John H. Crawford, III, Chairman and Chief Investment Officer: John founded the firm in 1980 and currently serves as Chairman and Chief Investment Officer. In addition to managing a select number of client portfolios directly, and communicating our firm’s current thinking to the broader client base via timely updates, John crafts the firm’s economic outlook and strategic asset allocation direction. Furthermore, he aids the Managing Directors of our Fixed Income, Equity, and Diversified Portfolio Groups in assessing trends and relative value among the asset classes our portfolio managers implement in client portfolios. Prior to establishing the firm, Mr. Crawford spent ten years with Lionel D. Edie & Company, a New York-based investment counseling firm. He spent the last five years of his association there as Regional Manager of the Southeastern office. Before joining Edie, he was associated with Merrill Lynch. Mr. Crawford received his BA degree from the University of Georgia and his M.Div. from Drew University. Mr. Crawford has worked in the investment industry since 1969. He currently serves on the investment advisory committee for the American Cancer Society and is a trustee for Drew University.

David B. Crawford, CFA, President: David is President of the firm and serves as the Chief Compliance Officer. In addition to serving as the portfolio manager on a select number of accounts, he serves on the Equity Research team and conducts research on industries covered within our Core and Dividend Growth equity strategies. David joined the firm in 1992. Previously, Mr. Crawford worked for the Federal Home Loan Bank. He received his BA degree in Economics from Denison University and his Master of Finance from Georgia State University.

John H. Crawford, IV, CFA, Managing Director - Equity Group: John oversees the strategic direction of our firm’s proprietary equity strategies and leads our equity research process. He leads the investment committee meetings and supervises our team of dedicated equity analysts as well as conducts stock specific research. John serves as a portfolio manager on a select number of client portfolios. He joined the firm in 1990. Mr. Crawford began his career in the investment industry at Merrill Lynch Capital Markets in 1988. He received his BBA degree from the University of Georgia and his Master of Finance from Georgia State University.

Jonathan R. Morgan, Managing Director - Fixed Income Group: Jon oversees the strategic direction of our firm’s proprietary fixed income operations. He leads our bond policy committee and conducts municipal bond research. In addition, Jon serves as a fixed income portfolio manager constructing individual municipal bond portfolios and working directly with clients of the firm who hold municipal bonds. He joined the firm in 2006. Mr. Morgan has been involved with the fixed income markets since 1979. Prior to joining Crawford Investment Counsel, he was a principal in Municipal Portfolio Managers, Inc. Prior to MPM, he was employed by Bear Stearns and Co. for 20 years as a municipal bond trader and municipal institutional salesperson. From 1979 through 1983, Mr. Morgan was employed by Trust Company Bank as a portfolio analyst. He graduated from Miami University of Ohio with a BS majoring in Economics and Finance.

Milton W. Williams, III, Principal: Milton serves as a portfolio manager to a large number of our clients, implementing portfolios and conducting client service meetings. Milton assists our Chief Investment Officer in developing and communicating our economic outlook and serves as part of the equity research team with stock specific research. He joined the firm in 1994. Previously, Mr. Williams was a Vice President and a senior portfolio manager for both Bank of America and SunTrust. Mr. Williams began his investment career, in 1986, with The Robinson-Humphrey Company. Prior to Robinson-Humphrey, he completed four years of service as a Captain in the United States Air Force. Mr. Williams earned his BS degree in Business Administration from The Citadel. Mr. Williams is a former Vice-Chairman and current advisor to The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation.

Paul C. Becht, CFA, Principal: Paul oversees and conducts equity research efforts for our Core and Dividend Growth equity products. He joined the firm in 1998. Previously, Mr. Becht was a Vice-President and Senior Research Analyst for Trusco Capital Management and NationsBank. He received his BS degree in Business from Washington & Lee University. Mr. Becht began his investment career in 1986 after five years as a senior credit analyst.

Troy DeCastro, CFA, Principal: Troy oversees the firm’s sales and marketing effort in the registered investment advisor/broker-dealer channel. He joined the firm in 1998. Previously, Mr. DeCastro worked at Mercer Investment Consulting. He received his BS degree in Mathematics from East Tennessee State University and earned the CFA designation in 1997. Mr. DeCastro has 19 years of investment experience.

Thomas J. Buehler, CFA, Portfolio Manager: Tom serves as a portfolio manager working directly with clients and is part of our equity research team conducting stock specific research. He joined the firm in 2005. Previously, Mr. Buehler was a trader and analyst with Caldwell & Orkin. He began his investment career in 1999. Tom received his BS degree in Finance from the University of Dayton and his MBA from the University of Notre Dame. Tom received his CFA designation in 2007.

Brandon M. Denihan, Portfolio Manager: Brandon is a portfolio manager to a select number of client portfolios. He also conducts manager specific research for the Diversified Portfolio Group helping to determine which outside managers and manager combinations work well for clients of the firm that utilize our third party solutions. Brandon also compiles all of the firm’s GIPS compliant composites. He joined Crawford Investment Counsel in 2004. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Denihan was a Key Account Manager at Wells Real Estate Funds. He began his career at Evergreen Investments where he worked as a Product Manager for three years. Mr. Denihan earned a BS degree in Mathematics from Wake Forest University.

Al Kirchner, Portfolio Manager and Head of Jacksonville, FL Office: In addition to heading up the firm’s Jacksonville, FL office, Al is a portfolio manager, and a member of the Diversified Portfolio Group. He joined the firm and opened the Jacksonville office in the Spring of 2008. Al began his investment career with Merrill Lynch in Kansas City, MO in 1982 and was subsequently recruited to help launch the Institutional Investment Consulting group with Morgan Keegan in Atlanta, GA in 1985. More recently, Al had his own Registered Investment Advisory firm in Jacksonville. A graduate of Westminster College in Fulton, MO, Al has also served as the head of marketing for a mutual fund complex and served as an analyst for the same firm. He is currently a member of the CFA Institute, The Jacksonville and Atlanta Society of Financial Analysts and serves on the Board of the Youth Crisis Center Foundation in Jacksonville.

Boris Kuzmin, CFA, Equity Research: Boris is an equity research analyst and spends 100% of his time analyzing specific stocks within our defined universe. He joined the firm in 2004. Previously, Mr. Kuzmin was an intern analyst for Emory Investment Management. He received his BS degree in Economics from the Russian Academy of Economics and his MBA from Emory University. Boris earned his CFA designation in 2006.

David P. Gilmore, CFA, Equity Research: David is a senior equity research analyst. He joined the firm in 2009. David conducts equity research and serves on the investment committee. Mr. Gilmore started his investment career in 1997 with Federated Investors. During his tenure, he was promoted to Vice President and Senior Portfolio Manager. His responsibilities included equity research and portfolio management. David received his BS degree in Accounting from Liberty University and his MBA from the University of Virginia. David received his CFA designation in 2000.

Debra DiSimone, Head of Equity Trading: Debra oversees the equity trading for all of our client accounts. Debra joined the firm in 2003. She has over 15 years of experience in the investment industry specializing in trading. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. DiSimone worked on the Institutional Trading Desk at Merrill Lynch. She received her BS degree from Villanova University.

Leslie M. Krone, Portfolio Manager: Leslie is a fixed income portfolio manager and conducts municipal and corporate bond research. She joined the firm in 2005. Previously, Ms. Krone was the taxable fixed income trader at Trusco Capital Management, a subsidiary of SunTrust. She began her career in 1990 at SunTrust Bank where she served as a portfolio assistant. Later Ms. Krone was promoted to the municipal bond trader role within the bank which she performed for 10 years prior to moving to Trusco. She received her BS degree from the University of Dayton.

Geoffrey S. DeLong, CFA,Portfolio Manager: Geoff is a fixed income portfolio manager who constructs fixed income portfolios and works directly with clients of the firm. In addition, Geoff conducts municipal and corporate bond research. He joined Crawford Investment Counsel, Inc. in 2008. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. DeLong was a Director of Fixed Income Sales at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey in Atlanta. He began his career in 1991 at Smith Barney where he worked for three years as a Financial Consultant. In 1994, he attended the University of South Carolina where earned his MBA. Mr. DeLong received his BA degree from Wofford College. He earned his CFA designation in 2001.

John B. Withers, CFA, Institutional Sales: John oversees the institutional sales and marketing effort for the firm. He joined the firm in 2008. Previously, Mr. Withers spent 17 years in a similar capacity for Donaldson & Co. He received his BBA, Finance from the University of Georgia in 1991 and earned the CFA designation in 1995.

Nell Merkle, Client Service: Nell works with our portfolio managers to provide the highest level of client service possible. She joined the firm in 2005. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Merkle spent six years at Merrill Lynch on the Institutional Sales desk. Before Merrill Lynch, she spent eight years in client service as a retail sales assistant with Robinson Humphrey and JC Bradford. She received her BS degree in Industrial Management from Georgia Institute of Technology. Ms. Merkle is an active member of the Smyrna Kiwanis Club.

Denise Drohan, Client Service: Denise works with our portfolio managers to provide the highest level of client service possible. Ms. Drohan joined the firm in 2004. She started working in the financial industry 25 years ago. Over that time, she worked for companies such as Merrill Lynch and Robinson Humphrey. Ms. Drohan received her BS degree from Radford University.

Firm Bios by Group/Product

Fixed Income Group
Equity Research Team
Diversified Portfolio Group

Fixed Income Group

Jonathan R. Morgan, Managing Director - Fixed Income Group: Jon oversees the strategic direction of our firm’s proprietary fixed income operations. He leads our bond policy committee and conducts municipal bond research. In addition, Jon serves as a fixed income portfolio manager constructing individual municipal bond portfolios and working directly with clients of the firm who hold municipal bonds. He joined the firm in 2006. Mr. Morgan has been involved with the fixed income markets since 1979. Prior to joining Crawford Investment Counsel, he was a principal in Municipal Portfolio Managers, Inc. Prior to MPM, he was employed by Bear Stearns and Co. for 20 years as a municipal bond trader and municipal institutional salesperson. From 1979 through 1983, Mr. Morgan was employed by Trust Company Bank as a portfolio analyst. He graduated from Miami University of Ohio with a BS majoring in Economics and Finance.

Leslie M. Krone, Portfolio Manager: Leslie is a fixed income portfolio manager and conducts municipal and corporate bond research. She joined the firm in 2005. Previously, Ms. Krone was the taxable fixed income trader at Trusco Capital Management, a subsidiary of SunTrust. She began her career in 1990 at SunTrust Bank where she served as a portfolio assistant. Later Ms. Krone was promoted to the municipal bond trader role within the bank which she performed for 10 years prior to moving to Trusco. She received her BS degree from the University of Dayton.

Geoffrey S. DeLong, CFA,Portfolio Manager: Geoff is a fixed income portfolio manager who constructs fixed income portfolios and works directly with clients of the firm. In addition, Geoff conducts municipal and corporate bond research. He joined Crawford Investment Counsel, Inc. in 2008. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. DeLong was a Director of Fixed Income Sales at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey in Atlanta. He began his career in 1991 at Smith Barney where he worked for three years as a Financial Consultant. In 1994, he attended the University of South Carolina where earned his MBA. Mr. DeLong received his BA degree from Wofford College. He earned his CFA designation in 2001.

Equity Research Team

John H. Crawford, III, Chairman and Chief Investment Officer: John founded the firm in 1980 and currently serves as Chairman and Chief Investment Officer. In addition to managing a select number of client portfolios directly, and communicating our firm’s current thinking to the broader client base via timely updates, John crafts the firm’s economic outlook and strategic asset allocation direction. Furthermore, he aids the Managing Directors of our Fixed Income, Equity, and Diversified Portfolio Groups in assessing trends and relative value among the asset classes our portfolio managers implement in client portfolios. Prior to establishing the firm, Mr. Crawford spent ten years with Lionel D. Edie & Company, a New York-based investment counseling firm. He spent the last five years of his association there as Regional Manager of the Southeastern office. Before joining Edie, he was associated with Merrill Lynch. Mr. Crawford received his BA degree from the University of Georgia and his M.Div. from Drew University. Mr. Crawford has worked in the investment industry since 1969. He currently serves on the investment advisory committee for the American Cancer Society and is a trustee for Drew University.

John H. Crawford, IV, CFA, Managing Director - Equity Group: John oversees the strategic direction of our firm’s proprietary equity strategies and leads our equity research process. He leads the investment committee meetings and supervises our team of dedicated equity analysts as well as conducts stock specific research. John serves as a portfolio manager on a select number of client portfolios. He joined the firm in 1990. Mr. Crawford began his career in the investment industry at Merrill Lynch Capital Markets in 1988. He received his BBA degree from the University of Georgia and his Master of Finance from Georgia State University.

Paul C. Becht, CFA, Principal: Paul oversees and conducts equity research efforts for our Core and Dividend Growth equity products. He joined the firm in 1998. Previously, Mr. Becht was a Vice-President and Senior Research Analyst for Trusco Capital Management and NationsBank. He received his BS degree in Business from Washington & Lee University. Mr. Becht began his investment career in 1986 after five years as a senior credit analyst.

Milton W. Williams, III, Principal: Milton serves as a portfolio manager to a large number of our clients, implementing portfolios and conducting client service meetings. Milton assists our Chief Investment Officer in developing and communicating our economic outlook and serves as part of the equity research team with stock specific research. He joined the firm in 1994. Previously, Mr. Williams was a Vice President and a senior portfolio manager for both Bank of America and SunTrust. Mr. Williams began his investment career, in 1986, with The Robinson-Humphrey Company. Prior to Robinson-Humphrey, he completed four years of service as a Captain in the United States Air Force. Mr. Williams earned his BS degree in Business Administration from The Citadel. Mr. Williams is a former Vice-Chairman and current advisor to The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation.

David B. Crawford, CFA, President: David is President of the firm and serves as the Chief Compliance Officer. In addition to serving as the portfolio manager on a select number of accounts, he serves on the Equity Research team and conducts research on industries covered within our Core and Dividend Growth equity strategies. David joined the firm in 1992. Previously, Mr. Crawford worked for the Federal Home Loan Bank. He received his BA degree in Economics from Denison University and his Master of Finance from Georgia State University.

Boris Kuzmin, CFA, Equity Research: Boris is an equity research analyst and spends 100% of his time analyzing specific stocks within our defined universe. He joined the firm in 2004. Previously, Mr. Kuzmin was an intern analyst for Emory Investment Management. He received his BS degree in Economics from the Russian Academy of Economics and his MBA from Emory University. Boris earned his CFA designation in 2006.

Thomas J. Buehler, CFA, Portfolio Manager: Tom serves as a portfolio manager working directly with clients and is part of our equity research team conducting stock specific research. He joined the firm in 2005. Previously, Mr. Buehler was a trader and analyst with Caldwell & Orkin. He began his investment career in 1999. Tom received his BS degree in Finance from the University of Dayton and his MBA from the University of Notre Dame. Tom received his CFA designation in 2007.

David P. Gilmore, CFA, Equity Research: David is a senior equity research analyst. He joined the firm in 2009. David conducts equity research and serves on the investment committee. Mr. Gilmore started his investment career in 1997 with Federated Investors. During his tenure, he was promoted to Vice President and Senior Portfolio Manager. His responsibilities included equity research and portfolio management. David received his BS degree in Accounting from Liberty University and his MBA from the University of Virginia. David received his CFA designation in 2000.

Diversified Portfolio Group

Brandon M. Denihan, Portfolio Manager: Brandon is a portfolio manager to a select number of client portfolios. He also conducts manager specific research for the Diversified Portfolio Group helping to determine which outside managers and manager combinations work well for clients of the firm that utilize our third party solutions. Brandon also compiles all of the firm’s GIPS compliant composites. He joined Crawford Investment Counsel in 2004. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Denihan was a Key Account Manager at Wells Real Estate Funds. He began his career at Evergreen Investments where he worked as a Product Manager for three years. Mr. Denihan earned a BS degree in Mathematics from Wake Forest University.

Al Kirchner, Portfolio Manager and Head of Jacksonville, FL Office: In addition to heading up the firm’s Jacksonville, FL office, Al is a portfolio manager, and a member of the Diversified Portfolio Group. He joined the firm and opened the Jacksonville office in the Spring of 2008. Al began his investment career with Merrill Lynch in Kansas City, MO in 1982 and was subsequently recruited to help launch the Institutional Investment Consulting group with Morgan Keegan in Atlanta, GA in 1985. More recently, Al had his own Registered Investment Advisory firm in Jacksonville. A graduate of Westminster College in Fulton, MO, Al has also served as the head of marketing for a mutual fund complex and served as an analyst for the same firm. He is currently a member of the CFA Institute, The Jacksonville and Atlanta Society of Financial Analysts and serves on the Board of the Youth Crisis Center Foundation in Jacksonville.