Shirl Penney

Founder & CEO, Dynasty Partners, St. Petersburg

Penney established Dynasty Financial Partners 14 years ago to provide independent wealth management firms and investment advisers with proprietary resources, a tech platform and capital strategies to offer clients personalized financial advice. Today, it’s one of the largest independent wealth firms in the nation with nearly $100 billion in client assets on its platform.

EDUCATION: Bates College (BS)

IF I WERE GOVERNOR: I would work hard to attract more businesses to Florida, especially critical service businesses and technology-focused companies, and also increase investment in infrastructure improvements.

MENTOR: I was orphaned and homeless as a child. My step-grandfather taught me about integrity, hard work, honesty, loyalty, and how to do more with less, fiscally; great training to be an entrepreneur!

LISTENING: I have a podcast called Around the Track — The Most Exciting 15 Minutes in Wealth Management. It combines my passion for the sport of horse racing with the wealth management industry and entrepreneurship.

MOTIVATIONAL MANTRA: ‘Success is best when shared.’

WHAT I’VE LEARNED: As the proverb says, if you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together.