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Mr. Nies is the Regional Managing Director of the Southeast Region, based in Atlanta, GA. Mr. Nies joined Merrill Lynch in 1998 as a Financial Advisor and later became the regional sales manager of the South Florida Region. His industry experience also includes leading the Credit Suisse Private Bank's Pacific Northwest Region and the U.S. Market Leader for the Asia Pacific Market. Mr. Nies graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy with a B.S. in Engineering and holds a MBA with honors from the University of Florida.

Mr. Thelander brings extensive management and client service experience to his role as Regional Managing Director for the Mid-America Region, based in Chicago. He joined the firm as a Financial Advisor and went on to serve in management positions in several regions, most recently as Regional Managing Director for the Heartland Region. Mr. Thelander earned an MBA from the University of Colorado.

Mr. Wood is the Regional Managing Director for the Mountain West Region of Merrill Private Wealth Management headquartered in Century City, California. He joined Merrill in 1993 after a distinguished active duty and reserve career serving in the United States Navy as a Naval Commander and Flight Officer. During his career with the firm, he has served as a wealth management advisor and has held a number of senior roles at the firm, most recently leading the Washington, D.C. market.

Linda Patel is the Regional Managing Director for the Merrill Private Wealth Management in the Texas Region, headquartered in Dallas. Her responsibilities cover the Texas markets, as well as Missouri, New Mexico and Colorado. Ms. Patel previously was the Valley Coast Market Executive for Merrill in Southern California, responsible for eight full-service brokerage offices. She holds a B.B.A. degree in international studies and a minor in economics from PACE University in New York.

As the Northeast Regional Managing Director, Mr. McGauley leads the Private Wealth Management advisors in New England, upstate New York and the Mid-Atlantic. He works directly with advisors and clients to develop robust, integrated and tailored wealth management strategies that respond to the complexities and opportunities of significant wealth. Mr. McGauley is also the Head of Private Wealth Services, overseeing the collaboration and synthesis of three practice areas: Family Office Services, Wealth Strategy and the Merrill Center for Family Wealth^TM.

Ms. Colavita is the Managing Director of the Metropolitan Merrill Private Wealth Management region headquartered in New York and encompassing Greenwich, Connecticut and northern New Jersey. She also oversees the International Wealth Management business in New York City, which serves high-net-worth international and domestic families. Prior to her current role, Ms. Colavita served as head of Client Solutions and Sales with responsibility for initiatives designed to drive new business development and to enhance the ultra-high-net-worth client experience. She dedicates her volunteer efforts on behalf of girls and their leadership development.

As the Managing Director of the Pacific West region of Merrill Private Wealth Management, Ms. Murphy is responsible for overseeing the activities of advisor teams who focus on the financial needs of ultra-high-net-worth clients and supporting the lives and legacies they envision. She joined Merrill in 2000 and has held a number of leadership roles, including leading advisor teams in Oregon, the San Francisco Bay area and Southern California. Ms. Murphy is active in a number of community organizations, including as a member of Battery Powered (a community designed to find and fund people and projects who work to strengthen society).