The WCAM Team

Paul Orfalea
Director

Kinko's Founder Paul Orfalea started with a single copy shop and built an industry leader with 1,200 branches and 25,000 co-workers worldwide. He holds a business degree from the University of Southern California and has been successfully investing for more than 40 years. Paul serves on WCAM's investment committee and board of directors. In addition to his involvement in WCAM, Paul teaches at various universities, speaks with business groups and talks with organizations about learning differences. Through his family foundation, Paul also works with government leaders to encourage businesses to provide family-friendly policies, quality early care for children and intergenerational programs. His book "Copy This!" was published in 2005 by Workman Publishing.

Lance Helfert
President

WCAM President Lance Helfert heads the investment committee and board of directors. Before founding West Coast Asset Management, Lance oversaw a $1 Billion portfolio at Wilshire Associates, and was involved in a full range of financial strategies at M.L. Stern & Co. He has served on the board of directors for Junior Achievement of Southern California and the Tri-Counties Make-A-Wish Foundation. Lance is a frequent commentator on the Fox Business Channel and has been a featured speaker at the Value Investing Congress in New York and Los Angeles. He is involved with the Santa Barbara Investment Forum and Pepperdine University's Estate Planning Network. He has been honored as one of the top executives in banking and finance by the Pacific Coast Business Times, and holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Pepperdine University in Malibu, California.

Atticus Lowe, CFA
Chief Investment Officer

Atticus Lowe manages WCAM's investment process, serves on the investment committee, and actively pursues business development opportunities. He is a CFA Charterholder, and a member of the National Association of Petroleum Investment Analysts and the Los Angeles Society of Financial Analysts. Atticus volunteers for Junior Achievement, and was honored as a member of the "Forty Under 40" Class of 2003 by the Pacific Coast Business Times. He has completed the Value Investing Executive Education Program at Columbia University's Graduate School of Business and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Business from Westmont College in Montecito, California.

Jacques Soiret
Director

Jacques Soiret was the senior partner and chairman of the law firm of Kirtland & Packard. He brings 35 years of legal experience and expertise to the board of West Coast Asset Management. Jacques has been retained by numerous Fortune 500 Companies to advise them on class action and other complex litigation. He has been profiled in the Wall Street Journal and is considered one of the leading lawyers in the United States. He is a fellow of the prestigious International Academy of Trial Lawyers and the author of several published papers and articles on legal matters. In addition, he has been a lecturer at some of America's finest law and business institutions. Jacques received his Bachelor of Arts from Loyola University in Los Angeles and his Juris Doctorate from the University of Southern California.

Diana Pereira
Chief Financial & Compliance Officer

Diana Pereira provides oversight for accounting and finance at WCAM as well as ensuring WCAM's compliance with SEC rules and regulations. Prior to joining WCAM, Ms. Pereira was CFO at venture engineering firm, LaunchPoint Technologies, and was responsible for overall financial and operational management, including business development, legal agreements, grant budgets and proposals, annual audits, internal controls, and marketing initiatives for the firm. Previously, Ms. Pereira held several management positions at the investment firm of McCormack Advisors which managed a Fund of Hedge Funds with over $100 million in client assets. Prior experience encompasses business and financial operations including investment banking, international trade, insurance, and technology start-ups. Ms. Pereira received her B.A. in Business Economics from UC Santa Barbara, her J.D. at the Santa Barbara College of Law, studied at the Universitá di Bologna in Italy and is fluent in Italian.

Lori Gillem
Chief Operations Officer

Lori brings more than 25 years of operations experience in the financial industry to WCAM. She oversees day to day operations, including portfolio accounting, trading and account reconciliation, billing and processing new accounts. Lori is an Executive Member of the Hedge Fund Business Operations Association. Her responsibilities include report preparation, client service and communicating with various custodians.

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Dave Naylor
Senior Vice President

With over 20 years of experience in the investment management business, Dave seeks unique business development opportunities for WCAM. Prior to joining WCAM, Dave spent the bulk of the last decade as a senior member of the investment management division for Bank of America, where he helped launch the firm's Separately Managed Account business as well as its Alternative Investments Group. Dave is a member of the American Economic Association and serves as an Executive Director of The Westlake Lacrosse Club.  Dave also serves as co-chair of the Newborn and Infant Critical Care Unit Campaign Committee of Children's Hospital Los Angeles. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Management from North Carolina State University.

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Jess Parker
Associate

Jess Parker's responsibilities include organizing and administering West Coast Opportunity Fund's investment process and assisting the Investment Committee by monitoring specific portfolio investments and sourcing new private investment opportunities. He is the Vice President of the Hutton Foundation, one of Santa Barbara's largest private foundations, and has been integral in developing its investment philosophy.  Jess holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania.

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Brian Harris, CFA
Portfolio Manager

Brian Harris conducts equity and fixed income trading, portfolio management and stock research. Prior to joining West Coast Asset Management, Brian worked as a Portfolio Manager and Analyst with A&M Investment Management in San Diego. Brian is a CFA Charterholder and a member of the CFA Society of Los Angeles. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Economics along with a minor in Probabilities and Statistics from the University of California Santa Barbara.

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Erika Buse
Investor Relations

Erika is responsible for developing and leading communication initiatives with the company's clients and prospective clients, including coordination of events. She contributes to life-science investment research, and assists with the management of investor relations. Erika participated in the Katherine Harvey Fellowship, an 18 month program at the Santa Barbara Foundation, Santa Barbara county's largest private source of funding for non-profit agencies. She currently serves on the board of Visiting Nurse and Hospice in Santa Barbara. Erika holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Point Loma University and a series 65 securities license.

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Katie Mazzocco
Operations Administrator

Katie works in the Operations Department with client requests, new accounts, and portfolio accounting. Katie joined the WCAM team with seven years experience in the financial services industry with a focus in brokerage operations and administration. Katie has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Michigan.

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Kathryn Vroom
Accountant

Kathryn Vroom is responsible for the general accounting functions including accounts payable, accounts receivable, reconciliations, journal entries, monthly close and GAAP compliance for WCAM and related entities. Ms. Vroom also assists in the documentation of company procedures, preparation of interim financial statements, and research on financial or tax projects, as well as involvement in compliance work and SEC filings. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Economics with an emphasis in Accounting from the University of California, Santa Barbara and is a volunteer mentor at the Hospice of Santa Barbara.

E-mail Kathryn