Stratos Wealth Holdings hires Hightower alum Charis Jones to C-suite

Stratos Wealth Holdings has appointed Charis Jones as chief operating officer, head of supervision, and leader of its advisory operations and supervision departments, as well as Stratos Investment Management.

Jones steps into the role as the firm continues to expand its national footprint and build on recent milestones, including a pending majority acquisition by SEI and a record year for advisor recruitment.

Jones brings nearly 30 years of experience in financial services, with a background spanning compliance, supervision, and operational leadership.

Before joining Stratos, she was chief compliance officer at Hightower Securities and executive director of compliance at Hightower Advisors, where she helped shape governance and regulatory strategy. Her career also includes senior roles at LPL Financial, Morgan Stanley, and Citi Private Bank.

“Charis brings a remarkable depth of experience, having led some of the industry’s most complex supervisory and compliance functions,” said Jeff Concepcion, founder and chief executive of Stratos Wealth Partners.

He added that her “operational insight, strategic leadership, and passion for advisor support align perfectly with our mission to empower advisors and strengthen the Stratos platform.”

In her new position, Jones will focus on optimizing Stratos’s operational infrastructure, enhancing advisor service delivery, and supporting the firm’s regulatory and investment functions.

“I’m honored to join Stratos at such an exciting time of growth,” Jones said in the announcement. She noted that the company’s “culture of collaboration, innovation, and advisor-focused support deeply resonates with me.”

The leadership change comes as Stratos prepares for a new chapter. In July, SEI announced it would acquire a 57.5% stake in Stratos’s operating businesses for $527 million, with the transaction expected to close in phases through 2026. Founder and CEO Concepcion will continue to lead the firm, which will maintain its brand and business model as an affiliated business of SEI.

Stratos, headquartered in Beachwood, Ohio, supports a network of more than 360 advisors across 26 states, overseeing more than $37 billion in client assets.

Stratos has reported strong momentum in recent years, including in 2024 when it recruited $3.5 billion in client assets across its network – nearly tripling its total from the previous year. The firm’s affiliated companies each contributed to this record: Stratos Wealth Partners attracted seven new recruits with an estimated $1 billion in assets, Stratos Wealth Advisors brought on eight new advisors with approximately $2.1 billion, and Stratos Wealth Management added four new recruits with $247 million in assets.

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The firm’s expansion has also included the launch of Stratos Private Wealth in 2023, a division focused on serving ultra-high-net-worth and high-net-worth clients. The business unit was established following Stratos’s majority investment in San Diego-based BWM Financial, which was rebranded as Stratos Private Wealth. Jeff Brown, founder of BWM Financial, now serves as president of the division.

In 2024, Stratos Private Wealth revealed plans to boost its presence on the East Coast by rebranding Heald Financial Advisors of Marlton, New Jersey, as Stratos Private Wealth – South Jersey, and Claricity Wealth & Planning of Westchester, New York, as Stratos Private Wealth – Westchester. “I’m excited for the South Jersey and Westchester teams to join Stratos Private Wealth,” Brown told InvestmentNews, adding that the firm is “looking at key locations across the US where we believe we can scale existing wealth management firms over time so they can serve more clients with more services than they can have on their own independently.”

Stratos now supports a network of more than 360 advisors across 26 states, overseeing more than $37 billion in client assets.