Washington Trust Expands Wealth Management Team in Providence, Rhode Island and Wellesley, Massachusetts

Washington Trust is pleased to announce the expansion of its Wealth Management team in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, with Kimberly McCarthy, Esq., Howard Cowan, CFP®, Daniel LeBeau, Eileen Straughn, and Suzanne Vargas, CTFA, joining the Rhode Island offices of Washington Trust Wealth Management and Nicholas Rossi, APMA®, CRPC®, joining the Wellesley, MA office of Washington Trust Wealth Management through Weston Financial Group.

Howard S. Cowan, CFP® is Vice President, Wealth Management Officer for Washington Trust Wealth Management, responsible for the administration of various types of accounts such as trusts, IRA’s, agency and custody, as well as all aspects of client relationship management in coordination with Washington Trust planning officers and portfolio managers. He joins Washington Trust from Kaplan Financial Services, where he was a Client Service Associate. Prior to that, he served as a Vice President at Fiduciary Trust Company in Boston for more than 25 years, where he was responsible for helping individuals and families manage their wealth and achieve their financial goals. He also acted as a Relationship Manager, providing trust administration and custody services to private trustees, family offices and registered investment advisors. Cowan holds his bachelor’s degree in finance from Northeastern University. He is a Certified Financial Planner® and has been a member of the Financial Planning Association of Massachusetts since 2007. Cowan has led and participated in corporate volunteer events through the United Way of Massachusetts Bay since 1997. He works out of the Providence, RI and Wellesley, MA offices of Washington Trust Wealth Management, and lives in Walpole, MA. Daniel E. LeBeau is Vice President, Senior Investment Research Analyst for Washington Trust Wealth Management, responsible for research activities related to all non-proprietary investment solutions, including mutual funds, ETFs, SMAs, 529 plans, and variable annuities. He joins Washington Trust from NEPC, LLC, where he served as an Investment Consultant for more than ten years. LeBeau holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Rhode Island. He recently relocated from California to Charlestown, RI and looks forward to getting involved with the organizations he volunteered with in CA, notably Wounded Warriors and Habitat for Humanity. LeBeau works out of the Providence, RI office of Washington Trust Wealth Management. Kimberly I. McCarthy, Esq. is Vice President, Chief Wealth Management Tax & Benefits Officer for Washington Trust Wealth Management, and leads the tax, ERISA, and employee benefits compliance efforts for the division. She joins Washington Trust with nearly 25 years of experience in employee benefits, tax, nonprofit, and regulatory compliance, most recently spending 20 years at Partridge Snow & Hahn, where she had been a partner at the firm since January 2000, and had created and led the firm’s ERISA, Employee Benefit, Nonprofit, and Tax practice groups. McCarthy was a member of the inaugural class of the Providence Business News 40 under 40, and was named Tax Attorney of the Year for 2018 by Best Lawyers. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Brown University (magna cum laude), a J.D. from Boston College Law School (magna cum laude), and her L.L.M. in taxation from Boston University Law School. McCarthy is involved with many nonprofit and community organizations, including as a director and past Chairman of Children’s Friend & Service, a Trustee for the Cumberland Public Library, and Chairman of the Parish Council for St. John Vianney Parish. She works out of the Providence, RI office of Washington Trust Wealth Management, and lives in Cumberland, RI. Nicholas T. Rossi, APMA®, CRPC® is Assistant Vice President, Associate Counselor for Washington Trust Wealth Management’s Wellesley, MA office through Weston Financial Group. He has been working in wealth management since 2012. Rossi is an Accredited Portfolio Management Advisor®, a designation he acquired to expand his expertise in analyzing investment policy statements, building portfolios, and making asset allocation decisions within a client portfolio. He also achieved his Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor® designation, which uses techniques derived from real client experience to focus on pre-and post-retirement needs, asset management, estate planning, and the entire retirement planning process. Rossi graduated from St. Anselm College in New Hampshire with a bachelor’s degree in business and a minor in accounting. At Saint Anselm, he was a member of their varsity Hockey team and donated much of his time to charitable work. Rossi lives in Pawtucket, RI. Eileen A. Straughn is Senior Vice President of Business Support and Strategy for The Washington Trust Company, responsible for business development as well as operations, business support, and project management for Washington Trust Wealth Management, including financial reporting and budgeting; divisional growth strategies; product development and actions; and personnel management. She has more than 35 years of banking and wealth management experience, with a strong track record of leadership in strategic business planning and change and performance management. Straughn joined Washington Trust from US Trust, where she most recently served as Senior Vice President of Business Support. She holds her bachelor’s degree in business administration from Boston College, with minors in finance and marketing, and is actively involved in her community, having devoted most of her volunteer time to TOPS, Inc., the Exeter/West Greenwich Association of Parents and Teachers, the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and Habitat for Humanity. Eileen works out of the Westerly, RI office of Washington Trust Wealth Management, and lives in West Greenwich, RI. Suzanne M. Vargas, CTFA is Vice President, Senior Wealth Management Officer with Washington Trust Wealth Management, responsible for trust account administration including all aspects of client relationship management in coordination with Washington Trust planning officers and portfolio managers. She brings a strong fiduciary background and a wealth of experience in relationship management, trust administration, and estate settlement, joining Washington Trust from Rockland Trust Company, where she was Senior Relationship Manager for more than 15 years. Prior to that, she was with Fleet’s Private Clients Group in Providence for almost 12 years. Vargas holds her bachelor’s degree in accounting from Rhode Island College and earned her Certified Trust and Financial Advisor (CTFA) designation from the American Bankers Association. She serves as the President of the board for Community Health Care Systems in Attleboro, Massachusetts. Suzanne works out of the Providence, RI office of Washington Trust Wealth Management, and lives in Rehoboth, MA.