Carter LeCraw, CEO and chairman, founded American Values Investments (formerly LeCraw Investment Management, Inc.) in January of 1996. He began his career in the financial planning and investment business in 1981, and received the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) designation in 1987.

Prior to entering the financial services business, Carter taught school and spent four years on active duty as a Supply Corps Officer in the United States Navy. He attended Georgia Tech on an tennis scholarship and graduated in 1975 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Management. Carter, and his wife Dr. Deborah E. LeCraw, have a son, Peter.