Trusted, Experienced Leadership
The strength of TorchStone is partially derived from our senior management’s experience, reputation, and relationships within the global security community. Our leadership team is regarded among the most experienced and well-respected security professionals in the world. Our clients know that TorchStone provides trust, service, confidentiality, and discretion.
Eljay B. Bowron
Chairman and Co-Founder
Eljay Bowron is a seasoned executive with over thirty years of combined government and private sector experience. Mr. Bowron’s distinguished government service includes his appointment and tenure as 18th Director of the United States Secret Service, where he had final determination over the protection of the President of the United States, many other high ranking government officials, and foreign heads of state. After his government career, Mr. Bowron served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Vance International, a prominent global security and consulting firm.
Frank Rodman
President and Co-Founder
Frank Rodman is a security executive with over twenty-five years of qualitative experience building pragmatic security solutions. He has worked with diplomats, business leaders, and ultra high net worth families to develop sophisticated strategies to avoid risk. Prior to TorchStone, Mr. Rodman served as head of global security and investigations for the family partners of one of the largest private investment firms in the United States. Mr. Rodman was also a senior security consultant for Dell Computer Corporation, where he developed and personally executed protection plans for the company’s founder and Chairman.
Prior to joining the private sector, Mr. Rodman served as a Special Agent with the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, where he led protection teams for U.S. diplomats and visiting dignitaries, and managed security at diplomatic facilities abroad.
William H. Pickle
Director and Co-Founder
William Pickle is the founder of The Pickle Group, LLC, a Washington, D.C. based business development and governmental affairs firm. Prior to this, Mr. Pickle served as the 37th Sergeant at Arms of the United States Senate. In this role, Mr. Pickle was the Chief Operating Officer of the Senate, responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Senate as well as for oversight of the U.S. Capitol Police Department. Previous to being nominated and elected to this position by the Senate, Mr. Pickle served as the first Senior Executive Service Security Director of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Prior to the creation of TSA, Mr. Pickle served as the Deputy Inspector General of the Department of Labor.
The bulk of Mr. Pickle’s public service was with the United States Secret Service where he rose through the Agent ranks to become Deputy Assistant Director. During this 25 year career, he served in numerous senior positions to include Special Agent in Charge of the Vice Presidential Protective Division during the 2000 Presidential Election, as well as head of the Secret Service Legislative Affairs Office during President Clinton’s first Administration. Mr. Pickle is a highly decorated Vietnam Veteran who served as an infantryman and door gunner with the First Cavalry Division in 1968-69.
Today, he serves as Chairman of the Board of Digital Defense Group as well as Director and Senior Advisor for a number of telecommunications and technology corporations to include Hysky Communications, Koolspan Technology, Criterion Systems and Cornerstone Associates. He is a former member of the 2004 Presidential Election Advisory Committee and a current member of the Presidential Medal of Valor Committee. Mr. Pickle continues to hold Top Secret Clearance with the United States Government.
Anthony Dick
Board Member
Venture-capitalist Anthony Dick spent twenty-one years at Train, Babcock Advisors, a New York-based investment advisory firm focusing exclusively on individuals and families with $600 million under management. In 1992, Tony was promoted to Portfolio Manager with responsibility for client portfolios and wealth management. In addition to portfolio management and company research responsibilities, Tony served as a member of the Investment Committee. In 1996 he became a partner in the firm and held that position until his resignation in 2008. During his time at Train, Babcock Advisors he managed over 60 family relationships with an approximate total of $175 million in assets.
After leaving Train, Babcock, Mr. Dick worked as a Senior Advisor for Watch Hill Partners LLC, a small New York-based boutique investment bank where he focused on special projects, specifically business development for a long-only equity fund. Tony is a graduate of Brooks School in North Andover, Massachusetts and he received a B.A. in History from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut.
Robert Fix
Board Member
Robert Fix is a Partner at William Blair and Company, where he has been with the Private Client Advisors group since 1970 and became Partner in 1977. For over fifty years, Mr. Fix has dedicated his career to William Blair and his clients. To this day, Bob works with some of the original clients he brought to the firm in 1970, a testament to the depth of his investment experience and his commitment to client service. Prior to his tenure at William Blair, Mr. Fix served in the United States Marine Corps and graduated from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.
Stuart Page
Board Member
Stuart Page is the Chairman of Page Group Limited. He has over twenty years experience in the commercial investigations and security industry. Mr. Page is an acknowledged expert in complex international fraud and asset tracing investigations. Furthermore, he has managed close protection assignments and full service embassy and delegation security contracts in complex and hostile environments.
Mr. Page commenced his career as a police officer serving with the Metropolitan Police where he was assigned to Scotland Yard’s Anti-Terrorist Squad and Special Branch. Later, he was an Army Reservist with the Royal Military Police.
Chuck Vance
Board Member
Chuck Vance founded Vance Executive Protection (later Vance International) in the early 1980s with the single objective of offering security services to the private sector that were on par with the standards of the United States Secret Service. A former Secret Service agent himself, Mr. Vance accomplished that goal by implementing the principles and techniques of his former agency and by building a seasoned management team, as well as an elite cadre of security officers. Chuck Vance maintained a senior advisory relationship with Vance International through its original sale in 2003 and its ultimate sale to Garda World Security in 2006.
Throughout his career, both as a Special Agent for the Secret Service for 14 years and his time in the private sector, Mr. Vance has directly protected, or managed the protection of, U.S. Presidents and Vice Presidents, international heads of state, dignitaries, royalty, and prominent individuals. He has appeared on more than 400 national and international news programs, and has been quoted as a security expert in hundreds of print media articles. Mr. Vance has testified as an expert witness on presidential security before the U.S. Senate, has authored multiple articles on security, and co-authored the textbook, “Fighting Back: Winning the War Against Terrorism.” He is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley.
David Niccolini
Co-Founder
David Niccolini co-founded TorchStone in 2010. The company has won numerous awards, including recognition by Inc. and Entrepreneur magazines, and has been featured in Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, and CNN. Over the years, David has had the honor of directing security, consulting, and investigative operations across six continents on behalf of multinational corporations, families , non-governmental organizations, and U.S. government clients. David is often invited to speak on the topics of personal and family security by entities serving the high net worth community. He has also spoken at the Global Security Exchange (www.gsx.org), the flagship industry conference of ASIS International. David graduated from Duke University.