Profile

Cathy’s financial and civic life has been a profile of influence and devotion since she joined Merrill in 1988. Her reputation for caring deeply and sharing financial lessons has attracted a largely referred, nationwide clientele – corporate executives, professional women and athletes, generations of families, and organizations that serve the greater good.  

Cathy’s planning-based practice accounts for clients’ values and visions. Listening more than talking, she facilitates thoughtful discussions that address goals they deem meaningful for themselves and the people they love. She also seeks to empower clients to feel confident about making informed financial decisions – educating whenever possible and meeting with entire families to explain how each stakeholder can contribute to positive outcomes.

“Results and relationships are my priority. What do clients want for themselves, their families and communities? What motivates them? In addition to helping clients identify and prioritize goals for retirement, education, wealth transfer and philanthropy, I examine areas that may have been ignored previously, such as insurance and liability management,” Cathy says. “It’s feels so good to build real-world strategies for clients, then share their joy when milestones are met.”

Having managed clients’ money and emotions amid market turmoil of 2000, 2008 and 2020, Cathy feels proud that virtually all of those clients remain with her today. She believes that’s due in large part to her transparency, frequency of contact and enlightened perspective on mitigating investment risk. Still, Cathy’s focus remains on clients’ lives, not just their bottom lines. She has “walked with clients” through personal challenges – divorce, the loss of a spouse, and the sale of a business. She has also celebrated with clients at their weddings, birthday and anniversary parties.

Based on each client’s long-term financial objectives, Cathy builds a tailored strategy meant to mitigate risk and tax consequences. Accounting for their investment timeline, risk tolerance and liquidity needs, she utilizes the firm’s Chief Investment Office and award-winning analysts to design their portfolio. Cathy holds the Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor CRPC® designation.

Cathy also coordinates tax-minimization and estate planning strategies with the efforts of clients’ CPAs and attorneys, as well as the firm’s trust professionals. Paying attention to both sides of clients’ balance sheets – assets and liabilities – she offers clients ready access to specialists from Bank of America for residential and securities-based lending.

A proud graduate of Vanderbilt University, Cathy was the first in her family to attend college and the second female in the University's history to receive a full four-year athletic scholarship. The school’s all-time leader in assists, she was inducted into the Vanderbilt Athletics Hall of Fame in 2015 and the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 2021. 

Cathy has continued to play hard for her alma mater. She is a past member of the Alumni Board Executive Committee and the Athletic Director Search Committee, former president of the Association of Vanderbilt Black Alumni Board, and former co-chair of the AVBA Endowed Scholarship Fund. Currently, Cathy co-chairs the Inaugural Vanderbilt Black and Gold Club.

Cathy’s civic participation has spanned four Nashville mayors, who have appointed her to the Metropolitan Sports Authority, where she currently serves as chair. She was also appointed by Governor Phil Bredesen to serve on the Tennessee Ethics Committee. Cathy graduated from the 1996 Class of Leadership Nashville, co-chairs the Baron's Society for the NMAAM, and serves with the Sue Peters and Maddox Foundations. She was recently selected for membership in the International Women’s Forum. Cathy is also a life member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

*Institutional Investor magazine announced BofA Global Research as one of the Top Global Research Firms in 2021 based on surveys held throughout the year. The magazine creates rankings of the top research analysts in a wide variety of specializations, drawn from the choices of portfolio managers and other investment professionals at more than 1,000 firms. BofA Global Research is research produced by BofA Securities, Inc. (“BofAS”) and/or one or more of its affiliates. BofAS is a registered broker-dealer, Member SIPC, and wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America Corporation. Learn more about the methodology at Institutional Investor. Rankings and recognition from Institutional Investor are no guarantee of future investment success and do not ensure that a current or prospective client will experience a higher level of performance results and such rankings should not be construed as an endorsement.

*The Chief Investment Office (CIO) provides thought leadership on wealth management, investment strategy and global markets; portfolio management solutions; due diligence; and solutions oversight and data analytics. CIO viewpoints are developed for Bank of America Private Bank, a division of Bank of America, N.A., (“Bank of America”) and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated (“MLPF&S” or “Merrill”), a registered broker-dealer, registered investment adviser and a wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America Corporation.

I follow the deep-seated Merrill tradition of participating in the communities we serve. This drives my interest in spending time volunteering with organizations in our community.