Catherine S. Woodruff, Ph.D., CFA
Investment Strategist, Portfolio Manager
Catherine’s investment career spans over 30 years, most recently as Managing Director, Portfolio Manager, and Chair of the Investment Strategy Committee at Avalon Advisors, LLC. In 2009, she co-founded Houston Global Investors, a Houston-based Registered Investment Advisor managing global, domestic and international equity and balanced portfolios for institutions and individuals. Houston Global was acquired by Avalon in 2013. Previously, Catherine was Managing Partner and Director of Equities at Davis Hamilton Jackson & Associates, where she managed both large cap and mid cap equities during her 15-year tenure. Past positions include Portfolio Manager at Citicorp Investment Management, Equity Analyst at Texas Commerce Bank, and Economist at the Louisiana State Planning Office. She also has several years of research and teaching experience in finance and economics at the University of Houston, Michigan State University, Louisiana State University, and the University of Texas at Austin.
Catherine holds a Ph.D. in Finance from the University of Texas at Austin and M.S. and B.A. degrees in Economics from Louisiana State University at Baton Rouge. She is a Chartered Financial Analyst and a former board member of the Texas Growth Fund, where she served as Treasurer. Catherine is currently a Personal Mentor for the Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Houston and has served as an Instructor in the CFP Graduate Certification Program at the Glasscock School of Continuing Studies at Rice University. She has been published in the Journal of Finance and has been a featured speaker at various conferences (including two Pacific Regional Investment Conferences in Manila) on global equity markets and other investment-related topics. Outside of investments, Catherine is a jazz vocalist, releasing her first CD in 2010, and is a member of the Piping Rock Singers.
