The people who work at Oswego Crest Financial Group not only have the knowledge and experience to help you pursue your financial goals, but they are also committed to fostering a caring and empathetic environment for their clients. Our staff is always ready to address your concerns, answer your questions, and put you at ease.
Please click the thumbnails below to learn more about our team members.
President
I was born in San Francisco, California, but spent most of my childhood in San Jose, California. Memories of my loving parents—often described by friends as Gracie Allen and George Burns—abound. I feel like I was one of the luckiest kids ever because Anita and Mac were my parents, and they were special. Anita, my mom, was a loving Mediterranean beauty who was always so unassuming. The straight man was my dad, Mac, as everyone called him—a true Irishman who never missed a chance to entertain and make people laugh. They were larger than life to me, and I am so grateful for the wonderful life lessons they taught. One such lesson was that of a work ethic—work for what you want and anything is possible. And work—and sacrifice—they did. I am so proud of the family and the upbringing I had. I have an older brother who resides in Rio Vista, California, with his wife, as well as an awesome nephew who seems to have a few of his aunt’s independent traits.
As my brother, Jim, has said of me, I am independent, am adventuresome, and have a love for learning. So, it is fitting that after graduating high school, I took the opportunity to go out of state and attend Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. Although I graduated magna cum laude from Gonzaga five years later, it was not without its twists and turns, as I opted to live in Japan for three years along the way. Spending my sophomore year in Japan, I attended Sophia University at night and taught English during the day. Enjoying the culture and the people immensely, I returned to the states the summer after my sophomore year to secure a work visa and then returned to Japan. There, I worked for a securities firm, Yamaichi Securities, not realizing that it was a precursor to the industry that I would choose to work in many years later.
After graduating college, my adventuresome spirit again took hold. This time, I headed north to Alaska with a college friend. There, I met my wonderful husband and partner of 41 years, Al. Shortly after marrying, we moved to Idaho (or “the lower 48”), where Al worked for Idaho First National Bank and I worked for Xerox. In 1984, we moved to Portland, and in 2000, I joined Smith Barney as an advisor. In 2004, desiring to deepen my knowledge and better serve my clients, I attended the Pamplin School of Business at the University of Portland. Upon completion of the coursework in 2005 and a grueling two-day test, I earned the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification. I am particularly proud of this accomplishment, as it has enabled me to do the work that I enjoy most—meeting with clients and helping them plan for a fulfilling retirement. Now more than ever, with baby boomers seeking help and wanting to understand the complexities of social security, Medicare, long-term care, estate planning, and the like, I am able to assist because of the skills that I have acquired. Our goal is to help our clients feel confident about their retirements and their futures. We strive to guide our clients so that they may achieve the retirement that they envision.
When not at the office, you will usually find me playing tennis, golfing, or volunteering for various nonprofits. I’m also the proud mother of Hunter, a yellow Lab that is a “career-change dog” from Guide Dogs for the Blind (GDB). In an effort to give back, I have worked with GDB on its annual luncheon and its annual fund-raiser, Pinot & Pups. I am also a member of the FBI Oregon Citizens Academy Alumni Association, a most interesting organization. For the past seven years, I have chaired the Human Trafficking Committee and organized an annual bowl-a-thon to raise money for youth here in Portland who are in need of food, shelter, and medical attention because they have been sexually exploited or trafficked and are trying desperately to break the cycle.
Both Al and I enjoy wine tasting, good food, and our great friends. After spending a few days this past summer with friends in Anacortes, Washington, where we went crabbing, I think we’ll be adding crabbing to the list of things that we enjoy and want to do more!
Chief Financial Officer
Growing up in a small town like Sweet Home, Oregon, was very special. It was a thriving community when I was young. Logging and the timber industry were the major sources of income for much of the area. I was blessed to have my great-grandmothers, all grandparents, and numerous aunts and uncles nearby. They all taught me the values that I carry with me today.
My father was a self-employed log truck driver for many years, and my mother was a self-employed hairstylist. They worked very hard, long hours, as did my whole family. My sister, twin brother, and I enjoyed a very active childhood, swimming in the lake, camping, and playing sports throughout our school years. Those are times I will never forget. I enjoy returning to my hometown to visit old friends and see the changes to the area.
I went on to graduate from Oregon State University with a degree in financial management and was also a member of the successful 1985 and 1986 OSU Beaver baseball teams. After a 13-year career in transportation and logistics, I moved into the financial world as an advisor. My background in logistics provided me with a great attention to detail, planning, and meeting commitments. During these early career years, I was lucky enough to meet my wife, Lisa, and we later had our daughter, Olivia. We love to travel as a family and have been to many national parks and made a couple of trips to Europe. We recently went to the birthplace of my great-grandmother in Germany. Lisa works part time for the Beaverton School District, and Olivia is attending high school and is active in water polo, swimming, and track. Olivia is an excellent student and very conscientious about her studies; Lisa and I often take responsibility for her having such diligent study habits (we give our families credit as well). Olivia also helps keep us active and involved with learning today’s technology.
I am blessed with many great friends as well, and we're often getting together to watch ball games or enjoy a good barbecue. We also have been on some great wine-tasting excursions to taste the delicious pinot noirs in the area.
I enjoy giving back to the community. I have been involved in Elders in Action, a nonprofit elder advocacy group, as well as supporting a scholarship fund in the memory of my father. I also enjoy golf, hiking, and following Beaver sports teams.
I manage our firm’s day-to-day operations, as well as vendor relationships. I will also assist in planning meetings and the operational side of new client relationships. I monitor macroeconomic conditions and daily market information for the firm, and I am an Investment Adviser Representative and Registered Representative of Commonwealth Financial Network®.
Chief Investment Officer
I was born in Modesto, California, and moved between Northern California and Oregon multiple times throughout my childhood. As my father took on various sales and marketing roles in the wine industry, my mother, father, two sisters, and I made new friends and created memories wherever we lived. Whether it was exploring creeks and gullies in wooded areas of the Southwest Portland hills, riding bikes and playing baseball into the night in Alamo and Walnut Creek, California, or building tree forts within a grove of oak trees at our home in Salem, Oregon, my childhood was rich with friends and play. We moved to Beaverton, Oregon, when I was 14. There, I attended Sunset High School, where I immersed myself in playing baseball and tennis and found my passion for being on stage by performing in musicals, plays, and choir.
After high school, I attended the University of Oregon in Eugene, where I joined the Phi Delta Theta fraternity and turned my attention to the international studies program with an eye on international business. (My father’s many foreign travels and the European winemakers who frequented our home had a tremendous influence on this focus.) I studied abroad for my junior year in the Netherlands at Nyenrode (the Netherlands School of Business) and worked in the head office of, at the time, the largest bank in Italy (Banca Nazionale del Lavoro), located in the heart of Rome. That year was the most exciting of my life.
Upon graduating from the University of Oregon, I spent six years in San Francisco (where I met my wife, Sheri) and Portland, working in the apparel industry and traveling throughout the U.S. and Europe. As we planned to start a family, the desire to focus on home led to my change in careers to a financial advisor.
Over the next 10 years, Sheri and I were blessed with the births of Matthew, Abigail, and Michael, and I transitioned from PaineWebber to Smith Barney. Today, Matt is in graduate school at George Washington University, while working for a Washington DC based trade consulting firm. Abby lives in New York City, pursuing her dream of performing on stage in dance and musical theater. Michael is in high school and is playing baseball, as well as cheering for his beloved San Francisco Giants.
In 2008, I made the decision to transition from the wirehouse channel of investment management to the independent channel when I moved from Smith Barney to Oswego Crest Financial Group as a full partner. Today, I am also involved with Clackamas Volunteers in Medicine and the Founders Clinic, which is Clackamas County’s first free health clinic for the medically uninsured. In addition, I spend my free time with family and friends fly-fishing, gardening, riding horses, reading, and watching Michael play baseball.
Throughout the past 25 years, I have been blessed to have such wonderful relationships with clients through smooth waters and rough. I value the trust that you have put in me during these times, and I thank you.
Client Service Manager
I was born in Helena, Montana, into a large family, where I spent the first 12 years of my life. At the young age of 12, my parents decided that they wanted to move to New York City, where my dad had lived and really wanted my mom to experience. Although the youngest of nine, I was the only lucky one who was relocated, as my older siblings had already flown the coup, or were about to. As my parents carefully planned for our new life in the Big Apple, from deciding which of the five boroughs to live in to where I should attend school, I remember being really excited about the change and looking forward to this new adventure, not to mention that I was going to have my own room!
We moved to a small neighborhood in Brooklyn called Bay Ridge, a really beautiful area with good schools and lots of character. My mother, Mary Ellen, had never lived outside of Montana, so this was a big change for her as well. She and my dad, Ron, embarked on showing me all the great things that New York has to offer. So much art and culture, the music, the museums, the parks, sports, Broadway—we did it all. My mother took on the task of being one of the best tour guides that NYC has ever seen. During my middle and high school years, we had many out-of-town visitors who were fortunate enough to experience her expertise. Our guests would often return home needing a vacation from their vacation; New York is best experienced on foot and via subways.
My first two years in Brooklyn, I attended a private Catholic school just two blocks from our house. Once I got to know the neighborhood and gained a little confidence, I decided that the public high school within walking distance of our house was calling me. After some consideration and a school tour with my mom, who was a teacher herself, we were sold. It was a great school and I feel that this is where my story really began.
After high school, I attended Fordham University in the Bronx, Rose Hill Campus. I majored in business administration, interning at MTV Networks in Manhattan and working both on and off campus throughout the years to fund my college education. One of my summer jobs was working at Rockefeller Center as an elevator operator. Although it could be dreadfully boring at times, the pay was great and I met some very interesting people. Did you know that Rockefeller Center is composed of 21 buildings, which all connect underground? Not a bad summer gig!
After graduating college in 1988, but before starting my career, I backpacked across Europe with a few friends from school. We visited eight countries in two months, with a weeklong stint in both Greece (the Greek Islands) and Ireland, staying in many youth hostels along the way. I returned to New York from Europe just long enough to do some laundry, and then I headed to California for a family wedding. After a fun and adventurous summer, it was time to go to work and pay off those student loans. I worked in New York City in the financial printing industry, specializing in international communications for a company called Bowne. It was there where I met my husband, Craig, and made many lifelong friends. In 1996, Craig was offered a position on the West Coast. Although leaving the city I loved wasn’t easy, we were both excited and welcomed the change of pace.
Craig and I have enjoyed living in Beaverton now for over 20 years, raising two children, and recently adjusting to the next chapter of our lives as part time empty nesters.
As the client services manager here at Oswego Crest, I wear many hats, providing exceptional quality service to our clients, as well as maintaining responsibility for the administrative logistics that keep our office running efficiently. I pride myself on going above and beyond for our clients and their families. In 2015, I was awarded “Staff of the Year” at the biennial Advanced Topics Symposium sponsored by Commonwealth Financial Network,® in Boston, Massachusetts. This intensive two-day program is geared exclusively toward the individual advancement of the staff who support Commonwealth’s network of independent financial advisors. I enjoy music, travel, gardening, exercise, sports, wine tasting, and entertaining friends and family. I am a mentor for Big Brothers Big Sisters Columbia Northwest and enjoy hanging out with my “little,” who is nine years old.