Prior to founding Jones Villalta Asset Management in 1999, Stephen was an investment professional at Rauscher Pierce Refsnes (now known as RBC Wealth Management) and Merrill Lynch. He has studied at Harvard University and earned a master of business administration degree from St. Edward's University. He holds a bachelor of business administration in finance from The University of Texas at Austin. In 1999, St. Edward's recognized Stephen as the Distinguished MBA Alumnus.
Stephen has been an adjunct faculty member at St. Edward's University and currently serves as a guest lecturer in the MBA Program. He has served in leadership positions for a number of civic and non-profit organizations. He led the Arthouse institution capital campaign which was successfully completed in 2009. Arthouse has won numerous national architectural awards. In 2009, Stephen was elected to the board of directors of First National Bank, Albany, Texas, a national bank with approximately $380 million in assets and currently is serving on the investment committee.
Stephen has been a contributing columnist for several publications and has been sought after to appear on Bloomberg and Fox Business News. He is a member of the Investment Company Institute and serves on the Institute's small funds committee (firms with less than $5 billion of assets under management).
Thomas E. Villalta, CFA
President & Chief Investment Officer
Thomas Villalta has served as the Chief Investment Officer at Jones Villalta Asset Management since 1999. Tom began his career with Dain Bosworth Incorporated in 1992, working in various investment research capacities for the company and its affiliates before joining Piper Jaffray Companies in 1997. More recently, prior to Joining Stephen Jones, Tom worked in the investment division at the City and County of San Francisco Employees' Retirement System.
Tom earned a master of business administration degree from the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin and a bachelor of arts degree with majors in economics and English from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Tom is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and is a member of the CFA Institute and the CFA Society of Austin. He has taught several finance and investment classes at St. Edward's University in Austin, Texas, where he has served as an adjunct faculty member.
SARA R. BELL
Vice President
Investor Relations
Sara Reeder Bell joined Jones Villalta with over 13 years of experience working with financial services professionals to improve and grow their organizations. Prior to joining the team, Sara owned SRB Consulting Solutions where she collaborated with business owners to develop key business alliances, design and create effective teams and implement new marketing strategies. In her previous experience at PartnersFinancial/NFP, she served in a variety of dynamic marketing, business development and leadership roles.
Sara holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Texas at Austin and a broad range of certifications including the Business Foundations Program, Chartered Life Underwriter Designation and Kolbe Certified Consultant. She holds her Series 7, 66 and Group 1 licenses.
Outside of her professional life, Sara enjoys volunteering with Austin Smiles, Mobile Loaves and Fishes and the Ronald McDonald House. Currently, she is working with friends to create a non-profit with a mission to raise money for various Austin charities including the Boys and Girls Club.
Catherine R. Sansbury
General Counsel
Catherine began her legal career in the Legal Department at The Chase Manhattan Bank (formerly Chemical Bank) in New York, New York. She practiced at Chase for six years, first as a litigator and then as a Vice President and Assistant General Counsel for the private bank, investment adviser and mutual fund business units. She also worked as an Associate General Counsel to Tejas Securities Group, Inc. located in Austin, Texas where she focused her efforts on litigation/arbitration management, regulatory matters and human resources.
She volunteers as a guardian ad litem in Travis County, Texas and is a member of the Alumni Admissions Program for Georgetown University located in Washington, DC. She has served on the Board of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Central and South Texas, and held various leadership positions at The Boy Scouts of America, The Bridgepoint Elementary School Booster Club, and St. Stephen's Episcopal School Parent's Association.
Catherine earned a BS in Chinese Language with a minor in Business from Georgetown University and a JD from The University of Connecticut School of Law where she was selected to the University Of Connecticut Journal Of International Law. She is a member of the NY, NJ, and TX State Bars. She previously held the Series 7 and 24 licenses.
