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Client and Corporate Services

Biography

David is the Director of Marketing and a Principal in the Chicago Office. He is responsible for brand positioning, content development, sales enablement, and digital strategy.

Prior to joining Cerity Partners, David worked as a Senior Marketing Strategist with Community Tax where he managed agency relationships and integrated campaigns across both traditional and digital channels. Before Community Tax, he served as Marketing Director at The Arcview Group, a leading regulated cannabis research and early-stage private equity firm.

 

Education

  • Bachelor of Science in Economics from the University of Wisconsin – Madison
  • Master of Business Administration in Finance from Washington University in St. Louis, Olin School of Business

Q & A

Q:

Who inspired you to pursue your career in financial management?

Paradoxically, my parents, who in their refusal to teach me about investing as an adolescent, put me on a lifelong path of interest in financial matters.

Why is your work important, especially today?

Every day, the world gets more complex. Nowhere is this more potently reflected than in the world of wealth management. Our client-facing colleagues have a dizzying array of information that must be continuously monitored and integrated into their advice, and then that advice must be delivered in an effective manner. Simply put: the more complex the world gets, the more important effective communication becomes.

What differentiates Cerity Partners from other firms in our space?

There are two things: First, for clients seeking fiduciary counsel, Cerity Partners separates itself from the competition with the sheer depth of in-house subject-matter expertise. In the RIA space, very few firms can match our institutional knowledge. And second, our service model, which makes the client experience frictionless when dealing with even the most complex situations. Clients have a single, primary advisor whose role isn't just to provide advice, but also to marshal our firm's people and resources, as needed, for the client's benefit.

What do you do in your personal life that helps you help your clients?

There's a quote attributed to Albert Einstein that I often think about: "If you can't explain it to a 6-year old, you don't understand it yourself." Well, I have two very curious children, ages 10 and 7. It's an incredibly fun and rewarding activity to answer their questions about how the world (and beyond!) works. I get a lot of practice distilling complex topics down to their most salient parts, while retaining enough nuance to not lose all meaning. That's the central challenge of effective communication in the wealth management industry.

How would you describe your best day doing what you do?

As a marketer, I'm in it for the "light bulb" moments. There's just nothing more professionally rewarding than creating something that resonates with our prospective and current clients, and inspires lasting change.

What does the world need now more than anything?

Love and a comprehensive, strong, and actionable climate change policy.

Meet Our  Client and Corporate Services Colleagues

Timothy Abbott

Associate

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Andrew Adams

Senior Associate

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Nikolai Arutiunov

Senior Associate

Neetha Azeez

Associate

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Aleem Baksh

Senior Associate

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Amy Banker, AIF®

Principal

Justin Barish

Principal & Head of Digital Marketing

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Michaela Barnum

Senior Associate

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Ryan Berger

Senior Associate

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Alicia Boggio-Hair

Associate

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Marie Del Bove

Principal

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Jen Bowen

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Abrielle Bradley

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Gillian Brand

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Manny Bratta

Principal

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Gerard Burke

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Jeff Bushman

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Scott Carlson

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Lynda Castellano

Partner

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Yanming Chen

Associate

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Whitney Clark

Senior Associate

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Miryam Cohen

Senior Associate

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Ciara C. Colón

Associate

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John Cook

Principal & Director of Human Resources

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Nataliya Crouse

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Kimberly Crowley

Partner

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Lenèe Dirzuweit, IACCP®

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Kimberly Duran

Associate

Alexander Dyumin

Associate

Jessica Eisenberg

Senior Associate

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Michael Erskine, CFA

Principal

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Liza EsselSagoe

Senior Associate

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Ini Etuk

Senior Associate

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Scott Finn

Senior Associate

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Mitch Gelkopf

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Nick Gerber

Principal

Zeina Ghaly

Principal

LeShanna Green

Senior Associate

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Erika Gunbeyi

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Brad Gutzler

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Michael Harano

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Khalil Harris

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Reggie Hopton

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William Horner

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Michèle Hurley

Principal

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Teppo Jaakkola

Senior Associate

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Arlene James

Principal

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Will Johnson

Principal

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Zoe Kreca, CFP®

Senior Associate

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Eric Kuehl

Partner

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Rebecca LaPlant

Senior Associate

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Jillian Laughlin

Associate

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Tap N. Le

Principal

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Brian Lee

Associate

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Danni Lee, PHR®

Senior Associate

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Amy Lin

Senior Associate

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Winky Liu

Principal

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Dwight Liu

Principal

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Ben Lomazow

Principal

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Stefan Ludlow

Principal & Director of Technology

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Jacqueline Martin

Associate

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Doug McClean, CISM®

Principal

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Matt McGinn

Principal

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Jessica Mendoza

Senior Associate

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Adam Miller

Senior Associate

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Ana Mojica

Senior Associate

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Geoffrey Newman

Principal

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Javier Ordaz

Senior Associate

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Sebastian Ottaplakal

Associate

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Krissi Paczolt, CPA

Principal

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Marcia Paltenstein, CFP®

Principal

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Aydan Panahova

Associate

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Andrea Castillo Pena

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Brittany Peyser

Principal

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Peg Pike

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Simona Platukyte

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Kate Polyte

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Derrick Poon

Senior Associate

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Kristen Potter

Principal

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Nancy Renshaw

Principal

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Andrew N. Riehl, CFA

Principal

Ryan Rodriguez

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Sawyer Rothmann

Senior Associate

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Jeanette Ruvalcaba

Senior Associate

Nicole Sager

Senior Associate

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Kamil Said

Senior Associate

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Sarah Saites

Senior Associate

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Sarah Santoro

Senior Associate

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Nicole Scaffidi

Senior Associate

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Robert Schwagerl, CMT, CFTe

Principal

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Catherine A. Scruggs

Principal

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Kirsten Shaw

Senior Associate

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Michelle Simek

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Carley Skidmore

Senior Associate

Kelley Stanford

Senior Associate

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Ari Stanger, CPA

Principal

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Matt Stazzone

Principal

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Matt Tassell

Associate

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Madeleine Thomas

Senior Associate

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Alexa Thorson

Associate

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Zack Trygstad

Principal

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Carmen Tu

Senior Associate

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Aubrey Weber

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Valerie Weinfeld

Senior Associate

Lisa West

Associate

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Ashley Williams

Senior Associate

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Marissa Wilson

Associate

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Heidi Wilson

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