Mark founded McBee Avenue Wealth Advisors in 2018 alongside Thomas Willcox with a shared vision of creating an enduring, team-centric firm. Today, Mark serves as a partner and a visionary in the firm while actively continuing his role as a Private Wealth Advisor.

Mark came to Greenville in 1990 as a freshman at Furman University, where he was a member of Sigma Nu Fraternity and the Collegiate Educational Service Corporation. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies and Sociology in 1994, then immediately joined Northwestern Mutual as a Financial Representative.

Mark is married to Amy, a Greenville native, and they have three sons: Witt, Joey, and Carter. Mark is committed to and actively involved in the Greenville community. He is a member of First Presbyterian Church and has served on the boards of key organizations including United Way of Greenville, Community Foundation of Greenville, Gateway House, and Presbyterian Retirement Communities of South Carolina.  He currently serves on the board of Neighborhood Focus.   Mark loves spending time on the golf course and at his family’s farm and can really get into some 1980’s rap music!

Jay founded a successful wealth management practice in 2002, which he merged with McBee Avenue Wealth Advisors in 2020. He serves as a partner and as leader of the sales team in addition to his ongoing work with clients as a Private Wealth Advisor.

Jay is originally from Huntington, West Virginia, and he moved to Greenville to attend Furman University. Shortly after he graduated in 2001, he began his career as a third-generation Northwestern Mutual Advisor. Jay, his father, and his grandfather combined have served with NM for more than 100 years. In 2023-2024 Jay has had the opportunity to serve as President of Northwestern Mutual’s Financial Representatives Association (FRA), working with representatives from all over the country and the Executive Leadership team of Northwestern Mutual.

Jay and his wife Betsy are the busy parents of six children: Catherine, Will, Anna, James, Elizabeth, and Ben. He also enjoys serving as an elder at Mitchell Road Presbyterian Church. In his spare time, Jay likes exercising, reading, attending concerts, and cheering on his teams from Furman, Clemson, and Marshall. After all of his time spent at our home office in Milwaukee, he’s also a big fan of the Bucks!

As a co-founder of McBee Avenue Wealth Advisors, Thomas serves as a partner in the firm overseeing the Operations team while actively continuing his role as a Private Wealth Advisor. He brings more than 25 years of experience guiding clients in the areas of wealth protection, accumulation, and distribution strategies. Thomas has been with Northwestern Mutual since 2015.

A native of Columbia, Thomas is a true South Carolinian. He graduated from Wofford College in 1993 and in 2009 was awarded The Order of the Palmetto by Governor Mark Sanford. This award is considered the highest honor a citizen of the state can receive, and it recognizes the achievements and contributions made throughout the recipient’s lifetime.

Thomas and his wife Amy (a Greenville native) are proud parents of their three daughters Caroline, Roe, Elizabeth, and their son-in-law Tyler. Thomas serves on several nonprofit boards including The Roe Foundation, South Carolina Policy Council, State Policy Network and Neighborhood Focus. He is also an elder at First Presbyterian Church, where he enjoys serving on the Fine Arts committee. Thomas loves road biking, listening to The Grateful Dead, and playing with his dog Bogey.

Since the launch of McBee Avenue Wealth Advisors in 2018, Rachel has been leading and managing the processes of the firm as Chief Operating Officer. She was promoted to partner in January of 2024. As a member of the executive team, she is responsible for integrating the major functions of the business, overseeing special projects, human resource management, and finance. She also loves heading up our marketing efforts. Rachel began her career with Northwestern Mutual working for Mark Clary in 1999, where she started as an Associate Financial Representative.

Rachel grew up in Greenville, where she and her husband David have deep roots. They are so thankful to have raised their three almost-grown children here, surrounded by extended family and their community at Downtown Presbyterian Church. Rachel is an avid reader, an art lover, and is happiest when all her family is home at the same time!

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE & DESIGNATIONS

• South Carolina Life, Accident & Health license
• South Carolina Long-Term Care license

As Director of Private Wealth Planning, Kelly leads our Wealth Management team and oversees the creation of personal financial plans, trade processing, and investment portfolio and account needs. She is also responsible for the execution of investment strategies across our clients’ accounts.

A Vermont native, Kelly graduated from the College of Charleston with a Bachelor of Science in Economics and Business Administration. After working as Client Service Advisor for a private wealth management team in New York City, she moved south again to join McBee Avenue in February of 2016, and has been instrumental in the success of our investment operations.

Kelly loves running, exploring new breweries with her husband Joe and dog Tommy, and rooting for the New York Jets. She is excited to add the new title of “Mom” when she welcomes a baby boy in Spring 2024.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE & DESIGNATIONS

• FINRA Series 7 & 66 licenses

Rob enjoys both working with existing clients and building relationships with the next generation. Before joining McBee in July of 2020, he served on Jay Hatten’s team for four years as an Investment Operations and Planning Specialist, giving him a strong foundation in investment knowledge and a natural transition to his current role as Private Wealth Advisor.

Rob is a native South Carolinian and a graduate of Presbyterian College. He enjoys living and working in Greenville with his wife Elizabeth and their four children: Quinn, Anne Shealy, Manning, and Mabel Grace. He serves as a deacon at Mitchell Road Presbyterian Church, and likes working with his hands. Rob is the first one we call if anything breaks or needs fixing!

Professional Experience & Designations

• FINRA Series 6, 7 & 63 licenses
• Retirement Income Certified Professional (RICP®)

Kevin joined McBee Avenue Wealth Advisors in October 2023, merging his existing Northwestern Mutual practice with ours while continuing his role as Private Wealth Advisor. Kevin is passionate about supporting families in creating financial wellness, advising closely held business owners, and working with professionals who need to solve for the complexity of fluctuating incomes.

Before coming to Northwestern Mutual in 2018, Kevin had a 15-year career in the golf industry as a certified PGA Master Professional. A position as Director of Golf at Thornblade Club brought Kevin and his family to Greenville in 2006. He and his wife Lauren enjoy serving at Grace Church as well as caring for and coaching their two daughters Gracyn and Piper who are very active in sports. Kevin and his family love spending time at the lake, and he also still enjoys the occasional round of golf!

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE & DESIGNATIONS

• FINRA Series 6, 7 and 63 registrations
• South Carolina Life, Accident & Health License

As our Client Experience Manager Melissa loves serving our clients in communication, support, care gifts and review scheduling. She also compassionately assists our clients and their beneficiaries by walking them through the insurance claims process when necessary.

Melissa worked at Northwestern Mutual with Jay Hatten’s team for ten years before joining McBee Avenue in 2020. She earned both a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science from Clemson University.

After growing up as an “army brat”, Melissa loves calling Greenville home. She and her husband Jon (also a Clemson grad) are busy parents of Riley and Jonathan and are members of Covenant Church in Greer. They love taking fun family adventures together and attending the kids’ volleyball and soccer games.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE & DESIGNATIONS

• South Carolina Life, Accident & Health license

As Director of Insurance Operations and Services, Elaine leads our Risk Management team, overseeing our insurance new business and underwriting, as well as assisting clients with their insurance policy needs. She also provides critical operational support to the team’s communication and workflows.

Elaine came to McBee Avenue Wealth Advisors in early 2022 with three years of insurance service experience at Northwestern Mutual. A Greenville native, Elaine attended Clemson University earning a degree in Health Science. She spent 10 years working with special needs children and in corporate wellness programs before taking a break to raise her three children.

Elaine and her husband Kirk stay very active with their kids’ sports, mountain biking, hiking, and exploring as a family with their sheepadoodle, Mary Poppins!

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE & DESIGNATIONS

• South Carolina Life, Accident & Health license

In late 2022 we welcomed Lyndsey to McBee Avenue Wealth Advisors as our Operations Associate. She is primarily responsible for communication, meeting preparation, database management, and administrative support.

Lyndsey is a career-changer who came to our firm after three years as an educator. A Greenville native, she graduated from Anderson University with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education. She and her husband Cale live in Greer with their sweet baby girl born in 2023. They enjoy working on renovation projects and spending time with family.

Judy joined McBee Avenue Wealth Advisors in August of 2023 as our Client Service Administrator. As part of our Wealth Management team, she is responsible for opening new accounts, money movement, and investment client service.

Judy came to us with over 20 years of industry experience. Originally from Michigan, she has been in South Carolina for many years. Judy and her husband are proud of their three grown children and eight grandchildren, who she loves to feed with her wonderful Italian cooking.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE & DESIGNATIONS

• SC Life/Health

Charlie came to McBee Avenue in August of 2023 shortly after graduation from Furman University. As our Associate Wealth Management Advisor, he supports the team by preparing financial plans, running proposals, brokerage trading, and assisting with rollover calls. He is a quick learner, earning his Life/Health license and his Series 63 and 7 registrations in the first several months with us.

Charlie grew up in Connecticut before moving to Savannah, GA as a high schooler. He moved to Greenville to attend Furman and graduated with a degree in Economics. Charlie enjoys playing golf and living downtown where he can walk to work every day.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE & DESIGNATIONS

• SC Life/Health, Series 63, Series 7

Crystal is an Associate Financial Representative on our Risk Management team, responsible for the application and underwriting process of life and disability insurance, as well as annuity applications and service.

She began her career at Northwestern Mutual in 2021 as part of Kevin Schreel’s team and joined us in October 2023 when Kevin merged his practice with McBee Avenue’s. Prior to her entrance to the insurance world, she spent many years in management and administration in both the food and the veterinary industries. Crystal is a transplant to the south from Long Island and the proud mom of three grown sons. She and her husband Carl love spending time with the boys and their partners.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE & DESIGNATIONS

• SC Life/Health