Mary Ellen Valliant, founder and president of Valliant and Associates, LLC since 1997, and registered principal with Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., has more than 27 years of experience with leading financial services and banking firms. The purpose of her firm is to serve the wealth and investment management needs of the high-net-worth client.

Mary Ellen believes the mission of the firm is to provide superior wealth management services to its clients for their ultimate financial benefit through the use of independent and disciplined investment management services.

She began her finance career with the Washington, D.C. office of E.F. Hutton. She later joined Paine, Webber, Jackson & Curtis, specializing in fixed income management and starting up the firm's McLean, Virgina, office.

Prior to returning to the Maryland Eastern Shore, she served as an institutional treasury officer with American Security Bank in Washington, D.C. managing over $250 million for institutional endowment clients. Upon returning to her husband's hometown on the Eastern Shore, Mary Ellen became director of investments for an Eastern Shore community bank, establishing the company's Investing Services division prior to founding Valliant and Associates, LLC.

Since 1997, she has served on the board of directors of Medical Mutual Liability Insurance Society of Maryland, a leading physician's malpractice insurer serving physicians in Maryland, the District of Columbia and Virginia. Currently, Mary Ellen serves as vice chair of the board of directors and as insurer's finance chair overseeing an investment portfolio of more than $450 million.

In addition to Medical Mutual board responsibilities, she serves on the board of directors of Centreville National Bank, a wholly owned subsidiary of publicly traded Shore Bancshares (SHBI). She chairs the bank's Asset-Liability (ALCO) Committee and serves on the Executive committee.

Mary Ellen is a member of the Kent County Advisers Committee of the Mid-Shore Community Foundation. She has been a trustee for the Chesapeake College Foundation and member of the board of managers of the Episcopal Diocese of Easton.

She is a four-time member of the Executive Council of Raymond James Financial Services, an honor presented only to those financial advisors who have demonstrated an extremely high level of commitment to clients through personal service and professional integrity.

She and her husband, Bruce, and three children, Phillip, Mary Shea and Egan, reside in Centreville, Maryland, on the Eastern Shore. They enjoy boating, traveling and sailing.

Bruce Valliant is vice-president of Valliant & Associates, LLC., a registered investment advisory representative, and a co-branch manager for Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. His is responsible for client wealth accumulation and distribution strategies, and practice development. Mr. Valliant also manages client estate and retirement planning, which includes professional partnerships with independent legal and accounting practitioners.

Mr. Valliant grew up on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Virginia and a Masters of Business Administration in Marketing and Finance from the University of Maryland. Prior to joining Valliant & Associates and Raymond James in 2000, he held sales and marketing positions in the telecommunications industry over a period of eighteen years. His responsibilities there included managing multi-million dollar contracts with Fortune 100 firms, establishing state and federal marketing programs, and sales management for a telecommunications start-up firm.

Mr. Valliant has served as chairperson of the Kent County Chamber of Commerce Technology Committee, a director of the Chestertown Lions, and a member of the Vestry of St. Paul’s Parish. Mr. Valliant also has served on the boards of the Eastern Shore Land Conservatory, the Gunston Day School, and the Corsica River Foundation.  He was an adjunct professor with Johns Hopkins University’s graduate business program. Mr. Valliant currently serves on the Investment Committee for St. Paul’s Parish, Centreville.

Residents of Queen Anne’s County, Bruce and his wife Mary Ellen have three children and enjoy watching lacrosse, field hockey, and baseball games.