Analyst Biographies

Technology

Craig is Director of Research at Caris and Company and is the firm's Senior Semiconductor Analyst. He comes to Caris from Citi, where most recently he led the firm's Specialty Semiconductor franchise since 2004. The team frequently attained top-5 rankings in Greenwich Associates' annual survey, placing 2nd and 3rd in 2008 in Analog and Communications IC's, respectively. Further, the franchise was a key part of Citi's third-ranked Institutional Investor Semiconductor team in 2007 and 2008 and Citi's top-ranked Institutional Investor Technology Team in 2008. Prior to Semiconductors Craig covered Imaging Technology in 2002 and 2003, ranking third in Institutional Investor's 2003 All-America Research Team. From 2003 through 2008 he frequently garnered Citi's coveted "Stock Call of the Month" award for accurate and impactful stock calls. He began his Citi career on the II-ranked Enterprise Hardware team in 2000 and 2001 after coming to Wall Street via Shroders' II-ranked Energy team in 1997, becoming that firm's Independent Refiners analyst in 1999.

As a set-up to his four-sector sell-side career he enjoyed 10 years at Chevron Corporation in Strategy and Finance roles, cultivating expertise in planning and execution, business process restructuring, and cross-functional team leadership.

Mr. Ellis graduated from Montana State University with a Bachelor of Science in Business with a major in Finance and minor in Economics. He holds the Series 7, 24, 63, 86 and 87 securities registrations.

Ben Pang covers the Semiconductor Capital Equipment and Solar sectors. He joined Caris & Company from the Prudential Equity Group where he was ranked 7th by Institutional Investor in the Semiconductor Capital Equipment sector. Prior to Prudential, he was an analyst at JP Morgan focused on the Test and Assembly sector for semiconductors. He was also a research associate for the highly ranked Semiconductor Capital Equipment research analysts at both JP Morgan and Banc of America Securities. Mr. Pang has over 10 years of experience in the semiconductor industry and held key management and engineering positions at Applied Materials.

Mr. Pang graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles, with a Master of Science in Chemical Engineering and from the University of California, Berkeley, with a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering. Mr. Pang holds the Series 7, 63, 86, and 87 securities registrations.

Curtis Shauger is a Managing Director in the Equity Research Department at Caris & Company, where he covers enterprise software. He joined Caris from aAd Capital where he was responsible for covering all technology, media and telecom. Prior to aAd, Mr. Shauger was the lead analyst covering software and IT services at Seasons Capital in San Francisco. Prior sell-side experience includes CIBC World Markets, where he was the lead infrastructure software analyst and Banc of America Securities where he was an a associate analyst covering security and telecom software.

Mr. Shauger graduated from the University of Southern California, with a Masters in Business Administration and San Diego State University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with an emphasis in Finance. He currently holds the Series 7, 63, 86 and 87 registrations. Mr. Shauger is also a Chartered Financial Analyst.

Media

David W. Miller is a Managing Director at Caris & Company covering the Media and Entertainment Industries, and is focused on several sub-segments within the sector, including film exhibition, digital cinema, broadcasting and cable television, theme parks, entertainment licensing, radio, outdoor media, Hispanic media and emerging technologies. Prior to joining Caris, Mr. Miller was a Managing Director and Senior Research Analyst at Sanders Morris Harris Group, based in Los Angeles. While at SMH, and in 2003, Mr. Miller was ranked #1 by Institutional Investor Magazine for the media sector among boutique/regional firms. Prior to SMH, Mr. Miller was a Vice President covering the Media/Entertainment sector at Sutro & Co., also in Los Angeles. Mr. Miller has held a variety of position throughout multiple industries, including notable roles at the Walt Disney Company and Texaco, Inc.

Mr. Miller graduated from Northwestern University in 1990 with a Bachelor of Science in Communications and Political Science, and holds an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago, where he graduated in 1997. Mr. Miller holds the 7, 63, 86 and 87 securities registrations.

Health Care

Mario Corso joined Caris & Company after having spent two years as the lone analyst for a large global pharma/biotech hedge fund. Prior to that, Mario spent 12 years on the Sell Side following various areas of pharmaceuticals and biotechnology ranging from small cap to large cap  at  such firms as Summer Street Research partners, Leerink Swann and ABN AMRO.  Over the course of Mario's career, his accomplishments have been recognized in polls conducted by Institutional Investor, Starmine, and the Wall Street Journal.

Mario holds a BA in Economics from the University of Connecticut, an MBA from Northeastern University, and has been  a CFA charterholder for over 10 years. 

Jason Wittes joins Caris & Company as a Managing Director covering Medical Devices.  He brings over 10 years of experience as a senior analyst at Leerink Swann, Morgan Stanley and UBS. During his tenure at Leerink Swann, Mr. Wittes was consistently ranked #1 by Institutional Investor Magazine for the Hospital Supplies and Medical Devices sector among boutique and regional firms (2005-2007).  He also obtained a top 5 ranking in Greenwich Associates annual survey in 2007, and ranked #2 in the 2006 Wall Street Journal’s ‘Best on the Street’ poll.  Prior to joining Leerink Swann, Mr. Wittes was a senior analyst on the top ranked Institutional Investor Team at Morgan Stanley (ranked #1 from 2000-2002).  Prior to joining Wall Street, Mr. Wittes was an R&D chemist at Novartis and Pfizer, where he worked on formulating several drugs for NDA submission.

Mr. Wittes is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University and has an MBA from New York University.  He holds the Series 7, 63, 86 and 87 securities registrations.

Research by Jason Wittes

Leo Carpio
Vice President
Health Care IT & Services 
 

Mr. Carpio is a Senior Research Analyst covering the Health Care Information Technology and Services sector. Mr. Carpio joins Caris & Company from Prudential Equity Group, LLC, where he spent seven years covering numerous healthcare sectors including Healthcare Facilities, Managed Care, and Pharmacy Benefit Managers. Prior to serving as senior Healthcare IT analyst, Mr. Carpio was an Associate Analyst on the Prudential Healthcare Research team.

Before joining Prudential, Mr. Carpio worked at MetLife, where his coverage extended to consumer, commercial, and mortgage finance companies. Previously, Mr. Carpio was an Associate in Merrill Lynch's Finance Department. Mr. Carpio began his career with GE Capital in the municipal finance insurance division Financial Guaranty Insurance Company (FGIC).

Mr. Carpio holds a B.A. in Management from The University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School and an M.B.A. in Corporate Strategy & Finance from the University of Michigan with honors. He holds the Series 7, 63, 86 and 87 licenses.

Consumer

Ms. Bolton Weiser brings to Caris & Company over 15 years of experience as an equity research analyst. Prior to joining the firm, she was a senior equity analyst at Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. for over seven years, where she covered the Household Products; Personal Care/Cosmetics sector, as well as Toys. She was ranked #2 in the Wall Street Journal "Best on the Street" survey for stock selection in her sector in 2003 and 2006, and was also named the top Household Products analyst by Bloomberg Markets magazine in 2005, based on S&P 500 stock selection. Ms. Bolton Weiser was named the #1 Stock Picker in Personal Products and #3 Earnings Estimator in Household Products in May 2006, and the #1 Earnings Estimator in Personal Products in May 2007 by Forbes.com. In 2003, she was named "Best Up-and-Coming Analyst" in her sector by Institutional Investor magazine.

From 1992 to 2000, Ms. Bolton Weiser was a buy-side equity analyst at AllianceBernstein, where she followed stocks in the industrial and consumer sectors. From 1998 to 2000, she was Portfolio Manager of the Alliance Global Environment Fund.

Ms. Bolton Weiser holds an M.B.A. in Finance and Marketing from the University of Chicago, and a B.A. degree in Biochemistry from Wellesley College. She holds the Series 7, 63, 86, and 87 securities registrations.

Dorothy Lakner joined Caris & Company as a Managing Director covering specialty retailing/softlines, bringing nearly 25 years' experience following the retail industry. Prior to joining Caris, she had been a senior equity analyst covering specialty retailing/softlines for CIBC World Markets (now Oppenheimer), known particularly for her expertise on the teen apparel sector. Ms. Lakner began her research career in 1984 at L.F. Rothschild, Unterberg Towbin and held senior research positions covering specialty retailing at E.F. Hutton and Deutsche Bank Capital Corp. before joining Oppenheimer in 1991, where she began to focus more exclusively on apparel retailers. Ms. Lakner is a five-time Wall Street Journal All-Star analyst in the category of apparel retailers.

Prior to her experience as an analyst, Ms. Lakner taught French literature at Mills College and Columbia University. She holds a BA from Mount Holyoke College, an MA from Middlebury College and a PhD from the University of Chicago. Ms. Lakner holds the Series 7, 63, 86 and 87 securities registrations.

Research by Dorothy Lakner

R. Scott Tilghman
Managing Director
Hardlines

Scott Tilghman has been a sell side equity research analyst since 1997, focusing on a variety of consumer sectors, including most recently, hardlines, with prior experience in hospitality, leisure, and restaurants. For the last five and a half years, his focus was on hardlines retail including consumer electronics and office supply stores at Hudson Square Research, where he also oversaw the firm’s compliance and editorial processes. He has received numerous accolades, including being named by the Wall Street Journal as “Best on the Street” for his stock picking performance.

Prior to joining Hudson Square, he was a senior analyst at American Trading and Production Corporation, a successor company of Amoco, where he was instrumental in completing a nearly $250 million restructuring of the company. Mr. Tilghman began his career in 1994 in Baltimore serving as associate, then analyst at Legg Mason, and subsequently as a Senior Analyst at Ferris Baker Watts. He also served as a Senior Analyst and Co-Director of Research at Ladenburg Thalmann.

Mr. Tilghman earned a BSES from Loyola University, with a concentration in electrical engineering. He is a member of the Baltimore Security Analysts’ Society as well as the CFA Institute (formerly the Association for Investment Management Research).  He holds the Series 7, 63, 86 and 87 securities registrations.

Energy