Meet Our Team
Peter is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professional and a Certified Portfolio Manager™ and has been in the financial advisory and brokerage business since 1991.
He joined Steward Partners because he appreciates the platform that Raymond James offers but loves the idea that most everybody at Steward Partners uses discretion for portfolio management and loves being surrounded by kindred spirits.
Peter is a graduate of the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. As a serving British Army Officer, he met his wife, Terrie, when she was a serving American Officer. They met in a British officer’s club in Mönchengladbach, when there was still a West Germany.
Peter and Terrie have one child, Christopher, who is a commercial pilot with Envoy, a wholly owned subsidiary of American Airlines. They consider themselves fortunate to live in one of Stuart’s oldest homes, a three-story wood home that they share with termites. They enjoy sailing on Stuart’s beautiful St. Lucie River, and they are both practicing black belts at the KC Chung Taekwondo studio in Stuart.
Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Center for Financial Planning, Inc. owns and licenses the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER®, and CFP® (with plaque design) in the United States to Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc., which authorizes individuals who successfully complete the organization’s initial and ongoing certification requirements to use the certification marks.
If you ask Peter what gives him the most professional satisfaction, he’ll tell you it’s providing personalized financial planning and privately managed investing services that enable clients to look toward the future with confidence. We like to think clients have had the benefit of Peter doing just that for more than two decades.
Like many financial advisors, Peter did not begin his career in the investment business. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from York College of Pennsylvania in 1992 and successfully managed both large and small businesses. It wasn’t until he created and operated his own business for several years that he developed the desire to assist individuals in planning for their financial futures. In 2002, Peter entered the financial services industry at Smith Barney. In 2012, he joined the ranks of Raymond James and Associates. Peter joined Steward Partners in 2026 to follow the normal progression of his business to the next level.
Steward Partners offers an opportunity of synergy with like-minded professionals that perform private portfolio manager responsibilities and can share resources to better serve their clients.
Today, Peter focuses on providing responsive, attentive, personalized private portfolio management for individuals, trusts, and family partnerships. His professional credentials include those of CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professional, Chartered Financial Consultant®, Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor™, and Retirement Income Certified Professional™. Peter is also a member of the Financial Planning Association (FPA), the Estate Planning Council of Martin County, and the Investment Management Consultants Association (IMCA).
Peter was born and raised in Westchester, New York, and settled along Florida’s Treasure Coast in 2002. He resides in Jupiter, Florida, with his wife, Diane, and their two children. Peter enjoys R/C airplane building and flying, classic car restoration, and gardening. Peter philanthropically supports community organizations such as American Humane, Busch Wildlife Sanctuary, Cancer Alliance Help & Hope, Care Net, Covenant Rescue Group, Dogs & Cats Forever, Domino’s Cat Rescue League, Furry Friends Humane of Jupiter, Hobe Sound Early Learning Center, Operation 300, The Panther Ridge Conservation Center, and the Pipe Hitter Foundation.
Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Center for Financial Planning, Inc. owns and licenses the certification marks CFP® and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® in the United States to Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc., which authorizes individuals who successfully complete the organization’s initial and ongoing certification requirements to use the certification marks.
With over 20 years in the financial services industry, Melissa joined the Silcox & Avonda Wealth Management team in 2021, bringing a wealth of knowledge and value to both our team and our clients.
Melissa takes great pride in working closely with the families and individuals we serve, providing proactive and efficient support to help ensure their needs are met in a smooth and timely manner. Working alongside Peter Silcox and Peter Avonda, Melissa is an integral part of the portfolio construction process and developing investment strategies that are designed to ensure our clients’ accounts are properly aligned with each individual’s financial goals and objectives.
Prior to joining Steward Partners, Melissa began her career in wealth management at Smith Barney in 2003, and currently holds her 7, 63, 65 and Life, Health and Variable Annuity Licenses. She also proudly holds her Wealth Management Specialist™ designation from The College for Financial Planning.
Melissa is native to South Florida and currently lives just outside of Wellington with her husband Brian, and their daughter, Naomi. An avid equestrian, Melissa spends most of her free time on horseback and particularly enjoys competing in the prestigious Winter Equestrian Festival competitions.
Since 1989, Joe has been helping clients manage their portfolios through constantly changing – and sometimes challenging – markets. Throughout his career, Joe’s number one priority as a portfolio manager has always been to help clients pursue their financial goals with portfolios tailored to their personal comfort levels for risk.
Joe served six years in the U.S. Navy, and while stationed at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, he entered the University of North Florida. With an interest in finance and a desire to manage money as a career, Joe graduated with a degree in Business Administration: Banking. Throughout his more than 35 years of managing client assets on a discretionary basis, Joe has enjoyed helping people in all situations establish financial plans designed to accomplish their goals and objectives. In a career that spans four decades, Joe has guided his clients through significant innovations and changes in technology and global financial markets. His primary focus today is working with individuals, trusts, and family partnerships to help meet their financial goals through responsive, customized private portfolio management. He holds Series 3, 7, 63 and 65 licenses, and is licensed for life and health insurance, as well as variable annuities.
Joe was born in Groton, Connecticut, but has enjoyed life on Florida’s Treasure Coast since 1971. He lives in Vero Beach, Florida, and has five children and two grandchildren. He is a member of the Lions Clubs International and supports numerous veterans’ organizations, which are especially important to him since his oldest son is a Purple Heart recipient. Joe enjoys the outdoors and is active with camping, kayaking, and hiking. He also enjoys staying fit and going to the gym.
Along with her extensive experience providing the highest level of client service within the financial industry, Louise holds Series 7 and 63 licenses, as well as an Insurance Foundation Certificate and a Certificate in Financial Services Practice, both obtained while in the U.K. Her primary focus is on providing responsive and caring client services in a cheerful, timely, and efficient manner, and helps ensure the accuracy of every detail while keeping the process as smooth and streamlined as possible. Louise takes great pride in ensuring that each interaction our clients have with us results in their total service satisfaction.
A native of the U.K., Louise was born and raised in the village of Wantage, England, and has worked in the financial services industry since the age of 16. She lived for a time in Brighton, England, where she was employed at American Express as the manager of the Executive Office, before emigrating to the United States. She and her husband, Bill, now reside in Port Saint Lucie. Louise enjoys traveling, reading, and swimming. Louise and her husband proudly earned their United States citizenship in 2013.
Druann is a Senior Registered Client Administrative Manager with over 20 years of experience in the financial services industry.
She began her career at Legg Mason and worked at Raymond James prior to joining Steward Partners in 2026.
Her tenure, compassion, dedication, and dependable nature ensure that we provide our clients with the competent and personalized first-class service they deserve and provides our team with the proven client service and customer satisfaction skills expected by a person of her professional merit.
Druann manages a wide range of operational and administrative duties and provides personal assistance, professional service and high-quality support to our clients in a courteous, knowledgeable, timely, and efficient manner.
She is a Southeastern Academy graduate and currently holds Series 7, Series 63, and Series 66 securities licenses.
Druann is a Stuart, FL native who enjoys cooking, gardening, music, reading, travelling and spending spare time with her husband Zane and their dog Dixie.
Claudia Hubbs joined Steward Partners in February 2026 as a Senior Client Administrative Manager. She has lived in Brevard County for 20 years and was originally born and raised in South Florida. Now a new resident of Jensen Beach, Florida.
As a Senior Client Administrative Manager, Claudia holds the Series 7, 63 and 66 Licenses - allowing her to help families with more intricate planning and placing any trades when necessary.
Claudia has always had a desire to help people with their financial needs, which led her to developing a passion for financial planning. She has been in banking and finance for over 36 years and firmly believes that a strong financial plan is the first step in helping any family reach not only their goals, but to be prepared for what life throws your way.
As Claudia's professional career grew, so did her family. She is a proud mom of three – two sons and a daughter – and grandmother to two beautiful grandchildren. In addition, she is a proud “dog mom” to Ginger and Peanut. Outside of work, her passions are dining locally, attending live music events, and volunteering to help children.
Laurel enjoys fostering close relationships with the families and individuals we serve, helping ensure that they receive quality attention and support. Empathetic and detail-oriented, Laurel’s goal is to always make working with us easy and effortless.
She is a Registered Client Administrative Manager holding Series 7, 66 and Life, Health Variable Annuity Licenses and is currently pursuing her bachelor’s with the University of Florida – Go Gators!
Laurel has ten years of experience in banking and finance. Before joining the Silcox & Avonda Wealth Management team in 2022, she was a personal banker at PNC Bank. She manages a wide range of administrative matters, from account maintenance to client requests and communications, consistently striving for excellence in all that she does to best serve our clients and their families.
Laurel grew up in Martin County and now lives in Jensen Beach. When not in the office, she enjoys attending concerts and traveling with her boyfriend, Edward.
Bonnie has been a receptionist for most of her working career. She enjoys greeting clients and handling a multitude of administrative tasks for our team that help keep our business running smoothly. When you call in or visit our office, Bonnie will be front and center and ready to help you with a smile!
Originally from Beachwood, New Jersey, Bonnie as lived in Florida for 61 years – making her almost a native. She has been married to her husband, Bill, for over 50 years, and they have two adult sons and two grandchildren. She enjoys walking and reading when she is out of the office.