James A. Combs, Jr.
Jim recently celebrated his twelfth anniversary as President and CEO of National Advisors Holdings, Inc. and its’ subsidiaries on April 1, 2025. He is a director and member of the Governance Committee of National Advisors Holdings, Inc. and serves as Chairman of the Boards of Directors for National Advisors Trust Company and National Advisors Trust of South Dakota, Inc.
Under Jim’s leadership, the National Advisors advisory firm network of affiliates has grown exponentially with thousands of participating advisors. He architected and executed the firm’s 2016 strategic plan to expand and distribute trust services into the RIA, CPA, Bank, Legal, and Family Office channels which significantly increased trust assets under administration and gross revenues. He played an instrumental role in the design and launch of the award-winning Advisors Private Wealth Trust program. National Advisors Trust is consistently awarded a top ranking in Wealth Advisor’s America’s Most Advisor Friendly Trust Companies publication. He successfully led the company through the economic uncertainty and operating challenges during the pandemic years of 2020-2021. In 2022, the company completed a multi-year strategic initiative by implementing a new wealth management platform to lower operating expense, enhance asset servicing capabilities, and ensure sustainable future growth and profitability. In 2023, the company updated the strategic growth plan, administered its’ first tender offer, and completed the entity restructuring project to streamline corporate governance and administration.
Throughout his career, Jim has helped manage businesses ranging in size from start-ups to large financial services enterprises. A strategic thinker and problem-solver, Jim has a passion for building and leading high-performance teams through the business transformation process. During his financial services career, Jim has held a variety of leadership assignments in operations, administration, information technology, product management, and enterprise project management at firms such as Bankers Trust Company, The Global Processing Alliance, Wachovia Operational Services Corporation, Wilmington Trust Company, and SEI. He is currently a member of the Tiburon CEO Summit, Army Lacrosse Alumni, Broadridge’s Trust Executive Forum, and Cannon Financial Institute’s Trust Advisory Council.
Jim earned a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering from the United States Military Academy and a Master of Science in the Management of Technology from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and School of Applied Science and Engineering. During his service on active duty in the U.S. Army, he achieved the rank of Captain in the field artillery branch and served in assignments located in the United States and Europe. He holds the Certified Cash Manager (CCM) and Certified Securities Operations Professional (CSOP) designations. Jim is active in supporting a cure for cancer, Army West Point lacrosse, Homes of Hope, disabled veterans, youth lacrosse programs, professional mentoring, and local parish activities. Jim and his wife Susan reside in Kansas City.
