Ashford Securities Expands Distribution Team With Pair of Hires
Ashford Securities LLC has added a pair of sales professionals to its team. Jonathan Dease has joined as senior vice president, national accounts, and Melissa Birdsall has been named regional vice president of sales for the central region.
The company said both Dease and Birdsall will play important roles in supporting the continued growth of the Ashford Securities distribution team as the company expands its offering of alternative investment products to financial intermediaries.
With over 25 years of experience in the securities industry, Dease has a proven track record of growing and managing a selling group, building strong relationships with broker-dealers and registered investment advisers, and leading high-performance teams. He joins Ashford Securities from national accounts positions at Preferred Capital Securities where he was from 2016 to 2025, and Griffin Capital Securities where he was from 2011 to 2015.
In his new role, Dease will oversee national account strategy and partnerships and is tasked with building and strengthening strategic relationships with key stakeholders at broker-dealer and RIA firms for the Ashford suite of product offerings.
“We are thrilled to welcome Jonathan to our national accounts team,” said C. Jay Steigerwald III, chief executive officer of Ashford Securities. “His deep industry relationships and proven ability to support broker-dealers in maximizing the effectiveness of their registered representatives will play a critical role as we continue to expand our national footprint.”
Birdsall joins Ashford Securities with an extensive background in sales management and regional market development. As the regional vice president of sales for the central region, she will be responsible for partnering with financial advisers and providing both product education and market knowledge to support the Ashford Securities product offerings.
With over 19 years of experience raising capital in the securities industry, Birdsall joins Ashford Securities from product sales roles at ExchangeRight from 2022 to 2024 and Ares Asset Management from 2012 to 2018.
“Melissa brings an energy and strategic mindset that aligns perfectly with our mission,” added Steigerwald. “Her leadership will be instrumental as we accelerate our growth and deepen our engagement with the central region’s selling group.”
Birdsall earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota and holds FINRA Series 7 and 66 licenses.
With the addition of Birdsall to the sales team, Todd Brewer will step away from managing the central region to focus on his role as national sales manager, where he will continue to lead the Ashford Securities sales team and oversee their sales and marketing efforts throughout the United States.
Brewer has nearly 20 years of experience in sales management, specializing in alternative investments, and has been with Ashford Securities for over four years.
“Todd brings extensive experience across a wide range of products and is highly respected throughout the industry,” said Steigerwald. “His approachable leadership style, paired with his strategic insight and creativity, will continue to be a tremendous asset to our organization. All three of these key professionals will be instrumental in building a stronger, more dynamic distribution team that positions us for long-term success and drives future growth.”
Ashford is an alternative asset management company with a portfolio of strategic operating businesses that provides global asset management, investment management, and related services to the real estate and hospitality sectors.
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