Our Team

The people behind the practice.

Advisors, strategists, and specialists who bring decades of experience and a shared belief that wealth management should be personal.

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Tommy Cefalu

Vice President | Wealth Advisor

Tommy earned his Bachelor's degree from New York University in Philosophy & Entrepreneurship.

Prior to DTWN, Tommy worked on the Portfolio Growth Acceleration Team at private equity firm General Atlantic, working with high-growth startups on go-to-market strategy and operational efficiency. He has also served as an Account Executive at Paycom.

Tommy spearheads the firm's growth initiatives as well as supporting our clients and advisors.

Tommy Cefalu

Vice President | Wealth Advisor

Tommy is the engine of the firm, focused on clients old and new, our advisors, and continually improving everything we do.

Laura Shehab

Director of Client Experience

Laura earned her Bachelor's degree from Northeastern University and began her career at Merrill as a Client Associate.

She later built a strong foundation in consulting, with a focus on strategic growth and organizational change management.

Currently, Laura serves as the Director of Client Experience at Downtown Wealth Studios, where she works with families on the non-financial aspects of their lives.

Laura Shehab

Director of Client Experience

Laura is the constant in our client relationships. She's checking in when nothing is happening, keeping track of the things that matter to a family, and helping clients think through what's coming next, whether that's a life transition, a milestone, or a trip they've been meaning to take for years. She may be many of our clients' favorite person.

Peter Jiang, CFA®

Chief Investment Officer

Peter earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Business from Babson College, specializing in Computational Finance.

He began his wealth management career in 2016 as an Analyst at Merrill Private Wealth and launched Downtown Wealth Studios with Joe in 2023, now serving as our Chief Investment Officer.

Peter specializes in securities trading, portfolio management, options trading, financial analysis and reporting, private investment accounting, and portfolio modeling.

Peter Jiang, CFA®

Chief Investment Officer

Peter thinks about markets constantly so our clients don't have to. He enjoys untangling complex investment questions, solving day-to-day client challenges, and making complicated topics easy to understand.

Joe Cefalu, CIMA®

Managing Partner & Founder

Joe earned his MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

He began his career in the Equity Division of Goldman Sachs in 1999, and has since served select private wealth clients at Goldman Sachs, UBS, and Merrill Lynch.

Prior to Goldman Sachs, Joe worked as a senior management consultant at Coopers & Lybrand and as an engineering assistant at MIT in the Francis Bitter National Magnet Laboratory.

Joe Cefalu, CIMA®

Managing Partner & Founder

Joe started DTWN after 26 years inside the firms he's now an alternative to. He's sat with families through liquidity events, market crashes, deaths, divorces, and the ordinary Tuesdays in between. He'll tell you the hard version of the answer, which is why people keep calling him.

Kathy Cefalu

Chief Administration Officer

Kathy earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Brown University. She is an IAR and serves as our team Chief Administration Officer while assisting clients with private banking and technology support and services.

Prior to DTWN, Kathy worked in a similar capacity at Merrill.

Kathy began her career as a market researcher and strategist for the advertising agency Leo Burnett and as director of marketing strategy for Universal Studios.

Kathy Cefalu

Chief Administration Officer

Kathy keeps the firm running operationally across the hundreds of details that keep client's and our team's lives less chaotic.

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