About the Author

William I. Woodson is Managing Director and Co-Head of Cynosure Wealth Advisors at The Cynosure Group, where he advises technology executives, ultra-high-net-worth families, and family offices on wealth strategy and multi-generational planning.

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Woodson's career has placed him at the intersection of innovation and wealth creation for over three decades. He spent a decade in Big Four public accounting before leaving to run the family office for a large multi-jurisdictional family. As part of the founding team of myCFO, an integrated wealth management firm started by prominent Silicon Valley technology entrepreneurs, he worked directly with the founders and early executives who built the first generation of internet infrastructure, enterprise software, and digital commerce companies. Throughout his career at myCFO, Merrill Lynch, Credit Suisse, Citigroup, and Silicon Valley Bank (where he served as Head of Strategic Wealth Advisory and Family Office Services), his clients have included founders of enterprise software companies, SaaS platforms, fintech innovators, and data analytics firms—many bearing striking similarities to the Utah companies profiled in this book. 

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A nationally recognized expert on family offices and wealth management, Woodson's work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Barron's, and leading financial publications. He is the co-author of The Family Office: A Comprehensive Guide for Advisers, Practitioners, and Students, published by Columbia University Press, which has become the definitive reference for understanding how ultra-high-net-worth families manage complex wealth across generations.

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Woodson serves as a Lecturer in Columbia University's Master's in Wealth Management program, serves on the advisory board for the University of Chicago Booth School of Business Family Office Initiative, and is the former Chair of the Advisory Board for Stanford University's Global Projects Center. He is also a co-founder of the UHNW Institute, an independent nonprofit that provides thought leadership for wealthy families, family offices, and their advisors.

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Woodson holds a Bachelor of Science degree in economics from the University of California, Irvine, and a Master of Science degree in accounting from NYU Stern School of Business. He is based in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Wellington, Florida.