Daniel F. Dent, CFA, founded D.F. Dent and Company in 1976. Prior to that, Mr. Dent was a Vice President in the investment counseling division T. Rowe Price Associates. He began his investment career as a securities analyst at Butcher Sherrerd in Philadelphia. Mr. Dent graduated cum laude from Princeton University in 1963, served as a Naval Officer for 3 years, and later received an MBA in finance and investments from the Wharton School of Finance. He is a CFA charterholder and a past president of the Baltimore Security Analysts Society.  Mr. Dent has served as a trustee and director of various non-profit organizations. In addition to being Chairman of D.F. Dent and Company, Mr. Dent serves as a portfolio manager.  

Thomas F. O'Neil, Jr., CFA, joined the firm in the summer of 1985 with 15 years of experience in the field of investment management. For the previous 6 years, he served in the position of financial adviser to a Maryland family with philanthropic interests where his responsibilities included management of the family’s investments. Prior to that position, for nine years he was responsible for the investment of insurance companies’ funds in the equity and fixed-income markets for a large Maryland based corporation called Commercial Credit Corp. Mr. O’Neil is a graduate of Georgetown University and Columbia University Graduate School of Business where he received an MBA in finance and banking. He is a CFA charterholder and has served on the boards of various non-profit organizations.  Mr. O’Neil serves as a portfolio manager.

Linda W. McCleary joined the firm in the beginning of 1999. Prior to joining D.F. Dent and Company, she served over twenty years as a Principal and Chief Financial Officer of Investment Counselors of Maryland, a Baltimore-based investment advisory firm. In that capacity, she managed institutional equity and fixed-income portfolios. Mrs. McCleary graduated cum laude from Smith College and later received an MBA degree in finance and accounting from Loyola University Maryland. She serves as a portfolio manager for equity and fixed income portfolios.

Matthew F. Dent, CFA, joined the firm in the summer of 2001 with four years of investment experience. Prior to joining D.F. Dent and Company, Mr. Dent served as a research associate at Stafford Capital in San Francisco, a research associate at Robertson Stephens in San Francisco, and as an investment banking analyst at DB Alex Brown in Baltimore. Mr. Dent is a graduate of Brown University, where he received a B.A. in both Economics and Organizational Behavior and Management. Mr. Dent is a CFA charterholder and is currently a member of the CFA Institute and the Baltimore Security Analysts Society. He serves on the board of a local non-profit organization and is an active member of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO).  Mr. Dent is President of D.F. Dent and Company and serves as a portfolio manager.

Miriam J. Segreti joined the firm in 2001.  Prior to joining D.F. Dent and Company, she worked for a travel agency in New York. Miriam graduated from St. John's University with a B.S. in Business Administration. She currently serves as a portfolio administrator.

Michael N. Morrill joined the firm in the spring of 2005 with eight years of experience in the investment industry. Prior to joining D.F. Dent and Company, he served as a Vice President in the Institutional Sales departments at DB Alex Brown and Wachovia Securities, two investment banks in Baltimore. Mr. Morrill is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University, where he received a B.A. in Social and Behavioral Sciences. Mr. Morrill currently serves as Head of Client Relations & Marketing.

Gary D. Mitchell, J.D.  joined the firm in the summer of 2005 with 13 years of experience practicing law. Prior to joining D.F. Dent and Company, Mr. Mitchell was a corporate attorney for C.R. Bard and Lucent Technologies, two S&P 500 companies in New Jersey. Prior to his corporate experience, Mr. Mitchell was an attorney in the New York office of Sidley & Austin. His experience includes corporate, securities and regulatory law, as well as mergers and acquisitions and corporate governance. Mr. Mitchell received an A.B. from Harvard College summa cum laude in Economics and received a J.D. from Harvard Law School cum laude. Mr. Mitchell serves as a portfolio manager and research analyst.

V. Vaughan Schmidt joined the firm in 2006 with ten years of industry experience.  Prior joining D.F. Dent and Company, she worked for the Investment Counselors of MD doing Marketing and Operations. Vaughan earned a B.A. in French and Economics from Duke University. She currently serves as a portfolio administrator and trader.

Bruce L. Kennedy, II, CFA, joined the firm in the summer of 2007 with four years of investment experience. Prior to joining D.F. Dent and Company, he served as a summer analyst at Wasatch Advisors in Salt Lake City, an associate analyst at T. Rowe Price in Baltimore, and an investment banking analyst at Goldman, Sachs & Co. in New York. Mr. Kennedy received an A.B. from Dartmouth College cum laude in Economics and History and an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business. Mr. Kennedy is a CFA Charterholder and currently serves as a portfolio manager and research analyst.

Dawn M. Pfaff joined the firm in 2010 with 23 years of industry experience.  Prior to joining D.F. Dent and Company, she worked as an Investment Analyst at Smith Barney. Dawn earned a B.S. in Business Administration from McDaniel College (formerly Western Maryland College). She currently serves as a portfolio administrator and trader.

Gary Wu, Ph.D., CFA, joined the firm in the summer of 2012 with eight years of experience in the investment industry.  Prior to joining D.F. Dent and Company, he served as a Senior Vice President at BDT Capital Partners, a Securities Analyst and Co-Portfolio Manager at Legg Mason Capital Management, healthcare investment banker at Legg Mason Wood Walker (now Stifel Nicolaus), and a management consultant at Mars & Company.  Dr. Wu earned a Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Biology from Columbia University, and he holds a Bachelor of Medicine degree from Peking University Medical School.  Dr. Wu is a CFA Charterholder and currently serves as a portfolio manager, research analyst and Chief Risk Officer.

Carolyn E. Gaynor joined D.F. Dent and Company in 2013 with eight years of industry experience.   Prior to joining the firm, she worked at Stifel Nicolaus as a Compliance Officer and in Operations at Morgan Stanley. She graduated from Bucknell University with a B.S. in Business Administration.    Carolyn is the Chief Compliance Officer.

Kelly L. Miller joined D.F. Dent and Company in 2013 with twenty-one years of experience in the investment industry.  Prior to joining the firm, she worked as a Registered Sales Associate at Alex. Brown, Morgan Stanley & Merrill Lynch in both Institutional and Retail Sales. Kelly earned a B.A. in Business Administration from Towson University and currently serves as our Portfolio Operations Manager and as a client relationship associate.

Erin R. Velez is an Operations and Systems Administrator at D.F. Dent and Company. She joined the firm in 2015 and earned a B.S. in Business Administration from Georgia Institute of Technology.

Pete T. Watson, CFA,  joined the firm in the spring of 2016 with five years of experience in the investment industry. Prior to joining D.F. Dent and Company, he served as a Senior Research Associate at Raymond James and as an Associate at Morgan Keegan.  Mr. Watson is a graduate of Washington and Lee University, where he received a B.S. in Accounting. Mr. Watson is a CFA Charterholder and serves as a research analyst.

Timothy O. McGurkin, CFA, joined the firm in the spring of 2016 with twenty-five years of investment experience. Prior to joining D.F. Dent and Company, he served as Director of Equity Research Services at Stifel Financial, Institutional Portfolio Manager at Legg Mason Capital Management, Director of Equity Capital Markets at Deutsche Bank and Research Analyst at Alex. Brown and Sons. He has the Series 7 and Series 63 licenses (http://brokercheck.finra.org) that enable him to discuss the DF Dent Growth Funds with interested parties. Mr. McGurkin received a B.S. from the University of Vermont in Business Administration and an MBA from Johnson Graduate School of Management, Cornell University. Mr. McGurkin is a CFA Charterholder and currently serves as a senior institutional client relationship manager. He can be reached at tmcgurkin@dfdent.com.

Brooke E. Hrimnak joined the firm in the spring of 2017 with fourteen years of experience in the investment industry.  Prior to joining D.F. Dent and Company, she served as Head of Institutional Equity Sales at Wunderlich Securities, Inc. and Vice President of Corporate Services at Ferris, Baker Watts, Inc.  Ms. Hrimnak received a B.B.A in Economics from Loyola University Maryland.  Brooke currently serves as Chief Operating Officer and as an institutional client relationship manager.

Patrick Halloran joined the firm in January 2018 with nine years of experience in the investment industry.  Prior to joining D.F. Dent and Company, he served as a Co-Portfolio Manager and Head of Research at Croft-Leominster Inc.  Mr. Halloran earned a MBA and MS in Finance from the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, and he holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from The University of Virginia.  Mr. Halloran currently serves as an associate portfolio manager on the All Cap Growth strategy; a portfolio manager on the Dividend Growth strategy and as a research analyst.

Christina L. Walters, CFP® & IACCP, joined the firm in January 2018 with 25 years of experience in the investment industry. Prior to joining D.F. Dent and Company, she served as a Senior Portfolio Administrator & Chief Compliance Officer at Croft-Leominster, Inc. and as a credit analyst at Orix Credit Alliance. Christina graduated from Slippery Rock University with a B.S. in Business Administration. She currently serves as a private client relationship manager, as well as a compliance officer and portfolio administrator.

Brady Cox, CFA, joined the firm in March 2018 with seven years of experience in the investment industry. Prior to joining D.F. Dent and Company, he served as an equity research associate analyst at Stifel Nicolaus. Mr. Cox is a graduate of the University of South Carolina, where he received a B.S.B.A. with focuses in Finance and Economics, and is a CFA Charterholder. Mr. Cox currently serves as an associate portfolio manager on the Small Cap Growth strategy and as a research analyst.

Jimish P. Gandhi joined the firm in the summer of 2018 with four years of experience in the investment industry.  Prior to joining D.F. Dent & Company, he served as an investment research consultant at Polleit & Riechert Investment Management, a research analyst at VNB Wealth Management, and a financial actuary at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.  Mr. Gandhi received a Masters in Finance at the London Business School and a Masters in Industrial Mathematics at Michigan State University.  He holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Mumbai.  Mr. Gandhi currently serves as an associate portfolio manager on the Midcap Growth strategy; a portfolio manager on the Concentrated Growth strategy and as a research analyst.

John G. Hohweiler arrived at DF Dent in the summer of 2019 after 24 years of helping clients as an institutional equity salesperson at various firms. He has the Series 7 and Series 63  licenses (http://brokercheck.finra.org) which enable him to discuss the DF Dent Growth Funds with interested parties. John earned a B.A. in Government from Georgetown University and a M.A. in Foreign Affairs at The University of Virginia. He currently serves as an institutional client relationship manager and can be reached at john@dfdent.com.

Helen C. Marshall, CPA joined the firm in November 2019 and currently serves as the firm's corporate accountant.

Noelle Savage, CFA, joined the firm in spring of 2020 with 14 years of prior experience in the investment industry. Prior to joining D.F. Dent and Company, she served as President and Co-Founder of Skipjack Global Capital Management, Managing Director with Atlas Diligence, a research services provider focused on private capital opportunities, and an equity research analyst at Legg Mason Capital Management (LMCM). Noelle graduated from Washington and Lee University with a BS in Mathematics. She spent several years teaching high school mathematics before starting her career in asset management. Ms. Savage is a CFA Charterholder and is a board member for the CFA Society Baltimore (CFASB). She currently serves as a portfolio manager and private client relationship manager.

Melissa A. Heathcote joined D.F. Dent in October 2020 with 27 years of experience in the investment industry. Prior to joining the firm, Missy was an Investment Compliance Manager at PNC Capital Advisors, equity trader at multiple firms and Head of Equity Trading at Credo Capital Management. She currently serves as a portfolio administrator and trader.

Ray Stochel joined the firm in December 2020 with nine years of experience in the investment industry. Prior to joining D.F. Dent and Company, he served as a Senior Equity Research Analyst and Vice President at Consumer Edge and as an Associate Analyst in the equity research department at Stifel. Ray graduated from Villanova University with a B.S. in Economics and a B.S. in Finance. He currently serves as a research analyst.

Denise N. Pitts joined D.F. Dent in May 2021 with 17 years of experience in the investment industry. Prior to joining the firm, Denise worked as a Registered Sales Liaison and Commission Specialist at Stifel. She has also worked as a Sales Assistant at Wunderlich Securities, Signal Hill and Wachovia. Denise earned a B.S. in Marketing from the University of Maryland, College Park and currently serves as a portfolio administrator.

Katherine E. Manchester joined the firm in the fall of 2021 with 16 years of experience as a project management professional.  Prior to joining the firm, she worked at the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation as the Director of Special Events.  She graduated from the University of Delaware with a B.S. in Recreation and Parks Administration.  Kate serves as the executive assistant to the President.

Patricia A. Flaherty joined the firm in February 2022 with 31 years of industry experience. Prior to joining D.F. Dent and Company, she worked as an Operations Analyst and Senior Portfolio Associate at 1919 Investment Counsel. Patricia has also worked as a Commission Specialist at Stifel, Business Manager at Credo Capital and as a Portfolio Administrator at Brown Capital Management. Patricia earned a B.A. in Political Science from College of Notre Dame of Maryland. She currently serves as a portfolio administrator.  

Rene Fisher joined D.F. Dent and Company in 2022 with over 5 years of administrative experience. Prior to joining the firm, she studied Advertising at the Art Institute of Washington and worked for McGuireWoods, Downtown Partnership of Baltimore and the United States Census Bureau.  Rene currently serves as the receptionist at D.F. Dent and Company.

Max A. Maier, CFA joined the firm in June 2022 with nine years of experience in the investment industry. Prior to joining D.F. Dent and Company, he served as Vice President of Portfolio Management and Trading at ASB Capital Management, Quantitative Analyst at Fannie Mae and as an Associate Equity Research Analyst at Wells Fargo Securities. Max graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a B.S. in Economics and Finance. He currently serves as a fixed income portfolio manager.

Olivia R. Nengel  joined the firm in the summer of 2024 after graduating from the College of Wooster in Ohio.  She graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. degree in History. Olivia currently serves as a Client Relationship Associate.

Vincent Anderson, CFA joined the firm in June 2024 with 12 years of experience in the investment industry. Prior to joining D.F. Dent and Company, he served as lead equity research analyst at Stifel Nicolaus covering the Materials sector. Mr. Anderson received a B.S. in Business from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with concentrations in Financial Engineering & Risk Analytics and Economics, and is a CFA Charterholder.  He currently serves as a research analyst.

Claire Tornetta joined the firm in June 2024 with 3 years of experience in the investment industry. Before joining D.F. Dent and Company, she worked as an equity research associate covering the Materials sector at Stifel Nicolaus. Ms. Beath received a B.A. in Quantitative Economics from Loyola University Maryland with a minor in Business. She currently serves as an associate research analyst.