BALLAST - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Partner / COO / Financial Advocate
Born and raised in Columbus, Indiana, Andy grew up in a family who believed in two fundamentals: give to others and be the best version of yourself. He and his wife, Laura, have since gone on to seek to instill those values in their children, Harper, Emma Kate, Caroline, and Mack. Whether it is family, clients, or colleagues, Andy's greatest sense of achievement is in helping others reach their goals and desires.
Andy earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Centre College and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from the University of Kentucky. He then earned his CFP® (CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER practitioner) a few years later.
Giving back to the community is one of Andy's passions. He has served in several volunteer roles, including the: University of Kentucky's MBA Advisory Committee, Executive Committee of the Blue Grass Community Foundation, Life Plan of Kentucky Board, Past President of the Bluegrass Estate Planning Council, and OperaLex Board. In addition, he enjoys coaching his children's soccer and basketball teams. Outside of work, Andy enjoys spending time outdoors and playing/following sports.
For Andy, his work is more than a job. The combination of a service-based yet highly technical field of personal financial decision-making is both rewarding and challenging. As an early Partner in Ballast, Andy continues to help shape the future of the business.
Born and raised in Lexington, Brian graduated from Georgetown College where he studied Finance and Investment Management. In addition, Brian is a graduate of Kaplan University where he earned his CFP® (CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER practitioner).
Prior to joining the team at Ballast, Brian served as Vice President and Portfolio Manager for a super-regional bank in Lexington where he managed over $400 million. With more than 17 years of experience managing complex investment portfolios, Brian brings a level of expertise that adds significant value to our clients' experience.
Brian has volunteered on numerous local and state boards, including serving as Treasurer for the Kentucky Humanities Council and Bluegrass Crime Stoppers.
Aside from his work, Brian enjoys spending time with his wife Megan and their two children, Harper and Hayes; and maybe an occasional round of golf with friends.
Cameron is a problem-solver. His favorite book growing up was The Way Things Work, which showed how complicated systems are composed of simple machines. His analytical bent helps him seek out the root of the problem, whether he's helping a client make a complex decision or perfecting his BBQ ribs recipe.
At UK's Gatton College, Cameron earned a Master of Business Administration, developing the tools to advise business owners and act as Personal CFO for individuals & families. He continued his training by becoming a CFP® (CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER practitioner). At Ballast, Cameron enjoys making relationships with the families he serves and watching them thrive. He looks at decision-making through a behavioral finance lens and distills high-level planning strategies into common-sense action steps. His clients know they are on track to reaching their goals and feel empowered to use their resources to live out their values.
As Director of Financial Planning at Ballast, Cameron leads the research and implementation of high-level planning strategies for the families we serve. He has a passion for sharing this knowledge and conceptualized a path to help Protect, Plan, and Prosper, which we have published as our three-volume Atheneum series. He regularly shares his wisdom on planning and personal finance with student groups & professional organizations as a guest speaker.
Cameron enjoys cycling, hiking, and cooking with his wife, Christie, and daughter Ruby. Outside of family, he spends time on community passions like the cross-country nonprofit bicycle ride Bike4Alz which he helped found in 2010, and settling refugee families in our community as a volunteer with Kentucky Refugee Ministries.
Christine McCabe serves a number of roles for Ballast. With over ten years of experience in financial services, Christine provides skillful solutions to insure that our clients are always taken care of. Her efforts are essential to the financial success of our clients.
Job Titles:
- Client Services Associate
Christopher Benge is a client services associate at Ballast with 10 years of experience in both the public and private sectors. Specific experience highlights include budgeting, contracts, policy development, and client relations. Mr. Benge specializes in financial systems management and has a talent for building strong relationships with clients and fellow associates.
Christopher is an avid lover of music and can often be found playing selections from Mozart's piano sonatas or enjoying live opera performances. As a Lexingtonian, Christopher is interested in local lore and history and frequently takes part in historical tours of Lexington and the surrounding regions.
Job Titles:
- Client Services Associate
Dereka Bradley serves as a Client Services Associate. Before joining Ballast, she spent most of her professional career in retail banking where she worked the last 10 years in management. Dereka is originally from Pikeville, KY but now resides in Richmond, KY with her husband, Bryan, their three daughters, and their dog, Target. Dereka enjoys many outdoor hobbies including golf, bow hunting, and snow skiing.
Job Titles:
- DIRECTOR of ESTATE PLANNING & TAX / FINANCIAL ADVOCATE
Born and raised in Lexington, Kentucky, Frank earned a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Business from the Richard T. Farmer School of Business at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Frank earned his Juris Doctor (J.D.) and Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Taxation from The John Marshall Law School in Chicago, Illinois. During his time in law school, Frank served as an Associate Justice of the Moot Court Executive Board and was a finalist in the 2014 Albert R. Mugel National Tax Moot Court Competition.
Frank has passed the Bar Exam and is licensed to practice law in both Illinois and Kentucky. While in Chicago, Frank gained experience and tax knowledge working in the IRS Office of Appeals. Prior to joining the team at Ballast, Frank worked in a boutique Tax and Estate Planning law firm in Lexington. Since joining Ballast, Frank has become a CFP® (CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ practitioner) and has expanded his expertise in investment management and financial planning.
Outside of the office, Frank enjoys spending time with his wife Alyssa, daughter Sadie, and son Jay. On game-day in the Bluegrass, Frank can be found volunteering at University of Kentucky home Football and Basketball games as a Blue Blazer-wearing member of the Committee of 101.
Jeff Lehmann - Chief Compliance Officer, COO
Job Titles:
- Chief Compliance Officer
- Director of Operations
Jeff Lehmann is the firm's Director of Operations and Chief Compliance Officer. He plays an important role in ensuring the efficiency of the office's operations, policies, and procedures. Jeff also manages and coordinates all of the firm's compliance activities.
With 20 years of experience in the financial services industry, Jeff brings valuable experience in business operations, reporting, policies, and compliance.
Jeff is originally from Paris, KY where he grew up in a Thoroughbred-oriented family. He attended Lexington Community College as well as the University of Kentucky where he obtained a degree in Business Management with an emphasis on Economics. He now resides in Lexington with his wife Beckie and their 4 kids. Jeff enjoys watching his kids play sports, taking family trips, and playing tennis in his spare time. Jeff is involved with the USTA Tennis Association, Maxwell Elementary School, and is a Finance and Insurance Sub-Committee Board Member of Commerce Lexington.
Job Titles:
- Founder / CEO / Financial Advocate
John worked at a large bank for years. He was on the fast track, but he knew there was a better way to help people. He believed then, as he does now, that he will be sitting across from his clients for thirty years. So he forged his own path.
As the son of a banker, he took an interest in the world of finance from an early age. While attending Centre College, John was active in investment research while working on an endowment study with the school's Director of Finance. After graduating from Centre College, John worked his way up from equity trader to become one of the youngest Vice Presidents in the bank employing over 25,000 people. Although the bank provided great opportunities for John, he decided that his clients would be best served in a different form.
In 2005, he founded Boardman Wealth Planning, now known as Ballast. Ballast was built to act as the "Personal CFO" of its clients, coordinating and managing all aspects of a client's financial life.
John enjoys golf, running, cooking, and, most importantly, spending time with his wife Ann Wesley, his daughter Kate, his son Henry, and dogs Buddy and Teddy.
Job Titles:
- Director of Communications
Madeline Flynn serves as the firm's Director of Communications. She focuses on the firm's internal and external communications, events, sponsorships, and media. Before joining Ballast, her experience includes marketing at Red Mile and most recently at Leadership Kentucky. She previously studied abroad in Dublin, Ireland, and was a snow ski and sailing instructor.
Madeline graduated from the University of Kentucky with a degree in Integrated Strategic Communications. She lives in Lexington and enjoys painting, UK football, and being outside with her Boykin Spaniel, Tilley.
Job Titles:
- Childhood Center Board Member & Finance Committee Member
Job Titles:
- IT Specialist
- Systems Consultant for the Department of Criminal Justice Training Located on the Campus of Eastern Kentucky University
S. Kristopher Bowerman serves as a Systems Consultant for the Department of Criminal Justice Training located on the campus of Eastern Kentucky University. In this capacity, Bowerman provides agency-level planning, management and coordination of personnel, hardware/software installation and upgrades, implementation and configuration of networks, digital security, physical security, mobile device management and support(Apple/Android/Microsoft/G-Suite) for Law Enforcement Training, serves as assistant to the Information Systems Manager and the Law Enforcement Training & Reporting System (LETRS) Project, Reviews IT/IS use for the agency and all IT/IS expenditures. Provides liaison services to Justice and Public Safety Cabinet, Commonwealth Office of Technology (COT), DOCJT Leadership, and COT Field Services.
Bowerman started at the Department of Criminal Justice Training as an undergraduate student intern in the Fall of 1996. During his tenure, he has held various positions related to the field of information systems at DOCJT and COT. Bowerman recently completed the Office of the State School Marshal's School Compliance Certification. He held an adjunct position at Midway College from 2010-2014, and currently holds adjunct positions at Eastern Kentucky University teaching in the areas of Information Systems, Information Systems Security, Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity, Vulnerability and Risk Assessments, Physical Security, and Criminal Justice. His consulting firm, Kentucky Systems Solutions, provides IT/IS services to firms in the financial and medical industry. Bowerman holds a Master of Science degree in Loss Prevention and Safety from Eastern Kentucky University as well as a Bachelor of Science in Police Administration with a minor in Assets Protection Management from Eastern Kentucky University.
Trent Lakes serves as a Paraplanner for Ballast. He is a 2022 graduate of the University of Kentucky with degrees in Accounting, Finance, and Management. He is excited to use his educational background and experiences to bring value to Ballast and our clients.
Trent is a Kentucky native, born and raised in Richmond. When he is not in the office, you can find him at Lafayette High School, serving as the Head Coach for their Swim & Dive Team. He has also coached the Swim & Dive Team at Idle Hour Country Club since 2019. You can catch him playing a round of golf, enjoying time with friends and family, or watching the Wildcats bring home a victory.