Our Team

The foundation of any business is the unique perspective and value that it brings to its clients. MCA’s principals honed their financial skills working for Wall Street investment banks, covering large, sophisticated institutional investors and issuers. This “insiders perspective” is what prompted them to seek out an alternative investment approach for their own family wealth – one that is quite different from what is traditionally marketed to high net worth clients by Wall Street.

The MCA edge, what distinguishes our advisory practice, begins with the blend of real-world trading floor experience and state-of-the-art academic research used in constructing and managing investment portfolios. This investment process is combined with a client service philosophy which integrates each client’s investments with their overall estate, tax and other financial and life planning needs.

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Mike Damas

President

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Paul Cucchissi

Managing Director

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Joe Wehr

Senior Advisor

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Shelley Quade

Vice President, Client Service

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Jenifer Owino

Senior Associate

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Nick Trapido

Associate

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Connor Chapman

Associate

Mike Damas

Michael Damas has over three decades of economic research, trading, and risk management experience. He formed Maryland Capital Advisors in 1997. Until 2001, his firm executed a bond trading strategy as a sub-manager of a large New York-based hedge fund. In 2002, he launched MCA’s own private investment fund implementing a disciplined, market-neutral fixed-income trading strategy. In September 2005, MCA became a registered investment advisor providing wealth advice including comprehensive financial planning, portfolio design, and investment management for select individuals and families.

Prior to forming MCA, he was Managing Director of the Asset-Backed Securities (ABS) trading desks for Hong Kong Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) Securities and Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS) Securities in New York. At UBS, where he ran ABS trading from 1991 until 1996, he was directly responsible for a $3-4 billion position. He developed a top-tier trading operation that ranked among the top-3 bond dealers in ABS, according to Greenwich Associates and Orion surveys. Prior to UBS, Mike traded corporate bonds and ABS at Chase Securities. Mike began his Wall Street career as an economist working with Allen Sinai, chief economist for Lehman Brothers. He holds an MBA-Finance from New York University’s Stern School of Business, a B.A.-International Relations from James Madison College at Michigan State University, and has held several FINRA licenses.

He is a past trustee of The Key School in Annapolis where he served on the Finance, Long-Range Planning, and Marketing committees. Mike has enjoyed college guest-lecturing on Economics and Finance and has mentored undergraduate students from a number of universities. Living on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay, Mike enjoys boating and bicycling, and travelling to Colorado to visit his son. He also remains active in charity runs and indoor workouts.

Paul Cucchissi

Paul Cucchissi brings decades of capital markets experience to MCA. Prior to establishing the firm’s Greenwich, CT office, Paul was an Executive Director at UBS Securities, where he was responsible for structuring and marketing fixed income, credit and currency derivatives. He was also responsible for global debt capital markets transactions for U.S. Financial Institutions and Asset-Backed Securities issuers. Paul’s client list included global financial institutions such as Citigroup, Morgan Stanley, J.P. Morgan Chase and The World Bank.

Paul holds a B.S. in Economics from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, an MBA in Finance from the University of California at Berkeley and has completed graduate work in international finance at The London Business School. He held a number of FINRA licenses and is a former Certified Public Accountant.

Paul and his wife reside in Greenwich, Connecticut. He has coached youth sports, including soccer and baseball, for more than 10 years. He served four years on the Board at Burning Tree Country Club and oversaw the club’s youth aquatics program. During his down time, Paul enjoys a wide range of music, is an avid audiophile and enjoys skiing, bodyboarding, mountain biking and golf.

Shelley Quade

Shelley Quade has worked in our Maryland office since we launched our practice. Being employee number 2 in a boutique investment advisory firm means her expertise and responsibilities are broad-based – a challenging environment she has relished. Shelley is responsible for client service and account administration, internal accounting, payroll, and HR processes. Prior to joining Maryland Capital Advisors, Shelley worked in the Life Sciences/Healthcare industry for a global Fortune 500 company and holds a B.S. in Biology from Towson State University.

Shelley lives on Maryland’s Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay with her husband and the youngest of their three children. She spends much her free time on her children (plus a large Black Lab named Milo) but manages to find time to pursue her own healthy lifestyle – both in the gym and outside.

Connor Chapman

Connor Chapman, as the most recent addition to our team, joined us in 2022. New to the investment advice industry, Connor is responsible for trade system maintenance, trade support and reconciliation, IT device management, and an expanding list as he develops his skills and experience.

Connor received a B.A. in Political Science from Salisbury University as an honors college graduate. After graduation, Connor worked for a government contractor and then became a primary caregiver for a family member in need.

He is by far the best downhill skier on our team and during the off-season remains active with treadmill exercise – he even slow-walks 8+ miles per day with a treadmill while working.

Jenifer Owino

Jenifer Owino has been an integral part of our team since 2015. Her work focuses on financial plan setup and maintenance, regulatory filings and compliance, tax reporting, insurance analysis, operations support, and internal and client-facing projects.

Jenifer earned a B.A. in Economics and French from St. Mary’s College of Maryland and an MBA from Portland State University. She also holds licenses for health and life insurance in Maryland.

Jenifer has two children and is an active parent volunteer at their schools. She has also served on the board and committees of Queen Anne’s County Public Library.

Jenifer is the office “foodie” with her healthy lunch choices and has inspired the use of standing desks.

Nick Trapido

Nick Trapido joined Maryland Capital Advisors in 2021 and is primarily responsible for maintenance and customization of our client relationship management (CRM) system, client performance reporting, and data reconciliation processes.

Prior to joining our team, Nick developed his operational skills working for a large mortgage banking firm. Nick holds a B.A. in Political Science from St. Mary’s College of Maryland and previously interned for Maryland Capital Advisors and the U.S. Senate.

Nick is a native Spanish-speaker and has a passion for soccer, travel, snowboarding, and playing guitar.

Joe Wehr

Joe Wehr joined Maryland Capital Advisors in 2024 as a Senior Financial Advisor. Joe comes to MCA with more than a decade of industry experience, including time at Eaton Vance Investment Managers and Dimensional Fund Advisors. He helps clients navigate the financial landscape so that they can spend more time doing the things they enjoy with the people they care about.

Joe graduated with a BS in Finance from Boston College and holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He’s also CFA Charterholder and FINRA license holder.

Joe and his wife, Erin, recently moved to Maryland with their son, Louie, and dog, Lamar. Outside of the office, Joe enjoys spending time with family and playing golf.

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