Wayne serves as the Executive Managing Director for Clearstead Advisory Solutions, a division of Clearstead Advisors, LLC. Prior to the April 2024 acquisition of the CAS division, the firm was defined as Wilbanks Smith & Thomas Asset Management, LLC (“WST”), an SEC registered investment adviser headquartered in Norfolk, VA. Wayne co-founded Wilbanks Smith & Thomas in 1990, and brings to bear over 35 years of investment experience and extensive training across asset classes and investment styles.

Wayne graduated from Duke University with a degree in Economics, and he subsequently undertook study through Georgetown University’s Program of Comparative Business at Oxford University in England. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and is a member of CFA Society Virginia.

Wayne serves as Chair of the Eastern Virginia Medical School Foundation Board of Trustees and on the Boards of Directors for the Virginia Arts Festival, the Greater Norfolk Corporation, the Access College Fund and the Slover Library in downtown Norfolk. He served formerly on the Board of Trustees for the Chrysler Museum and the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University. He is a regular guest on CNBC, Bloomberg Financial News, and Bloomberg Radio, and is quoted often in publications including Bloomberg News, The Wall Street Journal, and The Virginian Pilot.