Meet The Team
Neil Powers, CFA
Neil is a co-founder of Vectors Research Management, LLC, and serves as the primary portfolio manager. He brings more than 35 years of investment experience to Vectors and has built a 15 year investment track record for managing institutional portfolios at Vectors.
Also, Neil and Vectors serve as a Sub-Advisor to HNP Capital, LLC. Neil's primary responsibilities at HNP, like that at VRM, include establishing asset allocation across investment strategies, determining sector allocation and security selection within asset classes, and executing investment strategy across portfolios. Neil has been providing investment management services for HNP Capital as a sub advisor since May 2014.
In addition, Neil was also a Founder of Vectors Research Opportunities Fund, a mortgage-only hedge fund. This fund was successfully managed through the financial crisis, transforming into a mortgage credit fund to leverage the recovery in the non-agency sector of the mortgage market. Neil has also provided consulting services to major financial institutions and investors in assessing and valuing mortgage credit.
Prior to co-founding VRM, Neil held several key positions at Trusco Capital Management. He joined Trusco as the Director of Fixed Income and Cash Management while it was named Crestar Asset Management Company, and brought institutional investment product and performance to the organization, outperforming benchmarks in an up and down market. Neil was named Co-Head of Fixed Income and Senior Portfolio Manager at Trusco, where he created and launched the STI Classic Strategic Income Fund, a multi-sector bond fund. He also continued to expand institutional investment capabilities, adding significantly to absolute and risk-adjusted investment performance for Trusco’s institutional clients. Neil also served as a senior member of the Asset Allocation Committee while at the firm.
Neil previously spent 12 years at Putnam Investments where he last served as the Senior Fixed Income Portfolio Manager responsible for the management of $7.8 billion in assets, including serving as the lead manager of Putnam’s multi-sector bond funds as well as separately managed institutional client portfolios. Neil began his career at State Street Bank and Trust.
Neil is a Chartered Financial Analyst and is a graduate of West Virginia University and holds a BS in Finance with a Concentration in Securities and Investments. He was born in Danvers, MA, and has been living in Richmond, VA for 20 years with his wife Valerie and three sons Dylan, Zach and Cole.
Andrew Davidson
Andrew Davidson is co-founder at Vectors Research Management, LLC. Mr. Davidson is also President and founder of AD&Co., a leading developer and provider of MBS/ABS analytical tools. AD&Co provides consulting advice on risk management, security valuation, and investment strategies for a broad range of financial institutions.
Prior to AD&Co he worked for six years at Merrill Lynch, where he was a Managing Director in charge of a staff of 60 financial and systems analysts. In this role, he developed sophisticated analytical tools, including prepayment and option-adjusted spread models, as well as sophisticated portfolio analysis tools. He initiated a comprehensive set of investor-oriented publications and established groups of specialized analysts to advise traders, sales people and investors. He has an extensive trading desk background and experience in risk management roles. Andrew began his financial career as an analyst in Exxon's Treasurer's Department. He received a MBA in Finance at the University of Chicago and a BA in Mathematics and Physics at Harvard.
Joe Cheatham
Joe is a Portfolio Manager and Trader for Vectors, starting in the summer of 2019. Currently, he heads the Trading Desk; specializing in systems integration, while providing in-depth market research and technical analysis, assisting in portfolio management, and financial planning. He graduated from Virginia Tech in the Spring of 2019, with and B.S. in Finance and a B.S. in Business Information Technology and earned his MBA at Virginia Commonwealth University in the Fall of 2021.
Patrick Leahman
Patrick is an Equity Analyst for Vectors, starting in the Summer of 2022. After graduating from Hoggard High School in 2017, he is continued his education at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington. He graduated in the Spring of 2022 with a B.S. in Business Administration and a concentration in Finance. Patrick began his career at Vectors as a intern in the winter of 2021. Currently, he is continuing his studies as he prepares for his level 1 CFA examination.