The Tampa area is an "area of opportunity", says the wealth manager, which has had an office there for the past two decades.

Joel Stevens has returned to Tampa to lead the regional office of Bernstein Private Wealth Management, a unit of AllianceBernstein.

Stevens, a senior managing director, will be responsible for overseeing Bernstein’s Tampa-based private client operations and growth of the business in the region, which includes Tampa-St. Petersburg-Sarasota, Orlando, Jacksonville, and Naples.

“Tampa has consistently been an area of opportunity since we opened our office nearly 20 years ago, and we are very excited about the growth and wealth momentum taking place in the region,” said David Barnard, head of private wealth management.

Stevens, who joined Bernstein in 1994 as an associate in West Palm Beach, has more than 30 years of industry experience under his belt. He served as MD of the Tampa office from 2004 to 2007 until he became a senior MD in the southeast, responsible for the firm’s private client practice across the region, from 2008 to 2010. Prior to today’s appointment, Stevens most recently served as senior MD, overseeing the firm’s New York private wealth operations. He holds a BS in applied economics from Cornell University, where he serves as a Cornell Externship Program host, while being in his second term as a Class of 1991 Officer.

Bernstein Private Wealth Management, managed $86 billion in assets as of March 31.