Al W. King III
Co-Founder & Co-Chief Executive Officer
Al W. King III is the Co-Founder, Co-Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer of South Dakota Trust Company, LLC (SDTC), South Dakota Planning Company, LLC (SDPC), SDTC Services LLC (South Dakota) and SDTC Services of Wyoming, LLC (SDTCSW), and SDTC Services of Nevada, LLC (SDTCSN). He is also a member of the management committee of the SDTC Related Companies. SDTC is a national trust boutique for the wealthy based out of Sioux Falls, South Dakota serving clients nationally and internationally. Mr. King is based in New York City and Westport, CT.
Mr. King was previously the Co-Founder and Vice Chairman of Citicorp Trust South Dakota. Mr. King was also a Managing Director and the National Director of Estate Planning for Citigroup. Mr. King was also the Director of Financial and Estate Planning for Coopers and Lybrand in Stamford, Connecticut.
Mr. King is the Co-Vice Chairman of the Editorial Board of Trusts & Estates Magazine. He has been a member of the Editorial Board for 30 years. Mr. King has been inducted into the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils (NAEPC) Estate Planning Hall of Fame as an Accredited Estate Planner (AEP), Distinguished. In addition, Mr. King previously served on the Board of Directors for NAEPC and was previously the Chairman of the NAEPC Foundation Advisory Board. He is also a member of several groups and organizations including the Society of Trust and Estate Professionals (STEP), the International Association of Advisors in Philanthropy (AiP), the New York Philanthropic Advisors Network (NYPAN), the Fairfield County and the New York City Estate Planning Councils, etc. In addition, he is frequently published and quoted by several publications on various Estate Planning topics and addresses several professional organizations, special interest groups, and general audiences on the subject of trust and estate planning.
Mr. King received a Bachelor of Arts cum laude from Holy Cross College, a Juris Doctorate from Syracuse University Law School and an LL.M. in Tax Law from Boston University School of Law.
Pierce H. McDowell III
Co-Founder, Co-Chief Executive Officer & President
Based in Sioux Falls, Pierce H. McDowell III is currently the Co-Founder, Co-Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer of South Dakota Trust Company LLC (SDTC), South Dakota Planning Company (SDPC), SDTC Services LLC (South Dakota), SDTC Services of Wyoming, LLC (SDTCSW), and SDTC Services of Nevada, LLC (SDTCSN). He is also a member of the management committee of the SDTC Related Companies. SDTC is a national trust boutique for the wealthy based out of Sioux Falls, South Dakota serving clients nationally and internationally.
Mr. McDowell was formerly the Co-Founder and President/Chief Trust Officer of Citicorp Trust South Dakota. Prior to joining Citibank, Mr. McDowell practiced law with Woods, Fuller, Shultz and Smith of Sioux Falls, and was formerly a Vice President, Trust Administrator and Business Development Manager for both Norwest and First Banks.
Mr. McDowell is nationally known and frequently quoted by Forbes and other publications on the advantages of South Dakota trust law. Mr. McDowell received the Citibank outstanding sales awards for both 1996 and 1998 as well as the 1997 Epic Award for his Trusts & Estates magazine’s articles on South Dakota Trust planning.
Mr. McDowell has served on numerous non-profit boards and State Bar committees over his career, including as a founding member of South Dakota’s unique Governor’s Trust Task Force. Furthermore, he is a founding Board Member for The Financial Awareness Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit a leading advocate behind The Improving Financial Awareness & Financial Literacy Movement.
Mr. McDowell received a Bachelor of Science from Arizona State University and a Juris Doctorate from the University of South Dakota.
Matthew Tobin
Managing Director, Chief Operating Officer & Legal Counsel
Based in Sioux Falls, Matthew Tobin is the Managing Director, Chief Operating Officer and Legal Counsel of the South Dakota Trust Company LLC. Mr. Tobin is also the President of SDTC Services LLC (South Dakota) and SDTC Services of Wyoming LLC (SDTCSW), and SDTC Services of Nevada, LLC (SDTCSN) which provide for the set up, operation, compliance, and administration of Private Family Trust Companies. Mr. Tobin is also a member of the management committee of the SDTC Related Companies.
Mr. Tobin was formerly a member of the law firm Siegel, Barnett & Schutz, LLC in Sioux Falls where his practice of law focused on general and business litigation, negotiations, mediation, and alternate dispute resolution. Prior to joining Siegel, Barnett & Schutz, Mr. Tobin was a partner in the law firm of Johnson, Heidepriem, Miner, Marlow & Janklow, LLP, also in Sioux Falls.
Mr. Tobin attended St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota, where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1994 with an emphasis in political science / government and economics. Upon receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree, Mr. Tobin spent approximately two years working for United States Senator Thomas Daschle both in Washington, D.C. and in the field office in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Mr. Tobin attended the University of South Dakota School of Law and received his Juris Doctorate in 1998. After receiving his J.D., Mr. Tobin served as a law clerk for the Honorable Roger Wollman, Chief Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit.
Mr. Tobin is a member of the American Bar Association, State Bar of South Dakota, the Association of Trial Lawyers of America and the South Dakota Trial Lawyers Association.
Robin Moug Stephens
Chief Trust Administration/Fiduciary Officer and Senior Vice President
Based in Sioux Falls, Ms. Stephens was one of the first hires at South Dakota Trust Company LLC (SDTC). She serves as Senior Vice President/Chief Trust Administration/Fiduciary Officer and is a senior member of SDTC’s trust committee.
Ms. Stephens currently oversees all of SDTC’s trust officers and assistant trust officers as well as administers personal trust accounts. Ms. Stephens is also responsible for the facilitation and coordination of all of SDTC’s new personal trust business. Ms. Stephens is also a member of the management committee of the SDTC Related Companies.
Prior to joining SDTC, Ms. Stephens was a Vice President with Citicorp Trust South Dakota where she was also responsible trust administration for personal trust accounts.
Prior to joining Citicorp Trust South Dakota, Ms. Stephens served as Assistant Vice President, Trust Administrator with U.S. Bank (formally First Bank) in Fargo, North Dakota. She is member of the South Dakota and North Dakota Bar Associations as well as the Sioux Falls Estate Planning Council.
Ms. Stephens received a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and a Juris Doctor from the University of North Dakota.
Frances R. Becker
Senior Vice President and Chief Fiduciary Officer of the Rapid City Office of SDTC
Based in Rapid City, Ms. Becker joined South Dakota Trust Company LLC (SDTC) in 2010 and currently serves as a Senior Vice-President and Trust Officer as well as manager and Chief Fiduciary Officer of the Rapid City office of SDTC. Frances is also a member of the management committee of SDTC Related Companies.
Prior to joining SDTC, Ms. Becker established the trust department for Rushmore Bank & Trust, now Great Western Bank. Prior to Rushmore Bank & Trust, Ms. Becker practiced law at Wilson, Olson, Nash, & Becker in Rapid City.
Ms. Becker is currently a member of the Governor’s Trust Task Force which drafts trust legislation for the Governor in order to keep South Dakota as one of the top jurisdictions to site trusts. She was one of the original members of the task force and has been reappointed by each of the two subsequent Governors, serving since 1997.
Ms. Becker relieved her Juris Doctorate from University of South Dakota and obtained her Legal Law Masters in Taxation from the University of Miami.
SDTC Related Companies:
James Paladino
Managing Director/President of South Dakota Planning Company / Chairman of Management Committee of SDTC Related Companies
Based in New York City, Mr. Paladino is the Chairman of the Management Committee of the SDTC Related Companies and also a Managing Director and President of South Dakota Planning Company in New York City. South Dakota Planning Company (SDPC) is an estate planning and trust advisory/consulting firm for its sister company South Dakota Trust Company LLC. SDPC is responsible for sales, marketing and technical support, as well as, speeches, publications, trust planning and consulting to support South Dakota Trust Company (SDTC).
Prior to joining South Dakota Planning Company, Mr. Paladino was a Vice President and the Trust and Estate Counselor at Citibank/Citigroup working with the high net worth Private Bankers in New York. Mr. Paladino provided technical estate and charitable planning assistance to wealthy clients and their advisors.
Prior to joining Citigroup, Mr. Paladino served as an Associate in the Trust and Estates Department of the New York City law firm of Wilson, Elser, Moskowitz, Edelman & Dicker, where he was responsible for estate and financial planning for high net worth individuals as well as estate administration.
Mr. Paladino received his Bachelor of Arts from the State University of New York at Albany and his Juris Doctorate from St. John’s University School of Law. Mr. Paladino received his LL.M. in Taxation from New York University. Mr. Paladino is admitted to the State Bar of New York and New Jersey. He is also a member of the New York State Bar Association and the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP). In addition, Mr. Paladino currently serves as Corporate Counsel Liaison Officer to the Individual Tax & Private Client Committee of the International Bar Association (IBA).