Meet The Team

Walker Abney, CFP®

Walker Abney is the co-founder of Tilia Fiduciary Partners. Walker’s core duties include investment research and portfolio management, as well as advising clients on investment planning. Walker holds a M.S. in Finance & Investment Management from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and a B.S.B.A. in Finance & Banking from Appalachian State University. He earned the Certified Financial Planner™ designation in 2009. Prior to Tilia, Walker guided clients as a Financial Advisor at Wells Fargo Advisors.

Walker is a believer in “brilliant simplicity” when it comes to investing. He advocates for empowering our clientele via ongoing education, keeping investment costs as low as possible, and direct investment ownership rather than outsourced “pooled investment vehicles.” He strongly believes investments that are complex, opaque, and high-cost have no place in most investors’ portfolios.

A resident of Wilmington, NC since 2006, Walker has three young boys that occupy most of his free time these days. Walker is heavily involved in several local non-profit organizations, and is the former President of the Board of Trustees for the Historic Wilmington Foundation.

Ryan Casey, CFP®, CEPA®

Ryan is dedicated to helping mid-to-late career professionals and retirees build legacies with purpose and precision. As co-owner of Tilia Fiduciary Partners, Inc., Ryan leads a fiduciary advisory team that serves clients across the country, with a strong presence in coastal North Carolina. His work is best suited to tax-sensitive retirees, small business owners preparing for succession, and families seeking multi-generational wealth stewardship.

At Tilia, Ryan fosters a collaborative, team-based planning approach—ensuring clients benefit from the insights of multiple advisors and specialists rather than relying on a single “lead” advisor. The firm directly manages portfolios in-house, offering clients cost-efficient investment strategies and greater flexibility—particularly for clients seeking personalized, tax-conscious solutions.

For entrepreneurs, Ryan is a Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA) and has guided business owners through complex liquidity events, private equity partnerships, and philanthropic strategies.

A former Marine Corps Captain and combat helicopter pilot, Ryan brings disciplined problem-solving and mission clarity to every client relationship. Ryan also worked as a research associate for a Boston-based healthcare investment bank and is a proud AmeriCorps alumni. He holds both Bachelor and Master of Science degrees from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and is a Certified Financial Planner™ professional.

Ryan is active in the Wilmington community as a founding member of the Veteran Business Collective and alumnus of the Chamber’s Leadership Wilmington program. Ryan, his wife Kristi and their two children love living in the Port City and enjoy exploring everything it has to offer.

Alexis Delia, CFP®

Alexis Delia joined Tilia Fiduciary Partners in 2023 as an Investment Advisor and quickly made her mark by becoming a Certified Financial Planner™ in March 2025. With a B.A. in Integrated Marketing Communication from the University of North Carolina – Wilmington, Alexis pairs deep financial expertise with an approachable, down-to-earth style. Her mission: make financial planning feel less intimidating and a lot more empowering.

Alexis loves working with women, young professionals, retirees, and families, helping them dream big while also building a strong foundation for their future. She believes that planning should be both exciting and educational, and she’s known for celebrating client wins (big and small) along the way.

Alexis actively works with Communities in Schools – Cape Fear, and the Azalea Festival, though her list of local beloved nonprofits is endless!  She also gives financial literacy talks to at-risk youth and offers pro bono advice to individuals who may not typically have access to a financial advisor.

Originally from Newport Beach, CA, Alexis grew up traveling the U.S. before landing on the Carolina coast. Now happily settled in the Port City, she enjoys walking the boardwalk with her husband and their senior Yorkie, Ashley, as well as spending weekends learning to sail, and getting “a little treat” right after.

In 2025, Alexis was honored to be nominated for WILMA’s Women to Watch Award – a reflection of both her professional expertise and her genuine passion for helping others thrive.

Tom Favor

As an Investment Advisor at Tilia Fiduciary Partners, Tom supports clients as a member of our advisory team and contributes to the firm’s investment management committee. Drawing on over two decades of leadership and service as a U.S. Marine Corps officer, Tom brings discipline, integrity, and a mission-driven approach to helping clients achieve lasting financial security. He is currently pursuing his Certified Financial Planner™ designation, further deepening his commitment to providing thoughtful, informed guidance to the individuals, families, and veterans he serves.

Dustin Hudspeth

Dustin Hudspeth is a Trader and Research Assistant at Tilia Fiduciary Partners. He supports the Chief Investment Officer through daily trading and investment research, helping ensure client portfolios receive timely execution and are informed by clear analysis.

Dustin is drawn to investment analysis and portfolio management due to the industry complexity, its unsolved problems, and the intellectual honesty and humility required to navigate market ambiguity. He approaches analysis with measured skepticism, forming opinions slowly and revising them readily when evidence shifts. That combination of intellectual flexibility and disciplined patience is what allows him to serve clients’ interests with rigor and care.

Dustin holds a B.A. in Philosophy and Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and is currently pursuing the CFA designation. A Wilmington resident, he spends his free time reading, volunteering, staying active, and enjoying the area’s coastal lifestyle.

Rajesh Dheenathayalan, CFA®

Rajesh Dheenathayalan is responsible for stock research and valuation analysis. He focuses on identifying high-quality investment opportunities and scrutinizing how businesses generate long-term value, directly supporting the management of client portfolios and upholding the firm’s fiduciary commitment.

Rajesh is the sort of person who reads Security Analysis for fun — not just once, but three times. His curiosity about how businesses create, preserve, or quietly vaporize value has taken him from South India to the boardrooms of the Middle East and now, to the riverside calm of Wilmington, North Carolina.

Rajesh spent over a decade honing his analytical skills across capital markets, investment research, and financial strategy. At Marmore MENA Intelligence (a subsidiary of Kuwait Financial Centre, Markaz), he developed a reputation for dissecting financial institutions. He’s fluent in the language of DCFs, SOTPs, and capital structure arcana — and has an uncanny ability to sniff out a buzzword-laden investor deck from a mile away.

Seeking to move beyond analyzing banks to actually helping build them, Rajesh joined KPMG’s Deal Advisory team in Kuwait. There, he led projects that blended high stakes with high complexity — from securing a new banking license for a telecom giant to orchestrating a $1 billion debt restructuring for a Gulf-based conglomerate. He also worked closely with the Kuwait Banking Association to help develop the country’s national fintech and digital payment infrastructure. He’s fluent in strategy decks, business plans, valuation models, and navigating multi-stakeholder dynamics — all without losing his sense of humor.

He holds a Master of Finance degree (with distinction) from Hult International Business School in Boston and an MBA from Anna University, India. He’s a proud CFA charterholder, a Certified Financial Modeling & Valuation Analyst (FMVA), and has training in data science — though he’ll tell you that a well-structured model and a skeptical mind still outperform most algorithms.

Now based in Wilmington, Rajesh has swapped Boston’s Charles River for long runs along the Cape Fear, and the chaos of megacities for the serenity of the Riverwalk. When he’s not nose-deep in footnotes or untangling valuation puzzles, you’ll likely find him jogging downtown.

Alexis Eubanks, CES™

Alexis Eubanks leads the Operations team at Tilia Fiduciary Partners, where she focuses on creating a seamless experience for clients and supporting advisors with the tools and processes they need to succeed.

She joined Tilia in 2021 as an Assistant Operations Manager, bringing with her a background in banking and a love for problem-solving that she developed while earning her Mathematics degree from UNC Wilmington. Originally from Asheville, NC, Alexis moved to Wilmington in 2014 and has called it home ever since.

Alexis is a Certified Estate & Trust Specialist (CES™), a designation that reflects her commitment to serving families with care and attention through every stage of their journey. She applies this specialization to oversee compliance, process improvements, and operational risk management—helping to protect client interests behind the scenes.

Anna Demarest

As an Operations Associate, Anna works to ensure that both clients and advisors enjoy a supported, efficient experience at Tilia.

With a B.A. in Cognitive Science and Linguistics from the University of Virginia, Anna brings a systems-oriented approach to everything she does. Her professional background in market research sharpened her eye for detail and data, which she now applies to her work in operations.

When she’s not at Tilia, you’ll likely find her baking something, reading on the beach, or spending quality time with her cat, Winnie.