Investment Team
Our leadership team provides strategic direction for investment management, and sets the tone for our client-first culture. Click on the links below to hear directly from our team members or read about their experience.
Dale Harvey founded Poplar Forest Capital in 2007, after 16 years with The Capital Group Companies, where upon his resignation, he was a portfolio counselor managing approximately $20 billion in client assets at the time of his resignation for several of the American Funds mutual fund sub accounts.
During his tenure at American Funds, Mr. Harvey managed, at various times, the value components of the American Balanced Fund, American Mutual Fund, Blue Chip Growth & Income Fund, Investment Company of America, SMALLCAP World Fund, and Washington Mutual Investors Fund.
In addition to his leadership of Poplar Forest, Dale serves as portfolio manager for the Partners Strategy and co-portfolio manager for the firm’s Large Cap Value, Mid Cap Value, and Balanced Strategies. Dale earned a Master of Business Administration with honors from Harvard University in 1991, and a B.S. in Commerce with honors from the University of Virginia in 1987.
References to other mutual funds should not be interpreted as an offer of these securities.
In addition to his analyst responsibilities, Derek is the portfolio manager for the Fusion Strategy and co-portfolio manager for the Balanced Strategy. Before joining Poplar Forest in 2011, Derek spent 16 years in the financial services industry, including six years as a managing director and co-portfolio manager at Trust Company of the West. Prior to TCW, he spent four years with Provident Investment Counsel as a senior vice president and co-portfolio manager of the Large Cap Flexible Growth and Concentrated Growth Funds. He also served as a sell-side analyst covering financial services for Wedbush Securities.
Derek earned a Master of Business Administration from Cornell University in 1995, and received a B.A. in Economics from the University of California, San Diego in 1991. He has held the designation of Chartered Financial Analyst since 1997.
Before joining Poplar Forest in 2011, Steve spent seven years with Trust Company of the West serving as a research analyst, managing director, and co-portfolio manager of the firm’s Concentrated Core/Select Equities investment strategies. At the end of his tenure at TCW, Steve’s product group had assets in excess of $9 billion. He also spent a year with Brandywine Asset Management working as a research analyst on their Large Cap Value product.
Steve received a B.A. in Economics cum laude from Claremont McKenna College in 1999 and has held the designation of Chartered Financial Analyst since 2011. He earned a Master of Business Administration from the UCLA Anderson School of Management in 2022.
Before joining Poplar Forest in 2007, Cathy spent over ten years in the financial services industry. Her experience includes a year as Director of Research for Schafer Cullen Capital Management, following six years with Morgan Stanley in New York in both the Equity Research and Investment Banking Departments. Ms. Lloyd has also worked in the Fixed Income Trading Department at Manufacturers Hanover Company. Cathy earned a Master of Business Administration at the University of Virginia in 1993, and a B.S. in Financial Services from Oregon State University in 1987. Ms. Lloyd has held the designation of Chartered Financial Analyst since 2002.
Client Services and Operations
Before joining Poplar Forest in 2020, Mr. Taylor spent 28 years in the investment management industry specializing in distribution, product development and sales across multiple business channels. His experience includes building and leading institutional and wealth management distribution and relationship management teams at the Capital Group. For the past 8 years, Mr. Taylor held executive leadership positions at two different multi-billion dollar registered investment advisory firms.
He earned his Masters of Business Administration from the Marshall School of Business and a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance at the University of Southern California.
Chris Morphy is the portfolio manager for the Poplar Forest Comprehensive Investment Program accounts, and is responsible for client relationships and business development, with a primary focus on the West Coast. Before joining Poplar Forest in 2007, Mr. Morphy spent 21 years managing portfolios and relationships for high net worth individuals at Gamble, Jones, Morphy & Bent, where he was named a partner and President in 1995. At Gamble Jones, Chris was responsible for overseeing 21 employees and over $1 billion in client assets. He has worked for Kidder, Peabody & Co. and Hambrecht & Quist in their brokerage groups in San Francisco. He received a B.S. in Business Administration from the Menlo School of Business Administration in 1983.
Before joining Poplar Forest in 2008, Ryan spent nine years in the investment banking industry working for Bankers Trust. At Bankers Trust, she was part of the team that made real estate investments on behalf of a public pension fund client. In addition to her investment responsibilities, Ryan was the asset manager for that investment fund. She received a B.A. in Mathematics cum laude from Smith College in 1985, after which she worked for Prudential-Bache Securities in the Investment Banking Department for two years. She then earned a Master of Business Administration from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1989. Ryan is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and holds the designation of Investment Adviser Certified Compliance Professional (IACCP®).
Before joining Poplar Forest in September 2015, Erin held the position of Senior Vice President, CCO and COO for an institutional investment firm in Pasadena, CA. She has worked in the investment industry for 30 years in compliance, soft dollars, trading operations and portfolio administration. Erin regularly participates in industry compliance forums, is a member of Southern California Compliance Group, and holds the Investment Advisor Certified Compliance Professional Program (IACCP®) designation from the National Regulatory Services’ (NRS).
Marla Mone is responsible for Poplar Forest’s administrative support, primarily for Dale Harvey and Ryan Newman. Before joining Poplar Forest in 2013, Marla spent over 20 years in the legal field, including eight as an assistant to the managing partner of a South Pasadena law firm. She received her Paralegal Certificate from Chapman University in 1990.
Brian Baik handles all Poplar Forest’s marketing responsibilities. Before joining Poplar Forest in September 2023, Brian was with Ameriprise Financial as an operations specialist. Prior to that role, he spent three years as a financial associate at Chelsea Management. Brian received his Bachelor of Science in Marketing and Finance from Indiana University Bloomington, in 2014.