James Spinelli

Co-Founder & CEO at Great Valley Advisor Group

Speaker

James founded Great Valley Advisor Group (“GVA”) from the ground up and has grown it from a start-up RIA into a nationally recognized firm supporting nearly 200 advisors and managing more than $10 billion in assets. His vision has always been clear: to create a platform that empowers independent advisors to grow, build enterprise value, and achieve true ownership—the same journey he experienced firsthand when making the decision to start and grow GVA.

Before launching GVA, James worked at Comcast Corporation, where he focused on capital forecasting, financial systems, and operational efficiency. That experience helped shape GVA’s scalable infrastructure and business discipline, both of which remain at the core of the firm’s success today. Driven by an entrepreneurial mindset, James also founded AdvisorBOB, a fintech platform designed to simplify advisor compensation, streamline payouts, and manage their business with confidence. In May 2025, AdvisorBOB was acquired by AdvicePay, expanding its reach and furthering James’s mission to modernize and streamline the advisor experience.

He earned a Bachelor of Science in Information Systems with a Minor in Information Technology and a Master of Science in Information Science (MSIS) from Penn State University, where he was also a member of the Nittany Lions Varsity Baseball Team. He later earned a Master of Science in Finance (MSF) from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business.

James resides in Malvern, Pennsylvania, with his wife, Devon, and their four children—Kieran, Saylor, Scarlett, and Serafina. When he’s not working, he enjoys spending time with family and friends, whether it’s at the beach, deep sea fishing, playing golf, coaching youth sports, or cheering on the Eagles, Flyers, or Phillies. Deeply rooted in his community, James serves as President of Berwyn-Paoli Little League, fosters dogs through To Love a Canine Rescue, Inc., helped coach multiple teams for the Phillies Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities Program, and sits on the board of The Kyle Ambrogi Foundation.