Education Committee Members – Houston

Nichole Ake, CAMS

SVP, BBVA Compass
Chairman — Education Commitee

Nichole Ake is the SVP, SR Mgr BSA/AML for BBVA Compass. She is the 2018 President of the BBVA Houston Volunteer Chapter. She is actively involved in BBVA’s LeaderLink initiative and a founding executive of Women in Leadership at BBVA. She has been recognized by BBVA’s Top Talent Program.

Previously, she was the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Compliance Officer of an investment adviser/broker dealer firm that focused on alternative investments, fund to funds, due diligence on hedge funds and traditional wealth management. She started her career at Lehman Brothers in Boston and eventually moved to Texas.

She has over 20 years of financial services experience in operations, trading and compliance with startup firms as well as large international firms.

She’s been a speaker, panelist and moderator at Thomson Reuters, HFBOA, DSTA, and STA on operational risk management, industry and regulatory focused initiatives. She holds a BS in Finance from Boston College, an MBA from Southern Methodist University and completed the three year Securities Industry Institute program through Wharton/SIFMA as well as other notable management certificates from University of Texas, University of Dallas and University of North Carolina executive programs.

Nichole is a past-President of the Dallas Security Traders Association (DSTA) and served as Co-Chair of the national Securities Traders Association (STA) Compliance Committee. She currently is the chair of the Houston TXWSW Education Committee and serves on the Board. She actively volunteers as a mentor for BBVA employees as well as Boston College students.

Vicki Byrd CFP®

Vice President / Sr. Financial Consultant
Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.
Education Committee Member

Vicki has over 30 years of professional experience in the financial industry, the past 21 years at Charles Schwab & Co. She is currently a Senior Financial Consultant at the Houston Galleria office. She works with high net worth clients to understand their goals and help them create a personalized plan utilizing Schwab’s wealth management services. Prior to moving to the Houston office Vicki was the Branch Manager of the Charles Schwab offices in Austin. Vicki studied Accounting at Case Western Reserve University and the University of Houston Downtown. She received an Associates Degree in Accounting before changing her career path to financial planning. Vicki is a Certified Financial PlannerTM certificant and holds the Series 7, 9, 10, and 63 Securities Licenses as well as the Life & Variable Annuity Insurance License. She is an active participant in the Financial Planning Association and the Houston Estate and Financial Forum.

Rachel Callahan

Investment Advisor, Callahan Advisors, LLC
Education Committee Member

Rachel Callahan is a Series 65 registered investment advisor at Callahan Advisors, LLC, which specializes in the management of equity and fixed income securities. Rachel focuses on portfolio management for individuals and foundations, client development, and compliance. Prior to joining Callahan Advisors in 2012, Rachel began her career in marketing, working in advertising and brand management. As a manager with Dr Pepper Snapple Group, she led strategic marketing planning and execution efforts for a variety of consumer brands.

Rachel received her BBA from the University of Notre Dame in 2001 and her MBA from the University of Texas – McCombs School of Business in 2008. She is an active member of the Junior League of Houston and Victory, a branch of the American Cancer Society.

Tandra C. Jackson

Principal Advisory Services – KPMG, LLP
Education Committee Member

Tandra Jackson is a Principal in the Advisory Services Practice at KPMG. Tandra has over 20 years of professional experience across multiple industries, including energy and chemicals, healthcare, and consumer products. Her experience extends to a broad range of areas including business process improvement, systems selection and implementation, IT audit, and governance, risk, and compliance. She is an MBA and Certified Information Systems Auditor. Tandra leads KPMG’s Houston Business Unit Diversity Program, and serves as lead partner for the African American Network. She serves on the Technology Committee for the Board for the Ronald McDonald House of Houston. Tandra regularly volunteers her time to civic organizations including Star of Hope, Bo’s Place, and Ronald McDonald House.

Lemitra Rhodes

Compliance Director, Salient Partners, L.P.
Education Committee Member

Lemitra Rhodes serves as Compliance Manager for Salient Partners, L.P. and is responsible for the Firm’s Marketing and Advertisement review. Ms. Rhodes also provides support for CFTC regulations.

Ms. Rhodes has over 17 years of experience in the Financial Services industry. Prior to joining Salient, Lemitra was a Senior Compliance Officer at Invesco Ltd., where she was responsible for monitoring portfolio compliance for the Firm’s 2a-7 Funds. Ms. Rhodes experience also includes serving as the Compliance Manager with Hines Securities, Inc.

Ms. Rhodes earned an MBA from Texas Woman’s University and has earned the Certified Securities Compliance Professional (CSCP) certification. She currently holds Series 7, 24, and 66 securities licenses.

Linda Shirkey

President and Founder, The Advisor’s Resource
Education Committee Member

Linda Shirkey founded her firm in 1994 after serving the investment advisor community as an institutional broker for five years. Prior to that, she was a corporate banker working with Fortune 500 high technology companies, and has held marketing and new product development positions in the legal and financial services industries. Ms. Shirkey holds a BA magna cum laude from Case Western Reserve University. She is a frequently requested speaker at national conferences, providing a practical, straightforward perspective on managing compliance in a successful firm.

The Advisor’s Resource. provides its expertise nationwide to new and mature investment advisory firms, hedge fund and private equity managers.The company approaches compliance from a principles and best practices perspective, developing the most effective and efficient means to meet the ever-changing regulatory requirements for firms of all sizes.

Barbara Stewart, ACC, CFP®

Accelus Partners, LLC
Education Committee Member

Barbara Stewart is Principal and founder of Accelus Partners, LLC, providing business and personal coaching to financial services professionals. Barbara has been coaching individuals in business and personal finance for the past twenty years both in the United States and abroad. Her 20 year career as a financial advisor includes work in investment and insurance sales, trading, money manager due diligence and private client advising. She earned her CFP® while in Tokyo as an advisor to US citizen expatriates. Barbara has also owned and managed a Registered Investment Advisory firm that she later sold to a private wealth management group.

In 2010 she established Accelus Partners to broaden her scope of work with clients beyond merely financial. She supports financial services professionals in growing their business and improving the quality of their lives. Barbara holds a B.B.A in Management from Sam Houston State University. In 2011 she was awarded the ACC designation by the International Coaching Federation. In addition to her service to Texas Wall Street Women, Barbara is active in the Houston Financial Planning Association and Houston Coaches.

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