Alex Watts

Alex Watts is a Vice President and Private Wealth Advisor with Merrill Lynch.  He has spent his entire 20-year career in the Financial sector and was honored to be selected as a top advisor through Merrill’s prestigious Private Wealth Management division. He provides strategic guidance and oversight to his clients through traditional wealth management services, as well as helping his business owning clients with a wide range of investment banking solutions such as a full or partial business sale, merger, acquisition, credit lines, ESOP’s or recapitalization services.

Alex’s financial expertise, developed through advising clients and his leadership roles on non-profit boards like the Trust for Public Land (TPL), fuels his desire to utilize his skills for positive community impact within mission-driven organizations.

Alex is particularly passionate about organizations that create and protect public land and green spaces, promote financial literacy, support underserved communities, and foster economic inclusion, particularly by promoting entrepreneurship and fostering an inclusive environment for growth opportunities.

As current Chair of TPL’s Engagement Committee, he leverages the expertise of TPL’s Board of Advisors and Staff to forge strategic partnerships with business and public policy thought leaders, to shape a greener and more equitable future for Atlanta and the Southeast. Some examples of TPL’s current programs are the Community Schoolyards, Chattahoochee RiverLands, and the restoration of the Historic Prince Masonic Lodge, as well as past initiatives such as the Historic Beltline, Historic Fourth Ward Park, and MLK National Historical Park.

Before joining Merrill, Alex was a Private Banker with J.P. Morgan in Atlanta. He also worked as an Investment Analyst with GenSpring Family Offices for 5 years, which was the largest RIA in the country before being acquired by SunTrust Banks. Alex holds a B.A. in Economics (Finance emphasis) from Emory University (2004), and an M.B.A. in Finance from the Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University (2008).

An Atlanta native, Alex participates in a number of civic and philanthropic activities. He is Co-Chair of the Emory Entrepreneur Network and a Board member and Engagement Chair of the Trust for Public Land (TPL). He was formerly a Legacy Advisor to the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta’s Foundation, a former Board member at Intown Cares and Goodwill Industries Inaugural Gala Committee, and a former Trustee and Finance Chair at Morningside Presbyterian Church.

Alex lives in the Virginia Highlands area of Atlanta with his wife, daughter, and two sons.