DONOR SPOTLIGHT: Benedictine is a way of life for Mr. Jeff Iannone '87 and his family
The story of Jeff Iannone, president and chief executive officer of the Ables, Iannone, Moore & Associates investment advisory firm in Savannah, and his family cannot be written without Benedictine Military School, just as the story of BC’s success is incomplete without the Iannones’ impact.
Jeff, BC Class of 1987, and his wife, Robyn, a St. Vincent’s Academy graduate, are 1990 graduates of Auburn University. All three of their sons – Nick (2018), Tony (2019), and Charlie (2023) – graduated from Benedictine. Nick graduated from Auburn and works in New York City. Tony graduated from Auburn and works in Atlanta. Charlie is a sophomore at Auburn. Their daughter, Maggie, graduated from St. Vincent’s Academy, the University of Georgia, and is married to Tucker Coppage (BC Class of 2015).
Robyn, a diehard fan of Auburn athletics, is the matriarch of fun, football, and tailgating. Although she and Jeff are now “empty nesters,” there is seemingly never a dull moment at the Iannone household, especially during football season and the holidays.
“They keep it interesting,” Jeff said, laughing. “I’m just along for the ride.”
Nick, Tony, and Charlie all served as Benedictine’s Student Council President. All three played basketball and were in BC’s JROTC program. Nick was BC’s Cadet Colonel, the football team’s starting quarterback, and a member of BC’s 2014 and 2016 football (15-0 perfect season) state championship teams, as well as BC’s 2018 baseball state championship team. He also participated in track and field, and National Honor Society. Tony was a member of BC’s 2016 football state championship team and participated in track and field, and National Honor Society. Charlie was a member of BC’s 2021 and 2022 football state championship teams and participated in lacrosse, mock trial, and National Honor Society.
Jeff said the academic, athletic, and JROTC opportunities that his sons experienced at BC helped them to develop into well-rounded young men.
“I credit their mother with that,” he said of Robyn, a former Benedictine teacher. “She always encouraged them to be leaders and take leadership positions. There are those opportunities at Benedictine to take those roles. There are so many opportunities. We were very proud that they did so and did so successfully. They all had very successful academic and athletic careers. They took advantage of the opportunities that were presented to them which, always as a parent, is what you want to see.”
Jeff, who graduated from Auburn University with a bachelor’s degree in finance and from Georgia State University with a master’s degree in personal financial planning, has more than 30 years of experience in the financial services industry. He joined Sun Trust Bank in 1991 and later moved to Bank of America as an assistant vice president.
In 1998, Jeff founded Iannone & Associates, Inc., an investment advisory and tax preparation/planning firm where he served as president until transitioning to fee-based asset management in 2001. In 2003, along with two partners, he formed Ables, Iannone, Moore & Associates, Inc., where he serves as president and chief executive officer. Iannone holds the Series 65 license through Ables, Iannone, Moore & Associates.
Jeff has served as chairman of the finance committee and secretary/treasurer of the board of directors for Benedictine Military School. He also served on the board for Coastal Victims Assistance Services, a group that supports victims of tragedies such as fires or other disasters. Jeff spent years as a volunteer and coach for youth sports programs with the City of Savannah, Chatham County, and Blessed Sacrament Catholic School. He founded the Blessed Sacrament Catholic School Booster Club. He was named the 2006 Coach of the Year by the Coastal Georgia Soccer Association.
In 2007, Jeff was named one of the Savannah Business Report & Journal’s “40 Under 40,” a listing of Savannah’s influential young business leaders. He was the 2009 recipient of the Colonel Stephen S. Koszewski Award presented by Benedictine Military School. He is the youngest person ever to receive the distinguished alumni award given for loyalty, service, and devotion to Benedictine Military School. It is the greatest honor a BC alumnus can receive.
Robyn earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting, graduating magna cum laude. She began her career in Atlanta with KPMG in its auditing division. She was recruited and left to work for the firm’s client, Opti-World, as controller assisting with the sale of the company to LensCrafters. Robyn finished her time in Atlanta with The Coca-Cola Company as a financial services manager. She and Jeff returned to Savannah in 1998 and she worked as the chief financial officer for a venture capital backed start-up company that went public, and she spent more than a decade with the Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce, Inc., as its chief financial officer.
Robyn left the corporate world to work in education, as she found gaps in the readiness of our workforce and had interest in working on this issue directly with students. She substitute taught and volunteered at BC for two years before teaching full-time for two years. She came to BC from Blessed Sacrament Catholic School, where she taught math to middle school students.
“She’s had a successful career,” Jeff said. “When we lived in Atlanta, as time went on, we realized Savannah is a much better place to raise kids and the environment we wanted to be in. When we moved back to Savannah and we started having children, there was never a doubt that (Benedictine) was where our boys were going to go. You certainly appreciate as a parent all the things that BC has to offer regarding academics, athletics, the discipline. I have always thought that BC is a place that enhances the strengths of a person. But weaknesses are also developed. For example, some people may not be good public speakers, or they’re shy about that type of thing, but they have opportunities at the school to do that kind of thing, and so when they leave, they are more secure in things that used to be a real problem for them.
“Charlie, when he entered ninth grade, I think there were something like 24 different middle schools (represented by students) at BC,” Jeff continued. “When you have that you have diverse backgrounds. Kids are able to learn from each other. I think that’s important, the different perspectives and different experiences that kids have in life when you start to realize that there’s a lot of gray in the world. Everything isn’t black and white. And that’s good when you have such a diverse group of classmates.”
Jeff and Robyn are longtime supporters, both personally and professionally, of the GOAL Scholarship Program.
“From our perspective, the GOAL program is a great program because, as you know, tuition only covers a certain amount, about 70 percent is the latest number, of the cost of running a private school,” he said “What it does is it creates opportunities for kids who otherwise may not get to go there. I do think BC is a life-changing opportunity, if the boys take advantage of it, because of the connections they make. A lot of it they don’t even realize but you run into somebody in Chicago and you both went to Benedictine and it’s an instant friendship, an instant opportunity to create contacts.”
Jeff and Robyn also are loyal supporters of the Benedictine Fund.
“We give to the Benedictine Fund every year, and we will continue to do that,” he said. “And we’ve done special projects here and there when there have been needs for other things. The school was good to me, personally. I think I developed a lot, even things I didn’t recognize until later in life, that were nurtured there. And, as a parent, you see it in your own children and as they develop into quality young people, young men, we’re very thankful for the opportunity. We realize that in order to keep a school like BC going, you have to participate, and you have to continue to support it so that it remains affordable for other people to go for years to come.”
Jeff said he has never seen Benedictine stronger than it is at this moment.
“When I was first on the board, the number of students was declining,” he said. “There were factions that said we needed to have a stronger sports program. And there were factions that said we needed to have stronger academics. My feeling was always that we need both. Why can’t you have it all? For our family, speaking just personally, both academics and athletics were important. They were a major part of our family.
“With all the AP classes that were added, the STEM Wing that was built through very supportive donations, the athletic facilities with lights on the baseball field and the turf field and having a designated place for lacrosse … all the things that have been designed and developed or done in lockstep to enhance the overall experience for the students has paid dividends,” Jeff continued. “We’ve gone from a sliding enrollment to, arguably, the high school to be, where students want to come. We have a waiting list and that’s great. BC has something for everyone. They added a Raider team. Fr. Frank had a strong vision for what was needed, and he executed it. He’s got the ship moving in the right direction. There’s no doubt.”
Jeff looks back on his time at Benedictine and he is grateful that he played football, basketball, and baseball all four years. His brother, Anthony, graduated from BC in 1990, and also played football, basketball, and baseball as a Cadet.
Ables, Iannone, Moore & Associates is a sponsor of Benedictine football, and BC Football Head Coach Danny Britt stars in AIM’s commercials.
“Danny Britt is a spokesperson, a representative, of the company,” Jeff said. “We’ve continued to do (commercials). I don’t think I have a face for the camera anyway. It’s gone well. We’re producing more now, a more diverse mix of ads to appeal to different folks in the community. The Danny Britt ones have been great. Danny’s been great. We’ll start running those again now with football season going.”
