About Us
Our Mission
We take great pride in the personal relationships we maintain with each of our clients and view these relationships as our most valuable assets. Excelsia is dedicated to honesty, integrity and confidentiality in all of our relationships; and that is the heart of our business.
Cliff Draughn
President
As President and majority shareholder, Cliff provides significant guidance for the course of conduct at Excelsia. Cliff brings thirty years of investment experience to the firm and clients alike. Cliff received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in 1981 from the University of North Carolina at Chapel-Hill. Cliff obtained the Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA) designation from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in 1999.
Cliff and his family have lived in Savannah for the past 30 years. He is a current board member of the Savannah Music Festival, is a past Vestry Member of St. Peters Episcopal Church, a past board member of the Landing Club and is currently active and supportive of numerous charitable entities.
email: cdraughn@excelsia.com
Troy M. Gayle, CFA, CAIA
Chief Investment Officer
As Chief Investment Officer for Excelsia since May 2011, Troy leads the day-to-day investment operations, asset allocation and security selection. Troy was previously employed for the past 15 years with Westfield Group, a regional property and casualty insurance company, most recently as their Group Equities Leader. He was also actively involved in the management of their alternative portfolio.
A veteran of the U.S. Army, Troy received his BS in Commerce from the University of Virginia in 1989 and an MBA in 1999 from Cleveland State University. Troy holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) designation. He is a past board member of the Westfield Insurance Foundation and the Cleveland Association for Business Economics (CABE). He is a member of the CFA Institute and the CAIA Association. Troy and his family reside in Savannah.
email: tgayle@excelsia.com
Jan Jackson
Principal – Clients and Trading
Focused on clients and trading, Jan is a founding member of the Excelsia team. Jan has developed the client-centric atmosphere at Excelsia and manages the trading platform. She has been involved in the investment industry for the past 16 years, having started with a major investment management firm in Savannah.
Prior to the investment industry Jan was the manager of a small business and volunteered in a variety of civic activities. She received her Bachelor of Science degree from California State University, Fresno in 1976. She and her family have been residents of Savannah for the past 25 years.
email: jjackson@excelsia.com
Shirley Winters
Principal-Comptroller
As Comptroller, Shirley has been instrumental in advancing the functions of portfolio accounting and performance reporting. Shirley brings forty years of experience in portfolio accounting and recordkeeping to Excelsia. Her background provides depth and understanding to the Excelsia process.
Prior to Excelsia, Shirley served as Vice President and Office Manager of Atlantic Capital Management and a Vice President in Operations of Johnson, Lane, Space, Smith & Company. Shirley and her family are natives of the Savannah area.
Shirley and her family are natives of the Savannah area.
email: swinters@excelsia.com
