PROFESSIONAL ADVISOR COUNCIL MEMBERSHIP

The Professional Advisor Council is a collection of expert Central New York professional advisors who are partnering with us to provide insight and advice on advisor engagement. The Council’s volunteer members work throughout the year to disseminate information that will assist their peers in effectively identifying and carrying out their clients’ charitable planning needs.

(as of April 1, 2024)

Brad Adams headshot

Bradford A. Adams

Vice President and Senior Investment Officer

Brad has 30+ years of experience in banking, finance and investments. He is a graduate of Williams College and earned an MBA from the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business.  Brad is certified by the New York Bankers Association’s Trust Investment, Trust Administration and Estate Administration Schools. He graduated with honors from the Cannon Financial Institute and holds the Accredited Fiduciary Investment Manager (AFIM) designation.

Website | LinkedIn

Cameron Bernard Headshot

Cameron T. Bernard

Member, Bousquet Holstein, PLLC

Cameron Bernard is a Member at Bousquet Holstein, PLLC in the firm’s Syracuse office and concentrates his practice in the areas of estate planning, trust and estate administration, and employee benefits. He endeavors to learn about his client’s values and goals to develop an estate plan that suits their needs. Cameron also advises trustees in their administration of trusts and prepares fiduciary income tax returns for estates and trusts.

In addition to his legal practice, he currently serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors of Hiscock Legal Aid Society and was named an Upstate New York Super Lawyer’s Rising Star in 2023. Cameron received his Juris Doctor from Syracuse University College of Law and is admitted to practice law in New York and Florida.

Website | LinkedIn

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Thomas Bezigian, Jr., Esq.

Trust and Estate Attorney, Bond, Schoeneck & King, PLLC

Tom Bezigian is an attorney with Bond, Schoeneck & King, where he is chair of the firm’s trust and estate practice. He concentrates his practice in the areas of estate planning and taxation, corporate and business succession, probate, trust and estate administration, and elder law. Additionally, Tom has lectured as an adjunct professor at the Yerevan State Linguistic University in Yerevan, Armenia, and at Bryant and Stratton College in Liverpool.

WebsiteLinkedIn

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William P. Davies, J.D., LL.M.

Estate Planning Attorney, Davies Law Firm, PC

William P. Davies is an estate planning attorney in Syracuse, New York.  He works exclusively on the creation of revocable and irrevocable trust based estate plans and the administration of trusts and estates.

Website | LinkedIn

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Ryan T. Emery

Attorney at Law, Mackenzie Hughes, LLP

Ryan is experienced in the preparation of Florida and New York wills, powers of attorney, health care proxies (Florida designations of health care surrogate), and living wills. He is also experienced in assisting fiduciaries with simple to complex taxable estates and trusts.  Ryan is also knowledgeable in the field of trust and estate litigation.

Website | LinkedIn

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Joe Hatfield, AIF®

OneGroup Retirement Advisors

Since 2004 Joe has specialized in providing proactive guidance to private clients, investment committees, small-mid-sized businesses and non-profit organizations.

Joe is an Accredited Investment Fiduciary, AIF® and Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor, CPFA®.  Joe earned his B.S. and M.S. from the State University of New York at Oneonta. He holds the FINRA Series 7 and Series 66 with LPL Financial and the New York State Life and Health License. He has been an expert panelist at a number of national conferences speaking on both wealth management and employer sponsored retirement plans.

When not at work his energy is focused on his wife Amanda, daughter Lilah and son Levi. He’s also an accomplished IronMan triathlete having competed in the IronMan World Championships in Kona, Hawaii.

Website | LinkedIn

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Scott M. Heyman, CPA, CFP®

Senior Manager, Grossman St. Amour CPAs PLLC

Scott is a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Financial Planner who offers his clients a proactive approach that integrates tax considerations seamlessly into their broader financial plans.   Through year-round planning, he helps clients maximize their opportunities to achieve their current and long-term financial goals.

Website | LinkedIn

Richard Jenkins Headshot

Richard P Jenkins

CFP® Financial Advisor, Focused Financial Solutions

Richard provides personal financial planning and advisory services in the areas of retirement and retirement income planning, investments and portfolio management strategies using asset allocation, tax management strategies, estate preservation, and small business financial issues.

Website | LinkedIn

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Nick Kagey

AEP, CAP, CFP, RICP, CLU and Director of Investment Operations and Services, Northwestern Mutual

Nick has been at Northwestern Mutual with the Derrenbacker Shields team for more than eleven years. He and his family live in Cazenovia NY. He enjoys volunteering for the Lions Club and multiple youth sports organizations.

Website | LinkedIn

Susan King headshot

Susan King

Partner, Hancock Estabrook, LLP

Susan L. King is a partner in the Firm’s Tax and Trusts & Estates Practices. She is Chair of the Firm’s Trusts & Estates Department. Ms. King has extensive experience advising clients with estate and wealth transfer planning, estate administration and taxation, corporate formation and business succession planning, elder law and special needs planning. She regularly counsels individuals and families on the various tax and legal aspects of charitable giving to help her clients achieve their goals.

Ms. King takes a hands-on approach with estate administration clients in order to guide them through the sometimes cumbersome process with ease, often assisting clients with resolving valuation and other estates, gifts and generation-skipping transfer tax issues with the Internal Revenue Service. She provides preparation of fiduciary accountings for estates as well as inter-vivos trusts, and the preparation of estate, fiduciary and gift tax returns. Ms. King also represents various small businesses, nonprofits and corporate entities in complex tax matters including tax planning, tax-exempt status, state and local tax issues, structuring and drafting tax transactions and assisting with recordkeeping and notification burdens to comply with state and federal laws.

Website | LinkedIn

Carolyn Lawless headshot

Carolyn Lawless, CPA

Principal, Dermody, Burke & Brown, CPAs, LLC

Carolyn joined Dermody, Burke & Brown in 2020.  As a Tax Principal at the firm, she specializes in tax advisory services including tax planning and preparation for various entities including corporations, partnerships, trusts, estates and individuals. Carolyn has over thirty five years of experience in the public accounting industry.

Website | LinkedIn

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Sonnet Loftus, CFP®

Michael Roberts Associates, Inc.

Sonnet is a partner and a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional with Michael Roberts Associates. She has been working with individuals and business owners located all over the country since 2005, providing sound advice and service for all their financial planning needs. Sonnet is Vice President of the Financial Planning Association of Central New York.

Website | LinkedIn

R.J. Nicolli headshot

R.J. Nicolli, Jr.

Senior Vice President , Senior Wealth Advisor - Wilmington Trust, NA

RJ is responsible for providing comprehensive wealth management advice to high-net-worth individuals and families, entrepreneurs, business owners, and foundations and endowments throughout the Central New York and Southern Tier regions. He works closely with clients and their advisors to develop financial strategies to help clients meet their current needs and plan for their long-term objectives. RJ also coordinates the various services his clients require based on their unique needs, including investment management, planning, trust, private banking, and family office services.

Website | LinkedIn

Marie Norkett headshot

Marie Norkett, CFP®

Professional Advisor Council Chair, Wealth Advisor - SageView Advisory Group

Marie works with individuals and their families to determine financial priorities and implement comprehensive investment and financial planning strategies to advance and realize their goals. She is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM, member of the Financial Planning Association of CNY, chairperson of the Professional Advisor Council of the Central New York Community Foundation, and longtime member of the Junior League of Syracuse.

Website | LinkedIn

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Eric Petranchuk

Vice President, Portfolio Strategist, Key Private Bank
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Rob Scolaro

Attorney at Scolaro Law, PLLC

Rob has over twenty-four years’ experience helping families and family-owned businesses meet their estate, trust, business succession and tax planning needs.  He counsels clients on all aspects of estate, retirement, business succession and tax planning, asset preservation, probate and trust administration, family-owned businesses, real estate, private foundations, charitable organizations and elder law matters.  Rob also frequently speaks/presents on these topics for the New York State Bar Association, Financial Planning Association of Central New York, the Estate Planning Council of Central New York and the National Business Institute.

Rob is a cum laude graduate of both Ohio Wesleyan University and Suffolk University Law School and is admitted to practice law in the states of New York, Florida and Massachusetts.  He is a member of the bar associations of the states of New York, Florida and Massachusetts as well as a member of the Financial Planning Associates of Central New York.  Rob is a member of Board of Directors and a Past President of the Estate Planning Council of Central New York and a former member of the Board of Directors for the Central New York Community Foundation, Tully Hill Corporation and Tully Hill Foundation.

LinkedIn

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Kevin Visconti, CFP

Diversified Capital Management, LLC

Kevin is a Registered Principal associated with Cadaret Grant & Co., Inc., a FINRA member firm. Prior to joining Diversified Capital Management, LLC, Kevin worked as a licensed representative for 9 years in the local bank channel. Kevin graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology with a major in marketing. Kevin has built his practice using a holistic approach to planning including: retirement planning, insurance planning, educational planning and estate planning. He excels at understanding his client’s goals and positioning their assets to achieve their goals.

Kevin is a current member of the Financial Planning Association of Central New York.

Website | LinkedIn

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Gregory F. Wilt, CPA, CFP®

Advantax Investment Services

Greg’s areas of expertise are small business accounting and taxation, personal financial planning, and wealth management. Greg holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Johns Hopkins University. Greg is a Certified Financial Planner and holds the New York State CPA license as well as the FINRA Series 7 and 66. He resides in Cazenovia, New York.

Website | LinkedIn

News & Stories

News Releases September 7, 2024

CNY Community Foundation Premieres Lead Poisoning Documentary

The documentary is set to premiere online through the Community Foundation’s YouTube channel on Monday, ...

August 26, 2024

CNY Community Foundation Committing Additional $1 Million to Black Equity & Excellence

Initially launched with a $1 million commitment in 2020, the BE&E Fund has since surpassed ...

Blogs August 21, 2024

What We Are Up To

Our staff takes pride in not just serving our community, but actively shaping its future. ...

Blogs August 20, 2024

How Community Organizations Can Implement Programming Within Schools to Promote Resiliency

Hear from Jamie Hagenbuch, program manager, Mental Health First Aid at the Madison County Rural ...

Topics August 20, 2024

Black Philanthropy Month | Tim Penix

August is Black Philanthropy Month! Hear from Tim Penix to learn how he became a ...

News Releases August 19, 2024

CNY Community Foundation Closes on Deal for Legal Aid Organization; Opens New Line of Credit

A new agreement will allow VLPCNY to continue funding legal aid and anti-poverty programming while ...

Topics August 15, 2024

Black Philanthropy Month | Bishop Dewberry

August is Black Philanthropy Month! Hear from Bishop Dewberry to learn how he became a ...

Dog in forest
News Releases August 13, 2024

Nearly $1.5 Million Distributed to CNY Nonprofits

Pictured Above: Ruffed Grouse Society The Central New York Community Foundation recently distributed $1,381,547 in ...

Topics August 13, 2024

The Power of Endowment: Investing in good. For good.

Think of an endowment as a giant savings account filled with donations, which gets invested ...

News Releases September 7, 2024

CNY Community Foundation Premieres Lead Poisoning Documentary

The documentary is set to premiere online through the Community Foundation’s YouTube channel on Monday, ...

August 26, 2024

CNY Community Foundation Committing Additional $1 Million to Black Equity & Excellence

Initially launched with a $1 million commitment in 2020, the BE&E Fund has since surpassed ...

Blogs August 21, 2024

What We Are Up To

Our staff takes pride in not just serving our community, but actively shaping its future. ...

Blogs August 20, 2024

How Community Organizations Can Implement Programming Within Schools to Promote Resiliency

Hear from Jamie Hagenbuch, program manager, Mental Health First Aid at the Madison County Rural ...

Topics August 20, 2024

Black Philanthropy Month | Tim Penix

August is Black Philanthropy Month! Hear from Tim Penix to learn how he became a ...

News Releases August 19, 2024

CNY Community Foundation Closes on Deal for Legal Aid Organization; Opens New Line of Credit

A new agreement will allow VLPCNY to continue funding legal aid and anti-poverty programming while ...

Topics August 15, 2024

Black Philanthropy Month | Bishop Dewberry

August is Black Philanthropy Month! Hear from Bishop Dewberry to learn how he became a ...

Dog in forest
News Releases August 13, 2024

Nearly $1.5 Million Distributed to CNY Nonprofits

Pictured Above: Ruffed Grouse Society The Central New York Community Foundation recently distributed $1,381,547 in ...

Topics August 13, 2024

The Power of Endowment: Investing in good. For good.

Think of an endowment as a giant savings account filled with donations, which gets invested ...

News & Stories