Houston Post Oak Market Office

Gary Burgess is a Managing Director with Morgan Stanley Wealth Management overseeing the Houston Post Oak Market. The Market is comprised of three branch offices with 145 financial advisors, 75 support staff, 4 private bankers, a dedicated Technology Trainer and a 10 member management team. The Market oversees $37 billion in client assets and generates $243 million in annual revenue. (A/O 7/31/2023.)

A veteran in the wealth management industry, Gary has over 25 years’ experience working with financial advisors and their teams to strategically grow their practices and better serve their clients. At the core of his business model is a strong, experienced management team, working in concert to ensure their Financial Advisors have access to the tools and resources they need to effectively run their practices and serve their clients.

Gary began his career in Wealth Management in 1986 as a cold caller. After 8 years as an advisor, he was encouraged to transition into management and completed the Leadership Development Program at Smith Barney. In the years since, he has led some of the most successful branches and markets at the Firm. Over the years, Gary has made supporting his people his top priority. Whether helping them resolve market issues or connecting them with internal or external resources, Gary believes his primary role as a manager is to create a positive, entrepreneurial environment and to remove obstacles so that his Financial Advisors can more efficiently run their practices and better serve their clients.

Consistently a top recruiter, Gary believes that retaining his advisors and adding a select few of the best advisors in the market each year enables him to grow the Market while maintaining its strong culture. Committed to the success everyone in the Market, Gary’s main objective is to see each member of his Market grow professionally and attain their personal goals.

Gary is a native Texan who has spent most of his life in Houston. After leading offices in Dallas, Minneapolis and Chicago for 14 years, Gary was ecstatic to return home for his dream job, leading the Houston Post Oak Market in July 2014. An avid Texas Longhorns fan, Gary is a Longhorn Foundation member, season ticket holder, and rarely misses a game. Gary is married to Angela Burgess, Executive Director of RaiseUp Families and President/CEO of Broad Oaks Consulting. He has two adult sons he is fortunate to see and spend time with often.

Being involved in and giving back to the community is important to both Gary and Angela personally. He carries that same passion for giving back into his Market. Partnering with the Firm, Market employees and their families are often provided with opportunities to give their time and financial resources to worthy local organizations like the Houston Food Bank, KIPP Schools, Target Hunger, AVDA, Memorial Park Conservancy, and others. Caring for his family, his entire Market Team, their clients, and our community bring Gary personal and professional fulfillment.

Kristi R. Lucero is a Vice President at Morgan Stanley and the Associate Market Manager for the Houston Post Oak Market. Beginning her career in 1997 as a receptionist with Dean Witter, Kristi has spent over two decades working at Morgan Stanley across different functions within the bank. Prior to her current role, Kristi spent time on the Service, Risk, Sales and Management Team where she earned firsthand experience viewing the business as a whole organization rather than a single department.

In her current role as Associate Market Manager, Kristi strives to pay forward the support and strength that she received throughout career at Morgan Stanley. She is passionate about her role and dedicated to actively coaching Financial Advisors and Wealth Advisor Associates as they navigate their career. Keeping Morgan Stanley’s core values in mind, Kristi works with the leadership team to recruit top notch talent in Houston.

Kristi holds the Series 7, 63, 65, 9, and 10 licenses.

Kristi recently relocated to Houston with her husband Chris, and they are quickly making the area their new home. While Kristi and Chris’s children pursue careers in the automotive and nursing industries, the “empty nester” couple enjoys doing CrossFit together, travelling, and exploring the Houston community. Kristi is an active member of the Diversity and Inclusion Council at Morgan Stanley.

Christa M. Burgett is the current Market Business Service Officer in Morgan Stanley’s Houston Post Oak Market. Christa began her career with Salomon Smith Barney as a receptionist and has held a variety of roles in the finance industry. Through the various mergers and firm name changes, Christa spent time as a Registered Client Service Associate, Senior Assistant Operations Manager, and Operations Manager before transitioning to her current role.

Christa graduated from Harding University with a degree in Business Administration.

Outside of work, Christa enjoys spending time with her family, attending her children’s sporting events, and staying active.

Mark has been working with Morgan Stanley since 2011 and transferred from the Melbourne Australia Morgan Stanley office to the Houston Post Oak Market in 2015 as First Vice President, Senior Risk Officer. Mark is responsible for undertaking all supervisory obligations as well as dealing with the Risk and Operational aspects of the Market and assists financial advisors and client service associates in following Firm process and procedures to deliver a first class experience for our clients.

Academically, Mark has obtained three university degrees- a Bachelor of Economics, a Bachelor of Commerce whilst majoring in Statistics & Finance and a Bachelor of Sports Science. Mark is registered with FINRA and holds a Series 7, 9, 10, 66 & 3.

After moving from Australia in 2015, Mark, along with his wife Sarah and their three children, Eve, Marcus and Curtis, pursued their lifelong dream of living in Houston. All five of them share a passion of giving back to a community that has already given them more than they could have ever dreamed of.

This passion and commitment is the driving force behind Mark and Sarah’s vision for co-founding a local nonprofit, MORE Community Services and Development, and continues to impact their everyday lives as they strive to make a difference in even the smallest ways.

Mark and Sarah’s hope for MORE Community Services and Development is not only to advocate for at risk youth and adults with special needs, but also to provide a community and resources for each individual participant to succeed. They hope to make an impact in the community, and inspire others to spread kindness and acceptance.

Mark was a former runner up Mr. Australia as a bodybuilder and still loves working out and following a healthy lifestyle whilst living the American Dream.

Jintal Patel has over 17 years of experience in the financial service industry. Jintal obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from India and began her career as a Stockbroker at Scottrade in 2007. She joined Merrill Lynch in 2013 as a Client Relationship Manager where she managed a team of licensed representatives and coached Financial Advisors to grow their business. In her current role as Business Development manager at Morgan Stanley, she effectively engage with Product Partners across the firm to ensure that the Financial Advisors have the proper training and knowledge of both existing and new tools and firm resources.

Her positive attitude and tireless energy encourages and motivates others to work hard and succeed. Jintal values building authentic relationships and partnering to win, especially in a team environment.

Jintal enjoys completing house projects and watching movies with her husband, Vimal and 14 year old son, Avi. In her free time she also enjoys trying new spicy vegetarian recipes in her kitchen and exploring the newest restaurants in Houston. To balance her love of food - she enjoys working out, organizing anything and everything and being adventurous.