Firm Bios

Lawrence K. Doll is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Drexel Hamilton Financial. He entered the real estate industry in 1980 with the founding of The Lawrence Doll Company, which specializes in land development. In 1995, he formed Lawrence Doll Homes, a builder of upscale homes and townhouses. Mr. Doll is also Chairman of the Board of United Bank, a retail and commercial banking subsidiary of United Bankshares with over $4 billion in assets and operations in Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia.

Mr. Doll currently serves on the boards of the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges and Inova Fairfax Hospital’s Life With Cancer Foundation. He is also a founding sponsor of the Virginia Ann Wiedmaier Holiday Dinner, which provides a holiday meal to recovering servicemembers at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center and at the Bethesda Naval Hospital. In the past, he has served as the chairman of the Athletic Board of George Mason University; a member of the Board of Trustees of the George Mason University Foundation; a member of the Board of Governors of the University of Maryland’s Education Foundation; and as a member of the Board of Trustees of Youth For Tomorrow.

Mr. Doll is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran whose service in Vietnam earned him two Purple Hearts, the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry, and a prestigious appointment to the Silent Drill Platoon of the U.S. Marine Corps Honor Guard.

General Peter Pace is a Partner at Drexel Hamilton. General Pace retired from active duty on October 1, 2007, after more than 40 years of service in the United States Marine Corps.

General Pace was sworn in as sixteenth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Sep. 30, 2005. In this capacity, he served as the principal military advisor to the President, the Secretary of Defense, the National Security Council, and the Homeland Security Council. Prior to becoming Chairman, he served as Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. General Pace holds the distinction of being the first Marine to have served in either of these positions.

Born in Brooklyn and raised in Teaneck, NJ, General Pace was commissioned in June 1967, following graduation from the United States Naval Academy. He holds a Master's Degree in Business Administration from George Washington University, attended the Harvard University Senior Executives in National and International Security program, and graduated from the National War College.

During his distinguished career, General Pace has held command at virtually every level, beginning as a Rifle Platoon Leader in Vietnam. He also served as Commanding Officer of the Marine Barracks in Washington, D.C.; Deputy Commander, Marine Forces Somalia; Deputy Commander, Joint Task Force Somalia; Director of Operations for the Joint Staff; Commander, U.S., Marine Forces Atlantic/Europe/South; and Commander in Chief, U.S. Southern Command.

In June, 2008, General Pace was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civil honor a President can bestow.

General Pace is currently serving on the Board of Directors of several corporate entities involved in management consulting, private equity, and IT security. He serves on the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board, and the Secretary of Defense’s Defense Policy Board. He is a long-standing member of the Board of Directors for the Marine Corps Law Enforcement Foundation – a charity that provides scholarship bonds to children of Marines or Federal law enforcement personnel who were killed while serving our country.

Joseph L. Valenza is a Managing Director of Drexel Hamilton. He has over 30 years of experience in the securities industry. Mr. Valenza has held senior management positions at Lehman Brothers, the Boston Options Exchange, Knight Execution Partners, Fidelity Capital Markets, and Aurex Financial Corporation.

He has served as a member of the American Stock Exchange’s Retail Advisory Committee, the Chicago Board Options Exchange’s Managing Directors Committee, the Philadelphia Stock Exchange’s Quality of Markets Committee, the Security Traders Association’s Options Committee, and the International Securities Exchange’s Market Maker Advisory Panel. He holds Series 4, 7, 24, 55 and 63 licenses from FINRA. Mr. Valenza served in the United States Coast Guard Reserve and is a member of the Patriot Guard Riders.

Harry J. Gobora is the Chief Operating Officer of Drexel Hamilton. He leads the firm’s brokerage operations and oversees its regulatory compliance. Mr. Gobora has over 20 years of experience in the securities industry. He has worked at the Philadelphia Stock Exchange, Republic New York Securities, Legg Mason, and Philadelphia Investors.

Mr. Gobora is a member of the Bond Club of Philadelphia, the Securities Industry Association, the Investment Traders Association of Philadelphia, the Military Order of Foreign Wars, and the British Officers Club of Philadelphia. Mr. Gobora has a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from East Stroudsburg University as well as Series 4, 7, 24, 63, and 65 licenses from FINRA. Mr. Gobora recently retired from the Pennsylvania Army National Guard after more than 21 years of service. He has supported several post-9/11 overseas missions including Task Force Keystone in Germany, KFOR 5A in Kosovo, and Operation Bright Star in Egypt.

William R. Lange is the Chief Financial Officer of Drexel Hamilton Financial. Prior to joining Drexel Hamilton Financial, he served as the Chief Operating Officer of the Lawrence Doll Company and Lawrence Doll Homes. His duties there included managing operations, human resources, quality assurance, customer and support services, accounting, and finance.

Mr. Lange holds a Bachelors degree in Economics from George Mason University.

S. Brooks Hulitt is a Managing Director of Drexel Hamilton. Mr. Hulitt focuses on government relations, capital introductions, and strategic alliances. He is the founder of Strategic Contracting, which helps small businesses navigate the federal government marketplace.

Mr. Hulitt serves on the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Small Business Regulatory Fairness Board, which investigates and reports instances of excessive enforcement actions taken against small businesses to the SBA Ombudsman and to Congress. He is a U.S. Air Force veteran who served in the Presidential Honor Guard and in Operation Vigilant Warrior in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Mr. Hulitt volunteers for the First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry’s color guard. He is currently a member of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard.

Brenda A. Smith is the Financial and Operations Principal of Drexel Hamilton and the founding partner of BA Smith & Associates, LLC. Her 24 years of tax and financial management experience includes working in the securities, manufacturing, healthcare, telecommunications, retail, and not-for-profit industries.

Ms. Smith received her Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Louisiana State University. She holds Series 7, 27, and 63 licenses from FINRA and is a Certified Public Accountant, Certified Financial Planner, and Certified Internal Auditor. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants.