Our Broker-Dealer Leadership

David Kowach

CEO

David Kowach is most known for his unflappable energy and contagious enthusiasm. He is a passionate leader with a deep-rooted commitment to personal and organizational growth. Throughout his career, he has challenged himself to lead courageously and has never wavered in his support for those who made success possible. At &Partners, he is creating the firm he always envisioned – one where advisors and their clients come before everything else. David brings to his leadership role over 30 years of experience in the financial services industry. Prior to founding Ampersand Partners, LLC, he had the privilege of serving as President and CEO of Wells Fargo Advisors, which under his leadership served more than 3 million clients with $2 trillion in assets. More recently, he led the Wells Fargo Community Bank where he re-engineered retail banking to enhance both efficiency and client loyalty. 

John Alexander

Co-President

Big firms, where politics can trump performance and progress, do not hold allure for John Alexander, anymore. He is interested in building something better. After 26 years with Wells Fargo Advisors, John is dedicating himself to creating an environment where advisors want to work and a business where they and their clients will thrive. John started his career as an advisor at Edward Jones.  He went on to lead the retail branch advisor system at Wells Fargo. At Wells, John gained practical field experience and grew as a leader. He spent time repositioning under-performing businesses, developed strategies to expand into new markets and designed tools to drive growth and harness efficiency in the core advisory space. 

Randy Bradshaw

Partner

Randy Bradshaw understands that deep connections, between advisors and their clients, are what changes lives for the better. As a result, he is a firm believer that the client is best served when the advisor is trusted and empowered to deliver. His commitment to the sanctity of the advisor/client relationship is unwavering.  He has been an integral part of helping to build a firm around this conviction—a place where advisors and their clients can truly thrive.  

Randy has nearly two decades of experience with Edward Jones, one of the top Fortune 500 brokerage firms. He started as a financial advisor and went on to lead thousands of advisors and their teams as a General Partner and Principal. In his most recent role, Randy was responsible for overseeing 18,000 branch teams where he focused on developing the training, coaching and consulting functions required to support the nationwide network’s performance.  

Cheri Cooper

COO

Cheri Cooper has built an operations platform and approach to service defined by a simple, but highly differentiated element, it’s personal.  With this unique approach and platform, there are no 800 numbers, automated help lines or non-answers.  She has intentionally staffed her group with individuals who see themselves as an extension of the advisors’ teams and who have a passion for helping advisors deliver best-in-class service to customers and change lives for the better.  Cheri brings to her role 25 years of experience, including 20 at Wells Fargo Advisors, in wealth management, operations, technology and risk management.  

Most recently, Cheri led the transformation of the Wells Fargo Advisors platform used by private-client, bank-based, independent, and clearing firm advisors. Cheri’s focus in leading this initiative was to transition from outmoded, in-house technologies to best-of-breed market solutions. From 2015-2019, Cheri was the Chief Operating Officer for the Wells Fargo Wealth Brokerage Services organization, supporting 3,000 bank-based advisors. Prior to 2015, Cheri held various leadership positions within Wells Fargo Advisors’ operations and technology division.  

Scott Nelson

CFO

Scott Nelson understands the drivers of profitability better than almost anyone in the industry and that is why he is leading the finance function at &Partners. However, Scott is much more than a CFO.  He is a strategic leader who appreciates the importance of ensuring that the client and advisor experience at &Partners is second to none.

With years of experience leading one of the largest sweep programs in the United States, Scott has the experience necessary to facilitate the provision of comprehensive advice that encompasses banking services. Most recently, he was a Managing Director at Accenture where he led teams focused on wealth management transformations. Prior to Accenture, Scott held various leadership roles at Wells Fargo Advisors. 

Andy Byer

Partner

Andy Byer is best known for his unmatched enthusiasm and positivity. He has worked with thousands of advisors over the last 25 years to help them grow their practices and to better serve their clients. He knows proper planning and meaningful communication are at the heart of all great relationships between advisors and clients.  Andy has a long history in the advisory and planning business and his experience has taught him that structuring advice around defined goals is the key to success. Prior to his role within Wells Fargo Community Bank, he spent 16 years at Wells Fargo Advisors (“WFA”). He was a member of the WFA Executive Management Team and served on the Operating Committee. While at WFA, Andy held a variety of executive leadership roles, but a common theme throughout his career has been a focus on client outcomes through planning, advisor productivity and overall growth of the business. 

Kristi Mitchem

Founding Partner

I have never been satisfied with the status quo. I’m a challenger with a drive to make finance a force for good. Over the course of my career, I have had the opportunity to work with some of the largest and most sophisticated investors in the world.

At Ampersand Partners LLC*, I’m focused on building an institutional quality investment platform. I have over 25 years of experience in asset management and capital markets.

Most recently, I was CEO of BMO Global Asset Management, a Canadian asset manager with over $300 billion in assets under management.

Prior to my time at BMO, I was CEO of Wells Fargo Asset Management, where I helped steward over $500 billion in client assets. In addition to these roles as CEO, I also held leadership positions at Goldman Sachs and BlackRock, focusing on equity derivatives and defined contribution, respectively. I believe that we are in the business of changing lives, and for me, nothing could be more exciting and rewarding.

Luke Glass

General Counsel

I am a strong believer in the idea that the best legal guidance is not simply an examination of legal issues and risks, but it also requires close collaboration with my clients. I focus on understanding all relevant considerations, and then I use the laws, regulations and risk considerations to create a roadmap for achieving the desired outcomes. I am passionate about doing what is right — always — while also minimizing risks and burdens. 

My career started with A.G. Edwards & Sons in 2003 as a client and branch support attorney. In the 20-plus years that followed, I have held leadership roles within legal teams and also inside business teams where I guided people through the complexities of solving regulatory and risk issues. 

&Partners offers a unique opportunity to be part of an extraordinarily experienced and talented leadership team dedicated to building a firm where partnering with advisors and their clients is at the forefront of everything we do.

Matt Doran

Partner

I am a seasoned financial professional with extensive experience in the field, including over 20 years as a CFP. Throughout my time as a financial advisor, I have learned valuable skills that have allowed me to develop comprehensive and strategic approaches to managing a client’s financial life.

I most recently served as a principal at Sage Wealth Planning, where my team and I worked closely with our clients to integrate holistic financial planning, including cash flow analysis, investment planning, insurance planning and more.

My objective has always been to support clients in making informed and confident financial decisions. My prior experience includes both advisor and principal roles at Edward Jones. I believe in the ideal of advice done well, and I’m excited to put it into practice at &Partners.

Fredrik Axsater

Partner

My passion for building solutions that have a positive influence on people’s financial well-being is perfectly aligned with the mission at &Partners. I work closely with advisors on portfolio strategy and offer a wide range of investment insights.

My work has spanned decades in diverse roles including managing portfolios and devising employer retirement solutions as well as sophisticated institutional investor strategies. For many years I also worked with the CFA Institute on curriculum development, notably within portfolio management.

I spent the first half of my career in various portfolio management roles at BlackRock, focusing on both strategic and tactical asset allocation. I have held leadership roles, such as leading the Defined Contribution business at State Street Global Advisors. Most recently, I was the CEO of LGM, an emerging market equity boutique fully owned by BMO Global Asset Management.

John Crowley

Partner

As a former portfolio manager, I understand the value of skillful security selection, disciplined portfolio construction and asset allocation optimization. I am at &Partners to be an extension of the advisor’s investment team.

My career began as an investor with Eaton Vance, where I employed fundamental analysis to manage over $34 billion across various equity strategies.

I joined Wells Fargo Advisors to help advisors provide better investment recommendations to their clients. I focused on increasing the alignment between portfolio holdings and financial planning recommendations. In five years, I engaged with more than 3,000 financial advisors with over $250 billion in client assets under management.

I have managed money for some of the largest and most sophisticated investors in the world, and I am excited to be a part of delivering high-quality investment recommendations to advisors and their clients.

Catherine Brown

Chief People Officer

While I began my career as a client associate and an advisor at Merrill Lynch, it was later in my career during a stretch role at National City that I discovered my passion, and my talent, for shaping an organization’s approach to people. Now at &Partners, I can bring my experience and vision to create value through talent acquisition and development. I am dedicated to securing the right talent to meet the expectations of our advisors and fostering an environment where everyone can thrive and contribute to our successes.

My frontline business experience shaped me into a different, and I believe, better HR leader. I have learned to focus on empowerment over policing and to foster collaborative problem solving. These approaches will help build a culture at &Partners where our employees and our advisors can thrive.

I look forward leveraging my leadership style to foster an environment where people are encouraged to be themselves and are enabled to strive for excellence. My diverse career spans 30+ years. Prior to joining &Partners, I was chief administrative officer at Wells Fargo Advisors (WFA) and I served for 7 years as an HR Executive and consulting leader for WFA. My passion for marathon running informs how I work: balancing discipline with endurance and understanding that success lies in the journey, not just the final outcome.

Warren Terry

Partner

I’m passionate about possibilities. That’s why I joined the team at &Partners because I know we can build something better. I have a strategic mindset and a drive to execute. I can transform complex problems into efficient solutions. In my 26 years in wealth management, I’ve focused on improving client satisfaction scores, enhancing production and integrating technology seamlessly. I’m always looking for ways to support the advisor so they can serve their clients better and strengthen their relationships. I’m delighted that my experience aligns so well with our vision at &Partners to deliver the very best.

While at Wells Fargo Advisors, I held leadership roles across a variety of areas ranging from compensation to planning. At &Partners, I am excited to put my experience and talents to work on behalf of some of the best advisors in the industry.

Kellie Lyons

Partner

My role at Ampersand Partners LLC* is to ensure we run our business in a highly disciplined way. With over 30 years in the industry, I have the experience required to recognize issues and solve complex challenges. My objective is to help our business run seamlessly and cost-effectively. I was most recently a managing director and the CAO for Wells Fargo’s Affluent Business, Wells Fargo Community Bank and Wells Fargo Advisors.

I started my career working at Wheat First Securities in Charlotte, North Carolina. I’m excited for this next chapter in my career and for the opportunity to help build an engaging environment where everyone feels known, heard and supported.