Academy Securities Strengthens Team with Key Military Veteran Hires

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Academy Securities, a registered broker-dealer, certified Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE), and Minority Business Enterprise (MBE), today announced the addition of five key veteran hires over the last several months: Leslie Beavers, Jamie Fremgen, Kim Bellis, Joe Warwick, and David Dwyer.

Ms. Beavers joined the Academy Advisory Board in October 2020. She currently serves as a Brigadier General in the U.S. Air Force Reserves and was the Deputy Director of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Enterprise Capabilities for the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security. Ms. Fremgen, also a U.S. Air Force Veteran, joined Academy in January 2021 having served for 15 years as an Intelligence Analyst, Clandestine Operator, and a Cultural Support Team Leader attached to various elite Special Operations units. Ms. Fremgen was awarded the Bronze Star alongside several other commendations.

Ms. Bellis, a Navy Special Operations Officer, joined the Firm in October 2020 as a Capital Markets Analyst. She led platoons of combat divers and explosive ordnance disposal technicians on multiple deployments to the Middle East. Mr. Warwick, a West Point graduate who served active duty in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, joined the Firm in September 2020 as a Director of Fixed Income Sales & Trading. Mr. Dwyer, a U.S. Coast Guard Veteran and U.S. Coast Guard Academy graduate, joined the firm in November 2020 as Managing Director of Leveraged Finance.

“We are honored to welcome all of our recent vets to the Academy team,” stated Chance Mims, CEO of Academy Securities. “Hiring veterans is not just Academy’s Social Mission; it is the key to our success and growth.”

The Firm’s most recent hire, Ms. Fremgen, commented on her joining Academy Securities, “I am grateful to join a team that shares the same mindset as the teams I served with during my military career in Air Force Special Operations. Academy Securities is client focused and mission driven. From my first interactions with the firm, I knew I’d found a home where I could use my experience as a veteran to help my new team succeed.”

“Every dollar Academy earns gets us one step closer to engaging another worthy and talented veteran with an opportunity to come aboard and make our team better. We are thrilled to continue our mission to pair top-tier industry veterans with returning military veterans,” said Phil McConkey, President of Academy Securities.

About Academy Securities

Academy Securities is a preeminent disabled veteran owned investment bank with strength in capital markets, public finance, and fixed income and equity trading. Leadership and staff have had intensive military training prior to entering and gaining in depth financial services experience in global capital markets. We are mission driven with a high ethical code, a solid sense of accountability and strive for excellence in the pursuit of our clients’ success. Intellectual assets, strong visionary leaders and a proud team commitment bring out the best in each other for the benefit of our clients. Academy is our nation’s first and only post-9/11 disabled veteran owned investment bank and is a certified as a DVBE, SDVOSB, and MBE. The firm has a strong top and middle tier client base served by a national platform with offices in New York, Chicago, San Diego, Los Angeles, Chapel Hill, Kansas City, and Sacramento. Information about Academy Securities is available at www.academysecurities.com.