Investment Professionals
Gorham B. “Bunny” Wood
President
Bunny Wood is President of Pettyjohn, Wood & White and has over 25 years of experience in the financial services industry. Mr. Wood co-founded Wood & White Investment Advisors, L.L.C. along with Charlie White in 2002, and merged Wood & White with The Pettyjohn Company in January of 2014. Prior to forming Wood & White, Mr. Wood spent nine years as an investment advisor and Vice President with Scott & Stringfellow, Inc. Prior to joining Scott & Stringfellow, he served as Vice President and Commercial Loan Officer with NationsBank Corporation for four years.
A graduate of the University of Virginia, Mr. Wood is a member of the CFA Institute, the CFA Society of Virginia and is a past president of the Lynchburg Estate Planning Council. Mr. Wood currently serves on the board of the YMCA of Central VA.
Charles B. White, CFA
Executive Vice President
Charlie White is Executive Vice President of Pettyjohn, Wood & White and has worked in the financial services industry for over 25 years. Mr. White co-founded Wood & White Investment Advisors, L.L.C. along with Bunny Wood in 2002, and merged Wood & White with The Pettyjohn Company in January of 2014 . Prior to forming Wood & White, Mr. White served as Portfolio Manager and Vice President with Bank of America Capital Management. He started his career in the investment business with the Lynchburg-based money management firm of Davidson & Garrard, Inc.
Mr. White is a graduate of The College of William and Mary and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation. He is a member of the CFA Institute, the CFA Society of Virginia, and is a past president of the Lynchburg Estate Planning Council. He is a former trustee of both Randolph Collee and the University of Lynchburg, and is former chairman of the Lynchburg City School Board. Mr. White is currently serves on the boards of the Centra Foundation and Spring Hill Cemetery.
C. Shep Nowlin, III
Vice President & Chief Investment Officer
Shep Nowlin is a Vice President of Pettyjohn, Wood & White and also serves as Chief Investment Officer. Mr. Nowlin has almost 20 years of experience in the financial services industry having started his career in the investment industry with Wood & White Investment Advisors, LLC in 2005. Mr. Nowlin is a graduate of the University of Virginia with a Bachelor of Science in Commerce and a concentration in finance. Also a member of the University of Virginia Men’s Golf Team, Mr. Nowlin played golf professionally on the Golden Bear Tour in Florida following graduation.
Mr. Nowlin is a past member of the Lynchburg Estate Planning Council and has served as Treasurer on the boards of the Awareness Garden Foundation, CASA of Central Virginia and First Presbyterian Church Weekday School. He currently serves as the Awareness Garden Foundation Capital Campaign Committee Chair and as President of the Bryan-Wade Fund.
Brian K. Blankinship
Vice President
Brian Blankinship has over 30 years of experience in the investment, trust and banking industries. Prior to joining the firm in 2007, he worked for Wells Fargo Advisors and for BB&T’s Private Bank. A 1984 graduate of James Madison University, Mr. Blankinship is a member of the Lynchburg Estate Planning Council.
Kathleen S. “Kathy” Graves
Vice President
Kathy joined the firm in December of 2023 and brings over 40 years of experience in the financial service industry. Most recently, she served as Senior Vice President and Wealth Advisor for Truist Wealth. Throughout her career Kathy has worked to provide a wide variety of services to her clients, including investment and portfolio management, financial planning, trust and estate administration as well as credit advisory services.
Kathy received her B.A, cum laude, from Randolph-Macon Woman’s College (now Randolph College). She holds the Accredited Wealth Management and Accredited Asset Management Specialist designations from the College for Financial Planning.
Kathy is very active in the community and currently serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees for Randolph College, is a member of the Community Benefits Committee of the Board of Directors for Centra, a member of the Board of the Free Clinic of Central Virginia and a member of the Lynchburg Estate Planning Council.
Administrative Professionals
Kate Sigler
Chief Compliance and Administrative Officer
Kate Sigler joined the firm in 2023 after serving ten years as the Director of Administration at Virginia Legal Aid Society where she managed the non-profit law firm’s finances, human resources, compliance, and technology. She is a graduate of the University of Virginia with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and American Politics. Kate is the Chief Compliance Officer and office manager of Pettyjohn, Wood & White.
