Our Team
Joe J. Grano, Jr., CEO & Chairman
Mr. Grano is Chairman and CEO of Centurion Holdings LLC. He was previously the Chairman and CEO of UBS Financial Services Inc. (formerly UBS PaineWebber).
- Mr. Grano was instrumental in helping to bring about the merger of PaineWebber with UBS in 2000.
- Prior to joining PaineWebber he was with Merrill Lynch for 16 years, holding various senior management positions including Director of National Sales.
- In 1987 he was named the industry’s best retail marketing executive in a survey conducted by Investment Dealers’ Digest.
- Former Chairman of the Board of Governors of NASD and a member of the NASD’s Executive Committee.
- Appointed by President George W. Bush in 2002 to serve as the Chairman of the Homeland Security Advisory Council. He served in this capacity until August 2005.
- Mr. Grano holds honorary Doctor of Laws degrees from Pepperdine University and Babson College as well as an honorary Doctor of Human Letters degree from Queens College.
- In addition to being one of the financial service industry’s leading executives,
Mr. Grano is involved in a wide range of educational and philanthropic endeavors. - Mr. Grano also served in the U.S. Special Forces (Green Berets).
- Mr. Grano is the author of the book “You Can’t Predict A Hero” which was on BusinessWeek’s best seller list in 2009.
JAmes M. Orphanides, President and partner
Since January 2010 James M. Orphanides became a Partner and the President of Centurion Holdings LLC. Mr. Orphanides is Chairman Emeritus of First American Title Insurance Company of New York and a Director, effective December 31, 2007.
- Mr. Orphanides worked for First American since 1992 in key executive positions and from 1996 through 2007 he was President, CEO and Chairman of the Board.
- Prior to joining First American, Mr. Orphanides was a Principal and President of Preferred Land Title Services, Inc. from 1982-1992.
- He was Vice President and head of the National Sales department in New York for Commonwealth Land Title Insurance Company from 1979-1982 and an Executive at Chicago Title Insurance Company from 1972-1979.
- He is currently a Trustee of CB Richard Ellis Realty Trust.
- Mr. Orphanides had been actively involved in many non-for profit organizations. Today he sits on the Boards of: the Foundation for Medical Evaluation and Early Detection, Seeds of Peace, Citizen Budget Commission and the American Ballet Theatre.
- Mr. Orphanides received a B.A. Degree from Heidelberg College and an M.A. Degree from Queens College of New York.
Christina M. Van Tassell, Chief financial officer and partner
Christina M. Van Tassell has served as the Chief Financial Officer and Partner of Centurion Holdings LLC since October 2004. Ms. Van Tassell’s responsibilities include advising Centurion Holdings’ portfolio companies on the financial and other operational aspects of their business with respect to strategies undertaken. Ms. Van Tassell’s specific expertise lies within the areas of finance, capital raising, mergers & acquisitions, governance, business development, legal, information technology, tax, and human resources. In addition, Ms. Van Tassell sits on the board of directors of many of the companies with which she is involved.
Prior to joining Centurion, Ms.Van Tassell was a Director with PricewaterhouseCoopers. She worked within Transaction Services developing and leading the European footprint of its Strategic Structuring Services based in London, which was used as a framework for global expansion. Her responsibilities focused on bringing new cutting-edge products to the market while maintaining protocol within the shifting accounting, regulatory, and legal environment in order to assist clients better deal with market changes.
Ms.Van Tassell received her dual Masters of Business Administration from Columbia Business School and London Business School. Ms. Van Tassell is also a Certified Board Director from the UCLA Graduate School of Management, in conjunction with NASDAQ. Ms. Van Tassell received a B.A. degree with a dual major from Muhlenberg College. Ms. Van Tassell is a Certified Public Accountant and a dual citizen of America and Sweden.
Concetta B. Kristan, Chief Administrative Officer and Partner
Connie Kristan is the Chief Administrative Officer and a Partner of Centurion Holdings LLC. At Centurion, she is responsible for Human Resources and Benefits, raises capital for various projects and manages private equity investments for the Chairman and CEO. Ms. Kristan joined Centurion at its inception from UBS Financial Services Inc. where she was a Vice President in the Office of the Chairman. At UBS, she evaluated potential private equity investments and was responsible for management of the staff of the Chairman.
Ms. Kristan has expertise in start-up operations, financial services, strategic planning, product development and market implementation. Prior to UBS, Ms. Kristan was an independent consultant for Primesight, a national vision care organization where she provided contract negotiation and network development expertise. Previously, she was a Vice President at First Option Health Plan (now Healthnet) where she led a strategic business unit, Affiliated Health Services, as a profit center including Dental, Vision, Mental Health and Prescription programs. There she implemented a comprehensive vision product which achieved profitability within the first six months and managed a $28 million budget for the physician/hospital owned managed care organization. She holds a Managed Healthcare Professional certificate of the American Association of Health Plans.
Ms. Kristan also served as a financial advisor for Merrill Lynch marketing equities, bonds, annuities, life insurance and other financial products. She has an undergraduate degree from New York University with a concentration in psychology and economics and an MBA in finance from NYU’s Stern School of Business. Ms. Kristan has been active in fundraising for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and Monmouth Medical Center.