James H. Tucker, CFP®, CRPS®
Co-Founder & Wealth Advisor
Professional Registrations, Designations, and Licenses
- CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® Professional
- Chartered Retirement Plans Specialist®
- FINRA Series 7 and 66 securities registrations (multiple states)
- Life Insurance, Variable Life, and Annuity Insurance Agent (multiple states)
- Long-Term Care Insurance Agent (multiple states)
Jim is passionate about helping families navigate their life journey. He is a strong believer in money discussions among family members. He sees these discussions as important to de-mystifying money and its role in your family history. Similar to the planting of an oak tree that can grow for over 100 years, each generation in a family should learn to become stewards of family wealth for the next generation. Jim has learned to define a family’s wealth beyond money to include valuing each family member as an individual and celebrating their knowledge and growth.
Jim enjoyed a successful business career prior to entering the wealth management field in 2003. His business experience includes time as a Wall Street investment banker and as an investment manager for a regional mall real estate portfolio of a national insurance company. His entrepreneurial endeavors include being a member of the management team that grew Natural Wonders, a mall-based nature and science gift retailer, from a venture capital backed start-up into a publicly traded company. Additionally, he was an early employee of the Charlotte-based technology company, AvidXchange.
Jim earned his undergraduate degree from Duke University (A.B., Public Policy) and his MBA from Harvard Business School.
Jim is a former Duke University swimming record holder and current member of U.S. Masters Swimming. He enjoys wine, food and travel or any combination of the above.
Jim and his wife, Valerie Hausman, have two adult sons, Andrew and Justin, and live in Chapel Hill, North Carolina with their dog, Jasper.
Thought Leadership & Media
- Author, Family Legacy Wealth: How to Nurture and Grow Your Family Orchard (Amazon category bestseller, 2025)
- Article, Planting the Oak Tree: Family Tradition, History, and Legacy (2022)
- Podcast Guest, Surviving Market Instability (Financial Survival Network, #5437, 2022)
Professional Affiliations
- CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® Professional
- Chartered Retirement Plans Specialist®
Community Affiliations (current and past)
- Board member, Swim for Charlie, a non-profit focused on teaching water safety skills for 2nd grade students in Durham and Orange County, NC school districts.
- Past finance committee member, Emily Krzyzewski Center, a Durham, NC non-profit serving academically focused students in out-of-school programming designed to help them achieve in school, gain entry to college, and break the cycle of poverty in their families.
- Past investment committee member, Jewish Community Foundation of Durham and Chapel Hill
- Past president of the Board, Community Home Trust, an affordable housing non-profit serving Orange County, NC.
- Past board member, Harvard Club of the Research Triangle
- Member, Beth El Synagogue
Patrick L. Bria
Co-Founder & Wealth Advisor
Professional Registrations, Designations, and Licenses
- FINRA Series 7 and 66 securities registrations (multiple states)
- Life Insurance, Variable Life, and Annuity Insurance Agent (multiple states)
- Long-Term Care Insurance Agent (multiple states)
Pat is a Wealth Advisor and 26-year veteran in the financial planning world. He has spent his career coming alongside individuals and families to try to help guide them toward their financial life goals. He understands that clients have spent their lives working, saving and investing and takes very seriously the stewardship responsibilities of growing, protecting, and preserving that which took a lifetime to accumulate. As a father of four and son of aging parents, he has had to deal with many of the financial and life issues common to and uncommon to many families and brings those experiences to helping others.
Pat has enjoyed a varied career that has given him a broad perspective in not just investing in the public markets but in other important uses of wealth. After college, he served in the US Navy aboard the USS Virginia, a nuclear-powered guided-missile cruiser. Upon leaving the service, he settled in Durham, NC and embarked on a real estate career in the emerging city. During the mid-90’s, his alma mater came calling and he spent 5 years as a development officer raising money for Duke. In 1999, (yes, right before the crash), he entered, with a Duke classmate, into the wealth management arena where he found his “life’s calling”.
Pat studied economics and psychology at Duke where he was a member of the varsity swim team along with his business partner. His hobbies include fitness swimming, tennis, raising a bunch of kids, and travel.
He and his college sweetheart, Marcy, live in Durham and have four children; John, Lars, Mary Burns, and Alex, two daughters-in-law, one son-in-law, and seven grandchildren.
Community Affiliations
- Current member of Grey Stone Church
- Past Board Chair for the Child Evangelism Fellowship of Durham, a ministry devoted to reaching and helping kids in underserved neighborhoods
- Past board member of Durham Cares, a community-focused ministry.
- Past member of the Duke University Greek Advisory Council
- Past president of the Hollow Rock Racquet and Swim Club Board of Directors
Josh Polidori, CFP®, CPFA®
Wealth Advisor
Professional Registrations and Licenses
- CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® Professional
- Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor (CPFA®)
- FINRA Series 7 and 66 Licensed (NC)
- Life and Health Insurance, Disability Insurance Agent (NC)
- Long-Term Care Insurance Agent (NC)
Josh is a Wealth Advisor with the mission of assisting advisors clients on their journey to achieving their personal, professional, and financial goals. He is well versed in explaining all aspects of financial planning and enjoys problem-solving with them regarding their complex financial needs.
Josh graduated from North Carolina State University with a Bachelor of Sciences degree in Economics. He began his wealth advisory career at Tucker Bria as a Financial Planning Associate. He is passionate about working with clients as they pursue their financial objectives and prosperity.
Josh is a long-standing North Carolina native, where he grew up and built connections around the Pinehurst and Raleigh communities. In his free time, Josh loves to explore the outdoors, exercise, and root for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Chris Bleeker
Financial Planning Associate
Professional Registrations and Licenses
- FINRA Series 7 & 66 Licensed (NC)
Chris was raised in Apex, North Carolina, just south of Raleigh where he grew up and has established roots.
He is a graduate of Mars Hill University where he earned an B.S. in Business Administration with a concentration in economics and finance in 2023. In 2024, he went on to earn a M.S. in Business Management. While at Mars Hill, Chris was a member of the baseball team, playing outfield and first base.
Chris has a passion for investing, financial literacy, and the wealth management industry, which makes him a valuable addition to the team.
In his free time, Chris enjoys strength training, golf, and travel.
Michelle Pritchard
Client Service Associate
Focusing on the client and getting to know them is very important to Michelle. Each client comes to the office with their own set of questions, concerns, and requirements. Michelle tries to address these needs in a positive and efficient manner.
Michelle has made North Carolina her home for the last 20 years. Prior to moving to North Carolina, Michelle lived in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Colorado. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi. After raising three boys, Nathaniel, Zach, and Sam, who are completing their degrees and moving onto their next adventures, Michelle now has the freedom to pursue new and exciting interests. Working at Tucker Bria is one of these exciting opportunities.
In her free time, Michelle enjoys spending time with family, working with the Chapel Hill Friends of the Library organization, hiking, reading, gardening, and traveling.
Ann M. Lane
Client Service Associate
Ann is a Client Service Associate working in the Southern Pines, North Carolina office. With more than 25 years of experience in the financial services industry in various client-facing roles, she has had the opportunity to cultivate her passion for client service. Ann is excited to be a part of Tucker Bria, which has a legacy of multi-generational relationships and personalized service with our clients.
Originally from Little Rock, Arkansas, she lived much of her adult life in the Dallas-Ft. Worth metroplex, before relocating to North Carolina in 2017. She received undergraduate and graduate degrees in Speech Pathology and Audiology and spent several years in that capacity before pursuing a career change that landed her in financial technology. As an empty nester, she completed a post-graduate degree in Organizational Leadership.
She has two grown sons and three grandchildren (and a black lab) who are her pride and joy. Outside of work, Ann enjoys spending time with family and friends, reading, hiking, and traveling.