CWM - Key Persons
Brianna is passionate about helping clients. Her unwavering support as a Relationship Manager helps our operations run smoothly and as efficiently as possible.
Raised on a cattle ranch in Nowata County, Brianna knows the merits of working hard. After attending Northeastern Oklahoma A&M college, she started her career in the financial services industry. Her professional experience in the industry spans more than five years and provides her with the experience and know-how to be an asset to the Waterstone Private Wealth Management team.
Brianna and her husband, Aaron, married in 2019 and have two sons, Cade (3) and Calian, (1). They are both proud of their agricultural backgrounds and hope to one day have their own herd of commercial beef cattle. They also enjoy all aspects of the outdoors, including hunting, fishing, hiking and traveling.
Burt White - Chief Strategy Officer
Job Titles:
- Advisor
- Chief Strategy Officer
- Carson 's Chief Strategy Officer
Burt White serves as Carson's Chief Strategy Officer, helping steer the company's strategic focus as a member of the executive board.
In his role, his primary responsibility is to augment and elevate Carson's opportunities for growth across the entire spectrum of corporate and investment strategy. Harnessing the power of the firm's experienced Investment Research team, Burt advances Carson's ability to deliver an unparalleled wealth management experience for partner firms, transform the investment platform for scale, and advance the digital client experience to redefine how the industry shows and talks about wealth.
A prominent voice and advocate for the independent advisor, Burt joined Carson after serving as Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer at LPL Financial for 14 years. There, he fostered the development and evolution of LPL's capabilities to effectively support advisor efficiency and growth. Prior to this, he worked for a decade at Wachovia Securities and spent time as an investment analyst at Mercer Investment Consulting. Burt received his Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the College of William & Mary, and he holds the Series 7, 24, 63, 65 and 87 registrations.
His passion for making a meaningful impact in the lives of clients and advisors, combined with his unique talent for client storytelling, adds a valuable component to helping Carson's advisors best serve their clients and generate new business. He is an innovative leader who will continue to help Carson deliver on the firm's mission to be the most trusted for financial advice.
Burt resides in the Charlotte, North Carolina metro area with his family.
Burt White is not affiliated with Cetera Advisor Networks, LLC.
Drew graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2004 with a degree in Finance and has been working in the Financial industry ever since. Prior to joining Carson Group, Drew spent the last 7 years working in the trading department of an RIA in Omaha. Drew currently holds a FINRA Series 65 registration.
Drew has been married to his wife Stephanie since July 2015 and they have a 3-year-old daughter, Cora. Drew enjoys spending time with family and friends whenever possible, especially during sporting events. Drew is a huge sports fan and enjoys cheering on his teams all year round.
During his free time, Drew enjoys golfing, reading historical non-fiction books, and spending time outside doing yard work.
Erin began her career in personal finance promptly after graduating college where she practiced as a financial planner in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She developed a passion for helping people at a relatively young age, and the fulfillment of seeing a family achieve their financial goals led Erin to eventually own her own financial planning business in her late twenties. However, being a local girl at heart, Erin decided to sell her practice and move back to the Omaha area so she could be closer to her family, and so she could help people from the community that shaped who she is today. Her work in Omaha continued as a Private Client Advisor for a regional firm, where she was quickly asked to create and lead her own financial planning team. The success in this venture along with her continued passion for helping others led Erin to her career with Carson Wealth Management.
Erin graduated from Northwest Missouri State University in 2002 with a B.S. in Communications and Finance. She holds a Certified Financial Planner designation, as well as Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor designation. Erin received her M.S. in Financial Psychology and Behavioral Finance from Creighton University.
Erin shares her life with her husband and two children. Their number one passion is travelling with their children (and without!), learning about new cultures - especially new food. In her private time Erin enjoys kickboxing and reading books. Erin and her husband enjoy SCUBA diving; each of them holding SCUBA certifications and always looking for their next underwater adventure. Erin has explored the waters of St. Maarten, Isla Mujeres, the US and British Virgin Islands and Kauai, Hawaii.
Jamie P. Hopkins, ESQ., MBA, CFP®, LLM, CLU®, ChFC®, RICP® is the Managing Partner of Wealth Solutions. He is a Finance Professor of Practice at Creighton University's Heider College of Business.
A nationally recognized writer and researcher, Jamie is a regular contributor to Forbes, InvestmentNews and MarketWatch. A highly sought-after speaker in the financial services industry, Jamie has also been featured on Wall Street Journal podcasts, NPR radio and Fox radio, and has made multiple appearances for NBC10 Philadelphia, PBS and USA Today.
He's been published in dozens of financial, educational and legal journals and developed educational materials for The American College's CFP®, CLU®, ChFC® and RICP® programs, along with CE programs for attorneys.
Additionally, Jamie has co-authored three text books and has two ebooks on Retirement Planning, "Retirement Success In 10 Steps: How To Stretch Your Dollar To Last Through Your Golden Years" and "Retirement Risks: How To Plan Around Uncertainty For A Successful Retirement." He is also the author of 2018's "Rewirement: Rewiring The Way You Think About Retirement."
Jamie was selected by InvestmentNews as one of the top 40 financial services professionals under the age of 40 in 2015. And in 2017, he was selected by The American Bar Association as one of the top 40 young attorneys in the country. Jamie was also named a Lawyer of Distinction and elected to the prestigious role of an American Bar Foundation Fellow.
Before joining Carson, Jamie was an associate professor of taxation at The American College of Financial Services in the Retirement Income program, and served as the director of the New York Life Center for Retirement Income.
Jamie received his Bachelor of Arts degree in political science at Davidson College in North Carolina, where he was captain of the Division I Men's Varsity Swim Team. He attended Villanova School of Law, where he earned his Juris Doctor degree and graduated with honors. He received his Master of Business Administration degree from Villanova University Business School. Jamie also holds his LLM from Temple University and four financial planning designations, the CFP®, CLU®, the ChFC®, and the RICP®, and sits on ReverseVision's Board of Directors.
He co-created the Retirement Income Certified Professional® (RICP®) designation, which has over 6,000 graduates since its inception in 2012, and over 12,000 financial advisors currently enrolled in the program.
Job Titles:
- Vice President
- Vice President, Investment Operations and Performance
Job Titles:
- Trading Operations Analyst
Karl Strube is a Senior Tax Planner on our team and brings with him an impressive history of professional experience. A CPA licensed in both California and Hawaii (though he hasn't figured out a legitimate tax-deductible trip to Hawaii…yet), he enjoys helping clients by easing the pain points of taxes in their lives, through both tax preparation and tax planning.
A graduate of both Fresno Pacific University and Corban University, Karl has a bachelor's degree in accounting and a master's degree in non-profit leadership. He has experience in both public accounting and private industry at companies/firms Deloitte & Touche, National Raisin Company and others, most recently running his own solo tax practice for the past seven years.
Outside of work, Karl is an active volunteer at his church and enjoys spending time with his wife Heidi and their two children: Norah (5) and William (2). Together they enjoy hiking, strategy games and stateside travel. He also serves on the board of the Fresno Pacific Foundation.
Best piece of financial advice he has received:
Job Titles:
- Senior Trade Operations Analyst
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executives Team
- Managing Partner, Senior Wealth Advisor
Ken works alongside his fellow partner, Melanie, focusing on analytics and strategic planning for clients - minimizing threats before there is a risk to manage. He has been on television, news and radio on both the local and national level and has been featured on CNBC's PowerLunch, FOX Business Opening Bell and the Dow Jones Newswire.
Ken started off college by accepting an offer to play football at Southern Methodist University (SMU) but then transferred to Oklahoma State University (OSU) where he continued to play football and earn his Bachelors and Masters degrees. He holds his Series 7, 63 and 65 registrations. A native of Mesquite, Texas, he now resides in Owasso. He is married to Melanie Hasty-Grant and has two wonderful sons, Triston and Haydon.
Ken enjoys time with family, hunting with his boys and Oklahoma State football.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Carson 's Director of Wealth Planning
Kimberly Flynn serves as Carson's Director of Wealth Planning on the Advanced Solutions Team. In her role, she leads a team of highly astute financial planners and is primarily responsible for supporting Carson's partner firms with quality financial planning advice and technical solutions for their clients.
Kimberly has the ability to communicate complex financial planning solutions to clients in a simple manner that assists them in making informed, sound decisions. Her greatest passion is leadership, and she feels an immense responsibility to coach and mentor others so they can reach their full potential.
With 25 years of experience in financial services, Kimberly realized early in her career the profoundly positive effect financial planning could have on clients and their ability to make informed financial decisions. Her experience in Advanced Planning at MetLife allowed her to develop a deep technical ability in the areas of estate and business planning. Her recent experience working at Facet Wealth allowed her to round out her planning skills with mass affluent clients. Kimberly also started and subsequently sold her own financial planning firm, Klarity Financial™, that focused on providing financial planning for women in construction in the Boston area.
She has a psychology degree from Christopher Newport University, and a Master of Science in Taxation from Suffolk University. She also holds a Series 65 registration and is a CFP®.
Kimberly resides in South Boston, MA with her husband Bryan. Outside of work, she enjoys staying busy by playing golf and participating in CrossFit.
Kimberly is a non- registered associate with Cetera Advisor Networks LLC and cannot provide the services of a registered representative.
Mark Petersen's business career spans 35 years of which 30+ have been as a Certified Public Accountant. In the early 90's Mark transitioned to the investment business as a Registered Investment Advisor and has added CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ practitioner to his credentials. Mark is insurance licensed in Nebraska where he is a lifelong Nebraskan with Midwestern values and work ethic. 13 years of Mark's career were spent in the state of Texas. Mark joined the Wealth Enhancement Group of Carson Wealth Management Group in 2005. Today his role is Vice President, Affluent Wealth Planning, which allows him an opportunity to work with high and ultra high net worth families on complex planning decisions involving cash-flow needs, business succession planning and generational asset transfers.
Away from the office Mark enjoys time with his wife and the family's Meyers parrot. You are likely to find Mark on the golf course in good weather, followed by a stint behind the grill. In 2016 Mark had his vintage 1979 Raleigh road bike restored and enjoys long distance bike rides. Mark is motivated to be the best he may be in everything he does, but especially enjoys helping others make well reasoned choices when faced with life's forks in the road.
Job Titles:
- Vice President, Retirement Programs
Matt Kory serves as Carson Group's Vice President, Retirement Programs, building solutions for partner firms across the country.
A graduate of Arizona State University, Matt currently holds FINRA Series 7, 66 and 24 security licenses. Prior to joining Carson, Matt Kory built and owned his own firm in Scottsdale, Arizona where he specialized in group retirement plans and private wealth.
In 2019, he joined Carson as a partner firm, embracing the culture of putting the client first and having transparency in investments. His love for the Carson culture motivated him to join Carson as an internal stakeholder in 2022. His goal is to extend the mission of being the most trusted for financial advice to group retirement plans.
His goal is to make everything better than he found it and wants to have a legacy that involves helping savers become investors.
His passions include spending time with his wife and two daughters, snow skiing and anything outdoors.
Job Titles:
- Representative of Cetera Advisor Networks LLC
- Vice President, Insurance
Matt is responsible for building, leading and managing Carson Group Insurance, an insurance offering that supports Carson Group in the preparation, presentation and implementation of insurance for clients of the firm. Matt works to ensure that our advisors have the best solutions to meet their clients' every need when it comes to insurance and how it fits into their overall financial plan.
Matt has spent the last 22-plus years working for a major insurance carrier both in the corporate home offices in a variety of roles and as the Managing Director of a large field office. Matt excels in relationship-building and the development of skills around insurance concepts, needs analysis and proper solution placement.
Matt attended the University of Nebraska at Lincoln and is a die-hard Husker to this day. Matt has been married to his wife, Amy, for 25 years and has two sons - Jacob, 21, who is a senior at the University of Nebraska, and Ryan, 18, who is a freshman at the University of Nebraska. Over the years, Matt has enjoyed watching both of his sons play travel and high school baseball. Matt also loves to play golf and travel, and as an avid cook he spends a lot of time in the kitchen or by the grill/smoker.
Matt Lewis is a non-producing registered representative of Cetera Advisor Networks LLC.
Chris Tooker, AIF®, CFP®, CIMA®, CPWA®, MSFS is Carson's Retirement Plan Advisor. His unique perspective of the financial planning spectrum provides balance in his approach to everyday planning where there may not be a black and white solution. That's why he is so passionate about educating retirement plan participants about fundamental investment concepts and the various strategies available to them, so they can make informed decisions for themselves.
An Adjunct Professor of Personal Finance at his alma mater Creighton University, he spent his time as a student there leading two teams to the national level of competition as President of Creighton's Mock Trial Program, managing a portion of Creighton's endowment, and mentoring students as a Resident Advisor.
After graduating summa cum laude with degrees in financial analysis and economics, he joined Union Pacific's Corporate Audit department where he identified millions of dollars in unbilled revenue and enhanced process efficiency in several departments. After asking, "What have I accomplished and what am I becoming?" Chris left UP to pursue his passions for financial planning and education.
Chris cut his teeth in the financial planning industry at a major wire house investment firm by completing a rigorous 42-month training program that had a 90%+ failure rate and building a practice of almost $25 million from scratch in his 20s. He subsequently honed his skills in risk management planning at one of the largest life insurance companies in the country, where he was recognized as a member of the Million Dollar Round table before selling his practice to his manager to join Carson.
Patrick has a broad background across different parts of the finance industry, but much of it has been devoted to serve clients, both internal and external. Working in investment management and also having experience in debt and foreign currency markets, he is able to use a lot of different knowledge to formulate solutions. When Patrick sets out to research something new, he tries to be as thorough as possible and leave little room for surprises later.
Patrick earned a Bachelor's degree in Finance from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and then later obtained both an MBA and Masters of Securities Analysis and Portfolio Management (MSAPM) from Creighton University. He also holds the FINRA Series 65 license.
He started his career in financial services with Fisher Investments in California, working in both the Private Client and Institutional groups. Patrick later spent four years trading foreign currency with First National Bank of Omaha on behalf of their clients. After that, he worked in the Conagra Brands Treasury department doing foreign currency trading and helping to manage employee pension investments. Prior to joining Carson Group, Patrick was a Portfolio Manager at TS Banking Group, where he selected and reviewed investments for wealth management clients and the bank holding company.
Patrick spends most of his time outside of work with his wife and children. He also listens to a lot of music and an assortment of podcasts (comedic, true crime, scientific).
A member of the Wealth Enhancement Group, Pat provides a proactive approach for improved wealth enhancement by looking for targeted areas of tax planning.
Pat comes to Carson Wealth with over 40 years of experience as a Certified Public Accountant with a dense background of working with various clients to surmount tax complexities. Prior to joining Carson Wealth, Pat was a general and founding partner of the accounting firm Mangin, Carter & Co, located in Vincennes, Indiana.
Pat grew up on a farm in southern Indiana and graduated from Indiana State University with degrees in Business Administration and Aerospace Technology. He later completed his accounting studies at Indiana University. He developed a passion for accounting and tax work while employed by Kemper CPA Group, LLP, which he joined upon completing his accounting studies at Indiana University.
Pat lives in Vincennes, Indiana and enjoys hiking in Northern California and the Arizona areas. Pat has three children: Brook, Brandi and Brittney, who all have entered various professions after graduating from college. He also enjoys being owned by a Weimaraner!
Tom Fridrich is not affiliated or registered with Cetera Advisor Networks LLC. Any information provided by Tom is in no way related to Cetera Advisor Networks LLC or its registered representatives.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executives Team
- Founder and CEO of Waterstone Private Wealth Management
- Founder, Senior Wealth Advisor
Melanie Hasty-Grant is the Founder and CEO of Waterstone Private Wealth Management, a comprehensive wealth planning firm. Having been a financial advisor for over 20 years, she understands the ups and downs of the markets. She is also keenly aware of people's perception of money and how it can affect their relationships and sense of security.
Melanie attended Southern Methodist University and graduated with a Bachelors and Masters of Science from Oklahoma State University. She holds her FINRA Series 7,24,63, and 65 registrations. She is also a Registered Social Security Analyst "RSSA".
Because of her in-depth knowledge of investments and how money affects people's lives and relationships, Melanie is frequently featured on local and national television, radio, and print media. She has been featured on CNBC's PowerLunch, Fox Business, and Forbes Magazine as well as a monthly contributor to Tulsa's Channel 2, KJRH.
In 2015, she, along with her husband Ken, was presented the U.S. Chamber Blue Ribbon Award for Small Business. This award recognized them for pro-business advocacy & charitable contributions made to their community.
"I truly enjoy working with families to create a plan to match their goals." Having previously been a marriage and family therapist, she believes in listening attentively to their needs and understanding their financial goals along with identifying their concerns. Melanie's mission is to help her clients pursue financial freedom and financial confidence by spending time with them in order to truly understand their financial picture. She runs a tight ship - no loose threads running amok here - but it's her dedication to her craft and to the livelihood of her clients which inspires their loyalty to her.
She and her husband, Ken, reside in Owasso, Oklahoma and have two wonderful boys. She enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, cooking, junking with her girlfriends, OSU COWBOY and University of Tulsa Hurricane FOOTBALL!
Mike Valenti is our Director of Tax Planning and has over a decade of experience within the tax and wealth management industries. Before joining Carson, Mike spent eight years as both a financial planner and a member of the tax team for a wealth management group where he led the creation of a dedicated tax team and oversaw its rapid growth.
Mike graduated from Penn State University with a bachelor's degree and master's degree in accounting. During his time at Penn State, Mike discovered his love of individual tax and estate tax planning. Mike is a licensed CPA and holds the CFP® designation. He is a member of the American Institute of CPAs, the Pennsylvania Institute of CPAs, and the Financial Planning Association. Mike also writes for industry and peer-reviewed publications on various tax topics through a financial planning lens.
Outside of the office, Mike is an active member of the Foundation Fighting Blindness. As President of FFB's Philadelphia Chapter, Mike often speaks with individuals and families who have recently received a diagnosis of a retinal disease and speaks to organizations about his experiences living with Usher Syndrome.
Mike enjoys spending time with his wife, Janelle, and their son, Oliver, and Puggle, Elton. When not making wine, Mike and Janelle plan their vacations around wine, from Napa Valley to the Loire Valley. An avid fan of classic rock and blues music, Mike plays, collects, and builds guitars and has an extensive vinyl collection.
Job Titles:
- Director of First Impressions
Miranda is our Director of First Impressions. She judges the success of her day based on if she helped someone - and helping people is what she does in her role. Her friendly, welcoming personality and impressive organizational skills make her an asset to our team.
Her rodeo background helped her develop into a motivated professional who enjoys a challenge. She's not afraid of hard work and is happy to get involved in complicated tasks and see them to completion.
Miranda and her husband TJ have been married since 2019. Together they're involved in rodeo and ranching and enjoy spending time with their two dogs, Sis and Rini.
Job Titles:
- Director, Portfolio Strategy
Job Titles:
- Advisor
- Chief Market Strategist
- Carson 's Chief Market Strategist
Ryan Detrick serves as Carson's Chief Market Strategist. In his role, he is responsible for advancing Carson's Investment Research team, delivering market insights and expanding the firm's investment platform. Beyond this, he provides research and guidance that drives growth for the more than 130 Carson partners who collectively manage $20 billion in assets.
Prior to Carson, Ryan spent six years at LPL Financial, most recently serving as their Chief Market Strategist. At LPL, he was responsible for managing more than $70 billion in AUM, along with research and writing for advisors. He also led the LPL Market Signals podcast, their YouTube channel, and their research blog.
Originally from Springfield, Ohio, Ryan has spent more than 20 years working in the financial markets. He has a Chartered Market Technician (CMT) designation, a bachelor's in finance from Xavier University, and an MBA from Miami University. Ryan regularly shares his insights on national broadcast outlets such as Yahoo! Finance, CNBC, FOX Business and Bloomberg TV and radio.
His strong relationships and expertise help enhance Carson's industry-leading investment management offering and further the firm's mission of being the most trusted in financial advice. Ryan, a lifelong Cincinnati Bengals fan, resides in Ohio with his family. In his free time, he can be found coaching his two boys in various sports. He enjoys travelling to new places and eating at any - and all - restaurants.
Ryan Detrick is not affiliated with Cetera Advisor Networks, LLC.
Scott Berryman, JD, serves as Carson's Director of Trust Services. In this role, he manages Carson's trust offering to serve as trustee of Carson client's trusts, as well as serving as a subject matter resource on the Advanced Solutions Team fielding questions and working with advisors, clients, and attorneys drafting trusts for clients.
Prior to Carson, Scott worked as a trust officer at a small private high-touch trust company after practicing law as a trust and estate attorney working in both planning and trust/estate settlement in a boutique estate planning firm.
A graduate of the University of Nebraska - Lincoln, Scott received his law degree from the University of Nebraska School of Law. He's an active member of the Omaha Bar Association, the Nebraska Bar Association, Sarpy County Bar Association and the Omaha Estate Planning Council. An advocate of life-long learning, Scott serves on the steering committee for the Yale Richards Professional Education Seminar, providing top tier content for philanthropic planners and advisors.
Scott's experience in government service, community service and philanthropy, along with his experience as a stay-at-home parent and entrepreneur, allow him to connect personally with the variety of clients that Carson serves. Especially enthusiastic about planned giving, Scott not only counsels families on how trusts might benefit their financial plans and estate plans, but also their charitable plans.
A native of Cozad, Scott and his family now live in Omaha. He enjoys spending time with his family, especially cooking healthy dishes together and watching his kids perform in marching band.
Job Titles:
- Director, Investment Platform
- Director, Investment Platform / Research Department
Sonu has over 15 years of experience in the Asset Management industry. Before joining Carson, he was a Partner and Director of Research at Convex Capital Management where he co-managed portfolios, advised clients and led the research effort, including creating a proprietary leading economic index for 30 countries and systematizing investment processes. Prior to that Sonu worked independently with hedge fund managers and high-net worth individuals to develop quantitative investment models for trading equities, options, ETFs and closed-end funds.
Sonu started his career in finance during the final year of his Ph.D. at Purdue University, when he got an opportunity to do options modeling work. He finished his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering in 2006, with his dissertation focused on simulating blood flow in diseased arteries. However, he decided to pursue finance as he enjoyed the mathematical modeling aspect of it, and the challenges thrown up by human behavior in markets. Prior to his Ph.D., Sonu received his M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue and Bachelors in Engineering from the National Institute of Technology (Trichy) in India.
Sonu and his wife love to travel and are looking forward to doing a lot more of it as their twins grow up. They also enjoy listening to an eclectic selection of music as a family and being outdoors in the city (Chicago weather permitting). At home, you may find him hanging out with the family with a guitar in his hands, cooking or if the kids are asleep, watching TV or reading. He is also passionate about teaching Math - including statistics, probability and personal finance - at the community college in Chicago downtown.
Tara has been in the financial industry for nearly two decades and brings her vast experience and knowledge into her role as Relationship Manager. She's a top performing, solutions driven leader and her attention to detail and friendly personality are an asset to our team.
Raised in Colorado, Tara and her husband, Jason, married in 2012 have two talented children and a menagerie of pets at home. She hopes to one day travel abroad to visit Italy and Greece and has the goal of retiring by age 60.
Outside of the office, she enjoys cooking, home design, gardening, music, golfing with her husband and keeping up with their two kids.
Job Titles:
- Senior Institutional Trader
Tom Fridrich is not affiliated or registered with Cetera Advisor Networks LLC. Any information provided by Tom is in no way related to Cetera Advisor Networks LLC or its registered representatives.
Job Titles:
- Wealth Advisor, Director of Business Development
Triston joined the Waterstone team in August 2021. He earned a degree in finance from Oklahoma State University, where he also played football. As a Wealth Advisor and Director of Business Development at Waterstone, Triston is passionate about helping families understand and pursue their financial goals, as well as developing organic and inorganic growth in the business.
Triston holds his Series 7, 63 and 65 registrations along with insurance licenses in Property and Casualty and Accident, Life, and Health in the state of Oklahoma. Before joining Waterstone, he worked at one of the top asset managers in the country, Day Hagan Asset Management in Sarasota, Florida. Triston recently spent a year at Carson Wealth headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska, working hand-in-hand with our valued partners and learning service integration and operations at one of the fastest-growing and leading innovators in the RIA space.
In his free time, Triston enjoys spending time with family, waterfowl hunting and training his chocolate Lab, Stilly.