Award Winners

Alexandria is a Partner and second-generation advisor at Affinia Financial Group. Most families that she works with have loved ones with special needs. Being the sister and future guardian of her brother, James, who has Down Syndrome she has a deep understanding of all the roles and responsibilities that may need to be filled one day. Whether their lives and goals are clear-cut or more complicated, she applies her skills as a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Professional to create a financial plan and her positive energy to help drive the plan into action. Alex is passionate about her clients’ success, and it is her goal to be by their side throughout all the planning stages of their financial lives. 

Completed the Harvard Business School Authentic Leader Development Program She is active in many civic and professional organizations including the Massachusetts Guardianship Association, Boston Estate Planning Council, State Advisory Council-Department Developmental Services. 

Angie is invested in the success of her clients and is passionate about providing exceptional service. Clients appreciate her responsiveness and high-touch personalized approach. As a Certified Trust and Fiduciary Advisor, she is a valuable resource, ready to objectively listen to clients’ wants and needs and provide the resources necessary to support their goals.

A staunch advocate for her clients, Angie provides foundational information about the formation of trusts, helps create and implement budgets; explains the impact of distributions and withdrawals on long-term planning; and embraces open, consistent communication throughout the partnership.

Angie graduated from Loyola University Chicago with a Bachelor’s in Business Administration and continued her education, earning her MBA from Webster University. She obtained her Certified Trust and Fiduciary Advisor designation in 2019. Angie is a member of the Estate Planning Council of Saint Louis and sits on the Board of Directors for Safe Connections.

Brett Petersen is Senior Vice President and Director of Busey Wealth Management’s Private Wealth Advisory. As the team leader of Busey’s Bloomington, Illinois, market, Brett guides and oversees the team to ensure clients continue to receive the highest level of service and personalized wealth solutions. With over 10 years in the financial services industry, he has expertise in comprehensive financial planning, retirement planning, investment management and insurance planning.

He earned his Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Coe College. Brett currently serves on the Board of Directors for The Baby Fold, a non-profit organization dedicated to the well-being of children and families. In 2021, he was recognized among the 20 Under 40 honorees by The Pantagraph for making a difference in Central Illinois through career excellence and community service.

Brian Knapp is a Vice President and Relationship Manager for FineMark Sports Management, the bank’s professional athlete division. Mr. Knapp joined the bank in March of 2012 and helped open FineMark’s first office in Arizona. Prior to joining the bank, Mr. Knapp spent five years at Northern Trust on the Wealth Strategy and Foundation and Institutional Advisory teams.

Mr. Knapp holds a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication and Human Communication from Arizona State University. At ASU, Mr. Knapp served as a student manager for the men’s basketball team and was a sportswriter for The State Press and The East Valley Tribune. He received his Masters in Business Administration with an emphasis in Sports Business from Grand Canyon University in 2018. A husband and father of three, Brian is active in his local community and serves on the Athletes for Arizona advisory board.

Elom Kpordze is a Managing Director with Deutsche International Private Bank, in San Francisco California. He leads a dedicated team of highly specialized investment professionals to advise/manage the global assets of UHNW (Ultra High Net Worth) individuals and their philanthropic ventures.

Prior to his current role, Elom was a Director at Citi Private Bank where he led business development on the west coast for Citi’s Employee Stock Ownership Plan (“ESOP”)/1042 lending initiative, served as co-chair for Citi’s Black Heritage Affinity, CA and was a talent committee member on Citi’s California State Leadership Council.

Active in the community, Elom serves on the executive board of Huckleberry, a non-profit organization in San Francisco and leads the Financial Stewardship Ministry at ALCF in Mountain View, CA.

Elom holds a bachelor's degree in Electrical & Electronics Engineering and an MBA from the Haas School of Business – UC Berkeley.

Emily serves as Vice President and Fiduciary Manager for Exchange Bank’s Trust and Investment Management team, overseeing the areas of trust administration and estate settlement while also contributing to the management and strategic direction of a $1.3 billion trust department.

Emily holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration - Finance and is a Certified Trust and Fiduciary Advisor. Emily has completed several graduate level tax classes at Golden Gate University and is enrolled for Pacific Coast Banking School beginning in 2023. Emily is a graduate of Leadership Santa Rosa’s class 36 and a recipient of the North Bay Business Journal’s Forty Under 40 award.

Emily serves as a board member for Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital Foundation and Made in Santa Rosa Educational Foundation. She is married to her high school sweetheart, Paul, and her greatest role is being mom to Johnny, age 8.

Franck Litzler is a Wealth Management Advisor with Vontobel Swiss Wealth Advisors Ltd., based in New York City. Franck advises high-net-worth families on a variety of wealth management matters. Franck helps his clients achieve their personal and financial goals, and preserve and grow their wealth.

Before joining Vontobel, Franck was with J.P.Morgan Private Bank in New York for several years, as a banker in a team dedicated to family business owners. Prior to settling in New York, Franck was a Wealth Management Advisor with Julius Baer, where he was first based in Switzerland and then in Singapore.

A practiced financial expert, Franck earned an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. Franck was originally a trained legal mind as he graduated with an LL.M. from Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law. Franck holds the Certified Trust and Fiduciary Advisor (CTFA) certification from the American Bankers Association.

Heather Urbanovsky serves as a Trust Officer with Bank of America.

Heather partners with wealth management advisors and clients to manage personal trusts, charitable trusts, trusteed IRAs, and provides agency services. Heather also works in conjunction with the business development team to meet prospective clients and promote Bank of America’s suite of capabilities. She specializes in bringing fiduciary solutions and administration to high-net-worth Merrill Lynch clients through proactive, efficient communication and reliable knowledge.

Before joining Bank of America, Heather was a Trust Officer with a private trust company.

Heather earned a BA from the University of California, Santa Barbara, is a graduate of the American Bankers Association Wealth and Trust Schools and holds the designation of Certified Trust and Fiduciary Advisor (CTFA).

Matt Berger is Vice President and Investment and Trust Regional Market Manager at F&M Trust in Chambersburg, PA. He joined the bank in 2013 after spending two years as a senior equities trader for Hawkeye Capital Group in New York City. Matt’s responsibilities include personnel management, coaching, marketing and brand management, compliance and suitability, strategic planning, third-party and vendor due diligence, and relationship management in the areas of investment management, trust administration, and retirement planning. He holds a BS in Finance from Penn State University, as well as the Certified Trust and Fiduciary Advisor designation from the American Bankers Association, FINRA Series 7 and 66 securities registrations, and a life insurance license. Matt has served as Vice President of the Antietam Humane Society since 2015. He and his wife live in Waynesboro, PA.

Megan joined the Glenview Trust Company in 2021 as a Trust Principal and works in the area of trust and estate administration. Megan has almost 10 years of legal experience as a licensed attorney in the state of Kentucky. Megan is a member of the Kentucky Bar Association and the Louisville Bar Association. She is a member of Inns of Court.

Megan received her Juris Doctorate from Louis D. Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville where she was a member of the Moot Court Team. She previously earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business Administration with a minor in Sociology from Transylvania University.

Megan has previously served our community as a member of the Gilda’s Club of Kentuckiana Associate Board and the Junior League of Louisville. She is currently serving on the board of StageOne.

Nicole L. Easton is a Vice President & Trust Officer at The Trust Company of Kansas. With over 15 years of experience in financial services, Nicole has developed a passion for serving her clients with excellence. Her keen attention to detail keeps her focused on the financial aspects of her clients’ lives so that they can stay focused on their priorities, and has given her a proven track record for creating tailored plans that help people accomplish their saving, investing, retirement, tax, and estate planning goals.

Nicole graduated from Oklahoma State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and is both a Certified Public Accountant and Certified Trust and Fiduciary Advisor. She is actively involved in the Wichita community, serving as President of Wichita Estate Planning Council, Trustee of the Mary R. Koch Arts Center, Membership Committee member of Rotary Club of Wichita, and a seventh-year active member of Junior League of Wichita.

Sandra Alas is a Senior Trust Officer with Bank of America, Los Angeles Regional Trust Center. She has been working for Bank of America since 2016 where she started as a Trust Senior Associate. Since that time, she has partnered with various colleagues across several lines of business to provide outstanding service to ultra-high net worth clients.

Sandra enjoys volunteering on different internal projects to support colleagues and has assisted in creating training guides for new hires. She also takes on opportunities to speak on current issues, such as Diversity and Inclusion and supports Spanish speaking only relationships where she plays an integral role in communicating their needs and goals.

Sandra graduated from Cal Poly Pomona with a B.A. in English Literature and went on to graduate from Western State University College of Law. She enjoys spending time with her growing family, reading, and volunteering in her community.

Tracey L. Reyes, J.D., serves as Vice President and Director of Private Trust for Tolleson Private Bank in Dallas, Texas, where she helps lead a team of experienced professionals providing comprehensive fiduciary services to ultra high net worth trust and estate clients.

Tracey graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with degrees in Government and History, and was the recipient of an undergraduate research fellowship. She received her Juris Doctorate Magna Cum Laude from South Texas College of Law with a concentration in estate planning and probate, and served on the editorial board of the South Texas Law Review. Prior to joining Tolleson, Tracey was a practicing trusts and estates attorney in Houston, Texas. She is active in the Dallas Bar Association, Dallas Estate Planning Council, and the Junior League of Dallas, and was a member of the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers 2017 Leadership Class.

Tylor Willis is SVP, senior wealth advisor, at UMB Bank where he leads the bank’s private wealth clients through the holistic financial planning journey by providing comprehensive wealth management solutions, with an emphasis on estate, financial planning and business succession. Since joining the bank in 2018, Willis has grown his total book to $1.3 billion AUM and is directly responsible for $6.5 million of revenue for the bank. In 2021, he won UMB’s Sapphire Club award which recognizes the top two wealth advisors at UMB across its eight-state footprint. Willis is a member of the Financial Planning Association of Greater Kansas City, CFP® Board, Investment & Wealth Institute – CPWA® and The Estate Planning Society of Kansas City. He holds his CFP® license from The American College of Financial Services and is a Certified Private Wealth Advisor® designee from Yale School of Management.

Zach Hurst helps others achieve financial confidence by working across all lines of business – including budgeting and financial planning, portfolio management, retirement planning, tax strategies and estate planning – to deliver individualized client service. He joined the firm in 2017 and now oversees the Chattanooga office, team and market.

Hurst earned a bachelor’s degree from Western Carolina University and Master of Education from the University of Georgia. He holds the Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF) designation and is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP).

His volunteer activities and board memberships include the Chattanooga Regional Homeless Coalition board of directors, The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Planned Giving Advisory Council, Mountain City Club board of governors and Forest Hills Cemetery board of directors.

Hurst resides in Signal Mountain, Tennessee, with wife, Ashley, and children Jackson, Beckham and Hannah. He enjoys spending time with family, fishing, hunting and playing chess, golf and tennis.