Midtown Manhattan Market Office

Damon started his career as a financial advisor in 1996. Over the past 23 years he has held various positions and leadership roles at Morgan Stanley.

In 2013 he was promoted to Branch Manager of the 450 Lexington Branch. The 450 Lexington Branch consisted of 90 advisors who oversaw north of 21 Billion in assets. By partnering with his Financial Advisors and attracting talent from competitors the branch revenues nearly doubled in 6 years. Damon was again promoted to run the Midtown Manhattan Complex in March of 2020. He oversees the 3 branches in the Complex which is comprised of around 200 Financial Advisors.

Damon was named to On Wall Street’s Top 100 Managers in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and Top 75 Managers in 2018. He was also named #1 Branch Manager in the Eastern Division and #1 Branch manager in the Nation in 2016.

Damon earned his Bachelor’s Degree from Stony Brook University with studies in Business, Economics and Psychology. He resides in Bronxville, New York with his wife Julie and dog Rory.

He’s actively involved in several charitable organizations and enjoys volunteering.

Carl started his career at Morgan Stanley over two decades ago. Since joining the Firm as a Financial Advisor in August 2000, Carl was promoted to Vice President, Fixed Income Division in 2009 and then to Executive Director in 2012, where he was responsible for taxable fixed income sales for the top financial advisors in the Northeast. Most recently, he has shifted to a role as a Market Manager of Morgan Stanley Wealth Management’s Midtown Manhattan Market Office located at 1290 Avenue of the Americas where he is responsible for FAA hiring and training, net acquired assets, recruiting, revenue, same store sales, and growth of the Market Office. Carl earned a B.A. in Political Science with a minor in Finance from Iona College in 2000. Carl currently resides in White Plains, NY with his wife Monique, 2 kids Brooke and Brandon, and their dog Becket.

Joe is the Market Manager for the Rockefeller Center office within the Midtown Manhattan Market Office. During his time at Morgan Stanley he has been a Financial Advisor, Complex Business Development Manager, and Associate Complex Manager all within one of the largest Complexes in the Firm. With 25 years of experience in the Wealth Management field, he has a comprehensive understanding of the business from all levels. As a Market Manager, he takes a proactive approach to partnering with the Financial Advisors to help them grow their business by supporting their efforts in practice management as well as helping them deliver the Firm’s core values to provide the best potential solutions for clients. In 2018, Joe was named “On Wall Street’s” “Top 75 Managers“.

Joe is a graduate of Fairfield University and currently resides in Southport, CT with his wife and 2 sons.

Kim Bucello most recently held the Regional Manager Associate role on our NY Metro regional team where she was strategically assigned to Complexes to execute on key business initiatives, proactively identifying impactful trends to the business, and potential areas of growth.
Kim joined the firm in 2013 in Private Wealth Management, as the Head of Professional Development for Ultra High Net Worth Advisors. In 2016, she moved to the Leadership Development team where she took on an expanded role and was responsible for the design, development, and implementation of leadership development programs for Field Managers. Kim successfully executed several programs, most notably, the Leadership Academy in partnership with the Thayer Leader Development Group (TLDG) out of West Point.
Kim began her career in Wealth Management. She spent 15 years at Lehman Brothers and Barclays in a wide array of field facing roles, such as a CSA on an UHNW team, the Training Manager for the New York Branch, and the Complex Business Service Manager for the New York Wealth Management office.
Kim graduated from Binghamton University with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics. She resides in New Jersey with her husband, Todd, two daughters: Ashley and Emma, and their four-legged friend, Brody.

Melanie Pope has been with Morgan Stanley since 2015, initially joining the firm as a Wealth Advisor Associate, and later transitioning to a role as a Regional Planning Solutions Specialist for the Northeast. In this role, she was responsible for driving financial planning initiatives, training the field on planning tools, and supporting Financial Advisors in understanding planning concepts, modeling, and determining solutions for clients.

Prior to joining Morgan Stanley, Melanie worked in Accounting and Operations at Wolfe Research, a boutique equity research firm located in Midtown.

She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Business Administration from Gordon College in Wenham, MA. She holds her Series 7, Series 66, and Life and Health licenses. She resides in Westchester County, NY with her husband, Curtis and their Australian Shepherd, Sadie.

Max Rivers joined the Midtown Market Office as a Business Development Manager and has been with Morgan Stanley since 2011. He initially joined the firm as an analyst on the Finance team later transitioning to work in the field on the NY Metro Regional team in 2015. Before joining the Midtown Market Office. Max most recently was a Practice Management Consultant covering the NY Metro Region where he assisted Financial Advisors in three main areas, Teaming, Strategic Partnering and Practice Management.

He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Roger Williams University in Bristol, Rhode Island. He grew up in Madison, CT and currently resides in Manhattan with his wife Katherine.

Asher Kennedy is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and Certified Private Wealth Advisor^® professional with a background in multi-generational financial planning. Prior to the Business Development Manager, Asher held a role as a Financial Planning Director at Morgan Stanley. Asher provided clients with advice and solutions to preserve and grow their wealth. He helped clients define their most valued goals and aspirations, then tailors and implements wealth strategies designed to ensure an impactful and lasting legacy.

Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Asher received a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Finance and Economics from the State University of New York in Plattsburgh, and began his career in Private Wealth Management at Ayco, a Goldman Sachs Company. Prior to joining Morgan Stanley, Asher also spent time with MUFG, Bank of Tokyo, as a Senior Specialist in the Data Assurance Department.

Asher has a personal passion for education, philanthropy and the arts. Asher is a member of the Executive Leadership Council for PENCIL, A New York City based nonprofit that connects public school students to the business community with the aim of opening eyes, minds, and doors. Also, in his spare time, Asher is a contemporary art enthusiast as a member of the Museum of Modern Art and an active participant in the affiliate group, The Black Arts Council once known as The Friends of Education. He enjoys reading, watching sports, and is committed to living a life of serving others and learning.