FREEDOM OF THE PRESS

Amy Mursell – Advisory Consulting

1. Where are you from?
1. I was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
2. What do you like to do away from work – hobbies or activities?
1. I like to spend time outdoors boating and gardening as well as traveling with my family.
3. What’s your favorite season and why?
1. I would have to say fall is my favorite time of year because of the cooler but not too cold temperatures here in Florida, but also to travel and see the fall foliage.
4. What was your favorite job?
1. I spent several years designing and making high-end fashion jewelry for boutiques and upscale department stores. It was a great to use my creativity and get paid for it.

Ashley Bradshaw – Trading Admin

1. Where are you from?
   1. Memphis, Tennessee.
2. Where did you grow up?
   1. North Carolina.
3. Where did you go to school?
   1. Overton College, University of Memphis.
4. Tell me about your role in the department – what is a typical day like for you?
   1. I’m still in training doing Trading Admin and Corporate Actions. From what I can see there is not a set job to do in this position and there is so much to learn in my new role. I’m so excited about this new opportunity, and as of right now my days consist of sitting with my trainer and learning the ins and outs of Corporate Actions.
5. What do you like to do away from work – hobbies or activities?
   1. When not at work I love to spend time with my two beautiful boys. My hobbies are cooking and meal prepping for others. I also enjoy going to brunch with friends and focusing on my new goals in life.
6. What or who has influenced your life the most?
   1. My older sister Stacey has influenced me so much throughout my life. She is the absolute best!
7. What’s your favorite season and why?
   1. My favorite season is spring, because I love to see all of the beautiful flowers bloom and the nice cute yards along with the butterflies. I can also sit on the patio and eat my tacos and drink my Long Islands.
8. What accomplishment are you most proud of?
   1. My most proud moment was graduating from the University of Memphis as a single parent and going through the ins and outs of trying to make ends meet.
9. Do you have any side-hustles?
   1. Cooking and doing lashes are my current side hustles.
10. What’s your favorite family tradition?
    1. Thanksgiving gatherings in Atlanta with my family.
11. What TV show are you currently binging?
    1. “Snowfall.”
12. Describe your dream vacation?
    1. My dream vacation would be just to lay on any resort island with beautiful blue water.
13. Top 3 bucket list items?
    1. Visit St. Pete, Florida, buy a beautiful house for me and my boys, and get married to my forever friend.
14. Favorite sports team?
    1. Grizzlies.
15. If you could instantly acquire one talent or ability, what would it be and why?
    1. I wish I could dance! I say this because I feel like dancing would be a great stress reliever, and it takes you to places outside of your everyday norm.

Ryan Glass – AMS Sales

1. Where are you from?
   1. Florida, in the towns of Wesley Chapel and Lutz.
2. Where did you go to school?
   1. Steinbrenner High school, Pasco Hernando State College and University of South Florida.
3. Tell me about your role in the department – what is a typical day like for you?
   1. I am a sales support specialist. I run reports for our sales teams to help them make a sale or bring an FA on board.
4. What do you like to do away from work – hobbies or activities?
   1. Golf and go out with friends
5. How big is your family?
   1. BIG Italian family.
6. What’s your favorite season and why?
   1. Spring, because I like the weather it brings to Florida.
7. What was your favorite job?
   1. Working with my dad setting up motorized screens. Will change once I get into a more sales-oriented role.
8. Do you have any side-hustles?
   1. Junk Jobs. Clean up people’s junk they don’t want or can’t move and haul it away to a dump.
9. What’s your favorite family tradition?
   1. The dinners every weekend.
10. Top 3 bucket list items?
    1. Five acres with a 5-bed, 3.5-bath home. Thirty-two foot Freeman boat to take on the water, and a shed with a golf simulator and a bar inside.
11. Favorite sports team?
    1. Bucs.
12. If you could instantly acquire one talent or ability, what would it be?
    1. The talent to retain information better than anyone else.
13. Describe your dream vacation?
    1. A very long vacation exploring Japan.
14. Top 3 bucket list items?
    1. Skydive, own a fleet of classic cars (Jay Leno style), be in a position to set my family up for anything they may need.
15. Favorite Podcast?
    1. The Joe Rogan Experience.

Mason Pitts – Due Diligence / Manager Research

1. Where did you grow up?
   1. Gainesville, Florida.
2. Where did you go to school?
   1. University of Florida for my bachelor’s and master’s in economics.
3. Tell me about your role in the department – what is a typical day like for you?
   1. My role is at the nexus of finance, coding, math and statistics. My days vary; however, most of my time is split between coding in Python or JavaScript and presenting analytics in Tableau. In general, the projects I work on include investment factor research, portfolio optimization, and aiding in the development of Vision, the internal trade research application for the Research and DD team.
4. What do you like to do away from work – hobbies or activities?
   1. Long walks on the beach … just kidding. Endless karaoke concerts in the car, in-depth conversations with ChatGPT, walking trails and working out, video games, escape rooms, finding the best restaurants in Tampa/St. Pete. Being addicted to learning, which ranges from learning to code and devolves into watching way too many self-help YouTube videos.
5. What or who has influenced your life the most?
   1. My wife. She is the person who has gotten me through the hardest parts of my life and she’s the reason I’m the person I am today.
6. What accomplishment are you most proud?
   1. Changing my worldview and adopting a growth mindset.
7. What TV show are you currently binging?
   1. Recently finished watching the “Last of Us,” which was a phenomenal show.
8. What three items would you take on a deserted island?
   
   1. If I wanted to escape: satellite phone, U.S. passport and GPS.
   2. If I was resigned to a romantic death on the beach: a stereo, a CD with a few Celine Dion hits and a portrait of my wife.
9. Describe your dream vacation?
   1. Traveling around the Mediterranean visiting all the historical sites, especially the Roman and Greek ruins in Italy and Greece.
10. Favorite Podcast?
    1. Flirting with Models – and no it’s not a pickup artist podcast it’s a quantitative asset management/trading podcast where the host interviews quantitative fund and portfolio managers.
11. Favorite sports team?
    1. Florida Gators or whichever NFL team is playing the Patriots.
12. If you could instantly acquire one talent or ability, what would it be and why?
    1. Have incredibly precise time control. If I could control time, I could literally solve nearly all the world’s problems. Money? You got it. Pull a Biff from "Back to the Future” and bet on sports or invest in stocks you know are going to succeed. Knowledge? Learn a skill and reverse time so you know the skill at a younger age. Need to save the world from an asteroid? You got it, reverse time and shoot the asteroid with a giant laser you built with all your winnings from sports betting to deflect it off its collision course with the planet. The possibilities are endless.

Linda Schaefer – Projects

1. Tell us a little about yourself
   1. My career background prior to joining Raymond James was in wireless telecommunications/technology. The company, headquartered in Tampa, provides technology and services for wireless telecommunications providers and other players in over 200 countries. So I have a lot to learn about the financial industry!
   2. I grew up in Jupiter, Florida, when it was a very small town and air conditioning was not in most homes and not the schools! It was a beautiful area, and our family spent much of our childhood waterlogged and at the beach every weekend. I had three siblings, one special needs sister and another sister and brother. We loved the water, and all learned to swim at a very early age. My father did move our family to a small town in Georgia when I was in high school, and I attended a small two-year college in Gainesville, Georgia, then spent a half of a year at the University of Georgia. I moved back to Jupiter (the rest of the family moved back to Florida as well), and then attended the University of Florida, where I met my first husband (he passed away in 2012) and we moved to the Tampa area, where he grew up.
2. Tell me about your role in the department – what is a typical day like for you?
   1. I started last September with the inaugural 12-week, ReInvest Program. I had been out of the workforce for almost six years to care for my elderly mom who had dementia. The program is a wonderful way to re-enter the workforce, and the Raymond James program was well thought out and a success. I started a permanent position in the AMS department, working on Anupam Singh’s team in mid-January. The department is exciting and the team members across the department have been supportive and gone out of their way to help me learn the business, company and teams (and team members).
3. What do you like to do away from work – hobbies or activities?
   1. I am an avid, lifelong reader—of almost all genres of literature. I’m also a lover of the theatre and certainly missed The Straz and Ruth Eckerd during the pandemic. But more importantly, I’m a huge animal lover, and all my animals over my lifetime have been rescues. Sean and I have four inside cats and we’re fostering a neighbor’s outdoor Maine Coon cat (she won’t come inside) while he’s traveling for two years. It also seems as if a feral kitty has adopted us! We are planning to capture him, using a humane trap, to ensure he’s neutered and vaccinated. I am a strong believer in the TNVR programs that exist in this country.
4. What or who has influenced your life the most?
   1. I would have to say my parents and my special needs sister who passed away seven years ago. She was the first born, in 1956, and the doctors knew something was wrong, but not what, at birth. At the time, the practice was to institutionalize babies who were not “normal.” My parents would not consider that, and their progressive, very wonderful doctor told them to take her home and love her – which they did! Wendy was both physically and intellectually impaired and was missing the connection of nerves that connect the two hemispheres of the brain, the corpus callosum. It’s the same impairment that Kim Peek (the real Rain Man) had, and he was a savant. In her own way Wendy was a savant—but that’s a story for another time. Our parents ensured that Wendy always had the best education and opportunities available. They worked with the ARC and the Special Olympics (as did I and my siblings) our entire young lives. I think their commitment to her, and to others with special needs, and their constant support of each of their children provided each of us with a foundation of positive values and the ability to easily work with people who are different than ourselves. It’s such a fundamental, important value, and I see that in the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs at Raymond James. I’m happy to have been asked to join the company and look forward to more years of service here.
5. How big is your family?
   1. I have four nephews who I can no longer call kids since the oldest is 30 and the youngest is 26! And my oldest nephew made me a great Aunt to a beautiful daughter, Peyton, a year ago. Astonishingly, I was married in December of last year to Sean. It’s a great story: Our moms met each other and were lifetime friends since the early 1960s. Our families were very close, and Sean is my mom’s best friend’s oldest son, whom I’ve known my entire life. He stayed in the Jupiter area, and I’ve been in the Tampa area for our adult lives. We hadn’t spoken in years, but our families were always in touch, even after his mom passed away. We started talking after my mom passed away in late 2021. He was single for about the same amount of time I had been widowed and he was caring for his father who has dementia. We shocked ourselves and then our families when we realized we belonged together for the rest of our lives. Sean has two children, the same age range as my nephews. His daughter blessed him with a beautiful granddaughter, Charlotte, on November 1 of last year.
6. What’s your favorite season and why?
   1. My favorite season is fall, and my favorite holiday is Thanksgiving. It’s such a warm and comforting time of year. My fall decorations come out September 1 and stay until after Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving has always been a big event among our immediate family, extended family and friends who join us. It’s great to get together and enjoy one another and eat traditional Thanksgiving foods we’ve had our entire lives. Of course, I ignore football – unlike everyone else in the family. As for college football, The Gators are it! Pro football is split between the Dolphins and The Bucs in the family. 
7. What was your favorite job?
   1. My favorite job is really two jobs, but they have a relationship with one another. I love working as a product manager (very much like what I’m doing in the AMS department). This affords me the ability to work with a diverse set of people from multiple departments and help drive new applications, enhancements, and processes to improve the business and enhance the end client experience. Being part of a team is rewarding because we are all working towards a common goal, and we all learn from our individual backgrounds and knowledge set. The other area that I love is leading a team of people and helping mentor them and grow in their careers.
8. What TV show are you currently binging?
   1. The only thing I binge regularly is “Jeopardy!” We are still doing mini binges of “Grey’s Anatomy” (It keeps us up way too late), but try out different movies each weekend.
9. If you could instantly acquire one talent or ability, what would it be and why?
   1. It would be to have any musical ability! Both of my husbands have music in common, and one of my nephews was a music major and can play just about any instrument put in front of him. And he learned most on his own! I have very eclectic musical tastes and enjoy listening to heartfelt music of all kinds.

Vanessa Rogers – Advisor Services

1. Where are you from?
   1. Born in Virginia Beach, now living in Memphis, Tennessee (Navy brat).
2. Tell me about your role in the department
   1. I’m now in AMS Advisor Services. I transitioned from New Accounts.
3. How big is your family?
   1. Married (this year will be our 10th wedding anniversary). Two kids: a boy, Dj (5) and a girl, Ivy (2). A 14-year-old, long-haired dachshund. Also one big brother.
4. Favorite sports team?
   1. I have two, actually: the Celtics, and of course the Grizzlies.

Craig Johnson – UMA Trading

1. Where are you from?
   1. I currently reside in Southaven, Mississippi, just south of the Tennessee state line. I plan to move to Memphis this fall.
2. Where did you grow up?
   1. I am from a small town in northern Mississippi called Senatobia. It’s about 30 to 45 minutes south of Memphis. Most of my family lives there to this day.
3. Where did you go to school?
   1. I graduated from Ole Miss in 2017.
4. What do you like to do away from work – hobbies or activities?
   1. I love sports and movies. I’m a huge basketball and golf fan and on any given Friday night, you may catch me at the movie theater!
5. What or who has influenced your life the most?
   1. My granddad played a huge role in my life. He was not only a father figure to me, but he helped me develop a love for traveling and a love for the local church and community.
6. How big is your family?
   1. I have a large family: two brothers and one sister. I am the youngest.
7. What’s your favorite season and why? 
   1. I am a big fan of the fall and winter. The summer in Memphis is no joke, and the pollen in the spring here is undefeated against my allergies.
8. What was your favorite job?
   1. For the past few years, I have been working nights and weekends with the Memphis Grizzlies as a basketball operations assistant. It’s been a fun ride!
9. What TV show are you currently binging? 
   1. I have a few different things that have been on the docket. I can’t really get too far away from “The Office,” since it’s my comfort show. I’ve been slowly making it through “The Crown,” and my girlfriend and I just finished season four of “Love is Blind.”
10. Favorite Podcast?
    1. Outside of sports and the plethora of podcasts I listen to about that, I’m also a true crime fan so I listen to “Crime Junkie” every now and then!
11. Favorite sports team?
    1. Since I’m from the Memphis area, the Grizzlies hold a special place in my heart, but I’m also a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals and the New York Giants.

Banks

Owner: Megan Lisenbee

My name is Banks and I’m a mix of German Shepherd and Husky. I’m about two years old, and was a stray. I’m the biggest, goofiest, most affectionate fluffball you’ll ever meet. Some even like to call me a good boy. I have lots of energy and love to spend my days running around the dog park making new friends, or going on long walks with Mom. I’ve gotten pretty famous, and people are starting to recognize me. I’m so happy to be in such a loving family.

Cocoa

Owner: Angie Stevens

Meet Cocoa my grand-dog, and Malik my grandson. Cocoa is a female English Bulldog. She is extremely playful and a good companion for my grandson. Obviously, they had spotted a squirrel in the backyard

Cookie

Owner: Yulia DeArmond

Cookie is a 10-year-old female Maltese. She is the most loyal dog and will trick anyone to give her treats.

Evie

Owner: Linda Schaefer

Evie is a small, sweet little Hemingway with extra toes on her front feet. She loves to play with Oliver, and she has a curled tail. She is dainty and adorable but can be ferocious playing with Oliver. She’s about four years old. Sometimes she pulls this sweet pitiful look because she doesn’t want to jump on the counter, and we must pick her up and put her there to eat.

Oliver and Prince Harry

Prince Harry is the orange and white kitty and he’s a Hemingway with extra toes on the front and back of his feet. Prince is like Oliver’s protector and Oliver adores it! He was born on my sister’s property in the country where everyone drops unwanted animals. My sister was trying to capture mama kitty and kittens, but the mama disappeared when the kittens were four weeks old, so they took in the five babies and bottle fed and weaned them, and their old dog became the mommy surrogate. Oliver is the funniest cat I’ve ever had. He gets into everything and his favorite thing to do is to shred paper! Any kind of paper – but he’s particular about the color.

Lucy

Owner: Patrick Thompson

Lucy is the newest addition to the Thompson family. She is a four-month-old Brittany and a very sweet girl. She loves playing fetch and spending time with the kids.

Sir Hank Norman

Owner: Michael Paz

Sir Hank Norman is a Boxer mix and he’s ready to celebrate his 8th birthday May 17th! He enjoys short walks, sneaking onto his fathers’ bed when no one is looking, and cuddling with his grandparents. He’s not all relaxation though. When his dads are working from home, he can be found by the front window guarding them from all dangers, like the Amazon guy, the neighbor’s dog, or even a bird! He’s a goofball with an innate ability to make everyone love him. Also, he's hoping for a little brother or sister soon! Paws crossed!

Tytan

Owner: LaTisha Ivory

Tytan is our 2-year-old Maltichon. She joined our family for emotional support to my daughter after she lost her father. She is full of energy, loves to play, and is our personal security system because she barks at everything. We love her to pieces.

Wyatt

Owner: Kayla Smith

This is my best new buddy Wyatt, named because, well, he is in fact the color white. He also goes by Wyatt Earp. GO RAYS!