Susan M. Byrne

Chairman & Chief Investment Officer

Susan M. Byrne is the Founder, Chairman and Chief Investment Officer of Westwood Management Corp., a registered investment advisor.  Founded in 1983, Westwood serves a variety of institutional clients, such as corporate pension funds, religious organizations, endowments and foundations.  In addition, Westwood is the investment advisor to The Westwood Funds, a family of open-ended mutual funds.  Westwood Management currently manages approximately $6 billion in assets.

Prior to founding Westwood Management, Ms. Byrne was an Assistant Treasurer at GAF Corporation, responsible for investing GAF's pension fund assets as well as managing plan sponsor duties.  She established the first dedicated bond portfolio and one of the earliest 401(k) plans.  She is also a member of both the New York and Dallas Societies of Securities Analysts.  Ms. Byrne has over thirty-five years of Wall Street portfolio management and plan sponsor experience.

Ms. Byrne is a member of the board for the Southwestern Medical Foundation and serves on the Investment Committee.  She is a board member of the First Presbyterian Church of Dallas Foundation and former Chair of their Investment Committee.  Ms. Byrne is a member and former board member of the Committee of 200.  She also serves on the Dallas Citizens Council. She is a former board member of the Dallas Chapter of the International Women’s Forum.  In addition, Ms. Byrne is a former member of the Board of the University of Texas Investment Management Company (UTIMCO), which oversees endowment and operating funds in excess of $13 billion. She is also a former board member for the City of Dallas Employees Retirement Fund.

Brian O. Casey

President & Chief Executive Officer

Mr. Casey earned a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Texas at Dallas and a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Trinity University.  He began his investment management career as a registered representative of a Dallas-based financial services firm, which marketed a variety of products through L.F. Rothschild in New York, the Trammell Crow Companies in Dallas, and the Marriott Hotel Corporation nationwide.In 1987, Mr. Casey joined a private trust company as a balanced portfolio manager.  He was promoted to Vice-President, elected to the Board of Directors and later invited to become a shareholder of the firm.  In addition to co-managing the business, he was directly responsible for marketing, portfolio management and client service.In 1990, Mr. Casey was instrumental in founding a registered investment advisory firm, which became an affiliate of the Frank Russell Company.  The Russell affiliation offered clients access to the global consulting capabilities of the Russell organization, which has international offices in Japan, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom.

Mr. Casey joined Westwood Management Corporation as Vice President of Marketing & Client Services in 1992.  He was elected Chairman of the Board of Westwood Trust in 1996 and is a member of the Board of Directors of Westwood Management Corporation. In 2001, Brian was named President and Chief Operating Officer and in 2006, he was named President and Chief Executive Officer of Westwood Holdings Group, Inc., a holding company that trades on the NYSE. 

Mr. Casey is a graduate of the Securities Industry Association's Institute at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.  He is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and has been a volunteer in the Big Brothers & Sisters Program of Metropolitan Dallas for sixteen years.  He also serves on the Tartan Board of Directors, a group exclusively devoted to raising money for the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children.  He is an active supporter of Habitat for Humanity and a member of Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO). Mr. Casey is a member of the Governors' Business Council for the State of Texas and a member of the Business Advisory Council of Trinity University.

William R. Hardcastle, Jr., CFA
Vice President & Chief Financial Officer

Mr. Hardcastle joined Westwood in December 2001 and has served as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer since July 2005. He is responsible for business management functions including financial reporting, investor relations, information technology, human resources and various strategic initiatives.

Prior to joining Westwood, Mr. Hardcastle was an Associate with Broadband Venture Partners, a Dallas-based venture capital firm, where he was responsible for sourcing, screening and managing investments in early stage technology companies. From 1994 to 2000, Mr. Hardcastle worked for Southern Company, a global energy company. He worked with the Chief Strategy Officer and President of the North America Group on core business strategy, financial reporting and business unit management. He also held other positions in the areas of finance and corporate development on both the regulated and unregulated sides of the business. From 1989 to 1992, Mr. Hardcastle served as Portfolio Manager for Discovery Management, Ltd., a Dallas-based hedge fund.

Mr. Hardcastle earned a Masters of Business Administration from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University in 1994 and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Southern Methodist University in 1989. He achieved the designation of Chartered Financial Analyst in 1997.