As Director of Baird Family Wealth, Melanie is responsible for the development of HNW and UHNW solutions and resources within Baird Private Wealth Management supporting advisors and their clients. She is passionate about developing long-range strategies critical to sustaining wealth and values over generations.

Prior to joining Baird, Melanie was a Managing Director at Abbot Downing where she led a team that focused on large family offices and multi-generational wealth. She has spent the last 25 years working with HNW and UHNW families.

Melanie is a member of the Family Office Exchange (FOX) and the Purposeful Planning Institute (PPI). A published author and thought leader on the topic of family wealth, she is focused on the development of the qualitative aspects of a family’s wealth. Melanie earned her Master in Business Administration from Boston University and is a Certified Trust and Fiduciary Advisor.

“Heath McAteer is a CPA and CFP who’s been planning for clients since 2015. He started his career in 2015 by spending 3 years Public Accounting where he gained valuable experience and expertise in filing tax returns for individuals and businesses.

Prior to joining Baird as a Tax specialist, Heath spent 6 years as an Associate Wealth Advisor at Buckingham Strategic Wealth. He created holistic financial plans for all his clients with a particular focus on tax planning. His focus has always been on taxes and how to reduce them over a client’s lifetime, not just in one given year. This is his focus and specialty in his role as a Tax Specialist at Baird.

Heath loves his wonderful daughter, beautiful wife, and their 2 noisy corgis. He enjoys writing and playing music with his band and spending time travelling in the outdoors with his family.”

Bob Robes is a Wealth Strategist based out of Baird’s office in Charleston, South Carolina. Bob works with Financial Advisors to develop customized solutions for complex planning needs of their highest net-worth clients. Bob also works with business owner clients to develop and implement coordinated strategies for the ownership of the client’s business and their personal estate and wealth transfer plans, taking into consideration the personal and business goals and objectives of the business owner and their unique family dynamics. Bob also helps business owners understand external and internal transition solutions consistent with their vision, values and legacy desires.

Prior to joining Baird, Bob was a shareholder at Greenberg Traurig, P.A. where he was an attorney for over 15 years with a focus on private wealth and tax planning, personal business structuring, and estate planning for ultra-high net-worth individuals, families and entrepreneurs. Bob subsequently worked at Wells Fargo Wealth and Investment Management as a Business Owner Advisory Strategist and Senior Wealth Planner.
Bob also is an Adjunct Professor at St. Thomas University School of Law where he teaches a course in Estate Planning.
Bob earned his Master of Laws degree in Taxation from New York University School of Law, his Juris Doctorate degree from St. Thomas University School of Law and his Bachelor of Arts degree from Florida Atlantic University. He is a member of the Florida Bar.
Bob currently serves as a trustee of the YMCA of South Palm Beach County where he is a past Chief Volunteer Officer and is a volunteer for the Colorectal Cancer Alliance. He lives in Charleston, South Carolina, with his wife, Emily, and has two daughters.

Ross Mayfield, CFA^®, is an Investment Strategist for Baird Private Wealth Management. He provides financial education designed to help clients reach their goals, be it through investment strategy and equity research content, or through regular national media appearances on CNBC, Bloomberg, and more.  

Ross holds a bachelor’s degree in Finance from the University of Kentucky, and earned his MBA from the University of Louisville. He also became a CFA charterholder in 2018 and serves as treasurer on the board of the CFA Society Louisville. Prior to Baird, Ross was an ETF Analyst and then a Research Analyst at Hilliard Lyons, which was acquired by Baird in 2019.

Through his thought leadership, Ross seeks to offer historical perspectives to clients, keeping them from getting too high in bull markets, or too low in volatile or bear markets. By visualizing data through charts and tables, Ross focuses on “myth busting,” dispelling conventional wisdom about investing with actual market performance. Ultimately, Ross looks to “simplify the chaos” that accompanies the financial news of the day, guiding clients towards smart financial decisions.