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Meet AAAA

About Us
Our Team
Our Board

About Us

The Association of African American Financial Advisors, known as AAAA or Quad-A, is a 501(c)(6) non-profit membership organization founded by LeCount R. Davis, CFP®, in 2001.

LeCount Davis has a distinguished history in the field of financial planning. In 1978, he became the first African American to receive the Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) designation in the United States. Over the years, Davis observed the underrepresentation of Black/African Americans in the financial planning profession and sought to address this by creating AAAA.

Since its inception, AAAA has been committed to fostering the professional growth of Black/African American financial advisors, planners, and affiliated professionals while also advocating for increased diversity in the wealth management industry. Today, through initiatives such as professional development programs, business development programs, networking events, and partnerships, AAAA continues to uphold its commitment to its members and the broader Black/African American community.

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Our Mission

1. Attract: Increase the number of Black/African American Financial Advisors, Financial Planners, and C-suite executives in the Wealth Management Industry.

2. Retain: Provide business development and professional development opportunities to our membership base.

3. Advocate: We strive to strengthen our advocacy efforts on behalf of our members towards Self-Regulatory Organizations (SROs) and employers. We specifically focus on addressing the effects of racial battle fatigue and its subsequent impact on the performance of Black/African American professionals.

V.I.S.I.O.N.

The Association of African American Financial Advisors envisions a future where every household in the Black/African community has a financial plan and expert guidance to sustain generational wealth.

Values

COMMUNITY: Strengthen the community of members through access to information, resources, and practices that position professionals for success.

STEWARDSHIP: Respecting the experience of Black financial professionals and investing in ways that support the growth of each member and partner who shares our mission and vision.

ADVANCEMENT: Providing members with access and opportunities to build their financial acumen, credentials, and network to create the career of their dreams.

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Our Team

sheena

Sheena l. Gray, MBA, CAMS

  • Chief Executive Officer
Eriyaana

Eriyaana Greene

  • Program Manager
bobby

Bobby Parker

  • Accountant

Ashley Mitchell

  • Program Manager

Leslie Sison

  • Chief Executive Assistant

Our Board

The Board of Directors of the Association of African American Financial Advisors is responsible for AAAA’s overall health and manages its day-to-day operations and business affairs, including growth, financial strategy, and governance. Our experienced Board of Directors provides counsel and oversight while ensuring that AAAA adds value and acts in the best interests of its members, partners, and affiliates.

lecount

Lecount Davis, MBA, CFP®

  • Chairman Emeritus of Board of Directors
alex

Dr. Alex David

  • Chairman of the Board of Directors
  • Division Director- Independent Contractor Division, Raymond James

Desi Wyatt, CRPC®

  • Director
  • Workplace Strategy & Business Controls
  • Citi Personal Wealth Management
araya

Araya Mesfin, CFP

  • Board of Directors
  • Managing Director - Wealth Management UBS

Reginald Lillie II

  • Board of Directors
  • Director, Business Development Manager, Bank of America Merrill Lynch
Sharif Muhammad profile picture

Sharif Muhammad, MBA, CPA, MST, CFP®

  • Financial Secretary
  • Founder & CEO, Unlimited Capital Advisors, LLC
    Founding Partner, JMG CPAs & Advisors, LLC
    Adjunct Professor of Tax Planning and Estate Planning, New York University
Click Here if You Are Interested in Joining the Board

Sheena l. Gray, MBA, CAMS

Chief Executive Officer

Sheena Gray serves as the Chief Executive Officer at the Association of African American Financial Advisors, where her visionary leadership and strategic approach to human resources, diversity, equity, and inclusion have been instrumental in shaping the organization’s culture and driving its mission forward. With a master’s in business administration in Management from DePaul University, coupled with a bachelor’s degree in Sociology of Law, Sheena brings over two decades of extensive experience in the wealth management industry within corporate America. 

Sheena is deeply committed to fostering diversity and inclusion within the financial advisory sector. She leverages her expertise to empower professionals and advocate for equitable opportunities. Her strategic initiatives have not only enhanced employee engagement but have also aligned with the organization’s financial planning goals, contributing to its overall success and reputation as a leader in the industry.

Outside of her professional endeavors, Sheena is a dedicated mother to six children, balancing her demanding career with a vibrant family life. Her personal interests include golfing, skiing, and spending quality time with her family, reflecting her belief in the importance of work-life balance and personal fulfillment.

As a respected voice in the field, Sheena continues to inspire with her dynamic leadership and unwavering dedication to making a positive impact on the financial advisory community and beyond.

Eriyaana Greene

Program Manager

Eriyaana Greene is a dedicated Program Manager at the Association of African American Financial Advisors, where she leads initiatives to advocate and advance Black/African Americans within the financial services sector. With a strong background in indirect procurement and project management, she connects aspiring professionals to valuable opportunities for growth and advancement. 

Prior to joining AAAA, Eriyaana gained extensive experience in Global Procurement, where she developed expertise in customer service and cross functional team collaboration. She successfully aligned operations with business goals by managing stakeholder relationships and executing strategic projects—skills she now applies to her work with AAAA’s community of financial professionals. 

Outside of work, Eriyaana enjoys spending time with family and friends and is actively involved in her community as a board member and mentor for We Are Pearls, an organization dedicated to empowering and supporting young girls. She is also a proud graduate of Prairie View A&M University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Marketing with a minor in Supply Chain Management. 

Eriyaana is driven by a passion for success in every venture and a commitment to creating lasting impact. Her career reflects a dedication to inspiring others, embracing challenges, and fostering meaningful connections within the industry.

Bobby Parker

Accountant

Bobby’s Bio is Coming Soon!

Ashley Mitchell

Program Manager

Ashley’s Bio is Coming Soon!

Leslie Sison

Chief Executive Assistant

Leslie’s Bio is Coming Soon!

Lecount Davis, MBA, CFP®

Founder

LeCount R. Davis, Sr. earned the Certified Financial Planning designation granted by the College for Financial Planning in Denver, Colorado, becoming the first African American so designated. He is a licensee of the Certified Planner Board of Standards. For over six years, he published a quarterly financial education newsletter, “Finance and the African American Family.”

Mr. Davis has Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Accounting with additional training and extensive experience in accounting, tax planning, financial planning, and financial management and investment consulting. His experience in both the public and private sectors includes several years as a Senior Consultant with a Washington, DC-based CPA firm. He also served as Assistant Director of Finance for an international labor organization, concentrating in the Caribbean and South America. He has appeared as a financial expert on many television programs and at many programs discussing financial planning and financial advisory issues.

In 1970, Mr. Davis established his own consulting firm specializing in tax planning, small business management, financial planning, financial management, and investment consulting. His personal client portfolio includes national organizations, international labor unions, pension funds, individuals, small businesses, religious organizations, investment clubs, and other entities. He has served as a lecturer in Accounting at Howard University in Washington, DC, and in Financial Management at Howard’s School of Continuing Education. He hosted the financial television program Common Cents for station WHMM, whose call letters are now WHUT.

His many professional accomplishments have been recognized by his peers and other financial experts.

Alex David

Chairman of the Board of Directors

Alex David is Raymond James newly appointed Divisional Director for the Northeast
independent contractor division, which has close to $100 billion in AUM. He joined us
from Stifel Independent Advisors, where he was most recently President & CEO. Prior to joining Stifel, Alex spent 13 years at Wells Fargo Advisors, where he was Head of Branch Development and Marketing for the firm’s independent brokerage arm, Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network (FiNet). In this role, he guided FiNet’s business development and market strategy and led a team responsible for recruiting, consulting, coaching, and managing independent financial advisors.

Earlier in his career, Alex was as an institutional wholesaler with Lord Abbett, Federated Investors, and OppenheimerFunds, and served as an Economist with the New York City Bar Association. He holds dual doctorates in economics and marketing and a master’s degree in international economics from the Lubin School of Business at Pace University.

In addition, Alex spends a lot of his time advocating for advisors and working on
important industry initiatives serving on the Board of Directors of the Financial Services Institute ( FSI). He is also deeply committed to diversifying the industry workforce as a Board member and Chair of the African American Association of Financial Advisors ( QUAD A). Lastly, Alex sits on the Advisory Board for Essential Edge Compliance Outsourcing Services, a consultancy dedicated to assisting RIA’s and small BD’s.

Desi Wyatt, CRPC®

Corporate Partnerships Chairman

Desi Wyatt is the Wealth Academy Head for Citi’s Consumer Wealth Management (CWM) business.  In this role, he is accountable for managing the evolution of CWM’s recruiting and career pathing capabilities to support talent growth while also creating a comprehensive employee lifecycle within the organization.  

With more than 20 years of financial services experience, of which nearly a decade was as a financial advisor, he understands the unique challenges that face financial advisors today. To that end, he sees it as his purpose as manager and partner to help financial advisors get better so that they, by leading with financial planning, can help their clients achieve better financial outcomes, both now and in the future.  He believes that when advisors put their clients’ interests first, lead with planning, and work as a team, everyone wins!

A West Point graduate and former Army aviator, Desi flew the CH-47D “Chinook” helicopter and served in various positions of leadership domestically and abroad, ultimately attaining the rank of Major during his military service.

Desi lives in Ellicott City, Maryland, where he and his wife of 25+ years raise their twin son and daughter.  Active in the community, he is an usher at his local church and volunteers locally with Autism Speaks.

Desi earned his B.S. degree from the United States Military Academy at West Point and his MBA from Virginia Commonwealth University. He also holds the Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor℠ CRPC®) designation.

Consumer Wealth Management is a US-based segment of Citibank’s Citi Global Wealth (CGW) organization, which has a presence in the US and Latin America and provides services to clients around the world. CWM offers its clients access to brokerage products and services as well as traditional banking products and services through three legal vehicles and offices located in the US and some Latin American countries.

Reginald Lillie II

Memberships Co-Chairman

As the Interim Market Executive in Southern Connecticut, I had the privilege to partner with an amazing team of more than 300 Advisors and Associates across 6 offices.

Previously I was the Associate Market Manager in the greater Houston area, supporting and leading a highly talented team of more than 200 Advisors and Associates for Merrill. Our team leverages the power of our culture, driven by our people who collectively strive to go the distance to deliver, with discipline and passion.

As a former Merrill Business Development Manager, I specifically identify experienced and highly talented advisors that were focused on creating and sustaining elite levels of growth in their practices. I worked closely with advisors, to leverage our culture and resources to deliver on their clients goals.

I was the former Black/African-American (B/AA) Practice Management Consultant that covered the Western half of the US, I focused on supporting the retention and success of B/AA Financial Advisors. Our team ensured that development of the B/AA advisors was approached in a scalable and sustainable way.

As a previous leader on VMT Wealth Management, a nationally recognized financial advisory team headquartered in Houston. I provided customized wealth strategy and integrated advice to individuals, families, and businesses helping them address their priorities and pursue their goals more efficiently. I was proficient at understanding the complexity and changes within client’s personal and professional lives, guiding them to make informed decisions about their families and businesses futures.

I joined Bank of America Merrill in 2011 and have served in a variety of capacities: Financial Advisor, Financial Solutions Advisor, New Hire Trainer/Coach, Bank Financial Advisor, and I am skilled at working with the eight lines of business that Bank of America provides.

I received my Bachelor of Business Administration from Stephen F. Austin State University with a major in Finance and a minor in Marketing. I am an active Lumberjack and involved in several alumni efforts.

I am a Life member of NAACP-Houston Chapter, serving on the Housing and the Next Gen Planning committees. I am the Chair of the Bank of America Black Professionals Group for Houston, member of Young Professionals in Finance, and a member of Greater True Faith MBC where I serve in a number of capacities within the Ministry.

I live in Houston with my wife Dana and our three children. In our free time, we enjoy traveling and spending time with our family.

Sharif Muhammad

Founder & CEO, Unlimited Financial Group Inc

Sharif A. Muhammad, MBA, CPA, MST, CFP® is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Unlimited Financial Group Inc (“UFG,” collectively known as the “Companies”). UFG is a holding corporation that houses two distinct businesses:
 
(1) Unlimited Capital Advisors LLC, a licensed Registered Investment Advisor firm that provides (a) Comprehensive Financial Planning, (b) Investment Management, (c) Financial Consulting, and (d) targeted
Financial Management services; and
 
(2) Unlimited Risk Advisors LLC, a licensed insurance advisory firm that provides (a) Life, Health, Disability, and Long-Term Care Insurance consulting and agency services, (b) group insurance/benefit programs, and (c) enterprise risk assessment services.
 
Mr. Muhammad is also the founding and managing partner of JMG CPAs & Advisors (“JMG”), a full-service CPA and professional services firm licensed in New Jersey & New York. Along with four other partners, a staff of over 40 CPAs, Enrolled Agents, Accounting professionals, interns, and paraprofessionals, JMG has a niche practice, providing auditing, consulting, and tax services to the Common Interest Realty Association (CIRA) industry, which includes HOAs, Condo Associations, and Co-Ops. JMG is based in New Jersey.
 
When he is not steering the ship at his firms, you can find him on the campus of his alma mater, New York University, teaching young aspiring minds tax planning and estate planning as an adjunct professor in NYU’s graduate financial planning program.
 
Before launching large-scale operations with the Companies in 2009, Mr. Muhammad has a robust work history where he has had the privilege to work and excel at some of the most prestigious firms in the world. Mr. Muhammad began his career as a college intern, auditor, and manger at Deloitte & Touche LLP. He served as a Vice President/Controller and Director/CFO of several investment management funds at BlackRock. Lastly, before departing the corporate world, Mr. Muhammad helped build and manage a multi-billion fixed income platform at S.A.C. Capital Advisors, LLC (the firm that the hit Showtime TV show “Billions” was based on).
 
Mr. Muhammad attended and earned his BA degree in economics, with a minor in Politics from New York University, where he was a full scholarship scholar-athlete who competed as a four-year starter and captain of the varsity Men’s Fencing Team. He returned to NYU and earned an MBA in finance, with a concentration in accounting. He also earned a Master of Science in Taxation degree cum laude from
Rutgers Business School. Mr. Muhammad is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in New Jersey and New York, is a licensed Investment Advisor Representative, General Securities Registered Representative, currently holds the Certified Financial Planner® designation and holds Life & Health insurance producer licenses.
 
He has existing and/or previous membership affiliations with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the National Association of Black Accountants, the New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants, the New York State Society of CPAs, the National Association of Tax Professionals, Association of African American Financial Advisors, Diverse Organization of Firms, and Junior Achievement of New Jersey.

Araya Mesfin, CFP

Corporate Partnerships Co-Chairman

Araya’s Bio is Coming Soon!

Tim Gannon

Chief Financial Officer

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