Mr. Dyett helped raise several rounds of venture capital for Adams Respiratory Therapeutics which was purchased for $2.3 billion by Reckitt Benckiser in 2008. Recently, Mr. Dyett helped launch ZS Pharma, a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on developing non-absorbed drugs for renal, cardiovascular, liver and metabolic diseases. Salem raised several rounds of venture capital and participated in each round as a principal investor. ZS Pharma completed a successful initial public offering in June 2014 and was subsequently purchased by AstraZeneca plc for $2.7 billion. Mr. Dyett serves on the investment committee of Salem Partners Wealth Management. Prior to founding Salem Partners, Mr. Dyett was a banker with Gerard Klauer Mattison & Co., Inc. and Needham and Co., Inc. Mr. Dyett serves on the Board of Directors of Femasys, Inc., Sebacia, Inc. and the Sierra Total Return Fund. Mr. Dyett also serves on the Board of Trustees of Middlesex School in Concord, MA. Mr. Dyett is a graduate of Harvard College.
Co-Founder and Managing Director
Mr. Dyett is a Founder of Salem Partners and Salem Partners Wealth Management. Mr. Dyett heads the firm's efforts in the Life Sciences. He has raised in excess of $500 million of equity and completed multiple merger and acquisition assignments for Salem Partners' clients. Mr. Dyett helped raise several rounds of venture capital for Adams Respiratory Therapeutics which was purchased for $2.3 billion by Reckitt Benckiser in 2008. Recently, Mr. Dyett helped launch ZS Pharma, a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on developing non-absorbed drugs for renal, cardiovascular, liver and metabolic diseases. Salem raised several rounds of venture capital and participated in each round as a principal investor. ZS Pharma completed a successful initial public offering in June 2014 and was subsequently purchased by AstraZeneca plc for $2.7 billion. Mr. Dyett serves on the investment committee of Salem Partners Wealth Management. Prior to founding Salem Partners, Mr. Dyett was a banker with Gerard Klauer Mattison & Co., Inc. and Needham and Co., Inc. Mr. Dyett serves on the Board of Directors of Femasys, Inc., Sebacia, Inc. and the Sierra Total Return Fund. Mr. Dyett also serves on the Board of Trustees of Middlesex School in Concord, MA. Mr. Dyett is a graduate of Harvard College.
email John at jdyett@salempartners.com
Stephen Prough
Co-Founder and Managing Director
Mr. Prough is a Founder of Salem Partners and Salem Partners Wealth Management. In addition to his management responsibilities for Salem Partners’ two main businesses, Mr. Prough oversees the firm’s media and entertainment investment banking practice, focusing primarily on mergers and acquisitions advisory services. Mr. Prough’s clients include Hearst, Sony, Liberty Media, JP Morgan, Village Roadshow and a number of independent media companies, as well as numerous investors in the media and entertainment sector. Since founding Salem Partners, Mr. Prough has completed more than 50 mergers and acquisitions transactions involving media and entertainment companies. Mr. Prough also serves on the investment committees of Salem Partners Wealth Management. Prior to founding Salem Partners, Mr. Prough was a Vice President in the Media and Communications Investment Banking Group of Furman Selz LLC. At Furman Selz, Mr. Prough advised major media companies such as Time Warner, Sony and New Line Cinema. Mr. Prough is a graduate of Harvard College, where he majored in Government and was a Harvard Scholar.
Co-Founder and Managing Director
Mr. Prough is a Founder of Salem Partners and Salem Partners Wealth Management. In addition to his management responsibilities for Salem Partners’ two main businesses, Mr. Prough oversees the firm’s media and entertainment investment banking practice, focusing primarily on mergers and acquisitions advisory services. Mr. Prough’s clients include Hearst, Sony, Liberty Media, JP Morgan, Village Roadshow and a number of independent media companies, as well as numerous investors in the media and entertainment sector. Since founding Salem Partners, Mr. Prough has completed more than 50 mergers and acquisitions transactions involving media and entertainment companies. Mr. Prough also serves on the investment committees of Salem Partners Wealth Management. Prior to founding Salem Partners, Mr. Prough was a Vice President in the Media and Communications Investment Banking Group of Furman Selz LLC. At Furman Selz, Mr. Prough advised major media companies such as Time Warner, Sony and New Line Cinema. Mr. Prough is a graduate of Harvard College, where he majored in Government and was a Harvard Scholar.
email Stephen at sprough@salempartners.com
Jeff Barcy
Managing Director
Mr. Barcy has amassed over two decades of experience on Wall Street and in real estate private equity, including 13 years at Credit Suisse and three years at Cantor Fitzgerald. Mr. Barcy has raised over $20 billion in capital for private real estate companies, REITs, homebuilders and developers through a combination of joint-ventures, initial public offerings, follow-on offerings, loans, senior and subordinated notes and CMBS deals. He has also advised large companies on conversion from a C-corp to a REIT and advised CEOs on many mergers and acquisitions. Mr. Barcy began his banking career at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette ("DLJ") which was later acquired by Credit Suisse in 2000. In addition to his investment banking experience, Mr. Barcy previously served on the senior management team and Board of Directors at Hearthstone, a real estate private firm with over $12 billion invested in the homebuilding industry. Mr. Barcy also successfully raised institutional capital for investments in distressed real estate including purchases directly from banks and the FDIC. Mr. Barcy graduated with high honors from Harvard and earned an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Managing Director
Mr. Barcy has amassed over two decades of experience on Wall Street and in real estate private equity, including 13 years at Credit Suisse and three years at Cantor Fitzgerald. Mr. Barcy has raised over $20 billion in capital for private real estate companies, REITs, homebuilders and developers through a combination of joint-ventures, initial public offerings, follow-on offerings, loans, senior and subordinated notes and CMBS deals. He has also advised large companies on conversion from a C-corp to a REIT and advised CEOs on many mergers and acquisitions. Mr. Barcy began his banking career at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette ("DLJ") which was later acquired by Credit Suisse in 2000. In addition to his investment banking experience, Mr. Barcy previously served on the senior management team and Board of Directors at Hearthstone, a real estate private firm with over $12 billion invested in the homebuilding industry. Mr. Barcy also successfully raised institutional capital for investments in distressed real estate including purchases directly from banks and the FDIC. Mr. Barcy graduated with high honors from Harvard and earned an MBA from Harvard Business School.
email Jeff at jbarcy@salempartners.com
James Ratkovich
Managing Director
Mr. Ratkovich joined Salem Partners in 2014 as a Managing Director of Salem’s real estate equity and development platform. Throughout his three decades in the real estate industry, Mr. Ratkovich has planned, developed, redeveloped, financed and managed a diverse array of projects throughout the West Coast and Hawaii. His experience includes a wide assortment of property types, comprised of multifamily residential, commercial, industrial, historic rehabilitation, mixed-use and luxury resort properties. Mr. Ratkovich is a past chairman of a national Urban Land Institute (ULI) product council (Urban Development Mixed-Use Green), a member of Smart Growth America, LOCUS, and Real Estate Conference Group. Mr. Ratkovich graduated with a BS from San Diego State University, is a licensed real estate broker in the State of California, and is a frequent conference panelist and guest lecturer for various real estate organizations.
Managing Director
Mr. Ratkovich joined Salem Partners in 2014 as a Managing Director of Salem’s real estate equity and development platform. Throughout his three decades in the real estate industry, Mr. Ratkovich has planned, developed, redeveloped, financed and managed a diverse array of projects throughout the West Coast and Hawaii. His experience includes a wide assortment of property types, comprised of multifamily residential, commercial, industrial, historic rehabilitation, mixed-use and luxury resort properties. Mr. Ratkovich is a past chairman of a national Urban Land Institute (ULI) product council (Urban Development Mixed-Use Green), a member of Smart Growth America, LOCUS, and Real Estate Conference Group. Mr. Ratkovich graduated with a BS from San Diego State University, is a licensed real estate broker in the State of California, and is a frequent conference panelist and guest lecturer for various real estate organizations.
email James at jratkovich@salempartners.com
Brendan Houlihan
Managing Director
Mr. Houlihan has over 15 years of experience in investment banking advisory and valuation. He has advised clients in a broad range of transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, financial restructuring and debt and equity capital raising for clients in the technology, media and entertainment industries. In addition to investment banking, Mr. Houlihan has over 10 years of experience in valuation, including fairness opinions and the valuation of intellectual property assets, businesses, private equity and hedge fund portfolio investments, goodwill and intangible assets, incentive compensation awards, estate and tax planning, derivatives, complex partnership and tax structures and other structured finance assets.
Prior to joining Salem Partners in 2003, Mr. Houlihan was an Associate in the Mergers and Acquisitions practice of Credit Suisse First Boston in San Francisco and an Analyst in the Technology Investment Banking practice at Warburg Dillon Read in San Francisco. Mr. Houlihan is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley.
Managing Director
Mr. Houlihan has over 15 years of experience in investment banking advisory and valuation. He has advised clients in a broad range of transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, financial restructuring and debt and equity capital raising for clients in the technology, media and entertainment industries. In addition to investment banking, Mr. Houlihan has over 10 years of experience in valuation, including fairness opinions and the valuation of intellectual property assets, businesses, private equity and hedge fund portfolio investments, goodwill and intangible assets, incentive compensation awards, estate and tax planning, derivatives, complex partnership and tax structures and other structured finance assets.
Prior to joining Salem Partners in 2003, Mr. Houlihan was an Associate in the Mergers and Acquisitions practice of Credit Suisse First Boston in San Francisco and an Analyst in the Technology Investment Banking practice at Warburg Dillon Read in San Francisco. Mr. Houlihan is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley.
email Brendan at bhoulihan@salempartners.com
Parker Bennett
Director
Mr. Bennett joined Salem Partners in autumn of 2013 and is responsible for sourcing / business development, evaluating, execution, and structuring for the real estate banking practice. Mr. Bennett has 12 years of financial, banking and advisory experience at major financial institutions (AXA) and large public companies (News Corp / 21st Century Fox). At Salem Partners, his clients include large national developers, sponsors and real estate operating companies that focus on value-added and opportunistic strategies typically in partnership with larger institutional investors. Since joining the real estate banking team, the group has structured numerous programmatic equity joint-ventures, single-asset equity, and credit financings. Throughout his career, Mr. Bennett has worked on large and complex transactions in both the real estate and media sector. Prior to Salem, Mr. Bennett was a senior finance analyst at Fox Sports Media Group and worked on global media rights and M&A transactions in the sports sector with total values in excess of $10 billion. Mr. Bennett is a Los Angeles native and a graduate of University Of California at Santa Barbara.
Director
Mr. Bennett joined Salem Partners in autumn of 2013 and is responsible for sourcing / business development, evaluating, execution, and structuring for the real estate banking practice. Mr. Bennett has 12 years of financial, banking and advisory experience at major financial institutions (AXA) and large public companies (News Corp / 21st Century Fox). At Salem Partners, his clients include large national developers, sponsors and real estate operating companies that focus on value-added and opportunistic strategies typically in partnership with larger institutional investors. Since joining the real estate banking team, the group has structured numerous programmatic equity joint-ventures, single-asset equity, and credit financings. Throughout his career, Mr. Bennett has worked on large and complex transactions in both the real estate and media sector. Prior to Salem, Mr. Bennett was a senior finance analyst at Fox Sports Media Group and worked on global media rights and M&A transactions in the sports sector with total values in excess of $10 billion. Mr. Bennett is a Los Angeles native and a graduate of University Of California at Santa Barbara.
email Parker at pbennett@salempartners.com
Caleb Smith
Vice President
Mr. Smith joined Salem Partners in 2007 and is focused on sourcing, evaluating and structuring transactions in the healthcare & life sciences sectors. Before joining Salem, Mr. Smith was a director at Harvey & Company, an Orange County-based merchant bank. While at Harvey, Mr. Smith sourced and evaluated deals for middle-market private equity funds and strategic buyers. Prior to Harvey & Company, he was a consultant with Public Health Foundation Enterprises and performed clinical research at Los Angeles County + USC Medical Center. Mr. Smith graduated with a Bachelor of Science from the University of Southern California.
Vice President
Mr. Smith joined Salem Partners in 2007 and is focused on sourcing, evaluating and structuring transactions in the healthcare & life sciences sectors. Before joining Salem, Mr. Smith was a director at Harvey & Company, an Orange County-based merchant bank. While at Harvey, Mr. Smith sourced and evaluated deals for middle-market private equity funds and strategic buyers. Prior to Harvey & Company, he was a consultant with Public Health Foundation Enterprises and performed clinical research at Los Angeles County + USC Medical Center. Mr. Smith graduated with a Bachelor of Science from the University of Southern California.
email Caleb at csmith@salempartners.com
Ivar Combrinck
Vice President
Mr. Combrinck has more than 15 years of experience as a senior executive in the entertainment industry, including as Head of International & Structured Finance at a boutique film-financing and media advisory company, Screen Capital International. He also continues to serve as the US advisor and consultant for Freeway Entertainment. Prior to joining Salem Partners, Mr. Combrinck was a lead executive on more than $7 billion in cutting-edge, cross-border financing transactions for production, marketing & distribution, and library acquisitions with counterparties including Walt Disney, Marvel Studios, Warner Bros., New Line, The Weinstein Company, Constantin Film, New Regency, and Universal Studios. His track record includes successful transactions on more than 100 films, including Pirates of the Caribbean 2 and 3, Harry Potter 2, National Treasure 2, Oblivion, Blood Diamond, Rush Hour 3, Hugo, Enchanted, Iron Man 2, Thor, The Reader, The Bourne Ultimatum and Jurassic World.
Vice President
Mr. Combrinck has more than 15 years of experience as a senior executive in the entertainment industry, including as Head of International & Structured Finance at a boutique film-financing and media advisory company, Screen Capital International. He also continues to serve as the US advisor and consultant for Freeway Entertainment. Prior to joining Salem Partners, Mr. Combrinck was a lead executive on more than $7 billion in cutting-edge, cross-border financing transactions for production, marketing & distribution, and library acquisitions with counterparties including Walt Disney, Marvel Studios, Warner Bros., New Line, The Weinstein Company, Constantin Film, New Regency, and Universal Studios. His track record includes successful transactions on more than 100 films, including Pirates of the Caribbean 2 and 3, Harry Potter 2, National Treasure 2, Oblivion, Blood Diamond, Rush Hour 3, Hugo, Enchanted, Iron Man 2, Thor, The Reader, The Bourne Ultimatum and Jurassic World.
email Ivar at icombrinck@salempartners.com
Jordan Cheng
Associate
Mr. Cheng joined Salem Partners in May 2013. Prior to joining the firm, he worked for Pitchen Networks in Shanghai where he helped Fortune 500 companies develop cross-channel media campaigns for consumer products. Prior to Pitchen Networks, he interned for KPMG in Los Angeles in the audit practice. Mr. Cheng is a graduate of the University of California, Santa Barbara with a B.A. in Economics and Accounting and one of the rechartering brothers of the university's chapter of Alpha Phi Omega, a national coeducational service organization.
Associate
Mr. Cheng joined Salem Partners in May 2013. Prior to joining the firm, he worked for Pitchen Networks in Shanghai where he helped Fortune 500 companies develop cross-channel media campaigns for consumer products. Prior to Pitchen Networks, he interned for KPMG in Los Angeles in the audit practice. Mr. Cheng is a graduate of the University of California, Santa Barbara with a B.A. in Economics and Accounting and one of the rechartering brothers of the university's chapter of Alpha Phi Omega, a national coeducational service organization.
email Jordan at jcheng@salempartners.com
Connor Nguyen
Associate
Mr. Nguyen joined Salem Partners in June 2013. Prior to joining the firm, he worked for Roth Capital Partners as an equities analyst and provided sell-side research. Mr. Nguyen has also worked with Harvey & Company, a middle-market merchant bank, where he assisted the deal origination process. Mr. Nguyen graduated cum laude from the Paul Merage School of Business at the University of California Irvine with a Bachelor of Art degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Accounting and Finance.
Associate
Mr. Nguyen joined Salem Partners in June 2013. Prior to joining the firm, he worked for Roth Capital Partners as an equities analyst and provided sell-side research. Mr. Nguyen has also worked with Harvey & Company, a middle-market merchant bank, where he assisted the deal origination process. Mr. Nguyen graduated cum laude from the Paul Merage School of Business at the University of California Irvine with a Bachelor of Art degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Accounting and Finance.
email Connor at cnguyen@salempartners.com
Justus Zils
Analyst
Mr. Zils joined Salem Partners in February 2015 and is responsible for deal sourcing, relationship management, and transaction support in the healthcare & life sciences sectors. Prior to joining Salem, Mr. Zils worked for Black Legend Capital where he sourced and evaluated deals for middle-market private equity funds and strategic buyers. Mr. Zils’ experience also includes roles within the life sciences industry, including cofounding a medical device start-up based on lung cancer detection technology. Mr. Zils graduated with an undergraduate degree in Business Administration and an MBA from the University of Louisville.
Analyst
Mr. Zils joined Salem Partners in February 2015 and is responsible for deal sourcing, relationship management, and transaction support in the healthcare & life sciences sectors. Prior to joining Salem, Mr. Zils worked for Black Legend Capital where he sourced and evaluated deals for middle-market private equity funds and strategic buyers. Mr. Zils’ experience also includes roles within the life sciences industry, including cofounding a medical device start-up based on lung cancer detection technology. Mr. Zils graduated with an undergraduate degree in Business Administration and an MBA from the University of Louisville.
email Justus at jzils@salempartners.com
Dan Lee
Analyst
Mr. Lee joined Salem Partners in February 2016. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Lee worked for Houlihan Lokey’s Dispute Resolution practice where he performed valuation and due diligence on a variety of legal matters. Mr. Lee graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.
Analyst
Mr. Lee joined Salem Partners in February 2016. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Lee worked for Houlihan Lokey’s Dispute Resolution practice where he performed valuation and due diligence on a variety of legal matters. Mr. Lee graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.
email Dan @ dlee@salempartners.com
David Kim
Analyst
Mr. Kim joined Salem Partners in June 2017. Prior to joining the firm, he worked at The Boeing Company as a Financial Business Analyst on the 787 Dreamliner Program. Mr. Kim graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics with a minor in Public Policy from the University of California, Berkeley.
Analyst
Mr. Kim joined Salem Partners in June 2017. Prior to joining the firm, he worked at The Boeing Company as a Financial Business Analyst on the 787 Dreamliner Program. Mr. Kim graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics with a minor in Public Policy from the University of California, Berkeley.
email David @ dkim@salempartners.com
William B. Witte
President
Mr. Witte joined Salem Partners Wealth Management in 2012 and has over 28 years of experience in the financial and capital markets. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Witte was the Chief Investment Officer for Caruso Affiliated, managing the investment matters of this private company and three generations of family members. For approximately 15 years at Caruso, Mr. Witte was in charge of all capital decisions for the company, including strategic and tactical asset allocation, budgeting, forecasting, tax planning, and manager due diligence. He was also an integral factor in the development of Caruso’s multi-billion dollar real estate portfolio. Before joining Caruso, Mr. Witte worked in investment banking, corporate banking, private banking, and investment management for UBS, Bankers Trust Company, and Shearson Lehman Brothers. Mr. Witte has been a long-standing member of the Board of Trustees and has chaired many committees for the House Research Institute (hearing science). Mr. Witte also serves on the Board of Directors for Front Porch Communities and Services (senior housing), and he has been a guest speaker and panelist at numerous conferences, including ones sponsored by Cal State Northridge and UCLA. Mr. Witte graduated with top honors (“With Distinction”) from Stanford University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Petroleum Engineering.
President
Mr. Witte joined Salem Partners Wealth Management in 2012 and has over 28 years of experience in the financial and capital markets. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Witte was the Chief Investment Officer for Caruso Affiliated, managing the investment matters of this private company and three generations of family members. For approximately 15 years at Caruso, Mr. Witte was in charge of all capital decisions for the company, including strategic and tactical asset allocation, budgeting, forecasting, tax planning, and manager due diligence. He was also an integral factor in the development of Caruso’s multi-billion dollar real estate portfolio. Before joining Caruso, Mr. Witte worked in investment banking, corporate banking, private banking, and investment management for UBS, Bankers Trust Company, and Shearson Lehman Brothers. Mr. Witte has been a long-standing member of the Board of Trustees and has chaired many committees for the House Research Institute (hearing science). Mr. Witte also serves on the Board of Directors for Front Porch Communities and Services (senior housing), and he has been a guest speaker and panelist at numerous conferences, including ones sponsored by Cal State Northridge and UCLA. Mr. Witte graduated with top honors (“With Distinction”) from Stanford University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Petroleum Engineering.
email Bill at bwitte@salempartners.com
Frank Barbera, CMT
Chief Investment Officer
Frank A. Barbera, Jr. CMT joined Salem Partners Wealth Management in 2015 and has over 28 years of experience in the global capital markets. Prior to joining Salem, Mr. Barbera was an Executive Vice President and Co-Portfolio Manager for the Sierra group of mutual funds including the Sierra Core Retirement Fund and the Sierra Strategic Income Fund where he helped managed more than $2 Billion in assets. Prior to Sierra, Mr. Barbera worked with Caruso Affiliated Holdings where he successfully managed the Caruso USA Hedge Fund LLC navigating successfully through both the 2001-2002 and 2007-2008 bear markets. In 2007, Mr. Barbera penned a long series of weekly articles on Financial Sense.com, which remain archived online, forecasting in advance many of the major corporate failures that were seen in 2008, along with much of the breadth and scope of the 2008 global financial crisis.
In 2003, Mr. Barbera was featured in the popular book published by the New York Institute for Finance entitled “Master Traders: Strategies for Superior Returns from Today’s Top Traders.” Over the last two decades, Mr. Barbera has functioned in the role of Investment Strategist, Global Macro Economist, Portfolio Manager and Market Technician. From 1994 to 2011, he edited the bi-monthly newsletter, “The Gold Stock Technician” which focused on the technical outlook for equity and metals markets with a special focus on mining stocks. Mr. Barbera specializes in rules based trend following systems for both high and low volatility securities.
From 1991 to 2000, Mr. Barbera hosted two daily live television shows on the Business Channel, “ChartWatch” and “Technically Speaking”. From 1998 to 2013, Mr. Barbera acted as a consultant to several large scale institutional trading desks including Bel Air Capital in Los Angeles as a trading advisor on their multi-billion dollar Core Equity portfolio.
A student of Austrian School Economics and Minsky Boom/Bust credit market dynamics, Mr. Barbera has been widely quoted in the media and on TV including Fox Business News, CNBC, The Wall Street Journal, Investor’s Business Daily, Money Magazine, the Washington Post and Barron’s, Mr. Barbera is a frequent guest speaker at Investment Conferences across the United States, where he remains in high demand.
Chief Investment Officer
Frank A. Barbera, Jr. CMT joined Salem Partners Wealth Management in 2015 and has over 28 years of experience in the global capital markets. Prior to joining Salem, Mr. Barbera was an Executive Vice President and Co-Portfolio Manager for the Sierra group of mutual funds including the Sierra Core Retirement Fund and the Sierra Strategic Income Fund where he helped managed more than $2 Billion in assets. Prior to Sierra, Mr. Barbera worked with Caruso Affiliated Holdings where he successfully managed the Caruso USA Hedge Fund LLC navigating successfully through both the 2001-2002 and 2007-2008 bear markets. In 2007, Mr. Barbera penned a long series of weekly articles on Financial Sense.com, which remain archived online, forecasting in advance many of the major corporate failures that were seen in 2008, along with much of the breadth and scope of the 2008 global financial crisis.
In 2003, Mr. Barbera was featured in the popular book published by the New York Institute for Finance entitled “Master Traders: Strategies for Superior Returns from Today’s Top Traders.” Over the last two decades, Mr. Barbera has functioned in the role of Investment Strategist, Global Macro Economist, Portfolio Manager and Market Technician. From 1994 to 2011, he edited the bi-monthly newsletter, “The Gold Stock Technician” which focused on the technical outlook for equity and metals markets with a special focus on mining stocks. Mr. Barbera specializes in rules based trend following systems for both high and low volatility securities.
From 1991 to 2000, Mr. Barbera hosted two daily live television shows on the Business Channel, “ChartWatch” and “Technically Speaking”. From 1998 to 2013, Mr. Barbera acted as a consultant to several large scale institutional trading desks including Bel Air Capital in Los Angeles as a trading advisor on their multi-billion dollar Core Equity portfolio.
A student of Austrian School Economics and Minsky Boom/Bust credit market dynamics, Mr. Barbera has been widely quoted in the media and on TV including Fox Business News, CNBC, The Wall Street Journal, Investor’s Business Daily, Money Magazine, the Washington Post and Barron’s, Mr. Barbera is a frequent guest speaker at Investment Conferences across the United States, where he remains in high demand.
email Frank at fbarbera@salempartners.com
Goli Kamangar
Chief Operating Officer & Chief Compliance Officer
Mrs. Kamangar joined Salem Partners Wealth Management in 2006 and is Chief Compliance Officer and Chief Operating Officer. Mrs. Kamangar spent the previous five years with Bear Stearns as a Relationship Manager, a liaison role between introducing firms and various specialized departments. Prior to Bear Stearns, Mrs. Kamangar was a Vice President at Thomas Weisel Partners in San Francisco where she created the Asset Management Consulting Group operations and procedures. Previous to Thomas Weisel Partners, Mrs. Kamangar was at Montgomery Securities, where she headed the Trading and Operations department for the Investment Management Consulting Division. Mrs. Kamangar is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley with honors and received a professional designation in Personal Financial Planning from the University of California, Los Angeles. Mrs. Kamangar currently holds the following FINRA licenses; Series 6,7,63,65,9,10,24.
Chief Operating Officer & Chief Compliance Officer
Mrs. Kamangar joined Salem Partners Wealth Management in 2006 and is Chief Compliance Officer and Chief Operating Officer. Mrs. Kamangar spent the previous five years with Bear Stearns as a Relationship Manager, a liaison role between introducing firms and various specialized departments. Prior to Bear Stearns, Mrs. Kamangar was a Vice President at Thomas Weisel Partners in San Francisco where she created the Asset Management Consulting Group operations and procedures. Previous to Thomas Weisel Partners, Mrs. Kamangar was at Montgomery Securities, where she headed the Trading and Operations department for the Investment Management Consulting Division. Mrs. Kamangar is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley with honors and received a professional designation in Personal Financial Planning from the University of California, Los Angeles. Mrs. Kamangar currently holds the following FINRA licenses; Series 6,7,63,65,9,10,24.
email Goli at gkamangar@salempartners.com
Alex Keyfes
Vice President, Portfolio Management
Mr. Keyfes joined Salem Partners Wealth Management in January 2010. He holds a B.A. degree in Economics from University of California, Santa Cruz. As an undergraduate he interned at an alternative investments hedge fund where he was responsible for analytical support of asset allocation, marketing efforts, and carbon credit market related ventures. He furthered his studies with an M.A. in Statistics and an M.A. in Economics at the University of California, Santa Barbara during the span of which he was a Graduate Teaching Assistant. Upon Mr. Keyfes’ graduation and prior to joining SPWM he was a Consulting Analyst at a private high net worth family wealth management office in Santa Barbara where he supported hedge fund selection via analytical and quantitative due diligence.
Vice President, Portfolio Management
Mr. Keyfes joined Salem Partners Wealth Management in January 2010. He holds a B.A. degree in Economics from University of California, Santa Cruz. As an undergraduate he interned at an alternative investments hedge fund where he was responsible for analytical support of asset allocation, marketing efforts, and carbon credit market related ventures. He furthered his studies with an M.A. in Statistics and an M.A. in Economics at the University of California, Santa Barbara during the span of which he was a Graduate Teaching Assistant. Upon Mr. Keyfes’ graduation and prior to joining SPWM he was a Consulting Analyst at a private high net worth family wealth management office in Santa Barbara where he supported hedge fund selection via analytical and quantitative due diligence.
email Alex at akeyfes@salempartners.com
Mike Xu
Analyst
Mr. Xu joined SPWM in 2016 as an Analyst. Prior to joining Salem, Mr. Xu was an Investment Analyst at Sierra Investment Management, where he was responsible for analyzing and improving existing trading strategies through financial modeling, scenario analysis, and back testing. Mr. Xu earned his Bachelor of Science in Finance and Accounting from Indiana University - Bloomington.
Analyst
Mr. Xu joined SPWM in 2016 as an Analyst. Prior to joining Salem, Mr. Xu was an Investment Analyst at Sierra Investment Management, where he was responsible for analyzing and improving existing trading strategies through financial modeling, scenario analysis, and back testing. Mr. Xu earned his Bachelor of Science in Finance and Accounting from Indiana University - Bloomington.
email Mike at mxu@salempartners.com
Christopher (CJ) Blassick
Client Relations Associate
Mr. Blassick joined Salem Partners Wealth Management in 2014 as a Client Relations Associate. Prior to joining Salem, Mr. Blassick was a Senior Associate at ICG Advisors, LLC where he was responsible for client servicing, performance reporting and implementing asset allocations since 2009. ICG Advisors, LLC was formed by a team from Bear Stearns’ Investment Consulting Group, where Mr. Blassick worked as an analyst from 2007-2009. Mr. Blassick earned his Bachelor of Science in Finance from Quinnipiac University in 2007 graduating Magna Cum Laude.
Client Relations Associate
Mr. Blassick joined Salem Partners Wealth Management in 2014 as a Client Relations Associate. Prior to joining Salem, Mr. Blassick was a Senior Associate at ICG Advisors, LLC where he was responsible for client servicing, performance reporting and implementing asset allocations since 2009. ICG Advisors, LLC was formed by a team from Bear Stearns’ Investment Consulting Group, where Mr. Blassick worked as an analyst from 2007-2009. Mr. Blassick earned his Bachelor of Science in Finance from Quinnipiac University in 2007 graduating Magna Cum Laude.
email CJ at cblassick@salempartners.com
Sami Petersen
Operations Associate
Ms. Petersen joined Salem Partners in 2017 as an Operations Associate. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Petersen was a Sales and Operations Manager for Target Corporation, where she lead sales operations of a $40 plus million retail business. Prior to Target, Ms. Petersen worked at The Social Life, an LA-based clothing and apparel startup. Her responsibilities included new product development, marketing strategy, and e-commerce user experience. She is a graduate of California State University, Fresno where she earned her B.S. in Business Marketing.
Operations Associate
Ms. Petersen joined Salem Partners in 2017 as an Operations Associate. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Petersen was a Sales and Operations Manager for Target Corporation, where she lead sales operations of a $40 plus million retail business. Prior to Target, Ms. Petersen worked at The Social Life, an LA-based clothing and apparel startup. Her responsibilities included new product development, marketing strategy, and e-commerce user experience. She is a graduate of California State University, Fresno where she earned her B.S. in Business Marketing.
email Sami at spetersen@salempartners.com
