Chris is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional, Accredited Investment Fiduciary®, Certified Retirement Counselor® (CRC conferred by InFRE®), Accredited Estate Planner®, Chartered Special Needs Consultant®, and a founding partner of Highland Trust Partners. As Director of Retirement Planning, Chris helps families reduce financial stress by organizing their finances and developing strategies that align with their goals and values. He also works with businesses to design retirement plans that employees notice and appreciate, helping them retire on time with the assets they need.

Through years of experience, Chris has learned that financial independence is the top goal for most people in retirement. His clients rely on him to help identify and overcome challenges along the path to that goal, anticipating and addressing obstacles before they become problems.

Chris earned both his undergraduate and graduate degrees from the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia. He began his financial services career in 1996 and has experience in trusts, investments, insurance, and banking. Over the years, Chris has focused on deepening his expertise by earning several professional designations that together require more than 30 hours of continuing education each year.

He has served as an adjunct professor at Piedmont College, teaching multiple business courses, and occasionally lectures at the University of Georgia. Chris has also served on the boards of St. Mary’s Hospital, Highland Hills Retirement Village, the Athens Rotary Club, the Athens Rotary Foundation, the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia, the Athens-Clarke Library, and Piedmont College. He is a member of the Estate Planning Council of Northeast Georgia and the National Association of Financial Planners.

Chris and his wife, Heather, were married in 1999 and have two children, Seth and Natalie. In his spare time, Chris enjoys travel, running, hiking, golf, reading, and cheering on the Georgia Bulldogs.