The Clapboard Hill Team

Thomas Pacilio
Senior Managing Partner

Tom, Clapboard Hill Private Wealth’s CEO/Founding Partner, has extensive experience and knowledge of the Wealth Management business and the financial services industry. Initially as an investment advisor, then advancing into senior management roles at Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley.

Tom leveraged this experience, investment insight and client-centric focus to start his own independent wealth management firm, creating Clapboard Hill Private Wealth. Tom brings objectivity, transparency and passion into each individual and high net worth family that he works with.

Tom is very active in the Westport community, where he has resided for the past 26 years with his wife, Ann-Marie, raising their four children. Tom is a graduate of Adelphi University, where he majored in finance and has been at the forefront on many industry initiatives throughout his career to stay current and informed as the Private Wealth Management industry is constantly evolving.

Daniel Besse
Managing Partner CIMA®

Dan has always channeled his entrepreneurial spirit through not only the Wealth Management business, but also in charitable endeavors as well as mentorship programs. He had been involved in the strategy development and formation of a Multi-Family Office within an accounting firm. Dan is still actively involved and serves on the board of Summer Search, an education-based charity, funding at-risk student development. Additionally, Dan is a regular contributor to various high net worth and family office platforms including Family Office Exchange and Investment Managing Institutes. Additionally, in the past, he has written various investment related articles for Bloomberg. Dan also has regular involvement and mentorship with the Fairfield University Entrepreneurial Program, the StartUp Showcase. As a Managing Partner of Clapboard Hill Private Wealth, Dan is also committed to dedicated internship programs to help inspire the entrepreneurial spirit in local dynamic students. Dan has a Bachelor’s degree of Science from Fairfield University in Economics and Finance. He is also an active member of the Investment Management Consultants Agency and holds a Certified Investment Analyst Certification® (CIMA®).

Dan interests include golf, enjoying an active lifestyle and passionately supporting his Boston sports teams from enemy territory, alongside his young family in Easton, CT.

Walter Rich
Managing Director of Business Development 

Walter is the Managing Director of Business Development for Clapboard Hill Private Wealth. Walter is tasked with growing the practice through developing long-lasting, trusted, mutually beneficial relationships. Prior to joining Clapboard Hill, Walter spent over 10 years as the New England Regional Sales Manager for Sector SPDR exchange traded funds. He was instrumental in helping grow assets during his time at the firm.

Outside of the office, Walter is a proud veteran of 4 marathons, enjoys playing golf and watching his kids play hockey and lacrosse. Walter, his wife Cara, and their three children reside in Madison, CT. Mr. Rich received a Bachelor of Arts in History from Fordham University.

Brandon Pacilio
Business Strategist 

Brandon is a second generation member of the Clapboard Hill team.  Prior to Clapboard Hill Private Wealth he worked in Client Services at Bridgewater Associates. In addition, Brandon spent four years at SumRidge Partners a fixed income trading firm. At CHPW he focuses on client service, business strategy, and fixed income.  Brandon has a Bachelors of Arts in Economics from Middlebury College, where he also studied Italian. Brandon and his wife reside in Connecticut and enjoy spending their time at Bromley Mountain in Vermont. 

Gregoire Painvin
Portfolio Manager

Greg joined the Clapboard Hill family in 2021, to launch and manage Clapboard Hill Equity Select. He brings over 15 years of asset management experience, with knowledge in all aspects of the business, from research and analysis, distribution and marketing, fund administration and operations, to the creation and management of customized portfolios.

Greg’s core expertise lies in manager research and due diligence. Over the past decade, Greg has developed a unique and novel approach in researching asset managers for the construction of a diversified equity portfolio.

Prior to joining Clapboard Hill, Gregoire held several positions within the ABN AMRO Group in Chicago, New York and Paris, serving primarily as a research analyst covering US equity funds, before his entrepreneurial spirit helped him co-found his own asset management company.

Gregoire holds a bachelor’s degree from Brown University and a master’s degree from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques in Paris. He now enjoys an active outdoor lifestyle with his wife and son outside Boulder, Colorado.

Michael Blank
Investment Strategist, CFA

Mike has worked in the private wealth management industry for over 8 years under the leadership of Tom & Dan. Currently as the team’s Investment Strategist, he oversees the investment platform including, but not limited to; market research and analysis, investment portfolio design, and trading and execution across various asset classes. His responsibilities also include providing customized portfolio reporting solutions, on client assets, both internal and external. He additionally contributes regular market commentary on behalf of Clapboard Hill Private Wealth.

Mike holds a Bachelor’s degree of Science in Finance from Fairfield University’s Dolan School of Business and is a CFA® charterholder and member of the CFA Society of Stamford . Outside of the office, Mike and his wife Meg reside in CT, where he is charitably inclined, an avid NY sports fan, and golfer.

Selena Quintero
Director of Client Care

Selena joined the Clapboard Hill team in April 2021.  Prior to Clapboard Hill Private Wealth, she had an extensive career in advertising, building and executing strategic marketing campaigns across a diverse set of client businesses.  At CHPW, she is the main contact for all client needs, ensuring the highest level of care and attention to service. Selena has a BA in Business with a concentration in Finance and Marketing from the University at Albany. She and her husband Alex recently moved to Norwalk and have been spending their time exploring all the wonderful things Connecticut has to offer.