Certified Employee Ownership Advisor

Sam Brownell

Financial Advisor and Founder, Stratus Wealth Advisors

Sam Brownell, CVA, CFA, MBA has been a financial professional since 2006 and formed Stratus Capital Management in July 2013 to provide goals-based financial planning and investment management to individuals, families, and independent business owners. As the firm grew, an increasing number of independent business owners sought Sam’s advice on their short and long-term planning needs, including valuation, tax strategy, business continuity planning, and succession planning. In 2019, Sam obtained the CVA certification from the National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts (NACVA) in order to better serve the valuation and succession planning needs of his independent business owner clients.

Sam earned his BA in Economics from Loyola University in Maryland and his MBA from the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. Prior to forming Stratus Wealth Advisors, Sam worked in trading, valuation, and research at two investment banks, where he became a CFA Charterholder, and was an economic consultant analyzing structured financial products and other fixed income securities.

In his free time, Sam gives back to his community as treasurer of a local, DC-area non-profit focused on teaching children to swim, and he is also an avid fly fisherman. Sam and his wife, Sara, reside in Kensington, MD, with their sons Felix and Finn.

Alexandra Devendra

Owner, Attorney, Aligned Law

Terry Heiney

NASBA Compliance, Managing Member, Acme Training

Terry Heiney, Ph.D., has nearly 50 years of experience in corporate training and education consulting with emphasis in media and online delivery.

He owned and managed Acme Training since the 1990’s. It was acquired by The Learning Network, a full service LMS company, in the early 2000’s. In, He was the President of The Learning Network, and managed it for a group of investors from 2000 to 2019. Since he has operated Acme Training, LLC to complete consulting products in EdTech.

He has served as a member of the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy’s (NASBA) CPE Standards Working Group since 2010. In this capacity, Terry has applied his background in educational theory, instructional design, and instructional technology to the development of continuing education standards for the accounting profession in the United States.

Jeremy Huish

JD, CPA, Corporate Transition Consulting

It’s no wonder that Jeremy Huish understands how to structure deals that protect both the immediate and future interests of owners, companies and employees. In addition to 20 years of professional experience, the man has two accounting degrees and two law degrees. That education, wedded to vast experience, has positioned him to lead — in business development, investment banking, succession planning and ESOP implementation. With his command as a certified public accountant and attorney, at Corporate Transition Consulting, Jeremy specializes in succession planning, helping ownership transition to their futures — ethically, effectively and profitably.

For the last decade, Jeremy advised closely-held businesses, public companies, governments, and not-for-profits on risk management and captive insurance company issues. He was a frequent speaker at industry conferences and author of several articles published in industry journals. Earlier in his career, in Washington, D.C., he was tax attorney for a Big 4 firm and an international law firm. His degrees include: Arizona State Univ. (BS, Accounting); Brigham Young University (Masters, Accounting); Brigham Young (Juris Doctorate); and Georgetown University (LL.M.in Taxation). Married, Jeremy’s three sons definitely require him to exercise his leadership skills on the home front.

Sarah Kaplan

Partner, Cutting Edge Counsel

Sarah’s mission as a lawyer at Cutting Edge Counsel, is to support local economies that are equitable and ecologically sustainable. Since 2012 she has served numerous cooperatives, including consumer, worker, producer, and platform cooperatives. She has handled formations, equity and debt financing, and contract issues for these cooperatives. Sarah enjoys drafting creative organizational documents that implement cooperatives principles and cooperative tax advantages. Sarah also focuses on services for capital-raising. She has supported both cooperative and privately owned businesses in “family-and-friends,” registered public, and exempt public offerings.

Sarah previously served as an Assistant Illinois Attorney General, handling hundreds of complaints from citizens seeking to hold their governments accountable under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act and Open Meetings Act. Sarah graduated magna cum laude from Chicago-Kent College of Law in 2010.

After living in Chicago for 12 years and the Bay Area for three years, Sarah moved with her spouse and two kids to the St. Louis, Missouri area, where she is renovating a home, growing a garden, and getting involved in local solidarity economy efforts. She is licensed to practice law in Illinois and California.

Shanda McFadden

Financial Advisor, AVP, CEPA, Merrill

Shanda joined the Merrill Oberlander Timmerwilke Group in April 2019. Before joining Merrill, Shanda spent nearly 10 years as a Commercial Banker, primarily focusing on the credit and cash management needs of Middle Market Businesses. In 2015 Shanda transitioned to Wealth Management where she continues to work with Business Owners as well as High Net Worth Individuals and Families as they pursue their financial goals. She is also the President of the Chicago Chapter of the Exit Planning Institute.

Shanda earned her BS in Economics from DePauw University and her MBA from Indiana University. She resides in NW Indiana with her husband and children. She enjoys Summer-Time Chi and all the city has to offer.

Sulayman Nyang, Jr.

Financial Advisor, MBA, CEPA, Edward Jones

As an Edward Jones financial advisor, I am proud to serve a wide variety of clients across the country. Specifically, I work with serious individual investors, executives and multi-generational families to develop retirement, wealth accumulation and wealth transfer strategies. I also enjoy working with business owners and nonprofit organizations, with whom I create strategies to help with business succession, asset growth, tax strategies, charitable giving and wealth transfer. No matter the situation, my clients are assured that I will work tirelessly to help them achieve their goals confidently and comfortably. Additionally, I help my clients understand the investment world in terms they can understand so they know why I suggest a specific strategy and what to expect from it.

I have pursued extensive training in entrepreneurship and exit planning in order to further assist business owners with exit planning needs and executive compensation structures. I hold the Certified Exit Planning Advisor® designation, in addition to an MBA from the Porter Byrum School of Business at Wingate University.

I am honored to partner with clients throughout their lives by helping them not only plan for the expected but prepare for the unexpected with diverse protection strategies

Chloe Quigley

Business Exit Planning Advisor, Barrington Wealth Management 

Chloe’s focus on the BWM team is aligning a business owner’s business plan with their family’s personal financial plan. As a Certified Exit Planning Advisor, Chloe’s expertise is walking alongside a business owner and their family in a structured process that works to optimize their business and personal outcomes at the time of a transition.

With a B.A. in Justice and Peace Studies and Certificate in Entrepreneurship from Georgetown University, Chloe’s focus has been on sustainable development through microfinance and entrepreneurship. She believes that there is power and courage in capital and one of the best ways to have this courage is through business creation and ownership. Prior to joining Barrington Wealth Management, Chloe worked as a Business Development Associate for a startup financial data company. During that time, she developed a keen understanding of niche investment opportunities for socially responsible investors.

Growing up, Chloe watched her Dad work hard to grow BWM. She jokes that the business is like a member of the family – always there, growing and developing alongside everyone else! From watching her Dad run the business to now being a part of it, Chloe sees how a business owner’s business needs to be protected, developed and harvested like any other asset. She has a heart for working with other family businesses and those passionate about international service and justice.

Martin Staubus

Senior Consultant, Former Executive Director, UCSD Beyster Institute

As a Senior Consultant for the UCSD Beyster Institute, Martin enables private business owners to liquidate their stock on their own terms by selling to an ESOP. He also leads growing companies through the process of designing equity compensation programs that motivate performance through a stake in success.

Abran Villegas

Managing Director, Lazear Capital Partners