Ashford Securities LLC (“Ashford Securities”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Ashford Inc. (“Ashford”), is pleased to announce the addition of two accomplished professionals to its team. Jonathan Dease has joined as Senior Vice President, National Accounts, and Melissa Birdsall has been named Regional Vice President of Sales (Central Region). These individuals will play important roles in supporting the continued growth of the Ashford Securities distribution team as the company expands its offering of alternative investment products to financial intermediaries.
With over 25 years of experience in the securities industry, Jonathan Dease has a proven track record of growing and managing a dynamic selling group, building strong relationships with broker-dealers and registered investment advisors (RIAs), and leading high-performance teams. He joins Ashford Securities from national accounts positions at Preferred Capital Securities and Griffin Capital Securities. In his new role, Mr. Dease will oversee national account strategy and partnerships, tasked with building and strengthening strategic relationships with key stakeholders at broker-dealer and RIA firms for the Ashford suite of product offerings.
“We are thrilled to welcome Jonathan to our national accounts team,” said C. Jay Steigerwald III, CEO of Ashford Securities. “His deep industry relationships and proven ability to support broker-dealers in maximizing the effectiveness of their registered representatives will play a critical role as we continue to expand our national footprint.”
Melissa Birdsall joins Ashford Securities with an extensive background in sales management and regional market development. As the Regional Vice President of Sales (Central Region), Melissa will be responsible for partnering with financial advisors and providing both product education and market knowledge to support the Ashford Securities product offerings. With over 19 years of experience raising capital in the securities industry, Melissa joins Ashford Securities from product sales roles at ExchangeRight and Ares Asset Management.
“Melissa brings an energy and strategic mindset that aligns perfectly with our mission,” added Mr. Steigerwald. “Her leadership will be instrumental as we accelerate our growth and deepen our engagement with the Central Region’s selling group.”
With the addition of Melissa to the sales team, Todd Brewer will step away from managing the Central Region to focus on his role as National Sales Manager, where he will continue to lead the Ashford Securities sales team and oversee their sales and marketing efforts throughout the United States. Mr. Brewer has nearly 20 years of experience in sales management, specializing in alternative investments, and has been with Ashford Securities for over four years.
“Todd brings extensive experience across a wide range of products and is highly respected throughout the industry,” said Mr. Steigerwald. “His approachable leadership style, paired with his strategic insight and creativity, will continue to be a tremendous asset to our organization. All three of these 2 key professionals will be instrumental in building a stronger, more dynamic distribution team that positions us for long-term success and drives future growth.”
About Ashford Securities LLC
Ashford Securities, member FINRA/SIPC, is an SEC-registered broker-dealer that is wholly owned by Ashford and serves as the distributor for investment products within the Ashford group of companies.
About Ashford Inc.
Ashford is an alternative asset management company with a portfolio of strategic operating businesses that provides global asset management, investment management, and related services to the real estate and hospitality sectors.
Contact: G. Bruce Sumner Senior Vice President, Principal Financial Officer (469) 435-8277
