Investment Teams

William (Bill) B. Thompson Bill is a Consultant and Chairman of the firm’s Investment Policy Committee. Mr. Thompson was Managing Director of Asset Allocation and Investment Strategies at Franklin Street from 2019-2021. From 2009 until 2018, he was President of Franklin Street Partners, Inc. Mr. Thompson joined Franklin Street in 1995 as a Senior Portfolio Manager and Head of Fixed Income Investments. Prior to joining Franklin Street, he was President and Co-Founder of Peacock-Thompson Investment Management and formerly an Executive with Carolina Securities Corporation. Bill received a BS in Chemical Engineering from North Carolina State University in 1978 and a MBA degree from The Darden School at the University of Virginia in 1982. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the North Carolina Veterinary Foundation, Inc.

Equity Investment Team

Christy L. Phillips Head of Equity Strategies and Director of Research for the firm, previously Christy was a principal and portfolio manager for RS Investments, LLC, where she led the investment team for the Core Growth Equity Strategy. Prior to joining RS Investments, she held a variety of positions including Portfolio Manager, Director of Research, Investment Committee Member and Principal of Oak Value Capital Management Inc., which was acquired by RS Investments, LLC in September, 2010. Ms. Phillips has 26 years of investment professional experience including a long tenure as a Senior Analyst focusing on equity analysis at various sell-side firms including; Coker Palmer Phillips & Mullen (Principal) ; Smith Barney Inc., Smith Barney Shearson, Lehman Brothers, and Shearson Lehman Hutton in New York. Ms. Phillips received a BS from The University of Tennessee in 1986.

Dennis C. Greenway, II, CFA Dennis is a Senior Equity Analyst and Portfolio Manager on the Franklin Street Equity Team. Prior to joining FSP in 2015, he developed extensive investment experience in research and portfolio management positions with Belltower Advisors, Proxima Alfa Investments, PENN Capital Management, and Wachovia Securities. Dennis holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and received a BA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1999 and an MBA from UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School in 2006.

Todd D. Young Todd is a Senior Equity Analyst and Portfolio Manager. Prior to joining Franklin Street, Todd ran Echelon Point Advisors, an investment consulting firm that advised institutional clients and high-net-worth family offices. Previously, Todd served as an Analyst and Portfolio Manager at KDI Capital Partners. He has also held Equity Research Analyst positions at RS Investments and Morningstar.Prior to entering the investment industry, Todd served as an Infantry Officer with the 82nd Airborne Division. He is an Army Ranger School graduate and was awarded two Bronze Stars for meritorious achievement in Iraq and Afghanistan. Todd received a BSBA from the University of Tennessee in 2000 and an MBA from UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School in 2007.

Ron A. Zlatniski Ron is the firm’s primary Equity Trader and joined Franklin Street Partners in 2005. Previously Ron held the position of Operations Manager for the firm. He has over 30 years’ experience in various positions in the banking and brokerage industries. Prior to joining Franklin Street, he was an Assistant Vice President at SunTrust Bank, (formerly Central Carolina Bank). Prior to SunTrust, he was also employed by North Carolina Trust Company, Bank of America (formerly NationsBank), Suffolk County National Bank, and MacPeg, Ross, O’Connell & Goldaber, Inc.

Fixed Income & External Managers Investment Team

Craig A. Sullivan, CFA, CAIA® Craig is the Director of Fixed Income and External Managers at Franklin Street Partners. In his role, Craig is responsible for the portfolio management of the firm’s internally managed core, opportunistic credit and preferred securities strategies. Craig also oversees the external manager program for both equity and fixed income managers and is a member of the firm’s Investment Committee. Prior to joining Franklin Street Partners in 2012, he spent six years working as a portfolio manager at Merrill Lynch in the Global Private Client Group. Craig is a graduate of North Carolina State University and holds both the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA®) designations.

Tia M. Simser Tia is the Fixed Income Portfolio Manager and Trader in our Fixed Income Department. She joined Franklin Street in 1999 after working at Bounds Asset Management. Tia is responsible for the analysis and selection of bonds, as well as many other operational duties. She is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Matthew K. Inman, CFA, CFP® Matt is a Senior Client Portfolio Strategist and Alternative Investment Analyst with Franklin Street Partners and has been with the firm since 2014. Matt was previously a Trust Officer and worked with client relationships in which the Trust Company was named in a fiduciary capacity. He graduated with honors from Campbell University with a BBA in Trust and Wealth Management and a minor in Financial Planning. Matt also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation and is a Certified Financial PlannerTM professional.

Christopher J. Eckert Chris is a Fixed Income Portfolio Manager for Franklin Street Partners. He previously served as a Marketing and Investment Analyst for the Firm. Prior to joining Franklin Street in January 2019, Chris worked in various capacities in the salt water fishing industry in North Carolina and Florida. Chris has a B.A in Economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He graduated in December 2018 with an MBA from East Carolina University.