LA VISTA, Neb. - July 22, 2011 - Securities America Inc. has appointed Theresa James to the new position of vice president of advisor experience and has hired Craig Zimmerman for the position of director of operations.
As the vice president of advisor experience, James will capture feedback from advisors, diagnose issues and work with the various business unit leaders to develop Securities America's Advisor Experience strategy, prioritize projects and initiatives and see them through to completion. James joined Securities America in 1998 and has more than 35 years of securities operations experience.
Prior to coming to Securities America, she was an administrative assistant with Merrill Lynch. She was an operations manager with Paine Webber for 13 years and also has three years experience in trust operations management. While at Paine Webber, James received the "Excellence in Management" award as well as the "Chairman's Merit Award" for outstanding job performance. In 1998, James received Securities America's "Rookie of the Year" award, and in 2000, James was named Securities America's "Manager of the Year."
With more than 18 years experience in the securities industry, Zimmerman is responsible for the daily support and workflow for all of Operations functions - account processing, maintenance, cashiering and fees, brokerage services and trading. Zimmerman is also involved with strategic operations initiatives focused on delivering a best in class representative and advisor experience. Prior to joining Securities America, Zimmerman was a director of operations at TD Ameritrade. He brings experience from across every area of a broker/dealer including trading, risk management, clearing, client services, securities lending as well as merger and acquisitions experience. Zimmerman has a degree in finance and banking from Buena Vista University and has attended the executive management program at the Wharton Institute at the University of Pennsylvania. He also has the Series 4, 7, 24, 55 and 63 securities licenses.
About Securities America
Headquartered in La Vista, Neb., Securities America Inc. is the nation's eighth largest independent broker-dealer (as ranked by Financial Planning magazine, June 2012, based on 2011 total revenue). For more than 25 years, Securities America's mission has been to foster the success of financial professionals so they can provide quality, objective counsel and services to their clients. Advisors benefit from the firm's industry-leading programs in practice management, advisory services and retirement income distribution, supported by state-of-the-art technology. Founded in 1993, Securities America Advisors Inc. is an SEC-Registered Investment Advisory firm that offers investment management, financial advice and financial planning through a national network of independent financial advisors. Securities America Financial Corp. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services Inc. (NYSE MKT: LTS). Securities America received the inaugural Thought Leadership Award from the Retirement Income Industry Association in March 2011. Additional information is available at www.securitiesamerica.com.