Baltimore, MD (September 10, 2007) -- Brown Advisory, an independent investment firm with offices in Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and Bethesda, MD, today announced the appointments of Pierce Dunn as a partner of the firm and Gordon F. Rainey, Jr. as a member of the firm’s Board of Directors.
Dunn, 57, a Baltimore native, joins Brown Advisory on September 10 as a key member of its strategic advisory team. His principal responsibility will be to enhance and refine the services that Brown Advisory offers to CEOs and other senior executives as clients. While the firm already serves a number of CEOs as an investment and strategic advisor, it plans to expand and tailor certain services that specifically apply to this important group.
Prior to joining Brown, he was CEO of CONNOR, a national environmental and engineering firm. Dunn was originally a tax lawyer with Baltimore-based Venable LLP, and is former CEO of Kirk Stieff, and former head of European operations for TESSCO Technologies. He serves on the Board of Directors of Provident Bank and several non-profit institutions. Most recently, Dunn chaired the investment committee of Goucher College. He is a graduate of Princeton University, and he received a law degree from Georgetown University and an M.B.A. from Loyola College.
Michael D. Hankin, Partner and CEO of Brown Advisory, said, “Pierce Dunn is the ideal person to create a special focus at Brown Advisory for CEOs and senior executives as clients. As a former CEO himself, he has experienced some of the transition issues and economic decisions that others in a similar position experience. He also has a strong interest in direct private investments, which is something of particular interest to many of the CEOs that we encounter. We are privileged to work with several of these clients already and believe that we understand the specific issues that are unique to them. Pierce’s expertise and focus will allow us to be even more effective and successful in this area.”
Among the investment issues that Brown Advisory recognizes CEOs need to address are the transition from having most of their net worth tied up in a single asset to a diversified strategy and having to replace W-2 income with investment income. There are also complex tax and financial issues that apply to high-earning senior executives. Finally, there are the intangible issues that these types of clients face, especially the realization that being a passive investor in a portfolio of public companies usually feels more volatile than being the CEO of an enterprise whose profitability they impact directly.
Rainey, 67, is Chairman Emeritus of Hunton & Williams, one of the nation’s largest law firms, where he began his career in 1968. He is a member of the Board of Visitors and former Rector of the University of Virginia and a trustee of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. He has been honored in both Best Lawyers in America and Virginia’s Super Lawyers, and his many awards include the Humanitarian Award from the National Conference for Community & Justice. He holds undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Virginia.
Said Hankin, “Gordon brings to Brown Advisory his experience in building a very successful law firm, serving as Rector of the University of Virginia, and being an active member of several Boards, including the Board of Trustees of Colonial Williamsburg. He is a visionary and a community leader, and he understands the issues and challenges of effectively serving the investment and strategic needs of institutions and wealthy families. He is fully engaged and excited about helping us to grow our business.”
Brown Advisory (
www.brownadvisory.com) is a full-service investment and advisory firm based in Baltimore. Since its founding as an affiliate of Alex. Brown & Sons in 1993, the firm has grown substantially and now has more than $13 billion in separate account, mutual fund, and brokerage assets. Brown Advisory was purchased from BT Alex. Brown in 1998 and is now an independent firm owned primarily by its partners and directors.