Truist Wealth today announced Oscarlyn Elder and Keith Lerner have been named co-chief investment officers, succeeding Ernie Dawal who intends to retire on September 30 after more than 10 years with the firm. 

As co-chief investment officers, Elder and Lerner will oversee the Truist Wealth Investment Advisory Group of Truist Advisory Services, Inc., a team of experienced professionals who provide unique investment insights, compelling strategies and actionable guidance to help clients meet their investment goals. Elder will have responsibility for investment due diligence and communications, and Lerner will lead the portfolio and market strategy, equity, and fixed-income strategy teams.

“Oscarlyn and Keith are experienced investment professionals who are committed to helping our clients achieve their investment objectives,” said Joseph M. Thompson, head of Truist Wealth and president of Truist Investment Services, Inc. and Truist Advisory Services, Inc. “They are well suited to build on Ernie’s many contributions to Truist Wealth, expanding our investment research, thought leadership, and diverse asset manager strategies, among others. We thank Ernie for his service to Truist and wish him well in his next step.”

Elder has served as Truist Wealth Investment Platform Executive since 2019. In this role, she helped define the Truist Wealth investment experience, focused on the intersection of technology, investment management solutions, as well as the client and investment professional experience. Previously, she served as the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast region group managing director for Truist predecessor SunTrust Private Wealth Management. Elder has more than 25 years of experience in financial services, she graduated from the University of Richmond, earning both summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa honors, earned an MBA and the Fuqua Scholar designation from The Fuqua School of Business at Duke University, and earned a Doctor of Education from the University of Lynchburg; her research examined the relationship of team emotional intelligence, intra-team trust, and performance. She is a holder of the Chartered Financial Analyst charter as well as the Chartered Alternatives Investment Analyst charter.

Lerner currently serves as Truist Wealth’s chief market strategist and managing director of portfolio & market strategy. A 24-year veteran of the finance industry, Lerner joined SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, now Truist Securities, in 2005 and was soon named chief market strategist, focusing on market trends and quantitative analytics. He later transitioned to a similar role for the SunTrust Private Wealth Management Investment Advisory Group, and has led the portfolio and market strategy team since 2017. Prior to his career with Truist and predecessor organizations, Lerner worked as a portfolio manager for Bank of America's private bank and was a founding member of the trading analytics group at Charles Schwab. A graduate of the University of Central Florida, he holds Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) as well as Charter Market Technician (CMT) designations.

Dawal joined Truist predecessor SunTrust as chief investment officer in 2011 with more than 20 years of experience in investment management. He began his career working in a variety of positions within the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. Department of Defense.