Our People

Richard B. Seidel - Chairman

Founder of Girard Partners, Richard serves as our Investment Committee member with nearly 42 years of investment and trust administration experience. A published author and esteemed lecturer, Richard co-founded The Fairfield Group in 1983, and as President, led it to become a $5 billion fund management company. Previously, he spent 17 years at Girard Bank (now Bank of New York Mellon), in numerous capacities including trust administration and counsel, tax management and investments. In 1979, he established a holding company subsidiary named GTC Management, and as President, developed one of the first bank proprietary mutual funds in the country.

Richard is a member of the Pennsylvania and New York Bar Associations and is a registered Securities Principal. He holds a B.A from Georgetown University and a law degree from St. John's University School of Law.

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Kevin B. Norris - President & Chief Investment Officer

Kevin relies on his 30 years of financial experience to drive Girard Partners' goal-based investment strategy and practices, in addition to inspiring our firm's steady growth. In his position, he has oversight responsibility for formulating our investment strategy and securities selections, while still retaining an intimate relationship with our clients on a daily basis.

Before joining our firm in 1996, Kevin held Vice President positions at Black Rock Institutional Management for 3 years, and at The Fairfield Group for 5 years, where he was responsible for the management of over $3 billion in institutional assets. Previously, he held a variety of positions at Beneficial Savings Bank during his 13-year tenure there, concluding in a Vice Presidential role.

Kevin is a registered Securities Principal and a member of the Financial Planning Association (FPA). He graduated from LaSalle University with a B.S. in Business Administration, majoring in Finance and Accounting.

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Don R. Naimoli - Vice President, Taxation & Operations

Don's task is to enhance the productivity and operational efficiency within our organization. In the taxation arena, Don is responsible for laying the foundation of Girard Partner's proactive approach in integrating tax-sensitive strategies into our clients' investment portfolios.

Prior to joining Girard in 1998, Don served as Senior Vice President and Assistant Secretary of The Fairfield Group, a fund management company that pioneered the development of bank mutual funds. He also enjoyed a 20-year career at Girard Bank (now Bank of New York Mellon) where, as Vice President of the Trust Department, he served in numerous management positions with a focus on taxes, accounting and operations.

Don is a graduate of St Joseph's University. Throughout his 40-year career, he has served as a lecturer for the Pennsylvania Bankers Association Trust School and the Mid-Atlantic Bankers Tax Association.

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Tom J. Crossett - Director of Sales & Marketing

Tom brings us over 33 years of investment and trust management experience. In his present role, Tom is responsible for building creative strategies to understand, anticipate, and personalize the needs of our current and potential clients.

Prior to joining Girard Partners in 1999, he was Vice President of Wachovia Bank and Trust (formerly First Pennsylvania Bank and Corestates). His 16-year tenure concluded with the distinction of being named the "Top New Business Development Officer of 1998." Earlier in his career, Tom worked at Frankford Trust Company for 8 years as an Investment Assistant.

Tom received a B.S. in Finance degree from Drexel University, and an M.B.A. from Temple University.

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Harry G. "Skip" Dittmann - Vice President

Harry, also known as “Skip”, has led a distinguished career in investment and banking for 35 years. As Vice President, Skip draws upon his extensive expertise to lead, develop, and manage long-term investment strategies for our clients. His diversified knowledge allows him to provide highly individualized wealth management advice. Prior to joining Girard Partners, Skip was Senior Vice President and Director, Portfolio Management, at Calibre, the Family Office of Wachovia Bank. While at Calibre, he managed and executed investment strategies for over 50 high net worth families with marketable assets inexcess of $7 billion.

At CoreStates Bank, a predecessor of Wachovia Bank, Skip was Vice President and Portfolio Manager of the Family Wealth Group, and responsible for the investment management of families and foundations with assets in excess of $20 million. Earlier, Skip was Vice President and Sales Manager of the Capital Markets Division, where he provided investment services to retail and institutional investors, in addition to overseeing the sales force in three regional offices. Previously, Skip was an Assistant Investment Officer for the Portfolio and Funds Management Division of Mellon Bank.

Skip holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the U.S. Naval Academy, and retired from the U.S. Navy in 1995 after completing 33 years of active duty and reserve service. He serves on numerous boards including the Philadelphia Securities Association, 1260 Housing Development Association, and the Philadelphia Mental Health Corp. Skip resides in Villanova, PA with his wife of 40 years. He enjoys kayaking and playing golf and tennis.

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David Geibel - Vice President

David joined Girard Partners in 2005 as Vice President, where he plays a key role in implementing sound investment strategies for our clients and works closely with them throughout their investment life cycle. David serves on our Investment Committee, and is also responsible for New Business Development and providing IT solutions for our firm.

Prior to his present position, David served as Account Executive at The Sycamore Group in Ft. Washington, PA, a company that provided high-end software architecture to financial service companies. He has also developed investment strategies for institutional clients at BlackRock, Inc., a multi-billion dollar asset management company in Houston, Texas.

David is a graduate of the 2003 Executive Regional Leadership Forum, and attended the Cannon Trust School in 1995. He earned a B.S. in Finance and Accounting from Drexel University.

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Kathleen Q. Kelly - Portfolio Manager

Kathleen, a member of our Investment Committee, is responsible for recommending the appropriate mix of investments compatible with our clients' goals, risk tolerance, and expectation for return on investment. On a daily basis, she closely monitors on the securities markets, ensuring that our clients' investments are performing up to previously established goals. She consults with our clients frequently to keep them informed and to stay attuned to their life changes.

Kathleen had previously served as an Investment Consultant at Charles Schwab Corp. for 6 years, where she consistently led a $3 billion branch in asset aggregation and revenues generated. During her tenure, she was the recipient of the 2005 Client Excellence in Service Award and the 2001 Lifesaver Award.

In addition to these accomplishments, Kathleen is a Certified Public Seminar Trainer. She graduated from the University of Delaware with a Bachelor's degree in History.

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Nikki Polistina - Portfolio Manager

Nikki serves as a member of our Investment Committee, and works closely with our clients to understand their investment goals and ensure that the investments she oversees meet those goals. Her broad knowledge of financial planning issues, such as retirement, college funding, and insurance allows her to apply a comprehensive approach to our clients' wealth management needs. Nikki also plays a leading role in Operations where she is instrumental in supporting our back office operations, including reconciliation of our firm's transactions.

Prior to joining Girard Partners, Nikki was a Financial Advisor for Ameriprise Financial, Inc., where she provided financial analysis and guidance to individuals and businesses to assist them with their investment decisions.

Nikki is a member of the Financial Planning Association (FPA) and is a graduate of Penn State University, with a B.S. in Finance.

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Christine Baluk - Client Services Manager

In 2007, Christine joined Girard Partners as Client Services Manager, where she is responsible for creating efficiencies in all aspects of account operational functions to enhance the high-end service experience of our clients. Her position involves direct client support through responding to inquiries, research, account openings and settlements, as well as the maintenance of account information.

Prior to joining us, Christine was a Customer Service Representative for Scott Kay, Inc., a renowned jewelry design company, where she was responsible for providing efficient, friendly and knowledgeable service to their customers. She has also honed her customer service and sales skills with some of the world's leading retailers including Godiva Chocolatier and The Walt Disney Co.

Christine is a graduate of Gettysburg College with a B.A. in Psychology. She actively supports the Alpha Delta Pi Association by organizing charity events for The Ronald McDonald House, and also partakes in campaigns for Adopt-A-Platoon, a non-profit organization that supports U.S. solders who are deployed overseas.

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