U.S. Bank Wealth Management announced today that Karen McNeill has been appointed Head of Family History for Ascent Private Capital Management of U.S. Bank. Karen reports to Scott Winget, Senior Managing Director of Wealth Impact Planning.
“Karen is passionate about history and believes that it is important to help us understand ourselves and the world in which we live,” Winget said. “We are delighted to have such a distinguished professional join our Wealth Impact Planning team.”
In her new role, McNeill works directly with families to research and present family and business histories as part of a comprehensive wealth planning platform. As part of Ascent’s Wealth Impact Planning team, she helps families uncover and construct meaningful family histories, then delivers them in live presentations, often at family meetings or retreats.
McNeill has more than 15 years of experience in working on personal history projects with individuals, as well as with private and public sector organizations. Prior to joining Ascent, she taught history at the University of California, Berkeley, the University of the Pacific, Ohlone College, and the Academy of Art University. She has also served as senior historian/architectural historian at Carey & Co., Inc., in San Francisco, where she was a consultant for many private and highly public individuals. She has also been a consultant to Landmarks California and is a Director on the Landmark Heritage Foundation Board.
McNeill earned Ph.D., M.A., and B.A. degrees in history from the University of California, Berkeley. She has authored a variety of publications and earned a number of honors and awards, including a research fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities for her biography of Julia Morgan, architect for the Hearst family.