Midtown North 478 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.

Steve Schwartz is currently the Market Manager of Morgan Stanley’s Park Central branch in New York. He began his career in the wealth management industry in 1993 subsequent to graduating from The Ohio State University’s Fisher School of Business in 1986 and working for his family’s construction supply business in South Florida. Steve has worked in the industry for nearly 30 years and has a vast amount of experience in a variety of roles. He prides himself on creating an environment where excellence is contagious and everyone on his team is inspired to reach their full potential.

Steve started with Smith Barney in Philadelphia in 1993 as a Financial Advisor, where he built his business by cold-calling and conducting wealth management workshops. He was a multi-year member of the firm’s Blue Chip Council, which was awarded to a select group of Financial Advisors who, within their first five years, demonstrated the highest standards and first class client service.

In 1999, Steve and his partner transitioned their practice to Morgan Stanley and was ultimately recruited into the firm’s management team a few years later. He began as a Complex Sales Manager for the Philadelphia Complex in 2002 and was also appointed Head Sales Manager for the Northeast Region. In 2003 Steve was assigned his first Branch Manager position in Lancaster, PA, and in then 2006 he was promoted to Complex Manager for the Jenkintown, PA, Complex.

Subsequent to the joint venture with Smith Barney in 2009, Steve was named the Sub-Complex Manager of the combined firm’s Conshohocken, PA, business.

Steve left Morgan Stanley in Dec 2012 for Wells Fargo Advisors and became a Regional Brokerage Manager for the firm’s Philadelphia Market. And then in late 2016 he bought an equity stake in an independent wealth management practice affiliated with Wells Fargo Advisors in Fort Washington, PA. He spent the next 2 ½ years as a Partner and Senior Financial Advisor prior to coming back home to Morgan Stanley in May of 2019 in his current role.

Steve resides in Newton, MA, with his wife, Fran, a nurse practitioner with MIT Medical. Steve and Fran have 3 Children – Ryan (a 4th year medical student), Erica (an associate at JP Morgan), and Carly (a senior at The Ohio State University). Other than spending time with his family, Steve enjoys reading, golfing and working on philanthropic activities in his community. He has also been a member of the board of directors of The Children’s Alopecia Project since its inception in 2006, an organization which is devoted to helping children living with the hair loss disease, Alopecia Areata.

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.

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.

Dan began his career in financial services in 2015 when he joined Morgan Stanley in the Wealth Management Field Finance division. In 2018, he transitioned to the Northeast Region as its Regional Analyst. In 2021 he took a role as an Associate Private Banker in the New York PWM office. Most recently, Dan Served as the Business Development Manager covering our Long Island Markets.
Dan is a graduate of the University of Maryland Smith School of Business, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Marketing and Supply Chain Management. He lives in Bellmore, New York with his wife, daughter, and son. Outside of the office, Dan enjoys golfing, spending time with friends and family, and is an avid sports fan.