About Independence

Steven D. Lockshin, CIMA®

Chairman and CEO – Convergent Wealth Advisors

Under Steve Lockshin’s leadership since 1994, Convergent Wealth Advisors has become one of the nation’s leading wealth management firms, providing investors with objective advice and innovative investment solutions. Steve helped pioneer the open architecture approach to investing, and was also an early adopter of asset allocation strategies for the ultra-high net worth client. These innovative wealth management strategies are now employed industry-wide. Convergent is now bringing these innovative strategies—along with its excellent client service—to clients of Independence by Convergent™.

Steve has received many industry accolades, including being ranked the #1 advisor in California by Barron’s in 2012. In 2011, Steve ranked #1 on Barron’s 2011 Top 100 Independent Financial Advisors list and was also ranked on Barron’s 2011 Top 100 Financial Advisors list. In 2010, Washingtonian magazine named Steve as one of the Top Financial Advisors in the Washington, DC area. Steve also appears as a regular guest on Fox Business News. The Barron’s and Washingtonian ranking criteria are located here.

Steve earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Maryland and holds the Investment Management Consultants Association's Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA®) designation and the Investment Strategist Certificate (ISC), as well as the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) Series 7, 63, and 65 licenses.

Douglas L. Wolford, MBA

President & Chief Operating Officer

As President and Chief Operating Officer of Convergent Wealth Advisors, Doug is responsible for Convergent’s day-to-day operations, strategic planning and execution, as well as executive leadership of Independence by Convergent™.

Doug ‘s career includes growing innovative businesses at DuPont Company, GE, Network Solutions, VeriSign, and with a number of high-profile clients of his consulting business, Wolford & Company. In his 25+-year career, he has co-led two public offerings that raised more than $2 billion, managed as many as 1,200 people on five continents and across every major functional area, and has specialized in executive and operational strategy and implementation in financial services, technology, and healthcare verticals.

Doug earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering from North Carolina State University and an M.B.A. from the University of Maryland. In addition, he earned a diploma in French language from The Sorbonne, Paris, and has served on the adjunct faculty of The Johns Hopkins University’s graduate business school.  Among his other pro-bono activities, Doug is a member of the Board of Directors of Willowbank National Historic Site and School of Restoration Arts in Queenston, Ontario, and is a Founding Member of FounderCorps, a venture accelerator in the Washington, DC, metro area.

Bill Bancroft, CIMA®, CPWA^SM

Executive Director

Bill Bancroft has been advising clients with an objective and personal approach at Convergent since 2000.  As Executive Director, he is responsible for the entire experience of the firm’s Independence clients, including the consistent delivery of investment advice and exceptional service.  He also provides oversight, leadership and development to the Independence team. He proactively identifies new policies, procedures, and analyses that benefit the firm and its clients. Bill has over 17 years of experience developing unique investment strategies and conducting overall wealth planning for high net worth individuals.

Prior to joining Convergent, Bill performed investment research and portfolio management for the office of a high net worth family. During this time, he researched investment strategies designed to limit risk by trading futures, options, equities and mutual funds.

Bill earned a Bachelor of Science degree in finance with an emphasis on quantitative business analysis from Pennsylvania State University. He holds the Investment Management Consultants Association's Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA^®) and Chartered Private Wealth Advisor (CPWA^SM) designations, as well as the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) Series 65 license.

David R. Zier, CIMA®

Executive Vice President

Dave Zier joined Convergent as one of the company’s first employees in 1998. He began his career at the firm on the operations side of the business and then moved into an investment advisory role with clients.  Dave has played an integral role in the rapid growth of the company. Since then, his investment acumen, professionalism and refreshing honesty have served him well and have been key factors in developing a strong client base.

Dave has received many industry accolades, including being ranked the #1 advisor in Maryland by Barron’s in 2012. In 2011, Dave ranked #3 on Barron’s 2011 Top 100 Independent Financial Advisors list and was also ranked on Barron’s 2011 Top 100 Financial Advisors list. In 2010, Washingtonian magazine named Dave as one of the Top Financial Advisors in the Washington, DC area.

Dave serves as a member of both Convergent's Executive and Investment Committees. Using his integrated investment knowledge and ability to communicate complex investment concepts, he helps develop investment plans and overall wealth strategies for Convergent clients.  Dave also helps lead the company’s efforts in developing in-house talent, both on the business development and on the advisory side of the business. 

Before joining Convergent in 1998, Dave co-founded JZA Development Corporation, a successful entrepreneurial venture that specializes in franchising and developing small businesses. He also ran an investment partnership and has more than 15 years experience in the financial markets.

Dave earned two Bachelor of Science degrees from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, one in Finance and one in Management Information Systems. He holds the Investment Management Consultants Association's Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA®) designation and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) Series 7 and 63 licenses.

Gregory Blake, MBA

Director

Greg Blake serves as a Director for Independence and is responsible for marketing and business development efforts in the greater Washington, DC metropolitan area.  He advises high net worth families and institutions on investment planning and strategy issues.

Prior to joining Convergent, Greg was a Vice President at Bernstein Global Wealth Management where he advised high net worth clients on a wide range of investment planning and other wealth management.  Before his transition into the financial services industry, Greg worked with a variety of technology and start-up companies with a concentration in data and communications solutions for military and intelligence applications.

Greg earned his Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Santa Clara University in 2001 and is a 1994 graduate of the United States Naval Academy where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Economics. Upon graduation from the Naval Academy, Greg served in the U.S. Marine Corps where he attained the rank of Captain. In addition, he holds the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) Series 7 and 66 licenses. He is the President of the South Baltimore Neighborhood Association and serves on the Board of Directors for Young Audiences of Maryland.

Andrew Woolridge, CIMA®

Director

Drew Woolridge serves as a senior trusted advisor in many of Independence’s client relationships. With over twelve years of investment industry experience, Drew is responsible for a broad range of his clients’ wealth management needs, including portfolio design, asset allocation, and implementation. Drew also works closely with his clients’ outside advisors to develop and implement solutions designed to help make their financial lives easier.

Prior to joining Convergent in May of 2006, Drew was the Investment Officer for CNB Bank’s Trust and Asset Management Division. Drew was also the President/Director for CNB Investment Corporation. In addition to investment research and portfolio management, Drew worked on the development and implementation of investment strategies for client assets.

Drew holds both a Bachelor of Science and MBA, with a concentration in Finance, from The Pennsylvania State University and is a member of the Investment Management Consultants AssociationSM (IMCA®). In addition, Drew holds the Certified Investment Management AnalystSM designation administered by Investment Management Consultants AssociationSM and taught in conjunction with The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. He also holds the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) Series 65 license.

While at Penn State pursuing his MBA, Drew was one of the key participants in launching the Nittany Lion Fund, LLC. The Nittany Lion Fund is Penn State’s alumni invested, student run, ~$4.5 million investment fund. Unlike most of the nearly 200 other student-managed investment funds around the country, the Nittany Lion Fund did not come from the university’s endowment. Instead, sixty-nine individual investors each placed between $25,000 and $250,000 under the stewardship of a select group of student fund managers

Jonathan Straub, JD, CAIA

Managing Director

Jon leads West Coast operations for Convergent and is central to the operational, investment, and service strategies of the business.  In addition, he coordinates all legal efforts, as well as working side-by-side with Doug Wolford on marketing and sales.

Before joining Convergent, Jon was an associate with DeltaTech Partners, a venture firm focused on technology transfer and patent commercialization. There, he qualified new investment opportunities and strategies for delivering technologies into the marketplace. He began his career in the legal department of FleetBoston Financial.

Jon graduated from Boston College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and earned a Juris Doctor degree from Suffolk University Law School, where he was an editor of the Transnational Law Review. Jon has published a variety of articles in legal and investment journals.  He also holds the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) Series 65 license and the Chartered Alternative Investment AnalystSM designation and is a member of the Massachusetts Bar Association.

Robert J. Clancy

Managing Director – Technology and Operations

Bob Clancy joined Convergent Wealth Advisors as Managing Director of Technology and Operations in September of 2010.  Bob is currently responsible for formulating, executing, and managing the technology and operations strategy for Convergent and Independence by Convergent™. He also oversees practice management of Convergent’s ultra-high net worth East Coast advisors.

Bob has over 30 years of financial services industry experience in technology, operations, business management, and financial management across the fields of wealth management, private banking, asset management, trading, brokerage, finance, and risk management. Bob’s career began with European American Bank and JP Morgan in the areas of accounting, asset/liability management and information technology. Bob joined Accenture in 1998, where he worked for 11 years as a Partner in Accenture’s Financial Services / Capital Markets practice. Bob earned a BBA in Public Accounting from Hofstra University.