Avalon Capital Management exists to empower clients to live their best lives. We empower clients through holistic financial planning and proactive portfolio management.

Clara co-founded Avalon with partners Dave Rahn and Bill Oberman in 1992. Since 2016, she has served as the firm’s Chief Executive Officer and the firm’s lead Portfolio Manager. In addition to her portfolio and business responsibilities, Clara advises the firm’s clients on wealth planning.

Clara’s initial involvement at Avalon was as head of investment research. She has devoted more than 32 years to developing the models used in Avalon’s investment and research process to include Avalon Dynamic Allocation, which serves as the firm’s framework for asset allocation. Prior to co-founding Avalon, she was Vice President in charge of foreign currency strategy and asset allocation research for Bailard, Biehl and Kaiser. She currently serves on the board of the Ned Davis Research National Advisory Board, a well-respected institutional global research firm.

Clara was a musician prior to beginning her career in asset management. She continues to support the arts and humanities through her focus on philanthropy that also extends to health, education, and the greater society. Clara was educated at the University of Notre Dame and San Francisco State University.

Ross joined Avalon in 2020. He is active in all aspects of the business and serves as a portfolio manager and member of the investment strategy team.

Prior to Avalon, Ross led the West Coast office and was an Investment Committee member at Windward Investment Management, a pioneer in the management and implementation of index portfolios. He led the growth of the West Coast office for Windward which, in 2010, was acquired by Charles Schwab. Prior to graduate school, Ross served in the US Army as a Field Artillery officer.

Ross has a B.S. in Economics from the United States Military Academy (West Point) and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He serves as co-Chairman for the Bay Area Chapter of Positive Coaching Alliance.

Keli joined Avalon in February of 2021 and brings with her a strong background in C-level executive support and back office operations. With a focus on technology-based platforms and process development, Keli is helping to further Avalon’s emphasis on high-efficiency workflows that ultimately enhance the client experience.

Before joining Avalon, Keli served as VP of Administration at the investment banking firm Capstone Financial Group. Prior to that, she spent time at KPMG.

Keli holds a degree in Business from Mission College. When she is not at work you can find her spending time enjoying her three daughters and writing & illustrating children’s books.

Kristina provides legal, compliance, and client support for the team at Avalon. Her professional background is in tax and finance, most recently as a finance consultant working on accounting and tax projects. Prior to joining Avalon she was a Senior Tax Consultant in estate and income tax planning for high net worth individuals, and worked in family office and legal consulting services for venture capital firms.

Kristina attended UC Berkeley as an undergraduate and holds a JD/MBA from the University of San Francisco. She has been an active volunteer in Palo Alto schools, serving on the Executive Board of Palo Alto Partners in Education as VP of Finance and Administration, a Board member at Friends Nursery School, PTA VP at Ohlone Elementary, and helping with math enrichment classes at Escondido Elementary.

Charles (Charlie) joined Avalon Capital Management in 2023. Charlie has worked in the asset management industry since graduating from Tufts University in 2018. Charlie is from Orinda, CA and attended Miramonte High School.

Prior to Avalon, Charlie worked as a Senior Analyst at Fiera Capital Management in Boston. As a member of the Global RFP Management team, Charlie wrote to clients, consultants, and institutional investors about Fiera's equity and fixed income products. Charlie had previously worked at Wellington Capital Management as a Project Coordinator, providing operational support to the firm's retirement, union, and private equity teams.

Charlie has a bachelor's degree in International Relations with a concentration in International Security. During his undergraduate studies, Charlie interned with the U.S. Commercial Service, part of the U.S. Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration. Charlie worked to promote exports of marine technology by local businesses in New England.